Films enter classroom

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Scenes from Lage Raho Munnabhai

Children imbibe a lot from television viewing and the said films can actually impart lessons for life to them, feel parents and filmmakers.

A Munnabhai teaches that it is human to get carried away by a challenge but finally, a doctor has to be responsible. Dil Chahta Hai will teach you that with friendships, as with relationships, a certain ripeness needs to be reached. Lagaan shows that even tremendous odds can be overcome with a tremendous will.
“Amidst the churning of Bollywood potboilers, there are films that can draw upon the right kind of emotions in kids. Chak De India displayed the right lessons in team spirit and goal setting. Similarly, 3 Idiots taught kids to come out of the rat- race by discovering their inner potential and doing what they love rather than loving what they do. If done in the right manner, just like Jataka tales or Aesop’s fables, these films have the potential to steer young lives in the right direction,” explains media analyst Faraaz Kazi.
Scriptwriter Aditya Kriplani says that some films work like mythology for the modern generation. “Mythology helps people understand what an ideal existence is. And great films perform the same function. They are the modern myth. So films reinforce certain themes, which help in making right decisions. Since the youth isn’t exposed to mythology, great films can become their source of inspiration,” he says.
“The idea is innovative as it’s a good way to reach out to kids and receive positive response. It is important to remember that these are works of fiction. Kids can view historical or periodical dramas rather than reading dull or badly written text-books,” says Jaishree Misra, who has worked with the British Board of Film Classification, and media and cinematic effects on children was an important part of her work.
However, doesn’t cinema distance viewers from what is real? “Movies don’t always take you away from reality. Events have to be compressed and sometimes exaggerated in an entertaining manner to engage disparate audiences. Movies aren’t always manuals of good behaviour. But movies can teach important human qualities like empathy,” adds Misra.
But writer, animator and filmmaker Gautam Benegal, who has made films for children, says that films can’t be recommended saying this is “good” for morals and this is “bad”. He says, “Personally I would be cautious before recommending films, especially mainstream commercial films, for moral education. There are various subtexts that have to be looked into because often what a film claims to tell you is not the message it is imparting. I believe that linking up films to ‘morality’ and making them a compulsory exercise is a bad idea.”