The VCR Culture

Back in the mid 90’s there was a culture that is history now. I remember a gang of cousins all aged from mid teens to mid 20’s would join at a family gathering, whispering and giggling, they would walk happily on the streets to reach the Video Cassette shop.

What an alien view it was, posters full of bright colors and dark expressions from the actors. Names written in word art of the sizes to cover half of the poster, and that poster was what caused the rating for that upcoming movie along with the cast and music of course. If all the action and emotions in the movie could not be extracted to that poster pasted on the doors and the walls of the Video Cassette Shop, the movie had great chances to be flopped because it was the screams from the posters that attracted the visitors for a full hourly entertainment. Of course people in Pakistan didn't have Internet movie reviews and previews back then.

Mostly if your brother, uncles or even father had been working outside Pakistan, they have probably already sent you a VCR, if not, then the Video Cassette shop would also provided you with VCR too for rent along with the Cassettes. What a responsible moment it would be for the elderly guy of this gang to pay the advance. He would pick up one or two new movies, he would ask repeatedly if it is the master print, and would warn of early return if there was a problem in print later. He would also pick a Jhankar Beat volume, which was the latest in shop. Then he would ask someone younger in the group to pick up the VCR with care as it is of great worth.  And they will all walk out with great joy in there eyes running a strip of there imagination mixed up with what they have scene in the posters and what they expected of the movie which they are taking home.

The coming night would be full of events starting with a quarrel mostly soon after they have all started gathering in the room, the elderlies of the gang would setup the room for the movie placing the TV & VCR in one corner of the room for the easy viewing for all of them which were going to be present in the room. The eldest of the group, the same who has paid the advance and had a responsible heroic grin on his face for putting on such a show wold have the remote in his hands, and then the kids will mostly the ones below 15 and 16 will be left out and room would be locked from inside, mother of one who is crying the most might come to the room to ask that the children should be allowed to enter the room to which one of the guys inside will react with loud harsh tone telling its not a show for kids and not to disturb the movie again, with a promise that kids will be entertained in the morning. The kids would fall asleep cursing the elder ones planning to show them some attitude in the morning when they offer them the movie finally and elders would lock the room again fro the inside, turn the lights off, and would get lost in the sounds and the colors of the Bollywood mantra for the night.

The kids were awake ever more willingly and happily obviously with the excitement of the movie which they hope to see soon the next morning. All the kids who were left outside last night would be waiting for it but never spoke a word showing there anxiety just to show that they are not dying for the show like the ones inside the room, believe me they were, it was all they were thinking about. But the ones inside are tired, they have enjoyed a long show last night and they didn't plan to get up early. This would make the kids only more angry and curious.

Finally after long hours of wait the moment would arrive for the kid when one of the guys from the room would be told by the clan leader to arrange the show for the kids, he would be specifically asked to make sure that the kids didn't create a mess out of anything and the Video Cassettes, VCR, the remote and even the TV are kept out of reach from the kids, they were just suppose to sit , watch and enjoy. But a little more twist was there, the VCR brought at night had been playing for last whole night, the guys fear about it as it is to be returned to the shop today. So this VCR is replaced by the old one, whose remote is broken, and its head gets dirty more quicker then the glasses of the spectacles. But it is believed that it would do for the kids.

The show starts for kids. The kids enjoy the movie with full excitement and focus. The strips of cartoon ads running on the screen covered half of the screen but it is still not bothering the children who are lost in the colors and sounds of the entertainment extravaganza curiously waiting for the next action scene to come on screen. Alas, just when the movie reaches its climax the head of the VCR starts getting dirty and grey strip starts spearing on the screen which makes the mood of every viewer dull. The elder who arranged the show for the kids was called, he tried cleaning the head with tissue ad perfume and would wait for 5 minutes if it happens again, and believe me it would always get dirty again as it is supposed to. Until, the elders gather and would speak in anger that the kids were told that the VCR is not working fine, and now just for there show the Video Cassette has been put to risk of damage. The show is over. All the kids would imagine there own climax of the movie hoping that they would eventually see it one day and will bring the master print for themselves.

 It was all just happening back in the mid 90’s there was a culture that is history now. It vanished with the arrival of DVD and BluRay Rips. It was the VCR culture that is history now.