I have a friend who runs a music and movie selling business. He's a movie buff and has tons of rare stuff. Not too many people know about his business or so I thought.
I happened to be at his shop the other day and a man on a cycle stopped by. He was dressed in attire that is typical of a 'kabadi' (typical Indian concept, difficult to explain to non-Indians, but let's say someone who buys old newspapers and beer bottles off you to sell to others). Typically, lower end 'kabadis' from the Muslim community will be seen in a 'tehmad'(a North Indian Muslim version of the South Indian lungi, except this is in checked patterns) and white kurta. He had a slight beard, I thought he had shaved and was growing back his beard hair. Other than this, nothing very remarkable, a slim wiry kind of build, typical of men who work with their hands and bodies.
He entered and asked my friend if he had 'Aan Milo Sajna', an obscure early seventies movie with Asha Parekh and Shashi Kapoor. My friend said yes he did. They discussed the technical modalities- would he take it on a DVD or a chip, all the while the man kept missing the days of his old VHS tapes.
As my work was still going on, my friend went to his VCD collection, it's arranged alphabetically so the movie starting with 'A' turned up fairly soon. It was in a 2 VCD set, clearly produced a while back- eighties, when VCD were the devices to have.
My friend showed it to me first, afterall I am a filmmaker, so by education and profession possessing a greater love and knowledge of cinema. I held the VCD set for a moment, noticed the man looking at me, so I passed it onto him to have a look.
The man's eyes lit up, yes indeed it was the movie. I don't really know what he remembered- a first date, a forgotten love, or simply love for the stars of the movie that symbolised his youth perhaps.
Now the man got a little frantic about when he could collect the movie, my friend and he started to have a skirmish where my friend said he was busy and the man said he couldn't come back, he lived in another part of the town.
I began to think about fans and their relationship with movies. How that's a part of cinema we never learnt about and yet it was the basic reality of cinema.
How this man had gone to the trouble of finding this rare shop to find a movie that he needed and wanted.
My friend peeped up to say my job was done, I collected my DVD and moved out of the shop.
I happened to be at his shop the other day and a man on a cycle stopped by. He was dressed in attire that is typical of a 'kabadi' (typical Indian concept, difficult to explain to non-Indians, but let's say someone who buys old newspapers and beer bottles off you to sell to others). Typically, lower end 'kabadis' from the Muslim community will be seen in a 'tehmad'(a North Indian Muslim version of the South Indian lungi, except this is in checked patterns) and white kurta. He had a slight beard, I thought he had shaved and was growing back his beard hair. Other than this, nothing very remarkable, a slim wiry kind of build, typical of men who work with their hands and bodies.
He entered and asked my friend if he had 'Aan Milo Sajna', an obscure early seventies movie with Asha Parekh and Shashi Kapoor. My friend said yes he did. They discussed the technical modalities- would he take it on a DVD or a chip, all the while the man kept missing the days of his old VHS tapes.
As my work was still going on, my friend went to his VCD collection, it's arranged alphabetically so the movie starting with 'A' turned up fairly soon. It was in a 2 VCD set, clearly produced a while back- eighties, when VCD were the devices to have.
My friend showed it to me first, afterall I am a filmmaker, so by education and profession possessing a greater love and knowledge of cinema. I held the VCD set for a moment, noticed the man looking at me, so I passed it onto him to have a look.
The man's eyes lit up, yes indeed it was the movie. I don't really know what he remembered- a first date, a forgotten love, or simply love for the stars of the movie that symbolised his youth perhaps.
Now the man got a little frantic about when he could collect the movie, my friend and he started to have a skirmish where my friend said he was busy and the man said he couldn't come back, he lived in another part of the town.
I began to think about fans and their relationship with movies. How that's a part of cinema we never learnt about and yet it was the basic reality of cinema.
How this man had gone to the trouble of finding this rare shop to find a movie that he needed and wanted.
My friend peeped up to say my job was done, I collected my DVD and moved out of the shop.
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