Films culture protectors

The South Indian Film industry has a reputation of taking their craze of actors to the extremes. The recently seen riots after the death of thespian Rajkumar and the similar death of almost equal Tamil actor MGR in Chennai showed the extremism of the fan base of the Southern Indian Film industry.

One reason for this extremism is that much unlike the Hindi Film Industry, the film industries here down south are purported to be one of the "holders of culture". This combined with the fact that you'd find there to be a fight for the upkeep of the language and culture (which again you find so rampant only down south) makes them want to keep their respective language film industries chaste of other languages. There is more to a culture than just the language they speak. It's as if they are using films, which are just films- good entertainment and sometimes social messages, to propogate their cultural intentions.

Films are basic art. And, yes, it is true that art is responsible to its generation and representative of the culture it represents but when you take cultural pride to an extent that one brings it a bad name, it is not worth the effort. Just because it is ones culture, it does not mean that the entire remaining part of the world should be crazy over it. It is theirs and theirs to enjoy just like everybody else has their own. And the insecurity that they feel when its isn't being propagated enough atleast in films is rooted in how they are not proud of it in the first place-how one is lost about it himself?

If only Rajkumar had to see the way he was seen off by the people he loved the most, he would have broken down. All that he represented in the Kannada Film Industry was torn to shambles by a single day. Yes, our movies should give people outside of our culture a look into it. It should provide a gateway. But not everybody will get it because of the language barrier. Eventually your own culture is best enjoyed by you because that is its purpose.