Taking kids to desi movies
It seriously astounds me when desi parents take their children to see Bollywood movies that are completely inappropriate for young eyes. If the film is not designated ‘General viewing audience’ or it’s not specifically a children’s movie, then you should not be taking your kids to see it!
Films can have a lot of frightening or inappropriate scenes for young viewing eyes. Movies have a rating for a reason! Common sense might go a long way as well…use it.
Whenever I go to see a Bollywood film at the local desi cinema, it astounds me at the number of young children are at films that are inappropriate for impressionable eyes. On top of that, if the kids are not glued watching the screen, parents seem to think it is okay to give their kids a free reign of the theatre so that they can disturb other people. Kids are tearing down the aisles running back and forth, and creating an additional soundtrack to the movie.
It is not okay to bring kids to the theatre if the movie is not appropriate. If the movie is appropriate then parents should be prepared take care of their children and not let them create havoc in the theatre. But thinking rationally, do parents out there really think it is reasonable to take kids to a 3 hour Bollywood movie?
Here are a few points desi parents should keep in mind:
- Make sure the movie is suitable for young eyes. If not, hire a baby sitter and go and watch the film yourselves. You cannot take your children to movies that have violence and explicit scenes;
- If the movie is appropriate then check the length of the film to make sure your kids will be able to sit through it comfortably; and
- Respect that other people are in the theater to enjoy the movie.
At the end of the day, it is your kids that will suffer if you take them to an inappropriate movie. Young kids are impressionable and if you deliberately expose them to films that are not for their age group, then that is being very irresponsible.
Think about it.
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October 6th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Hey Yumna,
I couldn’t agree more! I hardly watch desi movies and especially in the theatre, but I remember a couple of kids (probably around 8 years old)in the theatre giggling during a provocative song, saying “Oh look at her, she’s so sexy!” Needless to say, I don’t think 8 year-olds need to be having these discussing, and worse, me having to hear them!
October 6th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
I meant “dicussions” instead of discussing
October 6th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Hi Sarah!
Yup, the example you gave is exactly what I’m talking about. Kids that age shouldn’t be exposed (on purpose at least) to scenes like that! What’s worse is how children process and internalize those types of explicit scenes.
I can imagine what went through your mind when you heard those kids making comments like that. On one hand you want to tell them that’s not right, but on the other hand it isn’t their fault-it’s the parents fault for bringing them to an inappropriate movie in the first place.
October 6th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Desis are going to be desis. This problems is mainly with people who have not sponsored their parents to Canada yet.
If their parents are here, then usually husband and wife can go watch a movie while their kids are with their mothers/fathers (who were imported from India/Pakistan solely for this purpose) without a problem.
Otherwise who wants to pay for baby sitters?! Might as well bring them in to see the movies. They’re going to learn this anyways, so doesn’t make a difference. They’ll just go home and beat their kids to make them forget whatever they’ve learnt at the movies
October 6th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
What I don’t like about some Indian movies are the ‘rape scenes’. Not something a child should be watching at any age. Unfortunately I grew up (with my aunt & grandparents) watching this sort of thing on Indian TV and it was very unsettling for me at that young an age. And yes it’s true, the dance scenes now are so much sexier than they used to be, some to the point of being very raunchy. Not that Western TV doesn’t have it’s share of R rated scenes…
October 11th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Best is when the kids play tag in the theatre while the movie’s going on. They’re running all around chasing each other and the parents seem to find that amusing and perfectly ok. Hmm.. maybe once I have kids I’ll behave the same way