Oh the drama Cinema

Mumbai has made me into a movie junkie.

I distinctly remember while growing up that I felt very guilty watching TV and movies. So I would be the only person in the hostel watching the news on TV. I acutely felt the wastage of time if it was frivolous watching of TV and movies.

Move the clock 20 years later and here, the first thing I reach out for is the Bombay Times, full of movie masala, drool worthy images and rib tickling gossip.

Mumbai has made me into a movie junkie.

I literally went on a spiral downward curve, following Vishwaroopam updates on ndtv in the mobile and laptop. Shiv just glanced at me being so immersed in a movie's news, he said, 'just send the driver to get you a copy and watch it', I was dumbfounded. Has he not been following the news. That is the last thing we all should do. I gave him a hug and said I will buy tickets to go to this movie and you should come with me. Ah.. well .. yes.. who is Kamal now and what is this movie he asks..

I call up another southie friend grown up in Mumbai and urge her to go to the movie and she is totally lost. Whose Movie, What is the name again ? I mean which world is she in. The whole world (actually only me I guess, by now) is embroiled in the Vishwaroopam controversy. Her explanation was.. I grew up watching Amitabh movies. No offence to Mr. Big B whom I have now grown to know, respect and admire after moving to Mumbai (which is inevitable really) but what is she talking about ? Kamal is namma ulaga nayagan, universal hero and how can she just make a comparison. He is beyond comparison, boy genius, the vonly vone and vonly Kamal hassan - artiste par excellente, multitalented, multiversatile. Yes, I cannot just say versatile to describe Kamal. He is just so beyond being a genius. Infact he is the Einstein of artists.

Similarly my brother in law lands up and I was all excited telling him 'it is unfortunate it didn't release today on Jan 25, else I was planning to take you, do you like Kamal movies ?' (which in itself seemed like a very redundant question ) and he was like 'No, not really, I am a Rajini fan.' Sure be a Rajini fan, but how can you not be a Kamal fan as well ?

And this southie friend grown up in Mumbai tells me 'All my cousins down south are Rajini fans. Infact you are the first person to tell me that you are a Kamal fan. I did not know they exist.'

Maybe she is right, cuz you don't speak these things out. You grow up on a steady diet of Meendum Kokila, Sikagu Rojakal, Moonram Pirai, Kalyanaraman, Ek Duje Ke Liye where i cried bucketfuls, Thevar Magan, Guna, Pushpak ( i have to show kids Pushpak now..), Vikram, Tick Tick Tick, Avargal and the most awesome MMKR and I just assumed everyone loved these movies like I did and you have to be a Kamal Sridevi fan. What is that movie where he is really hungry and Sridevi comes to visit him and there is a song about pasi - hunger ?

Now, even I am surprised that I have watched so many movies and once in college, I realised I was wasting my time. And when Shiv and I watched movies in theatres, I really felt kind of not so good, but now movies seem to be a legitimate past time and people actually engage and learn different technicalities of movie making and it is perfectly ok for a Friday Dinner and a Movie themes, even for children.

Though my children regularly watch TV at home, the first time they went to theatres was when Tejas was 7 and the girls were 5. My neighbour regularly took her kids to theatres on each movie release and I could not understand that concept.

Then we move to Mumbai where the culture is to see every released movie that weekend. It took me a year to get hooked onto Cinema, Celebrities, Celebrity Times, but here I am, a hardcore Mumbaikar who has decided to support the local economy, watch newly released movie from November 2012 and still haven't been able to.

I really really really wanted to see Talaash in theatres, but it never happened only cuz I do not have a live-in maid. I guess if i did, Shiv and I would be taking off to movies every weekend .. what bliss. But anyway since I've decided to go the movies, I have not been able to go for a single movie. Before that, well I never wanted to, in the name of sheer waste of time, energy and money.

But that is all going to change about Vishwaroopam. I have to support Kamal Hassan. I have to go to the theatre and watch this movie. Infact just like I told you, after college I had been on a movie hiatus till now. I have completely missed all the fun when Kamal turned director and did a bunch of movies from the Srilankan movie to the Hey Ram, Dasavatharam stuff. The only stuff i watched in 2012 was SlumDog Millionaire after moving to Mumbai as it was running on TV. I never ever watched movies though one of my favourite nights is Oscar Nights. We regularly watched Hollywood movies in the US till we had kids of course, so no movies from 2003 till 2012 for this family except the exceptional ones that make it to our ears. So the last Hindi movie I watched was DDLJ in Pune and the last time I watched Dostana in the USA by mistake, I was asking who are all these actors as I had completely missed the generation of Abhishek, Aishwarya, Priyanka, Kareena, Lara, John Abraham, Saif, Preity, Akshay Kumar et all.
I was actually thinking the first song was an ad promo of some sort with people walking around in swim wear and the main person in a jaddi. I really did and then my SIL said he is John Abraham and to die for.
The last movies I enjoyed were Hero, QSQT, MPK and DDLJ. Now those heroes have become badshahs and kings of bollywood leading their way to 2 younger generation of actors.

Anyway as i reorient myself towards living in Mumbai.. the place to be.. jannat yahan hain, I will have to go see Vishwaroopam even if my life is in danger.

Au Revoir folks
Enjoying the cinema drama every bit in Mumbai.