“It was the best of times; It was the worst of times."

I wonder how many of you have seen the award winning movie" Hazaron Khwaishen Aisi". Friends kept telling me not to miss it but the lazybones in me never got around to pick up the CD. Last weekend, with nothing much on my agenda, I asked Gans to pick up the CD for me. The curiosity about people raving was too tempting to resist. And it was truly worth the watch.

In short, the movie, as quoted in some review “is how three extraordinary people change the course of their lives in a span of 10 years during the Indira Gandhi regime and Emergency." I would like to rephrase the jist in a more lay manner as “how 3 extraordinary people follow their individual dreams, realize the dream they are living turned out to be nightmares”

The opening lines of the title song says it all"Hazaroon Khwaishein Aisi ki har Khwaish pe dum nikalen"

I agree that life never follows the course you plan for it. Most of have seldom fulfilled living the dream we dreamt. I agree circumstances, lack of grit and determination, have an important part to play in not realizing that dream. But sometimes there are instances when the dreams are all fulfilled and realized only to discover later that the dream you lived and realized has ruined you.

Coming back to the movie. The movie kicks off at a time during the late 60s (Indira Gandhi Regime) with agitations against corruption, Satyagrahas by Gandhians, wannabe power mongers of the then "Infamous Youth Congress", confused bourgeoisie youth wanting to embrace socialist and communist ideals, the starry eyed middle class youth infested with ambition and ruthlessness in their journey to prosperity, and of course last but not the least the dangerous nexus between beaurocrats, businessmen and bum lickers of politicians. Plot revolves around 3 strong determined individuals who have their lives carved out for themselves. There is Siddharth, the son of a retired high court judge, who is chasing the communist dream, the starry eyed Vikram, son of a Gandhian, who dreams big bucks and the doe eyed Lady of steel, Geeta, whose dream is to support her lover, Siddharth at any cost.

Eventually all the three Delhi University graduates pass out to follow their individual dreams, they live their dreams.Siddharth joins the Naxalites and is a geurilla fighter for the oppressed somewhere in Bhojpur, Geeta, married to an IAS officer, leaves him to follow her dream of supporting Siddharth in his struggle and Vikram bags a huge contract of converting a Dilapitated Palace into a Five Star hotel and there is no looking back, before he knows it, he is a sucessful businessman. All of them have realized what they wanted to. Then comes the dread of emergency and indiscriminate arrests of all and sundry, this brings their well nestled lives to conundrum, and la....before you blink they are shattered and Vikram is left demeted with Geeta to care for him in some godforsaken village where she teaches in an elementary school and Siddharth is left nowhere after the disintegration of the Naxals, and is studying medicine at the age of 35.They lived their dream but dreaded it.

I know most people during the 70s were fascinated with the concept of Socialism and political awareness was at its peak among the youth.Most Delhi Universitietes harboured a dream to be a Naxal or a member of the communist movement.There were communist groups formed in the hostels.Colleges became political battlefields.Those were the times when awareness and rebellion was at its peak , so was oppression and corruption. The movie beautifully captures the romance and the passion of that era, when people had a purpose beyond just making money and flying abroad.

In Dickens’ words “It was the best of times; It was the worst of times."