November 26th 2024.
Sharan encourages everyone to relax and let go of their tension. She recalls a memorable experience when she and her mother followed an usher in a dark cinema, as he carried foldable chairs and opened them against the back wall. The atmosphere was filled with excitement as people cheered, hooted, and danced in joy while waiting for the film to start. Sharan was handed a cup of chai, and she gazed up to see fairy lights lining the screen. It was a screening of the Bollywood classic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge in Chandigarh, India. Sharan had seen Bollywood films before in London, but this was a completely different experience.
The audience sang, booed, laughed, and jeered throughout the film, making it a lively and interactive experience. There were even power cuts, which caused a stir among the audience, but they cheered each time the power came back. During the intermission, samosas were offered, and Sharan enjoyed constant refills of chai. It was a magical evening, and Sharan realized that this was how musical films were meant to be watched.
However, this joyous experience seems to be under threat as some people are against singing during screenings. There has been a public outcry over fans singing along to their favorite songs during the release of Wicked. Some people have even jokingly threatened to spend their life in prison for merely hearing a fan enjoy themselves. Others are eagerly waiting for a sing-a-long screening to be able to sing and scream without being shushed by etiquette-obsessed cinema goers.
Sharan believes that people have forgotten how to enjoy life and let others enjoy it too. She says that it feels like the whole of England is just one grumpy old man, stopping himself from enjoying life. She reminds everyone that they are going to watch Wicked, not Civil War, and they will be okay. She calls out those who don't expect singing in a film that is all about singing, saying that they are the problem.
Sharan explains that she understands wanting to pay attention to important moments in a serious film, but it feels counterproductive to watch a musical and not express any enjoyment. She also points out that not letting others sing because of one's own preference is selfish. This issue is not just limited to musicals; Sharan shares her experience of watching Nida Manzoor's Polite Society at the BFI and how the audience's gasps, laughter, and clapping added to the overall experience. She also mentions the enthusiastic response to Beyonce's Renaissance and Black Panther, which she believes encompasses the culture of people of color.
Sharan notes that silencing enjoyment seems to be a form of misogyny and homophobia. She recalls holding a Bollywood night for her queer brown family, where they talked, ate, laughed, and sang while watching a film. She says it was a full-circle moment when she could share the experience of how cinema changed her with her loved ones. The next day, she received messages from her friends, describing the evening as "nourishing" and "exactly the space they've been craving." Sharan believes that going to the cinema should be a joyful experience, and she urges people to let go of their grumpiness and let others have their joy. She encourages everyone to hit those death-defying notes to Defying Gravity in the cinema and to share their own stories.
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