On December 31, 2019, nobody could have predicted what the world would look like a mere 3-4 months later. Now, we are in the month of April and the year 2020 as already ensured its prominent place in the annals of history. For the first time in forever, human being all over the world are confined to their homes as a virus, a submicroscopic agent wreaks havoc with life as we have known it. Airplanes have been grounded, bustling railway stations are empty and cars are sitting in their garages while Nature takes this unexpected break to heal. There are no more parties, no more night outs, no more shopping expeditions. In these unprecedented times, when the future remains uncertain from one day to the next, families and friends are separated by insurmountable geographical distance. Technology remains our only connection to each other, but it is difficult to have a conversation without referring to the elephant in the room – COVID-19 – once, or, you know, a million times.
Then, one day, I realized something. I was speaking with my mother and, just to change the topic, she started talking about the Bengali movies she had watched recently on various streaming platforms. Noting the names, I looked them up the very same day and started watching one of them – Mukherjee Dar Bou. As I watched the movie, I realized that, locked in our homes as we are, people are increasingly turning to the world of arts and literature for solace. One only needs to look at the proliferation on online content that has cropped up on social media – what are these but different ways of telling a story?
In these bleak times, however, there is a need for well written and well executed content and it is heartening to see the changing face of Indian cinema when it comes down to this. Take the movie I mentioned before – Mukherjee Dar Bou which roughly translates to Mr. Mukherjee’s Wife. The movie explores the complex dynamic between a woman and her mother in-law. Forever squabbling, the duo’s relationship gets a new lease of life under the guidance of a therapist who helps them to appreciate each others’ point of view. It is a tale simply told but there are moments that simply tug at the heartstrings. The elder Mrs. Mukherjee reminded me of my own maternal grandmother and some of the scenes seemed like pages out of my own life, so intimately familiar were they.
And that, to me, is the mark of good storytelling. Fancy stunts and flashy locales can take you only so far – what remains memorable are the way characters and their stories are fleshed out. The little details, the nuances – these are what make a story, any story rise above being simply average. That is what makes a movie or a book special to me and as an author, that is what I strive to capture in every book.
So here is to staying safe and enjoying the magical world of storytelling. Cheers!
