Lakshya - An aim in Life

The movie Lakshya, I feel was a path breaking effort by the young director Farhaan Akhtar. The reasons are aplenty and the timing could not have been more apposite.

Have you ever been to the favorite hang-outs of the many good colleges? If not, just go to any of the multitudes of the Cafe Coffee Day, Barista, Pizza Hut or multiplexes. Just cast a glimpse at the eyes of these so called cool and happening crowd at these places.

What really hits you is that, amidst all the glam-sham, the eyes are almost vacant. Literally, the movement of these people will be like zombies. They will behave with all the correct expressions, like laughing at someone's jokes, sighing at something sad. Yet, if you look closely, all this will be so very superficial.

These people seem to be here to have fun. Yet, they show no emotions of having any joy in life. These people are out at these happening places seeking fun. Still they don't find any of it.
Somewhere along the way of the satellite teleivsion and the MTV generation, we have lost the one thing that was so very intrinsic and a necessity in attaining this happiness. The reason is, many of them have lost a sense of purpose in life...

Our lives is like a ship in an ocean. Somteimes, there is a beautiful serenity, at times, there are raging storms and at times, there is a flood of woes. It is up to us, the Captain of our own lives to control the rudder and navigate the ship to its destination. The problem here is, if there is no aim, no Lakshya in life, where are we supposed to take this mammoth ship of life?

Sure, people will always argue that, life is too unpredictable to be planned and that planning the whole life removes the spontaneity in it. No doubt about the fact that life is not a direct from script drama. Still, making no plans for it is a crime. When a new ship is built, there is always a contingency plan for evacuation in times of danger. There are life boats, distress signal radio and flash guns. Yet, the disaster that can strike a ship is unpredictable. People survive such misfortunes, because, someone had planned for such an eventuality and put the rescue aids in place.

In a similar way, if we do not plan for the life, it will totally directionless. We study in college, work like a dog and get ranks. Ask for a reason and you draw a blank stare. The pretty young things are chased by dashing hunks and finally it ends with at proposal. Ask them what next, and you will still draw a blank. Somehow, in this rat race of life, people have got so sucked into the vortex of life, that they fail to take time off to sit and think, "Why am I doing, whatever it is that I am doing in life?" If this basic question results in no answer, it means, the person is in urgent need of a Lakshya.

You may ask, "What is so special about having an aim in life?" Well, it is precisely having an aim that makes life enjoyable. You feel that now, you are a great Captain, navigating a brand new ship, the ship of Your Life. It has never been used before. It has not been tested for the hardships it has to face, the challenges it has surmount or the tempests that it has to conquer. You as the Captain, will sit and chart a course over an unchartered territory. You will be responsible for deciding where to go, when to go and what to do. It is upto your judgment to think about the problems that will occur. It is you who will draw up the mitigation plans for it. You, in summary have to be really mature, rational and intuitive to think, predict and plan for the journey of Life.

This Lakshya does not turn you into a robot. The spontaneity is still in there. You will meet really nice co-passengers. Some you cherish for ever. Other, you feel are better, if they are made to walk off the plank! While on the course to your destiny, you will find that one person, who is going almost the same way. It is like you have found another Captain, whose destiny seems to be the same as yours. Or, you may feel, that joining hands with this person, you can reach a destination, that you had thought, was not achievable by yourself. This person, shall become the soul-mate, the co-Captain. The load of life becomes more bearable, more enjoyable, more challenging as you now know, that any decision taken from now on, shall be the result of two Captains thinking together. Until the maturity comes, where a Captain can understand, that he needs a co-Captain, a friend, an equal partner in everything that he does, plans or decides, the meaning of Love is not true. If a person is not mature enough to handle his own ship, what right does he have to ask another person to handle the control of her ship, to him? It is not risky; it is suicidal. Such ships of life generelly end at the bottom of the Ocean, or is broken into splinters, when the harsh waves of doubts, jealousy and lust breaks it over the jagged cliffs near some dangerous islands.

What the movie taught was all this and more. The Hero, is like an amateur Captain, with no map. The heroine, though has her map with her. The Hero by some silly prank, ends up in a turbulent ocean, faced with difficulties. This is the harsh training school of the Military Academy. He is made to realize, that navigating through this is possible only through sheer courage, determination, diligence and hard work. The money that his father has earned has no value. The concerned Mom at home can do nothing. Whatever needs to be done, is only through his own actions and efforts. Typical of the comfort loving, Pepsi drinking, Pizza eating generation, the Hero returns home. The parents welcome it. Yet, the Heroine, just turns him away. She, has her value systems in place. A man, who can't stand up for himself is no person to whom she can promise her life. If he can't stand up to his own self-respect, what will he do when it comes to protecting hers, or at least helping her? Very rightly, she just dumps him.

Farhan has handled the next part very well. At some point in life, we are stranded on a lonely island. There is no one to help, no one to guide or no one to even talk to. At such times, it is only the thought process and that helps. This is the point in time, we take risks. They may click and life will turn out to be successful. It may back-fire and live us in shambles. Yet, it is this very ability to make a choice, which makes us all humans. It is this ability to consciously decide what is right and what is wrong that sets us apart from the other species on this planet. And it would be a crime, if cowardly we just settle down on the desolate, lonely and forlorn island, because, making a decision was very difficult and ridden with risks.

The rest of the movie is a depiction of the bravery of the Indian Soldiers, who struggle so hard to protect the Indian borders form the guns of the enemy aggressors. It is just a depiction of the importance of the ability to stick to the final aim with unfastening grit and unwavering determination.

What I liked the most was the transformation that the Hero shows, when he gets metamorphosed from a aimless-comfort-loving hunk to a disciplined Army Officer. The very meaning of life is shown to be so very different. The fire in the eyes, the confidence in the walk, the new found direction in life seems to make him turn into a new leaf!

All I wish is that, the teenagers, who are fed on a regular diet of puppy Love, of the romantic pursuits of College Students watch this movie. It would be so nice, if they could sit down for a while, with the music turned off, the TV switched off and the atrificialities of life cast away. At this moment, if they could think, "What am doing with my life? What should I do ahead?" Such simple thoughts could probably bring in a meaning to the meaningless existence and zest to their living. After all, they need to realize that, "Life is what happens to you while you're working for your future."

I belive that we need to realize that life is not just a frolicsome event. It is a harsh task master. We need to aim, plan and wrestle with it to win over it. The ultimate satisfaction is to reach the goal, to put the flag on top of the summit after having conquered the mountain. The beautiful vista that stretches out over the horizon, from the top of this summit, is the ultimate fruit for all the struggles and pains that you had to endure all along the life.

Well, these were my thoughts. And my belief in life is: "Man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it.