Movies are like magic. As we sit staring at the screen, our notions about reality are demystified. We are transported to a different world wherein our dreams take wings. It becomes a reality.

Movies fall into various genres. We have the Drama, the Melo-Drama, the thriller, the romantic, the scary, the historical, the tragic and the ones which tickle our funny bone. Some inspires whereas others unsettles you. Every time when the various characters and plots unfold in front of our eyes, it weaves a magic which blurs the reality. We will be taken to a surreal world where even the impossible becomes possible. It is one of the best medium of entertainment that we have.

So are we learning anything from these movies? What values they uphold? There used to be a time when movies used to speak about family values, relationships in its myriad forms, survival at times of distress and learning to cope with the vagaries of life. There was uniqueness in each and every movie and there was a lot to be learnt from it too. A few decades ago movies were made relevant to the times. If we take talented , creative and inspiring directors like Kurasova, Felini, Bertulocci, Fancis De Capola, Cecil De Melle from the west or Satyajith Ray, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Shyam Benegal and Bimal Roy from the east , they all had made movies with societal implications. They have exposed the denigrated and the oppressed in the society through their movies. They were able to impregnate the thinking prowess of the masses and made them more aware about the world at large. Each movie made a loud statement about the dogmas and the social taboos which educated the youth in bettering their attitude towards life. As they walked out of the cinema theatres, they were all changed individuals. They all had a collective vision and responsibility which they religiously pursued to its completion. Such were the impact which movies used to have on the human mind.

Movies are meant to make you think and cogitate. It should titillate your intellect. Make you introspect and delve deep into the subject being discussed. It should not vitiate anyone's sentiment. It is true that movies are meant to entertain. But the entertainment should never be at someone's expense. But what is happening to the Tinsel World nowadays? Are we able to learn anything from the movies which we see?

This is an intriguing question that every individual need to ask themselves.

The ethos and the pathos, which flocked the screens earlier, have given way to violence and obscenity. Now every movie comes with a standard format. Romance, Violence and Sex.

If a movie doesn't have any of these vital elements, then it fails miserably at the Box Office. Be it Hollywood or Bollywood. Violence is glorified nowadays with lot of graphics. There is no resentment in espousing violent scenes like bludgeoning someone to death or brutally raping and murdering someone. It vouches and sends across the wrong message to our youth. Celebrations are always shown going hand in hand with boozing and promiscuity. Have we all degraded ourselves to such deplorable levels? Are these the vicissitudes of westernization or making the earth a global village?

There is growing resentment in the society nowadays. The disparity between the rich and the poor is getting bigger. The people have lost their patience and their tolerance level is tested every minute. Road rage is quite rampant and people have resorted to abusive repartees. Every individual is like a time bomb, waiting to explode. Worries and tensions have clogged his mind and deranged his thinking. At this juncture, a movie which airs out the wrong message will be like adding fuel to fire. People start reacting like in the movies, like their favorite heroes. Their vision becomes hazy and they lose their composure. In movies everything is justified. Everything happens for a reason. But do we really live inside the four walls of the cinema house? The obvious answer is ...WE DON'T. Are our youth able to comprehend this? How do you differentiate between what is right and what is wrong? What is right for you may not hold good for others? It depends on the values that we uphold in our lives. But when we are living in a society, do we have any credence to our individualistic preferences? The answer is no. We should be consistently doing good for the society rather than over shadowing it with our individualistic ideologies. Are the present movies propagating these messages? Think my dear friends ....think.

Movies have now become breeding grounds for fantasies. Everyone, especially the youth, wants to become like Shah Rukh or Kareena. They get enamored by the grandeur and opulence that is being shown through the movies. Six packs and Size zeroes eat away their sleep and their propensity towards material comforts increase. They are not able to accept normal people who don't fall into these slots. Their thinking becomes straitjacketed. But are these the priorities in life?

We have read about umpteen cases where students commit suicide for the silly reason that they have not done well in an exam. Why? Because movies have shown them the way. We have read about small kids running away from home, the repercussions of an argument with their parents. Why? Because in movies it happens. A young mind is like the clay on the porters' wheel. We need to handle it delicately or else it will shape into something which won't find any value at a later stage. All the mediums, including the movies, should pave the way for effectively molding their mind and shaping them into a force to reckon with in future. There lies our future ....

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