Things so aligned themselves on this last weekend of May that the last exam of the semester – one which would draw curtains on the second year of my engineering degree – coincided with the last day of the 13th Habitat Film Festival.
The India Habitat Centre has a diverse event calendar, featuring a number of film festivals through the year. This one was special, however, since on the roster on its final day was "New Delhi Times" – a 1986 Shashi Kapoor starrer I had foraged through the internet multiple times to find, encountering only failure.
There was no question of missing this opportunity, then. A 7:30PM start time for the film meant that the only way of even remotely making it in time would involve taking the afternoon service from Patiala, which leaves at 12:40PM and is very punctual. The exam was scheduled to end at noon, which provided a forty minute buffer; on any other day, this would have been very manageable.
The additional complication at play here was that this was the last working day of the year; we would return only two months later now, to new rooms in new hostels. Therefore, all belongings – formerly pristine; infused, now, with the memory of the spent year – were to be carried along.
A worthy challenge. One which saw me walking out of the "Manufacturing Processes" examination earlier than I would have on any other occasion; sacrificing the opportunity to conjure up definitions and details in exchange for the prospect of marks granted out of sheer generosity and amusement on the part of the examiner – a generosity of which I have been a regular beneficiary during my time in college.
We lumbered our way to the bus; helped out by the introduction of Ola cabs to the city, which meant we could get a cab to ferry us from inside the campus to the bus stand. We made it in time to the bus, the bus made it in time to the city, and I made it in time to the screening.
About the film; numerous adjectives come to mind. The most appropriate though, is, perhaps, 'real'. It is sombre, reflective and genuine; especially memorable because of its shots of Delhi from the '80s.
Shashi Kapoor's inclination towards creating fine, meaningful cinema is described well by the director of the film, while writing upon his passing in December 2017. 'New Delhi Times' is a fine example. There are many, many more; each of which is lying in wait for its time to come. A string of excellent films that have slipped through the cracks; waiting to be appreciated. Inka time aaega?
The next item on the agenda was to watch Liverpool play Real Madrid in the Champions League Final; as per tradition, Abhishek's house was to be the venue for a small-time screening. I slept through most of it – it is unfortunate, and a frequent cause of complaint by those around, that I have lost the ability to stay awake through nights in my early 20s – and Liverpool lost. All's well that ended well.
A summer, thus, begun well.