Ek, do, teen…. Kalash !
It was the initial stages of my Air Force Career in saving the nation. Like Herculus, I was lifting the whole nation on my tender shoulders. Like a true ISO, Agmark tamilian, I didn’t know Hindi. The only hindi word I knew was “Jai Hind” and only hindi song I knew was “Jana, gana, mana…”. Later I came to know that even that was not hindi. My thirst for Hindi was born by Tezaab movie. I learnt one, two, three in hindi from Madhuri’s ek, do, teen… song only. When I saw her dance, I immediately understood that Hindi was the best language ! How I craved Madhuri to be my teacher! As Madhuri gave one hit movie after other, my love for Hindi also grew !
Before Tezaab happened, I had never seen a hindi film in my life apart from those black and white news reels played in the cinema halls. Screening them was compulsory in those days. Mostly Gandhi ji used to walk in fast mode in those reels and it would be whirring and blurring. Then some alien voice would recite some mantras in hindi. Then 5,4,3,2 and 1 will come in circles and then the movie would start. I thought they were the warning for the late comers.
When I told my friends that I would also go to Tezaab movie alongwith them, they suspected my mental health at first. Mostly I went to see Madhuri after seeing her in Chitrahaar. It was like watching Chinese movie in china. I understood nothing. To see her face, I had to bear the hairy face of Anil kapoor and hairless face of Anupam kher. Then came the much awaited ek, do, teen… song. What a song and dance! My body, heart and soul swayed alongwith Madhuri’s movements especially those scintillating back steps shaking her hip as if it was another body. People went delirious and berserk. If Gandhiji had seen that mob, he would have walked backwards and returned the independence. The euphoria lasted 7 minutes. When the song was over, the crowd left the theatre. Madhuri carried the movie successfully at the box office on her hips. It was the beginning of a new era. Indians changed their heart’s wallpaper from Sridevi to Madhuri. When Beta was released, Indians heartbeat also changed from ‘tick’ ‘tick’ to ‘dhak’ ‘dhak’. It continued till Nene, Madhuri’s husband came and stopped our heartbeat.
If Madhuri had come to the intellectual state “Tamil Nadu”, we would have built a temple and named her as “Madhuri Amman.” After her retirement, we would have made her Chief Minister and fallen flat on her feet !
Yesterday I heard the song again with minuscule difference. First I thought Madhuri had come up with another dance to teach hindi to my grandchildren. Still I found something was amiss. After all it was like my family song. I searched in Youtube and found the new ek, do, teen in baaghi 2 film. Much to my horror, my nuptial bond with that song got severed with a bang. When ek, do, teen was sung, the dancer started to run as in 100m race and I ran for my life. Her dance movements resembled belly fat reduction exercises. She was rotating her stomach like yogi Ramdev. Her gyrations lacked elegance and Madhuri’ innocent face with a killing look was missing.It is always better to leave out the classics. Nowadays our musician hulks take an old song, add 2 tsp rap music, 3 tsp rock music and 1 tsp gasoline and burn them. After hearing their song, you won’t like to hear the original as well. Indian Mozarts and hazards must realise that the old magic can never be recreated. These songs are interwoven in our lives and part of us. Remember! If this trend continues, we ‘not so much’ youngsters have no choice but to go to marina beach again.