“Leave the reel,Take the conversation“

Movies are not just about watching or having a visual experience but they are about the conversations they create. Cinema is a reflection of art and art is subjective. Everyone’s tastes differ, and the way people connect with films varies from person to person but one thing remains true is that FILMS ARE CATALYST FOR CONVERSATIONS.

When you watch a movie, you don’t just process the story in isolation but you share it with the world around you. You discuss it with the people around you. When someone asks “How was the film” it opens a gateway to an entirely new dimension a new dialogue about what you saw, how it made you feel, and what it made you think. In those moments, a movie transcends its screen time and begins to shape interactions, memories, and opinions.

I can talk about films anytime, anywhere. Just today, my friend and I were discussing The Godfather Trilogy. A simple question came to me which is better: The first or the second one? This suddenly sparked a conversation.

Personally, I’ve always preferred godfather part 2 but when that question came up, I found myself defending my choice in a way I hadn’t expected, the classic nature of the first movie was hard to ignore and suddenly I started rethinking why I favored the second. By the end of the conversation, my friend was on board with my perspective. That’s the power of a conversation. It makes you not only revisit the film but also reconsider the version of yourself that first watched it.

Not everyone will agree with your viewpoint, and that’s okay but when a conversation about a film happens, you don’t just replay the movie in your mind but you revisit yourself. Films are tied to memories and those memories are tied to the version of you that was experiencing them at that time. I remember my parents sharing stories about films that had a profound impact on them. Most of those films were not just viewed they were part of an emotional or personal journey.

People often watch films just for entertainment but even in the most casual of movie-watching experiences the conversations they spark  both internally and externally are very intriguing . These conversations may seem trivial at times but they hold deeper significance than we often realize. When someone dissects a film, it’s not just a win for the filmmaker it’s a win for the film itself. Every discussion and every analysis can teach us something about our own thoughts and feelings. A plot twist could change your perspective on life, a shot could inspire your dreams and a song could transport you back in time.

It was during a recent conversation with a friend from the UK that I realized something truly powerful. We were discussing the star classics of director Mani Ratnam, particularly Nayakan (1987) and Thalapathi (1991), two iconic films featuring Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth respectively. These films were made long before my parents even got married yet they still resonate with people today. That got me thinking: if i could time travel and revisit one of these classics which one would i choose?

And then it hit me you don’t need a time machine to travel back to the past. A conversation about a film can take you back to the moment you first experienced it. You can relive that version of yourself and that in a way is a form of time travel.

Cinema is made to stand the test of time. It may fade from memory or be forgotten by some but the conversation around it remains. Talking about films might seem dull to some but I believe there’s nothing more interesting whether it’s over brunch, coffee, drinks or even at completely random instances talking about cinema keeps it alive, relevant and meaningful. The more you talk, the more it stays with you and  in the end that’s what truly matters