Lost in Woods

Lost in Woods…

By Pamarty Venkataramana

Drama Theater.

A myriad forms:

Harikatha. Burrakatha. Jatra. Akhyana. Bayalata. Bhavai. Chaau. Kalaripayattu. Kathakali. Dashavatar. Naqal. Nach. Kudiyattam. Nautanki. Bhand Panther. Swang. Natasankeertana. Pala. Odissi. Ramalila. Rasalila. Sawang. Tamasha. Terukuttu. Theyyam. Yakshagana. Ramman. Veedhi natakam. Tamasha.

Marathi theatre. Andhra theatre. Tamil theatre. Kashmiri theatre. Bengali theatre.

North Indian. East Indian. West Indian. South Indian.

All India had several ancient forms of dramatics.

Be it folk-lore, theatrical stage-plays or mega-classical many-hours of shows, these had all the elements : message, song, dance, humour, comedy, tragedy, satire, paradoxical situations . Everything brilliantly executed, with devotion, perfection and commitment.

To religion of emotions, feelings and humane showmanship.

Theater is a dead form. Ever since cinematic expressions took over. And, technology hijacked the medium of expression, communication and entertainment.

However, all individualistic talent took backstage with digital animation, editing techniques and the box-office mania.  Financiers ,distribution network and producers ‘ guild began to call the shots. No longer the histrionic abilities of artistes or the power of scripts.

Then came the implosion by serials on the idiot-box. And, private cable TV.. And, the you tube syndrome. As well as many an application available for smart-phone users. Community has undergone a vast transformation. From the days of yore. .

Bollywood. Tollywood. Kollywood. Lollywood, Ollywood and so on. Hollywood too.

So, are we in the woods? As a civilization whose many cultures never clashed. But, developed parallel to changing times and societal mores..

We need a perestroika. And, the glasnost. .

Stop foreign funding of cinematic ventures in India !

Start getting them all, technicians, artistes, supporting staff ,et all to sign solemn declarations of allegiance to the motherland and constitution of India, before they are paid a single rupee towards remuneration or proceeds of exhibition of a completed work.

Start patronizing desi talent . As against wanton recruitment of overseas and alien artistes .

Start banning exhibition of enemy-land documentaries or those inimically disposed to the welfare of a strong, United nation.

Censor board be made the guardian of societal mores. Inappropriate scenes in name of freedom of exhibition be snipped out.

Anarchy has many faces. Several phases. Mass communication and film institutes have to be rid of secessionist elements. Brigands be expelled. Every act of treason be viewed strictly under law of the land.

Ban pirates. Piracy is a mere fallout.

Privacy is the most haloed symbol of public expression. This was the theme ranging from Abhigyana Shakuntalam to Raja Harishchandra to umpteen other classical pictures produced in different languages of India …

In guise of ‘art-films’, the leftists took over. Experimentation led to entry of anti national elements funding the making of movies, especially in Bombay film industry.

It is now an open secret that psuedo-intellectualism and outright treacherous characters have be fooled the Indian viewing public as well as the Governments themselves!

A stern ex-police officer who jumped into the bandwagon of public politics via the Hazare show and lost out in the Delhi polls as a projected chief minister and currently holding high office as a Governor of a former French colony, now a little Indian State, was definitely, the best person to wield baton as the Chairperson of the Central Film Censor Board .

But, life in real can be more dramatic than the celluloid scenes.

One knows the flak which will be thrown by high priests of artificial culturing in film labs of culture of Learning, Humanity and Civilization.

Yet,they are all but fireflies. Or,as the fruit fly, enjoying a brief lifespan of existence . Via creations of cinematic kind!

Look beyond the screen. Insight. Foresight. Farsighted .

Vision .

Need of hour.

To end drug menace. Fallen virtues. Lost values.

To enhance culture. Re – engineer societal mores. Revive golden-era.

Recreate creativity . NOW!

In national interest…!!

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Pamarty Venkataramana
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