Best movie (Zindagi Na Milegi Dorbara)

Most of the time, a ‘movie of the year’ is just that- the best movie you have watched in the past year. But there are times when the best movie of the year can actually have such a profound affect on you that it actually made your life better. This Bollywood movie did exactly that for me. ZNMD was so good that even after watching a ripped copy of it online just a week after it’s release, I made two more trips to the cinemas, dragging different friends along- to watch the movie. And just like I did, the friends that I brought for the movies fell in love equally as much with the flick.

ZNMD (You won’t get life for a second time- literal translation) is the story of three friends on a bachelor trip to Spain in order to celebrate one of their member’s marriage. I know the one-liner sounds like ‘The Hangover’, but if anything, ZNMD spits on Hangover big time. This is not a movie about crass jokes, getting drunk, or weird tigers in bathrooms. This was a meaningful movie.  It was so meaningful that I teared for the first time while watching a happy scene. The final montage showing the three friends running topless while looking at each other in pure bewilderment and excitement as they get chased by a host of deadly bulls was quite simply full of life. Yes, this movie is not about entertainment, joy, sadness- it’s simply about life. It’s about how we should learn to let go and just live life on its raw edge. The world is out there for us to explore. What are we waiting for?

Like a friend of mine put it so beautifully after watching it- ‘A movie like ZNMD is worth going for again and again because it simply reminds you of what’s important in life.’

Extract:

Laila lures Arjun into lying down under stars at a park at night.

Arjun: Why are we doing this?

Laila: Don’t tell me you never did this. Lying down under the stars, watching the sky.

Arjun: (After watching the sky, a realization strikes him). Ah, one should learn how to live from you. I feel as if I’ve spent my entire life in a box. (He’s a successful corporate man with a penthouse in London)

Laila: Arjun (holding his hands), the only time when a man should be in a box, is when he is dead.

Zindagi was also the first movie I watched along with my cousins just days after one of them returned from Ukraine after two years. We spent the hours after reflecting on how each of us could relate to the characters in the film. I am pretty much like Kabir- the one who loves uniting, loves seeing other people happy, a friend you can rely on (not to brag), and someone unwilling to break people’s heart. It reinforced my confidence in myself at a time when I was going through a crisis of faith in life. It reminded me of when I’m the happiest in life. Zindagi played a crucial role in my life. And if you have not watched it, then all I could say is you are missing something so immeasurably good. This is movie was not only worth the admission fee, but also my entire month’s salary. Thank you Zoya Akhtar (director), Reema Kagti (writer), Farhan Akhtar (wonderful dialogues and a brilliant performance), and Javed Akhtar (serene poems).

A poem from the film:

If your heart beats with anxiety every minute, then you are alive.

If you are carrying in your eyes, the glint of greatest dreams, then you are alive.

Learn,

To be free like the gusty winds that blows your hair.

Learn,

To flow freely like the streaming river.

Greet every single minute of your life,

With a warm hug.

Never, close your arms.

Find something new to amaze your eyes,

With every passing second,

If you are carrying in your eyes- a bit wonder, amazement, and curiousity- you are alive.

If you can feel every single heartbeat of yours,

then you are alive.

Best act of friendship (Euphraim Yuvaraj)

The old adage says, the best of friends are the ones who stay by you even through your shittiest times. This friend of mine is not the holiest one around, nor one to express his feelings all that much, but as a friend- it’s difficult to find a comparison. I probably witnessed the most gratifying single act of friendship which will last a lifetime this year. I was at my lowest ebb and I found this man’s acts telling me that life is still good. Ever felt crazy enough (or disillusioned enough) to decide to drive 400 kilometers after working hours, without holidays? It’s crazy enough for me to conceive that idea, but this man offered himself as a company though he held no benefit of doing so. He drove when I was sleepy, did  not complaint, listened to my rumblings, did not lose his temper even when the car broke down at the middle of a highway at 4am in the morning, stood by the road waved away vehicles, slept at the chair of a mechanic shop- he went through shit for literally nothing. And I will remember that for a lifetime.

The new me

The ‘new me’ phenomena is a commonly used term- to indicate that you have changed as a person just because the old you didn’t quite work out. In my case, it’s not about changing skins, but rather about simply growing as a human being. I am now 23 years old, and this year, I finally shed off the principles that I had held so dear in my life for so many years. I abstained from dos and donts, from rules, from regulations- I simply let myself fly free. And I have no regrets. I’m better this way- in harmony with life, living in the present- I have stopped that ridiculous ritual of sacrificing today’s passion for tomorrow’s comfort. Comfort is an ambivalent thing. What guarantee do we have that our plans will take formation? There’s no point collecting seeds and saving it in the bank vault for ‘one better day’. Because life will never offer you that ‘one perfect day’. The onus is on you to make it perfect- right now. Plant every seed today, because unplanted seeds serve no-one any good. I have become more carefree, more talkative, more adventurous. I scaled an unchartered mountain this year without any hiking materials, drove around an unknown city looking for a hospital seeking treatment for my ownself, was mired in the middle of a professional controversy, and pushed all known boundaries known to my ownself. I bought a pink t-shirt, wore green shoes, was called bizzare, grew a long hair, bought a skinny jeans- all statement of self. Finally, I am expressing myself from my looks to my talks. I know who I am. As far as my being is concerned, I have already reached my destination. I don’t need to wait until I am ‘successful’.

Quite simply- I lived life on its raw edge. The result?- I don’t feel inferior to anyone anymore- not to people with better academic results, better CVs, bigger car, or bigger house. Because when it comes to having the best friends, an imperfectly perfect family, a loving heart, understanding life, and above all while writing, I don’t think I am second to anybody at all. People respect me, and for those who don’t, I showed them that I don’t take disrespect as an option anymore. I have lived a productive life, walked the path many were afraid to walk on, carved my own path- and nobody will take that away from me.

The family

Family felt like family again this year. It was all about putting things into perspective. The cousins are back, one amongst each other, we know we are only a phone call away. We went around without any plans, randomly stacking up one plan after another. I learnt a bit of swimming this year thanks to my cousins, and finally let go of all the barriers to treat all of them as the same. Elders may have their own hullabaloo of pride going on- but lest assured we brothers and sisters know and respect each other’s value. I didn’t bother meeting friends when I’m back at my hometown, I decided it’s more worthwhile to spend my hours at home when I’m back at Sitiawan, instead of going out. Rest assured, there are also familial relationships and friendships that strained that extra bit this year- but I’m glad I don’t feel the sting anymore. For those who choose to distance themselves from me- are only losing their rights to feel proud of me. For I always make sure I do my part- and all the same, I am hell bent in making sure my family and loved ones feel proud of me.

Ram Anand is a personification of the faith and love invested in him. It’s not about believing in him because he can ‘do it’, but rather believing in him will spur him on to ‘do it’.

Above all, there’s that lingering hope and prayer that I made your lives that little bit more colorful or meaningful this year. Because I live and write for such purposes.

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