In little bits and many ways, Simi embodies the guileless
and impeccant attitude of a child-like mind. Like I mentioned before, she
imbibes an utterly simple mechanism to realise the good and the bad around,
without having to resort to duplicity, verbal calisthenics and the rest of that
sum total which I suppose, we call ‘worldliness’.
No wonder then, that Simi likes wholesome, good-natured and fun films ; films
like ‘Jumanji’, ‘Notting Hill’, ‘Baby’s Day Out’, the ‘Home Alone’ series and so many of Shah Rukh’s ventures. A
necessary ingredient when one has a predilection for the kind of films which I
just mentioned above is I am pretty sure, a sense of wonderment. Wonder is a
precious gift, and too many films now attempt to discover it through cacophony;
the trend today seems to create wonder not in the story or in its characters,
but in digitally-enhanced sequences.
Anyway, Simi it seems gravitates towards wholesome
entertainment in films – a dash of romance, light touches of fantasy, just the
appropriate dollop of adventure, canvasses of colourful ecstasy, and loads and
loads of comedy. Films which serve this delectable assortment are generally
classified as ‘family’. While we are discussing ‘family movies’, I wish to
de-bunk 2 myths. A children’s film is not always a family film, neither is an animated
one. Now that we have established what a family movie is ‘not’, let us move forward to what it ‘may be’.
A simple rule of thumb for this definition, may be what Roger Ebert prescribes. He
says, “A children’s film is a movie at
which adults are bored. A family movie is a movie at which, if its good,
nobody’s bored.” So, a family film is positioned to appeal not only to a
younger audience but to a wide range of viewers. Family films seek to traverse
this apparently-disjoint spectrum through an unique balance of story-boarding
and humour which oozes sly wit and an edginess, while still remaining universal
in appeal.
Family films explore universal themes – if ‘E.T.’ is about
an unlikely friendship, the ‘The Railway Children’ speaks about dignity in
adversity while ‘Fly Away Home’ explores among other things, the sometimes-tenuous
bond between child and parent. Family films are wonderful exponents for love
too; in ‘Up (2009)’, the tender romance between a reticent Carl and a tomboyish
Ellie first sparks and then takes wings with absolutely no spoken words, and on
the magical canvas of a lilting score by Michael Giacchino.
While it is true that so many avant garde family films are actually animated or seem targeted
towards the young or the young-at-heart, it is apparent (but not why exactly, to me atleast) that where the story involves
children and their immediate setting (parents, teachers, the neighbourhood
bully, the reclusive but kind-hearted old neighbour et al), the magic that appears through the child’s eyes and his
uncertain place in the world of obtuse-looking adults somehow are easily relateable
to most of us too.
I would like to borrow Ebert’s words in his review of ‘E.T.’
to underscore the purport of family films. He says, “This movie made my heart glad. It is filled with innocence, hope, and
good cheer. It is also wickedly funny and exciting as hell. This is a movie
that you can grow up with and grow old with, and it won't let you down.” It
is a moment of intense epiphany for me when I realise that these are just the
words I would use to describe Simi. This wonderous touch of gladness, fun,
excitement, good-naturedness and timelessness was Simi’s touch too.
Hasta mañana, Simi!
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