Happily (n)ever after?

It’s exhilarating to look passively, on what tracks your mind trudges on after seeing a movie that displays a cornucopia of human emotions- dark and those which have no respectable place in this world. Not because these emotions induce you to a state of melancholy trance, but the glaring reality of their existence, and their denial in other mainstreams works and popular culture. The Hours – is a movie about three woman across generations, living out their lives, and making decisions on what to do with their lives thereof- live it in unhappiness, not live it at all, move on away, or throw parties to shield themselves from the emptiness. It doesn’t end on a joyous note, the last scene where Virginia Woolf drowns herself in a river, is mesmerizing, in its simplicity and lack of grandeur. The movies does not horrify me at any point, that is not Stephen Daldry’s intent. It makes the audience accept the decisions made by the characters, however unrealistic or preposterous they may seem. Moreover, the acting does not assault my senses, in fact, it is deeply ethereal, yet natural.
Coming to an actual assault on senses though, my mind is drawn to the movies I’ve seen courtesy the Indian cine industry. Somehow, I can’t think of a single movie where the finale of the movie isn’t dotted with giddy brides and obnoxiously handsome grooms riding into the sunset in their daddys Toyota Corolla or are seen making promises of an impending wedding. (It’s a glaring exaggeration! Is what you’re going to say. This is also where you refer me to movies like Rang De Basanti, Udaan, Tare Zameen Par, but let’s get real- these radical movies are exceptions rather than the norm.) So as I so rightfully mentioned in the parentheses, that’s it, that’s how 95% of mainstream Hindi movies end. Is this a representation of reality? Or is this shaping our reality? This issue of causality though confusing, is something worth a thought. I guess my thoughts diverge onto two levels now- firstly, why is that Bollywood adheres to this need to end movies with a couple getting betrothed? Perhaps their opinion of the audiences’ maturity and depth is excruciatingly low. Somehow, I am not surprised. People do treat movies like a popcorn crunching fest- a getaway haven of sorts, that makes the experience enjoyable only when their puny minds are not exercised. This is how the graphical representation would shout out bloody murder.

The second question is of practical relevance. Is a wedding the penultimate objective that any individual can strive for personally? Lets assume it is, and hence the Indian movie industries proclivity to absorb itself in wedding related hogwash. So if we are assuming that the movies are representing the actual state of the society, then the fact that comes to the foreground is even more appallingly shallow and well, my apologies, but blasphemous! Weddings are not the happily ever after that everyone makes them out to be. It isn’t my intent to sound deterministic or to belittle the institution of marriage (nor is this the account of an ugly, embittered 40 year old unable to find a suitable husband-as one may cognitively try to justify to himself or herself after reading this) however, I refuse to believe that this one event can cause me to believe that on crossing the threshold, on to the other side, life would be hunky-dory, I’d be ridden off all my foibles, and love will make all the issues disappear. Marriage has its merits (I do not attempt to elucidate this here though), yet the array of grandiose gestures surrounding it and making it out to be this pinnacle of happiness and delirium, need to be put to rest or squashed or well, whatever makes you happy.