Despite living in the United States, my main source of cinematic entertainment was Bollywood. My father would oftentimes come home from work and start on Indian network channels, which were usually filled with predictable and (dramatic!) plot lines. But, the weekends were a treat. He would put on famous movies that were popular in India at the time. As a child, I would watch them in passing but didn’t take time to process what was happening. As I grew older, I decided to watch them again, this time processing what was happening.
Throughout many films, I found lessons that I like to remember from time to time. So for all my South Asian (and any Bollywood-loving!) folks, here are two classic films I enjoyed and what I derived from them!
3 IDIOTS
Follow your passion.
Probably one of my favorites, this film shows college friends and their adventures. The film features a main character with his two “idiot” friends. Although the main character seems to be carefree, his friends are quite the opposite. They come to college to pursue respected degrees since it is what is expected of them. The “my parents want me to become ______” narrative is all too clear. But after several unfortunate mishaps, it shows what happens when we don’t try to follow what is really destined for us. This film reminds me that you should follow your passion and become a master in your desired field, as success will naturally follow.
Jab we met
Life rarely goes the way we plan.
Translated to “when we met,” this film depicts a young man who feels as if everything wrong is going on in his life. He decides to take a train to nowhere when he meets a woman. The adventures he goes through and the new people he meets, exemplify that life never really goes as planned. We may have all these ideas for ourselves and we hope they come to fruition, but sometimes they do not. Whether this is a good or bad thing is all up to the person experiencing it. Whenever I get anxious about things not going my way, this film reminds me that we may feel bad at the moment, but sometimes, this may lead to experiences that end up being for the better.
Whether it be when I was a child and didn’t understand what was going on, to an adult who now understands, I enjoyed both of these films. Although each film has an abundance of other lessons, these are the ones that I remember from time to time.
If there is anything I want to leave you with, it is to remember: all is well!
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