Filmmaker rues lack of positive change through movies

MYSURU: Film director P Sheshadri has said that commercialization of cinema is posing a risk to the growth of cinema as a medium for social change, and argued that filmmaking has become an investment option for the rich and wealthy.
Speaking after inaugurating a meet on cinema and society hosted by the University of Mysore's department of studies in mass communication and journalism, he said: "Looking at cinema production as an investment option is not a healthy growth, as the message that media should communicate takes a backseat."
"Producers should be concerned about loss and profit.But when profit-making drives cinema production, it could send out a wrong message to society through media," he said, adding: "One of the primary duties of cinema is to spread the message of societal good. But it has now been commercialized. Wealthy people are looking at film production as an investment option." Film-makers should create good citizens and help them make better choices, he pointed out.
Cinema, which is over a century-old in India, has become an integral part of society. In fact, it is influenced by society. But we are not successful in influencing society through films in a positive way, he said.
Registrar C Basavaraju deplored that majority of recent films are misleading the youth. Film-makers celebrate violence in their films, which has influenced youths in a bad way.
"We have reached a situation where we can no longer take our family to theatres and watch movies together," he said.
C Basavalingaiah, theatre director and former director of Rangayana, spoke about influence of cinema on theatre. Producer Nagendra Shah and the department head C K Puttaswamy were present.