"Click"

Yesterday night,I saw this movie. Adam Sandler starrer. One word, awesome!
I was late by 1/2 an hour, nonetheless, the story did not lose its beauty.

Adam Sandler has a great life. A beautiful wife, a bonny son and a cute daughter, a good job(he's an architect) and everything is beautiful. Only, he wishes to rise higher in his job, but the boss (who flirts/harasses female colleagues) always dangles the carrot a little further away. Adam also hates the mild quarrels with his wife, the monthly get together with his parents and all the neighborhood children making a ruckus. Mild causes of concern in a blissful life.

One day, he goes to a store and meets the scientist who had designed most of the products. He reveals his heart's desire to him. "I want a remote to control my universe". And the scientist says, "So be it" and gets to work. One day, Adam gets the gift. A simple remote control, which the scientist claims would give a nice guy (like him), a much needed break. All he needs to do is "click". Initially, Adam sees nothing untoward. Not until, his dog starts barking and he wants him to shut up. He presses the volume down-down-down. And the bark becomes a mutter. When his wife starts to fight, he presses the pause, and time stands still. Adam, the nice guy, finally gets his break!
The world is completely different. At will, he rewinds, at will he skips parties he does not enjoy and jumps to times, which he really loves.

Then, the scientist visits him one day to show him "chapters"...His entire life is saved and can be viewed on a button press. From the time he was conceived to now. He shows him the "skip" feature...Adam prefers to skip his sickness, his wife's quarrels, hours he slogged to complete his design...
The boss is impressed with Adam's new zest for life and ability to work. So, when Adam asks for his promotion, boss says sure, after 3 months. That is when Adam decides to "skip". 3 months is not that long in his life...he doesn't mind missing that part. Whenever, he skips, Adam, the person though physically present, is mentally absent. As if, on autopilot. So, whenever he skips, he doesn't have a memory of events that took place during that time.

When Adam skips to the time, he is the partner; he has actually jumped a year. He had missed a year of his life, and looks in amazement at the changes in his office and home. He finds out that his marriage is on the rocks and they are seeing a counselor.
Bewildered, amazed and lost, he seeks the scientist. Then he learns, that the remote has a mind of its own. It not only lets him control his universe, but also remembers how he controls it. So, when he prefers to skip quarrels, sickness, hard work, in all his future life, he shall skip those events of his life.

At his office, his boss is happy, and says, you have become a partner now...that day is not far when you can become the CEO. The minute it is uttered, he finds himself on his bed. Fat, ugly, 10 years older as the CEO of the company he served. He is shocked to see his teenage son and daughter, his wife's new husband Billy, and his own life. Angry, frustrated, jealous, he fights with Billy. A hit on the head is all it takes for him to loose consciousness.

Waking up in the hospital, he realizes he has recovered from an illness of the brain that took away 6 years of his life, a lot of his fat, and his youth. An old and graying man stares back at him. His son is the new partner of the company and is handsome and able. His father is no more. When he tries to see his father at his deathbed, he can't. The remote shows him the part of the universe that he is a part of. Frantic, he clicks to be with his dad, the last time as he had seen him. An old and graying man, his dad seeks his alter self's attention, as he is busy on the laptop. The old man, pats him on the head, and says, "I love you". Adam stares in awe at his alter self which looks more like a zombie to him, dead to the world, emotionless, without response. He then finds himself at his son's wedding. He sees his beautiful daughter, sees his wife happy in the arms of another man, and feels torn in his heart. As the pain sears through his heart, he realizes that he has had an attack.
In the hospital, he is on respiratory controls. He looks at his son, his daughter and doesn't want them to go. Tearing away the straps that supply him oxygen, he rushes out as his son leaves him. Surrounded by a family he wishes he had been more a part of, he breathes his last as the scientist waits to take him out of the universe, beyond the control of any remote.

Adam wakes up on a white bed…and stares into a mirror and exclaims, “I am young again!” The store boy amazed at a customer who had slept off on a bed, corrects him. “I am young sir, you’re not quite so young”. Adam really doesn’t care. Having had a glimpse of life he’s just dreamt, he rushes home to hug his wife, kiss and play with his son and hold his daughter tight. As his wife starts to argue, he takes her in his arms and doesn’t turn away. He rushes home to his parents in the dead of the night, to tell them, that he loves them. Life never seemed more beautiful to him. Smiling he walks into his room to find a gift. “The remote to control your universe”, from the scientist who wanted to give him a break. A smiling Adam, throws it down the trash can. He refuses to “click” and control his world ever again.

:D I may not have been able to bring out the beauty of this movie…but I think it is a must watch. There are parts that tug at your heart, and re-establish the value of simple phrases in life and the importance of people.

The last post of mine was on my shoulder ache...Thanks to all who wished me well. I am fine now :D

Just like a daily jog or exercise is mandatory for some people, just like a cup of tea a day is a must, so is wondering a part of my daily existence. So, I wonder. About life, people's actions, reactions, the rules of nature, the reasons that He might have had to make the world the way it is.

I started the blog, 30 posts and 1 year back as an "in" thing to do, like the rest of the batch. Then, I talked of my professors, my courses, and my takeaways. Now, it is more about me. The reason for starting this blog was to share what I learnt in MBA. I had felt before joining ISB, that a prospective student wants a glimpse of the life inside a B-school. At least, that's what I felt...striving to answer "How's it like inside?" Now, its different.

So, I wondered. How personal can your blog be? Can anyone, who has never met me, draw a mental character sketch of mine? Does my writing move someone I've never really known? Does my writing give away myself more than I want to reveal? I usually read blogs of people I know, or have met, or have a link through an institution (BITS/ISB). And, I think, in some phrases, in some words, in some thoughts, you almost get to know the writer. Reading him frequently, you get to know his dominant mood, his sense of humour...and perhaps, one-tenth of the writer himself.

I was feeling grateful the other day, because I am literate. No, I did not realize it late, that I am literate, I only felt thankful more acutely for it. Certain feelings and thoughts can never be expressed. There is no way, if I start talking I shall do justice to my feelings. It is then, that the pen comes to my rescue. Words, that, when uttered loose their meaning, yet when written captures the essence. So, I wrote it down. A blog helps. A part of me resides in the virtual world...just like a shadow gives an idea of the person, so does a blog give a glimpse of the mind guiding the hand.