They should not have shown them doing it before marriage

My wife and kids got down from the car and went to the counter to get the tickets. We had booked online tickets for the movie “2 States” in the multiplex closer to our house. I drove the car to the parking lot and after parking it started walking to the counter. My wife was ready with the tickets in her hand.My kids were standing next to her.

I looked at them and found that my son was not pleased with the turn of events. I could understand. He wanted to go a English 3D kids movie but  was vetoed out by a 3:1 ratio as me, my wife and my daughter wanted to go to “2 States”. I went to him and told “Look we have been going to movies of your choice many times. This time it is of our choice. You know this movie is based on the book of my favorite writer Chetan Bhagat. I promise you to get  coke and pop corn in the theater”. He smiled as his strategy had worked. He started jumping and we made it to the cinema hall.  I looked at my daughter and said “Chetan is from IIT and IIM. You should take him as a role model”.

“Do you need to study at the IIT to write a book?” She replied. I had no answer but did not hide my admiration for this guy.

The movie started and all of us became engrossed in it as it was interesting.  

The canteen scene started in the movie. The leading lady walked into the  hostel canteen.

There were three aunties sitting in front of us. One of them started “Chitra you see the heroin. She is so beautiful. South Indian girl in a Hindi movie”.

The aunty next to her said “Lalitha she is Alia Bhat and she is not a south Indian”.

“I know” Lalitha added “The character she is portraying is that of a Tamil girl”.

After few minutes the film became more romantic and the focus shifted to the hostel room of the heroin and the pair started kissing one another and other intimate moments followed.

I immediately covered the eyes of my son with my palm. I released my hand from his eyes only after the scene was over. I hoped no such scene would come again in the movie.

Soon it was interval and I walked out of the hall with my son. He dragged me straight to the counter where pop corn was being sold. I stood in the queue. In front of me the aunties were standing and I could recognise them by their names as they were so loud while talking in the movie hall.

“The movie is good and I hope it will remain interesting till the end” Lalitha told.

Chitra replied “Agreed the movie is good. I have only one complaint.

 They should not have shown them doing it before marriage”.

Chitra look back at me. I was puzzled and startled by the statement made by her. I immediately responded “I do not know. I did not do it before marriage”.

Chitra blushed and started telling Lalitha in Tamil and was laughing. I could understand that she told her friend that I was naughty.

I cared a little and bought pop corn when my turn came and went back to the cinema hall with my son.

My prayers were answered and the rest of the movie was fine and humorous. Once the movie was over we walked to the cellar where the car was parked.

 On the way back home I shared with my wife the remarks made by the aunties about the movie . I told her “Look in India movies play a very important role in our lives. People associate themselves with the characters in the movies. They expect the hero and the heroin to be perfect and cannot digest any wrong done by them. The ladies at the cinema hall were happy about the movie but could not digest the pre marital relation and the intimate moments the lead pair had”.

I continued “Have you observed  Hindi and south Indian movies? In many cases the hero is confronted by about dozen well built thugs who get royally beaten by him. I do not understand why these thugs come one by one to be beaten by the hero. Why can’t they talk amongst themselves and charge together on him?

Let us talk of  south Indian movies. I asked one of my close friends why our heroes were dark. He told me that they should look one amongst us and so they were dark in complexion. In such a case what about the heroines? Why are they from north India? Why do we expect our heroines to be fair and fairer?

I remember as a kid I went to watch movie of a famous Telugu hero in a twin theater. I found that there was a crowd gathered outside the theater and they were protesting. They were protesting because their hero’s movie was being screened in the ground floor screen and the rival hero's movie was being shown in the first floor screen. Their argument was that their hero’s movie was being screened below the movie of the rival hero.”

We came closer to our house. I then parked the car in the portico and we entered the house. After dinner we went to sleep.

Few months passed and the movie “2 states” was being shown in TV channels. The entire family of ours was sitting in the drawing room watching it.

The inevitable happened. The kissing scene in the hostel room of the heroin was next. I took the remote in my hand. My son ran into the bedroom. I got up and going into the bedroom asked him why he did so.

He replied “Dad anyway you are going to either close my eyes or change the channel. I felt it was better for me to run into the bedroom and come back to watch the movie once the scene got over”.