| Cinema, Culture and Festivals Moving to the Margins | | | Cinema is not merely a source of entertainment. It is also a mirror of society, a storyteller of culture and, in many ways, a record of changing social values. For generations, Indian cinema has played an important role in bringing festivals, traditions, family relationships and cultural practices to the screen. Songs, celebrations, rituals, traditional clothing, food and community gatherings often became an integral part of films and helped audiences connect with their cultural roots.
However, the changing landscape of cinema tells a different story today. As storytelling styles, audience preferences and social realities evolve, traditional festivals are increasingly finding less space in mainstream films. The colorful world of Diwali, Holi, Dussehra, Baisakhi, Lohri, Pongal, Onam, Eid and other regional celebrations that once added emotional and cultural depth to cinema sometimes appears to be moving towards the margins.
This does not mean that festivals have disappeared from Indian cinema. They continue to appear in films, television, music videos and digital content. But their role has changed. Earlier, a festival scene was often more than decoration. It could become a powerful setting for family reunions, emotional encounters, reconciliation, celebration and social interaction. Today, festivals are sometimes reduced to background visuals, brief sequences or commercial elements.
One reason for this change is the transformation of the Indian family. Traditional cinema frequently portrayed large families living together, where festivals brought grandparents, parents, children, relatives and neighbours into the same space. The festival became an occasion for collective happiness. With the growth of nuclear families, urban lifestyles and migration, the social experience of festivals has also changed. Cinema naturally reflects these changes.
The rise of digital entertainment has further transformed storytelling. Audiences now consume films and series on multiple platforms, often choosing shorter and faster narratives. Filmmakers compete for attention in an environment where stories are expected to move quickly. Long cultural sequences involving rituals, preparations and family gatherings may therefore receive less screen time.
Commercial considerations also influence cinema. Filmmakers often focus on themes that they believe have wider appeal across regions and international markets. A deeply regional festival may be unfamiliar to some viewers, while universal themes such as ambition, relationships, crime, technology or personal struggle can be marketed more easily across different audiences. As a result, cultural specificity can sometimes be sacrificed for broader commercial accessibility.
Yet this raises an important question: What happens when cinema gradually loses its cultural landscape?
A society does not preserve its culture only through textbooks and museums. Culture survives through everyday experiences, stories, songs, food, clothing, rituals and collective memories. Cinema has the unique ability to preserve these elements visually and emotionally. A film can introduce one generation to customs that another generation may no longer experience in the same way. Festivals are particularly important because they represent more than religious or traditional observances. They create opportunities for people to meet, share food, exchange greetings, forgive old differences and strengthen relationships. They connect generations. Grandparents explain traditions to children; parents pass family practices to the next generation; communities come together in shared celebration.
When cinema portrays such moments meaningfully, it does more than entertain. It documents social history.
Consider the way older films often presented festivals. A courtyard decorated for a celebration, family members preparing traditional food, children wearing new clothes, neighbours visiting one another and music filling the atmosphere created a sense of belonging. Such scenes became part of collective memory. For many viewers, cinema itself became a window into cultural practices.
Modern cinema, however, often presents a more individualistic world. The protagonist may be living alone in a city, working under pressure, navigating relationships or pursuing personal ambitions. Such stories are not necessarily negative; they accurately reflect many contemporary experiences. But when individualism becomes the dominant narrative, the collective dimension of culture may receive less attention.
Another significant factor is the commercialization of festivals. Festivals have increasingly become major consumer events. Advertisements, shopping campaigns, social media trends and brand promotions frequently dominate the public conversation around celebrations. Cinema is also part of this commercial ecosystem. There is a risk that the deeper cultural meaning of festivals gets replaced by images of consumption, luxury and spectacle.
A festival should not be remembered only for expensive clothes, decorations, gifts or parties. Its deeper value lies in relationships, gratitude, community, tradition and shared happiness. Cinema has the power to remind audiences of this distinction.
At the same time, we should not romanticize the past. Traditional customs were not always inclusive, and some practices have rightly changed with social progress. Cinema should not preserve every tradition simply because it is old. Culture must evolve. The objective should not be to freeze society in the past but to preserve meaningful values while allowing traditions to adapt.
This is where contemporary filmmakers have an important opportunity.
Instead of merely reproducing old festival scenes, cinema can reinterpret festivals through modern stories. A film could show how a migrant family celebrates a festival away from home. Another could explore how children born in cities reconnect with their grandparents’ traditions. A story could examine how different communities celebrate together, highlighting cultural diversity and social harmony.
Regional cinema has an especially important role to play. India is not one cultural landscape but a collection of hundreds of cultural traditions. Every region has its own festivals, folk songs, foods, crafts and rituals. Punjabi Lohri, Kerala’s Onam, Tamil Nadu’s Pongal, Assam’s Bihu, Maharashtra’s Ganesh celebrations and numerous other regional traditions provide rich material for storytelling.
The digital era may actually provide new opportunities for such cultural storytelling. Streaming platforms are not limited by the traditional requirements of a theatrical release. Stories rooted in particular regions can find audiences far beyond their original communities. A festival that may be unfamiliar to a viewer in another part of India can become a fascinating cultural discovery.
Young audiences, too, should not be assumed to be disconnected from tradition. Young people may be interested in culture when it is presented in a contemporary, authentic and engaging manner. The problem may not be a lack of interest but a lack of meaningful representation.
Schools, families and cultural institutions can also complement the role of cinema. Children should have opportunities to understand why festivals are celebrated, not merely how they are celebrated. Knowing the stories, historical background and social values associated with festivals can turn celebration into meaningful cultural learning.
Social media has created another interesting dimension. Festivals that receive limited attention in mainstream cinema can now gain visibility through short videos, photographs, documentaries and independent creators. Ordinary people can become storytellers of their own traditions. This democratization of cultural expression is a positive development.
Nevertheless, the responsibility of mainstream cinema remains significant because popular films influence language, fashion, behaviour and social imagination. What appears repeatedly on screen becomes familiar; what disappears from the screen can gradually become less visible in public consciousness.
Cinema therefore has a delicate responsibility. It should reflect society as it is, but it can also remind society of what it risks forgetting.
The disappearance of festivals from cinema is not necessarily a crisis in itself. Culture does not depend entirely on films. Festivals will continue to live in homes, communities, temples, mosques, churches, gurdwaras, streets and public spaces. But when cinema stops telling cultural stories, one important avenue of cultural memory becomes weaker.
The answer is not to demand that every film include a festival scene. Rather, filmmakers should be encouraged to recognize the richness of India’s cultural diversity and use it thoughtfully when the story calls for it.
The future of cinema need not be a choice between modernity and tradition. The two can coexist. A technologically advanced, globally connected society can still value family gatherings, folk traditions, local languages, traditional music and community celebrations.
Indeed, the best cinema often emerges when the old and the new meet.
Festivals can provide powerful stories about changing families, migration, generational differences, environmental responsibility, social equality, community harmony and human relationships. They can become more than colorful backdrops. They can become meaningful characters in the story of society itself.
Cinema changes with time because society changes with time. But in this changing cinematic landscape, our festivals should not become mere decorative memories of a forgotten cultural past.
They deserve to remain living expressions of who we are.
Cinema can move forward without leaving culture behind. Festivals can change with the times without losing their soul. The challenge is to ensure that as the screen becomes more modern, the cultural memories reflected upon it do not quietly disappear. |
|
