The Bollywood Bustle

          We Indians grow up in a world full of Bollywood exposure. As a kid, I remember those around me saying ‘Phod ke rakh dunga!’ or fancily trying to mimic Amir Khan’s trademark maachis-tongue theatricals from Ghulam, thinking that is cool. Who would deny? We’ve all been raised in a world where Bollywood ‘heroes’ and their gimmicks become trends faster than fashion trends. Last year, we saw umpteen people on streets hang their 50-bucks shades on the back of their collars, as they thought the world would goggle them, as they walk – head high with glory. Remember ‘O-O Jaane Jaana’? - Shirtless males with torn denims: that was the in-thing then! And 90s was not the start of it! I remember my Grandfather telling me how he fancied the Rajesh Khanna bib and tucker back in his days.
Since people see the ‘stars’ grab all the attention from the females with these thingamabobs, they imitate what they see on the big screen. The society associates coolness with what the film stars do. The society follows blindly, and the film stars and directors let new chickens fly out in the bourgeois, for them to chase. Smaller entrepreneurs gain money out of all this by selling ‘Dabangg glasses’ with all their bells and whistles. It’s not just the one section of the society that is affected by this, the community Garba and Lohri celebrations start with folk tunes, but always culminate in ‘Sheila ki Jawani’ and ‘Tu Mera Hero’.
But deep down in our hearts, we all know we’d enjoy being the front-people of that group of fifty that is dancing on ‘Koi Kahe, Kehta Rahe’. Even though we'd want to walk with our noses high, somewhere in our minds, there is that want of being in the spotlight, of being the Shahrukhs of our life stories that we compare to Dilwale, or Irfan Khans in a party where we deliberately want to make the college bully Pappu. There's that instant glamour element to these stars, that everyone catches quickly. Even though it's kinda too much to mindlessly go on streets without a shirt (just a word of advice - not of experience, you're free to try, though!), it's good to hope for a dramatic life - a life full of occasions that'd fit the soothing ballads of Lucky Ali and also the bombastic party songs of Sunidhi. Where's the fun without a little masala? :)