India Diaries- The Movie

Some people say they hate surprises. I had never quite fathomed why, until very recently. My apologies to that set of people, whose thoughts i could not understand or appreciate...I always took 'surprises' in a positive sense, like a surprise birthday party, or a surprise gift, or a surprise visit from a loved one, or a surprise phone call announcing i had won a lottery! All positive. Now, i can safely say, it is better to stay neutral as far as surprises are concerned.

My visit to India has been full of such surprises- positive, negative, in-betweens. It would become a travelogue if i was to write details of each surprise but to share a few is definitely in order.

 We decided to go for a movie - a late night show to accommodate my brother's gruelling working hours. As we settled down into our seats, the kids had already started getting impatient (for their popcorn and drinks served at their seats!). And then it started- we wondered if we were in the wrong theatre. It looked like a 1980s movie. We tried to think what it was about. Was it an advertisement - it looked like Vicco's advertisement from back then when it started - a family of three, an only boy, his parents wanting him to have a sibling, mother having some medical issues- so what do they do? It sure could not be an ad; it was toooooo long for that. It just went on and on- capturing their daily life, the boy’s loneliness, the chance meetings, the house help.....an intense 15-20 minutes long motion- picture. Finally, the 'it' is revealed- they adopt a girl child.

The advertisement/ short film was about adoption, and more specifically, adoption of girl child. I was still appreciating the thought and the effort when it started. (Again???)

The familiar tricolour appeared on the screen, with a reminder to all to stand up in respect. While i was still reading the reminder (i was not expecting it at all!!), it started playing- Our National Anthem.

Yes, they were playing the National Anthem before actually starting the movie. It was emotional and nostalgic at the same time. As you sing along the National Anthem, it fills you with feelings of pride and solidarity you did not know existed. For those who feel nothing of the sorts, i think, they need to shake themselves up real hard, get pinched - may be they are just sleeping???

As we all stood up in respect, i could see a group of young men in the front seats looking back to see if rest of the audience was standing.  Then tentatively, some of them stood; rest of them still waiting, until they felt ashamed enough.

The last i had seen the National Anthem being played in the theatres was when i was a child and that too for specific movies about our war victories or national heroes.

The movie seemed less interesting in front of these surprises.