Life! Camera! Action!

Movies draw from real life. But a distinction should be made between ‘reality in movies’ and ‘reality in real life’. A three-hour movie is itself far from real life. It is only an artificial representation of life because it imitates life. A copy is a copy no matter how beautifully it is done. In the process of imitating real life, movies capture reality only in a distorted form.

Different factors like power structures, personal interests, biased attitudes, limitation of knowledge of facts etc. influence the reality constructed in a movie. For instance, what would the reality of a movie be if Bin Laden were to produce a film on Afghan war, and what would the reality would be if George Bush were to produce the same movie? Hence, reality in movies is merely a constructed reality. The number of shots for a single scene, the visual effects, the director’s personal view of handling the theme, the actors and so on are all responsible for warping reality. It looks funny when Rajesh Hamal or Aamir Khan appear as laymen because their appearance itself contradicts their reality. Thus, we must be conscious to the fact that movies have their own realities though they try to present reality.

Rabin Adhikari

Movies draw from real life because real life situations form schemes for movies .We often happen to come across movies, which are based on realities and some stories, match situations that we often come across in our daily life. Movies are just the medium that portrays human obstacles and are surveys of human affairs. They reflect the contemporary society and present it to the eyes of viewers.

Alisha Manandhar

Movies do not draw from real life. Storywriters write movies. Generally all movies are imaginary. What is imagination need not necessarily be true. Hence, it can be said that reality draws from reel life.

Rajib Sherchan

Yes, indeed movies draw from real life but I wonder if all movies have been taken from factual life or anywhere near actual life because if it were so then we wouldn’t be viewing things like somebody snatching someone else’s husband or wife, high-class spoilt society and stupid lead roles.

Movies these days seldom present the actual reality and tend to focus more on glamour and sex. To an extent this might be something we see today in our society but this is not the only thing. More than a reality show, movies these days have become a means of vulgarity and propaganda.

On the other hand it won’t be justified to say that nothing in real life is copied from reel. Had this been true we wouldn’t have seen people aping movie heroes and heroines. They are creating a false sense of reality around them from movies.

Movies seldom draw from real life and more often reality is derived from reel life.

Alankar Khanal

Movies are an artistic blend of realities and fantasies. The ironic prospect of movies is that they draw from real life but they show fantasy instead of reality. Movies might draw from our attitudes and experiences, which are realities that we can rationalise. Hence, fantasies are drawn from reality.

Kebish Dongol

Reality is in no way derived from reel life. Movies cannot surpass the depth of reality. These movies are certainly based on the lives of people from any nook and corner of the world. But they are merely fake scenes that are captured and presented in sequential order.

These films are mirrors that reflect real life but it is never the other way round. Moreover, movies are based on practical life and experiences. Fictitious movies reflect the magic of cameras and computers. They are neither based on real life nor is reality extracted from them. In contrast there are some movies that are undoubtedly based on real life. Whether it is the sorrows and troubles or joys and ecstasy, which are shown, they all share a common base that is the reality of real life.

Vipul Kabra

Due to the advancement of modern technology, various kind of movies are being and have been made which may or may not relate to real life. Life is like a pendulum that hangs between smiles and tears. I agree that in some case movies draw from real life and likewise, reality is sometimes derived from reel life. But human life cannot be completed within three hours as is done in movies.

Deepace Shrestha

Movies are dramatic representations that are either based on real social issues or are made for pure entertainment and business value. Although movies draw from real life, they are highly dramatised so as to provide more entertainment and to attract viewers.

These spicy materials do not have any connection with real life but they easily influence people.

Anjam

Movies portray all human activities and emotions. Not only it can draw from issues of human life but it can also depict scientific, economic, social, cultural and even historical events. That’s why reel life is a mirror of human life in which the descriptions of human life are reflected. And it can draw and imitate all events of human life through the actor’s smiles and tears but it cannot portray the real joie de vivre and turmoil of human beings.

Nirmal Ale

Real life is an unpremeditated art of human beings. The daily activities of human beings are ruled by their power of thinking, knowledge and skills. They are highly influenced by the nature of society and the environment in which they live. So reel life has nothing to do with reality.

Fascination between the two sexes, feelings and emotions such as love, care, compassion and hatred are all natural phenomena. Reel life came into existence only after human evolution and civilisation. The collective aspects of human civilisation, social process, human behaviour, society etc gave birth to the reel life. So reel life comprises of such natural phenomena. Movies are made based on these natural phenomena and scientific development brought about by human beings. Reality is not derived from reel life. However, at present we find our present generation drawing some aspects of lifestyles from movies. Reality is not derived from reel life instead movies draw from real life.

Yadav Lama

The answer is both. Certainly screenplay writers draw from real life to create fiction. But, most of us don’t know that ‘living by story’, (myth) as we do our ‘reality’ is derived, in many cases, from reel life. We live by the Bhagvad Gita or try to, at least! The movie ‘Gandhi’ taught us what a leader is, and how one person can change the world.

FA Hutchison

Who came first — the hen or the egg? Likewise, reel life is affected by real life and vice-versa. We all know that people copy many things from movies like their dress up and hairstyles and as people have become fashion freaks, movies seem to be the best source of information for this. Reel life is like a business. Likewise many of us are fans of some actors after we seem them on reel life but very few of us get a chance to actually know them personally.

We dream of having an actor’s life — that attention, that popularity and sometimes we are ready to do anything to get into the film industry completely ignorant about acting and film direction. Many viewers think reel life is indeed real when they find movie scripts similar to social happenings.

Some of the latest movie scripts are based on crimes like bank robbery, murder, etc, which obviously pollutes the peoples, minds and give ideas to criminals. At the same time many movies are inspired by some of the world’s greatest personalities, which serve as an inspiration. Real life incidents, biographies, etc have always been the choice of scriptwriters for movies because such movies are admired by cinemagoers.

So, it can be said that reel life and real life is very much affected by the other.

Sarita Rai

Reel life is derived from reality because whenever we watch a movie, it somewhat corresponds to what we see and do in our daily lives.

We see jealousy within family members and friends and this is quite effectively shown in movies, or a silent war between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, which is shown just as well. We appreciate these movies because it bears a similarity to our lives.

Sristi

Of course movies are drawn from real life. It is said that movies are mirrors of society. But real life is not drawn from movies. The subject matter is derived from real life. Every life carries a story and that story shapes reel life. Life or reality doesn’t wait for a story or reel life to imitate it. Real life is not the way reel life moves. Reality has its own natural formula. Nothing artificial is made to happen by artificial characters and dialogues, there is no place for exaggeration or imagination nor is there any place for romanticism. Movies and reel life wait for “action, cut or camera” to happen. In real life once an incident occurs there is no going back.

Archana Singh

Some films reflect real life situations to a great extent. Generally, film lasts for three to one and a half hours. However, real life has a longer time span in comparison to films. In real life we are the actor, the director and the producer. Above us, the Almighty watches us the way we watch films, closely watching all the moves of each character.

Movies are just micro versions of real life. We come out of theatres at the end of a film but with the end of life may be we enter yet another world that is undefined and unseen, if it ever exists.

Raj Kumar KC

Movies are made according to a narrative. Its actors act according to the story. And the storywriter writes the story. And the story is pure imagination. How can reality draw from reel life when movies are nothing but imagination? In a movie, the hero always defeats the villains. For instance a hero fights with about 10 villains and win all of them easily that too, although there are many stronger people opposite him. Is this possible in real life?

Most of the actions of movies are impossible in real life. Once I saw a movie in which the hero jumps from the seventh floor of a house and he doesn’t have even a single scratch on him after the ordeal. Is that possible in real life? There is a vast difference between real life and reel life.

Nirajan Pokhrel

Art is the expression of people’s thoughts, desires, aspirations, curiosity, apprehensions and perturbations. Reality is what people experience. Movies too are a form of art and therefore based on real life.

Movies are reflections of real life emotions. They bring before us those times and events which were lived and experienced by our ancestors. Great movies like ‘Titanic’, ‘Pearl Harbour’, ‘The Pianist’ and ‘I am Sam’ are few among many that illustrate this point. In short, movies are mirrors that reflect different dimensions of people’s lives.

Prawash Gautam