Madhavan on how filmmakers have to fight with food menu, mobile phones, and K-pop for engaging audience
Keeping the audience engaged is one of the primary aspects of any form of art.
It is even more so in the field of cinema where distractions are aplenty, and it is getting increasingly difficult to crack the code of engagement. Actor-filmmaker Madhavan, in an interview to India TV, opened up about the challenges today’s filmmakers are facing, and how it isn’t just relegated to what is being shown onscreen.
“Back in the day, when we went to see a film in the theatres, we didn’t have many options in the food and beverages department. it was either popcorn or samosa. But today, there is a huge decision that has to be made there,” Madhavan said and shared that going to watch a film as a family is a different beast altogether. Expanding on how the film-going audience are pushed to give a certain sense of commitment to watching a film, Madhavan said, “You have to take your vehicle, park it in some place, pay for the parking, brave the weather, marshal your family to the theatre, rush through security, and just before you enter the theatre, there is the wafting fragrance of the popcorn, which I am not sure if it is really fresh.” Sharing that these are obstacles that his films have to overcome, Madhavan also said that the problems don’t end when the film finally is screened.
In a rather tongue-in-cheek manner, Madhavan spoke about how mobile phones and menu options inside the theatre are also competing with the film. “Suddenly, you have a flash of light because someone is reading the menu. And some even order pani puri, and use their mobile phone to know what pani they are having. We have to fight all this to get to your attention, and if god forbid, the film isn’t engaging… then the parents are at loggerheads about the wastage of money, and then, one of them has to rush back to the parking just before the film ends to beat the rush of vehicles leaving the theatres. It is almost traumatic… and if you irrirate them with your film, then they are not going to forgive you.”
Delving into another challenge that is gripping the kids of the country, Madhavan said that many Indian kids are now speaking in Korean because of the impact of the K-pop culture. “In the South, and I dare say, most of India, K-pop has taken over popular culture. I know children who speak in the language, and use it as a secret code to not let their parents know what they are conversing about. How did K-pop make an in road into our culture? How did we lose our audience to K-pop? What is the difference in their storytelling? Such questions are frying my brain, now.” said the actor, who was recently seen in the Netflix film, Test.
Apart from Test, Madhavan has an interesting lineup of films, and the first of which is Kesari: Chapter 2, co-starring Akshay Kumar and Ananya Panday. The film is set to hit the screens on April 18.