Bihar Board Class 10 English Lesson 4 What is wrong with Indian Films Summary, Lesson Explanation with difficult word meanings from Panorama-II Book
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What is wrong with Indian Films Bihar Board Class 10 English
Satyajit Ray
- What is wrong with Indian Films Introduction
- Theme of the Lesson What is wrong with Indian Films
- What is wrong with Indian Films Summary
- What is wrong with Indian Films Summary in Hindi
- What is wrong with Indian Films Lesson Explanation
- What is wrong with Indian Films Question Answer BSEB Class 10 English Panorama-II Book
What is wrong with Indian Films Introduction
In “What is Wrong with Indian Films” by Satyajit Ray, the author talks about the problems he sees in Indian movies. He discusses how Indian filmmakers often try to copy Hollywood instead of making movies that are true to Indian culture. Ray believes that Indian cinema should focus more on telling its own stories and reflecting the diversity of Indian life. He encourages filmmakers to be more original and authentic in their work, rather than just following trends from other countries. Ray’s opinion is an important reminder for the Indian film industry to stay true to its roots and create movies that truly represent Indian values and traditions.
Theme of the Lesson What is Wrong with Indian Films
The chapter’s theme revolves around Satyajit Ray’s critique of Indian cinema’s tendency to imitate Hollywood, lacking cultural authenticity. Ray emphasizes the need for originality and authenticity in Indian films, asking filmmakers to showcase the richness and diversity of Indian life. He advocates for storytelling that reflects Indian culture rather than blindly following Western trends. Ray’s analysis underscores the importance of reclaiming India’s unique cinematic identity and producing films that resonate with local audiences. Therefore, the theme highlights the importance for Indian cinema to prioritize authenticity and cultural integrity in its storytelling.
What is wrong with Indian Films Summary
The chapter, “What is wrong with Indian Films.” by Satyajit Ray begins with the author discussing how Indian films have evolved throughout time and the challenges they have faced. He points out that in 1907 and 1913, Indian cinema began with a small number of simple films. By the 1920s, it had grown into a big and important industry. But, some people still question whether Indian films are truly of high quality and whether they are recognized outside of India, despite the country producing a large number of them each year.
The author believes that when Indian filmmakers try to copy the idea behind and the production of Hollywood films, Indian films lose their own uniqueness and quality that would set them apart. He believes that instead of just attempting to look fancy like Hollywood, Indian cinema should focus on being imaginative and genuine while showcasing India’s true culture. The author also states that rather than copying Hollywood’s style of filming and storylines, Indian films should draw inspiration and take references from our own country, including the customs, traditions etc. The author also criticizes the fact that while some Indian films are genuinely well made and show India’s deep rooted history, traditions and cultures, most of the popular and well-known films are based on making money from the movies rather than being unique and artistic in their own right. The author also states that he wanted the Indian films and cinema to be more distinct and unique, and include the culture and traditions present in India. He also states that he dislikes the fact that Indian movies have confusing storylines, way too many songs and lack planning and have poor production, thus not letting the Indian cinema from having its own style and unique identity which also comprises the quality of the films.
However, movies like ‘Dharti-Ke-Lala’ and ‘Kalpana’ have been mentioned in the chapter by the author, since these Indian films focus on their themes, storylines and mention Indian culture. The author wants the Indian movies to be different from those produced in Hollywood, to show what life is really like in India.
What is wrong with Indian Films Summary in Hindi
अध्याय, “भारतीय फिल्मों में क्या गलत है।” सत्यजीत रे की पुस्तक की शुरुआत लेखक द्वारा इस चर्चा से होती है कि भारतीय फिल्में पूरे समय में कैसे विकसित हुई हैं और उन्हें किन चुनौतियों का सामना करना पड़ा है। वह बताते हैं कि 1907 और 1913 में भारतीय सिनेमा की शुरुआत कम संख्या में साधारण फिल्मों से हुई। 1920 के दशक तक यह एक बड़े और महत्वपूर्ण उद्योग के रूप में विकसित हो गया था। लेकिन, कुछ लोग अभी भी सवाल करते हैं कि क्या भारतीय फिल्में वास्तव में उच्च गुणवत्ता वाली हैं और क्या उन्हें भारत के बाहर मान्यता प्राप्त है, बावजूद इसके कि देश में हर साल बड़ी संख्या में फिल्में बनती हैं।
लेखक का मानना है कि जब भारतीय फिल्म निर्माता हॉलीवुड फिल्मों के पीछे के विचार और निर्माण की नकल करने की कोशिश करते हैं, तो भारतीय फिल्में अपनी विशिष्टता और गुणवत्ता खो देती हैं जो उन्हें अलग करती हैं। उनका मानना है कि भारतीय सिनेमा को हॉलीवुड की तरह आकर्षक दिखने की कोशिश करने के बजाय, भारत की वास्तविक संस्कृति को प्रदर्शित करते हुए कल्पनाशील और वास्तविक होने पर ध्यान केंद्रित करना चाहिए। लेखक का यह भी कहना है कि हॉलीवुड की फिल्मांकन शैली और कहानी की नकल करने के बजाय, भारतीय फिल्मों को प्रेरणा लेनी चाहिए और अपने देश से रीति-रिवाजों, परंपराओं आदि का संदर्भ लेना चाहिए। लेखक इस तथ्य की भी आलोचना करते हैं कि हालांकि कुछ भारतीय फिल्में वास्तव में अच्छी तरह से बनाई गई हैं और भारत के गहरे इतिहास, परंपराओं और संस्कृतियों को दिखाते हुए, अधिकांश लोकप्रिय और प्रसिद्ध फिल्में अपने आप में अद्वितीय और कलात्मक होने के बजाय फिल्मों से पैसा कमाने पर आधारित हैं। लेखक का यह भी कहना है कि वह चाहते थे कि भारतीय फिल्में और सिनेमा अधिक विशिष्ट और अद्वितीय हों, और इसमें भारत में मौजूद संस्कृति और परंपराएं शामिल हों। उन्होंने यह भी कहा कि उन्हें यह तथ्य पसंद नहीं है कि भारतीय फिल्मों में भ्रमित करने वाली कहानियां होती हैं, बहुत सारे गाने होते हैं और योजना की कमी होती है और खराब उत्पादन होता है, जिससे भारतीय सिनेमा को अपनी शैली और अनूठी पहचान नहीं मिलती है जिसमें फिल्मों की गुणवत्ता भी शामिल होती है।
हालाँकि, लेखक द्वारा अध्याय में ‘धरती-के-लाला’ और ‘कल्पना’ जैसी फिल्मों का उल्लेख किया गया है, क्योंकि ये भारतीय फिल्में अपने विषयों, कथानकों पर ध्यान केंद्रित करती हैं और भारतीय संस्कृति का उल्लेख करती हैं। लेखक चाहते हैं कि भारतीय फिल्में हॉलीवुड में बनी फिल्मों से अलग हों, ताकि दिखाया जा सके कि भारत में जीवन वास्तव में कैसा है।
What is wrong with Indian Films Lesson Explanation
Passage: One of the most significant phenomena of our time has been the development of the cinema from a turn-of-the-century mechanical toy into the century’s most potent and versatile art form.
Word Meanings:
phenomena (n): (plural of phenomenon): happenings
potent (adj): powerful
versatile (adj): command over many qualities
Explanation: There has been a change in the movies over time, with them just being seen as a mechanical toy which came into being with the change of the century to becoming a thing of great importance and becoming an important form of art, making people feel different emotions about a wide range of topics.
Passage: Today, the cinema commands the respect accorded to any other form of creative expression. It combines in various measures the functions of poetry, music, painting, drama, architecture and a host of other arts, major and minor. It also combines the cold logic of science.
Word Meanings:
Commands: asks for
Accorded: given to
architecture (n): art and science of building
Creative (adj.): characterized by originality of thought; having or showing imagination
a creative mind
Logic: study backed by reasoning
Explanation: The passage explains how just like other forms of art, such as poetry, painting are equally respected, the cinema has also come to be respected in recent times. Films can include different parts of art forms like poetry, music, painting, drama, architecture, but at the same time, it can also be logical aspects like that of science, making films both logical and creative in nature.
Passage: India took up film production surprisingly early. The first short film was produced in 1907 and the first feature in 1913. By the twenties it had reached the status of big business.
It is easy to tell the world that film production in India is quantitatively second only to Hollywood; for that is a statistical fact. But can the same be said of its quality? Why are our films not shown abroad? Is it solely because India offers a potential market for her own products? Or, are we just plain ashamed of our films?
Word Meanings:
statistical (adj): collections of information
potential (adj): inner ability
quantitatively (adj): capable of being measured
solely (adverb): only, exclusively or merely
ashamed (adj): overcome with shame, guilt or remorse
Explanation: India introduced film production very early. The first short film was produced and featured in 1907 and 1913 respectively. By the 1920s, film production was a big industry and sector in India. Based on only the number of films made, it is a known fact that India is second in the world coming just after Hollywood. However, the author in the above passage questions about the quality of the films produced. He asks the reason why Indian films are not shown abroad, and whether it is because the Indian films are only made for their own market or are the Indians themselves ashamed of their films.
Passage: To anyone familiar with the relative standards. Of the best foreign and Indian films, the answers must come easily. Let us face the truth. There has yet been no Indian film, which could be acclaimed on all counts. Where other countries have achieved, we have only attempted and that too not always with honesty.
Word Meanings:
acclaimed (v): approved, applauded
relative (adj.): having meaning or significance only in relation to something else; not absolute
standards (n): criteria; a level of quality used to judge or compare something else
Explanation: When compared on basic standards, the difference between Indian films and foreign films is very obvious. The author says that there has been no Indian movie that has been noticed and praised in every way like that of other foreign films. He also states that while films of other countries have achieved praises and have succeeded in making good films, India has only tried doing so and even then has not been completely truthful in its attempt.
Passage: No doubt this lack of maturity can be attributed to several factors. The producers will tell you about that mysterious entity ‘the mass’, which goes in for this sort of ‘thing’, the technicians will blame the tools and the director will have much to say about the wonderful things he had in mind but could not achieve because of ‘the conditions’.
Word Meanings:
attributed (v): to regard as belonging (to), produced (by), or resulting (from)
entity (n): something having real or distinct existence, existence or being
maturity (adj): to come to full development
mysterious (adj): impossible to understand
Explanation: The lack of maturity in Indian films can be caused due to different factors. Film producers often point the finger at “the mass,” or the general public, for favoring particular genres of films. While directors say that they have grand ideas that they were unable to bring to life because of challenges like limited budget or resources, technicians would point their finger at the equipment they use. These reasons thus lead to poor quality of the Indian films.
Passage: In India it would seem that the fundamental concept of a coherent dramatic pattern existing in time was generally misunderstood.
Often by a queer process of reasoning, movement was equated with action and action with melodrama. The analogy with music failed in our case because Indian music is largely improvisational.
Word Meanings:
analogy (n): comparison done to show similarity
coherent (adj): logical, consistent, orderly
equated (v): to make or regard as equivalent or similar
melodrama (n): emotional drama
improvisational (adj): here, composing music with a play
queer (adj): differing from the normal or usual in a way regarded as odd or strange
Explanation: There is a misunderstanding and lack of clarity in understanding about how to follow and make a clear and logical storyline in Indian films. Due to different reasons, the movements in a particular scene are often mixed up with action, thinking that more movement in a scene would be equal to more action. They also confuse action with melodrama. The comparison with music has also failed as Indian music is very improvisational and made on the spot unlike how the music and composition is planned properly in other foreign countries.
Passage: Almost every passing phase of American cinema has had its repercussions on the Indian films. Stories have been written based on Hollywood successes and the clichés preserved with care. Even where the story has been a genuinely Indian one, the background music has revealed an irrepressible penchant for the jazz idiom.
Word Meanings:
cliches (n): phrases or idea used so often that has become stale
irrepressible (adj): uncontrollable
repercussion (n): consequences of an event
penchant (n): a strong inclination or liking
Explanation: The author states that Indian films have been inspired by American cinema over the years. Indian filmmakers carefully keep successful clichés from American films while creating plots that are influenced by popular Hollywood films. American culture is known for its connection to jazz music, which is sometimes obvious in the background music, even in stories that are authentically Indian.
Passage: It should be realized that the average American film is a bad model, if only because it depicts a way of life so utterly at variance with our own. Moreover, the high technical polish, which is the hallmark of the standard Hollywood product, would be impossible to achieve under existing Indian conditions. What Indian cinema needs today is not more gloss, but more imagination, more integrity, and more intelligent appreciation of the limitations of the medium.
Word Meanings:
hallmark (n): mark used for marking the standard|
gloss (n): bright appearance (fig: sometimes deceptive)
variance (n): difference, discrepancy
Explanation: It is wrong and bad to use the typical American film as a model for Indian movies. Indian cultures are significantly different from those shown in American films. Also, the current situation in India makes it difficult to match the high level of technology found in Hollywood productions. The author states how Indian cinema should put more importance on creativity, honesty, and awareness of the limitations of the film industry than on fanciness or technical perfection found in Hollywood. Indian filmmakers should focus on producing unique content that represents their own culture and beliefs.
Passage: After all, we do possess the primary tools of filmmaking. The complaint of the technicians notwithstanding, mechanical devices such as the crane shot and the process shot are useful, but by no means indispensable. What our cinema needs above everything else is a style, an idiom, a sort of iconography of cinema, which would be uniquely and recognisably Indian.
Word Meanings:
indispensable (adj): not dispensable, absolutely necessary
Iconography(n): the imagery or symbolism of a work of art, an artist, or a body of art
Explanation: Indian filmmakers have the basic equipment required to produce films, including camera techniques like the crane shot and process shot. Technicians might disagree, but these tools are useful but not strictly necessary. The one thing that truly separates and makes Indian cinema unique is its lack of a signature style or identity. The author recommends that Indian cinema should create a unique visual language that represents the nation’s culture.
Passage: The majority of our films are replete with such ‘Visual dissonances’. But the truly Indian film should steer clear of such inconsistencies and look for its material in the more basic aspects of Indian life, where habit and speech, dress and manners, background and foreground, blend into a harmonious whole.
Word Meanings:
harmonious (adj): fitting together well
replete (adj): holding much, filled with
dissonances (n): inconsistency or disagreement
inconsistencies (n): contradictions
Explanation: There are “visual dissonances” or visual inconsistencies in a lot of Indian movies. An authentic Indian movie, on the other hand, needs to stay clear of these inconsistencies and focus on representing the basic Indian life and its aspects like, habit and speech, dress and manners, background and foreground. Thus, showing Indian movies in a harmonious way.
Passage: It is only in a drastic simplification of style and content that hope for the Indian cinema resides. At present, it would appear that nearly all the prevailing practices go against such simplification.
Starting a production without adequate planning, sometimes even without a shooting script, penchant for convolutions of plot and counter plot rather than the strong, simple unidirectional narrative: the practice of sandwiching musical musical numbers in the most unlyrical situations, the habit of shooting indoors in a country which is all landscape, and at a time when all other countries are turning to the documentary for inspiration-all these stand in the way of the evolution of a distinctive style.
Word Meanings:
convolutions (n): coil, twist
distinctive (adj.): making different, distinguishing from others
evolution (n): process of developing
landscape (n): inland scenery
simplification (n): the process of making something simpler
prevailing (adj.): generally accepted, widespread
Explanation: Simplifying the current style and content of Indian cinema is the only hope for Indian cinema. At present, common methods in Indian cinema often counter this simplification, like shooting inside despite India’s diverse scenery, focusing on complicated plots rather than straightforward stories, beginning production without enough preparation or a shooting script, and adding songs in inappropriate places. The author also believed that Indian cinema still uses traditional techniques even in a time when other nations are looking to documentaries for inspiration. These factors limit the development of an unique style in Indian cinema.
Passage: There have been rare glimpses of an enlightened approach in a handful of recent films. IPTA’s ‘Dharti-Ke-Lala’ is an instance of a strong simple theme put over with style, honesty and technical competence. Shankar’s ‘Kalpana’, an inimitable and highly individual experiment shows a grasp of filmic movement, and a respect for tradition.The raw material of the cinema is life itself. It is incredible that a country which has inspired so much painting, music and poetry should fail to move the filmmakers. He has only to keep his eyes open, and his ears. Let him do so.
Word Meanings:
IPTA (abbrv.): Indian People’s Theatre Association
Explanation: The author believes that a few recent Indian films have shown promise, like ‘Dharti-Ke-Lala’ by IPTA has a simple yet powerful theme and has good technical skills. Another film, ‘Kalpana’ by Shankar, the author believes is unique and shows a good understanding of how to use camera movements in filmmaking, while also respecting traditional techniques and methods. The author also believes that movies should be inspired by life itself, just like other forms of art such as painting, music, and poetry.