Classics

 There’s no sense in comparing the absolute Hollywood copy and its original; rather I would prefer to draw parallels between these two road trip movies: 

Thelma and Louise (1991) & Highway (2014) 

 

In search of freedom, the crime committed seems sinless when it comes to the life they’d been dragging till now. 

 

Thelma and Louise went on a little trip. Louise saved Thelma from getting raped, and when the guy commented bad words from behind, she triggered the gun at him. Thelma ran away with her towards Mexico to be saved from the crime. I’m glad there was not a “Thanks for saving my life but how can you shoot someone! It’s your fault and you shouldn’t have done it.” Apparently ‘Highway’ takes its story from this dialogue that Veera’s fiancé spoke, at the time of her abduction rather than taking any valid step to save her. 

 

Thelma had a disrespectful husband and a secluded life – she didn’t know what was outside; Veera didn’t know that travelling was much more than checking-in at the hotels. They kept running till Louise asked Thelma if she wanted to join her and she agreed. There, Mahabir was about to drop Veera off at some place after realising their team’s mistake of kidnapping the girl whose father had political links; till then she had seen the outside world and got that she was the fiery kite (patakha guddi) and she refused to go back to her home. Both side, the dangers are known that would follow, but the wish to reach their destination keeps on making their journey beautiful. 

 

Louise didn’t want to take the road of Texas, denying the reason to reveal, while Thelma continued to go by her side thinking something similar would have happened. Mahabir kept Veera away from him; the reason getting revealed in pieces – slowly – when asked by Veera. Here, Louise and Mahabir become one. They are behind the disguise of strong morale, but inside they are the same broken pieces. 

 

Thelma and Veera found their way on the open road. The innocent Thelma robbed a store and seized a police officer; the decent Veera got all ready to home a little hilltop house. After exploring their freedom, they know nothing can stop them. They both have felt the same while making the decision of staying where they were. 

 

The climax goes with them believing how the world wouldn’t understand them. Thelma: Let’s keep on goin’! (drive off the cliff and die.) Louise: You sure? Thelma: Yes.. 

The Mahabir-Veera climax is one step ahead since after Mahabir’s death, she confronts her family, saying she had gone ahead and wouldn’t come back. (She would jump off the cliff of old life.) 

 

Both the movies share the resemblance of their characters’ psychological states, but it doesn’t mean you can enclose them in the envelope of self exploration. There is more to the freedom, feminism, and emotions; there’s more to what you settle for. 

Not Cursing

I watched Kahaani movie today. I have always loved that movie. When you watch the thrillers again, you know the mystery part and so you mark more things than you had previously.

If someone would have said that Kahani is a Netflix original, I wouldn’t have believed. You know why? Because there are no swear words/ a little that I didn’t even mark. Not because it was an old family movie or anything, but because Bollywood (Indian) films were always made that way.

This women's day, I'd like to know what the necessity is that you should be in search of newer curse words! From the movies we have loved (i.e. GOW both parts) to the series – the constant use of curse words and adult scenes is increasing. Yes, I have a problem with that; it is not necessary to show the scenes and to swear every time something exciting happens that makes you angrier.

The start of web series on YouTube was a good thing, but when the internet allows you the freedom of language, it doesn’t mean you “must” show the story with characters who curse a lot. Don’t you think a good script may come from someone’s mind without any swear words? A few months back, I wrote a story of 3 pages (A4 size page) and there I used the F-word thrice. My siblings suggested me to remove that just because even if it may seem realistic, looking at today’s situation, there was yet no need to waste three words in the short story competition which had a limited word count. (After that I realised how your family’s point of view matters; how important it is to get your audience!)

Since a while now, it has been the reason I don’t watch many series. My Netflix/Prime subscriptions don’t make a big difference in my routine. I’m addicted to Instagram where I see people posting new content with positivity; I see some memes which are actually funny (most of the memes are funny!); I see people quoting movies in real life. And I love it. I just don’t think cursing should be a part of someone’s life.

You may have a problem with that. If you are habituated to cursing, I don’t judge or blame you. When I get angry while driving, I have the habit of speaking/shouting words like “Boghu” or “Nakkomo” or “Chopli”, which remain unheard by the concerned person. I get angrier, when after all this they say a woman can’t drive! But this never lead me to speak any bad words… how can I speak bad for the person’s parents or relatives? And to literally think, how do you know his Sanskars are given badly? (To be honest, most of the curse words go to that person’s mother or sister, and I could never let that happen to any woman. Who gave you the authority to speak something like that?)

Now, excuse me, if you enjoy speaking the curse words. You think you’re cool in your gang; you think you’re courageous to speak something like that before your friend. Well, well, speaking those words is not cool. Also, alterating the letters/speaking altered words, is definitely not cool.

PS. Questioning me? I know the words. I don’t speak ‘em. It’s just that if someone curses me, rather than going back to my destination and asking someone the meaning, I like to reply something sarcastic that his/her tiny brain wouldn’t understand and then s/he would go back to their place and get the meaning that late!

PSS. If you say you don’t mean those swear words, then your respecting-women sayings and happy women’s day story/messages also don’t mean a thing.

बुद्धिमता time: 

क्रोधाद्भवति संमोहः संमोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः।

स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति।

Meaning: Anger produces delusion. Delusion diminishes memory. With that, brain damage follows. And with brain’s destruction, the life ends. (From Bhagvad Gita)

If you can’t remember this shloka/verse while you’re angry, at least try to meditate. That’s the smallest thing you can do for your mental health when you wish to curse!

Peace

O, why you cry with no wings to fly?
The hidden ocean of truths and lies
Is deep and yet merciful:
No waves and falls but that's blue, indeed;
And what will you see in that,
The dark blue or the marines inside?
What will you see staying outside,
The students' rights or the politics fight?
Yes, you vote and the government we chose...
But look you're not adult enough
To decide your future and you whiff the snuff...
You declare of sensing the lady of justice;
You fool, letting yourself out immediately,
But are you really not blindfolded or bound?
The balance you see and the sword you flee -
In the air, imbalanced and coloured nectar-filled...
Ah, yes! Red nectar and yet power-free!
You think of being stronger than the lady,
The one standing since years before you born;
Then what to say to the governments of years many:
Costing the things higher than their lives!
"People die; it's a usual thing,"
But not the kids of five and the learners with high life;
Not the people trying to find answers;
They'll die at their time, but who are we to decide?
Will you forgive me if I say I killed one?
And why would anyone take your pick?
You took the wrong journey, wrong decision, wrong worries;
Why would anyone believe?
The time has come when things make sense to me:
One hand is burning and another is ready with shawl
But the brain with some nerve injury -
Will it allow to cross the bridge?
Will you take the rupee in your hand and say,
"I won't flee to another side but stay inside"?
My words are spoken, and my eyes can see, ears listening,
But look I have no access to the explosions' site;
I have the internet and typing fingers
But no brain or heart and I still survive
In this country called mine...
I have trust to see it one day - being uptight, then right!
I'm not asleep but somewhere lost in the fights
Look, I'm not taking sides!

Stories...

“मेरी story… real है… Life में end में सब ठीक हो जाये, यह ज़रूरी तो नहीं…”

“इसलिए तो हम happy ending कहानियों में ढूंढते हैं!”

-Kapoor and Sons (2016)

The night is spread over with a sheet of stars and the moon shines above her. She is dreaming in her sleep; sleeping in her dreams. She's been asleep for a long time but she’s waiting for the prince charming who will wake her up and take her from that dungeon/palace protected by a dragon. Wait a second, why would someone curse her this? Is that really a curse or a boon? I mean, she’s literally protected by a “dragon”, and yeah, she’s not getting her freedom but who needs it in their sleep!! What are these stories!?

The fairy tales have been retold in their newer versions, the ones we feel attached to and want the next generation to keep up to. We don’t want the kids to wait for someone; rather, we want them to be the saviour of themselves. We want them to live in the worlds where the real witch does not come up with a fruit, but a laptop saying you must do the work as the work will make you wealthier. 

I’m in search of stories. My family used to tell me bedtime stories. In them, my Dadi taught me how to make Khichdi; Dada told me how the king didn’t bear injustice; sista advised me how seven of the sisters were adult enough to make their own homes; Mi & Paa never missed a chance to suggest me a good one to read and I remember how inspiring that was to see Sudha Murthy being a female engineer and a writer, and Dr. I K Wijaliwala being the Messiah Doctor. (Even my little brother used to tell us stories when he was four or five.) I’ve slept well in my childhood. I’ve got to know that your body heals faster when you rest – and what could be better than healing your souls from little injuries of reality?

I love Tamasha. I’m not “that attached” to stories and the fictional worlds, but at the end the plot shows how easy it is to change your own story. And that’s the thing, the concept that I loved. When at one point we have Kapoor and Sons with the above dialogue, the same movie ends with the resolution of Tamasha's concept: rather than “end में सब ठीक हो जाता है”, it’s more about “अपनी story है, तो ending बदल देते हैं”… You can change your beliefs; you can change the story; you can change your life.

The stories are always the same. It is said that there are 7 types of stories and whatever we listen to as a story is from those 7 kinds: always the same, just some different version. So, I realised I liked to listen to only a few stories which have good ending, cliff ending, which have this and that; I realised my demands were not high. It’s out there, the story, but not everyone can make you listen to theirs. There are people whose stories are interesting, literally in the way you want to know because something similar has/had happened to you. Now when you’re listening, you already know where it’s going but you keep listening just to make that happen; just to have your heart be blessed in the same situation again. Sometimes you start advising based on your stories. Sometimes it’s something that you wish should happen to you in future. And sometimes, the storyteller is a boring one that you don’t listen to and that’s fine too. BUT THE STORY YOU ALWAYS LISTEN TO.

Nowadays, I’m not reading much novels. My priorities have changed. The story I used to search in books, that search is always there, just that now I search it in myself; I search the different versions I want to hear in my writing pieces. It can be anywhere; as a kid, you may have the bedtime tales; in school, you may have the textbooks of languages that you may have read twice or thrice or more times; as an adult, you may have tried to write a letter to your loved ones; as a matured experienced person, you may have courage to tell your story or your version of the story. Be it any ways, you must have searched for the stories when talking to your God, right? Right?

Let me be honest, I listen to stories on YouTube, whether they’re by Nilesh Misra or an unknown person in some open mic – I listen to them. But there comes a point where you know that you don’t want the story to continue. It may be negative. It may be non-related. It may be written badly. But when you’re searching for setting your stories in the words' game, sometimes the emotions may get missed. And nowadays, when there are so many people presenting their lives before us through open mics and social media, I think the real meaning of the stories gets digged in the mind-sets of people. Because you just can’t say anything that rhymes and that comes to your mind. I’ll definitely get attached to a postman story as the post system brings nostalgia, but you can not just present some random written piece on feminism that shows meaning-less rage! You’ll find me all ears to the story of a chocolate factory but I’ll definitely be sleeping when you’ll speak about her Zumkhas as I’m not impressed with the most cliché descriptions of love stories. When you say the person dies but it’s still a good ending, I will watch the film, but if you convince me to watch a typical masala movie and the movie is forced to end with a happy ending, I’ll kill you then. XD

This does not refer to readers and writers only but all the people. The portrait photos are captured as live: the eyes should speak in the photo; just that way, I want the living people as alive and their emotions living parallel; I want the inanimate to get the lives.

No filmy time here, just the story time. Many of you shared your secrets with me on Instagram. I’ve kept them safe. But here is the time and here is the chance. Comment or mail your stories you want to share. Just for the sake of telling it. Just for the sake of sharing some pleasure and some pain. I’m good at listening. And I’m good at making you listen to me if I wish to ;)

Stories are made with memories and sharing them is the only way we’re connected.

Justification!

I was late. No new story. I tried explaining and Sir refused to listen to it.

No no, he doesn’t know that I’m always late, so I could be late on that day only, but he still didn’t listen to me. The point is: maybe my two wheeler got a punctured tier in the morning; maybe someone is ill in my family today and so I had to handle that situation; maybe it was a kind of emergency that needed my morning’s time and I couldn’t explain which kind of emergency that was. But why didn’t he listen to me? Why are there always those people who don’t need any explanations and are always negatively looking at the situations? Even if I’m lying, can’t they listen to my bluffing to have some fun!? (Yeah, I’ve seen these people too, lol!)

And then there are people like me who needs explanation in every case. Every case, literally! I mean, I’m there telling my Mi to make some food and when she changes the recipe, I want the explanation! When Paa says I can’t do that particular thing, I need an explanation why I can’t do that! (Is it because I’m a girl? Huh! Lol!) I need the explanations and I need the justifications.

I had a problem with this. Seeking for answers and saying how I feel was leading no where. Besides, I heard that you don’t need justifications when you’re close to someone. Yeah, I was sad because of this line. The thing is, you believe in yourself but no one does in you more than you do! And that’s the point: no one knows why you believe in yourself! There’s no justification for them.

Even you can’t define what it is to you, but try explaining things to others and you’ll realise that by doing that, you’re answering yourself too. When you’re stuck somewhere and can’t find the way out, ask others and say where you want to go; that’s actually the time when you’ll realise that you’re lost.

So, here I’m changing the philosophical line upside down: you need justifications only when you’re close to someone! Tda! This is it! Try explaining your reason to those negative people who don’t want to listen a word why you’re late and your explanations won’t matter! Try advising those who don’t come asking for one, and you’ll realise how much it hurts when you’ve spread your gyan with these non-sensible  people. (Here, keep in mind that there are two types of people: one are those who actually need your advice {they may say bad to you for your honesty but will realise somehow and will follow your advice soon} and two who are there just to pour their heart out in the name of getting your advice which they will not gonna follow!) Try justifying why you forgot her birthday and she’ll leave the real anger/pain by accepting that mug of coffee! Try to make your parents understand why you won’t be doing what they want in your future and it will take some time but they will get your point saying “It’s all about you!”… It’s all about pampering your heart! (Perhaps with a silly clarification!)

When I say I’m in search of justifications, I mean I need answers for all the crimes; for why India was rich and now so poor; why we can’t find another Earth or why we aren’t taking much steps to save her. I need the answer why you have seen my message and not have replied me soon; I need to know why the cab driver has cancelled my ride and why someone touched my food!

This may seem irritating, but I don’t care. As long as you have the answers, it’s the other one who’s getting bored of answering you! And it’s obvious that it calms both of you – you have said, s/he has heard, now go back to your routine. It’s up to you how you describes and then up to the listener as what s/he gets… but then, just leave it at that. You did your best, and maybe listening to you was emotional, or fun, or just nice, or fake/wrong!

Chances are 3/4 and you’ll love to take a chance on adding someone to your list of your listeners. Chances are 3/4 that you’ll feel good listening to someone’s answers today..!

Filmy Time: "Woh koi bhagwan toh nahi jo tumhare kuchh bataye bina hi tumhe jaan jaye!" -Rabne Bana Di Jodi (words may differ, meaning is the same!)