Dwindling interests

Once upon a time, watching a movie (primarily Telugu movies) was a very normal, casual thing. Along with my friend, go to a movie theatre nearby, buy a ticket for 55 or 35 rupees, have a cool drink for 15 rupees, come back home by walk discussing about the movie watched. Our dresses were very casual – like the ones which we wear at home or to a vegetable market. I used to make fun of people who come to a movie theatre dressed well. This was an activity almost every week and month.

After I joined my job, this was still a routine. There were times when I watched 2 or 3 shows back to back starting from a matinee show, all by myself. If I would not watch a movie by the weekend, it would be a restless time in the week coming after.

I made a count of the movies that I have watched in 2019 at a theater – 4 (3 Telugu + 1 English). Then I went to wiki pages to find out the number of Telugu movie releases last year (2019) – around 135+.  Out of which I would have known atleast 50 or 60 movies which had notable actors/actresses/directors/production houses/interesting trailers. Upon filtering out the list, got a count of 12 movies which I was eager to watch but finally watched only 3 of them on big screen. Watched 6 on the list on TV via online streaming platforms and 2 or 3 others are readily available to watch. My watch list would be complete.

2008 -2012 myself would tell 2019 myself “You are depressing. How can you survive without watching movies in theatre?”

These are my answers to him:

Area change in 2012: We moved to a new place in city after living in other part of it for nearly 20 years. Within a radius of 3 to 4 KMs, 15 single/double screen theatres were present near the old house. Utilized this for the fullest extent – usually watched nearly all big & small movies since ticket rates are much cheaper when compared to a multiplex and involved no big planning or transportation to reach them. Ticket not found in theatre A? No problem – proceed to theatre D within 10 minutes, secure a ticket (even a black ticket costed usually 75 to 100 rupees). This flexibility was not present at the new place. I have started to be selective in watching movies.

Unexciting movie releases: Since a long time avoided movies which have tried & tested commercial formats like super rich hero & unnecessary elevations, punch dialogues, gravity defying fight sequences and the list can go on. Bored of watching weak content and comedy, entertainment only movies if not for a full action movie. These can be watched on small screen – 30 minutes a day if needed to watch. Very limited movies in the recent times have excited and made me desperate: Mahanati, 96, Jersey, Gang Leader to name some examples. Some of my favorite directors now are not making movies/making movies in a family + commercial formats/making crap movies. It is depressing to watch their movies even at home.

Ticket cost: In every big city or towns these days, multiplexes are dominating the scene. The ticket rates in Hyderabad now costing atleast 170 – 200 in multiplexes in addition with internet charges for booking a ticket online.  Even when I am alone, my heart tells me not spend money for movies. For some movies, for which I am not desperate but have desire to watch, I am okay to wait for the movie to be streamed in online streaming platforms since I have some doubts about the movie being worthy enough to watch it on big screen.

Online Streaming platforms: A movie is appearing on streaming platforms within hardly 45 days or 60 days of its theatrical release. So why I would I be spending money to watch a desirable (not desperate) movie in theater.

Conclusion:

I may be still old school, stuck in the days of standing in a ticket counter of a normal theatre with hands on smelly old railings, get tensed up if the queue is long enough, then go searching for the guy selling tickets in black if the ticket counter is closed, wait until the entry door opens, stand outside the auditorium with smells of pan spits/cigarettes filling the nostrils, feel like heaven about the sudden rush of cold air conditioned breeze on the face near the auditorium door once its opened, the dirty old curtains at the door, wait for the screen veil to go up slowly as the projector starts playing the advertisements before starting the actual movie.

I would still emphasize that watching a movie in theatre with no disturbances is the true form of respecting the movie makers who have put in so much effort to present us a movie. It’s the right way to have a good movie watching experience. My sixth sense, my desperation should tell me that a movie is worthy of my money to watch it in big screen.

"ఎంట్రో గాప్ ఇచ్చావ్?"

“ఇవ్వల.. వొచ్చింది”

పోటుగాడు in College

Disclaimer: Tried my best to recollect, pen down everything I could remember accurately. If something is wrong, I will blame it on my memory. Instead of using my friends’ names, I am using short forms.

Timing: 1^st or 2^nd quarter of 2008 – 11 and half years ago:

Those were the days when I and my friends - PP, SP, SD, NP and K started attending few off/pool campus interviews of small companies. I was not able to clear atleast the 1^st round – written test in probably 4 or 5 instances. At that time, getting placed in a company was my biggest desire.

Through JKC – a job training & placement program for engineering colleges, some students of our college were invited for a campus interview of a MNC in a college near Ghatkesar, Hyderabad. This was the first time that we all were attending the placement program of a big MNC.  We all were given hall tickets and then written exam followed. I guess it was by late evening the results were announced. As usual, I was not in the list, along with me the left outs were my friends. Only NP made it to the technical round and eventually was offered the job.

We started back from the venue to reach home by night. On the way till Uppal, in the shared auto, we were discussing of not having job placement opportunities at our own college and to compete with a large pool of students from multiple colleges. We came to a firm decision of bringing this to the notice of the higher college management by boycotting the classes.

Next day, we organized a classroom meeting – a reasonable number of students combined from different engineering streams. While we were waiting for some more to come, whoever present in the classroom started making noise, were not listening to what we wanted to say. I then raised my voice, shouted, asking them to calm down. Then followed up with a mini speech, explained some instances why we have to take this up seriously as finding job outside the college in pool/off campus interviews is difficult. They calmed down reasonably. SD, SP, K were also in the process of explaining the issues to the individual groups. PP was in background. Our seniors also told their experiences on how they tried the same thing but to see no results.

I, SP, SD, K were constantly on phones, messages even during the classes. At home also, I was constantly on phones such that my father warned me not to do anything stupid.

Finally, on 3^rd or 4^th day, after the first 2 class lectures, we all came out of the college building and sat in the lawn. I remember our principal coming out shouting at us. The next part I remember was the crowd built up near the college indoor sports building, students divided into groups and involved in arguments/discussions with the staff. At one instance, saw the principal shouting at one of the students and questioning his attendance. Immediately, I interfered in middle, shouted back at him to check my attendance, announced loudly my roll number. Also, emphasized the point that we would talk with the senior management regarding our college placements problems. Finally, we all were assured that a meeting will be held with the senior college management.   (My other friend NN told me “నువ్వు అనవసరంగ ఆవేశపడ్డావ్. Sir already ఒప్పుకున్నాడు meeting కి)

It should be after a couple of days that the management came and we all sat in a meeting hall. Handful of us explained the need of having job placement programs at our own college, disadvantages of off/pool campus etc. My friend K stated “A college like XXX which is comparable to XXX (our college) bathroom can host a placement program. Why not us?”

I do not remember what the management final response was after hearing all our grievances.

I remember PP telling me that my face turned red when I was shouting and explaining in the class in the process of controlling the crowd. I was proud and was thinking high about myself for handling them. My imagination went wild - I saw myself as a political leader in the coming future.

Note(s): 

-- I was selected by another MNC shortly after this incident through a pool campus. Well almost, surviving as a software engineer.

-- PP did his Masters in US and currently working there. Eventually he will return to India ‘one fine day’. I foresee that ‘fine day’ is not in the near future – definitely not in the next 3 years.

-- SP went to US to pursue his Masters and now settled in US. He would not come back to India.

-- SD joined a big MNC subsidiary after graduation, thereafter completed MBA, worked in some company. Currently he is taking care of 2 startups in Hyderabad.

-- The MNC which selected NP ran into a financial scandal due to which the jobs of such students were at stake. Thus NP, with steady persuasions by SP went to US for Masters and is almost settled there.

-- K went on to complete his M Tech from a renowned college and currently working in a big industrial company in India.

So as to not to forget this page in the college history of mine, published as a blog post.

నీది ఒక చరిత్ర, ఇది నువు చేసిన ఒక పెద్ద ఘన కార్యం, ఇది చరిత్ర లో కలిసి పోకూడదు అని రాయడం ఆహా - అని నేనే అనుకున్న కానీ PP చెప్పిన్నట్టు ఎవరి కథ లో వాడే hero కబట్టి నేను పోటుగాడిని