50 Shades of Screen

The screens were so much of a prized and planned affair not so very long ago. The day would start with grabbing the newspaper FILM section, the show would be decided and then the youngest one of the family or the one with latest driving licenses would be put to test their primitive instincts of hunting . This would lead the volunteer to a long serpentine queue or to a time saver rant of 10 ka Tees /10 Ka Tees- The Hunter was sent to make a kill and he has to return with the bounty . With no mobiles or pagers the return of this noble soul was hailed by everyone as victorious prince and then someone would cautiously count those kite pink or kite blue papers to make sure that nobody is missed - The one who was counting was always safe somehow !

Then the best of the ceremonious costumes were unfolded – Charli perfumes were loaded and no matter two wheeler or four wheelers – everything was pressed into action to reach 15 mins before the show – It was very important to see how others have decked up for the movie and critically analyse the janta swag. Equally difficult was to stop getting jealous to see someone flaunting white boots ,bell bottoms,Anil Kapoor hairstyle or Sridevi perm hair - fashion would just be visible in these waiting lobby of theatres- and yes the whole area would smell like a perfume shop with people turning up with entire generations available in the city – Kids + Mom DAD + Nani Nanu + Dadi Dadu+ guests( during vacations were a must ). Actually movie screening was never so expensive then, all it would cost is a ticket and intermission would get affordably managed by anonymous and gratifying combo of aloo patty and cold drinks( how many of you remember bottle opener running on bottles to make that rattling noise ) – The combo still leaves me ringing and craving somehow !

The theatres with just a single screen were nothing less than icons in the city . They were not only limited( we would know the owners off course) but at the same time their presence was so monumental that we all loved to landmark them in our postal address – They were in fact nothing less than google map for anything 5 kms beyond or before their benign abode . The first lesson of marketing which India has learned is certainly from these cinema ghars. The posters of the running and forthcoming movies were so aptly and amply placed that many of us would only keep on grazing them to reach our school without realizing the sun, rain or cold- Then the demand generation was extremely galore with mobile kiosks of Mr Bacchan on a rickshaw doing rounds – First Day First Show in the X Hall – Balcony ho ya Stall – Somehow!!

The same screen has got fragmented over the years – With passage of time things which were desired and less have gradually found their way inside every household with customised screen sizes as per the individual pocket. What started as a crusade with color televisons , VCRs, cable TVs, Life Jhinga Lala has finally made HD ( High Demand) content streaming in your drawing rooms with the liberty of that time machine called “Remote” – You can pause, you can resume without slithering into time loops- The lingo for screen is LED now days, and if the LED is not smart put it on FIRE – just a matter of a small wire – Somehow !

The affair which started with once in a month or may be twice has taken gargantuan proportions- In fact, the same screen makes you feel private seldom and exposed more than often- when you are in house I bet you are on screen and when you step out I doubly bet that you are screened . Adding endless fuel to this fission is the social media craving where we like to be viewed on screen by everyone for only adding carbon footprints across the globe- We love to be screened- In fact the screen today is like a Time Prism- We have our past archived, we have our current status updated and future holidays planned peeping into someone else’ screens..Somehow !

And finally a car without screen is like a horror movie without a scream – so make sure you have one there too – My son has just got an invite to Zoom with his classmates.

World is no more a stage- It is a screen only !! Somehow !!