‘Ho Mann Jahan’ released some 2 years ago and was met with mixed reviews. Some loved it, while others saw it as a very typical storyline. Thinking back to the plot, there are many things that can be taken from it.
First off, your dreams and your aspirations are important- take little steps to realize them
The movie follows 3 college friends, Nadir, Manizeh and Arhan. The trio were musicians and formed a band in university. When it came to graduation, the question of what to pursue became a hard one to answer for Nadir because the pressure his family placed on him to take up a more ‘conventional’ job. Obviously, since this is a movie there is a lot of dramatization, but that being said, as Nadir starts his office job he begins to feel the stresses between his passion and his work. This leads to a point where Nadir begins to hate everyone around him- he fights with his parents and his best friends.
In the movie, this leads to Nadir having an anxiety attack and being hospitalized. It takes this highly dramatized situation for his parents to see how they’ve wronged their child.
Arhan also faces issues at home when he chooses to follow his dreams. His case is different because unlike Nadir, his family isn’t financially able to have a child do something that doesn’t have a regular income. Arhan does run away from his house but slowly grows to reach a situation where his father and he see eye to eye.
Either case is extreme and realistically speaking, sometimes you have to forgo your dreams to be able to stand on your own two feet. However, as this movie shows, that can be harmful plus it shouldn’t act as an excuse to leave something you love. If something like music, graphic designing or writing is your passion, then take time out in your week to just practice and get better. There are so many resources at your fingertips from Youtube tutorials to blogs to massive communities on Facebook. Set goals for yourself and work towards them. ‘Ho Mann Jahan’ dramatizes and romanticizes the concept of following your passion a bit too much, but the message is still clear- your dreams and passions are important, make them important and give them time.
Another thing the movie tells us is that this society may look down on you, but don’t give up.
Manizeh’s mother is one character who did whatever the hell she wanted to, no matter what everyone else thought. Shahida is an artist and is shown to have provided well for her daughter as she grew up. Shahida’s life is not easy by any measure of the word. Her husband leaves her because she refused to leave her craft for him. Let’s just say the man had a pretty conservative way of seeing things. Manizeh also faces her father’s pressure when she approaches him after graduating university. He accuses Shahida of corrupting their daughter and forcing her to take up music as a career.
This isn’t the only adverse reactions Shahida receives. When the topic of Nadir and Manizeh’s marriage is touched, his mother reacts by saying ‘woh painter ki beti hai’. Funnily enough, Nadir’s mother bought all the paintings for her home from Shahida. Of course, Shahida never hears of this directly from his mother but she obviously knows how she’s talked about behind her back.
All this negativity never discourages her, and she continues with her craft. Slowly, as the movie progresses the perceptions change and she’s slowly seen in a better light!
‘Ho Mann Jahan’ is a movie about a lot of things, but above all else, it’s about your dreams and making sure you follow them in some capacity.