Several traditions and practices of Indian society like caste system, untouchability, dowry, purdah system amongst a few have been depicted in several of the films. The cinema being the most powerful form of mass communication has the power to bring these issues to the forefront. By throwing light on them, cinema films help the society get rid of such disparities. It leads people towards the correct path. It also helps open up a road towards social reforms and transformation.
For instance, films like Shores of Silence: Whale Sharks in India resulted led to the ban on the killing of whale sharks on Indian shores. If it wasn’t for the film’s efforts of bringing the issue to light through cinema, people, the government and the nation as a whole wouldn’t have realized the significance of whale sharks for the ecosystem.
Cinema affects different people differently. For cinema-goers, it is a form of past-time and entertainment. For people in the profession, it’s a way they express themselves in the form of their art be it in the form of costumes, lights, cinematography, music and numerous other ways.
Cinema strikes a chord at a deeper level with the masses and leaves its impact on the coming generations as well. It reflects the society in which it is born, the aspirations, frustration and contradictions present in any given social order.
Human beings have thoughts and instincts which impact the mind too that make the audience laugh, tear up or feel their pain too. Even the dialogues are just as carved in our minds that we bring up in real life.
Dialogues of Mughal-E-Azam or Devdas amongst numerous others became part of the normal conversation of people for a long time. Similarly, film “Sholey” left an indelible mark on the life of many.