Cinema and Life

Have you ever watched a movie or a show and thought, “Wait… this is literally meee!” ? Because lately, I’ve been rewatching Little Things, and the female protagonist, Kavya, feels illegally similar to me. At this point, I’m tempted to email the writers and ask where they got their reference material from. Because I do not remember signing any consent form.

Anyways, jokes apart, it genuinely made me pause and think - 

Do we choose characters we relate to, or do they quietly choose us?

Like, what if the first time I watched Little Things, Kavya stayed with me longer than I realised? What if she settled somewhere in my subconscious, and now when I rewatch the show, I don’t just relate ... I recognise. Of course, I still have my individuality. Main koi photocopy nahi hoon. But subconsciously… koi chemical locha toh nahi ho raha na?

Because yea, personalities don’t form overnight. And maybe movies and shows contribute more to that process than we like to admit. I think a huge reason actors get such intense fandom is the characters they play and how deeply those characters impact audiences, to the point where they start shaping trends, attitudes, and even behaviour. And they slowly become aspirational without realising when, admiration quietly turns into imitation.

Movies don’t just mirror society. Agree or not, they impact it. For example, at some point, stalking got packaged as romance, imagine - 

Background music starts playing, slow-motion kicks in, and suddenly we’re like, “Haan haan, hero aise hi toh chase karta hai.”

But in reality, boundaries take two steps left, logic takes three steps right, and the whole scene goes completely offside.

And the scary part? We don’t even notice when that conditioning happens. Somewhere along the way, persistence started being celebrated more than consent. Anger became intensity. Control became “passion.” And when these traits show up repeatedly on screen, especially in male characters we’re meant to root for, they stop looking problematic and start looking… normal. And honestly, that’s where it gets tricky. Because when aggression is framed as masculinity, and refusal is treated like a challenge, many don’t just consume the story, many actually absorb that behaviour. Because the uncomfortable truth is that -

I don't think the audience is always mature enough to separate reel from real.

And maybe characters don't just reflect who we are but also quietly influence who we become. And that thought doesn't scare me but it definitely makes me more aware of the stories I let stay with me. 

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