A cinema hall
I know there has been another post on the cinema, but really there are so many things to write about the experience of going to cinema that once is just not enough. This post of “Unapologetically nostalgic” is about the things that happen before the movie begins and during the movie, rather than about the movies themselves.
A slideshow of ads of various products was played out when people were looking for their seats, displacing people who inadvertently sat in seats reserved for someone else. The man would then gather the little boy, the little girl (who made a fuss about moving to another seat),the snacks, the wife and her mother-in-law and guide them to the correct seats. There was of course a brief fracas as the boy did not agree with his sister and wanted her seat. Ultimately after minor tweak to his ear things were again peaceful.
As the lights went down, it was time for the Films Division to present the newsreel. This was propaganda like no other. The people were subjected to a lengthy film about how the country was moving forward, speeches of various leaders, foreign heads of state or government who were visiting this country, etc. Those days these were back and white. The need for these current affairs programs arose out of the fact that there were no televisions sets in most homes. Also even if they had, the government’s side of the story had to be told to the people. In case of India this was wholly absurd, because that was the only side one ever got to hear.
Half way through the movie – Indian movies those days carried on for days (just joking!)…for three hours approximately there was the interval, people used this time to go to the toilet, stock up on snacks, share a joke with their friends and family (about how the villain reminded them of their uncle!), and to stretch out and yawn. The interval was also the time when people gave their opinion on the movie so far. Everyone became a film critique. I am sure there were people from the theater meant to make a mental note of what the people were saying about the movie, whether the cinema owners would make money on it or not.
When the last of the ads had played out, the lights were turned off and the movie began. This was the time when things would start hotting up. The hero would expose the villain who till then was considered to be a saintly do gooder and the hero the villain. The heroine would have love pangs and she would launch into a monologue before a mirror, about how she had wronged the hero, and how stupid she was, etc. At this point the mother-in-law of the hero’s sister would also turn into an angle and welcome the hero with tearful eyes. Meanwhile, the police would be chasing the villain in their Mahindra jeeps while the villain would be going full speed in his Impala or Mercedes. The whole thing would end with the inspector (usually named Vijay!) taking off his cap while staring at the villain’s body and wrecked car (I always grieved for the fine Mercedes which had been wrecked).
After this the credits would start scrolling and the families would start to make a beeline to reach the exit.
Filed under: People, the State and Technology Tagged: Delhi, energy, Environment, Food, government, Graffiti, Hindu, Hip-Hop, History, Hosni Mubarak, Mumbai, Pakistan
