Splendid Anthem..

It's been quite some time since I watched a movie at a movie hall. So. ever since the song, “Dan Ta Naan” started making the rounds on radio and television, I was very keen on watching Kaminey. Though I admired him as an actor, I wanted to see youthful Shahid and his on-screen chemistry with Priyanka. The movie was rated ‘A’ and I hoped to see more than just that. J

So, amidst the hectic schedule of client meetings and deadlines and deliverables and blah blah balh, I finally managed to fix a date for me to watch Kaminey. Tickets booked, cousin bro, bro, a friend and I were off on 22nd Aug to warm 4 seats of Fun Cinemas on Cunningham road.

Five minutes before start, as we made our way inside the movie hall, a message appeared on the screen – “ Please stand up for the National Anthem.” I was astonished.! Outside the hall, thoughts of patriotism hardly found an inch of space in my mind. And I was quite sure the pretty girls with their boy friends that I saw in the elevator, or the college going gang of boys n girls at the food stall, or the novuea riche IT geek with his parents, or even my friends had ever thought about it. As best as I could perceive, the only thing in everybody’s mind was Fun, some time to relax from all the stress from daily tasks.

So when I saw the message on the screen, I was cynical of most revelers around me and hoped to find only some takers to the National Anthem besides myself. However, as the instrumental rythm of “Jana Gana Mana” began playing, every single person in the hall maintained absolute silence. It was as if life had suddenly come to a stand-still. I looked around from the corner of my eye to find everybody paying their due respect by standing up as the video of our great soldiers at Kargil, Siachen showed them proudly hoisting the Tricolour. Even the ones entering the hall stayed put in their places in attention.

It was truly a great example of oneness I got to see among my people after so long. We are busy with our lives and rarely get an opportunity to think about our martyrs and of our great country. But I am glad unity still finds a place in our egotistical society. I’m grateful to Vishal Bharadwaj for making such a nice movie and to the organizers for having revived the feeling of patriotism in me.

Jai Hind ! J