I want to post about a song...sung in a language which I don't speak, which I played over and over and over again while I was recovering from a medical procedure last week.
I had come across several very high reviews of the Bollywood movie "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" (translation: A Match Made By God), from 2008, and had ordered a copy of it prior to being hospitalized. It arrived just in time for me to enjoy while I recovered at home.
As is the case of all Hindi language films, the plot required a suspension of critical thinking in order to enjoy the plot, had several song and dance numbers (one of which was so awful silly I barely made it through it), and the movie was long enough to include an intermission.
(When Bernie joins me in watching a Bollywood movie, he usually is gasping "Oh THANK you God that this thing is half over!" when the intermission screen appears).
One thing about anaesthesia and me: for days after being put under, I find that I am unable to follow the most simple plot line in a book and will read and re-read the same paragraph multiple times without comprehension. I find the same issues plague me when watching television, and worse, this being the Christmas season, I found the endless stream of commercials urging me to get out there and shop for stuff to be exhausting. After an hour of television I was so done with Christmas that I was wishing it was August again already.
Anyhoo...Bernie had won a laptop style DVD player which was just the right size for propping open on my chest backed up by a pillow while I stayed snuggy in bed beneath a down comforter.
I popped the "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" dvd in and let the story unfold.
The very popular Indian actor Shahruhk Khan was featured in a dual role. The storyline, in brief, entailed a very geeky Khan going to the wedding of his college professors' daughter. He is quite smitten by her pre-wedding joy, and is also greatly admired by the Professor.
Bad news quickly arrives: the groom and his family were killed in a fatal accident on their way to the wedding, and with this horrific news, the professor suffers a heart attack. Not wanting his daughter to be left alone, the professor asks Khan if he would be willing to marry the daughter if she would accept the idea.
In less than 48 hours, the professor also dies, is cremated and Khan and the girl are wed. The girl is much younger than Khan's geeky character, and is understandably pretty shut down by all that has happened so quickly.
Khan brings her back with him to his home in the city, and with great dignity gives her the main room in his house for her own, retreating to the attic space to live and sleep.
He soon realizes he is in love with his young wife and wishes for nothing more than that she would once again have joy.
Upon discovering that the only time she smiles is at the antics of Bollywood movie heroes, and after agreeing to let her enter a dance class, he plots to become part of her life as a dual character: he dresses as a Bollywood hipster would dress and enters into the dance class to watch her.
A comedic friendship evolves between the "hip" Khan and the girl, while "geeky" husband Khan does not reveal his duplicity knowing that he represents the moment that she lost so much in her life.
As usual, it is after the intermission that the story line shifts from being almost slap-stick to being so deep and emotionally significant that it just blew me away.
Now granted I was feeling pretty whimpy while I was watching this DVD, but I was also very aware of how exquisitely my husband was providing care for me on many levels. With our 35th anniversary coming up next week, I felt so blessed to have him with me and to be the recipient of his many kindnesses to me in my infirmity.
In sickness and in health...after 35 years we deeply understand that part of our wedding vows now.
"As Christ loved the Church"...yes, I saw in my husband a man made in God's image. I saw God care for me brought about through him.
Which brings me back to the song entitled "Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta" that I played over and over again, often with tears welling up in my eyes.
Khan is playing both of the men in the scene: the geeky husband in white, and the "hip" guy friend as well. He is lipsyncing as is the traditional way of Hindi movies; another artist's voice is the one actually heard in the movie. Maybe this song won't affect you as it did me...but I wanted to share it anyway...click HERE to view it with English translation.
The scenery, lyrics, instrumentals, choreography and children combined to make it special to me.
(I later learned that the sound track of this movie was the first Bollywood soundtrack to make it into the top 10 of music down loads. Apparently it isn't just me who found the song to be quite wonderful).
