Hridayam was nothing less than a nostalgic ride for us all. While we vibed to Darshana and Unakka Munthiri, the most striking part of the movie was that it wasn’t just a bed of roses. It had the thorns that pricked you with doses of reality and retaught some life lessons. Let’s take a look at 7 life lessons from Hridayam.
Spoilers Ahead!
The golden period of our lives
All the visuals of college life and the campus of KC Tech made us feel like we were attending college with Arun and friends. The depiction of college life, from the semester exams to the incessant partying and the farewell that comes in before we know it, is raw and evocative. This made many of us who’d already graduated want to go back to college, and some of us who are “in college” (but attending online classes) cry internally. Hridayam reminded us that college is not just a golden period for making friends and having fun, but also for self-discovery and inner development.
Also Read: Hridayam Audio Jukebox Review: A Superb Music Album That Will Keep You Hooked
Your first love is often not your last love (and that’s okay)
Yes, we rooted for Darshana and Arun. But would the movie be as realistic if they’d ended up together? When you compare the Darshana-Arun story with the Nithya-Arun story, you realise that Arun and Darshana had a textbook love story. Everything from their first meeting to their perfect hair fit the meet-cute trope perfectly. Arun and Nithya story, on the other hand, is everything but meet-cute. Nithya takes her time to fall in love with Arun. Their love story is messy, imperfect and, in a way, comfortable. It feels more mature and realistic, and an apt comparison of love in your 20s vs love in your 30s.
Friends maketh man
Arun’s journey in Hridayam is a testament to how the company one keeps dictates the course of one’s life. “You are the company keep” is depicted in clear undertones – the drastic change in Arun’s academics, attire and behaviour.
Mistakes teach valuable lessons
Arun makes the mistake of lying to Darshana, which leads to things falling apart between them. When we see him not repeating that mistake – lying to have his way – we know he has learnt his lesson. Like Arun, we will make our share of mistakes too. But the key thing is to learn from these mistakes and try not to repeat them.
Also Read: Things We’ve Learned From Malayalam Movies
Passion > Money
In their last year of college, all the characters bag good jobs. But in the second half, how many of them are still doing those jobs? Close to none! Hridayam shows people like Prateek Tiwari who makes it big in Bollywood and Darshana who runs a YouTube channel. The movie emphasises that running after money cannot guarantee self-actualisation; something Nithya’s father conveys when he says that while he studied engineering, he is really a photographer.
You can be friends with your ex
Darshana and Arun remain friends and are the go-to people for each other. At certain places in the movie, we see Darshana finding it hard to stick to just the friendship frame of mind – like when she runs away from the bachelor party and displays her intent to burn Nithya’s wedding dress. But then we also see their friendship mature over time. Hridayam reminds us that communication is key to giving closure and letting people move on after a relationship. But it also underlines the fact that you don’t have to necessarily push the other person out to move on.
Also Read: Darshana: Your 5-step Romance Guide The Vineeth Sreenivasan Way
Life as a train journey
A train is analogous to the journey of life. In Hridayam too, Vineeth Srinivasan has made use of this analogy. Many the moments in the train are life-changing moments in Arun’s story arc, be it the scene where he meets Anthony, the ride home after the breakup, or his father’s hug at the station. Like a train journey, we meet people who join us for the ride for a while but in the end, the journey is about you and your experience.
And that was my list of 7 life lessons Hridayam taught us. What life lessons did you derive from Hridayam? Tell us in the comments.
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