Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi

"What's common between the movie Dil hai Ki manta nahi and Qyamat se Qyamat. QSQT, that's what it was called in the 90s." "Aamir Khan," came an instant reply from Sunny.

- Ankur R. Gupta

"Silly," Sadhana tapped her friend's head...

Then...

"It's about running away and finding LOVE," she says in a mushy Voice.

"Whaaat...." he gave her a mock shock look.

Sadhana laughed at his dramatic expression and picked up a cassette to insert it into her antique audio cassette player. Instantly, the melodic voice of Anuradha Paudwal began to sing "Dil hai ki manta nahi...." and began to dance. In the background, a life-size poster of Aamir Khan smiled at them.

"Seriously, Sadhana?" Sunny chuckled. "Still stuck in the 90s?" He shook his head, seeing the craziness of her childhood friend. They had been friends since they were both five. Over the years, their friendship had weathered everything-scraped knees, shared secrets, and the confusing pangs of adolescence.

Now, seeing her lost in the reverie of a 90s romance, he couldn't help but smile.

Sadhana rolled her eyes, "It's not just the 90s, Sunny. It's romance... It's about defying all odds for love, like in QSQT... It's about the heart's stubbornness, its refusal to accept anything less than true love." "Or ending up in a lot of trouble," Sunny chuckled.

Sadhana sighed dramatically. "You will never understand." But Sunny did understand. He understood it all too well. He understood how her eyes lit up, humming to these songs, and how she dreamed of a love that swept her off her feet. He understood it because he felt it for her. Had felt it for years. However, He just wasn't the dramatic hero type. He was the quiet, dependable type. The kind who remembered her favorite chai, extra ginger. The type who would scour antique shops for old Hindi film CDs because he knew how much they meant to her. But he would break into cold sweat whenever he thought of confessing his feelings to her. Words don't come easy to him.