H : Haan... Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya Hai

I love Hindi films. I am crazy about them. Most memorable are those films, which have great content and the ones that touch your heart, head or at least some damn emotion inside you. Memorable films needn't necessarily be good though. Many times, I like bad films (bad as per others or critics), because they have content I identify with.

Then there are films that become memorable, not because of the film per se, but because of association of some happy / sad event, with that film or because of the company you watched that film with. For example, Welcome was a special film because that was the first film I watched with my wife (then fiancé). Or Dostana, the first film we went to after our marriage. I remember us college friends actually dancing in Malhar Cinema Ludhiana during screening of Dil Chahta Hai. Then there was Aitraz, which I went to watch with my girl friend at that time and I discovered I was sitting right behind an aunt of mine. In small towns, going out for movies with girls can snowball into a scandal soon. So I remained slouched on my seat, much to the disappointment of my girl friend and didn't even get her customary popcorn in the interval to avoid being noticed. I compensated her with a costly restaurant lunch later. There are many such films which are associated with lots of memories. Films we saw on my birthdays like Khamoshi or films for which tickets were bought in black like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge or films for which we couldn't get tickets for weeks like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. I watched James alone during first trimester exams of MBA while everyone was busy studying. I got a beating from theater watchman while breaking queue for buying tickets of a big flop film Trimurti.

The stories are many and endless. But there is this one film, which I never watched and it still became a memorable event. The film was Haan... Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya Hai. One of my close friends and I planned to watch a film in the evening. Our lectures finished earlier than expected. So before watching the film, we decided to drink. We drank to fill in the few hours before the film. By the time, we moved out of our watering hole, we were like really sloshed. I drove my scooter with him riding pillion to the cinema hall and we bought tickets. I went to the rest room to wash my face. Upon my return, I was shocked to see my friend spread across the lounger in the waiting area, in deep sleep. I shouted at him, physically moved him. It took few minutes to wake him up. We both decided not to watch the film and go sleep in the hostel. But we needed to sell those tickets. In that drunk condition, we managed to sell those tickets. We must be looking funny to others. Then he rode the scooter on return to hostel. Sitting at the back, I was singing at top of my voice the title song of the film, Haan... Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya Hai!!! (Yes, I have loved too).

I haven't watched this film since then. I don't think I ever will.