The past one and a half years has seen a number of films release that are trying to break the mould - or are at least seemingly doing that. Of course on close inspection, many of them are indianised versions of Tarantino, Kusturica, Danny Boyle and some south American and even Chinese films. But that aside - one of the most important component of creating a new wave in cinema is to involve the audience and for audiences to feel the movement forward.

But consistently, filmmakers have to deal with a media that is totally bought. Supliments like the Bombay times are actually advertising pages. And so are so many other parts of newspapers.  For most people, what they read in newspapers is “news”. And so audiences fill halls based on these reports and reviews and they return unsatisfied and cheated. 

If this goes on, the audiences will lose faith in the rating system and will start relying on their own judgement, which is - big stars, good songs and the rest be damned.

It is therefore in the favour of those who believe in new cinema and who want to see genuinely good films, to stop supporting this - bought media space trend.  If audiences and filmmakers can actually get a genuine rating for a film, it will help both sides. 

The audiences will come to theatres with more enthusiasm and filmmakers will no longer be able to get away with making mediocre films just because they know the marketing muscle will push the film through.

I think we should all boycot the bought media spaces. Dont read the suppliments, dont pose for their photos, - do a gandhigiri on them.

Yesterday a friend of mine dropped by for tea, it started with just that then it went in to a long winded conversation which ended post dinner.

We exchanged news and talked about our experiences in the city and then I said the thing that would take about three hours to get around.

I just said - that as filmmakers we live a strange paradigm where we are supposed to have an almost extra sensory sensitivity that helps us tell our stories with some insight. But post making them, we are expected to suddenly grow rhinoceros hides and become immune to all comment and outcomes. And so what does one do.

His answer was - “you know you need a shrink”.  And because I must have looked shocked, he tempered it and said - “Everyone does - everyone needs a shrink”.  I really laughed but I was intrigued.

I guess we all have the self image of being super normal,  and me especially, I feel like I am the most normal, balanced individual I know, so I asked him why he thought I needed a shrink.

Well he seems to think that I create conflicts, paradigms, arguments to and for and then set about solving them. And for solving these imaginary issues,I should hire a shrink. He said it laughing and I am sure it was half jest but we argued all the same and laughed some more.

But it got me thinking, perhaps it isn’t as convoluted and hard as we make it. May be it’s just something more simple than it seems.  If we locked the door on all the mountains of paradigms would we go forward with more clarity or would it make us more stupid?

Hmmmmm…..