Preview Story-Part 2 & Final..

Internet for me was just for checking Emails and sometimes checking out film based websites {for new movies only}. One day a cousin of mine introduced me to Social networking site called Orkut where I can connect to my school/College friends. Yes I did manage to get few school friends but at same time entered a group called “Bollywood” where I met likeminded people with whom I can share the madness of films which was buried somewhere inside me. From childhood days I was in search of these types of friends whose filmi wavelength matched me, but never got one thus settled down for new movies and basic chat with regular friends with average I.Q on Hindi films. But out here things were different, the more we share-more we gained. I met my first Soul mate named Fizza out here, she was from Pakistan and besides that I dint knew anything about her {or was he..Doesn’t matter} except that she too was a great filmi freak by heart and had excellent knowledge about Indian cinema despite of being from a neighboring country. The respect grew along with the friendship and formed a new community named “Filmi Freak” which was exclusively for movie buffs with passion for Hindi films only. The caravan was joined by more Filmi Freaks like Divya, Harsh, Abhishek, Sharib, Suresh, Punnu, Kiran, Manish, Arnab, Subur and many many more. Whenever I use to be there I felt I am with my people, the web world was more fun and appealing for me than the boring routine real world.

We started to meet each other and then use to call for hours and hours discussing Hindi Film in full details {from Old movies to New everything}. The community started growing and so did the members, the love which I got out there was something which I never got in my whole life. The passion which I had was considered as topic of fun for my family and friends never gave me such respect and self satisfaction. With remembering the old Hindi movies, I again started watching old Hindi films which I had watched years back and still enjoyed the same. These were among the best days of my Social networking and filmi times.

The popularity and passion in Filmi Freak got me an opportunity to do a Research work for a Website owned by Pritam and Arnab. Out there I met another Filmi Freak who was not connected to the Industry and yet took time to pursue his passion for Hindi Cinema, Dr.Ashok. Together we got all our Filmi Freak gang in the project and an opportunity was created for all of them to earn from their passion. I thought since all these youngsters have so much passion for cinema, even they must be having some sort of restrictions at their places. Thus selected them in this project and they all earned some good amount of money which made most of them feel proud at their home as they earned it from their passion which was again useless for most of people. Few got their first payment of their life, few decided to take movies as their career, few decided to enhance their knowledge and passion more, but for me a new passion started and that was of collection of movies.

I use to buy movies but like any common movie lover most of them use to be popular ones, but after the website incident and meeting so many new friends the collection now started to divert on rare and offbeat’s films along with those not seen. I thought this might be a good opportunity for me to watch all those unseen movies which I had missed during my growing up day and also to watch those rare movies which I cherished watching in those days.

Then came a opportunity to take part in a Film quiz show named “Bollywood Ka Boss {BKB}” and again out there met loads of another Filmi freaks whose level of Hindi Cinema was at par or much ahead than me. BKB got me more fame and some good amount of money too, but more than all of those I met loads of new friend s that besides watching movies had an addiction of collecting movies. Bobby, Pratik, Devendra, Pravir were among the top collectors who helped me to expand my collection of movies which was more of common films.

Slowly the collection started to grew and from common movies my focus diverted to rare and off beat films. This got me close to some more new friends from the Industry like G.K With G.K i started understanding the depth of Hindi Film Industry and also went on to nostalgic trips in 80’s and 90’s of Indian cinema. He got me various opportunities to meet many celebrities from Hindi Film Industry and like an average film butt I was star struck. He got me in world of Radio where I had a platform of meeting celebrities and to showcase my collection and talent. G9 was my on air name where I shared rare trivia’s and scripted the entire show called Picture Pandey which was a retro show on F.M 104.

Now the life was not the same for me as things had turned tipsy topsy, most of time went in Orkuting, Chatting, Radio and Collecting movies. To add on it there was weekly reviewing of new movies for the website, and on other side my work, personal life, normal friends and most important watching of old Hindi movies started to decline. The passion of collecting films had turned into a obsession, money use to knock in my wallet when I use to see a DVD store, first VCD then DVD then Abrode prints, etc the collection started to go on the endless route.

At that time I saw some changes in Dr.Ashok and Bobby’s life, the passion had slowed down drastically and they had diverted themselves back to real world as they were fed up of this movies stuff. I tried to get them back to what they loved, but now the fear inside me grew more and started to think if this happened with me I will be again lost in the normal world like I had years back.

The fear and Obsession {of collecting movies} grew simultaneously. I decided to give proper time to work and family and then to my passion and started succeeding in slow pace but all this was at the cost of something. My Old movies watching had zeroed down and patience of watching old films {keeping in mind the time it was made with restriction, crowd demand and available sources} had gone.

I had loads of likeminded friends, a community which gives me pride, a radio show, loads and loads of rare movies and normal movies,etc but my movie watching was not there with me anymore. I was back at square one, where I was a decade back.

And that’s when I saw an English movie “Julia and Julia” where the heroine decides to make minimum one cooking recipe a day and write it down on a blog. This gave me a hope, a hope to be back in my own world and most important enjoy it.

Thus with a New Year I to decide to blog down my movie watching experience and share them with more such likeminded people. I know many of these movies might not appeal majority of people and also I don’t know how much will be my ratio in doing this new venture along with loads of other old stuffs. But one thing I know and that is I love Indian cinema and will do anything to keep it alive in me and then in as many as I can by passing it to them.

That’s the reason I am here for most important work of my life – To watch movies.

Films and Blog - Nai Manzil ke Humsafar.... :) -The Preview Story

I wonder what am i doing here and what will i do out here...

I am more of a talker than a writer when it comes to talk/write about Hindi movies. I can go on non stop on a given topic, but when it comes to write the lazy guy inside me takes over the command.

On beginners note, i love Hindi movies from my childhood days and was crazy over them. ya ya i know many are, so what makes me different is i was not allowed to watch movies at my home as a kid {as it use to affect my grades - My parents verdict} so use to watch movies at other peoples home, street cinema at ganpati times, use to go to grandparents place in vacations alone so can watch movies out there without any Rok Tok. Watching Movies posters, Movie Catalogues in Video Stores, Audio Cassettes and VHS Cassettes in Audio-Video Stores use to give me best thrill of my life in those days. Since there was no access to Film magazines these thrill also use to be my point of references when given opportunity to hire Video Cassettes or go to cinema hall to watch movies.

Rajkot and Nasik were my fav vacation spot in summer and Winter time, where at one place i was allowed to watch any movies with my cousins in cinema hall which were damn cheap and on another side had a VCR player with full access to Video library. I use to wait for vacation and my parents use to think i miss my grandparents so much, thus was desperate to meet them in vacation, little did they know along with the love it was the love for movies which attracted me out there :).

I use to spend hours in the Video Library and use to browse through the entire collection and after few days use to show the owner the movies location in his stores when he was not able to find them.

Diwali Vacations were also not spared, My elder maternal uncle {who too was a filmi freak} use to call me at his place and he use to hire a VCR player {which were too expensive in those time to buy} for whole month and the again the video library use to be his friends place where i had full access. i remember those afternoon watching old movies with my grandmother and aunt as new movies were reserved for evening with uncle.

Now a kid who had full restrictions at his place and on contrast side had full happening vacations needed some dose of movies when staying with parents. In those days Doordarshan use to show Hindi movies only on Sunday which was allowed to me too provided my homework was all done. but this was too less for me as the thirst for watching Hindi movies was so high, thus started going to friends place and later to unknown peoples place where ever movies were being played. slowly this became a new game for me on holidays as i use to sit in middle of my colony and once the Video library guy entered the gate i use to check which movies he has got and then decide my watch, then use to follow him to the renters place and once that house curtains were drawn i use to shamelessly go there asking for water {even if it was on 3rd or 4th floor} and then slowly sit there and watch the whole movie.

As all good things end soon, my this new game was also spotted by my parents and had some best bashing of my life. the restrictions grew more as i started growing up, but on brighter side the invasion of Cable T.V was like a blessing in disguise for me. It started with 2 movies a day growing to 4 movies a day. The cable guy use to send a list where movies schedule of a whole week used to be typed. I had a type writer at home but dint know how to type, thus learnt typing and later made the list of my movies to be watched and use to give it to the cable guy who happily accepted it as it saved his time and money. Slowly i was the most popular among my friends who favoured me a lot to get their request on the list.

Time flew by and things changed. Invasion of satellite T.V and Academic Pressure tried their best to divert my attention from Movies to all these fancy stuff. The only saviour was watching new movies with friends on Friday. But later other pressures of life took over my passion of movies watching and thus at one time came i too like all other friends of mine had movies just as Sunday outing and that too if it was a big film then only. The routine life took over me and all the fooling done for watching movies started to shame me out when was refereed by anyone. The Filmy Gyaan started rusting out and was only used when some Anatakshari was played in Friends and Office.

Almost after a Decade came a day when a cousin of mine introduced my to world of Social network - Orkut and things changed........................

{To Be Continued....}