I am a big movie freak. I love watching good sensible movies. And when I say good & sensibile it might be utterly boring & nonsense for someone else.
Movies are best watched in a big-screen. I don't enjoy movies in the 21inch screen but then even this 21inch screen has come as a respite in my otherwise mundane days. To get a feel of that let me begin by saying this- everytime i've watched Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna i've wept inconsolably; even if it meant watching it for the nth time while travelling in a night bus from Itanagar to Guwahati!
As a kid I remember how my Ma would coax me to an afternoon nap so that I could tag along with my folks for the late night shows in Vandana. Vandana during those days was the only hall which screened English movies. I don't recall the movies; the only attraction was the Car ride, munching potato wafers & sipping Gold Spot!
Its in the blood I guess, we were a bunch of movie manics. One incident I recall as I write this. Aita and three of her friends decided to go to Anuradha for the 2.00pm show. Her three friends arrived much early. They gossiped, lunched & as they were about to leave, they all filled their mouth with a jolly good amount of Tamul. One of them out of excitement or in haste swallowed more than the required amount of zarda and almost immediately she collasped! The other three screamed their lungs out in chorus 'KAMLA!' Hearing this we rushed to the living room. KAMLA aita was still on the floor in a state of dizziness; Hemi, our maid fetched her salted water. As the old woman was regaining her sense, the other three were getting impatient. My aita could not hold it any longer and she finally let out her disappointment. 'Could'nt you find some other time to faint KAMLA? We're getting late for the movie.'
With KAMLA aita finally back on her feet the gang of four somehow managed to reach Anuradha in the nick of time only to discover that they left the tickers behind! The cinema hall manager came to their rescue and let them in!
Talking about my ownself; during college days sometimes the fun was more than the actual movie - we would not be less than a dozen going together! Imagine the chaos!!!
I am a die hard Shah Rukh Khan fan, since his Fauji & Circus days. I had already watched Baazigar twice with Indrani. Then on the last day of our exams we decided to go for the movie once more. The movie was being screened in Meghdoot and somehow we were not too keen to go that far. Partha coolly announced that the hall belonged to his uncle. At once our gang dispersed into groups of twos & threes. Some zoomed in bikes, some in rickshaw & the rest hopped in Arupa's Car. Once in the hall, Partha & Sam got the tickets. As we stepped inside and were about to ascend to the first floor, Partha like an Army General commanded 'Follow me' and so we did like ants in a single file, only to realise that we would not get the upper stall seats but the lower stall; but then its not that bad though from the rear! So much for Mr. S.R.K! By the time we reached our seats we were at our wits end! It was the second row! And before we could accuse Partha, he cut us short, 'All you SRK fans can see him from a close range'!
By interval my head was throbbing & eyes sored! Those wooden seats could make life most painful! I walked out of the hall feelig sorry to leave SRK midway!
It was months later that Partha confessed the hall did not belong to any of his uncle... Not even a distant one! He made that up so that we would give in to going to Meghdoot!
For the records we were more well versed with the movie schedule than our class routine!
Once Indrani & I decided to bunk the morning classes to go and watch Andaz Apna Apna. We didn't tell soul about it since our attendance were at an all time low and didn't want the others to go as astray as us. We spotted Saif, Partha & Navin already in the hall; a bit later Sam & Rishi arrived and much later Mita & Moumita made the gang complete! No one said a word but we had our usual doze of fun again!
As of now my movie going status is on hold. With a four & half month old baby its impossible to venture out to a hall.
My last movie in the big screen was Taare Zameen Par. I was 34 weeks pregnant and everytime the audio amplified I could feel my baby kicking & punching me hard.
This blog would be incomplete if I don't mention about another movie maniac - she lives, breathes, sleeps, eats movies! You name it and she's seen it! She's Pri. Don't take my word? Check her 2007 movie list in her blog www.priyankascribbles.blogspot.com
We have seen movies together whenever possible; we've seen movies back to back!
We went to see Dus Kahaniya the last time she was in Guwahati. We were so worried that we would not get tickets that I drove my almost brand new car(not even a month old) with the hand brakes on! I realised my folly only when I smelt something burning! But i've been lucky enough not to have done any damage to the car nor to Pri & nor to myself. I was then 28 weeks pregnant! When I called Nirav who was in Shillong attending the Scorpion concert and told him about my suicidal attempt he was devasted! He later said he had to start with fresh pegs again to reach that high!!!
So much for the sake of movies.
