Salaam Namaste...and the thoughts that followed....

My afternoon was spent watching this movie. The only reason I watched it till the end was Preity Zinta. Not a bad movie actually, but nothing original about it. Don't believe what the actors would have said before the release of the film. Somehow actors always find every script 'original', but the audience often thinks otherwise. May be we need to improve our tastes!

The movie is a little different though. By saying this, I know I am contradicting myself. The movie is basically love-at-first-sight, live-in relationship, broken relationships with parents, pre-marital sex, childbirth before marriage, modern guys not willing to take responsibility of marriage and parenthood, unnecessary fights and arguments between couples, immature behaviour, and most important of all, people who have run away from India, tired of the dust that sticks to their skin.

In all these, what indeed was new was childbirth before marriage. Something abhorred in Indian culture. For that matter, so is premarital sex. But it has handled it not as something that is a taboo, but as something commonplace. This set me of thinking...

As of now (correct me if I am wrong), all these exist mostly in the 'upwardly mobile' people in India. They have the magic wand (read money) by weaving which everything in the world moves. They are therefore the object of envy of those who do not have the magic wand. Somehow the 'have-nots' subconsciously emulate the 'haves', not just in getting more of the magic wand, but also, as they are successful in that endeavour, in the way they live. The 'haves' also have the means to advertise their lifestyle to the rest of the world, by making films like these, and all the crap you see on Zee TV, Star Plus, etc. (does Star Plus still exist? I don't watch much of TV these days). In short, there are the 'have-nots' trying to become the 'haves', and therefore gullible, and the 'haves' who are ready to cast their influence.

Thus you see the power of the magic wand in changing the culture of a society, where what was once a taboo is now openly visible to all. There was a time when people felt ashamed when someone got to know that they smoked, drank, or had sex before marriage. Soon, they realized that not just himself, but the neighbour also did the same. So, they both exchanged sheepish smiles. Suddenly, these people remembered that they needed to be honest. So they let everyone know what shady things they did, so that they are no more 'hypocrites'. (The whole world seems to hate hypocrites, but then, it doesn't occur to anyone that the whole world is filled with them). Coming back to the story...they then let everyone know they drank, they went to opium dens, and whore houses, and had mistresses. Very good. I truly appreciate the fact that they are honest. As they became more and more honest, the rest of the people who did none of this saw that these are the 'in-thing' to do, and to stay 'cool' you need to do them. And so they followed suit. If this continues, I won't be surprised if a day would come when people say "we all know we have sex in the bedrooms, why not do it now in the garden, on the terrace, and on the streets?". In some parts of the world, these have already happened. And these are the countries which have a lot of the magic wand. So, by the theory of the 'have-nots' being influenced by the 'haves', we will see this even in our own backyard, in Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi first, and slowly spreading to some 'halli' or 'patti'. Too radical a thought isn't it? I know. But I like taking things to logical extremes. Just to make a point.

P.S: Don't try to make sense out of the entire post.