India is passionate about two things where the situation could be, do or die. Cricket and Movies. Politics may come as poor third, as it goes, 'Politics is the last resort for the scoundrels', law fearing so abiding, most, do not dare to cross the path. Their discussions remain restricted only to the coffee table.
But cricket is a religion and film going is a ritual. So we are holding the 1st rank in the world cricket, amongst 5 countries[ only] which play and are the highest producer of movies only next to the population!
I was indoctrinated in the cult by my own mother. Herself a connoisseur of good things in life, she was an avid reader and a film buff to the core. Her mother, my grandma, too did not lag behind too much as far as the movies went because she could not read!
It so happened once, that my two elder brothers were having school holiday and I was not, as we were in different schools. After the short recess both descended upon my school to take me to a movie as asked by my mother. I don't remember what excuse did they give to the class teacher but in next 10 minutes we were in a cinema hall where it was screening ' Do Aakhen Barah Haath' An immortal classic by V Shantaram. Apparently, my mother was of opinion that few good things in life can not be taught in schools, which you have to learn in open day today school, the world! And the bug took over me!
My brothers still laugh, almost falling out of their chairs about my shouting for the queen/heroine on the screen to run faster to save the life of her husband! It was 'Chandrasena' made in Madras, now Chennai, in the late fifties. Or was it 'Chandralekha?' I was only seven or eight then but the traits showed. How the magic of moving figures on the screen was going to shape up my life in future! And then the journey began!
In younger years my mother took us to the classics by late Raja Paranjape, in Marathi and by Bimal Roy, V. Shantaram and other stalwarts in Hindi. There is no point in listing them as they are innumerable.
My 1st adult movie, I did not go for, clandestinely. It was 'Gold-finger', first James Bond movie [ ?, Maybe Dr No was the first in the series] immortalized by Sean Connery,[ Next best Bond was Pierce Brosnan, in between and afterwards, they were just filling the gaps]. My father took me. I may be, around 16 and was in the 1st year of college. Though much taller for my age, so had to wear full pants, but the face was devoid of any signs of adulthood. So the age showed. Doorkeeper refused to allow me in. Naturally. My father questioned but he was 'law-abiding Puneri' so did not budge. Neither did my father. The company, my father's friend was there too, barged into the manager's office. My father argued," If I don't have any objection for my son watching this film who are you to object? Good censorship starts at home and this is it. I want my son to watch this movie, I am with him !" The manager though was not aghast, he too was used to Puneri encounters, murmured something but in the end, I came back victorious. I did see 'Gold-Finger' in 'Pune' when I was not adult and that too with my father!
The deluge continued. Along with two of my dearest friends, in one summer vacation, I saw 40 movies! That was practically, movie a day. Whenever the one who, now is settled in Canada comes to India we reminisce the past, chuckle and head for the cinema hall nearby!
Not that I only went for junk like Waris, Main Sundar Hoon and so many others, but went for classy intuc movies also. Mr P. Nair, the then curator of Film Archives Pune, introduced me to the world-class cinema in the halls of film Institute. Remember watching many like, Bicycle Thief, Wages of Fear, Casa Blanca and others in so many different languages from India and abroad, along with him, who practically conducted ' Movie appreciating classes 'pre and post projection. Megha Dhake Tara, Chemmin, Shejari , oh so many classics I was lucky to get chance to watch. He is no more and many of his collection fell prey to the fire that engulfed Jayakar bungalow which housed the Film Archives, one of its kind in the entire world!
In the journey, you come across good ones as well as bad ones. It was mandatory for me to watch 'Bahubali 2' as I had already committed the sin of watching 'Bahubali 1'. In Hindu philosophy, you have to pay for the sins you had committed in last birth in the running birth. I paid the price. Paid in hefty ticket fees and bought a headache. Not simple, it lasted for me for three days.
But that's a small price to pay if you are a filmy buff. And I am and I am not ashamed of it!
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