This movie blew away my HEART!

In terms of cinema, the Indian industry is something that you cannot really mess with. If we look at the numbers, India produces over 1500 movies across 20 languages every year. For context, US and Canada do about 700/year. Source

Although the sheer volume of projects by itself is a clear indicator of the elephant in the room, I think there are some key implications that we often miss out on. Indian film industry has tried to be creative from day 1, but due the lack of technology, and monetary risk appetite, it mostly stuck to the conservative narratives that were enjoyed by the audience.

This is clearly not the case these days. So what made this change?

My guess is heavy experimentation. As a filmmaker in India, you have to constantly come up with new and original stories, ones that have not been tested out on the masses yet. The crowded market leaves very little room for error, and you have to be innovative in your approaches right from production cost cutting to calibrating efficient shooting schedule. All of this must be done whilst protecting your established reputation, and gaining credibility on the side.

What this does is create environments to test out agressive trial and error strategies and improve gradually along the way. The result? Really good projects for the viewers.

One particular movie I want to discuss is Sita Ramam (2022). I got to watch this masterpiece during my trip to India in the summers, and boy it blew my heart off. It is probably one of the best romantic movies that I have encountered in my life. Others include, but not limited to, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Raja Rani (2013), Bangalore Days (2014).

I won’t give you any spoilers, but one important thing that this movie teaches is the permanence of love. This concept is explained in a timeless manner throughout, and honestly, it feels good when you walk out of the theatre. The experience of watching this movie is a sweet memoir that you would carry with yourself forever.

I got to know that it is now available on Prime Video, so please go ahead and watch it. I am sure that you won’t be disappointed.