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'People want entertainment'

Shobha Warrier

...Says Mammootty.

I, for one, will not dispute that.

Especially not when it comes from a man who has been with the film industry for two decades.

Here are some more of Mammootty's thoughts. Which, needless to add, I wouldn't dare dispute:

We might not have kept apace with the rest of the world, but we certainly haven't lagged behind.

We are certainly growing. Technologically, we have made great strides ahead. Subject-wise... what shall I say? It's just all about audience taste.

And this is true not only of Kerala. The world over, audience plays a major role in determining the subject of films. That is why filmmakers experiment with subjects that could attract people to the theatres.

People want films to be an experience these days.

They won't step out of their houses to see a film unless it's flamboyant, ornate and colourful. That is why only grand, impressive films can attract people to the theatres.

That's why the production cost of films increased. As a result, the number of films being made decreased.

Besides, film lovers have to spend a lot of money to go to a theatre. So, they are very, very selective about the films they want to watch in the theatres.

Also, TV brought with it family stories, which once dominated Malayalam films. In that sense, TV and the high cost of living have affected films adversely.

One genre that has been affected is the so-called middle cinema.

Way back in the 1980s, I acted in some films -- they were commercially successful, too.

Now, TV has absorbed middle cinema. So the patrons -- the middle class -- don't need to move out from their homes anyway. Besides, those filmmakers have nothing new to offer now.

Today's youngster, for instance, would never identify with MT's character, Sethu, of Kaalam.

Sethu belonged to the 1960s. Which millennium youngster would find similarities with him? That is why I say that characters have changed over the years.

That is not to say that standards of films have gone down.

You can't measure the standard of a film -- it's very subjective. What is good for you may not be good for another person. You can't impose a film on someone, saying. "It is a good film. So you should watch it."

Anyway, who are you to say a film is good or bad?

Films mean entertainment.

That is the only thing people expect. There is a small section of people who enjoy artistic films, too. But I'd say we need both kinds of films to suit both types. They've always existed, haven't they?

Take Vaanaprastham.

Its cost was five times more than a usual art film. And that was not because its actors were well paid. That was only the cost of the film.

So I think film critics would do well to look at the aesthetic value of a film, not lament about its cost. Anyway, critics are not people who watch films in theatres.

Unfortunately, most critics are above 30. So are most filmmakers.

That's why they find it difficult to understand the moviegoers' psyche. You need young filmmakers to make commercially successful films.

Also, youngsters today have different tastes.

The films that I had watched ardently as a youngster are far different from what youngsters are watching today. But naturally.

You can't blame them for that. They are exposed to different things now, and their experiences and ideas are different from what I was exposed to when I was younger.

One thing I am proud about is the fact that Malayalam films are far, far ahead of all the other Indian films, including Bengali films.

Bengali cinema has almost been eaten away by Hindi cinema. Luckily, we have been saved that.

And I don't think literacy is the reason we producing award-winning films. It is not the filmgoing public that give the awards. Nor are these films commercially successful. Besides people are interested in watching commercial films. So I don't think our efforts to make good films have anything to do with literacy or the high aesthetic value of the people of Kerala.

We have a few very committed and enthusiastic people who love film as a creative medium, and who have the burning drive to make good films.

They are our strength. And it is our duty to appreciate their efforts.

Also read:
'Acting is like firing a bullet'
'Why would I harbour any jealousy?'
'He is king!'
'He is a courageous actor'
'I would have been surprised if he hadn't won any National Award'
'He made my job easy!'
'I felt relieved only after the censor board certified Ambedkar''
'Ambedkar was a humanist. I am also for the human race'
The dalit messiah
'Gandhi pushed Ambedkar to the edge'
Mammootty and Mohanlal to act together
Team of 48
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