Cinema is an art form. Isn’t that something we keep forgetting again and again? Too many gimmicks — ah, that’s called marketing — can do that to almost anything. If you peel off the box office records, star fees, media shenanigans and other such worldly facets, cinema is bare and deceptive. All art forms are meant to delude us. Films are no different. Its ultimate purpose is to engage with strangers whom the filmmakers will never get to meet or know. That’s the set canvas, be it for a stand-up comic who forces out laughter in the room or an Adele who commands silence when she performs. Audience is the ultimate common ground. Without an audience, there is no art. The tricky part being art is open to (mis)interpretations. Leonardo da Vinci might have spent 15 years at perfecting Mona Lisa but the world today is fascinated by her mysterious smile. Was this his original intention? We’ll never know. What we know for sure — at least i do — is life remains meaningless no matter what. Being alive is like distracting a baby to make sure it doesn’t get bored and cry. Art is the much-needed distraction here. However, the construct of cinema is unique not only because it’s undoubtedly the most expensive art form out there but also because it involves so many people in its upbringing that you begin to wonder where cinema ends and reality begins.
Behind the seen
Behind the seen
Behind the seen
Cinema is an art form. Isn’t that something we keep forgetting again and again? Too many gimmicks — ah, that’s called marketing — can do that to almost anything. If you peel off the box office records, star fees, media shenanigans and other such worldly facets, cinema is bare and deceptive. All art forms are meant to delude us. Films are no different. Its ultimate purpose is to engage with strangers whom the filmmakers will never get to meet or know. That’s the set canvas, be it for a stand-up comic who forces out laughter in the room or an Adele who commands silence when she performs. Audience is the ultimate common ground. Without an audience, there is no art. The tricky part being art is open to (mis)interpretations. Leonardo da Vinci might have spent 15 years at perfecting Mona Lisa but the world today is fascinated by her mysterious smile. Was this his original intention? We’ll never know. What we know for sure — at least i do — is life remains meaningless no matter what. Being alive is like distracting a baby to make sure it doesn’t get bored and cry. Art is the much-needed distraction here. However, the construct of cinema is unique not only because it’s undoubtedly the most expensive art form out there but also because it involves so many people in its upbringing that you begin to wonder where cinema ends and reality begins.