What is Wrong with Old Age?

I, why me, every educated or uneducated person is aware of the problems and vagaries of ageing. Still, everyone has to go through it because none in the world has an alternative. 

As I myself is a senior citizen, I am fully aware of the problems that crept in, and I have no alternative but to accept them with guts or disgust. I, as a regular movie watcher, have been watching several movies and the depiction of senior persons like father, mother, grandpa, grandma, aunty and uncle belong to the earlier gen, and always try to stick to rules or understand the limitations. True, there are instances of clashes between the young and old, and heated verbal exchanges. Even in my own house, I had. 

But, when I watched a Hindi movie on the clash between an old father and his young son, and the subsequent positive reviews for that movie made me aghast.

That movie was openly justifying the stupid to dangerous idiosyncrasies of the oldie positively, and an unbelievably ‘hep’ and modern girlfriend of the young professionally struggling hero advises him to adjust and respect that rather roguish father. The film had popular star cast, and it was favorably reviewed by the press. 

How atrocious? 

Should one not expect modesty, self control, niceties, and above all dignified behavior from the old? None was there in this film with the old man. He was openly critical, irritatingly abusive, shockingly cranky, dangerously violent. Whenever, there is a clash, the young son who is still struggling to make a mark in his profession has to put up with all that. 

I have seen a lot of Tamil and Hindi movies where the elderly persons are depicted wise, controlled and tolerant and above all, and be examples to the younger gen. This movie is just the other way. 

Aren’t self-control and modesty the first things that should come with ageing? Death of wife or husband is inevitable after a point. That cannot be an excuse in this movie for the old man’s unruly and ugly conduct. 

I now feel that the critics are either senseless in their approach or richly rewarded for showering encomiums.  

It is sad that people like me, who prefer to be modest at our best or worst by just being garrulous in this purposeless, meaningless world.