This
year’s Vadodara International Marathon (VIM 2018) somehow made me recall the
great hindi film – Satte Pe Satta. I find a lot of similarities between the
two. Here are 7 (to keep up with the theme) of these:
1.
This is a fun love story. The love story begins with a slap. But Amitabh
Bachchan is besotted & gets into hot pursuit mode. AB (as Ravi) woos the
lady with fruits, then flowers, feigning injury next & finally succeeds (in
classic Bollywood fashion) over the course of a song. Over the years, VIM has also
gone through these stages:
The slap: In 2013, I walked off after the start
for two reasons: the start was much delayed (for the aspiring PM-cum-Chief
Guest arrived late & gave a long speech), and there was no way of getting
out except after being flagged off!! (This blog didn’t exist then, so no
account here)
The Fruit & Flowers: The next time, the start was again
delayed (for the CM-cum-Chief Guest arrived late but gave a shorter speech this
time) but not as much.
The Deception: Last year, they started on time but
there still was much scope for improvement.
The Song: VIM 2018, when the organisers decided 7th
Jan 2018 will be that “ek din” when “pyar ho jayega”.
2.
While AB is the undisputed lead, the film is about 7 brothers who live a life
of their own. On their own terms. Close to, but away from civilization. Coming
to Akshar Chowk, it seemed as if there was some Occupy OP Road going on. But realized
soon enough these were the 10K runners. They were in groups, chatting &
having fun amongst themselves. Just like our 7 brothers in the film, but a few thousands
in number. It seemed as if they would break into the song any time: Zindagi bhaag ke bitayenge, Sab ko sath mein
bhagayenge, Hum to marathoners hain, Zindagi run-geen banayenge... If you
think this is outlandish, imagine a couple of grown-up men going to a bar &
asking for milk. This particular scene is more in the line of a Johny Lever,
but the brothers make it look very natural.
3.
An unconventional Hema Malini is the female lead, though it may appear that she
is more of a supporting cast (to the 7 brothers). I particularly admire her
role in this film. She takes on the men & emerges victorious each time. She
has portrayed a strong, independent woman in other films too, notably Sita aur
Gita & Sholay, but here she displays the conventional feminine traits too.
Coming back to the film, she would never have believed that a place such as the
brothers’ dwelling could ever exist. But she is up to it. Starting at one end,
task by task, she totally transforms the disorderly house into a spick &
span home. Pulling off an event of magnitude such as VIM requires equally
meticulous planning & attention to details. This time they succeeded – from
route selection to on route provisions & volunteering. Just like Hema makes
her brothers-in-law take a bath (after having washed their clothes)!!
4.
If the eldest one gets his lady love, can the rest be denied the same? No way,
and they soon bump into a group of lovely ladies who are brought into the house
(actually kidnapped). They are 6 in number, one for each of the remaining
brothers. VIM 2018 too had something for everyone. Apart from the timed runs
(42K, 21K & 10K), they had the mandatory 5K fun run, a costume run, a
separate category for NRI’s (who happen to be in town this time of the year)
& also one for the physically challenged. I suspect the VIM organisers were
also impressed by Satte Pe Satta, where a wheelchair-confined Ranjeeta was the
leader of the gang of girls!! Except that it should be called Satte pe Satte pe
Satta for having these 7 categories in the 7th edition held on 7th
January.
5.
If you think this movie was all fun & love, you are wrong. It also had a
health-related message for the viewers – “daru peene se liver kharaab hota hai”.
And this message was reinforced multiple times in a short sequence. VIM too had
a social objective – Swachhata (cleanliness). Hope Baroda turns up in the top-3
cleanest cities soon!
6.
Bollywood has always believed in the Wodehouse dictum, “unto each life, some
rain must fall”. Thus, no bollywood film is complete without the mandatory bad
man. Satte pe Sata was no different, but here we got a villain with a heart of
gold, aka Babu (AB in a double role). He walks out of jail & is contracted
by Amjad Khan for another assignment – to kill his niece, Ranjeeta. A professional
to the core, he quickly assumes the hero’s identity to get close to his target.
VIM too had its share of mishaps. Like the refusal of the volunteers to provide
ORS to the slower HM runners. But to keep it for the FMers come later when the
sun is truly up & its warmer. Thus, they had the best interests of the FM
runners in mind while doing so & were not really the bad guys. Like Babu,
who did not take advantage of the lady, despite being in a position to do so.
7.
Essentially, I feel the film was about transformation. An unkempt, ruffianish Ravi
into a suave gentleman who can romance a girl. A tyrant eldest brother who begins
to admit his mistakes (he appears to be genuinely sorry for having lied to Hema
abt his family/household & the girls for having kidnapped them). A
no-nonsense, disciplinarian Hema Malini into a caring wife & sister-in-law.
The wild brothers into civilized men. So has the VIM improved year by year into
what turned out to be a blockbuster event this year. And just like Ravi’s
friend in the film, Shekhar, I am sure most regular participants would have
wondered at the end of the event, “Ye
registan mein phool kaise khil gaya?”.
These
similarities apart, do you know what’s my favourite scene in the movie? It is Hema Malini
throwing back the fruit gifted by Amitabh Bachchan. It was a water melon (ROFL)
& I was afraid it would crash on his head. It was a relief it didn’t
& I knew she would soon be his!! The medal too, in honour of AB’s choice,
decided to perch on this fruit.
