Why don't we make films in Bombay?

"We don’t want to make films because until we have watched the entire filmography of Rossellini, Godard, Ray, Mani Kaul, Guru Dutt, and read Bazin, Sarris, Daney, Perkins, Rosenbaum, Robin Wood, , Adrian Martin...Harrytuttle how can we?"

Ever since we began our crusade there are few question(suggestion) that are asked/told to us every now and then. Like:-

1) Why don't we go and make movies?

2) Is writing on films really a job?

4) There are no audience for art-films? Because everyone's life is so fucked that no one is really interested in watching another fucked up life on screen?. While the evidence is out there in the open, for all of us to see, in the no of flops we have ever year in this country. Yet the studios would not like to take a risk. And the flops are simply ignored. No wonder Bollywood is on a strike, but no one is ready to work on the basic backbone of changing things.

5) People before you have tried doing the same thing and nothing really happened. So its fruitless. Or in the Industry there are so many people working, so their livelihood needs to be protected. But if our industry really cares so much for its technical crew they need to pay less to actors(stars) and more to them. Because most actors don't even know their profession of acting hence they should be paid nothing. But it can never happen, after all, stars sell movie....And much more...most of which we are kinda tired listening.


In this article our comrade Anuj explores on the perennial advise everyone has " Why don't you go and make movies in Bombay". Or simply make movies. This post also reminds me of our first cinephile meeting where we had a bunch of college students who firmly believed that making movies on mobile and screening in your college was much better than what we were doing. Obviously, the idea to make a film is something we don't condemn but to look down on people writing on cinema is seriously amusing. Another interesting factor is that in every other profession, work or hobby people have the right to be intelligent but in cinema its considered a sin- " Intellect is bad for health and bad for cinema".


So whatever be the advice, 'Film Criticism in India' is here to stay and we are here to learn, grow and make sure that we don't move today, tomorrow or twenty years from now to push the envelope to inform about quality cinema and writing in this country.


It's our duty to inform that Andre Bazin existed and so did Ritwik Ghatak from villages to towns, to cities and metroes to everyone and anyone... who have a second to spare.

Why Don't we make films in Bombay?

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Satyajit Ray, Ray films and Ray- Movie.

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