Rise

i have slogged for last 5 years and saved every penny… and today, this beauty is mine! finally my dream is fulfilled today! patil sir! good morning sir. sir, where are you heading without giving your good wishes?! not me sir, but shrey. he’s bought a new bike… not just any other bike, it’s worth 8 lakhs the management has decided that we need to say an early goodbye to you! like people say you’re fired… but you might have been fired up…

for last 5 years you have been sacrificing your holidays… to buy this bike… gift yourself a holiday son take that road trip son! can i ask you for a favour? in my age, guys of on road trips with their friends and girlfriends. and here i am… …who wants to go on his first ever road trip with a 55 year-old, filmy stranger. uncle! there’s no space on bike for such a huge bag!

when i saw dhoom… …even i felt like doing some robbery, sitting on my bike and running away. you were not supposed to hit him! don’t hit him! shrey! that won’t help… put this ice pack. wait, i’ll put it for you. don’t you dare touch me sharma ji! be thankful that i have this chilled beer bottle in hand right now…

…else my temper would have been somewhere else altogether. so, that’s good! keep drinking and stay relaxed! beer isn’t a drink, it’s a way of life! how many times have i told you that!? sorry! my mistake! are you satisfied now? experiencing peace at last? should we recreate rang de basanti’s climax here!? it’s his fault… this guy! one person is being hit there and you are nicely talking on phone…

oh that! my wife called! and i lost focus… but this stupid idea was yours! there was nothing stupid about the idea. it was an amazing one! i fell while running which is why it got delayed. or we would have sat on sonu and disappeared. who sonu? who sonu? who gave you the permission to name my bike?! you don’t even take responsibility of your own fart, what else will you do?!

you keep telling people to eat less potatoes, so why don’t you tell him who ate all the potatoes!? you are laughing here! sorry! keep laughing! i would suggest you guys to stay here for the night as it’s already dark… and it’s not safe to ride so late in the night. i’ll just get the cots ready, you guys sleep here and leave tomorrow morning. amazing idea! even in chalo dilli this happened! both of them stay at dhaba at night…

great! amazing! amazing! i hope in this process of recreating movie scenes, you don’t get me killed! listen! charioteer! listen my friend! you know, he’s very good at heart… hey friend… are you still upset with me? after all i’m a human being… i get angry at times…

anyway your deeds are no less… 'coz of them only most of the times my temper is high! nisha also says the same thing! she’s my wife! how does she tolerate you? i think i’ll nominate her for a bravery award someday! shrey! don’t you think the sky looks beautiful this far from the city!? you feel like taking in this clean air!

yeah, it’s very peaceful as well! for a while i actually forgot all the tensions of my life sharma ji… job… money… loan… all these become less important when a person witnesses such beauty… but the truth is… i have been laid off sharma ji! and when i’ll get away from this beauty and road trip, then the reality will strike me… you think a lot! like you know a lot about future. friend… you never know if there’s a future!

sharma ji, our life is not a movie! nor are we the heroes from the movie. the truth is, i don’t have a job anymore! and i don’t even know if i’ll get another job. this road trip and the sceneries are just an excuse to escape the reality! to run away very fast from it… but someday we’ll stop… and then we’ll realise the truth. friend it’s very simple… every night is followed by day and every day is followed by night…

yes, some nights can be darker than others… but the funny thing is... even after the darkest night, there will be day. and that’s the truth! and if you look it from another perspective... we are all, heroes of our own films. some new drama unfolds in our life everyday! and just like our movie... everything falls in place by the end of it. isn’t it?

sharma ji, have you seen game of thrones? there... in every season few characters are killed… their film ends there! every film has to end! what’s a film which doesn’t end… listen, the film’s end is not as important as… …it is to see how much did you enjoy it! and if you talk about me...

i am enjoying this movie of my life to full extent. sharma ji, how do you just connect everything to movies? ok, tell me... how did you become this movie buff? and when did you get this idea of recreating these movie scenes? dude! everybody has different dreams… even i had a dream… to become an actor!

what are you saying sharma ji? really? i would take out money from my dad’s pocket and watch every movie’s first show on the first day… take it as... in childhood, i have seen movies like a maniac i wanted to go to mumbai… so did you go to mumbai or no? no! i couldn’t muster courage to talk to my dad! then i thought i should first fulfil my responsibilities…

i was busy with responsibilities. got married, had kids and then... got busy with responsibilities of the whole family… the whole life went by… and i never got the chance to live for myself. sharma ji, do you have any regrets that you couldn’t enjoy your life? you are getting me wrong… it’s not that i haven’t enjoyed the different phases of my life… i enjoyed every phase, handled all the troubles with utmost courage!

and celebrated every joyous moment! friend, life is full of ups and downs… and that’s why it’s called life! and if it’s about dreams… …then according to me, there’s no age limit to fulfil dreams. there’s no expiry date to them. whenever you want, fulfil your dreams! sharma ji, you are talking just like my dad! is it? he always says that...

everything looks better in hindsight! he’s absolutely right! live your life! what’s done is done… what’s that proverb in english… the deeper you fall, the higher you rise! isn't it!? what i'm saying is... live your present to the fullest, my friend! if you’ll be stuck with the past even in the present, then tell me how will you enjoy the future? now take my case…

if i would have been upset over the fact that i couldn’t fulfil my dream of being an actor… would i be able to enjoy my life?! no, i couldn’t. the sorrow of this unfulfilled dream, would have hollowed me from within. that’s why… what did i do?! i made my life a movie! firstly i became a good son, then a good husband and then a good father… now see, such different characters i played.

it was fun. and today i’m freely experiencing all this… and in life… this is what matters! understood?! by the way sharma ji… in your age, it must be fun to analyse all the hits and misses of your life. i should have done this or i shouldn’t have done that. it’s like having almost your entire life in front of your eyes…

just like the milestones on the road! summation of these halts is life! it must be fun sharma ji!? sharma ji! slept! oh sharma ji, eat less potatoes! tomorrow we ride again! oh wow sharma ji! amazing! you look very handsome!

when deepu told me, there only i decided that i have to do this road trip… and immediately i shopped! now say, how am i looking? you look dashing, just like a cool dude! should we leave? the road is calling us. oh yeah, yeah! but charioteer... my boxers are wet. they still haven’t dried up. what’s the big deal sharma ji!

take the boxers with us on bike. in this wind it will dry. wow! you just spoke like me. come, let’s go! let’s go sharma ji! oh! oh! oh no! oh no, my boxers flew off! it was my favourite one and lucky too! you never know sharma ji if you get luckier without the boxers! hey man! it’s not that i have just one of it, i have many more boxers!

sharma ji, you are an ultimate character in yourself! listen, did you see that girl? which girl? sharma ji, while riding one should only look at the road. better be safe than sorry! got it? charioteer, stop the bike once… please stop it at the side. what’s it sharma ji? please stop!

now what happened? what do you want to do now? don’t you want to reach kolkata on time? that girl is very tensed, i can see that on her face! what’s it that you saw? and why do you always interfere in other’s problems!? why can't you just mind your own business?! i’m telling you she needs help. just that she is not able to ask for it. she’s definitely in trouble!

let’s do one thing… listen to me. let’s go and ask her. sharma ji what do you want in life? what do you want?! that we should turn and go all the way back to ask her... ...if she needs help?! what if she says no? if she refuses, we’ll leave. what’s the problem in that? but friend... if we don’t go and ask her,

i won’t be able to forget her face… i’ll be worried for hours and days… …and will keep thinking if she received any help or no. poor girl is standing alone on this stranded road. what sort of a man are you!? that girl is looking at us with the hopes of receiving some help and you are ignoring her! which girl? what hope? where did you see all this when i didn’t? there’s no point arguing with you sharma ji! let’s go and talk to your girl! but you’ll talk to her, ok?

yeah! i’m not gonna do anything but just stand there. i have already taken the beating at dhaba and i’m not in a mood for it anymore. ok, ok! i will talk to her and you wait at a distance, ok? now let’s go please! there’s no harm in asking, let’s just ask once. very good, let’s go. yeah, you sit properly! i’m sitting properly, let’s go. is everything fine? yeah! it doesn’t seem fine! yeah, actually my car’s tyre has gone flat. so…

but it’s ok, my friend will be here in 10-15 minutes. but it’s a very small problem. not a big deal! yeah, but i don’t know how to change the tyre. never mind my friend will be here in 10-15 minutes and then repair it… see, he’s only calling. ayaan where are you? since when are you saying 10 minutes... don’t you know i’m standing alone on the road?!

ok fine, come quickly! he’ll be here in 10 minutes. i don’t think he’ll be here so soon and anyway this is not a huge task. it’s a 2 minutes job. do you know how to change the tyre? no, not me. i don’t even know how to drive a car, how will i change the tyre! but not to worry, i have a guy. he’s very talented and an expert in it. there he is! shrey! shrey!

shrey come here! need a little help here, please! come! please shrey! he’s coming. thank you! shrey, come here son! please! after seeing you today in this situation, i’ve learnt a lesson… what? that even if i don’t know how to drive a car, i should at least learn how to change the tyre! yeah. it’s important.

so now… where’s your friend!? should i tell you something? your car broke down at such a nice spot, you can so much beauty around… but always try, on your face… if you’re done resting sir, should we leave?! if there’s anything else i can do for you, please order! no. no more orders. see the work got done in 2 minutes, even before your friend could come. yeah. thank you so much, you’ve helped me a lot!

what did he do? ahh… thanks to you also. no need to thank anybody. it was our duty so we did it. now quickly drive off from here… yeah. ok? thank you! bye, will hopefully meet you again someday! yeah let’s go, let’s go! done?! excuse me!?

what happened? he! that! what he, that? i’m so sorry! i didn’t see that. i’m really sorry. i didn’t see that’s why… with you, i’ll keep getting beaten all my life sharma ji! sorry! today you took it to the level of getting beaten by a girl! sorry, i didn’t see that… see, i’m sorry…

sorry uncle! ahh what! sorry again! sharma ji… yeah? this filmy extremism of yours... ...has got me at the edge of the casualty ward, well, that’s why i got you this chilled beer... so that you remain calm…

you are getting smart sharma ji! well, that i was since the very beginning! hey friend... what are you doing?! repeat that ultra beer! you’ve actually got smarter! you won’t have a beer today? i’m not in the mood for it today! how will you have the mood for it, you would have received your share of satisfaction… …when you saw me being beaten by that girl.

sharma ji, now i don’t get upset over your acts. it feels like, with you, it’s just the normal routine now. that’s exactly what my wife says! sharma ji, where are you so lost? are you missing aunty? should i call her? if ever i get a chance to meet her... i’ll personally give her a bravery award. seriously! there’s something very different about kolkata!

here you’ve messed up my life… …and there you are lost in your own thoughts. amazing work sharma ji! it feels like the time... ...has just stopped there… exactly where it was. in the same manner! sharma ji, getting romantic and all? seems like you have some old relationship with kolkata!? i’m asking do you have some old relationship with kolkata? you got too emotional!

did you meet aunty here? c’mon, tell me! really?! what are you saying sharma ji!? yeah, yeah! here only in kolkata, i met her for the first time… this is why i have a deep connect with this city! this is why! friend, i grew up in this city! in this city!

amazing sharma ji! the city of joy, made man out of a boy! i came here for my graduation… i just didn’t want to come… so far from home, here for graduation… actually i wanted to go mumbai but got admission here so i had to come… and i used to keep thinking that... i’ll quickly finish my graduation and run away from this city… but…

but what? i fell in love! and fell in love with the city as well! and you know… we both… …as in i and my wife, we used to keep planning to visit kolkata during vacations every year… but that year never came! never! but now when i’ve come here alone... i’m feeling a little weird!

i mean i’m obviously happy to be here but there’s this weird feeling that… …you love this city a lot… like… the feeling you get when you meet a loved one after very long… that kind of feeling it is. so what’s there sharma ji… you just give me the contact number, we’ll do a video call to aunty. even i need to see how does the actress from your film looks! give me the number! i wish that was possible! i wish we could’ve done that! she passed away last year…

she’s always there with me… here! see, that’s her! she is your aunty! that’s her, always with me! if you don’t mind... can i ask… how did it happen? last year, she was bed-ridden because of a minute illness… and we never realised, when did that minute illness turned into a life-threatening disease. it was so sudden…

it all happened so suddenly that we didn’t get time to react... my friend, life is... a circus play! i’m really sorry sharma ji! you never mentioned any of it earlier, so… you have gone through so much in your life sharma ji, and i… i kept bothering you with my insignificant “job” problems. i’m very sorry! do you know…

that night... …that was the darkest, gloomiest night of my life! but you know what happens?… in life… we are always bothered about our future plans… but we forget that all these plans will go in vain, as life can just end all these things in a split second. if it wants. in a split second! we keep planning future that we’ll do this & that and what happens?… i’m asking what does that results to?

what happens is that in this process, we miss out to live our present. we don’t live it! what?! first we work hard and slog to save every penny… thinking that let’s first fulfil our responsibilities, then later... we’ll live our life… we’ll travel and enjoy post retirement… i and nisha… your aunty… we also used to wishfully think… …that we’ll go to kolkata and visit all those places which are associated with our love life… and you know… nisha loved travelling…

she just wanted to travel the whole world, seriously! i think that was her only hobby… but you know what was the funny part… we didn’t have passports only. we kept thinking that why to get it done right now… our whole life lies ahead of us. when we’ll need it, we’ll get it done. you see... for us, our life post retirement was supposed to be fun, rocking…

well, why shouldn’t it be! we lived our whole life for others… now it was time to live for ourselves. and this idea of living a life for yourself sounds very tempting. isn’t it? but my friend, i’ll just say that… what’s the guarantee that you will be alive till your retirement? what is the guarantee? do you have the guarantee? you never know,

if there exists a tomorrow or no! what sharma ji! how do you just relate everything to movies!? friend, even while going… my nisha taught me… …that learn to live in the moment. that’s it! since then i’m leaving this filmy dream of mine. fully and completely! and i’m enjoying it! sharma ji you’ve left me speechless today! you took my case today!

see… my wife changed you also, improved you! she is very different and unique! she has got even the big shots on track… and now got you also! isn’t it? hey… oh! no… no! where there’s beer, there isn’t any scope for tears! and cheers!

cheers sharma ji! cheers! cheers for coming into my life! cheers! cheers! i was uselessly thinking… that with the job gone, my life’s over… but that’s what i’ve been telling you from the very beginning… …that this might be the darkest night of your life… …or maybe another darker night is yet to come in your life, it’s waiting for you… but get one thing very clear… the morning after the darkest, gloomiest night…

…is the brightest! the brightest! and the morning has to come, that is decided! no force in the world can stop the sun from shining in the morning! when this is the ultimate truth of life, then why are you spoiling your present!? why?! cheers sharma ji! wait. cheers! good. good. hey this is that song…

that kangana ranaut’s song… from queen… keep this, keep this! let’s go to the floor… no sharma ji! i’m telling you… no sharma ji! come… c’mon good morning! morning, morning! what happened, what aren’t you ready yet? sharma ji we need to complete the last leg till gangtok today, go get ready quickly… i’m waiting! shrey, i wish i could come with you! actually… i want to stay in this city for at least a week…

why? what happened? i want relive the memories of the city… like bachchan sir in piku, i want to roam around the city on a bicycle… entire city… and try all the local delicacies… but only if you are fine with it!? i know i came with you, all the way till here… and now i’m parting way… i know that isn’t right… anyway i enjoyed a lot with you sharma ji! we could have easily avoided fight at dhaba and beating by girl… but anyway, whatever happened… it was fun… cheers to life sharma ji! cheers, cheers!

actually i never thought that such a day will also come… i’ll miss you! should i jump and come there or do you plan to come here?! give me a hug at least! sharma ji! come here my charioteer! now are you going to make me cry!? listen now! yes. the roads ahead are curvy... so be careful that the bike doesn’t skid… if the roads are wet be more careful and keep eating like me!

sharma ji, you also take care! and if on the way back, i don’t find you here in kolkata… i’ll find you from wherever you are and drag you back with me, on sonu! there won’t be any need to drag me! i’ll obviously meet you… i want to go back with you! great! the weather is nice, i think you should leave! ok sharma ji! ok, ok! take care sharma ji! ok sonu, bye! will meet again…

and charioteer take care of him also… he has been there with us through so much! and sharma ji... eat less potatoes! it’s troublesome at times! bye bye! take care! bye, take care of yourself! sonu bye! charioteer… love you! people go on road trips with their friends to explore new places…

they go on road trips to experience adventure, speed and adrenaline rush… i… i’m going on a solo road trip! yes solo! in the celebration of losing my job. wow dad! wow! don’t they say that… the deeper you fall, the higher you rise! what i’m saying is… live your present to the fullest, my friend! the road has answers to everything!

and you have a lot of questions… take that road trip! for me… for me! one thing at least got cleared with this road trip… …in this journey of life, you’ll meet a lot of people and you won’t have any control over it… and you never know when a stranger will teach you something that will change your entire perspective towards it. trust me! every night is followed by morning… and that’s the law of nature! in life you’ll keep facing ups and downs

and maybe that’s why it’s called life! just face your problems, fight with them and rise up to the challenge. and like they say in english… this too shall pass! and trust me… this too shall pass! dad was right… now after riding the bike for 3,160 kms, i understood what he meant! my friend, the morning right after the darkest, gloomiest night… …is always the brightest! the brightest! it doesn’t matter how many times you fall,

what matters is how many times you rise after falling! you don’t lose a fight because you fall… you lose the fight, because you refuse to rise! thank you papa!

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