People always seem to think they know what other people want. Some people have built whole careers out of it! I have been interacting with film professionals from different countries about the kind of films that are appreciated by their local audiences.

One hears many thumb rules about what will work with the audience and not. These comes from years of experience through trends and waves that have occurred in the film industry.  A senior executive quotes to me “Make us cry and we’ll buy!” :-) Many of these generalisations make one feel that the audience out there is a homogenous monolith that speaks in one voice. 

And then one hears about how Spanish audiences loved ”Monsoon Wedding”… how South Asian audiences in US enjoyed “My big fat greek wedding!” How a film like “Sivaji” is bought for Japanese audiences…  perhaps these point to common values and cultural patterns in diverse societies.

 So finally people in-the-know seem to say in a hushed whisper -  “actually no one can tell for sure!”

After all these these  ”professional ” opinions  I turn to regular movie goers. In the first few reactions I get – firstly, the adulation towards other decades that offered a different kind of cinema. (Is that just a nostalgic value?) Secondly, the constant bickering about where good cinema has gone.

So am curious-  what is  GOOD CINEMA for the audience?

 Can someone tell me?

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