It has been long since I really cried for a movie sequence. The last time I remembered was for Pithamagan (that too for the last scene where Vikram wails over the Surya's dead body). I couldnt help myself. Thankfully almost everyone in the theater were in tears. so it was a little consolation for me. But I never thought that Tom hanks will make me cry again with his performance in Philadelphia. Of course he will, as this movie had his Oscar winning performance. But it was not only his performance in this movie, but the story and the characterization which touched the soft note. FYI: I did cry long time ago watching Forrest Gump (especially the scene where he meets his son) and in Cast Away (when he looses the ball he has)
I wanted to watch this movie a long time ago, but something or the other happened and I missed it. Yday it just happened and I was glad that I watched it. This has three of my favorites. (Hanks, Washington, Banderas.. Banderas was looking so so different.. ). The two scenes which caused me pain and eventually moved me to tears were the ones where he enjoys and explains the opera sequence to his lawyer after the party and the one in the court where he testifies. It made me so upset that I wasnt able to sleep well. Something was haunting me.... it wasnt the story or the characters eventually. It was about the kind of treatment given to people affected with HIV/AIDS, homosexuals & transgenders or cross dressers. There is a very beautiful scene in which Denzel tells Tom on how people are brought up with the wrong notion about homosexuals and why people are afraid. The dialogues are so nice. It , at times, breaks your heart. The way Denzel initially handles Tom is so natural.
Of course , times have changed and now there has been more awareness created about AIDS/HIV viruses through campaigns but there are still a large section of people who are afraid of them. There are still news coming about how people even burn them alive because of the fear of getting the disease transmitted from them. We still have a very long way to go. Some people just dont want to believe. What can we do.
With respect to homophiles, again we have come a long way even though it was very very slow. But we still have a very very long way to go. People still feel very bad to express what they really feel. Leave the celebrities out of this. How many of our own people do we know who are really homophiles. Very Very few. Why, because they wouldnt dare to express it and earn the wrath of their family members (if they arent broadminded to accept them) or the fear that they might loose their friends (assuming that they will turn them away if they found out). It is not only other's mistake where they are not accepting them, but its also their mistake to not be afraid of who they are. One's sexuality is none of anyone's damn business. We shudnt be judging people by color, creed, sexuality or looks. I guess even money shud not be a matter, but that is a different discussion. This is the same with cross dressers or transgenders. We mainly see them when they try to get money in trains/shops and they almost terrorize people to get money from them because of the only thing that if they strike first they have the advantage. Otherwise they will be outnumbered and cannot survive.There has been news about how people pose as transgenders to get money (in other terms, begging)
Politically, we know that there has been attacks on these people in our country with the only justification as "its against nature". I do not understand that point. Well if you are a Hindu, you would know about various mythological tales where Gods have cross dressed. There are age old sculptures in our country which depicts homophiles. I remember Rajnikanth's song in a movie
"Mugathai thernthedukum nirathai thernthedukum urimai unnidathil illai illai.." Isnt that true. I always wonder.. if nature had given these people a chance to live like you and me, wouldnt they have chosen our way of life and not be a subject of ridicule. Why are we blaming or hurting these fellow humans when it is not their fault. Just because you cannot go and punish God, you punish his creatures is it ? How fair is that ? Above anything else they are just humans, arent they? Even if we are not doing anything good for them, we shudnt be atleast doing anything to harm them. Will we do the same kind of treatment to our kids who are mentally challenged ? Wouldnt we fight for them till the end.. how are these people different from them? Just that they are socially challenged.
I have always felt that humans should not be identified by their caste, creed , color or sexuality. I really dont care about all these, unless and until that person is genuine to himself and to everyone around him and does no harm to others. That is all it shud matter. Ofcourse , for people who have lived life in a different way all these years, this might be a little bit of a shock..but its nature.. and you have to accept it. Well in the country where people kill their own children in the name of honor, what else can you expect isnt? Inspite of all this, I pray that people get some sense into them and treat other humans with the same compassion.
I am not sure why, but while writing this, something reminded of the Vikarma people as described in The Immortals of Meluha. Do we need another Mahadev to come and help us break the tradition of vikarma here ? But hey.. i think I also read "Har Har Mahadev"..
