Movies that inspired my Travel Bucket List

At times watching certain movies can lift your spirits up and fill you with hopes and dreams of getting out and about; and simultaneously loathe the fact that you still are stuck at home and your life basically sucks compared to the people in these movies.

I watch and re-watch these movies and keep adding the adventures portrayed to my bucket list. Because what is Bollywood, if not Nurturer of Dreams and Vanquisher of Boredom. I have time, I tell myself. Someday I will have my own travel experience penned in a bestseller that will be made into a movie. Although knowing me it will probably be called ‘Glut, Agnostically Ponder, Lust’. And since I will only sell the rights to a Bollywood production, a reincarnated Kajol can only be permitted to play me on screen.

I digress of course.  Today I am here only to describe the 5 Bolly movies that have made me make my list. I have no intentions of ranking them and counting down to my favourite, so here goes, in a random order…

1. DIL CHAHTA HAI

What it was about

Briefly put, three guys, best buds, in their 20s chill through life until they cant. Because of  responsibilities, heartbreaks, fall outs and stuff. They get back together and have more fun group parties eventually though, so all ends well (it’s Bollywood!).

What inspired me

The one that inspired everyone to get that road trip and hit Goa! The guys do this spontaneous impromptu get away to Goa over the ever-so-awesome title song and have the time of their lives. Volleyball, fishing, trekking and staring into the horizons have insightful discussions about the future – all packed in a song sequence that convinces you - C’est la vie! Although the getting robbed by a pretends-to-be-Swiss-girl-experience I wouldn’t wish for, the rest, as the tittle says, my heart wants!

I have lived closer to Goa for all my life than these guys in the movie did and yet not once have I been there. I always plan to, but when did planning ever work out? I need to just get up one day and take off.

Bucket List Item Added: Spontaneous trip to Goa with my chikas!

2. ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBAARA

What it was about

A mellowed down Bollywood version of The Hangover. Three guys on a Bachelor party/holiday across Spain that was long awaiting. They each get to pick an adventure sport that all of them HAVE to do, and as fate will have it each of those become the transcending moments in our boys’ path to self-discovery,  that are narrated to us by the lovely poems composed by Javed Akhtar.

What inspired me

Duh, Spain! The entire movie can be a 3 hour Spanish Tourism Endorsement video. On a serious note, what actually is inspiring is the fact that each of them get out of their comfy zones to do things that end up changing their ways of life. Movies have a way of exaggerating I know, Bollywood especially has almost no place for realistic story telling (at least the kind of main stream Bollywood that I, nevertheless, adore). But I can totally relate how adventure sports that give you the near death chills can help you see life in a new sense of clarity. Every time I am in an almost-road-accident for example, (which in Pune, is every day) I promise the rarely acknowledged higher power, that I will be good and clean my room or something.

So it is clear that something like running with the Bulls can get me to do some more crazy stuff in the future that will get that book started. Of course, ZNMD also teaches you that unless you have the Greek God looks of Hritik, the suaveness of Farhan or the being Richie-Rich-ness of Abhay Deol a trip in Spain involving flings with the hot locals and your pretty instructors or staying in luxurious villas ain’t happening. Time to start hitting the treadmill and to start saving!

Bucket List Item Added: Adventure Sporting (No idea if that’s a legit term) across Europe as a pact among friends. (I will never do that shit myself)

3. QUEEN

What it was about

The Screw-this-I-want-to-get-away-from-here experience of a young naïve Delhi girl recently dumped by a jerk wannabe-videsi fiancé. She decides to go to her Honeymoon alone because she can’t let Paris and Amsterdam go, for some idiot who walked out on her. Actually she just wants to leave town (heartbreaks do that to you). But this very middle class girl then ends up doing the things that may be described as too wild for a lone Indian girl in an unknown city – getting DRUNK in a French pub; living with a racially diverse boy gang in a hostel room; kissing a random (bit dreamy) Italian guy; shopping from an.. umm.. ‘adult store’; almost getting a lap dance from this chick in a Red Light area – the works! All these experiences bring her back to her old bubbly self who gets the confidence to dump the apologizing ex- fiancé in a Karmic comeback.

What inspired me:

The idea that a middle class Indian woman can have fun in a foreign country without a male chaperone.  And without losing that cherished ‘innocence’ that society expects from us Indian ‘maidens’.

Although, once again the movie is far from being realistic as Rani ends up meeting the nicest people instead of the complete ass-holes that are statistically far more likely, something tells me she’d be fine even then.  But since, I consider myself a little more aware of the culture, languages and ways of life in these cities than Rani was, I think I should be able to survive a trip on my own too. My mom did it back in 2000 for God’s sake, I can definitely pull it off. Only more in the ‘Queen style’ than my Moms sit-around-and-click-pictures style I hope.

Bucket List Item Added: A backpacking trip across 1 or 2 European cities by myself.  (hopefully not induced by a heartbreak)

4. JAB WE MET

What it was about

 A heartbroken rich kid prone to suicide meets a hopped-up-on-marrying girl on a train who triggers him to kill her first instead. But as Cupid would have it, the long journey across many states of India make him fall for her instead. She also changes him for the better, and even though he leaves her to her boyfriend to let them get married, Bollywood wins in the end (as always) as the boyfriend turns out to be an emotionless asshole and leaves her. Only to come back to our girl in the end to make her realize she loves our boy instead (*sobs*)

What inspired me

The first half of the movie where our main couple travel across the smallest towns in India, miss trains, catch them to miss them again, and plunge in random lakes and stuff. For a person making a travel bucket list, I actually hate travelling. I’ve hated most of the travelling I’ve done so far at least. I feel myself changing though. An AC compartment in the Indian Railways will be good for me I think. But any movie that makes me dig a ‘Hotel Descent’ experience just had to make this list. And if the railways promise such delightful guys as company, then I am all in!

It is also important (as my parents keep pointing out) to see my own country before venturing to foreign lands for new experiences, I realize. India does have a lot to offer, and the railways promise a glimpse of the country better than any other mode of travel.

Bucket List Item Added: An akeli-ladki (lone girl) journey across Indian states by the Indian Railways, getting down at random stations (hopefully not missing the train) and soaking-in the India. (a handsome+smart guy who would end up next to me would be a cherry on the cake ofcourse!)

5. DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE

What it was about:

THE 90’s classic romance movie where our lead pair meet on the Euro Rail (and also miss it) in that after-graduation-before-marriage/job period in an Indian youth’s life which is the only time you get to let loose and have fun (one last time). She hates him and then falls for him only to tell him she’s engaged and then he follows her to Punjab, India to respectfully win her hand from her family at her wedding to a 3^rd guy. He is successful, obviously. I mean Shahrukh ALWAYS wins.

What inspired me

Okay to be honest, I saw DDLJ when I was seven and in London (no, seriously). Back then, I probably loved it for the colourful songs and the squirting-water-on-Kajol’s-face prank. But as I watched it over and over I couldn’t help want a DDLJ for myself. We are all those girls who want their fairy tales even when we grow up and realize that fairies are figment of imagination but witches might not be. (and this is not me hoping for Hogwarts, fellas. Just saying there’s a lot of black out there than white.)

But heck I’ll say it. I do want to get on the Euro Rail and look around to see if I spot a Raj. Because, what DDLJ also taught me, was that you need to take chances. You know that odds are high that you end up arrange-marrying a stranger, so bachelorette trip toh banta hai! So what if your dad is a super-conventional  Alok Nath fan-boy, you should still ask to go. He might say yes. (Go eitherways, actually). So what if you don’t really know if he/she loves you back. Take the leap, and travel millions of miles to make sure! So what if you think the love of your life is almost out of reach, run along their train and try to take their hand nonetheless!

We will always regret things we did not do more than the things we did. I don’t want to regret not trying a DDLJ.

Bucket List Item Added: Getting on the Euro Rail and giving love a chance. (And doing that train chase scene. Seriously.)

So those were the travel bucket list items inspired by some of my favourite movies. I don’t know if I will end up doing all, but writing them down sure did get me to dare to seriously pursue them. Who knows, if do them, I finally have content for that bestseller waiting to be!

Wish me luck guys!