Today is cold and wet day. Miserable to sit indoors just trying to be warm and so ended up with fleece on as well as socks and gloves. I even did a quick run of the house with a broom to generate some body heat! And for those who know me will appreciate this extreme action on my part to keep warm. I have not seen a Bollywood movie in a while so thought let me see what’s new around. Have heard a lot about Aarakshan and what a powerful message it sends about issues in the Indian Education system. Found the movie and settled down on my settee to watch it. Now I know ‘3 idiots’ was also about the same topic but it was a funny film at the same time. I think I will watch Aarakshan another day as it seems a pretty serious movie with a serious message. However, I was looking for something fun and needing a laugh.
Scrolling down the list of new movies I found ‘Chillar Party’. The name sounds crazy and the labelling identified it as a comedy and for children. It was the comedy label that made me click on it. And am I glad I did? This film works on so many levels. The view of life from the point of view of some under 10 year olds makes you laugh. The rationale for the nicknames they have to their take on the different adults in there locality are all laced with humorous truth. It shows how much adults lack an understanding of children’s world. It gives a picture of how kids can be cruel and kind, and the value placed on friendship. Often as adults we forget that we stop kids from being friends with other kids for very silly reasons like they are from the wrong side of the tracks. We unconsciously teach them to be bigots. This movie shows the kids having a mind of their own and actually standing by their friend.
At first I wondered if the adults would curb these young shoots daring to bloom with a mind of their own, untainted by the prejudices of life experiences. While I did realise that this is a Bollywood movie and that the end of course had to show victory to the kids, after all they were the ‘leading role’ in the movie. Typical of this age the kids fight back in the media and use the social networking to get their cause noticed. I can wax lyrical about the jokes that made me smile but also at the same time brought home that as adults we desperately try to mould the children to be good but sadly end up instilling not only values but our prejudices as well. As we grow old we loose our courage and our drive to do good and fight for what is right. This movie shows that if we want the next generation to be adults who will raise the stakes of humanity then we need to let them grow without our prejudices. The media more often than not talks of the youth who are louts and hooligans but rarely there is a story about good kids. We seem to demonise the youth of today and in many instances feel justified in doing so as that’s what the media tells us about. This film makes it possible to realise the stance of adults and what is does to the youth.
Of course the best part was the ‘chaddi march’ organised by the kids in protest of a law (to put down all stray dogs) passed by the local minister. This draws on publicity that the kids wanted but the minister finds this action personally annoying as someone has challenged his power! And sets out to shame them with a public TV debate. This points out to us that power is not something everyone can handle – you know the saying ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’. It is a reminder of what is happening in India at present and the drive to stop corruption, challenge the POWER!
But at the end of the day while it made me think it also made me laugh and get back the childlike appreciation of things, the injustices of the adult world on the kids and to take pleasure in doing the right thing rather than given in to outside coercion. I would suggest people see this movie and have a laugh.
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