How can you watch a movie alone?

How can you watch a movie alone?

This is a question which I often encounter, let me tell you that I had been dodging this question when I was a lot younger.

When you are young, your choices are not exactly mainstream, so then you are bound to watch most movies alone. Let me put it mildly, when most kids those days were crooning tujhe dekha to yeh jaana sanam, I was humming the tunes of Mithun Chakraborty songs.

Let me tell you that back in the mid 90’s, when a kid said he was a fan of Mithun it was not exactly a pleasant conversation, it still isn’t.

I always loved movies, by the time I reached junior college, it was the only thing I loved to indulge in after college hours. To let out a secret let me confess that I have bunked my college lectures twice to watch a movie (Zameen and Koi Mil Gaya) and even office (Agyaat).

Trust me, it helped me later when I was travelling solo across North India. I was able to use my spare time watching movies all alone and without really having to bother so much about lack of company.

Even when I was dating someone, I used to watch movies alone, somehow I still feel cinema is to be enjoyed personally in a social setting.

The first and foremost reason is the mobile phone. I despise people who use mobiles, most people do that or at least in Bombay I see it often. It kind of becomes difficult to be rude to your date or friends to say shove your mobile in. I also hate people munching on food inside the theatre. If they are hungry they can go to a restaurant, why watch movies in the first place?

Like reading, I feel watching a movie is a solitary act, an act where you are reacting to an art based on your prejudices, bias and your expectations. This is why when we are young we are looking for characters who are like us but as we mature we look for something more artistic.

At the end of the day, I feel there is nothing wrong in watching movies alone on a big screen and there is nothing to be ashamed about it. In fact a cinema theatre/multiplex is one of the few places where people can enjoy art alone in a public place.

Very few people can experience the magic in a dark place. There is something special about the moment when the silver screen comes to life, when through an art form we can hear our heartbeat among the public. At least once in your lifetime we should watch a movie alone, I promise you that it would be experience to cherish.

Don’t believe me? Well then be my guest and check it out all by yourselves. Who knows, perhaps you may even end up observing certain aspects in a movie that you may have otherwise overlooked while in the company of others?