Can we do without films?

They say we are a cricket driven nation. Sure we are. When Sachin Tendulkar bats, all other work is left aside to cheer the little master.

But it is not just cricket that runs in our blood. Movies do too. Indians have two passions: cricket and movies.

The drama. The music. The action. The actors. We just love it.

Like Saif Ali Khan said in an interview once, "In a depressed and repressed country like ours, movies provide an escape from reality."

I am not sure how depressed or repressed we are, but movies are a welcome break from the tensions and disappointments of a non-illusionary existence.

So how important is Bollywood in our regular life? How imperative are films? Can we do without them?

I, for one, cannot. And I believe there are millions out there just like me. And it is not just about catching a first day-first show or watching every happening movie running in town. It is also the paraphernalia that comes with it.

The stars, for one. They are in the news all the time but no one really knows them. So that added enigma makes them more intriguing than they really are.

So whether it is conscious or not, the head invariably turns to see Amitabh Bachchan's cagey mansion in Juhu or Shah Rukh Khan's sea-facing bungalow in Bandra.

I remember a conversation I had with my driver. Hailing from Bihar, he shyly asked me, "Didi, Amitabh Bachchan ka ghar kahan hai [Where is Amitabh Bachchan's house]?"

Next time we passed Juhu's Link Road, I showed it to him. Needless to say, his starstruck eyes gleamed.

I hear teenagers discuss film stars in train compartments all the time. "My God, Kareena [Kapoor] overacted in K3G [Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham]." Others say, "I think Preity [Zinta] is the best. She is so cute, na?" 

We are a nation of emotional people. And actors are elevated to God-like status. Amitabh Bachchan is called god all the time. I haven't seen it but I hear there's an Amitabh temple in Kolkata. Then there is A R Rahman. For his fans, this composer is nothing short of the Almighty.

I used to think my friends and I were the only ones who spoke in movie dialogues or broke into impromptu filmi quizzes. I was surprised to hear Indians studying abroad do this too. 

A friend recalls, "Tumhari plan hi galat hai," was the most popular retort for every blooper while studying in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York.

I guess we are lydat wonly?

Movie of the week:
Okay, you must watch The Last Samurai. It is about discovering yourself in the most unexpected place -- as a war prisoner -- amidst the enemy, the samurai.

Captain Nathan Algren's (played by Tom Cruise) journey in a foreign land, his experiences, discoveries, coupled with his dark, regretful past made The Last Samurai an engaging expedition.

Asian emotions are either the subject of ridicule or considered a mysterious wonder for the Western imagination. So it is hardly surprising that Hollywood dismissed this one.

Or maybe it was the film's anti-American stand?

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In Lasse Hallstrom's adaptation of John Irving's novel, The Cider House Rules, the character of Dr Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine) had a peculiar way of wishing the orphanage children good night.

He would warmly say, "Goodnight, you princes of Maine. You kings of New England." The manner in which he made the children feel special was truly amazing. Nominated for seven Oscars, the touching drama fetched Caine and Irving Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay Awards respectively.