Every now and then, you meet a person who says, “I don’t watch movies anymore. I’m too busy.” It’s said with pride, like they’ve transcended earthly pleasures and are now living on a higher intellectual plane. These are otherwise admirable people; disciplined, hardworking, responsible. The kind of people you’d trust with your bank account passwords. But skipping movies isn’t just skipping entertainment, it’s skipping an entire parallel education system that no book, no TED Talk, no self-help seminar can replace. Those who don’t watch movies are depriving themselves of an entire education system more powerful than any university syllabus.
Take history, for example. Why slog through books when Bollywood has already given us its definitive version of India’s past? According to our films, Akbar the Great looked like a Greek guy with six-pack abs and spent most of his reign choreographing elaborate sword fights. Bhagat Singh has been reincarnated so many times on screen that even he must be confused about which version is the real him. Thanks to creative movie-makers, we now know that every Rajput queen danced in front of their subjects and had the time and budget for at least three outfit changes before committing jauhar. Without movies, how else would we gain these crucial insights?
Movies are also our moral compass. They teach us that no matter how corrupt the system is, one angry young man with rolled-up sleeves can change it all in three hours flat. That if you chase your train long enough, you will not only catch it, but also true love. And that a mother’s emotional dialogue is a far deadlier weapon than any AK-47.
Skipping movies is like skipping yoga. You may think you’re fine without it, but your emotional flexibility will suffer.
Not watching movies also leaves you socially vulnerable. Imagine being at a wedding and someone says, “Ek chutki sindoor ki kimat tum kya jano, Ramesh babu” and everyone laughs while you stand there blank, sipping a cold drink, thinking, “Who is this Ramesh Babu? I thought Rakesh was getting married.” Do you really want that kind of shame? What happens when your team at work starts discussing whether Bahubali lifting the shivling was scientifically possible, and you have no opinion? Promotions have been lost over less.
Movies also offer practical survival skills. For instance, Kamal Haasan taught us how to win a fist fight with twenty people in a madisaar saree without breaking a sweat. You never know when that might come in handy at the vegetable market. Without Shah Rukh Khan, how would we know the correct angle for spreading the arms dramatically in mustard fields? Without Kabir Singh, how would we know exactly what not to do in a relationship? Without this training, you risk being unprepared for life’s critical situations, such as arguing with an auto driver or handling relatives during festival season.
So remember, cinema is not a hobby. It’s a compulsory subject in the school of life. Watch one film every now and then. Not for entertainment, but for cultural survival. Otherwise, the next time someone shouts “Pushpa, phool nahi, fire hai!” and you don’t get it, you’ll find yourself more isolated than a theatre screening on a weekday.
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