Kerala-based Malayali researcher and Dr.Film founder Shino
Leela Sughavashas introduced a new cinematic framework titled “The SINIMA
Structure: Shino Leela Sughavas Narrative Model.” The model presents a
seventeen-phase structural analysis of how films function in relation to
audience experience.
Unlike conventional storytelling theories, the SINIMA
Structure does not attempt to prescribe how stories should be written. Instead,
the framework examines how the structure of a film interacts with the emotional
and psychological engagement of audiences throughout the cinematic experience.
According to the researcher, the primary objective of the
model is to study the structural factors that influence the success or failure
of films. Several components of the SINIMA Structure were identified through
the analysis of films that did not perform successfully, where recurring
narrative and structural gaps were observed.
The study also emphasises that audience diversity plays a significant role in the reception of cinema. Social and cultural backgrounds, as well as individual psychological traits and identity, can influence how viewers respond to a film.
Another key aspect highlighted in the model is the narrative
function of the interval commonly used in Indian cinema. In the SINIMA
Structure, the interval is interpreted as a central disruption axis that
reshapes audience expectations and influences engagement during the second half
of the film.
The framework was developed through an analytical study of
narrative patterns observed in Malayalam cinema. The research has been
documented and published in an open-access academic repository, making the
framework accessible to filmmakers, researchers, and cinema students interested
in the structural study of cinema.
