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By Abishek Raaja

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PLEASE DON'T READ THIS - REVIEWPATTI

Reviewing films have become a 'Mellisaana Kodu' now. Reviewing a film is not coming up with an uncanny post or a tweet to prove yourself as a humorist. Reviewing a film is far ahead. Before I go on with a deliberate attempt of proving you wrong, answer me this! Can a hero, who is just a mere puppet of the director, be considered bigger than the film? If you see your favorite hero on the big screen and not the role that he plays, then it's definitely a bad movie. I wish the word "Mass" never existed. What does that annoying term actually mean? The physical mass of the hero? I wish we weren't pathetic losers who glorify the protagonists that were created by directors. You will obviously choose to fantasize Baasha over Kattabomman. A film is made to tell a story. When you also get entertained, it's just a bonus.

Say, if you give "Aaya Vada Sutta Kadha", to our esteemed directors, Shankar will make the Vadai a spaghetti, a blue whale with a fish tank on its head to play the crow and Megan Fox playing the fox. Bala will have the story set at a refugee camp in Namibia. Soundarya Rajinikanth might animate the same vadai, aaya and the crow. I just ruined a classic example by a half-baked allegory.

Like how you need a dentist to pull out your teeth, to possibly interpret that film appreciation is a medium. you need to go to, not just a film buff, but an individual who has spent millions of rupees and hundreds of hours watching films (again and again and again).

Let me get back to where I started. Freedom of speech in this country is greatly agreeable while reviewing films. Secondly, how the cinematic liberty and force-fitted elements ruin the telling of a story? With parliamentary verdicts/words like 'commercial cinema with a lag' and 'the film could have been better', story-tellers are having a tough time in identifying the purpose behind making a film. Is a film created to make money or to touch people's hearts or to entertain or to convey a message or does a film have to satisfy all of the above. By representing the viewership of mainstream Tamil cinema, there are a set of sacred practices and rituals to be wholeheartedly followed.

1. Never have expectations on a movie.

2. Never compare films.

3. Never, ever, ever, ever, rate a movie based on your personal liking for an individual. Nothing is more important than the story.

4. Forget all the three and get back to what you are good at.

If you can't stand the fact of your favorite star being ridiculed, why not show the same aggression when he / she does a bad or an average film? Okay, if there is a confusion on what is good, bad or average, how will the quality of a film be determined? Studies tell, we spend more on entertainment than what we spend on health-care. When KB could do a film like Thaneer Thaneer during his peak days, when Kamal did Guna, when Rajini took up Aarilirundhu Arupadhu Varai, a little hope of saving the art-form came back? To find a solution, if directors don't follow a pattern of films and if heroes could consider every film as a new film and not as another attempt to build their persona, films will tell stories and not create stars.

The footage spent on exaggerating the hero can be spent to tell a story or probably lot other things. Do we lack self-motivation? Why do we need to worship a hero? Yes, the magical feel of watching a celebratory film amid thunderous responses is untouchable, but are we losing out on the intensity of the art form? What was the last film that was unanimously accepted, liked, loved and patronized? What about the time and money spent on watching a film?. The drive to the theater, getting the bike parked, the run into the hall before the film begins, extra cash shelled during the interval and driving back home - watching a movie is a minimum 400 Rupees affair now. Will the audience take the creation for granted when all that they have invested goes for a toss?

Film is passion. Film is not fanaticism and fan rivalry. With over 200 films releasing every year, not more than 10 films break-even and get the due recognition. The industry is not a washroom, it's a Shaolin temple where people enter with no expectations but stay there to learn and justify the art-form. I wish the creators had a purpose on making a film and the viewers knew what it was. After all, in our industry there is just a vicious cycle of movies that are done to make money or the stories that are to be told or the collaborations wanting to prove their merit or for just plain entertainment. If a country's growth is dependent on the types of people she has, then the quality of films depends on the quality of people coming into the theaters. Hoping for a better place like Reviewpatti, where movies are enjoyed, consumed and reflected.

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This page hosts the views of the authors of the column. The views are generally about films, movie reviews, movie news, songs, music, film actors and actresses, directors, producers, cinematographers, music directors, and all others that contribute for the success or failure of a film. People looking for movies online, movie reviews, movie analysis, public response for a movie, will find this page useful.