Salman's 2014 release of Jai Ho shares the same central theme of the movie "Pay It Forward" (year 2000 release) (watch it here : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223897/) The plot of the movie is like this
"Young Trevor McKinney, troubled by his mother's alcoholism and fears of his abusive but absent father, is caught up by an intriguing assignment from his new social studies teacher, Mr. Simonet. The assignment: think of something to change the world and put it into action. Trevor conjures the notion of paying a favor not back, but forward--repaying good deeds not with payback, but with new good deeds done to three new people. Trevor's efforts to make good on his idea bring a revolution not only in the lives of himself, his mother and his physically and emotionally scarred teacher, but in those of an ever-widening circle of people completely unknown to him. Written by Jim Beaver
I had never had a chance to watch the movie back then, because going for movies was an actually no/no and back then my friends didn't dig "off beat" movies. This had nothing to do with aliens roaming about planet earth, seeking to destroy all mankind, or with Pierce Brosnan or Arnold Schwarzenegger ripping the enemy apart single handedly with his tommy gun! So all I could do was sit and decipher the central theme of the movie with the help of the trailer. But I did understand the movie and visualised all that one could achieve with this central message. My dear friends Suzie and Simone used to always say, "the world is round, what goes around comes around". I quiet never understood what they meant then. Now, 14 years later the world is waking up to this realisation that community and society must have a responsibility to one another.
For me helping people came naturally, it was never like I had to make an extra effort. I remember my colleague Tanvi saying once to me, you just can't say no na??? I remember in the movie Jai Hoi, while Salman gets depressed to think that his idea would really work and people will scoff at his message. He simply could not understand how people could turn a blind eye to those in trouble around them. Tabu who plays Salman's sister counsels him, that whilst other people need to make an extra effort to help people and would often term it as "out of the way", for Salman "out-of-the-way" was the only way and it came naturally. Because he saw things what others would turn a blind eye to or ignore at best. This movie is truly about what Salman is and what he really feels as a person off screen too.
After Cyril D'Souza happened I have decided to never ever sit and watch and wait till something worse happens, and then not be able to do anything about it other than lament and "wish" I could have done something to change it. NEVER AGAIN. Life is so precious, and one must not throw it away! And this is exactly about what I feel as a person.
How can you turn a blind eye when someone around you is wanting, hurting, longing for acceptance and love. I see people, specially elderly people, around me looking at kids, my kids often and seeing how families are happy together. I see women, looking at me many a times surrounded with my boys, smiling. I wonder if they are not able to have kids or just wondering how can I have so many boisterous kids! How many times I have made my fellas walk up to elderly people and say "Hello", shake hands and talk with them. I remember the joy on their faces when someone talks to them. At the end of the day I feel so fulfilled to have brought a smile to the faces of these elderly folk who have during their time given so much to society in so many ways.
Sometime back, I met this gentleman outside Orlem Church, I don't quite remember his name now (it doesn't matter I may never see him again), he was waiting in the church porch and smiling by at everyone and I felt so touched to see him sitting there when the others had left and when the lights were out, that I couldn't help but walk over to him and hello him, just for the heck of it. He was all smiles and spoke about himself being associated with some movie productions etc. (half of which I didn't remember) but what I took away that day was I did something stupid and it worked.
I wonder what would it take for people to realise that not only should be help 3 persons in turn, you should help everyone, every time you get the opportunity. It is not necessary that the person you help would have the generosity of heart or the courage to do the same to someone at the same time, so help everyone when in need without thinking of whether you would look stupid if you did it. As I wrote the other day on my blog about being judgemental, one may never know when another person was just waiting to be helped or waiting to just tell someone, but never got the signal. Coming back to my favourite Jesus..."Love one another as I have loved you". Love is action that speaks the words and walks the talk. Don't just say - show it, live that life.
My son was talking to me about a video on You Tube which someone showed him, It's called Life vest Inside "Kindness Boomerang - One day". Check it out You Tube it is called Kindness Boomberang. Whilst I saw the video, which depicted the immediate feel good factor of one person helping the another immediately, and how finally the person who started the chain of events benefited in the bargain finally, which bring us to the point that what goes around comes around.
This actually rarely happens in real life. In real life you surprise a few people with your strange and out-of-the-way attitude and usually that it is shrugged off immediately by the recipient. But one must not loose heart, for if you are truly someone whose heart longs to help and change things around, the golden rule is to "NEVER GIVE UP". Trust me when I say this, I've personally tried it!
Cheers.
March 26, 2014
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