Simplicity
I love the Amol Palekar movies of the'70s. I also love movies of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee. The underlying common factor in all these movies is simplicity - no exotic locations, no fancy costumes, no elaborate song sequences, no choreography. Most of these movies featured only about 5 locations in the entire movie. Take Chhoti Si Baat for example. You can count the locations - Jackson Tolaram's office, Samovar, Col. Wilfred Singh's bungalow in Khandala, a bus stop in Dadar, and a motorcycle garage. I might have missed one or two, but broadly, these were the major locations in the whole movie.
The storyline similarly, was simple, light hearted, essentially middle-class. The humour was clean, the characters were sketched quite beautifully, including their idiosyncrasies, and the humour was mostly situational. One didn't need to spend time analyzing the plot, or look for hidden messages within frames or hidden meanings in dialogues. You watch the film, you enjoy the comedy,and you remember the characters long after you've watched the movie. Simple.
As a person, I am simple and uncomplicated. I don't get hints when people talk, I don't understand sarcasm or reluctance or hidden motives when I talk to people. I take people at face value, and I assume that if someone says something, he means it without any hidden agenda or prejudice.
Maybe that's the reason my choice in movies is also pre-disposed towards the simple, light hearted comedies. I guess that need for simplicity carries on to other areas of my life as well. I don't wear a watch. My car has a clock and at other times, I anyway have my cell phone which shows the time. I don't carry an official number and a personal number, I go to the same bank for all my financial services, I use the same app for all my travel bookings, even if others are running some offers, I shop on the same site all the time, even if other sites offer things cheaper, and I am loathe to change any existing arrangement, be it the guy who washes my car, or the petrol pump where I refuel, or the maid, or anyone else I interact with frequently. It is also the same need to keep things simple that makes me an extremely loyal customer to any company / restaurant / hotel / brand. Once I experience something, and like it, I tend not to think too much when I have to purchase the same item / service again. I don't like to research too much, and simply go with what has worked fine in the past. Not possibly the best way to manage things, but it keeps life peaceful as far as I'm concerned, and I prefer it that way, even if it means I sometimes pay / spend more.
I think there is enough stress and tension in life anyway, without having to get worried about little things. I'd rather think / worry only when required, and lead a peaceful existence otherwise. It's an approach which has worked well for me all these years, and I don't intend changing it now!!
The storyline similarly, was simple, light hearted, essentially middle-class. The humour was clean, the characters were sketched quite beautifully, including their idiosyncrasies, and the humour was mostly situational. One didn't need to spend time analyzing the plot, or look for hidden messages within frames or hidden meanings in dialogues. You watch the film, you enjoy the comedy,and you remember the characters long after you've watched the movie. Simple.
As a person, I am simple and uncomplicated. I don't get hints when people talk, I don't understand sarcasm or reluctance or hidden motives when I talk to people. I take people at face value, and I assume that if someone says something, he means it without any hidden agenda or prejudice.
Maybe that's the reason my choice in movies is also pre-disposed towards the simple, light hearted comedies. I guess that need for simplicity carries on to other areas of my life as well. I don't wear a watch. My car has a clock and at other times, I anyway have my cell phone which shows the time. I don't carry an official number and a personal number, I go to the same bank for all my financial services, I use the same app for all my travel bookings, even if others are running some offers, I shop on the same site all the time, even if other sites offer things cheaper, and I am loathe to change any existing arrangement, be it the guy who washes my car, or the petrol pump where I refuel, or the maid, or anyone else I interact with frequently. It is also the same need to keep things simple that makes me an extremely loyal customer to any company / restaurant / hotel / brand. Once I experience something, and like it, I tend not to think too much when I have to purchase the same item / service again. I don't like to research too much, and simply go with what has worked fine in the past. Not possibly the best way to manage things, but it keeps life peaceful as far as I'm concerned, and I prefer it that way, even if it means I sometimes pay / spend more.
I think there is enough stress and tension in life anyway, without having to get worried about little things. I'd rather think / worry only when required, and lead a peaceful existence otherwise. It's an approach which has worked well for me all these years, and I don't intend changing it now!!
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