he Silences of the Century I By Premchand
Engrusii T ran slab:xi of a n a rt cle that appea r€<.1 :n lne Ntalhrubhurru on 03rd Nlay 2013
Politics tells us that India is shining in the world map. In that shining, Kerala is boiling. Perhaps, the state is going to witness the lowest water levels, the greatest darkness and the most scorching heat. However, even as it tries to hold its head up in pride for having completed a hundred years, has our cinema depicted the land that we live in, in any form, on the silver screen? Which land does it try to sketch for us? Whose India? Whose Kerala?
It's true, we have a lot to be eloquent about when it comes to heritage. Many streams that speak many languages, originating with Dadasaheb Phalke: Satyajit Ray, Ritwick Ghatak, Guru Dutt, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Bengal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Girish Kasaravalli, Rituparna Ghosh.. they are countless. According to the rational awareness and interests of the historians, the number of deities in this list rruy increase or decrease. However, there are a million people in our land who make a livelihood through cinema. Rs. 50,000 crores have been deposited in cinema. There are over ten thousand movie halls, and 15 million viewers every week. The countless crores of rupees that flow in unhindered even while discussing losses amounting to crores make cinema a magical world It's a world where the financial figures can only be guessed. It has stars that earn nothing as well as those who earn a hundred crores. Cinema makes every viewer dizzy with claims that tower above ticket sales figures. Here, history rests under the feet of money. Because cinema is unlike any other art form. It's an art that is possible only with money.