“Hey Pushpa, I hate tears,” said Rajesh Khanna, and the hearts and knees of girls and women aged between 8 and 80 turned mushy.
I really don’t know what Rajesh Khanna would have said to me if he’d known me. Still, my sisters swore they would never, ever come with me to the theatre after I supposedly brought the house down during the screening of Sampurna Ramayana because I bawled my heart out, sputtering that Hanuman would fall into the sea!
Here I was, some five- or six-year-old me, seeing Hanuman take a giant leap across the seas, and the screen goes blank with an Interval written on it. How am I to know he would make it safely across the seas?
For the next few years, till I knew better, I was happy with my ten paise, roasted channa (my treat for not accompanying them to movies) when my parents and sisters went to the theatre, and I played happily in my neighbour’s house.
Then I became pricey. I learnt to negotiate. It was either the price of the ticket or nothing.
I did accompany them to iconic movies like Anand, Sholay, Khubsoorat and Koshish. But I also missed many happy moments with my roasted channa. Today, my teeth are far from satisfied with my love for that damned thing- despite fond nostalgia.
I cried for the dialogue, “Mere paas maa hai” in Deewaar. I cried when Rajesh Khanna said, “Babumoshai, zindagi badi honi chahiye… lambi nahi.”
It broke my heart when Jaya Bhaduri and the amazing Sanjeev Kapoor lost their child in Koshish. And it broke my heart when Jaya and Amitabh had a falling-out in Abhimaan.
These were the times before I fell in love with movies. Studying my 11th and 12th (intermediate) in a college situated in Abids (Hyderabad) was a definite plus. If we tripped and fell, our heads and legs would fall in different theatres. So, we went for Hindi, Telugu, and English movies. I watched very few Tamil movies, for the shows in Hyderabad were limited.
I didn’t know that my crying over unreal scenarios would soon transform into real tears when my examination marks of those two years came in!
There was a standing joke among my family and friends that I had a tap behind my eyes, and they joked that I started to cry with the title song and ended when the credits rolled.
Excuse me! I wasn’t that bad. I stopped during the interval too and during the screening of advertisements.
Post-marriage and kids, I thought these ready tears would cease to fall. What more than marriage and motherhood to show you a mirror!
But then, each time I watched a re-run of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I was sniffling. I cried for Kal Ho Na Ho.
All too soon, I became the most sought-after adult escort for my teenage daughter and her friends when they wanted to go to theatres. But when her best friend told my daughter, “Please bring a bucket and a towel for your mother. Your mother would need it for Taare Zameen Par,” I was deeply affronted.
Excuse me!
Most of my viewing is on OTT, and I have given the term ‘couch potato’ a new makeover! I have grown beyond genres and language. But the sobbing stays!
The last time I cried buckets was for Safed Sagar. I also cry for those movies when I wonder, why the hell am I subjecting myself to such torture like RRR.
But then, whether you or Rajesh Khanna hate tears, tell me a good reason why one shouldn’t cry when the little girl screams, “maama,” in Bajrangi Bhaijaan?
That scene in itself is worthy of the sobs.
This post is part of ‘Pass the Popcorn Blog Hop’ hosted by Manali Desai and Sukaina Majeed and sponsored by Jaico Publishing House under the #EveryConversationMatters blog hop series.
This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Ratna Prabha.
Image credit: ChatGPT
I thought I was the only one sobbing during movies. My family is quite fed up! Glad to find a sobbing partner 😛 And Rajesh Khanna had such awesome dialogues, he said them with such panache. His soul would bless you if he is reading this. Pushpa, Chandrika, or all the fans who are there, Bollywood does have its moments.
I think everyone sheds their tears watching Anand and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Hindi Films have a great impact on us.
One amazing era, right?
This was such a joy to read! The ten paise roasted channa detail made me smile, what a perfectly nostalgic trade off for missing movie nights. And honestly, the “tap behind the eyes” line sums up so many of us, I don’t think there’s a single person who watched Anand or Bajrangi Bhaijaan dry eyed. You’ve captured that particular Bollywood era so vividly, the dialogues, the songs, the sheer emotional commitment of it all. Loved this one, thank you for the laugh and the nostalgia in equal measure.
Thank you so much for stopping by and liking the post. I am happy that you liked it
Such a fun, nostalgic read. The ten-paise roasted channa, Bollywood’s emotional rollercoasters, and that “tap behind the eyes” had me smiling and reminiscing about those old movie days.
Thank you so much for stopping by and your kind words.
After reading this post…. all I can say is that I personally feel bad when I see sad scenes in films but tears come very very rarely for films in my case… Am I insensitive? I am wondering now 🙂
Not at all. You are normal. Can differentiate between reels and real! I seem to have lost that ability!
What similar experiences we have Chandrika. I was dragged to watch Johny meta naam as there was nobody at home. I bawled through the movie as i thought Ranjit and Pran were real. After that i refused to watch movies until i was 12. I never cry now! You seem to be a diehard movie buff with all those movie names and famous dialogues.
A few dialogues; I had to use Google Chacha, but then you are right. Have started watching a lot more movies lately.
Ahh I’m glad I’m not alone. This is so me, I cry during shows, series and movies too. My husband sneakily looks at me when he knows I can turn too emotional and starts laughing at me. He never budges and asks me why I keep crying always :p
My family laughs. But now I am beyond caring!
This was a fun read and absolutely loved your negotiation skills .
Ha ha – this was too funny!! I prided myself on controlling my tears – but when I saw Anand on a VCR at home – i was probably 11 or 12 – i remember not being able to stop my silent tears. And now – i am a bit more easy – cried during “Main Wapas Aaunga” both in the theatre and then when i saw it on netflix again.
I enjoyed reading this, Chandrika. I too get emotional while watching movies, but not always. The bigger problem is I doze during movies. And it has been so embarrassing that I have now completely stopped going to the theaters. It’s easy with OTT. I feel sleepy, I pause, sleep, get up, and watch again; I don’t have to miss anything and wonder, “How did the hero die in just the 15-minute gap that I dozed off”:)
I bet I can shed tears watching the same movie 20 times. A Walk to Remember and The Notebook are two of my favourite movies, which I can watch N number of times and still cry at the same scene every single time. We are emotional, and that’s the beauty of our souls. ❤️
I have yet to watch Safed Sagar. And RRR was really rubbish. I could shed tears for that certainly. Rest, now I watch crime and action to keep tears at bay.
Many of the Telugu movies these days evoke tears wondering why I am sitting and watching this trash!
Loved reading such a beautiful and precious part of your life. I have cried a lot too, though these days I am more of a silent sobber. 😄 Some movies and performances touch you in such a way that they become an inevitable part of your life and memories. I still remember crying profusely during Kal Ho Naa Ho and Taare Zameen Par, even after the movies had ended. I am glad the film industry has such marvel stories that stay with you forever.
Brilliant writing, Chandrika. You bring alive old tales and experiences with such elan. I cried with you, broke my heart with yours, and that bucket of mine overflowed into yours, creating a time salty stream of tears. 😁
So enjoyed reading this! A riot of tears and laughter.