Life in a Metro

By - Md. Mudassir Alam

As I am a movie buff, so watching movies is a regular affair for me. This past week I saw Anurag Basu's new movie 'Life in a Metro'. The title of the movie is sufficient enough to define what the movie is all about, but seeing the story in silver screen is altogether a different experience. In the entire movie the life in a metro is portrayed in various ways such as the busy life of people, the crowded streets, packed buses and local trains.

In fact, almost everything shown in the film is very much close to reality and it presents the harsh truth of today’s India before us. Whether you take the character of Rahul (Sharman Joshi), a young guy from Bhilai came to Mumbai to fulfill his dreams or struggling youths like Akash (Shiney Ahuja) looking for a job or Shruti (Konkona Sen), an unmarried woman in film checking out guys on shaadi.com or Irfaan Khan staring on the legs of a girl in an autorickshaw. In addition to these, the characters played by Kay Kay Menon and Shipla Shetty depicts the problems faced by the couples who don’t have time for each other or to understand each others feelings. Beside, the characters of Dharmendra and Nafisa Ali add some more crisp in the story.

In one of his recent interview director Anurag Basu said, "The film is as real as it can get. I remember facing all kinds of problems like Rahul (Sharman Joshi) does in the movie when I came to Mumbai from Bhilai a few years back." Basu mentioned that "We have a flat owned by an NRI in our apartment block where we see people doing all those things that I have shown in the film. People in my building laughed when they saw the film; they knew wherefrom I got that idea"

Of course, whatever shown in metro is reel life not real, but you can’t deny it all. It’s happening today in metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore etc. where everybody is running behind the false name and fame. For getting the name and fame one can do everything, call centre culture has become a curse for today’s youth. In lure of earning quick money youths are attracting towards call centres, they use to work in night shifts and develop physical relation with their colleagues as well. Next for getting promotions employees concentrate more on pleasing their boss rather working. They can choose any way, either by offering gifts or the way Sharman Joshi has opted in the movie Metro. In contrast the bosses too, don’t hesitate to demand for one night stand or other means from their juniors.

What’s going in metros of India is a big threat for the cultural roots of the country. Now the big question is?Who is responsible for such acts? Of course, no one, we ourselves are responsible for this, the fascination for name and fame, running behind the big desires has blocked our mind totally. We have forgot the roots of our rich culture and don’t care about morals and ethics. Our relationships with our close ones are becoming worse day-by-day, husbands and wives are not understanding each other, youngsters have been trapped in false love affairs, fashion, night-club and pub culture, what will happen in next five or 10 years we can’t imagine.

Even today, if we Indians will not understand what Indian culture and traditions tell us, that day is not far when we will face the same problems what Western countries are facing such as frequent divorces, extra marital affairs, suicidal attempts and so on. Better we should discover and follow our own cultural roots, which makes India different from other countries of the world.