Pritam's Blog
Love Is What Remains When SRK-Irrfan Khan-Style Masala Washes Off
Movies and literature have taught us that on your deathbed, moments before you die to be precise, your entire life flashes in front of your eyes. I don’t know how much of it is true.
But I know for sure that days before you get married, the pretty faces of all those you have ever loved in your life or been in a relationship with (yes, these two are not necessarily mutually inclusive) flash in front of your eyes, like those celluloid films mounted on a reel and rolling.
Am I having doubts? Oh yes, I have always been doubtful about it. So is she… So, that’s fine I guess.
But diving deep into the reasons behind these flashes, I realized it’s more because of what she is getting into…
That the wretched institution of marriage does more harm than good to the woman and that the man barely loses anything is well-established. So, I wouldn’t talk about it.
What bothers me the most is the fact that the woman here is my best friend and probably the only person in this over-populated world with whom I feel close to. Well, she is my extension. And that she, of all, has to go through this whole shit isn’t something I can come in terms with.
What if it ruins her life? If I really had to ruin someone’s life, like if it’s mandatory, it shouldn’t have been her, right? And that’s why these flashes.
It might sound selfish but as I saw those faces from the buried past in front of my eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder whose life would have been OK to ruin… M, A, S… None, I guess. Not that they’re dying to marry me …
The rolling film got stuck at S. My first love. But that’s not why it got stuck. I remembered I had to invite her. It was through her that I got to know Pallabi. So… But I can’t deny that a part of me felt a little emotional in a funny way, if it makes any sense.
I remembered that last scene from Life in a Metro, the one where Konkona proposes Irrfan while the latter, on a horse, is on his way to get married.
“Monty, mein tumhe bahut like karti hu…”
“Thank you. Even I like you…”
“No stupid, I mean I love you…”
“Lakin petticoat blouse toh sab uske naap ka sil gaya. Itna late kyu bol rahi ho tum?”
I chuckled. And I wondered how would I react if this happened with me…
I would definitely feel sad and confused but I would probably say, “Thank you. I love you too. Isiliye tumhare liye first batch mein seat rakha. Jao khalo…”
And I realized something new. For a long time, I had thought that growing up meant moving on from SRK-style love to Irrfan Khan-style love.
But the truth is filmy love stories are all very happening. Be it SRK or Irrfan Khan, these are all full of masalas. In real life, love is what remains even after all these masalas wash off…
Our film has been rolling for 13 years. I just hope it remains a film, even if the masalas wash off. And I hope it rolls for the rest of our lives…