THE 'ONE'
Written By Sonu Nigam
One came to Bombay, one came to become a singer, one was always a singer, one wanted to become a better singer, or maybe…a better-known singer! One day One did become one!
Now one suddenly decides to become two-in-one! Or should one say one has been instigated to become one! Excellent approach towards life should one say! Killer instinct! People look up to you, with a mixed feeling of admiration and perplexity, secretly harboring a deep un-answerable grudge against you wishing someday you might fail.
But is it that easy to be called a fighter? Is it a joke to be given this adjective and then live up to it throughout your journey? In an age when in the name of gurus and teachers, all you get are publicity freaks, when all you can do when in dilemma or indecision, is look for a sign or a good omen around you, to cheer you up, when all you can find in times of crisis is yourself and your shadow, trying to talk in a language which nobody ever wanted to learn since that's the closest way to understand you, and finally who cares to understand you…the only way you can survive in this rat race is self inspire yourself!
Talking about one, a friend invites one to write a column! Something one has read a lot but written none! But then its 'One'! And one wouldn't want ever to disappoint people; one is used to entertaining people on one's expense; actually on other's expense too since one is a quiet eyewitness to all the happenings in the industry. But today, one starts with a complete, honest confession about one's own present state! What better than a truth to start with?
Just watched on News how Norah Jones grabbed 8 Grammy awards...and what is all the more annoying is the fact that one would have been a witness to this extraordinary event had it not been for the delayed release of Kaash aap...
For the first time in one's life, one is going through a patch where one's just completely disgruntled with everything around!
When one was struggling, there were disillusionments, there were days of frustration, nights of isolation and disenchantments, a feeling of indecision and nervousness as to whether one is going to make it or not but, one most important thing which was quite minuscule at that time was… STAKES!
One's honor was at stake but to a very small extent. If one didn't make it, at the most the so-called friends and colleagues would have looked at ludicrously, made fun of, that's it!
Today one's first solo hero project comes to the theatres. Frankly one was never ever apprehensive about one's ability to emote, specially after the first 2-3 days of shoot in Vancouver, but one thing which was always there at the back of one's mind was, the open mindedness of the public to accept one as an actor, after 10 long years of being in the lime-light as a crooner! In a way it's testing a common man's sense of positivism, which to be very honest is pushing one's luck too far.
Why would a common man want to accept one as an actor is the million dollar question, unless one is a part of an extremely prestigious and infallible project? Psychologically they don't mind creating a new star, but they surely do mind giving further power and acclamation to an already established star because firstly, their expectations have considerably risen by now for that particular artiste, secondly, one can't deny the fact that due to an innate unseen oblivious feeling of jealousy, or to put it more moderately, envy, they are hell bent on being all the more critical! And to their sheer good luck, if at all the product is not as marvelous as God, they are most ready with their brickbats aimed at their most vulnerable target, the ambitious crooner.
In the process, they are ready to overlook a fact that they themselves are aware of and have been giving intellectual opinion on! "Factor" factor! Factors responsible for a great performance! Now where does their understanding of the entire medium go? The same people who seem to know all about the critical aspects that comprise to make a great or a successful movie are ready to overlook the fact that it is a movie, tailor-made to showcase a hugely popular star's talented daughter, leaving almost negligible scope for this so called ambitious little crooner who is loitering in this big fast competitive world of film industry alone, without a god-father, in the hope of one person who would do an honest job in presenting his newly acquired skill of acting, to the world by giving him enough footage to make an impact!
How can they choose to forget the fact that given a bad movie and subject, even the biggest of stalwarts have failed to make an impact at the box-office? When one says this, one doesn't mean to state that the movie was made badly or incompetently, in fact contrary to one's apprehensions, the film has been critically quite decently received all over with a few references of some very obvious flaws. As a matter of fact one doesn't think any one wants to make a bad movie, it's just that sometimes things fall in their place perfectly to give shape to a milestone movie, and sometimes, even the most genuine and tedious of intentions, fail to create any ripple. That's where the unexplainable theory of "Some One Up There" shudders you…to wake you up from the dream of self-concern!
And when one is so sure of this theory, why should one then worry as to why are people being so analytic about one's work, when there are so many more Newcomers on the block who are trying their luck in spite of being complete immature in their approach towards acting? The reason for one's disconcert is as simple and ancient as History. One wants to be appreciated in every single effort that one makes since one has this gut feeling that one is capable of learning and mastering everything. Now one has to ask this difficult question to oneself that does one have to satisfy one's creative instinct by gradually trying to achieve an art that was once beyond one's parameters, or one wants instant public accolade for something that one feels, actually, is not up to the mark? Choose!
Does every individual always get what he deserves? Is everything that is appreciated by the so-called Know-Alls, worthwhile? Are we always answerable to everybody for every damn effort that we make? Does everybody understand everybody? Everything? Isn't there something called tomorrow? Don't people get raped? Cheated? Beaten? Tortured? Tested? Humiliated? Ignored? Jilted? Yeah they do suffer, as a matter of fact, much more than one is presently!
One needs to optimistically look ahead and wait with perseverance for an opportunity where one gets another chance to attempt. There is no guarantee as to whether that attempt would be universally accepted, but there is one sure shot guarantee; there will be much more involvement in that effort owing to the increased vulnerability, and secondly, psychologically, audience has the habit of being a little less severe and nasty on a person who appears morally and spiritually down and broken, and who has gone through a 'Humiliation' session already once, in the previous attempt.
One has to go on, treading the same path intently, until one can finally reckon the entire world that efforts can be ridiculed or undermined but, they can't be quelled, crushed, because, the former is in the "Mighty" hands of "All", but the latter is in the "Almighty" hands of …….ONE
WRITTEN BY SONU NIGAM
**this article is truly very touching...it reaches out to you. Sonu, hats off to you. A finely written, well expressed article with a lot of explanation and emotion inside. All the best to you, Sonu...May God always be by your side...
once again, i have no idea how old/new this is, but I saw it today only...so...
