​ Dream a little dream

I have my coping mechanisms for a shitty day at work – listening to my favourite music, talking to my favourite people, eating some nice food, drinking a glass of wine, watching porn are some of those. Watching movies is rarely an agenda. Okay I’ll admit I’m not really a movie person. That gets enough of weird looks during conversations.

But yeah, since the release, I wanted to watch La La Land but couldn’t find a seat. After a month of its release, it was out of the theatres near my place. Only a few shows in downtown. But finally I decided to watch it online skipping my regular techniques to get over a long, boring day.

I’d loved the posters of La La Land, and I’m generally the one to judge the book by its covers. For instance, I would go for any Kangana Ranaut movie (I watched Rangoon and I must admit, it’s pathetic.) I thought La La Land will disappoint too, when it opened with a scene of people stuck in traffic jam start singing and dancing.

Oh no, another bollywood style musical! Not that I don’t like them, but for that we have our desis, don’t we?

But in just a few minutes in the movie and I could connect to Mia, an aspiring actress, and Sebastian, a Jazz purist struggling to bring back the glory days to Jazz music. His dream is to set up his own Jazz club, a place for pure Jazz and nothing else. He’s pissed that his favourite Jazz club has now turned into a Samba and Tapas place.
On the other hand, Mia, a barista is going through a series of failed auditions. Seb and Mia keep running into each other, they meet, they talk and they fall in love. However, after a while, Mia thinks that Seb is giving up on his principles of playing pure music by being a part of his friend’s band, they have a fight, she leaves and goes to her parents’ house. Meanwhile she (thinks) she fails with her ‘One woman play’ project, however, a casting director who attends her play calls her for an audition, she succeeds in her acting career and so does Seb, with his dream of setting up a Jazz club. Cut to – 5 years later where Mia, a successful actress now, is married to another man and she runs into Seb again, at his Jazz club; with a logo designed by Mia.

Okay, to be honest, I didn’t find anything extra-ordinary in the story. Screenplay, direction, music, and the cinematography is splendid.
But above all this, there’s this strong connection I could feel with the movie. About the dreams, working hard towards making those a reality, or maybe being competent but still having to stick to the ‘setlist’, or maybe just dreaming a new dream because it all seems so tough afterall.
While being practical and living our life calculating the risks and opportunities, it is very important to fantasise, to dream. To dream a dream that scares us. To wander in a fantasy land. To be away from the real, hard- hitting life for a while so that the dreamland shows us hopes, colourful vista of our life. This is the same reason I like to interact with artistes. Conversation with most of them take us to another world, a dreamland which they own. Some take us us there through their painting, some through their music, and some through their writing.

A lot of people who watched La La Land were at cross with the movie’s ending, but I thought that’s most beautiful part of it. Instead of going the conventional way, it portrayed both the endings and left it to us to ponder upon.

The end that makes us questions the cost of our dreams, the significance of loved ones in our journey, and the alternate endings.
Once in a while it is inevitable to take a tour of future, a distant dreamland that encourages us to live and not just exist. Because, as Mia’s aunt in the film says –

A bit of madness is key
To give us new colors to see
Who knows where it will lead us?
And that’s why they need us”

So bring on the rebels
The ripples from pebbles
The painters, and poets, and plays

And here’s to the fools who dream
Crazy as they may seem
Here’s to the hearts that break
Here’s to the mess we make

The Confession Box

“Okay bye, see you soon” my friend left as I sat on the still warm stone benches near the lake. While I was checking my phone (as usual) this guy next to me gets a little comfortable and leans back a little more, enjoying the breeze in the hot summer night.

I happen to see him unlock his iPhone using a passcode, Aah, someone like me! I thought to myself.

“Even you don’t use the Touch ID?” He was taken aback a little. Anyone would have; with such random question from a stranger! “Nahi, wo hume thoda safe nahi lagta” he replied! “Okay, same here” and we laughed! And then we talked a little about the phone!

He was carrying a huge backpack and pockets of his burgundy trousers were stuffed.

“Where do you stay?” I asked him,

“In hotel, it’s near only” he said.

“Huh?” “Yes actually I got a job here, tomorrow is my joining” “Congratulations” I said and I realised I was shaking hand with him; the thing I always avoid.

“So, where are you from?”

“Jharkhand. I actually came 4 days early, so just roaming around, I’m just going around in the malls, watching movies. I don’t have any friends here, and relatives stay far away, but you know in Mumbai people don’t have time. Today is the first time I’m talking to someone for so long…..”

“No problem man, it’s okay. Go on”

I didn’t know that he will actually go on…. He kept talking about his office, the first job that he was going to start the next day, his hometown, and how Mumbai/ Delhi people think it’s underdeveloped, that he’s more interested in events & dance rather than engineering, and why he chose Mumbai over other options. “I can join some classes, I want to learn so many things. Our family friend’s relative works with a bollywood choreographer; my father told me to meet him” I could see the sparkle in his eyes as he talked about the new found freedom and new avenues. 

I think these are the people who make Mumbai – the city of dreams; not the ones who say “Mumbai is a city, Bombay is an emotion” 😛

“What do you do?” He stopped and asked me. “Can you see that light? That’s my office” I pointed towards the building across the lake. I told him I work in an ad agency.

“I also love media, events, dance, etc, that’s why actually I chose Mumbai. You have a lot of things to do here. Now I want to find a house with fridge and gas connection. I will cook my food. I have missed my workout and diet” (That moment when I feel embarrassed and ashamed of myself)

I could make out that he was a healthy eater from his biceps and the nerves on forearms. “That’s great. Hope you find a place soon!” I said.

He smiled. “What are your thoughts about marriage? I mean to say when are you planning to get married?”

 WOAH! Whattt? Why would he ask that? Weird. “No I don’t want to get married, what about you?” I asked him

“Actually (oh fuck, again actually) I don’t like long distance relationship, I feel it is not right”

“I agree!” I said.

“Actually I had many girl friends (mind that gap) in my college timing, it was not good”

“What’s wrong in having girl friends?”

“No I think I was not a very good boy in my college days, I was not loyal to them. I feel bad about it, I want to be more serious now.”

“Dude chill, you’re just 23! But I appreciate that you acknowledge and accept all that and share with it a stranger!” I tried to stop him as I was already getting late.

“I don’t mind sharing it, but I like to share things. It makes you feel good. What’s the point suppressing it? That things pains you!”

Hurts – I mentally corrected him!

“That’s true. You’re a nice guy!” I told him. “But why don’t you say all these things to those people?”

“I don’t have that much guts yet, but I will do that some day, if I feel it’s necessary.”

People find it hard to confess to their loved ones, but that doesn’t mean they don’t feel guilty. It’s easy to confess to an unknown person, maybe people feel less judged that way. How correct it is, I don’t know. But I liked the fluidity of this guy, maybe it was him or was it just his age?