Pin-pointing the last film that I really enjoyed in a cinema hall (and I don't mean, enjoyed WITH friends, which translates to talking to 'em most of the time, munching on popcorn and drinking cola) is difficult. When I look back, I'd probably say Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol..which didn't really offend my non-patriarchal ideas of a society (though the woman agent being used to seduce the bad guy WAS a little ..off the track of my mind). But then again, it's one of those films you watch, enjoy, and forget. You don't really learn anything, and nor does the "action" affect you in any positive way. Hence, this blog being the only probable way in which I COULD tell people about the existing-yet-not-evident commercial cinema, I decided to write a little something on the cinema, which is food for my mind and soul. Documentaries. The Ignored Ones. The Ones that are pushed back (deliberately) and sometimes are ignored entirely, so that the "issue" doesn't make the involved people vulnerable to a large section of the audience. Documentaries are so largely associated with 'non-entertainment,' boredom and slow-paced that it is almost impossible to make the voices of the oppressed ones, or to expose a truth, in front of a large audience. Most of us have a pathetically horrific expression on our faces when someone points out the essential role of documentaries (read: this truth makes us vulnerable to our conscience, and doing so would force us to defy the 'social norms'). But alas! The truth cannot be repressed, it will find a fissure in the boils of falseness, and will force its way out.

Here's a piece of my mind, on something close to my heart and soul:

Going by the technical definition, Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record. But is that the only purpose of making documentaries? Maintaining a record? With the meaningless films coming up today, with no issues to talk about other than pointless violence and surreal love stories, one needs to wake up and realize what cinema means.

Cinema is the most powerful form of media, with audio and visuals supporting the content, it creates a hard-hitting impact on the viewers. In fact, we get so engrossed in watching films that we hardly realize that half of the time, we sit in darkness, and this whole technology is based on the principle of persistence of vision. With 24 frames of still pictures passing in front of our eyes per second, we feel as though the picture is moving. Interesting, isn’t it? Cinema was meant to talk about such subjects that we are not aware of, or turn a blind eye to, in such a way that it makes us think- think hard. Given that modern cinema is miles away from achieving this, we need another form in the same medium to fulfill this important goal, thus documentaries come into the picture.

Documentaries are not a new concept, they were existent before too, but now, their significance and vitality has increased. In India, documentary filmmakers like Anand Patwardhan, persevere to bring out consciously suppressed issues through their films. Anand Patwardhan- the Father of Indian documentaries has made award wining films, such as Ram ke Naam, which talks about the Hindu-Muslim riots, The Narmada Diary- bringing to light the Narmada Bachao Andolan and War and Peace, talking about the issues related to Nuclear power plants in India. Anand has spent half of his time fighting with the Censor Board of India, regarding the screening of his documentaries, which posed a threat to the government. Finally, when he was allowed to screen his films, the issue either died out, or it was screened at such hours, where watching them was virtually impossible. These instances, where the authorities try to suppress the voices of the common man, prove the importance of documentaries.

Documentaries in India strive to bring forward the agonies of the depressed classes, the tribals and the villagers. For example, ‘Lesser humans’ - a documentary by Stalin K. sheds light on the condition of Scavengers, or low-castes in Gujarat. ‘The bitter drink’- another documentary by C. Sarathchandran unfolds the real face of the multi national company- Coca-Cola and how its plants are destroying the lives of thousands of innocent villagers. Hence, it is imperative for us to be aware of the sufferings of people who make up more than the half of the Indian population.

After a short conversation with students, I came to the conclusion that most would rather watch the conventional cinema than going in for “boring” documentaries, though they do agree that documentaries make a better cinema than other films. I believe that awareness on documentaries and their necessity in today’s world needs to be spread, so that it attracts a large number of young audiences, who would not only watch them, but get inspired and do something about the issues raised in them. Personally, I think documentaries make more sense, provide more information, and are much more than just “time-pass” and “entertainment.” It allows me to grow, learn and question. Documentaries are the truest, if not the only definition of what cinema should be.

Here, I’d like to mention a special thanks to the Film Club of my school, and my mentor, who guided me from the dark to see light, without holding my hand. And now, its morning all over again…..