Dear Nora Ephron…

Dear Nora,

It is so unfair that you had to be taken away so soon! It seems so sudden and unexpected that I still am struggling to come to terms with the fact that you won’t be making movies anymore! They anyways have not numbered many, but whatever you made has stayed in my heart for decades!

Nora Ephron

I have to confess to you candidly that I watched “When Harry Met Sally..” when I was in my high school! It was played late in the night and I had to sit real close to the TV so my parents wouldn’t discover that I was watching a late night movie!  And I swear, I had to stuff the edge of the blanket into my mouth to keep myself from laughing! You made me fall head over heels in love with Meg Ryan (or was it the character of Sally??)!

When I watched “Sleepless In Seattle“, I was convinced that you are not just any writer, but a magician with words.  You knew how to give letters the power that could moisten even a dry eye! You did not merely put words into the script or your characters, you had mastered the style of weaving a life – one that many would’ve dreamt of! That movie did give me sleepless nights!  You also gave me my initial ‘myths’ of romance! Ofcourse you had your share of heart break too! It’s not easy being cheated upon! But yet, your movies never extinguished the hope! I have lived by that hope! 🙂

I was jumping with excitement when I heard about your comeback with “You’ve Got Mail!” Tell you what? It was everything I expected it to be, and more.  Oh! Nora!! It was the best you could’ve ever given me! From my favorite species of dog, to my favorite songs and locales, you had filled the movie with everything that would keep me in love with it even after more than a decade! You gave me the hope to dream of love! I have lost the count on the number of times I’ve watched that movie. Studying in US, struggling with my research and dealing with a demanding Professor wasn’t easy! Everytime I felt dejected or lost, on the verge of giving up, and struggling to stop the flow of those decapatitating thoughts, I found solace in your movie. All I had to do was put it on the player, and sink into the couch, wrapping a warm blanket around me.  And before long, there was a feeling that everything would be ok! Every mp3 player I owned, every single model of the smart phones I bought, have the OSTs of “You’ve Got Mail” in them.  You made it so perfect for me! Sure, it was dreamy! If only love could be tailor made or soul mates would always meet! But the beauty of your creations lay in the fact that you made it all seem so possible and so real! The words your characters used on the screen, were the words I had groped for, searched for in my moments of need!  The void, the helplessness, the hope and happiness, it was all related! Infact I felt I owned them!

I always did have a grouse though – that you never made a good movie with Meryl. She is a diva. Isn’t she? And then came “Julie & Julia”.  I love cooking! There was just no way I could’ve missed this movie.  I didn’t! I still have it with me.  The fourth movie of yours in my collection!! Every movie of yours have spoken to me, related to me and formed a part of me.

But I never thanked you for any of these! Nyah! I guess it never really mattered!  Isn’t that how we usually treat our friends or loved ones? We don’t thank them! Not that we don’t care! Hell!! No! But we delude ourselves to believing that what we have is forever! I never for once thought of a day, when I’d wake up to find out that you wouldn’t be making movies anymore!! I guess its too late now, even for a thanks! I feel like such a jerk! Would it’ve mattered to you? Possibly not!

But you know what? If it weren’t for your movies, I cannot think of an alternative, that would’ve made me smile during all those years in US. So much so, that my friends and room mates were tired of me playing “You’ve Got Mail!” 🙂 I owe those wonderful memories to you!  Tonight I shall watch “You’ve Got Mail” once more.  And I shall be thinking about you and those days. Even if its late, I don’t want to miss thanking you. So thank you my dear friend! You are being missed… rather badly.

Rest in Peace.

Pics courtesy: New Yorker.