A newly acquired LAN connection which enabled me to be online 24/7, a restless mind that refused to wait until the popular American television shows came to Indian television and the newly acquired DVD writer introduced me to the world of Carrie Bradshaw and her friends. Day after day, I soaked in the hip New York culture, the high end luxury brands, the love affairs and Carrie’s wisdom and insight into the world of relationships. Before I knew it, Carrie had broken up with Big, hooked up with Aidan, broken up with Aidan and hooked back up with Big and broken up yet again and blah blah. And there she was, on a bridge over the Seine kissing Big as he finally confessed his love for her!
I couldn’t get enough of the show, and there it was- the finale! Somehow, I had come to develop a deep connection with Miranda, Charlotte, Samantha and Carrie (yeah! I hear you men chuckling…)
So when the talk about the new SATC movie reached me, I was super excited. And there I was Saturday night, dressed in capris and a sweatshirt but wearing my brown wedges despite the torrential Mumbai monsoon on my way to watch the movie version of one of my favourite TV shows (a close second to Friends)
And yes, I was mesmerised. The movie was much more dramatic and very animated (Try counting Charlotte’s shrieks and you’ll know what I’m talking about) but, it lacked that connection.
Something was missing. And I know for a fact that if I were to buy the DVD, I won’t be watching it over and over again like I do with the series. Another fact is that in these three years I, like the many other SATC fans, have grown up. We’ve changed. We can’t relate to Carrie and her friends the way we did once. Without that connection it’s just another story that ties all the loose ends, and gives each character their happy ending.
I remember how one of my friends had judged me for liking the show (inviting a furious argument and a silent period of 3 days for him!) He was surprised that I like the show and said that he didn’t expect me to be so shallow. I couldn’t believe he was that shallow.
After the movie, I could understand where he came from. He had no emotional connect with the series. Without that emotional connect, the series is just a memoir of a socialite. The success of the series was in its ability to develop a unique relationship with every viewer, beyond the boundaries. Its intelligent humour, realistic romantic situations and many other things made every girl or woman ask herself questions she had never asked. I doubt if the movie can do that. After all, when Carrie apologises to Mr. Big for putting him through the ordeal of a ‘Big’ wedding, you start seeing a sacrificing Indian woman in her. Something she taught me once, I didn’t need to be to be happy…