After a very long time, I enjoyed two movies - Chinna Chinna Aasai and Tourist Family -and ended up bawling but also incredibly moved.
Two very different films. Different stories. Different genres. Yet, somehow, they left me with the same thought:
Be kind. You never know what someone is struggling through.
Sometimes, kindness is just being there.
Something as simple as asking, “Did you eat today?” can mean so much.
Sometimes, you don't need to know someone for very long to help them. You just help because that is the kind of person you want to be.
And sometimes, kindness is simply listening.
That stayed with me in Chinna Chinna Aasai. You don't always need to give advice. You don't need to have answers. Sometimes, someone just needs to be heard.
I felt the same in Tourist Family. The way one person offered to listen if the other ever wanted to talk felt so genuine.
No pressure.
No judgement.
Just, “I'm here if you need me.”
There is so much comfort in knowing that you have a safe space to return to.
Life is allowed to be messy!
I also loved how both films captured the unpredictability of human emotions.
One moment, you're crying. The next, someone does something funny and you're laughing.
And that felt so real.
That's how life is. Happiness and sadness don't always wait their turn. Sometimes they coexist.
That emotional shift in Tourist Family really moved me. The same film could make me bawl in one scene and laugh in the next.
It didn't feel forced.
It felt human.
Chinna Chinna Aasai touched me in another way. It reminded me that no matter how old we become, there is still a little human inside us who has dreams.
We grow up. We become practical. We take on responsibilities. And somewhere along the way, we sometimes stop listening to that little voice that still wants to dream.
Maybe we shouldn't.
Tourist Family also made me think about how much of our lives is shaped by the choices we make.
If we want bigger dreams and a better life, sometimes we have to find the courage to step out of what we know.
It isn't easy. Struggles are real. Circumstances are real.
But sometimes, that first step is everything.
And perhaps that's where these two films met for me.
They reminded me that we are all more connected than we think.
Irrespective of language, the sky above us is the same. We all live in this one world. We all experience loneliness, hope, fear, love and grief.
We may never know the full story of the person standing in front of us.
So, maybe, be kind.
Maybe ask someone if they've eaten.
Maybe listen.
Maybe help without expecting anything back.
Because perhaps kindness always comes full circle.
You never know - something that felt like a small gesture to you might have been the thing that helped someone get through their day.
Maybe kindness begins with ourselves!
