The movie called… Life

54 Comments

Note:- This post has absolutely nothing to do with the actual movie titled ‘Life‘. Nor is it based on any of it’s characters, the only resemblance being the name of this post. Pray note that before you continue reading.

The movie called….. Life.

Sunrise at riverside

I’m pretty sure that at some point or the other, we have all done this. Haven’t we?

Imagining ourselves as the protagonist of a movie or a TV show, often empathising and relating with him or her, the fantasy often ending with us wishing to be like them.

Most of the times, this fantasy gradually resolves as we come to realise the differences, the situations which separate us from them and which make us ‘us’ and them…. ‘them’. In short, we come in terms with what we like to call as ‘reality’.

Every once in a while though, it tends to become much more than that. The wishful thinking grows ever so strong as we desire to incorporate them in our lives.

But then there’s always ‘that’ part inside us.

It’s the part which keeps our ‘feet on the ground.’

It’s that part which has a very cliché argument, usually going like this:-

This isn’t a movie, dude! This is real life.

Well…. I disagree.

(Of course I do. Why else would I be writing this post, then?)

I think that our ordinary, mundane indeed have the potential of being like a movie.

And before you call me nuts for it, I’d like you to read what I have to say in defence.

Here we go!

A. What is a ‘movie’?

An old film camera

(Here comes my favourite part…. Definitions! Everybody say cheese!

Errrmmm…. The ‘cheese’ is because I know that no sane person usually smiles at the prospect of any definition. Thought I’d force it out of you anyways.)

There are two definitions of the word movie, or rather it’s synonym, film. The first one is a technical/scientific one that has nothing to do with our topic of discussion.

(Happy? Don’t be. Because the second one is relevant.)

And it goes as follows:-

A film is a story or event recorded by a camera as a set of moving images and shown in a cinema or on a television.

Confused? Let me help you.

The point I am trying to make here is that at it’s very core, any film or movie is in fact, a story.

I guess you must be like…

‘But we don’t have a story!

We don’t have ANYTHING that sets us apart.

We have nothing that could make people gaze in awe at us, willing to sit for a couple of hours at one place, let alone paying for it!’

I have two things to say in response to this.

Firstly…. Calm down, will ya? I never said anything about people actually watching a movie filmed on you. Logistics aside, the idea in itself is humongously absurd.

And secondly…..

You have answered your own question. Sort of, atleast.

That being:-

For a couple of hours.

What do I mean by that?

Allow me to give you an example. A couple of them in fact.

Look at the image below

The history of our planet in 24 hours

Have you guys ever heard of these videos made on the web where they attempt to recreate the entire history of our planet in just 24 hours?

Well, if not, then you should really check it out sometime. Who knows, it might be more worthwhile than simply fooling around on my blog….

(Just saying)

Our Earth has been existing since the past 4.54 billion years. Although a huge amount of change has occurred on this planet, almost all of it has been agonisingly slow. So much so that it will certainly appear non-existent to anyone ignorant of it’s entirety. Like our ancestors a few hundred years ago.

(BTW, pray don’t ask me how many zeroes a ‘billion’ has. Don’t know, don’t care.)

But now, imagine it all cramped in just 24 hours. Everything would suddenly seems so vivid. Right?

Don’t you get it?

It’s not your entire life that has to be ‘interesting’. It’s just those couple of hours! That’s all it takes!

Well, you might say,

‘Dude, seriously?! Are we going to compare ourselves to Mother Earth now?! Apart from the fact that it’s a big ol’ freakin’ planet, do you actually think we’ll live for 4.54 billion years! Oh, for God’s sake!

Fine! Have it your way then.

Let me compare you with something much more mundane then.

A small seedling.

Of a green pea, to be precise.

अंकुराची वाढ (Growth of a pea plant)

Dadasaheb Phalke
Dadasaheb Phalke

For those of you who don’t know him, this is the photograph of Dadasaheb Phalke, also known as the father of Indian Cinema. In 1913, he made his debut with the film ‘Raja Harishchandra’, which was the first film ever made by an Indian. He then went on to make 94 more feature length films and 27 short films. Needless to say, he had a highly successful career.

That isn’t my point though.

You see, before he made his first film, he did something else to impress or rather to convince his highly skeptical neighbors and relatives.

He made a short film. Of a pea plant.

The idea was simple. He planted some peas in a pot and watered them daily.

(Of course he watered them. It isn’t magic, you know.)

When he watered them, he also took an image with his camera. A single image.

Everyday, he did the same thing, with the camera fixed on a tripod so as not to change the frame.

At the end of the month, or rather, a couple, he had a short film prepared of a length just above a minute. And it showed the plant grow slowly from a sprout to a climber.

A pea plant in a glass jar

In itself, the images seem pretty mundane, don’t they? Just a single frame of an ordinary pea plant.

But together, they were much more eventful, accounting for an intriguing watch.

So if an ordinary pea plant, whilst taking a month could successfully entertain people for a minute, why can’t you do it for a couple of hours?

Yes, you can.

But don’t.

So let us get this straight. You just spent a good amount of time trying to get us convinced that our lives can be like a movie. And now that we have finally agreed, you are saying no? What was your point, exactly?

Well….. I’m not denying you the possibility of your life being like a movie.

What I am saying is that don’t go after making it one.

Why?

You said it yourself, remember?

For a couple of hours…

(And this is where we stop for today. You see, according to me, there’s no point in a movie without an intermission full of mystery and suspicion. Don’t worry. It’ll be up by the next week, I guarantee you that much.)

Introspection, Psychology, Science , , , , , , , , , ,

54 Comments »

  2. Hey, glad to see you writing again, inspiration always strikes at the drop of a hat, doesn’t it? You have certainly chosen an interesting concept, I m very much interested of what you have in store for us after the intermission. As for the movie up till now, u certainly have an interesting way in putting your point forward, not that I disagreed with anything you wrote, it was simply amusing to read about various other facts along with trying to decipher your intention with the blog. Hope the second one is as amusing as this one. Good work!!

    Liked by 5 people

    • Hello! And a big thank you for the comment!
      Yeah, I’m glad about finding my spark again. Don’t know how long it’ll last though😅
      I’m really pleased to hear that you enjoyed reading the post. And I am indeed hoping to keep that up in my next update.

      Stay tuned! 😊

      Like

  3. Pingback: Liebster Awards 1 & 2 – wide-eyed wanderer

  5. Hey! Glad to see you writing again!
    I connected with this concept because I’ve often imagined certain periods of my life to be part of some soap opera. Something like that.
    You see, sometimes, when I experience particularly bad situations, I imagine that time to be a part of some show in which I’m the audience. It is sorta better to think that way because you know that the show will be over soon and you make the best decisions in that short moment.
    Well, the idea of this post truly fascinated me and so did the facts. I actually smiled when I read the part about the definitions.😁
    Looking forward to what comes after the intermission!

    Liked by 5 people

    • Hello!

      Thanks a lot! Yeah, I’m glad that I am back to writing too, but it’s only for a couple more posts (Spoiler alert:- It includes your nomination) For I have my exams coming up fast…

      Yeah, I knew people could relate with it and hence I chose this topic. I have done that as well. In fact sometimes I really wonder whether all this is in fact a virtual reality and that someone is waiting to yell ‘cut’ the moment we die.

      Although, as you will see in the next post, that’s not quite the point 😅

      Stay tuned! Update is coming up day after tomorrow!

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Pingback: The movie called life: Unabridged – The Pensieve

  7. No worries. Your ramble made for quite the interesting read. I won’t claim to totally understand it, but I will say that I love lemonade having had to make some a few hundred times myself. I admire the spoons full of sugar I suspect you found to drop in and the stirs you seem to have given it. Well, whatever made “it” drinkable brought you back for another swig of life. Alrighty Then & a BIG Bravo!!!

    Liked by 4 people

  8. I like your style.And there is the consideration that truth is so often stranger than fiction. Life, real life, is often too much for the movies. The reaction can sometimes be:” What? Come on…. that would never happen in real life!” When in fact it did happen in real life.

    Liked by 3 people

  10. Pingback: The Ideal self-suffix…. – The Pensieve

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  14. Interesting post, I like the concept as living your life as though it is a film for a few hours as we all become caught up in the routine and duty without leaving ourselves enough time for enjoyment.

    Liked by 3 people

  16. Interesting concept of a film. I always find time explanation that way fascinating, like realizing that a star is about to go super nova has already happened by the time we get to know about it, based on the speed of light. Like a projector projecting an image from a near and far distance, it will get there, time is a constant, just a matter of when. Just mind boggling to think about. Interesting graph, I think time will only be added to the 4-7 and 9-19 and 21-23, painfully slow, in the graph nothing co-exists until later hours, so in reverse with demise, wondering if it would play out the same, but we would never recognize it as such or see a trend unless it was sped up in much the same way I think.

    Liked by 2 people

  24. Growing up knowing that I was adopted I used to dream allsorts of things, and make a film out of who my real parents were. Now I think my life story could be a film and am writing the book to make that a reality. Believe me the story is better than any dream that I had in my head growing up. Blessings Joy

    Liked by 2 people

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