1965 Gwalior, India
Madhavi Raje Scindia
19th Feb 1949
New Delhi, India
Interviewed on (date) 29th January 2018
by Mahanaaryaman Scindia
Oh my that was a long time ago… Let me try and think. Ok honestly, I don’t remember the first but I’ll tell you the most memorable movie I recall watching. You’ll find this story quite interesting! This was back in 1965 so I was about eighteen years old. I had visiting India on holiday with my family after finishing my senior Cambridge in Nepal. We would love coming to India because we had family friends like aunty Renu who we enjoyed spending time with and the food was amazing. My cousins and I would love shopping for saris (Indian dresses), jewelry and eating street food like bhel puri. Everything was also so much cheaper back then.
But this was not an ordinary holiday, I was meeting your grandfather for the first time. My parents and I had been invited by your great grandmother for a dinner party in Gwalior at the Palace. I was quite nervous as I knew we were being introduced to each other to see if we thought we were compatible for marriage. I was supposed to be in Gwalior for three days. On the day we arrived, dinner and later a movie (which was to be announced later) was scheduled on the itinerary. I was quite excited because movies hadn’t come to Nepal at that time and only people who could go to India were able to watch movies. I was also hoping a new movie would be played.
Dinner was laid in the beautiful banquet hall with the silver train on the dining table that you’ve seen many times. I was awestruck the first time I saw that room. After a heavy meal and fun conversation with your grandfather we walked to the terrace of the Palace where the movie was to be screened. I asked him shyly which movie are we watching? Your grandfather responded with a smile on his face “I heard from a few people you enjoy watching movies so I asked them to screen “Gone with the Wind” which has just released here for you”. It was quite a dreamy moment. I was with this handsome man watching this war-romance movie with this beautiful setting around me.
“Gone with the Wind” was one of the classics that had been released in India starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. Clark Gable was such a handsome ‘Hero’ and Vivien Leigh was a stunning ‘Heroine’. The movie is set in America during the American Civil War. If I remember correctly, the movie is about a woman named Scarlet, who is played by Vivien Leigh, and her love for a man named Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), who happens to be married to his cousin Melanie (Olivia de Havilland). Throughout the movie, Scarlett tries to woo Ashley. At one point in the movie Melanie dies while giving birth and Scarlet stays behind to console Ashley. At this point she realizes that he won’t love anyone but Melanie. Scarlet runs back home and is heartbroken only to find the man that actually loved her is leaving her and not returning. I was hoping that I wouldn’t end up like Scarlett and do end up marrying the man of my dreams. The movie was a sad but insightful movie one on American life, food, clothes, the large banquettes and dancing. I also remember everyone was quite surprised and astonished that women would try and steal their cousins spouse. That was looked down upon in India and our families.
But of course, spending time sitting next to your grandfather, holding hands and watching Gone with the Wind was a moment I will never forget.
