Don't Grow Up Too Fast

Hello to all! After a crazy first week, we finally got some downtime this past weekend, where we could just talk, reflect, and relax in the MCA. On Sunday we watched the Bollywood hit 3 Idiots. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I highly recommend it as it’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, Bollywood or Hollywood. For more info about the movie or some reviews click here. Although the movie isn’t perfect, I can promise that you won’t regret watching it. Even though I’ve seen the movie several times before, the screening was still an emotional rollercoaster for me. Watching it is one of the few times where you can laugh and cry at the same time, and be filled with such paradoxical emotions. Some of the scenes in the movie, such as when the protagonist revives a baby with the words “all is well”, are so incredible that you cannot help but be consumed by mirth and gaiety. After the movie, we chatted about the absurdity of these scenes, and how this impracticality and romanticism is largely absent from American cinema. As Ms. Tousignant said, Bollywood “is the world of dreams.” In India, the movie theatre is a place where one can escape the daily hassles of life and just enjoy an extraordinary tale of love and success. The American cinema used to be like this as well but it has since evolved, and now focuses largely on stories of sex, crime, and war.

This makes me wonder, to where do we Americans go when we need an “escape”, a ticket from the sometimes harsh reality of our daily plights? Is it TV, books, or sports? Also, will India follow in our footsteps? Westernization is present in every facet of life in India, and already some of the biggest Bollywood hits feel like they made of storylines that could be pulled straight out of California. As the world movie industry moves away from the extraordinary and into the unforgiving ordinary, our society loses yet another means to aspire, invent, and fantasize.

--Armaan