IF YOU CANNOT ENJOY B-GRADE MOVIES, YOU CANNOT BE HAPPY
- Madhukar Dama
- May 22
- 4 min read
THE TRAGEDY OF GOOD TASTE
Happiness isn’t found in what you consume.
It’s found in how you consume it — freely, shamelessly, fully.
But modern life has trained people to consume through filters:
Is it sophisticated enough?
Is it approved by my peer group?
Will it make me look intelligent?
You scroll past a meme that made you laugh because it's "too cheap."
You avoid singing out loud to a silly 90s song because it’s “cringe.”
You mock the dancing hero in a B-grade film while secretly craving that kind of abandon.
You have replaced joy with judgement.
And in that exchange, you lost your life.
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SECTION 1: WHAT IS A B-GRADE MOVIE?
A B-grade movie is not defined by budget or acting skill.
It is defined by its refusal to apologize.
It dares to be:
Overdramatic
Oversexual
Overviolent
Oversentimental
Over-everything
It breaks rules not to be “edgy” but because it doesn’t know them — and doesn’t care.
It exists purely to entertain, not impress.
This is what makes it dangerous.
And beautiful.
And healing.
Because it reminds you of what you were before you were trained to behave.
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SECTION 2: WHO TAUGHT YOU TO LOOK DOWN?
Let’s name them:
School, which made you ashamed of anything that wasn’t “intellectually rigorous.”
Classmates, who mocked you for watching masala movies while they pretended to read Murakami.
Parents, who scolded you for laughing too loud at a “low-quality” joke.
Society, which taught you that enjoyment must come with pedigree.
And so you created a version of yourself who:
Watches critically acclaimed slow-burns but checks your phone every 5 minutes
Pretends to like jazz but secretly misses cheesy Bollywood songs
Avoids horror-comedy but rewatches cringe TikToks in private
You’ve divided your soul — into what is acceptable and what is joyful.
And happiness dies in that split.
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SECTION 3: THE JOY OF THE UNASHAMED
Those who truly live don’t care about grammar.
They don’t care if a film got 2 stars or 5.
They laugh when it’s funny.
They scream when it’s thrilling.
They dance when the music plays — even if it's “cringe.”
They are free.
They are whole.
To enjoy a B-grade movie is to:
Enjoy bad editing
Laugh at ridiculous dialogues
Cheer for the underdog
Let go of your curated self
Reconnect with your original, uncivilized, raw, laughing spirit
That spirit is the only gateway to happiness.
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SECTION 4: B-GRADE MOVIES ARE THERAPY FOR THE REJECTED
For the failed lover, the unemployed youth, the repressed woman, the bullied child —
B-grade movies offer something clean movies never do:
Permission.
Permission to cry, to overreact, to hope, to believe in justice, to fantasize.
They say —
“Yes, your dreams are silly. But they matter.”
“Yes, life is unfair. So here’s a revenge song with bad CGI.”
“Yes, you feel like nothing. But look! Even a drunk hero gets the girl!”
They are emotional release valves for people not allowed to speak freely.
And that’s why the elite hate them.
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SECTION 5: THE PRETENSE OF "GOOD CINEMA"
Good cinema, as defined by institutions, demands:
Technical perfection
Minimalism
Realism
Understated emotions
But real people are not technical, minimal, or understated.
We are loud. Messy. Overwhelmed. Desperate.
And yet, the urban elite worship good taste as if it’s morality.
They equate enjoyment of bad movies with lack of culture, lack of intelligence.
They’re wrong.
You are not stupid for enjoying a loud, silly, colorful film.
You are just not pretending anymore.
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SECTION 6: B-GRADE IS NOT JUST CINEMA — IT'S LIFE
This isn’t just about movies.
If you can’t enjoy a B-grade film, you probably also:
Can’t relax without guilt
Can’t eat roadside food without shame
Can’t sing in public
Can’t dance unless drunk
Can’t love unless it’s respectable
Can’t express rage unless it’s politically correct
You are a prisoner of refinement.
You confuse being boring with being mature.
You confuse being restrained with being evolved.
Your soul is choking under your “goodness.”
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SECTION 7: WHO ARE THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE?
Go to a small village in Karnataka on a festival night.
Watch how they:
Laugh at mimicry artists
Dance to absurd songs on loudspeakers
Quote punchlines from dubbed Telugu films
Imitate villains with glee
Hug strangers with chai-stained teeth
Watch the same movie 20 times — and still cry at the same climax
Are they dumb?
Or are they free?
Meanwhile, in the cities:
A couple watches a 4-hour psychological thriller in silence.
They say “Brilliant!” and sleep separately.
Who is really stupid?
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SECTION 8: HAPPINESS REQUIRES VULNERABILITY
To enjoy something uncool in public is an act of bravery.
It says —
“I don’t care what you think. I like it.”
It’s the first step toward freedom.
Freedom from image.
From approval.
From shame.
And in that freedom lies joy.
Because once you don’t care what people think of your entertainment,
you won’t care what they think of your life.
And that’s when happiness begins.
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FINAL SECTION: IF YOU CANNOT ENJOY B-GRADE MOVIES…
Then you are not in control of your taste.
Society is.
Your laughter is curated.
Your boredom is hidden.
Your feelings are filtered.
But life is not refined.
It is absurd, loud, messy, vulgar, and full of dancing villains.
And unless you can dance with them, you’ll never be truly alive.
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