How Sacred Games is similar to Parenting!!

I recently got a Netflix access after some negotiation with siblings on how we equally need to chip in for the subscription. Well, that’s the fun of being an elder sibling, you get to decide!!

So being a desi, being a parent who saves money at every possible occasion and someone paying for the subscription, I wanted to make full use of the amount I paid, I decided to stream through whatever movies and series I could lay my hands on.

I also was waiting for a one of the few series to come up with their season 2 as it was amongst the very few series, I had the time and patience to watch in its entirety!!

As I was half way through the series, a small realization hit me at how this series is so relatable parenting in certain aspects.!! Yes, I am talking about the latest entry on Netflix, Sacred Games 2.

Well, someone has to be out of their mind completely to relate a genre like sacred games with something as beautiful as parenting however let me tell you that parenting has its moments where your, mind, heart and body are all behaving differently. Hence, I have arrived to some of these conclusions.

You never know what is going to happen next – In the series, you can never contemplate what is going to happen next. You will never know if the next scene is going to surprise you, scare you, make you happy or just leave you in awe of what has happened. Similarly, as a parent you never really know what to expect. One moment you have a happy child and the other moment the same child rolling on the floor in a public place. Just when you thought you had bathed and cleaned the child, he/she will pee or poop. The loo bell rings only when you are putting a morsel of food in your mouth. You will probably have more references than the series as your life episodes keep on increasing. One thing is for sure, your journey as a parent will definitely be more fulfilling and exciting than the entire SACRED GAMES book/story!

There is always someone else involved– By now, I have come to realise that the war is never between the parent and the child, the war is between the parent and the child because of a third factor which is sometimes controllable and sometimes not. The way Sartaj discovers a new person or incident every time, similarly, the fight, the game, the saga is always about what someone else did or has! The kids will always discover something new to throw a tantrum over and the parent will seldom find a new way to lecture the child over the same thing.

Every one is hungry for power – Yes, a child being power crazy, does definitely sound crazy but believe me, when I say kids like to take charge, I mean, they like having their way out. They like to be made to feel important and they want to be the centre of attention, just the way Gaitonde was worried about loosing his importance. They also do not like too many changes and want things to be the way they are until they are old enough to understand, change is inevitable!!

Both include a lot of gyaan – Well, yes there is a hell lot of gyaan and drama included in parenting the series.Like it is said, you have to experience it to know it.Gyaan from friendship,life, sex, business, money,problems, etc. both have a mix of everything.

Parenting is twisted – Yes, just like the plot, the characters of Sacred Games, parenting is twisted in its own ways. There are times when you will be out to do something and will eventually end up doing something altogether. There will be times when you will walk away from your child or be completely mad at them but they are your life and your epitome of happiness, just the way Mumbai/Bambai city was for Gaitonde.

The last conclusion is actually a game changer, the way the story unfolds and there is a surprise awaiting the watchers, the same way, parenting to me comes above everything. It’s my passion, it’s a responsibility that I have towards this human I bought into the world. This little human is watching everything I do, just the way various characters are watched and guided in the movie. I would even say that at times, I do get emotionally manipulated too, but it is something I would never trade for anything else!!

Disclaimer: As a parent, I may even forbid my child to watch something like a Sacred Games until my child reaches an age where he can differentiate between which is the best series to watch on Netflix. An age where he can make his own choices and be responsible for them. So I guess, parenting won over Sacred Games by a point :-p