Prakash Srinivasan
(Prakash is a student of Swami who did his B.Com(Hons) in Brindavan
campus and then his MBA and PG Diploma in Indian Culture and Philosophy in
Prashanthi Nilayam. During his student days, Prakash had the good fortune of
being a Mandir bhajan singer and has enjoyed singing for our Lord many times. A
passionate lover of music, food and nature- Prakash is currently heading the
European system operations for Hewlett Packard(HP) from the Bangalore office.
His enthusiasm, humour and cheerfulness are contagious. In this article,
Prakash shares his insights on cinema and how movies can deeply affect our
daily life).
One of Swami's popular
quotes is: “Tell me your company and I will tell you what you are!” At first it
seems pretty exaggerated but when we analyze it through our life's experiences
it seems very true. After all, we imbibe everything through what we see and
hear because they work and influence us very subtly. Such influences are a
double-edged sword because their impact is very lasting and they start from our
subconscious mind and finally become our second nature.
One of the most
all-pervasive media which is present in our daily life is cinema. It is
arguably the most popular form of entertainment alongside sports. I am not
going to start a discussion on whether cinema has improved or deteriorated
today but rather focus on its impact and how it influences our minds. Cinema is
a very powerful medium and actually can be used to good effect to make a
positive change in society. In fact, Swami too has watched movies along with
His students and some of us have been fortunate to have watched Meerabai,
Harishchandra, Iqbal and a few other inspiring movies on the lives of saints or
on inspiring current day themes. Though such kind of cinema is a small
percentage of the total but it still has a significant impact on society. Let’s
look at how people have leveraged the power of cinema and I am sure this will
help us enjoy good cinema even more!
MYTHOLOGY/HISTORY: Cinema is probably the most interesting way to understand and know about
our history and mythology. This is more relevant in case of India where there
are a million stories to be told. Each and every state in our country is home
to so many wonderful stories and episodes which showcase our culture that many
enterprising filmmakers have tapped the potential of this infinite source. Prominent
examples are movies like Mayabazar (on Mahabharatha), Sampoorn Ramayan, Shirdi
Ke Sai Baba, Karnan, Thiruvilayadal, Sri Raghavendrar, and an upcoming movie on
our very own Swami. Even TV serials like Ramayan/Mahabharath were a rage during
our childhood where every Sunday morning was special because of the wonderful
TV shows in Doordarshan. Today we have 300 TV channels but 90% of our time is
lost in flipping through the TV channels itself.
MOVIES TO PROMOTE PATRIOTISM: The freedom struggle of India has provided great
inspiration for many people to make films depicting the brave and glorious
lives of eminent freedom fighters. These film makers probably vented their
angst against the tyranny of the British through their movies. Of course many
movies were made much after Indian independence but they did play a role in
promoting a feeling of national pride. Prominent examples are Shaheed, Legend
of Bhagat Singh (my favourite), Lagaan (though a work of fiction but
nevertheless very effective), Pazhassi Raja (Malayalam) etc
FEEL-GOOD/FAMILY MOVIES: These are movies which show the usual story but they
have a message and they are also very emotionally enriching and elevating. They
also make us feel very good and have a calming influence. Such movies promote a
feeling of unity and togetherness and also inspire us to help other people and
making life better all around us. In some scenes in such movies we will be in
tears and have a lump in our throats as it exposes the problems people face.
There are many movies in this category but the prominent ones are Taare Zameen
Par (about finding your potential), A Wednesday (about the common man), the
Munnabhai series, The Great Debaters, Remember the Titans, Schindlers List, The
Terminal etc.
HUMOUR:
These kinds of movies are the greatest stress-busters. Good humour is quite
hard to come by nowadays, nevertheless there are some very good movies in this
category. These movies appeal to the common man and are also liked a lot by
kids. Today a lot of humour has become slap-stick but the truly humourous
movies are those where the dialogues are witty and intelligent and they make us
laugh our hearts out. These movies might be the most healthy as laughter is
supposed to be good for our heart. Examples include Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron,
Golmaal, Pink Panther, Panchathantram, Charlie Chaplin series etc.
There is a big flip side to
all this. Movies which depict a lot of violence/ all forms of social evil also have an adverse effect on us over a
period of time. Studies have clearly shown that many children pick up bad
habits like smoking or indulging in crimes after watching them happening in
movies. In India until recently there was a ban on showing of smoking scenes in
films but unfortunately that was lifted last year. Once again, we have many
smoking and drinking scenes and no one can deny that young minds would not be influenced
by it.
So as responsible citizens,
its our duty to help promote good movies which inspire and entertain us and
ignore movies which instigate negativity. Ultimately we can choose what kind of
movies we watch and that will definitely play a role in shaping our thoughts.
As Swami puts it, the food for the senses play a vital role in shaping the mind
of man and hence the order in society.
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