Week 1 - Loving Shahrukh Khan

I am the kind of person that believes coincidences are destined to be. I am also the kind of person that believes in epiphany more than trying to look for a pattern in coincidences. It probably comes from being too lazy. Be that as it may, my philosophy is that if I am supposed to know it, the moment of epiphany will come some day. Its an easy philosophy to have. 

So what exactly am I doing with motifs? I am just trying to put together my patchwork quilt for 2012. In hopes of finding a clue to what the stars have chalked down for me? Not really. I think I'm only doing it for an excuse to write. Maybe that is my pattern. But something tells me 2012 is going to be one of the most interesting years yet. Not that a lot of years have not been, but here we are, a week old into the year, and I have actually managed to overcome inertia and  write myself a blog post, which makes me wonder. 

I begin with my motif for week one, laid out horizontal at the bottom right corner of where my quilt would be. When I think about this past week, I think Shahrukh Khan. I usually wouldn't, he doesn't figure in my scheme of things that much. Another reason to wonder about 2012. I am a far far cry from being a Bollywood buff, but apart from an uneventful plane ride, I spent my New Year's day watching Don 2 in the theatre (Flak is accepted, though not so welcome, for obvious reasons :) ). Yes, that is already more Shahrukh Khan in my life than there has been in the past few years - I think real life gets more interesting than the reel with time, and thats the day you outgrow Bollywood. But then, if you are a girl and you grew up in India in the 90's, more often than not, you grew up falling in love with the man on the horse who swept the girl off her feet in Baazigar. That, coupled with the appeal of watching a Hindi movie in not-so-easy-to-find-Indians-here Atlantic Canada was good enough reason, and so there we were. It did not matter that the theatre had about 20 people, what was surprising was that there were two of us, and we were the only Indians. What was even more surprising was that people knew Shahrukh Khan like you and I know Him (depends on who you are, on second thought!), from what we gathered from conversation titbits from here and there before the movie started. And that they had seen Ra.One before this! (More flak?) . After that, there isn't really much to tell, you've been there, or not. There was just this one moment of awkwardness where Shahrukh Khan tautologizes Indians: We are everywhere. I am sure some people in the 'crowd' pointed at us and laughed. Score: 1.

When I got home from the movie, the first thing I did was take my laptop back from my friend's apartment where I had left it for the week I was away. (I really have a hard time thinking of what we did with our time when the world was without laptops.) So I switch it on, and surprise surprise, Shahrukh Khan is my first wallpaper of the year. Well, if you want to blame someone, it would be me. I am really not sure why, and for how long its been there, but turns out there was a picture of Him sitting on my desktop. My friends saw their chance and took it. I am just glad they did nothing else. Let's not get into hack stories here, our man of the moment might take offence. He is a scorpion and loves being centre of attention (You start to see what I mean by knowing Shahrukh Khan). Score: 2

Not surprisingly, I brought Him up with my ladies on our Whatsapp fest. And we talked about how he looks older now. And also about how he gets better with age. Watch him in Tujhe dekha toh yeh jana and Dard-e-disco to know exactly what I am talking about. I think it comes from the presence he possesses, the sharp wit and that confidence, they can only about get better with age, won't you agree? The chocolate boy has yielded to a ruggedly handsome man, and we have grown up with him for these twenty years I know about. Shahrukh Khan, Score: 3.

Does that make me feel grown-up? Does that make me feel old? I feel a little divided on that one. I am still in love with Shahrukh Khan, but only for old times' sake really, if I think about it. He's one of those souvenirs you keep holding on to, and maybe one day you don't have enough room for new ones. Realizing that is probably what makes you sensible, but when you start acting on it, thats when you grow up. So is it time to grow up yet? I'll rephrase that, I don't know if I want to act grown up just yet. I think I'll let that be status quo for now. Here's what mom had to say in one of our talks.

Me: I have pretty much outgrown the rebel of my teenage years, but sometimes you just feel like throwing a tantrum, and so I do it.

Mom: Yeah I know exactly what you mean. I feel that way too lots of times, but then this voice in my head goes - Umm, you really want to say that out loud? Isn't that way too childish?

I think she is pretty grown up, so I will take her word for it. And while I wait for those voices in my head to get louder, I think I am going to keep loving Shahrukh Khan.