Don’t keep waiting…

Don’t keep waiting…

 

I am going to talk about a movie called Highway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_%282014_Hindi_film%29). It is not much about the movie. However, when I watched the movie a second time, I interpreted something from it. That is what I feel is really very important. It may not be something amazing or something that you’ll don’t know. However, it is something that we definitely forget quite a lot.

This movie talks mainly about a girl who gets abducted before her marriage when she sneaks out for a little fresh air. She heads from a rich and influential family. The abduction itself is an accident (this probably explains the behavior of the goons around her). The main goon decides that she should be sold off for prostitution as a revenge against all the rich people who consider wives of the poor to be their property (an amazing (sarcasm intended) way of settling the score). They keep on shifting her and use a bunch of tricks to ensure that the search parties are misdirected. Then, something happens. One of the goons attempts to take advantage of the girl. The main goon surprisingly and ironically stops him. This goon runs away to the police. So, the other two decide that they have to flee. During the journey, the police ask to check their truck and a big—really big—surprise awaits the audience. The girl hides where she could have easily escaped. What psychological makeup leads to such kind of a behavior is yet unknown. Later, the girl retells a story that provides an answer to this (though I still did not find it as justifiable, but come on it’s a movie). The girl was sexually abused by her own uncle. When she told her mother, it all stopped. However, no action was taken against the uncle.

This explains a lot of things she does. She couldn’t find safety at home neither could she find freedom. Ironically, here, with the goons, she has both. Then, the plot tells us about how the main goon’s mother was sexually abused with consent by the rich and status holding people in his village simply because she was poor. Though this does not justify but it does explain the anger the main goon experiences. The girl makes him promise that he will go and visit his mother. The girl shows interest in the history of the main goon which has led to become a thief, a murderer, and so on. The main goon and the girl are alone by this time on their own. No other goons are with them. He asks her to go to the police. She refuses and wants to stay with him. He asks her whether she plans to marry him and have his kids. She refuses. She confesses that she just wants to be with him at least some more time. She does not want to let go off the freedom, safety and security she is experiencing. So, they continue their journey of her wish-fulfillment. Then, after some time, due to the trail, the police find and shoot the main goon, she is so-called rescued. Afterwards, we witness her confronting her uncle and leaving the family. She goes to the mountains and starts working and living there with the memories of the highway. She is set free and safe and independent.

Yes, there might be couple or more than a couple of things that may look illogical in this movie. However, there are a lot of things that we can learn.

First and foremost, my favorite dialogue in the movie: The girl says, “I don’t want to go back to the place from where you abducted me; I don’t want to go the place to where we are headed; however, this road—I am loving this journey, I wish it would never end.

This is a great philosophy. We cannot go to the place where we have already been—the past. We are unaware of the future and also don’t know whether we want to go there. We all would be the happiest if we just concentrate on here and now. From a different viewpoint, we all come from nowhere in this world through our mother’s womb, death is certain. However, life is the journey that is filled with joy, enjoyment, surprises, gifts, and all the positivity filled till the brim. So, enjoy it.

The main goon and the girl achieve their revelation through the whole experience. Hold on a second, couldn’t they have assessed this a little earlier which could have avoided this whole trauma? They both know that they have dark spots in them, and though they deny it, they do possess the power to overcome this. Destiny helped them work things out. It may not have the time to help everybody. Isn’t there a saying that God does not help them who don’t help themselves. So, help yourself. Do not wait for some goon to abduct you to realize that this is what I want in life. Or worse, do not abduct somebody and lose your life to realize that emotions can be sorted out, and there are healthier ways to channel those strong emotions.

Let’s get to the next point. Do not wait for destiny to find a companion for you. Be your own companion. I know it’s hard but not impossible. Keep on trying to find out a companion in other is way difficult than being your own companion. No matter how best your companion is, it would be physically impossible for the person to be always there with you. On the other hand, you are always there with yourself—mentally, physically, intellectually. I am not saying do not make friends. I am telling you to expect lessor and lessor from others. Believe me this will help you strengthen your bonds. And there is always an element of surprise for you. If you expect less, whatever you will get will be much more than enough for you.

Next is choice. Do not deny yourself the right of choice. The protagonists surrender to their respective situations and comfortably blame their situation for almost everything. In some situations, we say “I did not have choice.” Instead, tell yourself that you chose to surrender. No one other than yourself is responsible for your sorrow or your happiness. Every time you make a decision, no one is going to wait till you make a responsible decision by consciously choosing. So, choose. It’s your life. You are the only person who is responsible for it.

Last but not the least, if you chose to read this, please donate sixty seconds of time to think about it. Make yourself aware that there are people who wait for someone to be their companion, there are people who wait till the right of choice is handed over to them, there are people who wait till drastic things happen to them—for them, you can be their moment of realization, companion, or the person who makes them aware of the choice.

Be happy. Choose to be happy and choose to spread the same happiness around you.

:)