Why I Love Watching Movies in Theatres - 🎬 

This is probably the best answer I can ever give to everyone who asks me - Why do you always go to Cinemas/ Theatres to watch movies?, especially when they are available on OTTs, sooner than later.

Watching movies in theatres is not just an experience but an emotion for me.

Every time I step into a movie theatre, it feels like stepping into another world. The path to the theatre screen, searching for the seat, settling down, the dimming of lights, the hush that settles over the crowd — it all creates a kind of magic.

For those few hours, the noise of real life — the deadlines, the endless to-do lists, the daily life's toils, the worries about the future, the guilt about the past, and the pain and question of existence itself — just fades away. Theatre gives me an opportunity, I badly need, to hit pause on reality for those two to three hours.

That’s what I love most about theatres: the escape. A good film doesn’t just play on a screen; it pulls me in, into that world. Each film takes me into its world, making me part of that cinematic universe. Suddenly, I’m chasing dreams in distant galaxies, walking through strange cities, or feeling the heartbeat of a character who’s nothing like me. For a little while, I get to live another life, look at the places I might never visit, live someone else's life, experience someone's adventures I could never dream of, feel for characters, love some, hate some, laugh at some and get some philosophical answers to my own deep questions on life, universe, purpose, humanity etc. That’s the beauty of movies in theatres — they don’t just entertain me, they transport me.

Some films I fall in love with, some I don't like and some films make me feel like they could have been better if the story or presentation or screenplay is different, and now I am thinking all the - what could be. I sometimes become the characters, not leaving them even after three four days.

Then the aesthetics - the way a film looks, sounds, and feels. Every frame is like a painting: the play of light and shadow, the choice of colours, the rhythm of the cuts. Sometimes a single shot stays with me long after the film ends, not because of what was said, but because of how it was shown. 

Music, too, is part of that magic. A perfectly timed background score can lift a scene from ordinary to unforgettable, while silence can be just as powerful. Even small details — the costume of a character, the architecture in the background, the way the camera lingers on a face — all come together to create a mood.

When I watch a movie, I don’t just follow the plot; I sink into its texture. The visuals, the sounds, the subtle symbolism — all of these form an emotional language beyond words. That’s why cinema feels so immersive to me. It’s not just about telling a story; it’s about crafting an experience that appeals to the senses and the soul.

Some theatres themselves are full of the aesthetics to make the theatre experience even more unforgettable. The massive screen makes every image sharper, every colour brighter. The sound surrounds me, thundering in action scenes and whispering in the quiet ones. And then there’s the shared energy of the audience — laughing together, gasping together, sometimes even crying together. It makes the story feel bigger, deeper, more alive.

Streaming at home is convenient, sure. But at home, I’m distracted. In a theatre, I surrender completely. It’s not just watching a film — it’s feeling it in my bones, carrying it with me long after the credits roll. And that’s why I’ll always choose the big screen.

And this is why I prefer theatres: not because of the big screen alone, but because it allows me to appreciate these aesthetic details in their fullest form. At home, I might catch the story. In a theatre, I catch the art.

So I can never ever give up on watching movies in theatres, which is an emotion.

Basically, I love Cinema - I love the transformation it brings in me.

If you don't understand it, I can never make you understand, then.

- Ashok's Musings