Movie

I had cleared some of my doubts, before I started to write. Often the words Movie, film, Cinema and picture are used interchangeably. Are these word synonyms or do they have subtle difference?

A dictionary meaning showed that a Picture is an image seen on screen. A cinema is the art of making movies.

A film is more often used when considering artistic, theoretical or technical aspects. A film forces the audience to grow in some way, to leave the theatre slightly better humans than when they came in. 

A movie is more concerned with plot and easy answers. It is about giving the audience exactly what they want. A movie often refers to entertainment or commercial aspects.

In summary, Picture and Cinema deal with the physical aspects of movies while film and movie refer to the qualitative description. Though there are subtle differences, as we can see, for a common man they are interchangeable, and they would use any one of them without hesitation.

Cinema is a versatile medium capable of reaching the millions of people, without any discrimination of being educated or illiterate. 

It could be just a means of entertainment to some, It could give the courage to aspire a and dream for some and it could be thought provoking for some others. As Quentin Tarantino, American film maker, Author and Actor said,” If a million people saw my movies, I hope they see million different movies.”

“Awaraa” and “Sholay” are movies remembered even today as mass entertainers. “Pather Panchal” and “ Manthan” are appreciated even today as parallel cinema depicting the social reality of the times it was taken. India produces largest number of movies and has a huge number of movie goers. It wields great control on the psyche of masses. It generated opinions, drives fashion trends, Mannerism and many more aspects of day-to-day life of majority of masses.Film stars have fans associations, for whom they are real life heroes and are worshipped as Gods. The fans are passionate about their stars.

 Parallel cinema on the other hand provokes thought and generated debates in intelligentsia on social issues like poverty, casteism, child marriage, widow remarriage, which were prominent issues. With due regards and respects to great Indian movie Directors like Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor, Mrinal Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Guru Dutt who had contributed significantly to Indian cinema, I am a very simple movie goer watching movies for pure entertainment and fun and to forget the day-to-day travails of life. Some movies are better enjoyed if we switch off logic and reasoning for the three hours while some movies are indeed thought provoking and linger on our minds for a long time. I enjoy both types of movies.