What a contrast the two screenings happened to be in their themes, on-screen experiences, backdrops, and storytelling on Monday! Normal was so much about possibly the innermost conflict between a couple whereas Ghode Ko Jalebi Khilane Le Ja Riya Hoon (Taking the Horse to feed Jalebis) was about the complexity of the downtrodden people of Old Delhi.

Normal in English was unexpectedly, yet beautiful straight and simple storytelling. When we walked out to the restrooms when Kalpana my friend said, “Jay, Is the director saying in order to keep the family intact, to save the bonding between them, it’s okay to have extramarital?”

“No, I don’t think so. I think what he means to say is that lack of happiness in one or both of them could lead to a chain of hurts.”

“Aren’t they happily married with a newborn?”

“Happiness as in real happiness, the contentment in the carnal perspective.”

“You mean?”

“Yes, in sex.”

Ghode Ko Jalebi Khilane Le Ja Riya Hoon in Hindi had a post-modernistic non-linear storytelling, a pleasant surprise. Kalpana said, “Jay, It could be because of my inadequacy but I somehow could not grasp what the director intended.”

“It’s a fabulous movie, and I think that every politician should watch this and be educated with.”

“Awe!? Really.”

“I mean it.”

“It’s not a visual treat as a movie should be.”

“How can it be? The pathetic lives of the downtrodden are being told and their lives are like that. How can you talk like those participating the ‘walks’ in the movie?

“I didn’t mean in the wrong sense.”

“So, you belong to the ‘I’d rather save the pandas’ bunch?”

“Are you offended?”

“No, I mean it’s such an important movie but look at the way you understand it.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s layered with so many metaphors and sarcasm.”

“Here comes my train! You could explain to me the movie tomorrow,” Kalpana ran in before the doors closed.

I sat there thinking about the creative space the director cum produced must have been living in for years. Hats off to her empathy!