Kothu parotta and kolambi bhaat

 "भूत-प्रेत बघाल तर रात्रभर स्वप्नं पडतील!" parents would warn, their voices laced with both concern and superstition. As if ghosts had a personal vendetta against kids who dared to watch them. But summer holidays were different. Summer holidays meant breaking all the rules, bending them at the very least. And the major one being sneaking in a horror movie- or at least something that felt like one.

It wasn’t easy. Renting a videocassette meant convincing an elder sibling or a reluctant cousin to accompany us to the video parlor, where rows of tapes gleamed under flickering tube lights. The choices were limited- actual horror films were out of question; we needed a clever disguise. Something thrilling but not outright scary, something we could argue wasn’t really horror if caught red-handed. 

And that’s how we landed on ‘Jaani Dushman’🍿... A film where a demonic shape-shifting rakshas abducted brides? Check. A lineup of Bollywood’s biggest stars of the time? Double check. Just the right amount of mystery, drama, and cheesy special effects to keep us on edge, but not enough to trigger a full parental crackdown? Perfect. The videocassette was smuggled home like a treasured artifact, wrapped in an old newspaper to avoid detection. As dusk settled, the living room turned into a full-fledged single-screen theatre. The VCR was carefully loaded. Curtains were drawn, doors closed, but not locked, and a whispered warning was passed around.. “No screaming, or we're dead!"  We all settled into our spots- seniors in the front, kids huddled in the back, ready for the thrill ride.

The film began. 🎥 
The dada-log of our group, the elder siblings and self-proclaimed protectors- were more interested in watching Thakur from Sholay play the creepy villain, in a completely different avatar. They chuckled every time he did something vaguely sinister.
The tai-gang- the older sisters? Gushed over the gao ki gori heroines, they simply enjoyed their ghoonghats flying dramatically in the wind while running in slow motion.
And us? The kids of the group? We sat on the floor, munching on chakli and namkeen, our hearts racing every time the screen flickered with a red-eyed monster, or a bride mysteriously vanishing into thin air. Of course, there were the inevitable scares. A sudden knock on the door? Half of us jumped. The cat knocking over a steel tumbler in the kitchen? Someone let out a yelp. At one point, when the villain’s eyes glowed a terrifying crimson, someone muttered, ""बस, भीती वाटतेय, बंद करा रे!" (Enough, turn it off!) But we didn't. We couldn’t!

Just when we were thoroughly immersed in the spooky-yet-hilarious world of Jaani Dushman, our mother suddenly called from the kitchen, “काय बघत आहात तुम्ही सगळे?” 

A wave of panic hit the group. The senior-most member sprinted to the VCR, ready to hit stop in case she walked in. "बस एक जुनी अ‍ॅक्शन फिल्म, काकू!” someone yelled back. That seemed to do the trick, and we sighed in relief. But just as we resumed watching, one of the most outrageous transformations in the movie took place. The rakshas turned into a misty cloud, slithering across the screen. Instead of being scared, we all burst into uncontrollable laughter. The special effects were so bad that even we, kids of the 80s, couldn't take it seriously.
That night, as we huddled together under our blankets, we convinced ourselves that maybe the movie was a little scary. Just a little. Enough for us to sleep with the lights on- not because we were scared, but, you know, just in case.

Years later, whenever we’d see Jaani Dushman playing on TV, we’d hit pause on the remote control just to relive those good old days.. about being young, sneaky, and thrilled to be part of a rebellious summer adventure that still makes us laugh to this day, in the name of ‘The Forbidden Thrill of Horror’ 😱