1000 Desires...

What does one desire from life? Happiness, relationships, money, fame....? How many of us actually desire something for others? I had a revelation few days back when I watched a film called "Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi". Just to clear things up, this is not a complete hindi film. In fact the main characters speak in English. Although not entertaining in the commercial sense, its a gripping and thought-provoking story. The story is about three friends, and their lifetime from college till....that's the thing, the story doesn't actually end. One can see what is in store for the three main characters long after the credits start pouring. The backdrop is a politically turbulent India of the 60s and 70s. Siddharth, righteous and fighting for a cause he believes in, Geeta who loves him and his ideals and then there's Vikram, who yearns for Geeta, yet knows its useless. So different are the three from one another that you wonder at their friendship.Siddharth, though from an affluent family, goes to the grass roots of Bihar to help the poor, oppressed lower classes and in turn becomes as outlaw. After a failed marriage with an IAS officer, Geeta follows Siddharth, works with the villagers alongside Siddharth, and even mothers his child. Vikram meanwhile has quickly gained money and power (not always by the honest means) and is titled "Business Tycoon" by the politicians who seek his help. In the midst of all the chaos, the three still meet once over a bottle of beer beside the river. They argue about morality, about success and about life. Yet they each do what they think they ought to do. Do Geeta and Siddharth succeed in their ambitions? Does Vikram actually know what he wants out of life? Answering these questions would be telling too much. I would end here by just stating that what seems like the best thing to do in one's youth doesn't always define the rest of the life. I think I have passed the age when I could have made any dangerous decisions, but I haven't really done anything to be proud of in Siddharth's book of right and wrong!