The Role is Filled

When S left for a new life, I was shattered. I didn’t know what to do. It was as if a part of my life had ended. Where else would I get to know about the latest in the Indian television? How would I know the complexities of Indian family drama that is shown regularly between 8:00 pm -10:00 pm? After all, there were not many friends who would agree openly that they saw these shows as often as their mothers.

The transition that people face when they graduate out of college is absolutely fascinating. From watching Scrubs throughout the night to watching Uttaran every day at a specific time is a huge jump. And most of the people I know become closet watchers. I remember a period of time in my life when watching “A Clockwork Orange” meant that something was achieved on that day. I was coming closer to what the masters were portraying on screen.

But then slowly Kubrik began to make lesser and lesser sense as I went about trying to comprehend the minds of the Indian housewife. And since then I have whistled along with the crowd at the premier show of Wanted on the single screens. That’s where my work is. That’s where I breathe life into my work. But few people understand this. Often, it’s completely incomprehensible for them to appreciate why the masses will still fill up the front rows for seeing Veer in the small towns across India. But then that’s how elitist societal norms operate. I don’t oppose it, I don’t give in to it and I look at it as a stage of my life that has passed since then. This is my back to the basics :)

Anyway, if there was anyone as prudish as I once was, it must have been H. So as I was cribbing to her about the loss of S in my life, she suddenly said, “Oh… which show? I would probably know.” I was stunned for exactly 22 secs. After that I remembered I still am not on per sec billing plan on my cell and I asked in a trembling voice, “Are you sure?”

She rattled away and it felt as if the church gongs were reverberating in the Valley of Hope. She would know, she would know and even if she might be amongst my friends who demand the maximum amount of “Bhao” it is worth giving it to her. She knows that Ammaji is not actually dead. And one of Dadisa’s sons is not her son!!!

She said she had a TV on her desk and typically watched all these shows. And I loved it. Paapi pet ke liye kya kya karma parta hain. Here I laugh the evil laugh. Now she cannot turn her nose up on hearing my desires to watch Veer :) and she can save me in the absence of S.

In an aside, why are people being mean to Sania Mirza? She has every right to call of her engagement. Everyone has and should have.

Btw what’s the exact English expression for Bhao?