Cinema for the cinematography called life

You know that movie you love? The one that you don’t mind watching a zillion times? The one that you have a strange connect with? Wake up Sid was that movie for me. The movie was special for me for various reasons. I am a writer who came to Mumbai looking for a good opportunity. Professionally, it was a break from a monotonous routine at a place where the learning had stopped. Personally, I wanted to live independently and explore a new city with friends. The love story of my life was also intertwined with this experience. He was stationed at Mumbai. Whenever I would come to Mumbai, he was the one who showed me around, much the same way Sid did for Ayesha in Wake up Sid. Marine Drive, Juhu chowpati, Prithvi theatre, Churchgate-Colaba, Haji Ali are the areas that my now husband took me to. He was awesome with the camera, just like Sid. We even have the exact SAME pictures like in the movie – the feet one and me on Marine Drive. (Come to think of it, maybe I should claim copyright for the script; it seems to be based on our life :P) The flavour of Mumbai would not have been the same without those hangouts. Not would our association have blossomed into a meaningful relationship without that time spent together.

I watched Wake up Sid again recently, and was reminded of that period. I was happy, carefree, looking forward to something new, interested in someone awesome, always had a smile on my face. Not that I am not all those things now, although the smile may have become a little less frequent, what with the monotony that work life in Mumbai brings. It reminds me that relationships are important. They help you get through a life which, without friends, family and love, would be bland and meaningless. After all, my childhood would have been much less fun without my mad cap gang; I would have turned out to be a useless professional had it not been for my mom pestering me to study and work hard; I know I would have remained in the same job I was in for some time, had not my friends and hubby encouraged me to come to Mumbai and look for better opportunities; I KNOW I would have been single and miserable had I not taken the step to move here. Above all, I would not have changed or evolved as a person, like I have now, on meeting so many new people, settling down in life (so to say) by getting married to that awesome person and becoming the independent and confident  version of myself that I am currently.

What I would definitely recommend to all four of you who are reading this blog (hi maa :P) is this: watch your favourite movie once every 2-3 months. Remember why you love it. Relive the memories it conjures for you. Share them with loved ones. Get in the happy state it automatically puts you in. Not only will you smile more, like I am doing currently, but it will also remind you of the good things in life – the ones that make it all worth it. It will add just the zing you need in your days, weeks and months.