Cinema and literacy

Let it be known to all and sundry, I am a cinema enthusiast.

Ever since my childhood, Madhuri Dixit's swinging hips and Salman Khan's flexing abs have always meant more to me than political statements and policy drafts.

Tom Cruise's abs and Julia Roberts' slasher smile meant more to me than my homework (this should also tell you how old I am).

A.R. Rahman's music meant more than the melodious crooning of birds outside my house, and……

The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears lit up the Mohammadpur balcony for me into a dance floor.

My first movie — or movies rather — as a child were the Disney movies brought for me generously by my father. Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Popeye…all of these movies cemented for me my identity in pale skin and the English language. Growing up in Dhaka, I was blissfully unaware of the class gaps which ensured an education for some and a life of unending poverty for others.

However, it was in my tweens (between the ages of 8 to 10) that I saw media in South Asia shift strategically from English to Hindi and a greater proliferation of Indian media in mainstream networks. Today, only a small minority of Bangladeshi claims to be English only or Bangla-only; all of us in some way or the other are affiliated with India as a state identity either through the use of Hindi in our day to day lives or boasting a paternal/maternal connection to India in some way.

With that said, why is it that we attempt to learn our history through cinema and not through actual study of history without the unnecessary hubris and romanticization?

The other day, I was watching Jodha Akbar, that flaunted number with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. Both of them essayed their roles well and played it to their best ability. The movie's soundtrack-stupendous.

But I must really ask — were diplomatic relations always influenced by the entry of a man into a womans' chambers without her permission while she sings to a Hindu God of love?

(Personally, I think Rajput women would have been gravely offended if men just walked into their rooms like that, but you know Akbar…being the ladykiller that he was, probably gave himself a pass on that. Or she did, to keep her head).

However, that is not the point of this article I wrote at 3 o'clock in the morning.

As with many movies around the world which attempt to explain history without going into the finer details of THE history, I feel that readers, students and future change makers are thoroughly short-sold. Movies are made to sell and make profits in markets. For which reason, they will be made a certain specific way, sprinkling some elements of fantasy, action, sentimentality and such.

However, after having watched Jodhaa Akbar, for some people to assume the movie is a legitimate way to learn about the Mughal dynasty or the relationship between a king and a queen, is at best hilarious and at worst, ineffective.

In the years to come, will people watch movies to learn about their countries, culture and identity rather than from their peers, elders and community?

That would be a sad world to live in.

Book reading and engaging with people outside of celluloid is important for human survival.

In the era of Smartphones, Ipads and Iphones, this is becoming less and less unlikely.

In which case, movies-and the media industry-must become more responsible and cater to educational needs as well as sensationalization.

Now excuse me, while I go watch Krissh 3.

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Nadia Chowdhury, an aspiring writer, is a graduate from York University, Canada.