B’wood journeys on road to self-discovery

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Author David Mitchell said, “...there ain’t no journey what don’t change you some.”
The journeys in our life open the doors to new experiences that not only enrich us, but also help us evolve as individuals.

Filmmakers have time and again captured the essence of travels on the big screen and now a growing number of filmmakers are using the physical journey as a metaphor for an emotional one. Shah Rukh Khan’s Chennai Express is about a man’s experiences while travelling from Mumbai to Rameshwaram. Imtiaz Ali’s Highway is set in six different states and portrays the journey of two completely opposite people who are thrown together by fate. Ranbir Kapoor embarked on a journey in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and found love whereas Kangna Ranaut undertakes a trip to self-discovery in her upcoming film Queen.
There have been other successful examples of beautifully made films that were essentially road trips like Rainman, Little Miss Sunshine, Sideways, Thelma & Louise, Motorcycle Diaries, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Chalo Dilli and Road, the movie among others.
Filmmaker Ahmed Faiyaz believes that there are new experiences in a journey that broaden our perspectives. “Into the Wild and On the Road are great journeys which were once bestselling novels that were adapted into engrossing films. While Into the Wild had emotional depth and was philosophical in its treatment, On the Road was one hell of an adventure. It’s great that Bollywood is exploring new concepts and using a much broader canvas to bring stories to life.”
So what makes journeys special and more thrilling than the destination itself?
It’s the hunger that makes the food delicious. If you are full, the choicest of delicacies will seem tasteless, says blogger Arnab Ray and adds, “It is always the journey and almost never the destination for human beings that is more blissful. We start our lives with certain goals. When we attain them, we don’t feel really happy because the goal was never really the goal, it was the journey. Which is why we then embark on yet another journey.”
Entrepreneur Karthik Naralasetty says that life is a continuous journey, only the destination changes. “It’s the journey that teaches us how to survive and move forward. I swear by the saying, ‘Success is a journey, not a destination.’ The doing is often more thrilling than the outcome.”
The journey is a chase for the unseen and unexperienced and thus one pursues it with perceptions of happiness and satisfaction. Author Halima Sadiya, whose journey took her from India to Dubai, says, “I couldn’t have imagined my life elsewhere. But my journey started in Dubai with my husband, who helped me survive the cultural shift in a lonely place. It’s been an emotional drive. Each new place is a new experience and my new address taught me to adapt to my surroundings and live life to the fullest!”