I don’t watch a lot of movies. There simply isn’t time. But some people believe me to be quite the film buff. This is because they catch me at the wrong time: during theatre runs of movies I repeat-watch. I saw Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (2025)—a film that, as a critic, I would only rate 3.5 out of five—six times! I went for Kalki 2898 AD (2024), ambitious but patchy, five times. And, I must have seen Stree (2018), Vikram (2022) and Kantara: A Legend-Chapter 1 (2025) three or four times.
In the second half of July, as the football World Cup reached its final stages, I had a little more free time. There were no games on July 17, the day Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey released. But after the exertions of the semifinals—running after a ball is no doubt hard, but so is filing copy at 3am on three hours’ sleep across two days—I was too tired to go on day one.
On July 19, I shelled out Rs1,300 to watch the movie. I didn’t love it. I wanted more Homer and less preachiness. However, it was crafted well enough for me to go again. During the rewatch, I noticed details that I liked. Despite enjoying the experience, my conclusion did not change: Brilliantly made; too preachy.
What was the point then, an exasperated well-wisher asked. I couldn’t explain it then, but the question germinated in my mind. It’s not like only I repeat-watch. The usual reasons include the theatre experience, devotion to a star/franchise or trying to decode hidden details. I watch movies that pique my interest at the first opportunity. Varied company necessitates rewatches. But, even alone I generally watch at least twice. If it could not make me come back, the movie was not worth my time—the “one-time watch” was a mistake.
Often, a movie doesn’t reveal everything on the first watch. For me, the first time is about following the story or the film version of the story. The second watch is more interesting. I see more of the setting: a background element, a cut, framing choices, sound design, a decision that did not quite serve the story. Not every film cooperates with this. I watched Nolan’s Tenet two or three times and still could not comprehend it.
Nonetheless, this method has started to guide how I deal with people, too. If I give a film several chances, it seems unreasonable to settle on an opinion of someone after a few interactions. Early impressions are like the first watch, where you get the outline of a story. The details—what they don’t say, why they react the way they do, what is driving their choices—only surface if you put in the time. Still, some people are like Tenet.
Others now get more patience. With my right-wing friends—much like rewatching Dhurandhar—I can forgive their assumption that people who don’t behave like them aren’t patriotic. Incoherent storytelling reminds me of my liberal friends. I have also resolved to try to be more accommodative of the people I call ‘theists’ (because they call me atheist).
For me, movies always were, and continue to be, an escape from reality. I don’t like watching realistic cinema—I observe enough of the world in my day-to-day life. And I don’t need morals from movies any more than I need them from people. But, there’s always something to learn from paying attention, whether to a story or a person.
My third watch of Spider-Man: Brand New Day even brought some self-realisation. I felt the film was rather like myself: simple, emotional, utterly devoted to itself and a delight to experience (for a short duration). But, I accept that some people may find it silly and exhausting—words that are also used to describe me.
