“Dignity, understatement and compassion, which were the hallmarks of Satyajit Ray films, have vanished from Indian cinema. Instead, we now have fast-paced films with protagonists who are alien to us and themes with which the majority of the audience can't relate," said noted lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar in Kolkata last Sunday.

Delivering the Satyajit Ray memorial lecture, Akhtar said that today's films, especially mainstream cinema reflect a worrying social change. "In a way, they mirror the fact that we are not ready to stop and think. Everyone is in a hurry and is looking for instant gratification without caring for those around them. We are making films that sell this lifestyle to a small, affluent, multiplexgoing audience 'that doesn't bother about the small-town and rural population. Ray's films depicted a compassion, a sensitivity that is sadly missing not just from films, but from our lives as well," said Akhtar.

Referring to "Jalsaghar," "Kanchanjungha" and "Jana Aranya," the veteran rhymester said Ray's films never had any downright negative character. "The characters only had negative shades. They were people trapped in their own thinking and beliefs. While Hindi films had ferocious villains who only evoked hatred, you actually felt sad for Ray's negative characters. Such was the sensitivity of the man," Akhtar said.

Blaming a US-inspired lifestyle for making viewers impatient about serious cinema, he said it's a bad sign for Indian films. "We are trying to hide our own inadequacies that have resulted from a skewed education system. It has not trained us to appreciate our own culture and tradition. Vernacular education, on the other hand, has somewhat isolated us from the world. We need to take a long, hard look at ourselves. Or else, we shall continue to feel incomplete and fail to appreciate the subtlety that Ray's films depicted," said Akhtar.

Source: Internet