My Space: 'Our Souls at Night': Stories of the Elderly Around the World

Everyone who has traveled abroad will know that even if a woman is 70-80 years old in a foreign country, even if she is sitting on a wheelchair, her clothes, lipstick, nail polish and accessories are matching and absolutely perfect, she may be going on a vacation. .They may have friends in wheelchairs with them! In our country, the belief that one should not lose interest in 'life' even at the age when the society expects a person to go to the temple or do Dharmdhyana only, is strongly prevalent in the West. When Robert Redford was 81 and Jane Fonda was 80 (2017), they starred in a film, Indian director Ritesh Batra's Our Souls at Night. Two neighbours, living opposite each other, are old – their children have settled in their own lives, or not… But, both of them have lonely lives. At such a time a woman goes to her elderly neighbor and requests him to invite her to sleep there for the night. The brother is very surprised because, despite living next to each other, they have never even had a cup of coffee with each other! The sister says, 'The day is spent in various activities, but the night feels very lonely and sometimes desperate without any company.' The sister boldly says, 'You must be feeling the same! Instead of both of them spending the evening alone in their respective homes, if we spend the evening and the night with each other, then both of us will get company…' The sister walks away, leaving the decision of whether to accept this offer or not to her neighbor. The brother enters his neighbor's house for the first time through the back door, being afraid. Both try to make up awkwardly… The story after that is very interesting. Two lonely people somehow share their life's moments of joy, moments of regret, pain and questions with each other, understand each other! Even the suddenly divorced son (in a country like America) does not 'approve' of this relationship! He takes Ma with himself, to save his children… Even after this, this story of ups and downs of how this friendship and this intimate (soulful) relationship progresses teaches a lot to the elders of today! Several years ago, Jane Fonda was the first actress to market her workout videos. On April 24, 1982, Oscar-winning actress, anti-war activist, and successful Hollywood actress Jane Fonda added a new title to her career—Exercise Guru! He was 45 when his first best-selling aerobics tape hit the home-video market. Robert Redford has created a stir in Hollywood with his film 'Indecent Proposal'. He has worked with amazing actors like Sir Alec Guinness, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn and won awards like the Golden Globe Oscar. This story of 'Our Souls at Night' has a wonderful lesson or warning for all of us to learn. In 2017, American seniors were lonely. Their children were living their own lives, now in 2024 the Indian elderly have started falling alone. Child is abroad or working in another city. For him, his career and his small-nucleus family are important. Mostly a son who lives with a working or business wife or a daughter who lives with a busy husband, even if they are in the city, cannot spare time for their parents. In such times, when there are two people, not many questions arise, but when one of the two goes – departs from this world, living alone is not only difficult, it becomes difficult. Even if there is money, comfort, comfortable home, the most need is company. A man's life does not let the company of his own age – a little younger than himself – diminish the 'Jevanrasa'. We, brought up in a very narrow-minded society, live where a relationship between a man and a woman is not acceptable at any age if it is not labeled as 'marriage'! Our society still does not accept the idea that there can be anything other than the body in the relationship between a man and a woman, until 2024! Even if a dog is left alone in the house, it wanders, wanders—seeking its owner or the company of a household member! So, how lonely a man must be in the absence of a partner with whom he has spent 40 or 50 years of his life! There is no point in blaming the children because the times are of competition and discontent. The rate at which inflation is rising and the way living standards are changing, everyone is scrambling to live a luxury lifestyle. Today's young generation may not be able to afford the comfort and sensitivity to think about the parents who are left behind in this race! Everyone feels that a big house, expensive school for their children, long luxury cars and vacations abroad are part of the necessity of life. That's their view—the need of the hour, perhaps. The same children say to their parents, 'You have fun, use your money, we don't want you,' but the need for company to have fun is overlooked by these young children, perhaps. ! 'Our Souls at Night' is one such lonely-two-person story. Today's story is a heart-touching story of our sensibilities and affection-starved elders. This film is a must watch for the elderly, but also for young children to understand the need of their parents and the pain of being alone. }