Friday, 5th September
Huma Adlabs, Kanjurmarg, Mumbai
Dark Hall lighted by intermittent flashes from life size screen, smell of liquor filling my nostrils (after-party effect, thanks to my greatest friends), chuckles of people disturbing my concentration (towards creature from Venus) and the excitement of watching India’s first truly Rock movie (following week-long wait for my ‘Cramming Season’ to get over) – all in all, stage was set for the ROCKING!!! evening.
Being the die-hard fan of movie teasers that precede actual one, I quickly held on to my seat after making some deliberate arrangements with my same loving friends (grrrrrr). Irritated by product endorsements that eat up a part of those teasers’ time, I got further irritated by seeing ‘Bharatbala Communications’ logo anticipating more time waste.
An instant guilt spanged my heart when I saw people rise in unison a second after that; not because the ladies on the screen were Bharat Ratna ‘Lata Mangeshkar’ and Bharat Vibhusan ‘Asha Bhonsle’ (whom I can listen on and on for days, weeks or even lifetime, J); not because my friends who were partially in their senses could collect their will to stand straight; not because the lady beside me who bore a weeping kid in her lap could manage to control his (or her) punitive cry; not because the song played on screen was a simple 52 sec melancholy; but because it was no ordinary song.
For few seconds I (appeared ‘I’ meant entire hall) forgot that I have actually came to hear Rock music which was distinctly not related to what I am hearing on screen then. For few seconds I forgot that I belong to M.P. and that I am a Jain currently residing in Maharashtra (M.P., Maharashtra, Jain – they all seemed to be replaced by one identity i.e. Indian). For few seconds, I forgot that the lady beside me, the kid she held in her arms, the guys standing around me were all unknown to me. For few seconds I forgot that I am standing and that the lady gave me a smile when our eyes made a contact. It all ended with a reverberant sound of ‘Jaya he! Jaya he! Jaya he!’ sung not only by those two ladies on screen but by everyone around except off course that kid in lady’s arm (though he kept quite for mysteriously long time i.e. 52 sec).
Stupid it seems, we all sat down to watch the movie and forgot what we all have gone through those 52 seconds. Apparently it seems that we forgot what that no ordinary song stands for. We forgot what our freedom fighters have done for us. We forgot that ‘freedom’ our youth flaunt with so much élan is a gift of theirs’ hard work. We forgot that the leaders whom we curse day and night are the ones who have made India come up as one of the 6 nuclear power nations. We forgot that while we are watching movie in the hall with our loved ones there are people who are actually staying away from theirs’ in the borders - all for us. The list is unending…….
During the break, I got to view those teasers which I had been longing for but that seemed hollow now. I had preferred more such 52 sec-no ordinary songs than any of those teasers which anyway I could view over internet and forget. While moving out of the hall after 2 and a half hour of fantabulous youth stuff, I happen to see that lady’s face and she responded with a smile again. I sighed “At least we don’t forget so quick!!!” or do we???
