I am often asked in interviews about a moment or an incident in my life that has been most memorable. It is always difficult to choose. What is it that the people would like to hear, something cheery, something gratifying, something that is emotional or something traumatic? In those brief seconds before I answer my mind spins through the vortex of memories that lie embedded amongst the pages of my life. Then being who I am, I chose that amongst the positive notes, something that would bring a smile to the listener.
Since my movie, Maine Pyaar Kiya has been a part of everyone’s life as such, they are always keen to hear about it. And Salman being a superstar that he is, people always wait for me to tell them more about my interaction with him. When people ask me about incidents that have happened on the set of Maine Pyaar Kiya, I have some memories that are so clear that they can actually have screen-time in my mind. But I ask myself, would it be the same for others involved? I sincerely doubt so.
Understandably Maine Pyaar Kiya was special, as it was the first for all three of us and I am sure when any of us (Soorajji, Salman or me) tell our stories, something from that film will inevitably come up. But, Salman and Soorajji, both have done so much more work, met so many more people, had so much more experience that the collective memories of all those films, people, incidents must have to be sieved. There will be people who have had so many experiences that, what may seem to have a humongous impact on you, may be just a fading tail-light for them.
For me on the other hand, this was something that impacted my life like nothing equivalent has and infact still continues to do so. So, there is a huge possibility that many incidents that are imprinted in my mind could be cob-webbed for others.
But most memorable memories in my life are not just about the film, and unlike what people would like to imagine, my life has been quite a roller-coaster. People and circumstances that have been impactful. There are no accolades, no feathers in the cap and no laurels won to show what was overcome or accomplished. But, there are very prominent and defining changes and challenges that I have been through. Some of the instances were maybe ordinary, prevalent, or probably inconsequential to most but they were what made me who I am today. I truly believe, every picture in your album has 2 stories, one that is seen and one that is the actual memory of what happened before and during the picture being clicked.
More often than not, the pretty picture is what is shown to the world, while the jagged edges are gossamer veiled. When I meet someone who has accomplished, achieved a lot, I am always tempted to ask what demons have they slayed, what chasms have they crossed, to whom they have lost a battle to win the war. There is always a story untold, that is etched in the memories and that is what really intrigues me.
We always remember incidents, people, places that matter to us, that have made a difference. Sometimes, for some people, such impactful incidents are so few that those are treasured. They are often replayed in the mind more often to keep them alive. A person who has rarely traveled will remember his/her visit to that destination in perfect detail. They will try and narrate it to others much more as a special memory of their life. But for a person who travels frequently to different destinations, may often forget or mix up the name of the places they visited in a particular city. Hence, sometimes the most striking memories in your mind could be nothing more than faded space to someone else.
I believe that it is important that we enjoy what we do, savor each moment, live a mindful existence. When our memories are more vivid and detailed we can recall each of them with a purpose. Though it is practically impossible to remember all the details of your life, the ones we recollect are always special. We can associate them sometimes with learning, and sometimes with joy. A kind word or an unkind gesture is rarely forgotten. We have often heard the saying, A person may forget what you did for them but will never forget how you made them feel. We tend to remember everything leaves an impact on our hearts or mind and the ones that impact the soul are either totally devastating or completely uplifting.
Each of us has our life’s journey, our ups, and downs. Some have the excitement of a feature film with all the love, romance, drama, action, and even the thriller aspect. We are the protagonist of our stories and memories are the chapters of our life that we like to narrate. Make sure yours is interesting.