MOVIES, MASTI, MAGIC!!!

Three hours of out of the world experience. Three hours of constant vigil on the screen flickering before you. Three hours of following someone else's story, and relating to it. Three hours of leaving your feelings, your joys and sorrows behind you and getting immersed in a fantasy world. Three hours (and sometimes more than that) of watching a movie.

My love affair with movies (seems like it is a season for love affairs, waddya say RD?) started at a quite young age. My father was an ardent movie fan- the hindi ones- the only english movie that he has watched till date, in my knowledge is Titanic. I remember my childhood at a small place in Arunachal Pradesh where we sometimes used to watch movies at the local 'video hall' (an assortment of a television set and a video cassette player that used to run shows in the evenings with the electricity that was provided by a single generator for the whole village from 5 to 10 PM; with rows of chairs marked from A to F) or the Saturdays or Sundays when, with the advent of television, the whole populace used to converge upon the houses of the select few who had TV sets, and watch the movies being aired on the national channel. The grown ups got the chairs while we young fellows used to sit on the floor near the television. (Thinking back now, I salute the patience of those fellows who invariably welcomed their invaders with a smile and tea for the elders and snacks for the children). Within a few years, we had our own television and Dad used to borrow VCP from his friends and we used to watch movies sitting cozily in our drawing room, wrapped up in shawls to keep the winter chill out and with tumblers of tea to keep the warmth in. I don't remember the names of the movies, except a scene here and a shot there, but my distinct feelings at the time were pro-action. I was always disturbed by the romance angle and could not wait for the heroine to die so that the hero would rise up in revenge and beat the hell out of the bad guys! This served two purposes- a) it got rid of the romance and the songs and b) wasn't action the reason why we wanted to watch movies- the hero beating up the baddies and the victory of good over bad?

As I grew older, this notion of mine changed as I began to understand the importance of romance not only in movies but also in our lives. Our family tryst with movies continued as Dad bought a brand new VCP. But alas! the new place where we were posted was suffering from an acute shortage of electricity and electricity supply was quite erratic averaging 15-30 minutes a day. We used to watch movies by watching them like a series- a bit today and continuing with the next bit the next day. I remember having watched 'Border' in seven days! That was exciting, in a way. You waited the whole day in anticipation for those few minutes, having finished most of your assigned chores and your homework superfast while your mind wondered what would unfold in today's episode...

Things changed as I moved to college. Movie halls became quite accessible and were frequented often. The electricity supply at the hostel was almost unfailing and the hostel had its own cable line and a bevy of movie channels. It was during this period that I discovered english movies and HBO and Star movies channels. These have had a lasting influence upon my love affair. I haven't given up on hindi movies though- i watch the new ones and am getting re-acquainted with the classics too.

Things took a further turn when I witnessed a friend's collection of movies. Inspired , I started my own collection and within a short time had managed quite a good collection of both english and hindi movies.

The multiplex experience and my laptop were the next influences on this love affair of mine. While my laptop bore the brunt with having to play back to back endless movies (with the room suitably darkened and the woofers booming away), trips to the multiplexes were few but enriching. It is unparalleled- the experience of watching a good movie on a big screen with a perfect sound experience (with no chattering neighbours or loud mouthed businessmen talking into their mobile phones, or people playing what happens next games, of course).

Well, that sums up my little love affair with movies. Well, not sums up- it is an ongoing process, so it'll evolve, right? So, as I turn back to 'The Lord of the Rings' once more, go grab yourself something worthwhile to watch and let go of yourself and get immersed in those three hours of whatever it means to you.