Of Charlotte (Chandra) in Pride (Bride) and Prejudice, Sanjog, and Black..

Hmm. Long time no see.

Last week the whole world was going crazy about Virat Kohli. I don't know there was this whole peculiar twang that I was hearing in my head. I couldn't figure out who it was. Then after much deliberation, I realized it was Nadira Babbar's 'Mr. Kohli'. Nadira Babbar in Bride and Prejudice. Yes, the same Mr. Kohli for whom they sang that song 'No Life Without Wife'.

So, this week I have been thinking about Pride and Prejudice and as always the cosmic connection theory works this time as well. Pride and Prejudice. I am a big fan of English Classics. I love the language in them..the air of everything so formal..the high frequency of the word 'countenance'. I had read all of Jane Austen's classics in Class 10 - Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park. I have forgotten the exact details of all of them. I should read them again. I will appreciate the language even more as I think I have developed into a better reader over the years. Earlier, I used to just read..slowly, as one picks up the habit, one tends to connect with the characters even more. I will try but I still remember Pride and Prejudice and it remains my all-time favorite. So, this whole Kohli thing reminded me of a much-hated character in Pride and Prejudice...Charlotte Lucas..or if you have seen Bride and Prejudice, I am talking about Chandra (played by Sonali Kulkarni), Lalita's friend.

Mr.Collins (Mr. Kohli) had proposed to Elizabeth Bennett (Lalita), but she refused the proposal because she didn't love him at all. After all, he was a conceited, pompous, and bombastic man whom no woman would ever like. However, days later, after Elizabeth had rejected Mr.Collins, Charlotte (or Chandra) marries the obnoxious Mr.Collins (Mr.Kohli). Lizzie was shocked to see that her sensible friend had made such a disastrous choice, as Lizzie always believed in the concept of love in a marriage and she could not understand how could Charlotte love Mr.Collins! Charlotte was not very pretty, was twenty-seven years of age and her family had limited income. In those days, women were not allowed to inherit property. And to be 27 and still unmarried was very very unusual. So, did she do any wrong if she chose to marry Mr.Collins, who was perhaps her last chance to live a decent life? No..she chose to be pragmatic. She knew she can't find love now. Charlotte thinks that marriage changes people drastically, so it hardly matters whether couples marry after knowing each other for a day or a year. Charlotte says, "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance". Isn't it so true? You never know, how things turn out later in a marriage..the person you thought you knew might not be as you expected. It's a big risk anyway. Lizzie said, only the deepest love will induce me into matrimony, and she slowly falls in love with Mr. Darcy although she hated him after their first meeting! So, what wrong did Charlotte do if she chose a stable future over love..everybody has their own choices and limitations and has to take decisions accordingly? Elizabeth seems to blame Charlotte for wanting a comfortable home and a family. But Charlotte was not dumb! She was very very sensible, insightful, and prescient. In fact, she was the first one who told Lizzie that Jane's introverted nature may force Mr.Bingley to think that she doesn't like him. And this is what happened. Charlotte was a realist and Lizzie was an idealist..maybe she might slowly learn to love Mr. Collins. Why being judgemental about her choices. As it is said, There's a story behind every person. There's a reason why they are the way they are. Think about that before you judge someone.

Here is something rightly said about Charlotte

Charlotte also gets in that famous line, "happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance…It is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life". Elizabeth laughs at her, and says, "you would never act in this way yourself." As we know, though, that's exactly what Charlotte does. After Elizabeth rejects Mr. Collins, Charlotte accepts him, even knowing that she's only his second choice (third, actually, since Mr. Collins initially had his eye on Jane). How did Charlotte manage to get a marriage proposal out of Mr. Collins the day after he'd been rejected by Elizabeth? We don't really know, because Austen doesn't narrate the proposal scene. Does Charlotte recognize that his business in town is wife-hunting, and deliberately flirting in the way that she suggested that Jane should do with Bingley? Maybe.

That's not all! We have even a third idea about what Charlotte's point in the novel is – she is another lesson in empathy for Elizabeth. Check out how horrified Elizabeth first is when Charlotte tells her she's going to marry Mr. Collins. Seriously, she almost throws up a little in her mouth. Then, after she goes to visit the Collinses, Elizabeth slowly realizes that not everyone has to live life the way she would want to, and kind of gets a better sense of her friend.

And this is my favorite quote from Pride and Prejudice

“Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity, to what we would have others think of us.”

And talking about marriage, our cab driver this week told his sad story this week. He said he was married in 1996 but the lady loved someone else and left him. He then said that what was his fault? The marriage didn't work out. Had he known before, he wouldn't have married in the first place but then things are not in our control. And later he fell in love with another woman..and again, this time he was betrayed as the woman was already married and had two kids. So, he has seen failure in both love and marriage..Such sad stories.and he said the same thing as Charlotte said, shaadi karne ke baad, kya ho kise pata...mujhe bhi thori pata tha aisa kuch hoga...

And I just hate..literally hate arranged marriage meetings :( For the last 3-4 Sundays, I have to go to see prospective grooms for my sister and I don't like it. I can empathize with what she actually goes through...Saath me mera interview bhi ho jata hai :( :( Ab bhai, how is my salary going to impact your life. I am not giving you any of my hard-earned salaries..huh. I will spend it on myself.

There was this song that was playing on the radio on one of the last few days...Yashoda Ka Nand Lala from the movie Sanjog. Aah. Sanjog. I love that movie. This movie always makes me nostalgic. I had first seen it at a time when I actually used to watch movies on TV. Zee Cinema, Home TV, ATM..the few channels that played movies. Meri Jung, Karz, and Karma used to come every third day and after school, I used to watch these movies religiously. And these days I hardly watch TV :{ I have seen Sanjog so many times and I still love it. There is this hilarious track in the movie in which Aruna Irani keeps winking her one eye and Asrani thinks that she is trying to hit on him..haha..later he realizes that she has a congenital effect :P And when they have kids, they also have this defect..it is so so funny.

As usual, I digress.Sanjog is a beautiful movie. Yashoda (Jaya Prada) and Naren (Jeetendra) get married. Naren's elder brother and sister-in-law have a kid named Raju. Raju's mother is least interested in taking care of him. Yashoda takes the charge of Raju and gives him all the love and affection. However, one day Raju dies in an accident during a procession. Unable to bear the loss of Raju's death, Yashoda gets depressed and her mental health deteriorates. However, she also delivers a daughter named Asha. So this time, Naren's elder brother and sister-in-law take care of her upbringing. Yashoda is sent to a mental asylum and Naren turns into an alcoholic. Years later, Asha is well settled and grows up. She has her own kid, who strikingly resembles Raju. She finds the truth about her mother and visits her in the asylum. Seeing her pitiable state where her mother is carrying a log of wood dressed as a baby, Asha is heartbroken and depressed. As a mark of her respect and as a way to help her, Asha then leaves her son to her mother and makes the ultimate sacrifice. It is a really nice movie with decent performances. Worth a watch!!

Birthday wishes to Rani, one of my all-time favorite actresses. Just watch this stunning video...Brilliant!

Dialogue of the Day:

"Kai koshishon ke baad, aakhir makdi ne baar baar girne ke bavjood apna ghar bana hi liya, cheenti pahaad par chadi, ek khhachue ne registan par kar liya..aur aaj Micheele ek graduate ho gayi." - Black

"Black ka matlab sirf ghutan ya andera nahi hota...it is the color of achievement, the color of knowledge..the color of the graduation robe." - Black