#kepl

Time and again it has been established that filmmaking is a business of passion. The history of cinema is replete with examples of filmmakers whose art has left an indelible stamp on the world. Invariably their films have been compelling, well told stories that have not just entertained audiences but engaged and inspired them to think differently. 

Cinema has historically played this role of educating while entertaining very successfully.  The concept of bandits being convinced to surrender was first portrayed in Raj Kapoor’s Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, which later inspired Vinoba Bhave to convince the Chambal Bandits to surrender.  The idea of a co-operative housing society was first mooted in Shree 420.  Salaam Bombay led to the formation of one of the most successful rehab plans for slum children, (today the Slumdog Millionaire team is trying to replicate that success).  The violent attack on the caste system portrayed by Bandit Queen shook the country and success of the film led to the “real” protagonist winning general elections twice.

It is not just hard issues that such films deal with.  Fire dealt with the loneliness of an Indian middle-class housewife, a completely ignored species, and Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par made India aware about dyslexia for the first time.

There are hundreds of such examples worldwide (Blood Diamond probably does more to create international awareness about the plight of diamond workers in Africa than any structured NGO based program.)