When I was a kid I read a magazine article about Bombay. I was very impressed. I read that on a day when the electric trains disobeyed to run, people walked 8-10 kilometers to their workplace. Their dedication and loyalty to their profession can’t be put down by an insane bandh declared by an insensible fanatic organization. I have always associated Bombay with enthusiastic energetic people. I am proud this city belongs to my country.
Achchan has been working in Santa Cruz (Mumbai) for the last three years now. I have never been to Bombay. While graduating I had a chance to go. But then I told Achchan that there are no tickets and other lame excuses. I preferred staying with my grandparents in Pattambi. I don’t know why, but that’s what I did and I was happy about it. Maybe be because I had this notion that I will go to Bombay only “after I stand on my own feet”. Thus in the summer of 2005 Amma and Ammu went to Mumbai to stay with Achchan while I had a great experience taking my Ammamma to her birth place.
Yesterday I watched Mumbai Meri Jaan along with two of my colleagues – N and H. N is a silent-smartie and H is a movie-addict-hunk. I have been to several movies at PVR, with H, all of them big flops.
MMJ was a different story altogether. There are quite a few things that I liked about the movie.
- All the characters have been well presented. The actors were just amazing and were at their best. I have always admired Kay Kay Menon and Soha Ali Khan. But I was never impressed by Irrfan Khan and Paresh Rawal before. I understand that its not they are incompetent actors, but it is lack of quality opportunities. They have done justice to their roles. Now, I love Hindi cinema.
- Madhavan’s character (Nikhil) is my role model. I have always stood for public transport. I don’t own a vehicle although I think I can afford one now. Achchan also doesn’t own one, but he asks me to buy one. I am not very fond of auto rickshaw as well. I have always tried to avoid them. I look down upon people who use their private vehicle unnecessarily. I love BMTC.
- Nikhil also preferred staying in India. When I go to Pattambi and meet a stranger this is what happens -
Stranger: Hi
Damn Good Guy: Hi
S: Working?
DGG: Yes
S: Gulf?
DGG: No, Bangalore
S: Working for experience?
DGG (totally confused): What? Experience...?
S: For going to Gulf I mean.
DGG: oh. I am not interested.
S: you are not interested??!!
S leaves with the expression of meeting the most stupid person in Pattambi. How I love Bangalore. - The movie has ripped the News media naked. Asking unnecessary questions and unnecessarily sensationalizing otherwise minor issues is not just a business tactic but a way of life for these professionals. I remember a very bad instance of asking really stupid questions. The CBSE class 10 results were announced. The topper of the Delhi region was being interviewed.
Press: What’s your favorite day of the week?
Topper: Wednesday
Press: What’s your favorite color?
Topper: Yellow
Wednesday and Yellow, my foot. What is a viewer of that News channel gaining from knowing the favorite day of a 10th CBSE topper? How many guys had planned of proposing her on a Wednesday with yellow flowers in their hand? I love raping the media. - Coming from NITK to Bangalore has made me come face to face with the great economic divide in Indian cities. Any auto-rickshawalla\salesgirl in Bangalore will be able to relate with Thomas (Irrfan) the nomadic tea vendor. I remember the rubber-band theory in economics. The rich-poor divide widening is like a rubber-band expanding. It will stabilize in one of the two ways –
- The rubber-band snaps back. That is the divide becomes narrow by the redistribution of wealth
- The rubber-band breaks. This is equivalent to a revolution. The kind of thing that happened in USSR.
I love a little bit of Socialism. - Patil(Paresh Rawal)’s sudden realization that he has not done anything worthwhile as a constable and Paresh's performance is just great. It is an eye-opener not only for Patil but for all of us in different professions. Have we contributed anything worthwhile to the field we work in? Reminds me of Ayn Rand. I love Objectivism.
- I am a big fan of movies like Amores Perros, Crash etc. All the stories in MMJ were related using the electric train bomb blasts. The individual stories were smoothly brought together. A commendable show by Nishikant Kamat. I love Brilliance.
Thus the movie has got all the things I love.
Very few movies get applause from the lazy and sophisticated PVR audience.
I made a good investment after a long time! I love being happy.
