जेबों में हम रातें लिए घूमा करें...Isn't it something that for an industry that boasts of qualified engineers, doctors and architects making it big as singers, actors and music composers, it has taken a movie like Udaan so long to make it to theatres. The story of Rohan Singh, the protagonist of the film, is a story that plays out in practically every family in the country (although not in such a gruesome manner). Don't we all know enough friends who grudgingly went to their technical colleges and not a fashion designing or music or art institute?
Luckily, I was spared the ordeal - probably because my more studious elder sister had taken up the family tradition and followed in papa's footsteps to become an engineer in a godforsaken college in a town better known for its ganesh idols than its engineering college; or because I had made it expressly clear, after seeing my sister study all the time, that 'studying' was not my deal (even so, mum insisted I take up Economics as one of my BA subjects and was a little disappointed when I announced that I'd major in Eng Lit); and finally, perhaps, because my younger brother too took up engg in a college full of sadistic profs (the highlight of my brother's college years, for me, was that he'd wear a tee shirt that said 'I'm bad with names. Can I call you a Jerk?' to college so often :)). That Engg Drawing lecture that plays in the background in one of the scenes of the movie is something my sis and bro will definitely smile about (you will know what hating something from the bottom of one's heart really means when they talk of this subject!)
To me, Udaan, more than Inception, is about dreams... because I connect to the dream that Rohan has. His story is the story of our generation. A generation that has spent evening after evening fighting with folks, sometimes even extended family, trying to assert our opinion. Ours is a generation that has finally managed to break the shackles of the doctor-engineer trap (we still sport the bruises though). I belong to the generation that's so much more sure of itself, one that has managed to make the bizarre-est of professions sound like a cool option. And lord knows its not been easy... Even when folks would agree to let us pursue the dream, there would be one condition - 'complete your education first.' It was a reasonable demand and most of us accepted it. Every one of us has a personal rebellion story - it wasn't easy breaking mom and dad's heart..but it wasn't easy living a choked life too, hai na?
That's where Udaan touches a chord. At the end when Rohan and Arjun set out on their own, we don't know what will happen to them. But we hope for the best. After all, things turned out pretty decent for us, na :)
Rider: Please note, Di insists she wasn't following 'family tradition' and pursuing engineering wasn't as bad as I make it sound.
