Entertaining Influences

INSPIRATION  

That is something you can find anywhere and everywhere. 

A friend said something strikingly true about me yesterday. I, he observed am very easily influenced by the stuff I watch in movies. And I didn’t disagree even a little bit. Though I would prefer to use the word Inspire. Or maybe not...

When I was a kid, I loved to write stories. No, it wasn’t really my own interest. Once I had found a story written by one of my cousins in her neat handwriting, striking similar to what I read. So when I came home, I managed to produce a piece of paper and a pencil and sat down to write my own story. It was a silly one, about four kids who live in old-time Europe, own a dog and have a club. Of course the club has a password, there are robberies going on in the small town they live in and their parents, though absolutely lovely creatures who provide them limitless food and ask no questions of their whereabouts during the day, do not believe in their theory of the ongoing thefts. So the children set out to prove it.

There was absolutely nothing original in this story. But oh, how proud I was by the time I finished it! In reality, I had no idea that the kind of setting my story had had long since vanished from Europe. Actually I had no idea where Europe was!! Yet, my stories remained the same, inspired so I wrote about Magical Lands, Boarding Schools, Brothers who save the world from terrorists, Kids who set out to collect animals(Pokémon) or to complete missions and about Boy wizards. It was years before I actually realized that if I wanted to write, it should be something original.

My activities weren’t any different. I believed that every little question mark was a great mystery. I pleaded day and night to my parents for a pet dog, I started eating Spinach only because of Popeye, yearned to start a band like Archie and even started a couple of investing clubs. I wished for genies for Vicky’s Vetaal, Frooty’s Sonpari or Rohit’s Jadoo and after I drew something, say a Cadbury, I would actually place a Cadbury on it, pretending that I had Sanju’s magic pencil.

I went for my first summer camp after having watched Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. And I went for my first adventure camp after watching Krrish. I made my friends accompany me to the top of a building considered haunted. And another time, me and my friends got into big fat trouble after making crank calls at night. We still laugh over these incidents, and I can say that all these are the best memories of my life. After I watched Wake Up Sid, I knew that I had to do something good out of my life, something I was already good at. I deal with little fights pretending I am in Bigg Boss and the whole country will jeer at me if I don’t handle the fights wisely. So yes, I do get easily inspired by movies I watch; they make every day of my life a memory. So I am proud of that.

“Main Udd Na Chahta Hu Naina, Daudna Chahta Hu, Girna Bhi Chahta Hu… Bas Rukna Nahi Chahta.”

I have said and heard this dialogue a million times since yesterday. We were enjoying the early rains in my town Roha. After we were done, eating cold Bhajji and trying to dry ourselves out, I still was coming up with new ideas. 'Let’s Go Here, Let’s Go There.'. 

That is when my friend Nikunj said- “Kalpak is very easily influenced by what he watch in movies.” Then he continued. “After watching Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, he is full of doing adventurous stuff. Main udna chahta hu, daudna chahta hu, girna chahta hu.” He mocked me.

He was right. Mentally I had already geared up for a snow trek next year. I was actually going to go to the trek this year itself but had to push the idea to next year. But the movie had reminded me of how I liked mountaineering as a kid, and now the idea had become even more concrete in my mind. Ranbir Kapoor’s character in the movie, his thinking, his lifestyle had really inspired me. Stopping to smell the roses is fine, but I’d rather pluck a few and carry them with me. It’s like Barney Stinson says, take life and turn it into a sting of memories. Crazy memories. And did anyone miss Aditya Roy Kapoor’s line in the movie, when he is speaking about how he and Ranbir are gonna rent out an apartment after the trek ends? “Vo TV serial FRIENDS ki tarah.” Inspired!

Original is cool. But inspired is cool too. Ask our filmmakers!

And about being inspired by Kabir “Bunny” Thapar, there’s a line in the song Ilahi-

“Kal pe Sawaal Hai… Jeena Filhal Hai…”