The other day I met a young man from Kannur in north Kerala who aspires to be a scriptwriter in Mollywood. He told me a story about doing a movie through the eyes of a five-year-old child. I was not sure whether it was lively. “I am not a film person,” I said. “But I think you need a conflict to make it interesting.”
He told me he wanted to be a scriptwriter from the time he was in Class 8. I am not sure whether he has done a scriptwriting course to learn about the techniques. I fear he may not have the talent. Who can tell whether you have talent? When you are young, your enthusiasm and energy can carry you through. But once youth passes, you can only survive if you have talent.
And do you have a talent that is popular? Can what you create entrance many people? Not everybody is given this gift. Oscar-winning musician AR Rahman has this gift, and so did the late singer Lata Mangeshkar. AR Rahman’s sister Raihanah said, “There are many music directors who are geniuses. But nobody knows them.”
Because they have a talent that is esoteric. Only a few people can appreciate their work. Hence, they cannot earn enough to live off their work. Their talent becomes a hobby. They need to work elsewhere to earn a living. Adds Raihanah: “Mass appeal is a divine gift.”
This young scriptwriter will spend a few years trying to achieve his dream. If he succeeds, it will be a delightful story. A man who followed his dream and achieved it. But if he has no takers for his scripts, provided he has the energy and stamina to write them, he would have lost a few years. Can he have a lucky change of direction? Find a profession for which he has a knack? Who knows?
It’s all up in the air.
We hear stories about people who made it. And we celebrate them. Dharmendra and Dev Anand came from Ludhiana and Gurdaspur respectively, to try their luck in Bollywood. Both succeeded beyond their imagination. But what we also know is that thousands of other hopefuls had come and returned with unfulfilled dreams. For decades, they felt bitter, angry and frustrated.
A friend said that the only unerring guide to make right decisions is your intuition or your gut instinct. It will lead you down the right path.
To get in touch with your intuition, he said, one should go inside. Silencing the mind, listening to your breath, and meditation will help.
An immense power lives within. He said we need to consult it and move forward under its guidance.
Is this the right way?
Maybe it is.
But nobody can say for certain.
The proverb may be right:
Many are called, but few are chosen.
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