As a child, I felt like doing a lot of things. I wanted to do math like my whiz big sister. I wanted to swim like a fish and gazed at my friend's humble aquarium for hours. I wanted to roll chapatis like a friend's mom and sing like Kavitha krishnamurthy - I also, always wanted to write like J K Rowling, I or like Amitav Ghosh, I wanted to paint like Thomas Kinkade, but I never wanted to dance. I remember my friend B dancing exactly like Prabhu Deva when Muqabla was a big rage. I was the first bencher watching him at a close distance, and his moving to the rhythm made me foot tap and freeze in awe - but never once, did I wanted to dance. No one and nothing inspired that thought in me.
The only time I danced, was for a Garba number in my 12th grade. It was before an audience, in a huge huge outdoor auditorium. We had elaborate banjara skirts and colorful sticks in our hands, and I was quiet literally forced to partake in that piece by our Accountancy teacher Ms.S. Out of my inability to say 'no' in general and a 'no' to her in particular, I twisted my two right legs and called it a day. Thank God there weren't any phone cameras back in the day, or my performance would have been something like a viral 'dancing hall of shame' video.
The next time I remember dancing was in my school gathering couple of years ago. I was whisked away to a inconspicuous place and made to swing my backside for a few steps by a group of my childhood friends, who insisted that everyone on the floor had to dance that night. I complied. And I hope it isn't pictorially evident anywhere :)
So these are the 'performances' I did. But if you ask my buddy S, She'll laugh and tell you that my moves are very rhythmic and graceful, and no one can dance better than me to the "Chor Bazari" Number form Love aaj kal. Please don't pay heed to her, as love they say, is blind ;)
The other day, I was in a Christmas party at a couple's place - the couple, who are among the most dapper ones of our friends, Had a 120 inch television in their living room. I settled before the screen as tidbits of the resolution and the set up of the system were being discussed in my ear shot. Now I am deaf to technology talk, but the sass in me did a peekaboo and I caught myself saying "But what's the use of all that technology if you folks are stuck watching a Telugu movie on such a screen?"
The next thing I notice was dozens of pairs of eyes stuck on me, in poker faced expressions. One of the guys looked at me and said - "So you look down upon my favorite hero's film?" and I said "Yes I do" to which everybody laughed. I was relieved that I wasn't going to be beaten to pulp afterall. While the movie was paused and the remote was being frantically punched by the host, I had an expectation of seeing something like the National Geographic channel on the big screen. And then, I froze again, when the lady of the house, who is girly, barbie doll, and Bollywood enthusiast all rolled into one played a movie called "War" and plonked in the couch.
I gave an eye roll and said she's got to be kidding me and suddenly she fast forwarded to a song and said "If this isn't going to please you, you have to reconsider your entertainment choices"
"I'll consider reconsidering, I offered, but please don't play a Victoria's secret fashion show after this"
On the larger than life screen, this man that needs no introduction was dancing away. When Hrithik made his debut, whole of India was swooning over his dancing prowess. But as always, I was blind to it but something on that particular day caught my eye like never before. I don't know if I had to blame the rub on effect of everyone getting hysterical about his dance movies, or the gin cocktail that was acting on my system, or just my willingness to reconsider my choices in entertainment - I felt this inspiration hit me. The inspiration of wanting to dance like Hrithik.
When I came home, I started playing the number that inspired me on my Echo show and attempted to do the moon walk like he did. Thankfully, I didn't slip. The first born looked at me with frozen daze and asked "Mother, are you ok?"
"I want to dance like Hrithik" I said to which she quiet literally fell off the chair laughing. I stopped, paused the song and asked her sporting my best possible 'this is not funny' look- "What' wrong with that idea?"
The sassy teen responded "Duh, pretty much everything" and went back to rolling on the floor in a sinister laugh.
And then I did it only when I was in my alone time and didn't have a condescending audience that pulled my enthusiasm down. May be the universe plotted to make me stop that attempt and here we are sheltering in place, and there's no hope of dancing like no one is watching anytime soon.
But guess what? The inspiration had hit. That's all that's needed.
And I promise, I won't make the non existent blog readership watch it. I promise, and I never promise :) So the half a dozen of you that come here once in a while, you folks know who you are, please don't abandon me.
Signing off, with an after thought. Never say never! And I am only referencing the 'I never got inspired to dance" statement and not my promise (Grin)
Featured - A video of the Indian cinema's Greek God dancing to that number - in all his casual glory!
