It is a common belief that popular cinema is not usually intended to be important or significant - that it is trash because the sole objective behind its production is to make money and provide cheap entertainment. And still, these movies are considered important for the following reasons: that they are capable of influencing people, that they can teach wrong values, that they can cause psychological damage, etc.

The popular films are considered escapist mass entertainment that distracts the poor from the real cause of their misery. There are others who argue with equal zeal that these films play a positive role; these films fulfil the psychological needs of the poor and express concern about the real issues of poverty, crime, violence, communal prejudice, and the institution of family; they also provide a preferable diversion from cockfighting, drinking, and gambling.

In India, more than 800 films are made every year and watched by more than 12 million people every day. The popular television programmes are either based on popular cinema or are imitations of it. The Vividh Bharati radio service transmits music and other programmes from popular cinema for more than 70% of its transmission time.

'What is it that makes 'The Popular Cinema' popular?" is the basic question to be answered through this seminar paper. In general terms, to what extent is popular cinema a reflection of society's interests and 'ways of seeing'? And more specifically, what are the ingredients used in these films that tell us about the society that supports and sustains this kind of cinema? One of the answers offered to the question "Why are Bombay commercial films so popular?" is that the masses seek pleasure and diversion from the daily grind and that they find it in the explosive action and melodramatic emotions of this cinema.

One may ask why look for meaning in a product when neither its makers nor its audience intend for its contents to be regarded as serious or important. Not all movies that are made for the purpose of making money and providing entertainment become commercial successes. So, it is not just the presence of a few 'stars' and 'a formula story' that make a film successful. The cinema, like language, requires its viewers to understand its grammar in order to be able to enjoy it, and the elements of this language are the style, fashion, archetypes, ideas, beliefs, etc. of a particular social reality. The profit motives behind the creation of these films force the producers to produce what they believe the audience will like. According to Pradip Krishnan, 'it is possible to make out a convincing case that it is not the poor audience but the powerful producers and distributors who are manipulated by their perception of what the audience wants."