Jinnah
I never stop to criticize Indian stores in general for their lack of professionalism. I ventured into a store once and pointed out that a lot of the food had gone beyond the expiry date. Instead of apologizing, the proprietor laughed at me for being "sensitive" - he said young people should be able to take this without problems.
That incident pretty much biased me in my further dealings with this store, which I now frequent only for the occasional DVD. Last week, I thought it was time to watch a good movie, and picked up "Naram Garam" - an Amol Palekar classic. While checking out, I asked the proprietor if he had received Bose, for it had been released several months back. He snickered and said, "Who's going to keep movies like that? No one watches art movies. Those are destined to fail."
Now that is the absolute wrong thing to say to me, especially when we don't share a good relationship. I blew up and chided the man for showing a complete disregard for India and the sacrifices made by our forefathers. I also chided him for making a non-intelligent comment like that, as there is always a market for good cinema if its given the chance.
At this point, he told me that there was an art movie he had bought for $20, called Jinnah, which not a single customer had rented. I had actually stopped to look at the DVD jacket and had thought, now who would want to see a movie on Jinnah? (Typical, arrogant Indian) I proceeded to tell him the same. We both cooled down and he conceded that he would keep an eye out for Bose.
When I came home, I felt something was not right. My friend Ruchir told me in a flash that I should have rented Jinnah. This was weighing on me for a while. I gave a lecture on patriotism and morality to a man who was trying to make sound economic decisions. I had to make a more economic case by creating a market. And it has to start with me. So, I went over on Thursday and rented Jinnah. If the proprietor was surprised, he didn't show it. He was rather gentle and didn't charge me the 1-day late fee on the previous DVD.
I must say that I was completely amazed by the movie. Christopher Lee acts as Jinnah, and he gives an intense performance. We get to see Jinnah the man, nowhere near his portrayal in Gandhi. In fact, the movie helped me understand comments from a Pakistani classmate when I had callously remarked that since Partition has been proven to be a bad idea, we should reunite.
It is clear to me that one cannot understand Gandhi without understanding his context. And both Jinnah and Bose were an integral part of that context. Who owns the truth? To find out, one has to watch all three movies. The interesting thing is, Jinnah suffered the same fate as Bose - both had almost non-existent runs in theatres. It was however picked up by ordinary Pakistanis who funded its DVD production and distribution. The same could be done for the movie Bose, if someone knowledgable in the process could take the first step. I would love to write to Shyam Benegal (director of Bose) to see how we can help, but I don't know where to begin.
As Gandhi Jayanti approaches, I think I see clearly what one can take away from the life of Gandhiji, thanks to the movie, Jinnah. I hope to articulate that in the coming days.
That incident pretty much biased me in my further dealings with this store, which I now frequent only for the occasional DVD. Last week, I thought it was time to watch a good movie, and picked up "Naram Garam" - an Amol Palekar classic. While checking out, I asked the proprietor if he had received Bose, for it had been released several months back. He snickered and said, "Who's going to keep movies like that? No one watches art movies. Those are destined to fail."
Now that is the absolute wrong thing to say to me, especially when we don't share a good relationship. I blew up and chided the man for showing a complete disregard for India and the sacrifices made by our forefathers. I also chided him for making a non-intelligent comment like that, as there is always a market for good cinema if its given the chance.
At this point, he told me that there was an art movie he had bought for $20, called Jinnah, which not a single customer had rented. I had actually stopped to look at the DVD jacket and had thought, now who would want to see a movie on Jinnah? (Typical, arrogant Indian) I proceeded to tell him the same. We both cooled down and he conceded that he would keep an eye out for Bose.
When I came home, I felt something was not right. My friend Ruchir told me in a flash that I should have rented Jinnah. This was weighing on me for a while. I gave a lecture on patriotism and morality to a man who was trying to make sound economic decisions. I had to make a more economic case by creating a market. And it has to start with me. So, I went over on Thursday and rented Jinnah. If the proprietor was surprised, he didn't show it. He was rather gentle and didn't charge me the 1-day late fee on the previous DVD.
I must say that I was completely amazed by the movie. Christopher Lee acts as Jinnah, and he gives an intense performance. We get to see Jinnah the man, nowhere near his portrayal in Gandhi. In fact, the movie helped me understand comments from a Pakistani classmate when I had callously remarked that since Partition has been proven to be a bad idea, we should reunite.
It is clear to me that one cannot understand Gandhi without understanding his context. And both Jinnah and Bose were an integral part of that context. Who owns the truth? To find out, one has to watch all three movies. The interesting thing is, Jinnah suffered the same fate as Bose - both had almost non-existent runs in theatres. It was however picked up by ordinary Pakistanis who funded its DVD production and distribution. The same could be done for the movie Bose, if someone knowledgable in the process could take the first step. I would love to write to Shyam Benegal (director of Bose) to see how we can help, but I don't know where to begin.
As Gandhi Jayanti approaches, I think I see clearly what one can take away from the life of Gandhiji, thanks to the movie, Jinnah. I hope to articulate that in the coming days.
# posted by somik @ 12:16 AM 
3 Comments:
That is where marketing comes in. Simple actions like putting up a board recommending a good film can do wonders in creating demand. It is beyond Indian store owners to do this, but we can watch a movie and recommend it on our own site, or to our friends and ask them to watch. That might be an organic way to create demand.
Of course, the movie's quality will ultimately sustain and justify such a demand.
Hi Somik, the demand is there, what you guys need to do is tap into it. Ultimately, word of mouth publicity is a thousand times better than any other kind of publicity. :)
Hi SOmik,
Barring a few, watching artistic movies have become a fashion statment. Second, I think one needs to have an acquired taste for appreciating work that is not a part of mainstream cinema. Third, good marketing skills can generate good returns. (I agree with AFJ on that, and yes, Mr and Mrs.Iyer is a brilliant movie)
Cheers
AquaM
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