Biggest Gap in Cinema: When Will It Learn?

The box office is currently packed with films of all sorts, be it a gripping thriller, a soul-crushing romance, an adrenaline-filled action flick, an engaging drama, or a laugh-out-loud comedy. There’s something for almost everyone. Just almost.

While there’s a variety of films catering to different audiences, fans have taken to social media to raise a common concern- something is still missing from this big cinematic puzzle.

There is a severe lack of films made for children.

Back in the 2010s, several movies were aimed specifically at younger audiences. They starred children, and they were made for them.

Films like Stanley Ka Dabba, Chillar Party, Bhoothnath, Bhooth and Friends, I Am Kalam, Taare Zameen Par, and My Friend Ganesha all celebrated childhood and targeted children as their core audience.

Fans feel that such films are no longer being made, and there’s a real need for more of them.

These movies carried with them a sense of innocence, just like a child. They were so pure that they didn’t just attract kids, they drew in adults as well.

But now, in the chaos of an industry obsessed with box office numbers, this genre seems to have been forgotten, eliminating a whole section of the audience.

Films like Housefull 5, Jaat, War 2, or Deva, filled with violence, gruesome visuals, or problematic jokes, may work for the masses. But when children are exposed to such content, it influences how they perceive the world.

The innocence and wonder they once had about films get replaced by a craving for action-packed fights or humour that normalises sexist tropes.

While the industry can’t stop catering to the masses, what it can do is produce more responsible cinema, especially for children. Films where they can once again discover joy, innocence, and childlike wonder on the big screen.