1242-Songs of my life- "All I really need to know, I learnt from Bollywood"
Madhumita Gupta, Times Of India, ,31:07:2013
"Jinke apne ghar sheeshe ke hon,woh doosron par patthar nahin phenka karte" practical.
"Zindagi badi honi chahiye,lambi nahi" profound.
"Zindagi ek rangmanch hai,aur hum sab kathputliyan"- existential.
I got all these nuggets from Bollywood.
Actually,most of what i really need to know about how to live i learnt not in kindergarten but while sitting bolt upright in stuffy cinema halls smelling of cigarettes, paan and people in the pre-multiplex era.We didnt know about 'passive smoking' those days so we just wrinkled our noses and let things be.The 'first indirect lesson in tolerance' was learnt. However,if something bothered you beyond a point,'you hollered at the person.If he listened,it was a lesson in assertiveness;if not,in acceptance!'
From basic etiquette "Jab tak baithne ko na kaha jae,chup chaap khade raho" to 'being responsible becoming a coolie,if need be,to support your younger brothers education' films taught us what Moral Science failed to.Such was the impact of those moving scenes of a poor child sharing half a dry roti with a stray that my home has become the one-stop shop for food,rest and shelter for the neighbourhood mutts.
If these scenes left some cold,then they were seen sobbing into their handkerchiefs watching Amar,Akbar and Anthony mixing their blood in one bottle and irrigating the Ma.Medical accuracy be damned it was the thought that counted.Had it not been for 'Nirupa Royjis frail self carrying rocks or stitching in flickering diya light,would children have realised the place of Ma in their lives'
The lesson of "the eventual victory of good over evil" was of course hammered in every time we saw a Gabbar,a Prem Chopra or a Ranjeet beaten to pulp in the climax.They never played fair and consequently,ha,ha,the police arrested them in the last scene.The good prevailed and the underdog won.Even the greyish anti-hero had
either to die (preferably in his mothers or beloveds arms after a touching parting speech) or be seen coming out of the jail,this time grey only in hair but otherwise completely reformed.
Filmwallahs discovered the play way to make learning (not just Ek do teen) fun long before the education system.They subtly taught us that in films a n din life,whenever the going got tough,"songs and dances helped.From wooing a lady to placating a wronged one,from revoking lost memories to invoking gods,songs could do everything!" In films,on the one hand,many a nymphet succumbed to the charms of the hero when he belted out songs in Kishore Kumars soulful voice and on the other,these helped quite a few heroes sing their way out from the villains den with nothing else but a strategic mole or blond moustache hiding them from evil eyes.
In real life,can you imagine our big,fat weddings without Baharon phool barsao or Doli sajake rakhna From weddings to babies,school and college trips to catchy bhajans set to chart-busting tunes,songs have held sway in every part of our lives.With new research on the "therapeutic value of music",it now seems Bollywood songs may also save us a trip to the shrink.
From "inculcating core values and lending a helping hand when needed,films,off and on screen,have also led the way in teaching us the importance of following our dreams" much before lifestyle gurus of today started milking the idea dry.From Rosy of Guide to the 3 Idiots and Sid finally waking up,in reel life;and from the lanky nobody from Calcutta who became the iconic Big B to the number of directors,actors,actresses with no connections whatsoever storming the bastions,in the real one need we look further for inspiration to walk to our individual drummers
It is Bollywood which taught us that to be a blockbuster demands a mix of emotion,action,naach-gaana and drama."If aall izz not well at the end,there should be rebirth".And if it is,sequels follow.The show has to go on,come what may.
___________________________________
"Jinke apne ghar sheeshe ke hon,woh doosron par patthar nahin phenka karte" practical.
"Zindagi badi honi chahiye,lambi nahi" profound.
"Zindagi ek rangmanch hai,aur hum sab kathputliyan"- existential.
I got all these nuggets from Bollywood.
Actually,most of what i really need to know about how to live i learnt not in kindergarten but while sitting bolt upright in stuffy cinema halls smelling of cigarettes, paan and people in the pre-multiplex era.We didnt know about 'passive smoking' those days so we just wrinkled our noses and let things be.The 'first indirect lesson in tolerance' was learnt. However,if something bothered you beyond a point,'you hollered at the person.If he listened,it was a lesson in assertiveness;if not,in acceptance!'
From basic etiquette "Jab tak baithne ko na kaha jae,chup chaap khade raho" to 'being responsible becoming a coolie,if need be,to support your younger brothers education' films taught us what Moral Science failed to.Such was the impact of those moving scenes of a poor child sharing half a dry roti with a stray that my home has become the one-stop shop for food,rest and shelter for the neighbourhood mutts.
If these scenes left some cold,then they were seen sobbing into their handkerchiefs watching Amar,Akbar and Anthony mixing their blood in one bottle and irrigating the Ma.Medical accuracy be damned it was the thought that counted.Had it not been for 'Nirupa Royjis frail self carrying rocks or stitching in flickering diya light,would children have realised the place of Ma in their lives'
The lesson of "the eventual victory of good over evil" was of course hammered in every time we saw a Gabbar,a Prem Chopra or a Ranjeet beaten to pulp in the climax.They never played fair and consequently,ha,ha,the police arrested them in the last scene.The good prevailed and the underdog won.Even the greyish anti-hero had
either to die (preferably in his mothers or beloveds arms after a touching parting speech) or be seen coming out of the jail,this time grey only in hair but otherwise completely reformed.
Filmwallahs discovered the play way to make learning (not just Ek do teen) fun long before the education system.They subtly taught us that in films a n din life,whenever the going got tough,"songs and dances helped.From wooing a lady to placating a wronged one,from revoking lost memories to invoking gods,songs could do everything!" In films,on the one hand,many a nymphet succumbed to the charms of the hero when he belted out songs in Kishore Kumars soulful voice and on the other,these helped quite a few heroes sing their way out from the villains den with nothing else but a strategic mole or blond moustache hiding them from evil eyes.
In real life,can you imagine our big,fat weddings without Baharon phool barsao or Doli sajake rakhna From weddings to babies,school and college trips to catchy bhajans set to chart-busting tunes,songs have held sway in every part of our lives.With new research on the "therapeutic value of music",it now seems Bollywood songs may also save us a trip to the shrink.
From "inculcating core values and lending a helping hand when needed,films,off and on screen,have also led the way in teaching us the importance of following our dreams" much before lifestyle gurus of today started milking the idea dry.From Rosy of Guide to the 3 Idiots and Sid finally waking up,in reel life;and from the lanky nobody from Calcutta who became the iconic Big B to the number of directors,actors,actresses with no connections whatsoever storming the bastions,in the real one need we look further for inspiration to walk to our individual drummers
It is Bollywood which taught us that to be a blockbuster demands a mix of emotion,action,naach-gaana and drama."If aall izz not well at the end,there should be rebirth".And if it is,sequels follow.The show has to go on,come what may.
___________________________________
Labels: Amazing, Cinema/ Hindi, Humour, India, Liesure, Life, Self development
posted by C. Narayana Rao at 12:12 pm
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