Category: Articles

The Complexity of Lies

Published on by Harpreet ChhachhiaLeave a comment

Today, I came across a quote that struck a chord: “I was never asking for too much. I was just asking the wrong person.” It made me pause. Lately, I’ve been feeling disillusioned by the people I love, grappling with the simple yet profound expectation of love and honesty. I don’t think I ask for much—just truth, just sincerity. After all, if you truly love someone, wouldn’t honesty be a natural part of that love?

But love and honesty don’t always go hand in hand. We like to believe they do, that love is built on trust and truth, yet relationships often prove otherwise. People lie. And while some lies may stem from fear, self-preservation, or misguided intentions, the fact remains—lies hurt.

I’ve been trying to understand why people lie, particularly to those they claim to love. One could argue that lying is often a reaction to anticipated consequences. The person who lies knows the truth will likely cause disappointment, anger, or pain. But that’s precisely where the contradiction lies—if you know the truth will hurt someone, and you love that person, why lie in the first place? Isn’t deception, in itself, an act of disregard for the person’s feelings?

This brings me to a difficult realisation: lying is not about the character of the person being lied to, but rather about the one doing the lying. A liar weighs the truth, measures the possible reactions, and makes a calculated choice to conceal it. And in making that choice, they assume control over how another person experiences reality. That’s what makes dishonesty so cruel—it robs the other person of the right to respond to life with full knowledge.

Yet, the irony is that truth, no matter how deeply buried, always finds its way out. Lies are never simple; they are layered, tangled, and exhausting to maintain. The truth, on the other hand, is straightforward. It may not always be easy, but it is never as complicated as the web of deceit spun to hide it.

So, if love is real, if it holds any meaning beyond sentiment, then honesty must be part of it. Because love without truth is merely an illusion—fragile, fleeting, and destined to shatter.

Echoes

Published on by Harpreet ChhachhiaLeave a comment

Lately, I find myself thinking back to my childhood—revisiting the past with a heart full of nostalgia, retracing the steps of a boy who once ran through the quiet lanes of Bandra. I remember those early mornings, the world bathed in golden sunlight, the short shrubs lined with tiny yellow flowers, and the delicate butterflies that flitted about, as if they were playing a game only they understood. There were four of us, my little gang of friends, always running, always laughing, revelling in the boundless joy that childhood so effortlessly bestows.

Perhaps I see it all now through rose-tinted glasses. Perhaps memory is kinder than reality was. But these moments are etched so deeply in my subconscious that they come back to me in vivid detail—the sunlight filtering through the trees, the movement of the butterflies, the thrill of being young and free.

Some memories stand out more than others. I can still see myself sitting in a classroom at St. Theresa’s High School. I don’t even remember which standard I was in, but I distinctly recall gazing out of the window and seeing the church steeples in the distance. A quiet moment of peace, a scene so simple yet so deeply comforting. Then there was the time I sat on my friend Virginia’s balcony, lost in thought, filled with anticipation for the day ahead—our trip to the beach. The sheer joy of that moment, the excitement of what was to come, is still so tangible in my mind.

And then there was my friend Sarvar’s house. He lived on the fifth floor, which, to me, felt like an extraordinary height. Having lived on the first floor all my life then, standing on his balcony and gazing out was an experience in itself. From there, I could see the TV tower at Worli, standing tall in the distance. In those days, Bandra had no high-rises, so the view was uninterrupted, stretching all the way to Worli. I can’t imagine that happening now—for any child to stand on a fifth-floor balcony and see as far as I did. The world has changed.

But then, doesn’t every generation say this? Doesn’t every generation look back with nostalgia, tinged with a quiet ache for what was? I understand now why memory is so important. It anchors us, reminds us of who we were, where we came from, and what once brought us joy.

Perhaps these thoughts have surfaced because my cousin sister has come to stay in Santa Cruz after a long time. She is the only member of my extended family whom I am still close to. I have lost so many over the years, and with her presence, old memories resurface, unbidden yet welcome. Every time I step out of my house, walking with the children through roads now choked with traffic, pollution, and relentless construction, I think back to a time when the sunlight touched the ground unfiltered, when the air was clean, when the fog in the mornings was not the result of smog but of nature’s own quiet magic—warm days, cool mornings, and nights filled with nothing but stillness.

I know I will never get those days back. Life moves on, things change, people leave. But memories remain. And in them, for a brief, beautiful moment, I can return to the lanes of my childhood, where the yellow butterflies still dance in the morning light.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy – A Perfect Goodbye to a Dear Old Friend

Published on by Harpreet Chhachhia2 Comments

I have adored Bridget Jones ever since I first read about her in the British Council Library while doing my master’s, sometime around when the first film had just been released. I remember reading a review about how Renée Zellweger had put on weight and trained for one of the most marvellous British accents ever filmed on screen. That intrigued me enough to pick up Bridget Jones’s Diary, and from that moment on, I was hooked.

Bridget wasn’t just a character; she was a person who existed in a parallel universe, someone I could have bumped into at a bar, embarrassed myself in front of, and then laughed about it with her over a bottle of wine. She was silly, kind-hearted, brutally honest, and had a truckload of insecurities that made her incredibly relatable. She thought just like I did—only in a much quirkier, funnier, and more inimitable way.

So, of course, I followed her journey through Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, where I nearly lost my breath laughing when she found herself in a Thai prison and taught the inmates Like a Virgin, and then through Bridget Jones’s Baby, where she teamed up with another one of my all-time favourite actresses, Emma Thompson, who played Dr. Rawlings with her signature deadpan wit.

And now, here we are, 25 years later, with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy—the final chapter. I was 24 when I first met Bridget, and now I’m going to be 50 as I say goodbye.

In this film, we meet Bridget (Renée Zellweger) as a mother of two, navigating life without Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), the love of her life, who has tragically passed away. Seeing her without him was heartbreaking, surreal even, but true to form, Bridget carries the movie with her classic blend of chaos, warmth, and self-deprecating humour. Zellweger, once again, is absolutely brilliant in this role. It was tailor-made for her—no one else could have played Bridget as perfectly as she does. Cate Blanchett, Rachel Weisz, and other names were once considered, but let’s be honest, Rachel Weisz is simply too pretty, and Cate Blanchett… well, she’s Cate Blanchett. But Renée? She is Bridget.

There’s a new romantic interest, of course. Enter Leo Woodall as Roxster, the much younger man who is charming, cheeky, and absolutely smitten with Bridget. But here’s the thing—why do people always frown upon an older woman dating a younger man? If a 50-year-old man marries a woman 20 years younger, no one bats an eyelid. But when it’s the other way around, it’s suddenly scandalous. Why can’t Roxster be smart, funny, emotionally available, and great in bed, all at once? I was completely rooting for him. Unfortunately, the film takes a more conventional route, and Bridget ultimately ends up with her children’s teacher, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Nothing wrong with that—it’s sweet, stable, and safe—but I wish they hadn’t made us fall in love with Roxster only to take him away.

One of the best things about this film is how it brings back so many familiar faces, even if only for fleeting moments. Gemma Jones returns as Bridget’s mum, still delightfully meddlesome. Jim Broadbent is back as her ever-suffering father. And then there’s Mark Darcy—Colin Firth—appearing in just a few scenes but making an unforgettable impact. That one look he gives her across the room, where only she can see him… it was poignant, beautiful, and so utterly Bridget Jones.

Her old friends are back too—Jude (Shirley Henderson), Shazzer (Sally Phillips), and Tom (James Callis)—which I was especially happy about since they were mostly absent in the last film. And, of course, Emma Thompson returns as Dr. Rawlings, stealing every scene she’s in with her impeccable timing and no-nonsense delivery.

At its heart, Mad About the Boy is a film about loss, love, and moving forward. It’s about finding new beginnings even when you think your best years are behind you. It made me laugh (because Bridget always makes you laugh), but it also made me cry. It made me miss my best friend. It made me miss the people I’ve lost over the years. And, most importantly, it made me love the people I do have in my life all the more.

There’s something incredibly special about following a character for 25 years, growing older alongside her. When I first met Bridget, I was young, full of dreams, and a bit of a mess—just like her. Now, as I near 50, I realise that life never quite stops being a mess, but that’s okay. As long as we have love, laughter, and the occasional disaster, we’ll be just fine.

Bridget once said, “You know, I never really understood why you needed someone else to make you feel whole… but as it turns out, you were right. I was just fine on my own. But with you, I feel perfect.”

And honestly? That’s how I feel about this film. I was fine without it. But having it in my life makes everything feel just a little bit more perfect.