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Good cinema?

People always seem to think they know what other people want. Some people have built whole careers out of it! I have been interacting with film professionals from different countries about the kind of films that are appreciated by their local audiences.

One hears many thumb rules about what will work with the audience and not. These comes from years of experience through trends and waves that have occurred in the film industry.  A senior executive quotes to me “Make us cry and we’ll buy!” 🙂 Many of these generalisations make one feel that the audience out there is a homogenous monolith that speaks in one voice. 

And then one hears about how Spanish audiences loved “Monsoon Wedding”… how South Asian audiences in US enjoyed “My big fat greek wedding!” How a film like “Sivaji” is bought for Japanese audiences…  perhaps these point to common values and cultural patterns in diverse societies.

 So finally people in-the-know seem to say in a hushed whisper –  “actually no one can tell for sure!”

After all these these  “professional ” opinions  I turn to regular movie goers. In the first few reactions I get – firstly, the adulation towards other decades that offered a different kind of cinema. (Is that just a nostalgic value?) Secondly, the constant bickering about where good cinema has gone.

So am curious-  what is  GOOD CINEMA for the audience?

 Can someone tell me?

Comments: 75

  • Suraj April 17, 201012:12 pm

    Good cinema should take our money and our heart with our pleasure

  • Suraj April 17, 201012:24 pm

    Good cinema should take our money and our heart with our pleasure we cannot classify the good cinema like crying cinema , story line cinema only good cinema, becouse horrer cinema, action cinema also have good cinema, i think if any cinema existing somebodies mind atleast up to he watching other good cinema it is good cinema

  • Sranj April 17, 201012:40 pm

    I thought movies where we can relate to ourselves.. the roles in that reminds me of someone we knew.. or like those around us… a story which would remain in your thoughts for many days and you still debate in your mind on each of the incidents in that.. a movie which captures the best frames that make an impact… a movie which will take you completely to the world .. and make you forget your office assignments, homechores and the popcorn bowl in your hand… but then as you said some movies that doesnt fit into any of these too wins sometimes… but not all.. and not always!

  • Anil Kumar, IITM, Chenai April 17, 20101:54 pm

    Nobody can say :-). I think, you can make films on your own terms sincerely and just pray that, audience out there can communicate and relate to it. If you make films sincerely success is just a coincidence 🙂

  • Dhanesh April 17, 20102:38 pm

    Dear Anjali,
    Me and my wife were excited to see your work in Kerala Cafe. Congrats! A good movie for me is the not necessarily the one which will make me cry, laugh or deeply move me from inside or anything…
    It’s not right to cage it into formulas… It’s too divine an experience to be reduced to formulas…

  • Nidhin James April 17, 20103:00 pm

    mam…if i have script..can i contact u..then how can i contact u ?

  • Vijayakrishnan April 17, 20103:33 pm

    what is your concept about good cinema?
    Is it a type of feminism or humanism?

  • Pratheep Kumar (Pratheep Chunakkara) April 17, 20104:16 pm

    Dear Anjali,

    1. Children : They like colouful and animated cinema with unreal story like cartoons.

    Teens : They like the cenema with romantic dialogues, looks, galmorous dreesings, dances and songs evethough the story is unealistic.

    Youth : They like spontaneous dialogues, fighting, political elements and to certain extent a contemporary and realistic stories.

    Middle and older : They like nostalgic and serious stories.

    People in all catagories like comedy. So mixing up of all these as a masala in an appropriate ratio may take a cinema to the ‘Jana priya’ commercial film. Only a few people will go into the details of cenema. In old days the viewers were just watching and enjoying the whole cenema. They were not going much deep into the great meaning of the dialigues, scene, angles of shots, poetical value of songs etc. For them it was an overall enjoyment. The Insurance Surveyor in Kerala cafe thinks that he can not only assess the insurance losses but also can assess the people by looking at them. I had been working as an Insurance Surveyor in Dubai for 15 years and I was also thinking the same way how that charactor in your movie was thinking. Frankly speaking I could even foreseen the ending of the movie almost when I reached half way. But I was not fully sure about that. The use of mobile is coming on the way very naturally and her dialogue about the purpose of her mobile turns the movie to tarvel along the right path and reach a meaningful end. I am sure about that a good percentage of the new generation is carefully watching each and every part of the cinema. If a good story is being filmed by a GOOD DIRECTOR(the one who can foreseen the final outcome) with good artistic and technical helps, that will never be a failure. The movies having the screen plays by M.T. Vasudevean Nair Sir are still amazing. I was talking about the Malayalee audience. I do not know about people from other languages and culture. Every one is diferent from others and everyone got their own isms. Out of 100 , 60 may enjoy the cinema remaining 40 may dislike and critisize. But all are intellectuals.
    I have a request to you madam. I have not seen ‘Manchadikkuru’. In Kerala cafe you have done your job very very well. But you please never stick on making films depicting ladies problems always. Be realistic. There are many cases where men are being cheated and harassed by ungrateful women. Some men cannot react or take revenge because they might have been broughtup in an atmosphere of peacefullnes. I can prove it and I have some stories and examples with me. Sorry, I am not talking for or on behalf of all male people.

    Recently I could see you in ‘Friday Magazine’ published in Dubai. We could proudly show this to our colleques from other parts of the world. Wish you all the best and we, the Keralites will always be proud of saying your name, especially out of kerala. Because we have only few like you.

    Prathep Chunakkara, Sharjah.

  • ariyathe April 17, 20105:05 pm

    To me, good cinema has to be poignant. It doesn’t have to have a happy ending and it doesn’t need to have an excessive array of lachrymal subunits.=] But it should leave the audience with some kind of image that has the power to be retained. The story should have enough credulity to be taken out of the screen, out of the theatre into someone’s life.

    And haha, we all love our movies of yesteryears (and talking about them). Is it solely nostalgia? I don’t think so. Those movies, from the silly comedies to the true-blue tragedies, had that “retainable” power. Not all of them, but a grand number of them did. Where has good cinema went? It’s still here. But the kind of people making movies have changed, the technology has changed and the audience has changed…with change comes, well, change.

  • Umesh April 17, 20106:39 pm

    Good cinema is an experience. It should make me come to the theatre and make me pay for it and make me feel happy for the time and money spent. I dont mind any genre, it should totally transport me to the movie’s setting for that 3 hours.

  • chandini April 17, 201010:44 pm

    for the past one week,i was also in doubt with this question…

  • rakesh April 18, 201012:52 am

    a good cinema is, in my opinion is a blow on the back of your head! it makes you wake up/ open your eyes and cry “Oh!”. it fails you when you try to tell the ‘story’ to a friend and make you say “you gotta see it!”

  • satheesh kumar April 18, 201011:46 am

    consider the the film viewers as a single mind which we r trying to understand, journey to the other mind is always half done. understanding is not an essential for making good films.

  • sanalstanly April 18, 201012:30 pm

    Good Cinema?

    01. Precise Communication

    02. Good Entertainment

    03. A mixture of all Virtues of Art

    A Movie that makes Comprising all three elements mentioned above will attract the good opinion of Public.

    It may be the reason why good Movies apreciated by Jury and Award Winning becomes a huge flop in Theatres, Due to lack of these Two Elements (Communication / Entertainment).

    Even though Entertain the majority considerably good Movies are also coming into the fray with two other elements.

    I hope sorry Strongly, believe that a Movie with spectators and entertain then without compromising its Arts elements could call a Good Movie.

  • suhail April 18, 20102:46 pm

    ഒരു കഥ, അതേതുമാകട്ടെ പക്ഷേ അതിനെ വിശ്വാസ യോഗ്യമായ രീതിയില്‍ അവതരിപ്പിക്കാന്‍ കഴിഞ്ഞാല്‍ അതിനെ നമുക്ക് വിളിക്കാം ഒരു നല്ല സിനിമ എന്ന്!!

  • Pyari April 18, 20103:31 pm

    Hi Anjali,
    As a film maker, dont you think that the term “good cinema” is a too generalized term? I feel it is. I also feel it is a relative term too.
    People would like a movie and call it a good cinema according to their tastes.

    To quote an eg:, I just hated the movie Sagar Alias Jacky. I was shocked to hear that there are people who loved the movie too!

    Let me try to summarise, what according to me is a good movie. (This is purely based on my views and might contradict many others’.) (Sorry if I run into pages. ;))

    1. A very good movie would handle a fresh subject or atleast a fresh way of narration.

    (Your Happy Journey is a very good example of freshness of the subject. “Namukku Paarkkaan munthiri thoppukal was a very good movie because of the freshness it had in its narration.”)

    2. In a good movie, casting of a character and the dubbing should play a very important role.
    (To quote some examples, Kavya Madhavan doing a modern girl with her Malayalee accent is unacceptable. Such castings and dubbings look extremely dramatic. The movie “Katha” was a flop for this reason. However, for the movie “Anantha bhadram” she was the perfect cast. I believe that there are many Malayalam movies with good scripts and story lines which didnt click for the same reason.

    Again “Happy journey” came out well for this reason. The girl who was casted for this role looked perfect for it. Her looks matched the character she played. The person who dubbed for her also was perfect. If I remember correctly, her accent while using English terms was good which was very much important for that role. It is the true other way round also. In the movie, Pazhassi Raja, Mammootty tried to bring that Malayalam influence in his accent intentionally. In the movie Company, Ram Gopal Varma did a good job by introducing Mohanlal as a Malayali. When too modern girls try to do a typical Kerala girl, such areas also it errs.

    Not only the outlook, the youthfulness and freshness of the characters if not reflected in the actor, then also, it looks odd and you never feel like watching the movie completely. Tamil movies Boys, Alaypaayuthe all are good examples of using perfect casting for roles to maintain the youthfulness and freshness. I agree that Mohanlal and Mammootty have more in them. Last year, Mammootty came out with superb roles like in Loud Speaker, Kerala Cafe, Pazhassi Raja etc. Who can forget his role in a not too old movie “Katha Parayumbol”? But even then, fresh talents have to be brought out when the role demands that. However, again not like the movie “Ritu”. I love the actress “Reema Kallingal” for her looks. But her dubbing in the movie Ritu and Neela thaamara was pathetic. It sounded like “Ranjini Haridas’s Malayalam” atleast in some places. Dialog deliveries like that would irritate any viewer. Not sure who dubs for Roma. She does a good job. We are also missing talents like Thilakan. Character roles are being played by some comedians these days and to be frank,most of them do not even touch our heart. 🙁

    3. There are people with different tastes among audience. A good movie is one which targets specific audience and do justice atleast to them.

    I believe that it is a herculian task to even think about satisfying all kind of audience. (Not that it is impossible. But the fact is that such movies which are liked by all kind of audience happen very rarely) Trying to add some “masala” to ensure that all categories of people would only spoil the movie. All that the film makers have to concentrate is to narrate the story in the best possible way. Once the target of audience is identified, some add ons may be tried according to their tastes. (Unlike introducing a family scene, a stunt, a college scene, a love story all in one movie and just tyring to connect it with the movie, when it is no were related.)

      • Pyari April 18, 20105:10 pm

        🙂 Ok. Then, I think I have conveyed my thoughts.

        (Also a small correction.After I responded here, I watched Ritu’s first part again. Reema’s dubbing looked fine there. There were others who flawed in their dubbing in that movie)

  • Pyari April 18, 20103:37 pm

    Last but not the least, a good movie need not be a commercial hit.

    The fact is there are lots of movies which were not commercial hits but are watched and liked by atleast 95% of the Malayalees!!!
    If your question “what is a good cinema” intended to ask what makes a commercial hit, that is a separate topic on its own. 🙂

  • Rakesh S April 19, 201012:34 pm

    1) When a movie is made without any gimmicks to impress the audience, straight from the heart of the creator.
    2) Touches the heart with its genuineness, without any added ingredients.

    And try to watch debutant Mohan Raghavan’s movie “TD Dasan Standard VI B” currently in theaters. One good example for how genuineness can touch your heart.

  • Othena Baburaj April 19, 20102:33 pm

    No one can convincingly tell what good cinema is, for each person’s sensibility differs from others.

    If you make cinema without challenging ones own common sense and sensibility with conviction I think that may turn out as a good Cinema. That is my way of thinking. Cheers!

  • dinu April 19, 20103:35 pm

    cinema that people can relate to, let it be the good or bad in them, around them.

    but this good or bad is different for people with different personalities, cultures, history etc etc ..

    ur good may not be my good, or might even be something I think “bad”

    Some assumptions can be made, like u said, make me cry, and i will buy. But, thats not the last word of it.

    now, the last category, which I think is Good cinema, in all its meaning, is something that discovers the good or bad or a value or sometihng we r not even sure, if it is good or bad, BEFORE people or society starts thinking about it.

    u walk few miles ahead of the crowd, ahead of the culture, environment of the people u r living with, or making film for, discover something new, which was already there but they knew nothing about ..

    look deeper inside me, more deep than I can look in to myself, touch something I didnt even know existed, tell me about it ..

    and I will give that cinema 100%

  • Haree April 19, 20105:34 pm

    🙂
    It is hard to define a GOOD cinema. We do have technical / aesthetic parameters which will contribute to a good cinema. If majority of these parameters score high, it can result in a good cinema. (Remember, the importance given to each parameter varies from one viewer to another!)

  • Nure April 20, 20102:31 am

    Good cinema is something defined at a very personal level by a individual.
    – Depends on what an individual ‘want’ to see on the silver screen.
    – Good cinema for a person who is looking for an escape route from life for 2 hours
    will be different from that defined by a person who would like to empathize with
    the characters on screen.

    When a film can strike chords with a large spectrum of audience, at least in some part/aspect of the experience, it becomes a hit cinema 😉

    I believe that’s the reasoning behind directors taking the safe route with formulas. An ‘aviyal’ made with ingredients added to satisfy audience he/she think
    will like at least that section he has added specifically for him.

    ‘Surprise Surprise’ 9/10 times this cinematic aviyal will turn into a ‘Sunday block buster’ for the channels with in a couple of months.

  • Asish Menon, New Delhi April 20, 20108:50 am

    To me, Good Cinema is something that touches the viewer’s heart. A strong character with genuine background that rides us smoothly through a set of unpredictable and impressive events and climax without any artificiality, will make a good movie.

    May be because I am not watching many, I still find ‘Children of Heaven’ the kind of movie I would like to watch and make – something that can be appreciated by anyone across the globe.

  • Shemeem April 20, 20105:21 pm

    Hi,Chechi.

    To be very frank your question is not a “question”.Never ask this type of things.Because the word “GOOD” is that not only in the case of Movie but also any other matter we can’t define what it means.Because I believe every person’s mindset is entirely different from others.So if we have to say anything specific,then that must be common for few.So this case the word “GOOD CINEMA” also not the answer.All we I/YOU can make a film that from the our viewpoint and our mindset.That film will be like someone have “GOOD CINEMA” someone have “BAD CINEMA”.So we can say that who can make a movie that most people like then that can be a GOOD MOVIE…

  • satheesh kumar April 20, 20106:02 pm

    Good cinema should be engaging the audience emotionally, having subtexts on every possible frames, each segment of audience (catogoraized on level of conciessness) should get something from each sequence picturized. It should be 100% truthfull and sincere reflection of one’s own thought process, even when a team is involved during the development of idea/script/production thought process should be seamless. Respect the audience as they are gods and the cinema is an offering (kanikka), so whatever you say for your joy should not do any harm to others. Polish your mirror 7 times and then audience will see good reflections.

  • Sandeep April 23, 201011:51 am

    Good cinema is wat we think good cinema is . Its quite subjective, for me a porn movie with no story line and melodrama will be good. Well it is the way we looking at it . It is purely our perspective !!!!!!!. Well when you are making a movie you should have some motive, money,fame pure satisfaction something too keep our spirit high. Its like the same feeling when a mother delivering her child … All rite too much crap… Bye Ahoy

  • Manu.B April 24, 20109:19 am

    Money is not a matter for a ‘GOOD CINEMA’…..in my view point(as a viewer)
    But CINEMA must be more realistic…more enjoyable..

    Thanks

  • Balu April 25, 20109:25 pm

    Freshness(in story or in treatment), technical finesse and fine performances from artists, in an engaging film is a Good Cinema for me. To take examples from Kerala Cafe, Bridge and Puram Kazhchakal were excellent, Island Express and Happy Journey were really good films.. 🙂

  • Mathew Abraham Mathew April 28, 20104:13 pm

    The veriety in the approach, a diversion from the cliche approach will make a film a gud one. The difference must start from the story, the film making, the angles n everything. Dev D which released last year was an experiance.

  • maithreyi April 29, 20106:18 am

    I hv seen many detailed answers and hence am not trying to elaborate one!a good theme, message(though everybody says it’s out of fashion)and of course good picturisation and whatelse?
    off topic: i wanted to meet u and ms.revathy at a seminar in tvpm on women last month ,but cudn’t come…r u and anjali ila menon one and the same person?
    i too hv seen kerala cafe.

  • Alex Poovathingal April 30, 201010:13 pm

    Any film which help me forget the world outside and don’t make me look at my watch often is a good film. Other than that, films with nostalgic themes are my favourites. And if the film makes me think about it for long, I am indebted to its creators.

  • aurora May 3, 201012:31 pm

    its all about presentation..even without a good story,many films stay in our mind,where as good subject gets diminished by poor presentation too..so what mal film directors lack is the talent to present effectively

  • ashraf May 4, 20108:01 pm

    Isn’t it a matter of contextual relevance and the sorrounding social fabric the audience belongs to? Come to think of it…it is very subjective and really there is no such thing as good or bad art or cinema for that matter. Unless you take on an elitist bent of mind and look down on what you might consider below acceptable norms of filmmaking and cinematic standards. But then I cud be wrong and this whole passage could be a pointless…really! 😉

  • prasad May 8, 20102:03 pm

    a good cinema happens when all d “goods” came together..gud story/theme that can withstand d time n zone..gud direction..gud technicians..gud location…if u’ve d real “stuff” all d rewards n success will come to u. there’s no short cuts / formulas for “good”.

  • shabin May 8, 201011:35 pm

    A good cinema is..hmmmm… probably… a cinema that is good 😛

  • J May 9, 201011:13 pm

    A good film for me is one that I can watch and then be able to weave it into my internal world in such a way that it becomes a part of me for ever.
    Stalker- Tarkovsky

    A good film can also be one that entertains me without making me feel that I am being entertained. Sreenivasan (Vadakkunokkiyanthram) is an excellent example.

  • Lakshmi May 10, 20103:10 am

    In my opinion, all films are good. Although the characters, story and emotional settings in each film varies, the underlying concepts are the same. Its a medium for entertainment with the intention of conveying a message to the targeted audience. However, I think the magic is really in the making of it with the balance between everyday changing audience and reality. I mean the audience always look for something new in each film but they expect the theme to be strong and real. Although they know fictional characters can’t be real, they expect the message to be real. So our stories don’t have to be real but the message and the language in our cinema (what we are trying to tell the audience or what is the message that we are conveying through our films) must be strong!!!! In my opinion, that determines the success or failure of a film. Of course that’s just me and there are a whole lot of other things that fall in to consideration while making a film.

  • Lakshmi May 10, 20103:16 am

    I agree with what Ashraf posted…along with mine.

  • Lakshmi May 11, 201012:54 am

    Ms.Menon, will you be attending the South Asian International Film Festival of 2010???

  • Roby May 12, 20101:19 am

    There is no bad Cinema.

    The question should be what is Cinema..?

  • Salih (Eranadan) May 12, 20101:28 am

    I saw your movie (K.Cafe) at Abudhabi Film Fest.

    A Good Cinema lies in the Viewer’s eyes and it depends up/based on his/her persistence and mood to life. Hundreds of people watching a movie at a time have hundreds of views/interested scenes in the same movie!

  • Shalini! May 17, 20103:53 pm

    If Albert Einstein or Newton was alive.. I don’t think even they could have derived the formula to make a cinema successful. If your question is about good cinema, it again differs from person to person, just like u mentioned in your post.

  • afriend May 28, 20102:43 pm

    We are basically trying to define “good art” here. It happens when some strong irresistible idea comes rushing to u..nd once it hit ur head, u have no choice but to do it..u dont care whether its goin to be good or bad or whether ppl will like it or wil b able to relate to it…all tat goes into the head of someone who is trying to pander..so all i m saying is, if a movie comes right from director’s heart with absolutely nil external influence, tats the kind of movie that i wanna see.. how “good” it is depends on how much humanity the director has..

  • RB June 5, 20107:01 pm

    Answer is very simple,..An Old saying…. you can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.

    Every movie has it own charm of sensing touch only matters how you going to take it more deeper…

    Regards
    RB

  • Sanal Kumar Sasidharan Nair June 14, 20102:05 pm

    Hi Anjali … Message packed emotionally and savoured with never seen frames and locations and finally completed with Good music for toppings ! . . As good as a Deluxe Pizza !

    I found Dil Chatha Hai, Taare Zameen Par & Rajneeti [They are all from different Genre of Hindi movie … reaching the same audience successfully] …

    Taken Malayalam movie, once acclaimed the Best to learn cinema from, did not lay the foundation of the movie on the Glam Sham of actors … it did not upbring PrithviRaj then but the kinds of Bharath Gopi Soman and ofcourse the then less glamorous but talented M & M ! – Today Tamil Movies are doing that … lot of actors and characters easily available there, my favourties being Pasupathy Vikram Soorya and Prakash Raj !

  • anoop June 28, 201012:00 pm

    subjective…….GOOD n BAD….pokkiri for me was a good entertainer…happy journey was a good entertainer….thoovaanathumbikal …oh i love that movie…i hated the movie THE KING..my friends loved it …oh i cant forget i had headaches after that and left a bitter taste…..it made me feel bad….though the film was a superhit..

    ..so whats good conema and bad cinema…appreciation of ART needs some training..to keep it simple…for laymen like me …a good cinema should entertain..it should leave in me something good..it should not leave a distaste..how you do it?…what it needs ? these are not my concerns…so actually its up to you …

    stay true on the side of humanity….even if you make a movie about robots…and believe me its not a sin to entertain….

    i hope i made my point

  • Abhijith July 3, 201012:29 pm

    Isn’t good cinema somethings that enraptures you and sticks you to the seat. And then makes you want to comeback for more.

    • anoop July 7, 20102:54 pm

      not only that…for me it shud elevate ur humanity …..

  • Uma September 5, 201012:24 pm

    as far as i understand, the medium of film is powerful enough to subtely influence the core of human mind or subconscious, without ever giving a clue to the conscious- meaning its one of the most powerful weapons ever invented.
    but at the same time, its like food- you can never force a child to eat spinach alone, even though its the healthy food he needs- you need to prepare it deliciously, for him to feel like eating it, to have it with his heart, to enjoy, and may be without knowing it, be healthy and strong.. films are like that.. and i think thats why many films-which indeed have something to say- fail to reach out, where as films which focuses on comparitevly unhealthy issues -just like chocolates and icecreams- reach out more, beacuse of the initial taste…
    sadly or amazingly- i dont know which to say – unless cooked with ut-most care this mind-controlling potion can decide whether the minds will sleep or wake up…

  • Vivek September 29, 201010:25 pm

    A good cinema….for me is something which stays in my mind even after I come out watching it…something which takes me to a different world where I feel am a part of the story….I think this is same with a movie or a book….

    I hate when movie makers take audience for granted….repect the audience and you have a good movie….

  • prasanth October 6, 20108:06 am

    Ms. Anjali
    Interesting question you’ve posed here. Everyone loves to have a debate about what “good cinema” is. It’s hard to quantify exactly what the term means.
    Some people think “good cinema” can only refer to artistic, serious movies. But does that mean a comedy can’t be good cinema? I don’t accept that…

    In the end, I think “good cinema” refers to films that make the audience feel the emotions of the characters as if they were there too. In other words, it allows them to live for a moment in the world of the character.

    In a comedy, that could mean laughing along with the characters as if you were there enjoying their story too. In a drama or tragedy, it means feeling the sadness of the characters as if you were undergoing that tragedy too. In a romantic story, we should feel the passion of the main characters. Etc, etc….

    That’s basically the power of good cinema, in my opinion, and why it’s valuable, because it allows us, the viewers, to feel emotions and ideas that we would not encounter perhaps, in every day life, but which are sitting in the back of our minds anyways.

    Anyways, I have rambled on…good luck with your future projects

  • sreejith n.k October 22, 20102:34 pm

    you ought to consult Laura Mulvey to decipher whats running in the minds of the audience while watching a movie…especially in a dark cinema hall…

      • sreejith nk October 23, 20106:35 pm

        good cinema should have a stamp of its director….

  • hormese August 17, 201110:31 am

    a good cinema for me is one that entertains and challenges my awareness and my ignorance.
    I once went to restaurant with friends. One of them commented,” what is the big deal about this dish, i can easily make this at home.”
    I would say, he was entertained for sure, that is why he even made the comment in the first place.

    a great film maker once said,”those screenplays that understand the strength of its medium are the true guides to cinema.”

    also in the context, an interesting word mentioned by yet another great person;
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprezzatura

  • Suvarna April 11, 201312:17 am

    Hi Anjali,

    It is only recently did I get a chance to see your work (hibernation due to child birth, you know!). And ever since, I have been trying to know you by reading articles, watching interviews. Big Fan now, for the artist and person in you! 🙂

    A little late reaction here. However, Cinema has had a great impact in my life, hence this question is important.

    I think there is good cinema and great cinema. There is no bad cinema really, because every movie is made with a good intention and a lot of effort by many people, and appeals to at least a minor group. What differentiates the two categories is the value addition to the people exposed to it and the people making it and the proportion of its reach.

    While the categorization is totally subjective, I think great cinema is one that has positively influenced a great lot of minds, for a great deal of time to a great extent, and reached out to people of diverse interests, languages, cultures and geographies. When someone sees a great movie, the idea will spread across barriers, especially even faster now, thanks to technology.

  • Ramnath Sunny November 2, 201312:45 pm

    kaanikalkku Kadhayoodoppam yathra cheyyan kazhiyanam,,kadhakku avare Oormakalilekku kooti kondu pokaan kazhiyanam,Cheriya cheriya nombarangal unarthaan kazhiyanam,kaanikalkku Kadhapaathrangalumaay thadathmyam praapikkan kazhiyanam,, Kandirangikkazhinjaal pinne kadha avarodoppam yathra cheyyanam,, veendum veendum kaanan thonnanam,, kandillayirunnu engil nashttamaayeene ennu thonnippikkan kazhiyanam..Meghamalhar , Mozhi , Madrasappattanam, Jab we met, chak de India, Gramaphone, Kaalapaani,Manassinnakkare….

  • sreekanth100k December 11, 20136:20 pm

    Hi Anjali,
    I am not a big fan of films, still I like watching certain genre of films. In my humble opinion, each person is different and they all will have different tastes, so I think a director should try to convey his ideas or view points rather than trying to think what the audient will enjoy, I think the primary question should be would ‘you’ enjoy the film or would the film leave a significant mark in ‘your’ mind,
    Personally speaking I am an introvert, so I like films that convey deep human relationships and films that helps spread good messages, films that convey good values like truthfullness, love, commitment. I understand that in today’s world films have even the power to decide what is the trend, what is right, what is wrong etc, so film is a very powerfull medium.When we watch films, we hear many sounds, tunes apart from the images, this all gives emotions to us, I remember reading that the things that are conveyed through emotions are the one which gets registered in subconscious mind the most. Even we sub consciously starts to believe the people who has similar facial/ body features in the films have similar characters.
    We live in a world where actors have more fan following than scientists.
    🙂
    All the best for all your future ventures.

  • sreekanth100k December 11, 201311:18 pm

    Madam,
    I am not a big follower of cinema, still I like watching certain genre of films. In my humble opinion a director should try to convey his/her view points rather than trying to think what an audient would expect.
    I am an introvert and personally I prefer films that portray depth of human relationships and films that convey good messages like patriotism etc.
    I think cinema is something that influences people a lot, the prime reason being that cinema has sound effects associated with it and human mind registers things with emotions more easily.
    Films can be used for conveying good things.
    🙂

  • Manuraj June 4, 20143:26 pm

    Hi anjali .. Now u have the answer .. Bangloor days .. It’s a good film….

  • Subish June 23, 20147:03 am

    A cinema is good if you feel connected with it while watching it. The one that touches your emotions instantly .

    Bangalore days is not a good one its an extraordinary cinema. It raises the benchmark again to almost impossible level. Be it the casting, dialogues, picturization, songs just top notch. Bangalore days just refreshed me n will stay with me lifetime.

    Thanks Anjali for a brilliant movie, keep up the good work. Cheers.

  • vinod July 3, 201411:17 pm

    My opinion is,

    A good cinema is a cinema which makes the audience to feel logically, emotionally, and entertainingly.

    The film maker must respect the intelligence of an audience.

    Let the audience to be the part of the cinema by giving something in the script to think and allow to fill some blanks which should not affect the main story. If it so his full attention will be on the screen till the end.

  • fazil August 14, 20149:04 am

    If u did any kind of a hardwork in any cinema….that is good cinema…u did it in workshop of. Bangloredays….so it remains as gud,ma’m

  • owlmode October 23, 201410:16 am

    the cinema which made anything new experience in a man…

  • priya December 16, 20141:50 pm

    A good movie is like a good book. When the movie ends, you are sad that it ended. But the characters linger in your thoughts for the days that follow.

  • rajeshvr2001 January 30, 201510:27 am

    I feel if a cinema has to appeal to an audience, it should be a good mix of many aspects of film making, like a good plot( i have made it easier for me by saying “a good plot” because i know that this is the most difficult part of film making, the back bone. Generally a good plot, whether it is fiction, non fiction, fantasy etc should be logical & rational), good framing, narrative style, good casting, good performance, apt dialogues & very limited background music.
    Many movies from diff countries have appealed to me for eg. Song of the sparrows( Iranian film by majidi) still walking( Japanese movie) the postman ( French) the bands visit( israell)& many similar Indian language movies.I felt all these had the ingrediants I mentioned.
    So, there is no one formula for making a good cinema, it is good concoction ,a cocktail which can work or sometimes fail. The best of the best filmmakers have failed to produce one after the good movie.

  • Rajesh vytla January 30, 20157:09 pm

    Hi, Anjali

    Personally I have seen that movies I like is not necessarily liked by my my friends or family. So I believe that we may not have a movie which will be liked by all at one point of time!
    I have also heard many a times, a person saying it is a good movie, but I would not spend my money on such a movie. But the same person will enjoy it watching at home on his television.Strange but true, people go out to theaters to watch some entertainers which may not necessarily be a classy one! And the same people can watch a real classy movie at home.
    So A good cinema can have diff reviews by diff people & I would say trying to find one formula does not makes sense!Instead, I would say if you can tell a story in your unique way, there will be a section of people who will like it, appreciate it.

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