What If…….?
In Response to CC4: “This is my favorite”
“What if I had forgiven you then? Do you think we would have been together now?”
After a hearty smile in silence, he responds;
“There was a moment in the past when I truly discovered the purpose of my life…… Such a moment will come in your way too, one day……Then you will realize, ‘This is it!’ and the ‘What If’s will no longer haunt you……”
This is a hearty dialogue between two lead characters from the Indian-Malayalam movie, ‘Hridayam’, in my words.
We all may have wondered how our world could have been different at some point in life, had we taken another route. Each of us may have specific moments that spin back to us, where the decision could have turned our lives upside down.
I might be traveling on an entirely different trail if I had not moved from my hometown for college, if I had joined another course, if I had lived in a hostel, if I had not met certain people in my life, if I had not moved to America. The list will grow forever with time.
For the past few weeks, I have been binging on to the music album from the movie, “Hridayam.”
Based on the trailer and the video songs released on YouTube, I had painted a rough story in my mind before watching the film.
The trailer revealed a college campus, two heroines, romantic songs, fights, a set of friends, and much more. If you follow Indian movies, that may sound like a perfect recipe for a cliché campus film.
The trust over the proven director was promising enough to hope for a new dish with the same ingredients. I wasn’t wrong!
Through the protagonist, it takes the audience on a trip through their teen years, college days, friendships, relationships, acquaintances, experiences, and realizations, all the way to their adulthood and family life.
Coincidentally, I went to college in the same city, around the same time- period as depicted in the story. Several Déjà vu moments triggered my memory. Many places and faces flashed through my mind.
The first day of college in a new city and the first friend I made
The flavor of biriyani from the college canteen
Last-minute group study with friends, under the shady trees on campus
Serious talks on beginnings and breakups
A harsh professor whose toughness prompted thicker friendships
Overnight train journey’s back to home
College festivals, which threw away all diffidence
Trips, movies, internships, projects, interviews, and way more with friends
Farewell party, first job, first boss, colleagues turned friends, relationships, breakups, finding my partner, marriage, relocation to a new country, motherhood….
A piece of violin music broke my trance. And, the movie ends!
I indeed felt that irrespective of gender, geographic or cultural differences, anyone could easily relate this story to their own lives through a character or crossroads.
As the protagonist travels down his memory lane, the song ‘Manasse Manasse’ plays in the background, which is visually, lyrically, and musically captivating. The poetry is a question to his own heart.
“Why do you often fly away to places beyond reach? Why do you stream these memories through me over and over again?”
Perhaps, such revisiting memories are a reminder of what made you who you are, today…..
Do you have a memory associated with a movie or a song? Please join Coffee Challenge (CC4) and share it here!