Daastan - E - Cinema

Editor's Note

Have you ever watched a film that engulfed you in a daze that kept you up for days? Lathered in the swatches of pain, have you too wondered how this medium was able to just move you? I too had a moment where I realised that this is not just mere entertainment to me, but an art through the source of which an earnest passion to create rises in me. Of course, this experience is not universal. Not everyone who watches movies wants to make them but they too have some film, somewhere that has woven a thread into their life and blurred the obsolete constructs of ‘real’ and ‘unreal’. 

Films have the ability to change lives. They have created space for worthy social discourse over pressing matters. Sometimes they have showcased the fervent manifestations of a utopia that does not exist but we wish for. Films have even been love letters to the underdogs of society. Ultimately, films have been able to capture expression despite oppression throughout history. 

All films that exist and continue to be made are the summation of all the films before them. A constant conversation of homage, respect and precision of technique resides between them. The medium is built upon an amalgamation of strenuous hard work and effort from production design to cinematography. The intricacies and depth of the art form are incomparable.

I think it is vital for us to give Cinema its due, now more than anything. The creativity that goes into making a film is not haphazard or replaceable as much as the current world wants us to believe. As Artificial Intelligence continues to pose a threat to almost all spheres of art, we must reconcile within ourselves and prioritise the diligence of a ‘human touch’. A human captured two people talking reflected on the surface of a lake or through half-closed windows. A human wrote a dialogue that seized you with the most comfort and validation you have ever felt. A human bides his time, since his incipient adolescence, to project the film of his dreams, and now yours too, onto the big screen. 

Dear Reader, Are you ready to accompany us on this ‘Dastaan-E-Cinema’ where we celebrate the films that so integrally shed light on the human experience and the nuances of this glorious art form? When the lights start dimming, are you sure about what you are going to see?

  -Tamanna Singh (XII-A)

Writing and Editing Team Mentor