Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo/Shehzada - A Movie that shows us Trauma & Healing!

Some movies have my heart more than anything else.

Which movie am I talking about today? Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, the Telugu version or the Bollywood version, Shehzada.?

So, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo is a story that revolves around Bantu, who grows up wondering why his so-called father, Valmiki, a middle-class man hates him so much. Bantu is constantly overshadowed and unappreciated by his stepbrother Raj and is often compared unfavourably with him. His life takes a dramatic turn when he discovers his true identity and realizes he is actually the son of a wealthy businessman Ramachandra.

?What has my heart is firstly the interval and secondly the ending.

So let's talk about the interval first. The intermission comes when Bantu has just saved Ramachandra from dying. While in the hospital, a comatose nurse gains temporary consciousness and tells him that he is not Valmiki's son but Ramachandra’s son. Both children were born together, Valmiki’s son and Ramachandra’s son, and since Ramachandra's son was not breathing initially, Valmiki suggested exchanging the children, and even after Ramachandra's son started breathing, Valmiki didn't switch them back. Instead, he brought up Ramachandra's actual son, Bantu as his son. However, from the start till the interval, Bantu has always faced a lot of hate from Valmiki. Bantu spends his whole life trying to impress Valmiki, and no matter how well he does, Valmiki has constantly abused him verbally and, in turn, emotionally. Not knowing the reason for the continuous animosity, he always felt like a loser. However, now he finally understands that – the animosity was never diverted towards him. And Valmiki always pictured his father, Ramachandra, in him (Bantu). Valmiki hated Ramachandra because they started together; however, Ramachandra became successful and a billionaire; while Valmiki was still poor.

Most of us are born in families where the parents love their children unconditionally, no matter how rich or poor we are. However, some are brought up in toxic families and unintentionally are subject to hate, resulting in more emotional and psychological abuse. And like Bantu, we have no clue where this hate originates from. However, like in the movie, hatred is never diverted toward us. Like any phobia, it has to do with the manifestation of the parent or the abuser and has nothing to do with the child. There are chances when confronted, the abuser might see the child's perspective; however, on the other hand, the abuser might choose to deny it altogether. In the second case, the child will continue to be traumatised even late in their life.

So what can the child do in this case? Some things that might help –

1.????Believe in yourself – Self-confidence plays a vital role in everything we do. However, a bitter outcome of this situation is that your self-confidence is constantly questioned. No matter what, never stop believing in what you are capable of.

2.????Build a Support system – Your supporters or well-wishers don't always have to come from your immediate family. Have a group of people who will show you what you are capable of and will appreciate all the good things about you.

3.????Let Go – Probably one of the hardest things to do. Forgive your parents for not loving you how you need to be loved. Forgive them without any apologies, and let them go.

Finally, we will see many social media posts about parents and how we must give them time and appreciate what they have done for us. Not all of us fall into that bucket. You need to understand and absorb what applies to you. Remember #mentalhealthmatters.

And now, finally, let's talk about why I love the ending. The ending is the sign of a healed person. Even though he has suffered a lot of emotional abuse, Bantu understands the consequence of the abuse he has undergone for so many years. Additionally, he also realizes that not everyone will be able to deal with the situation that has been going on and decides to rather live the same way with the knowledge instead of revealing the truth and disrupting and traumatizing a lot of connected lives.

?Happy healing!

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