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Just Because It Entertained, It’s Not Art?

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Somewhere along the way, we started deciding which kind of cinema deserves respect, and which one just deserves revenue. We began applauding silence as sophistication and mocking sound as noise. A film that makes you sit still, reflect, cry, feel heavy and heart-wrenched is automatically called art. But a film that makes you laugh, cheer, scream, or whistle? That’s dismissed as loud and forgettable. The problem is not with either kind of cinema. The problem is in how we’ve been taught to see. One is hailed as meaningful. The other? A guilty pleasure. One goes to film festivals. The other goes to theatres. But the truth is: both deserve the red carpet. Both deserve celebration. Because let’s be honest cinema is not one thing. It’s not just a silent close-up of pain or a handheld shot of a man smoking in existential dread. It’s also a wide shot of a crowd roaring when their hero arrives. It’s a perfectly timed cut that makes a punch land harder. It’s the scream that breaks silence. It’s ...
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The Math is Killing the Magic When cinema becomes a calculation, where does creation survive?

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The Math is Killing the Magic When cinema becomes a calculation, where does creation survive? A filmmaker walks in with a vision.And walks out with a compromise. Because the minute they step into a room the first question isn’t about the story. It’s: “Who’s the hero?” No genre.No treatment.No soul.Just face value. If it’s a star?Game on. OTT platforms, satellite buyers don't ask for a narration.They don’t need a script.They seal the deal with a face.  That’s not faith in the film.That’s fear of the market. Meanwhile, the filmmaker bleeds behind that smiling poster.Because now it’s not about telling a story.It’s about outperforming the star’s last release. And if it doesn’t?“Director failed.”“Lost the buzz.”“Can’t handle big films.” Even directors who’ve tasted the biggest success don’t feel safe.If they take a detour try a smaller film, an experimental story,their market drops. The punishment is instant.  So what do they do?They chase heroes.They wait months for a slot.They tw...
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FDFS

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  From standing in queues to chasing views, what happened to watching a film? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was a time when the First Day First Show was a feeling. Not footage. Not  box office. Not fan fights. Just… cinema. We bunked college, skipped office, lied at home, pulled sleepy cousins along. We went with lovers, friends, family  or alone, because it didn’t matter. The theatre was the destination. The moment those lights dimmed, we weren’t fans, critics, or analysts. We were dreamers. We stood in long queues. No online booking. No fancy recliners. Sometimes we begged the theatre uncle. Sometimes we celebrated just getting a ticket. No mall, no multiplex, just magic. And when the film started, we screamed. We cried. We clapped. We forgot where we were. The hero’s haircut became our hairstyle. The heroine’s saree showed up at weddings. The poster wasn’t content for an ...
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The Death of Emotion: Killed by Cringe Culture

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  We live in a time where saying “I love you” with a straight face is labelled cringe. Where a man crying is laughed at before the tears hit the floor. Where a mother breaking down is met with a sarcastic “boomer alert.” We’ve made it normal to mock emotion and we think that’s progress? This isn’t just about cinema. This is the generation we live in, and the future we’re creating. Where raw feelings make people uncomfortable. Where honesty is humiliating. Where love, pain, and vulnerability   the very things that make us human   are now punchlines. Cringe Is the New Filter for Everything We don’t just use the word “cringe.” We live through it. Like eating, scrolling, breathing   it’s everywhere. Your mom cries? “Cringe.” Your dad shares a story? “Boomer.” A heartfelt film scene? “Overacting.” A friend says “I miss you”? “Too much.” We’ve become allergic to sincerity not because we don’t feel, but because we’re afraid to be seen fee...
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If It’s Not a Love Story or Horror, It’s a Copy?

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This is how it works these days. You make a film that doesn’t have a ghost? It’s not horror? Not a love story either? Congrats.. it’s now officially called a “Hollywood copy.” Or worse   a “Korean rip-off.” Welcome to the lazy take universe. Forget genre. Forget form. Forget treatment. If your film even dares to do something different — a slow-burn thriller, a black comedy, a dystopian political drama, a daring sci-fi, or a new kind of screenplay   it’s immediately branded as a copy. Not even given a moment to breathe. A genuine effort, something that took vision and nerve to make, is tossed aside with one word: “copied.” It’s not even criticism. It’s cultural insecurity hiding behind memes and screenshots. The moment a film experiments outside the familiar   when it doesn’t hold the audience’s hand, when it tries a different structure, tone, or world   it’s not seen as genre-defining. It’s seen as borrowed. No curiosity. No question of “Wha...
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Thug Life: A Raw Take

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Before we talk about Thug Life, we need to talk about the two men behind it. Mani Ratnam is a filmmaker who doesn’t just make films  he shapes cinema. His characters are more than people; they’re mirrors. Especially his women  layered, defiant, unforgettable. His frames are silent poems, often needing no dialogue to leave a scar. You walk out of his films carrying more than just a story. You carry a feeling. Kamal Haasan is a creator who outpaces time. Every time the industry settles into a rhythm, he breaks it. He doesn’t just perform, he invents. And he keeps pushing. Keep seeking. Keeps throwing himself into fire, just to see if he can come out changed. As an actor, director, thinker   he’s in a space of his own. That’s why Thug Life mattered. This wasn’t just another movie. This was a moment. When Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan come together after decades, you don’t just expect cinema you expect history. But this film? It doesn’t land. It doesn’t cut. It d...
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