Sunday, 12 January 2014

Of heroes, heroines and villains



What does it take to make a typical Indian movie – a man who is so brave, principled and lovable, a beautiful, demure woman who falls in love with the man and a bad wo/man who tries to stop that love from reaching a happy ending; add to that a bucketful of songs and dances, a tablespoon of some drama and melodrama and a teaspoon of face-offs and fisticuffs. It’s like an Indian dish cooked to perfection, simmered over low heat with spices that could either make you cry or feel good if not cause you to suffer a terrible indigestion!
India makes the maximum number of films in the world with the United States coming in second, though producing two-thirds the number India does. With a country so obsessed with films it is only natural that a bit of the song and dance, drama and melodrama and face-offs and fisticuffs spill over to real life!
And so, driving on the roads of Bangalore unfolds a cinematic experience. Who cares about following rules and keeping to lanes? A man in a hurry drives like a maniac (villain), accidentally hits the vehicle driven by a lady (heroine), gets into an argument with her on whose fault it was and a good man (hero) comes to the rescue of the distraught lady. The music playing on the FM radios fitted in the cars does not cease and the honking from the vehicles piled up due to the altercation adds to the commotion. A few minutes later everyone goes their way, either cursing the other under their breath or thanking profusely.
If your car breaks down at the signal just when it turns green, pray to God, not for yourself but for those behind, who honk and curse, for they know not what they say! Occasionally, someone might race you from one signal to the next, probably trying to add a zing to an otherwise boring life. Or as it happened to me once when a motor-cyclist tried to overtake me from the left as I was turning left. Who is to tell him that left isn’t the right way to overtake? Instead I yelled: “hero”, and he yelled back at me: “heroine”!

Sharing this song may dilute the music I have shared thus far in my posts. But then, I guess it’s alright to ‘break the rules’ once a while, so long as it doesn’t result in an accident of this kind…or any! 


(Incidentally, not accidentally, this song was shot in Bangalore!)


1 comment:

deeps said...

most movies are reflections of life stories :P, incidentally or accidentally :D