What is Your Productive Purpose in Cinema?

“The man without a purpose is a man who drifts at the mercy of random feelings or unidentified urges… In order to be in control of your life, you have to have a purpose—a productive purpose.”
— Ayn Rand, Playboy Interview

In cinema, purpose is everything. A film career without a clear purpose drifts—from trend to trend, from one borrowed voice to another. When a filmmaker doesn’t know why they are making films, decisions get ruled by fear, envy, or validation. The result is noise, not cinema.

A productive purpose gives a director control. It sharpens choices—what stories to tell, what projects to refuse, how to lead a team, and how to survive failure without losing direction. Purpose turns chaos into craft. It keeps ego in check and channels ambition into creation, not destruction.

History proves this again and again… filmmakers with purpose build bodies of work. And those without it burn bridges. In an industry full of temptations and shortcuts, purpose is the only compass that doesn’t fail. It doesn’t guarantee success—but without it, nothing meaningful lasts.

What is your productive purpose in cinema—and does your daily work reflect it?

- Manohar Chimmani