Old films are hard to revisit now

I now realise why my parents and grandparents often did not like rewatching old shows or films or got emotional and felt mixed emotions seeing old films. Either felt happy or got sad later.

It makes you realise how much time has passed and what all you are losing or lost.

Seema (Sridevi), Mogambo (Amrish), Calendar (Satish), Professor (Ashok Kumar) and one of Daga or Teja (the clean shaven one) from Mr India are dead now. 

Robert, dads of Amar and Prem from AAA and Wah Wah studio wala photographer (Viju Khote, Mehmood, Jagdeep, Deven Verma) are dead now. The guy who played Anand Akela is also no more. 

Munna's dad, Sunil Dutt in Munnabhai MBBS is long dead. 

The guy who played Pakya in Rangeela is dead. Reema Lagoo who played mom in most iconic films of 90s be it QSQT, MPK, HAHK, HSSH, Rangeela, KKHH, Deewana Mastana etc is dead.

Neeraj Vohra who did roles in Akele hum Akele Tum, Mann, Mast etc is dead.

Vijay Anand who played detective Sam D Silva in Tehkikaat is dead.

Anandi (Pratyusha), Shiv (Siddharth Shukla), Dadisa (Surekha Sikhri) from Balika Vadhu are dead. SSR who was in Pavitra rishta, Shudh Desi Romance, MSD biopic is dead. Kushal Punjabi who was in so many films and shows and ads is dead. 

I happened to watch a re run of Kyunki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi and was noting how many actors in it are no more now. It was an episode from 2007 but to mind it feels it was not that long ago...though lot of years have passed. The lady who played Baa is dead. 

I cannot even watch Chandni or Nagina anymore on TV without wondering how its main leads and villain are all dead. Sridevi, Vinod, Rishi, Amrish are dead. 

Deewana also makes me wistful as I notice how Divya Bharti, Rishi, Amrish are no more. 

I cannot hear any song from DDLJ or Chandni without realising Lata is no more. It hurts to see Saudagar anymore as both Dilip and Raaj Kumar are no more and Amrish is also dead. 

It hurts to see old Govinda films and realising Kader Khan, Reema Lagoo and Satish Kaushik are no more. Those films feel like yesterday...

Films, ads, TV, songs, artistes sort of become keepers of time. So many memories attached to them. Many times you are able to relive incidents of own life thanks to films or ads or tv shows you watched together or while doing some activity.

I guess many of us also lose sense of present or remain in denial of changes or loss or relive old days, remain frozen in time or revisit past and bring it alive, thanks to films, TV, video or books or audio. 

Artistes become keepers and preservers of time. They are a timestamp on their own. 

It hurts when there is loss of an artiste be it actor, singer or writer or someone you have grown up seeing or various generations grew up with them. 

Cruel reminder of how some times are lost and are never going to come back and things will never be same again and you cannot revisit or get back or retain or preserve anything. You cannot re read chapters of life in exact detail again. And there are losses, no one can replace. 

Some artistes literally feel eternal and it seems they are everywhere and will remain so. They are in every other film or ad and their old work runs TV channels too. It hurts even more when they are not there again.

They live through their work though. 

I can only imagine what it will feel like if something happens to more 'forever been there' stars like Amitabh, Dharam, Hema, Rekha, Anupam Kher, Paresh Rawal, Anil, Khans, MD etc. I still cannot accept Sridevi is no more.

Death of an artiste always shakes you and brings you back to harsh reality and their old work is also hard to revisit after a point of time as it reminds you of how much time has passed, how many people and places you have also lost in all these years in own life and what all is never going to be back or same again...

Edited by atominis - 1 years ago

Satish was a great comedy actor and a decent director. I loved Tere naam

It’s hard to watch movies of deceased actors 

Watch old matches of deceased athletes

Listen to songs of deceased musicians 

So true man. I cannot watch HDDCS without feeling sad how Vikram Gokhale, guy who played Vitthal kaka and KK are no more. 

I cannot watch Gupt, Rangeela, Hera pheri, Singh is King without wondering how Om Puri is no more, guy who played Pakya and Urmila's mom Reema Lagoo are no more and Priya Tendulkar who played Bobby's mom in Gupt is no more.

Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan and most of David Dhawan films are hard to see now as Satish and Kader are no more. 

Aashiqui is hard to revisit as Tom Alter is no more. I just cannot see old episodes of Shaktimaan without feeling shocked how most actors like Tom Alter, Raju Srivastav etc who starred in it are no more. 

I am unable to hear songs of Gangster without missing KK. Wanted  and Dabangg seem like not too far...and it is hard to realise Om Puri and Vinod Khanna are no more. Or Rajesh Khanna is no more and Aa Ab Laut Chalen was ages ago...

Ram Lakhan is so hard to watch realising Amrish, Satish are no more. I cannot watch Jaane bhi do yaaron without feeling bad how Om Puri and Satish Kaushik are no more. I find it hard to see Lagaan realising AK Hangal and the guy who played weirdo jogi are no more. The latter was in Jodha Akbar and Swades also and I cannot believe he is dead so soon. He was not that aged either. 

You also realise how your life and family are not same anymore either and there are some family or friends with whom you first saw these films and now they too are no more. Nothing will ever be same again.

Edited by atominis - 1 years ago

You know? Artistes also get makeovers and do a lot to look young and hide age or make us feel as if they are ageless or timeless and still like old days. That makes it even harder for us to accept their age or health issues or vulnerability. 

This is a ruthless industry and camera spares no one. 

They also make it harder for ordinary audience and masses who remain in denial of reality and find it hard to accept reality. They put up a cheerful or glam face, hide their struggles with physical and mental health or realities of profession and public life. That gives wrong ideas to ordinary people too. No wonder youth feel depressed or shocked if they see harsh realities or commit suicide like many young actors do or aspiring writers, singers, models do. And their idealism vanishes.

I wish we lived more in reality than sell some perfect image of ageless fitness and smiling faces or perfect life as these famous people pretend to have perfect life, perfect families and friends.

I cannot listen to songs of Devdas, HDDCS, Gangster without missing KK. 

No kidding. I guess we are past that manipulating stage but these people set up such high standards for beauty and perfection. I mean even those roll on deodorant ads show the models with such clean and white underarms that’s just not possible 😆I am glad at least technology has taught us how much everything can be airbrushed and photoshopped 😆

Not just beauty but also everything else. Like for eg, being friends or happy with same lot for decades.

It is rare in real life to be happy, laughing with others or have same friends or friendly relations with colleagues or classmates for decades or be cheerful even at middle age the way, say Kajol still laughs and chatters away like a kid or Karan is so friendly with Kajol, SRK and Rani and together they sound much younger than their actual age or are so informal with each other.

In real life even your cousins stare at you if you laugh or chatter a lot or recall old days or even siblings distance from you after a certain age, nor your elders, teachers or friends, classmates or colleagues keep in touch with you or laugh together like these celebs do.

Remember Anil and Satish laughing like crazy in Kapil show as Krushna mimicked Jackie? I have never seen older friends laugh like this in real life. 

I now realise it is staged...