The two sides of success

I am very fond of interviews, especially by people on media. That industry and its people fascinate me for the simple reason that, most of them are driven by passion and dream of getting a foothold. They go through any extent of suffering, challenges, humiliation and difficulties to achieve their dream of appearing on screen or bare minimal get themselves associated with that industry. Looking at their matinee idols on screen at an impressionable age, many drop whatever their original plans or proposed ones by their parents and relatives, to chase the glory on silver screen. Some run away from their home, while some set challenging goals of achieving fame within specific timeline. Some don’t reach out to their kith and kin even in cases of extreme poverty, while there does remain a few who accept defeat half-heartedly, return back to their village, only to come back again in couple of years to try their luck. There are several common factors amongst all these aspirants, the most basic one being, majority of them are from villages and from weak financial background. Occasionally, unable to cope up with their financial struggle, they do reach out to their family for support and when they narrate those incidents, it is really gut wrenching. Very few taste the success at the level they expect and when they reminiscence about their past, more often than not, they laugh at the miseries which they overcome and how they managed their struggles. The interviewers and the audience as well may join on the laughter, but the pain which they went through, would be very obvious for everyone to feel. It may be funny to look back on those struggles and have a laugh but that laugh would be more of relief, having reached the other side. It tells a very important lesson or two for the audience. Primary one being, never ever give up. Even in cases where it is mind numbingly difficult and logically/practically stupid to pursue, if you hang on to your dreams, eventually it will be fruitful. Fact may be that, you might’ve lost more in terms of time and even youth. But the satisfaction of achieving your dream is one high that no narcotic can match. The second one big lesson being, not forgetting your past and not being shameful about it, how much ever difficult and miserable it might’ve been, especially when you turn out successful. Looking at those struggles as the stepping stone or the chisels that shaped the life and remembering those who helped in times of need is something that makes the success meaningful. Recently I saw the interview of Iman “Annachi”, more famously known as the model for Table mate chair. His Thoothukudi slang is as much famous as his big oval eyes bulging out of their sockets. He was talking about his life before joining movies and how he managed to sustain his passion and quest for 18 long years before his big break. The way he narrates how he got his first tricycle for selling vegetables and how that served to sustain his livelihood over 2 decades is a delight to watch. People often talk about the efforts that made them successful, their hard work, learning, their teachers who shaped their career etc. But till they reached that first step, what sustained them and how they managed those difficult or different times is something not everyone would be as forthcoming as Iman. His entire interview was so funny, yet the instances he narrated where totally contrary. The way he narrates his first attempt at buying vegetable from whole sale market in koyambedu, pushing the tricycle for hours together and moving away from one market to another, not knowing anything about the business is worth a movie scene in itself. He even goes on to narrate his first sale on street, having walked for several hours, not having prior experience on street hawking, how his now famous voice failed when he tried to shout the first time, every single instance the way he narrates, the interviewer on the other side is laughing genuinely, while the situation couldn’t have been anything but funny. Eventually, he shares how his untiring efforts started bearing fruits and how he became who he is at present. He shares the successes with same tone and fun with the way in which he narrated the other events in his life. Truly a remarkable interview that is worth watching.