Wednesday, October 20, 2010
i love bollywood... we all love bollywood
In this world full of statistics addicts who are forever conducting surveys to prove some point or the other, here is a refreshing incident which needs no survey to prove the ongoing popularity of Bollywood icons – even those that have faded from active memories.
Just the other evening as I cruised down Africa Avenue on my way home at a very leisurely speed of 30 kmph – I was politely waved at and asked to pull over by a couple of traffic cops who took a second out from their rather busy schedules to smile at me (keeping their pre-Commonwealth Games manner workshops in mind) and before pulling out their challan books wondered in the same affable manner, why I had jumped a clean red light.
“Oops!” I said, before wiping a very confused look off my face and smiled, hoping it would help. When the matter didn’t settle, I tried getting away with, “Sorry bhaiya, but the signal was yellow when…” even as both shook their heads one could almost hear the younger one say, “Don’t even try that one!” while the older one in his best official way stated loudly, clearly and with a smile: “Madam, no, the light very much red and you in fact, came down road very carefully, slowly. Madam sorry, we will have to challan!”
“Sorry bhaiya, mistake ho gayi!!”
“No, Madam, the only thing is – we will challan you minimum but challan we will! Pleaes show your license madam!”
“Okay, Bhaiya!” Someone had to give in and they were the ones on duty so… I hunted up my DL and handed it over. It was only then that it hit me - it was all Shammi Kapoor’s fault! He was the one wooing Sharmila Tagore with Deewana hua badal / sawan ki ghata chhaee… on my car stereo! So, just how on earth did anyone expect me to be paying attention to a stupid, old red light?
I turned to the younger guy with a grin and said, “Bhaiya, aapko sach bata doon, kya hua, yeh galti kaise ho gayi?” And rather intrigued, he tilted his head at just the right 30 degrees, partially leaned over to hear what I was saying and continued to make the challan even as he leant an interested ear and partially raised eyebrows - all complementing a look which said, 'No, smart ones allowed.' “Ji, kya hua?” this last as he tore off the challan and handed back the DL alongwith it, while putting out his hand for a Rs. 100 note.
“Mein Shammi Kapoor ke gaane sun rahi thi… isiliye light ka dhyan nahin raha!”
“Arre! Uffohh Madam, pehle batana chahiye tha na!” His clearly apologetic and regretful tone gave me the feeling that he would have earnestly let me go had I let him on the secret earlier but…the deed had been done.
That one challan has been safely filed and saved in the hope that one day soon Shammi Kapoor will autograph it… After all, he is an icon who cuts across generation barriers like no one else and after this one, we certainly need no statistics to prove it!
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