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| "It's History- Not entertainment" |
I watched the "Chhaava" movie, a historic movie drawing large crowds to theatres yesterday. The crowd, mostly young people, eagerly awaited the heroic moments. As expected, the theatre was packed, mostly with young audiences eager to witness the grandeur of the past unfold on the big screen. The excitement was evident from the very start—the crowd applauded the hero’s grand entry, cheered every victory, and passed comments on every failure of the opposition. It was clear that the audience was thoroughly enjoying the film. Yet, as I watched, a strange thought crept into my mind—do we really understand what we are witnessing? Do we truly grasp the essence of history, the depth of sacrifice, and the unbearable weight of responsibility these heroes carried on their shoulders? Sitting comfortably in a plush chair, munching on popcorn, debating with the cinema staff over the wrong chutney in our bhel—can we ever claim to feel even a fraction of what these warriors endured?
For us, it's a three-hour spectacle, a form of entertainment that we cheer for, but for them, it was life itself—a life filled with blood, sweat, and unimaginable pain. Their battles were not scripted, their wounds did not heal in the next scene, and their victories were never just about personal glory. They lost their loved ones, they stood alone on battlefields drenched in uncertainty, and they bore the burden of a cause greater than themselves. The loneliness of leadership, the fear of losing everything, and the haunting silence after every war—can a movie, no matter how grand, ever make us feel that? We clap for their on-screen triumphs, but do we ever pause to reflect on their real sacrifices? A hero’s journey is not just about winning wars; it is about enduring endless struggles, fighting against fate itself, and making choices that rip them apart from within. And yet, once the movie ends, we walk out of the theatre, discussing the cinematography, the action sequences, and the background score, without truly absorbing the weight of what we just saw.
No film, no book, no grand narration can ever do full justice to history. It is too vast, too deep, too layered with emotions that words fail to capture. The true tribute to our heroes is not in the claps or cheers inside a theatre but in the understanding we cultivate in our hearts. Their sacrifices deserve more than momentary admiration; they deserve a lifetime of respect, remembrance, and the will to carry forward their legacy with dignity.
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