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”
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