So I just watched Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi. Mainly because it was the first name that popped into my head as I was looking for something to play in the background as I cooked. The aroma of simple home fare of daal and subzi, a balmy afternoon and the movie in the background - just about recreates snapshots from my kitchen in Patna. Except that its me cooking.
Or is that all that's really different? Can we play spot the difference?
There's something to be said about how drastically sensibilities change over two decades. Back in the 90's, Bollywood was still way younger than it is today. This movie belongs to the puppy love and overt drama genre that was quintessential 90's Bollywood. At one time, there was a lot of talk about the success formula in Indian cinema - boy meets girl, there are complications that are resolved, and they live happily ever after. But Bollywood was growing up as I grew up too. Back in the 90's when I saw Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi, and other movies of the same genre, I imbibed a philosophy - that which Bollywood calls 'love'. It is, they say, an all-consuming, omnipotent power that unites two souls for ever. Kids like me who were kids back then listened and learnt. And dreamt about growing up and falling in the same kind of love. When I saw the movie back then, I believed that singing songs with that special someone was the ultimate romantic gesture. And, along with a million other Indian girls, I was convinced that it is the coolest adventure possible to run away from home, meet a stranger on a bus, and fall in love. Ah there we are back to it, to love!
So what changed? For starters, the movie got me thinking about the Bollywood idea of love. Having been conditioned to that definition of 'love' since time immemorial, I am not even sure what that word means anymore. Sure, I am engaged to a guy I love, but when I think about it, it is not what Bollywood professed. Its more like the comfort of knowing that you have your best friend close by. So what is this love Bollywood talks about then, and who experiences it? Right at this point, I had a sudden feeling of déjà vu. It reminded me of something, and I spent the next five minutes laughing as I realized that what Bollywood calls love is exactly what Stephenie Meyer calls 'imprinting' in her absolutely unputdownable masterpiece. Once that funny bone was tickled, taking something like 'singing songs with that special someone' seriously was right out of the question.
What did sober me up was the thought that even now, Bollywood still dictates to a large extent what is cool in our society. Lets dissect that last interpretation of the movie then. I no longer think it is cool to run away from home. That could be either because societal sensibilities as a whole mellowed over time, or just the fact that I am now two decades wiser. Its a worrisome thought that it might be the latter, because where there is influence, and where there is the hot blood of youth, there is risk of emulation. And it gets worse when we start talking about meeting strangers on buses, not to mention sexist undertones in some dialogues that escape most everyone, except subconsciously.
Raghu who doesn't know Pooja serenades her from the seat next to hers in the bus: Haath fisal jaye toh hume na uthaiyo...
With all honesty, if this were to happen in real life, its creepy at best and downright terrifying at worst for the woman being sung to. Really Bollywood? Being now closer to being a parent than a child, I am increasingly starting to appreciate the effects of influence and worry at my aptitude at handling it.
Oh well, clearly I feel more and more grown up with every throwback. And surprisingly, all of them seem to be about Bollywood. Apparently I am more connected to it than I thought I was. And in case you were wondering - I did enjoy the movie. Unrealistic as it may have been to my changed sensibilities, there are few things better than escaping to a nostalgia laden make-believe world on a Sunday afternoon.
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