The Hollywood you would’ve never heard of…

Before we get going, it is important to unlearn all that we’ve known and fancied about Hollywood. We need to dump our experiences of the many ‘-ollywoods’ too because the one I’m taking you to hasn’t featured on the fanciest of our radars. Rustic. Bright. Carefree. Slum. Idol makers. Large families. No, no this isn’t Danny Boyle’s next. Before we get into this presumptuous mode, let’s just simply step into this vivacious paradox called the Hollywood of Ahmedabad city.

Beautiful, sexy and loud women guaranteed. Lazy and naughty men too. Hordes of children, who grow up along side a school they will probably never go to. Cow dung and filth for an ambience. It is uncouth, it is nose tingling and in spite it of all, its gay abandon is amazing.

Here is a Hollywood where the adolescents are swinging to the latest Bollywood tunes and are very inspired by Bollywood fashion. They all love the camera and pose like professionals. But their warmth lies in their smiles and the cup of chai that they are willing to offer even to a stranger. Interestingly infamous for being a pick-up point dominated by the eunuchs at one point of time, perhaps even still, it is now known for idol making. The Gods must be crazy when they created this lot!

A fight for drinking water everyday. Education – a money wasting means for the rich. They say, someone had to be at the fag end to balance it out. Ha! No education but a great sense of humour for sure. State of living clearly not a priority.

So what are we living for?

“Today”

Don’t you want a better life?

“We have our family, easily earn our daily bread and have wonderful helpful people around us – what can be better?”

Don’t you feel limited due to lack of education and therefore opportunities?

“You get educated – you want to grow more – earn more – you expect more – you get into the rut of this vicious cycle of wanting more and more. It’s like a curse.”

Danny Boyle might actually find his next big O here. Oscar, silly. But in all the excitement to capture the lifestyles of the poor and the infamous, I forgot to ask them the most nagging question – why is this whole hullabaloo of a place called Hollywood? Some friends came to the rescue. One theory says, because it’s an extreme contrast to THE most famous address in the world. Another goes by the kinky ways of the place and the silent prostitution it lives by and ‘Hollywood’ probably appreciates the aura of …let’s just say, the offering! But some common denominators however cannot be missed – the spunk, the bold attitude, the zest for living a chilled out life and even in their extremes, both have many stories to tell.

Come with me on my curious little journey to Hollywood lane at #mce_temp_url#

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