Handling the second child is difficult or
first is an unsolved question for me. The elder a fighter gets what she wants but younger one is an expert in what is polite emotional blackmailing.
Still it is not that she succeeds in eliciting yes from me every time. Last
Sunday she was fighting with boredom and was little irritated. We wait for
Sunday to relax but for her it’s a challenge to kill time. Her friends had gone
out of station, alone she was agitated. In such a tense situation I refused to
accept one of her demands sighting logical reasons. That’s it. She was in sweet
anger and was beautifully crying. I as usual went to console her. She was in no
mood to relent. After some time the negotiations started. She put up a compromise formula.
I should watch with her Bajrangi Bhaijaan. I was terrified as movies like these
are not of my choice. It would be not be less than a torture to watch it on
Sunday. I had no choice. The movie started, as expected it wasn't for me. I was
restless waiting for the opportunity to run from the show. My honest feeling
was I was little grown up for this movie to enjoy. But she was enjoying the
Bajrangi and was in friendship with that sweet innocent girl from Pakistan.
I got a phone call. Seizing the
opportunity I effortlessly ran away. I need not have to see the full movie as
most of the plot could be easily imagined. The mediocre Bajrangi would be
taking that girl to her parents against all the hurdles put in the way by rude
system, tension along the border. That’s it. But for the details of impediments
the end was almost certain, a happy ending. I think we are so used to
harsh realities of life, often ending in tragedy, we don’t often tolerate
realistic struggles and sad endings in movies. For the movie to be a hit the
girl must reach her home in Pakistan against all odds. It is a crude,
unrealistic and too simplistic a description of human problem in the
subcontinent. But the movie was a super-hit. A Bajrangi, devotee of Hanumanji,
a Hindu, takes the Muslim girl back to her home, enemy soil, challenging the
system against all the odds, natural as well as created. It did well at the box
office.
India is a country with glorious
contradictions. ‘Baby’ staring ever young Akshay Kumar built on thrilling
counter terrorist plot is a big success. It’s a movie termed by Pak govt. as
anti Pak that supposedly shows that country in bad light, it is also a hit. A movie
with strong realistic anti-Pak bent and a movie with strong emotional content,
no anti-Pak, anti enemy plot, both are successful at box office. One really
wonders how come we can be so flexible in our approach that we enjoy Baby and
within couple of months we enjoy Bajrangi Bhaijaan. While watching Baby one can
sense the anger against Pakistan and an unthinkable triumph against terror
mastermind brings immense satisfaction on faces of audience, the Bajragi Bhaijaan
is immersed completely in emotions. It is an entertainment tablet with coating
of humanity, the movie obviously ends with moist eyes. A
closer look reveals that there is no contradiction for what looks like an
anti-Pak movie, basically Baby is a counter terrorist movie. The anger is
directed against terrorists and an establishment that sponsors them. It is not
against people of Pakistan. Bajrangi Bhaijaan is a story of humanity. The
innocent girl instantly grabs the sympathy. Her parents there are same as most
people here, religious having unshaken faith in supreme power. They are not
connected to terrorists, they get easily connected to people of India. On the
other hand at least one counter attack on terror establishment is a dream
almost every Indian has, it is fulfilled by Baby. The Bajrangi story straight
away appeals to humanity. We respond accordingly. I personally like Baby for
its though unrealistic but well crafted plot and nice execution. It’s a
directors movie not a classic but a nice thriller. Bajrangi is not of my taste
but I have no issues with those who liked it.
The real contradiction is somewhere else. We
experience moist eyes for a Pakistani girl but become devoid of humanity in
killing an innocent for his alleged crime of eating beef at Dadri. Hate crime
is not new in India. It is appalling to see how we all are engulfed by hatred.
We only need a reason and our diversity provides enough opportunities. Then we
start hating in the name of religion, caste, language. If we look around and peep
into social media like facebook we find walls painted with hatred. Abusive
language, vulgar comments against particular caste and religion are common. On
facebook everybody tends to get judgemental and explodes on pages but
interestingly through these pages of hatred you see, though weak, language of
peace, forgiveness, of humanity. The voice of harmony survives in chaos of
hatred.
Apart from its qualification as a good
movie the discussion of which I want to avoid, Bajrangi Bhaijaan echoes the
voice of harmony. It touches the chord of tolerance and sings the tune of
humanity. This is a thread that defines India. Those watching the movie are
sympathetic to innocent girl and are moved by the agony of her parents. Their
nationality, religion and terrorism sponsored by their state, in silent Indian
way audience show that, do not affect the spirit of humanity. The outcome is, rather than pouring hatred on her, audience wants Hindu Bajrangi to take her,
braving the odds to Pakistan to unite with family. The barrier of religion and
country is breached by humanity. That it is a hit movie means it reflects the
sentiments of masses. This undercurrent of harmony has survived generations and
undoubtedly it is the essence of being Indian.
The film industry has always been
the best judge of this undercurrent of harmony. From Amar Akbar Anthony to
Bajrangi Bhaijaan they have shown sound business sense. Equally good judge are
those who want to draw political mileage using our weakness of easily throwing
common sense to wind and running on the path of hatred in the name of caste,
religion and language. It leads us to nowhere. The presence of these two
opposing trends is a contradiction we need to understand well. The survival of
undercurrent of harmony in our heart is a hope we can dream of building our
modern society upon. It has faced challenges but has survived. Till the day we
don’t start pouring hatred on an innocent beautiful dumb girl because of her
religious origins or country of her birth we survive as India. If this
undercurrent of social harmony dries then we will be competing with Taliban.
A
journey backward...
Into darkness …
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