FOUR DONKEYS
I hate to watch horror movies... Perhaps, I am too scared. But, I watched Ram Gopal Verma's 'Bhooth', by default. I had rushed at the last minute, on that Friday, to watch an Amitabh starrer. The movie had already started. So, there was no time to think or check. I bought the ticket and slowly made my way into the dark hall to find my seat. It was a single-screen local cinema hall. The atmosphere was electrifying! The stall crowd was screaming, whistling making all sorts of weired sounds... and, it took some time for me to realise that I was in to watch a different movie... And, that too, what I would have never, ever otherwise dared to do - a horror film!
By the time the movie ended, I was truly satisfied. I was scared, but the movie was good, great! Ramu was great!
After two days, I read the Sunday review. The critic had given one-and-a-half stars! There was nothing great for him... The movie was mediocre, Ramu was mediocre! I was surprised. "What is this? Am I so bad in judging a movie? How come, I so thoroughly enjoyed the movie and this fellow has out right discarded it?" I started, for a while, doubting my own movie taste-buds. The following week, I asked many people, "Have you watched 'Bhooth'?" They said, "No". "Why?" I asked them. "Only one-and-a-half stars," they replied. "Faaltu".
After that, I stopped disclosing before any one the fact that I had watched Ramu's horror flick. I did not want to come about as a tasteless guy... the one who watched 'faaltu' shows!
The same thing happened some time after that. Our family had been to the IMAX multiplex at Wadala to watch a Hindi movie. Because the tickets were sold out, we decided to watch 'Dus', instead. Again, it was before we had taken any body's opinion, before our mind had even the faintest idea about this movie. We simply loved the movie! In fact, later, I bought a DVD and watched the same, twice, at home!
And, review?
Obviously, "Okay, okay" ... "So, so."!
Not long time after these two, episodes, I watched my favourite hero Amitabh Bachchan's 'Eklavya'. Vinu Vinod Chopra, the flamboyant producer, had done great publicity for this movie. He had, even, reportedly, gifted Amitabh a fine Rolls Royce for the knock-out performance. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and went to watch it, again, at the same multiplex, all alone. I was inspired!
When the Oscar-nomination controversy erupted about this movie, I started reading comments by so many big names. "It is a pathetic movie; it doesn't deserve even a domestic award, leave alone an Oscar."!
So, "So be it," I thought. I stopped sharing my joy, of watching this movie, with any one.
Much before that, I remember, one night, we were in a queue to buy tickets for the English (Or, Chinese?) film "Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons." It was a Monday late night show. The earlier day, we had read the review... the coveted, very, very rare 'Five stars'! So, we were dying to watch this great movie; we couldn't wait any longer!
So, that night, I was just one-man away from the Box-office counter. "Hey, Gerry," I heard someone shouting from a distance. "It was Prem with his family just coming out after watching the previous show. "Go home, horrible!"
By then, my money had already gone inside, and the tickets were out. We watched, any way. And, this time, I fully agreed with Prem. "I should have gone home," I grumbled.
Every one has an opinion; and every one thinks, his is the right one. Nothing wrong with that... no trouble, no problem. The trouble comes when I doubt my own opinion after listening to others'... When I start denying, undoing, the 'fine' experience that I savoured from my own real, authentic opinion. When I give the keys of my personal joy in the hands of others. As the father and son did, long, long ago, in this old story.
One day, the father and son loaded on their donkey their goods and had gone to the village market to sell. By the late afternoon, they had sold everything and were on their way home. It was a tiring day for them, and it was hot. The father made his son sit on the donkey and they had hardly travelled some distance. A passerby saw them and commented, "How bad! The young man is all relaxed on the donkey, and the poor old man is made to walk in the hot sun!"
Immediately, the son came down and the father went up. Barely some distance they had managed to travel, another passerby saw them and yelled, "Look at this. What a pity! The strong man is all enjoying the ride, and the weak son is made to slog it out."
Instantly, the guilty father pulled his young son up, and the animal began to ferry both of them. As it would have it, some distance later, a 'wise man' was passing by them. "How cruel, how merciless humans can be! Poor donkey... O God!"
It did not take even a second for the father and son to decide what to do next. They both dismounted, lifted the 'poor donkey' high up... and carried it all the way to their home!
In our village school, when our teacher, after narrating this story, had asked us the question, "Children, tell me, how many donkeys were there in this story?", I was the first one to raise my hand. "One," I had answered, brimming with confidence and excitement. "Wrong," the teacher had declared and made me sad, "Three!"
"How come?" I had wondered. But, every one around in the class was laughing as if they had understood. So, even I started laughing. I had to complete my journey back home and strain my little brain to solve this great mystery. Before I could sleep, that night, my simple mother had solved the mystery for me. "Your teacher is wrong," she had empathised with her beloved son. "There were four donkeys... This is the fourth one," she had tapped my head and put me to sleep.
The less you strain our brain on this, the better is the sleep!
GERALD D'CUNHA
By the time the movie ended, I was truly satisfied. I was scared, but the movie was good, great! Ramu was great!
After two days, I read the Sunday review. The critic had given one-and-a-half stars! There was nothing great for him... The movie was mediocre, Ramu was mediocre! I was surprised. "What is this? Am I so bad in judging a movie? How come, I so thoroughly enjoyed the movie and this fellow has out right discarded it?" I started, for a while, doubting my own movie taste-buds. The following week, I asked many people, "Have you watched 'Bhooth'?" They said, "No". "Why?" I asked them. "Only one-and-a-half stars," they replied. "Faaltu".
After that, I stopped disclosing before any one the fact that I had watched Ramu's horror flick. I did not want to come about as a tasteless guy... the one who watched 'faaltu' shows!
The same thing happened some time after that. Our family had been to the IMAX multiplex at Wadala to watch a Hindi movie. Because the tickets were sold out, we decided to watch 'Dus', instead. Again, it was before we had taken any body's opinion, before our mind had even the faintest idea about this movie. We simply loved the movie! In fact, later, I bought a DVD and watched the same, twice, at home!
And, review?
Obviously, "Okay, okay" ... "So, so."!
Not long time after these two, episodes, I watched my favourite hero Amitabh Bachchan's 'Eklavya'. Vinu Vinod Chopra, the flamboyant producer, had done great publicity for this movie. He had, even, reportedly, gifted Amitabh a fine Rolls Royce for the knock-out performance. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and went to watch it, again, at the same multiplex, all alone. I was inspired!
When the Oscar-nomination controversy erupted about this movie, I started reading comments by so many big names. "It is a pathetic movie; it doesn't deserve even a domestic award, leave alone an Oscar."!
So, "So be it," I thought. I stopped sharing my joy, of watching this movie, with any one.
Much before that, I remember, one night, we were in a queue to buy tickets for the English (Or, Chinese?) film "Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons." It was a Monday late night show. The earlier day, we had read the review... the coveted, very, very rare 'Five stars'! So, we were dying to watch this great movie; we couldn't wait any longer!
So, that night, I was just one-man away from the Box-office counter. "Hey, Gerry," I heard someone shouting from a distance. "It was Prem with his family just coming out after watching the previous show. "Go home, horrible!"
By then, my money had already gone inside, and the tickets were out. We watched, any way. And, this time, I fully agreed with Prem. "I should have gone home," I grumbled.
Every one has an opinion; and every one thinks, his is the right one. Nothing wrong with that... no trouble, no problem. The trouble comes when I doubt my own opinion after listening to others'... When I start denying, undoing, the 'fine' experience that I savoured from my own real, authentic opinion. When I give the keys of my personal joy in the hands of others. As the father and son did, long, long ago, in this old story.
One day, the father and son loaded on their donkey their goods and had gone to the village market to sell. By the late afternoon, they had sold everything and were on their way home. It was a tiring day for them, and it was hot. The father made his son sit on the donkey and they had hardly travelled some distance. A passerby saw them and commented, "How bad! The young man is all relaxed on the donkey, and the poor old man is made to walk in the hot sun!"
Immediately, the son came down and the father went up. Barely some distance they had managed to travel, another passerby saw them and yelled, "Look at this. What a pity! The strong man is all enjoying the ride, and the weak son is made to slog it out."
Instantly, the guilty father pulled his young son up, and the animal began to ferry both of them. As it would have it, some distance later, a 'wise man' was passing by them. "How cruel, how merciless humans can be! Poor donkey... O God!"
It did not take even a second for the father and son to decide what to do next. They both dismounted, lifted the 'poor donkey' high up... and carried it all the way to their home!
In our village school, when our teacher, after narrating this story, had asked us the question, "Children, tell me, how many donkeys were there in this story?", I was the first one to raise my hand. "One," I had answered, brimming with confidence and excitement. "Wrong," the teacher had declared and made me sad, "Three!"
"How come?" I had wondered. But, every one around in the class was laughing as if they had understood. So, even I started laughing. I had to complete my journey back home and strain my little brain to solve this great mystery. Before I could sleep, that night, my simple mother had solved the mystery for me. "Your teacher is wrong," she had empathised with her beloved son. "There were four donkeys... This is the fourth one," she had tapped my head and put me to sleep.
The less you strain our brain on this, the better is the sleep!
GERALD D'CUNHA
Comments
An intresting example of other people opinion is Raja sen criticising the movie "3Idoits"
If we like something we like it and we should enjoy it whether other's like it or not. Nobody should have control on our style of liking, of course exception are there.
For donkey's story in real life we all are donkey when we do things which we are not suppose to and we carry the guilt.
Maybe, this ancient story also explains why the movie '3 Idiots' was such a huge hit.
I am also aware of one more interesting facet in this story: That, often, we play the role of those 'passerby's'... the critics... the 'asli' donkeys!
Do criticise my posts, be an 'asli'!
Love,
GERRY