Na Tum Jano Na Hum
Loved the docuseries ‘The Roshans’ on Netflix. I genuinely had no idea to the extent to which their family played a significant role in the Bollywood industry. #respect
After watching the docuseries, we ended up watching Kaho Naa Pyar Hai (KNPH) again last night. For nostalgic reasons and also as our Thank You to the Roshans.
As we watched the movie last night, my son remarked, “Hrithik looks just like you Dad when you were younger” (Hehehe, okay, you too can take a moment to laugh - my wife laughed for a good 5 minutes). It was cute. I also used to think my father was a combination of Amitabh Bachchan and Kapil Dev!
My initial reaction upon rewatching KNPH was amusement at the glaring holes in the movie. It had Police shooting randomly at the airport and on the streets and had a very random murder of a Police Commissioner! We did not care back then.
In art, there’s a concept called ‘suspension of disbelief’. If you can touch the audiences’ hearts and entertain them, they are willing to overlook the unbelievable. (Javed Akhtar talks about it in the docuseries.)
This concept explains pretty much every movie we watched growing up. As far as movies were concerned, my generation was perpetually in a state of suspension of disbelief.
Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the movie again - just as much as I loved it the first time.
Kaho Naa Pyar Hai made my generation fall in love with love for the 4th time.
My generation has fallen in love with LOVE many times.
The first time was Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, which introduced us to love. We were too young then, but the idea of love made its way onto our to-do list!
The second time was Maine Pyaar Kiya (I still believe it’s the greatest movie ever made, and if you disagree, you’re not my friend. If you don’t get goosebumps when Salman says, ‘Mein phir se paise kamaunga babu ji,’ you don’t have a soul).
The third time was DDLJ - that one made us completely believe in love and ….. international vacations.
Movies can transport us back to a time that’s barely etched in our memory.
Movies leave a lasting impact on our psyche, influencing us years later. A particular look, a distinctive way of speaking, or an expression - if you loved a movie growing up, there’s a high likelihood that you’ve incorporated some aspect of those characters into your life. We might even be drawn to individuals who resemble those characters we admired.
The music transports you to a different realm - your eyes close - flashback - A 27-year-old guy in his Santro, windows rolled down, music system blaring this song - “Na Tum Jano Na Hum”… Uff! …..a different person…. innocence
Kyun gum hai har disha
Kyun hota hai nasha
Kyun aata hai mazaa..
Na tum jano na hum
You can almost smell that era, and your heart races with a sense of innocence. You were the purest version of yourself, untouched by the complexities of life (suspension of disbelief at full play 😀). You were searching for your purpose, but you didn’t really worry about it. You were cool with not knowing.
It’s great to watch an old favourite movie of yours just to remind yourself of who you were when you first watched it.
Kyun milti hain nazar
Kyun hota hai asar
Kyun hoti hai sahar..
Na tum jano na hum
Love & hugs from that guy in 2000.
A
Your writing is so pure and heartfelt that I could vividly picture the entire song. I love to write too, but I often find myself searching for motivation or struggling to find the right words. Reading this felt effortless—it reminded me that sometimes, just writing what you feel is enough for readers to connect, just like I did with this beautiful blog. I’ve always been a huge fan of your stand-up comedy, but I had no idea you wrote so wonderfully as well. Looks like I’m about to become a fan of your writing too! Keep sharing your brilliance.
Maza aa gaya sirji yeh blog padh k, the way you narrated the story was awesome.