Vague Occurances

“Sir”, a man entered my cube, “The meeting is about to commence”. I nodded my head blankly. My mind was somewhere else. I was thinking about the previous evening when I took her out to Bailey’s. It was 8 years, to be precise, since I had last been to that place. It had been a favorite hang out of Anu and me. We would go there at every given chance…..till she parted with me. 8 years! I thought. The place was still the same. Nothing had changed since then.

 

As I helped her into a chair, she beamed. I knew she was very happy. So was I. It was a while since we had been out. She was at her playful best. She snatched away my cell phone as I got a message to see if it was from a woman. I gave her a stern look, which was only returned with an impish grin coupled with twinkling eyes. Anu! She looked just like Anu! Or so I felt. As the menu card was placed in front of us, she took the charge of ordering everything; for me as well. Typical Anu! Ah! I must stop thinking of her, I thought. “Say something”, she said, “I am bored”. I managed with a smile – “You are very pretty.” No. she was not amused. She had expected something more interesting from me. Instead, she made a start herself; the topic being her day’s happenings. She told me how she had an argument with her friends while trying to prove that I was the best. I was amazed. She loved me so much!

 

As we drove back home, I was still silent, cursing myself for going back to that restaurant I had sweared never to visit again, for I couldn’t help but remember Anu. But wait; did I really not want that? “What’s wrong?” my thoughts were interrupted by her, “Why are you so silent?” “It’s Anu’s birthday today, your mama’s birthday”. “Oh”. She was silent. She had sensed something wrong. Now she knew why – why her dad was so sad, why he wasn’t telling those funny stories he always did. I looked at my little one from the corner of my eye; she was quiet, thinking something hard. I knew exactly what every expression of hers meant. I loved her so much, as much as I loved Anu. And suddenly, she said something that jolted me. “I love you papa, you are the bestest”. I know, it was a nine year old girl, not knowing how to console her dear dad and get him out of this sorrow who said these words, but it meant a lot to me. I couldn’t stop myself from crying. I stopped the car, gave her a tight hug and kissed her. As I drove back, she cuddled up to me telling jokes she had read from her joke book. “Sir”, this time I looked up, “Meeting…?”. “Ah, yes”. I got up to leave, wishing once again, like I have at least a countless number of times, that Anu was still alive.

Jodha-Akbar

 

It’s all over the print media now. Jodhabai wasn’t the WIFE of Akbar instead his daughter-in-law. People are protesting silently all over Rajasthan against the release of the movie Jodha-Akbar which presents them as husband and wife, which according them isn’t true. Instead, Jodha was actually the wife of Salim.

 

 

I was like WHAT?! Could it possible be true? Could such a celebrated film maker like Ashutosh Gowarikar make such a blunder? After all his extensive research on this topic for 3 months in Agra, Lucknow and Rajasthan? I mean, doesn’t it all sound a bit too ridiculous?!! For all I know, even Mughal-e-azam presents Jodhabai as Akbar’s wife and not as Salim’s. Didn’t people raise a question on that? Or may be people weren’t just that crazy during those years!

 

 

Or could it be just-another-pre-release-hype controversy? Considering the kind of stuffs that come on papers before the release of any big-or-small movie these days. If it is so, then I don’t see why this movie needs all this hype. The movie is looking good, the feel and look is authentic (wouldn’t want to comment on the authenticity of the story here, cos considering we Indians, anything can be true! ). Hrithik and Ash (yes her too!) look great as well. Just trying to make a point that no matter what the controversy is, (rather what the truth behind this maze of relationships is) people will watch the movie. I will certainly catch up with the movie!