The Matrix film turned 24 recently, which was a happy occurrence. It was also the time I would end up studying matrices in Standard XI Science. So the subject has left me with somewhat mixed feelings. When the Wachowski brothers launched The Matrix they had no idea what a pop culture phenomenon they were unleashing. And by that I mean Andrew Tate’s Twitter account. The controversial commentator was also released from jail on March 31, which the Internet thinks is a sign that we are living in the matrix and a false reality. Many of the influencers saying this also use copious make-up and filters in a classic case of the pot calling the Neo black.
I remember watching The Matrix in the single screen theatre Globe Cinema near New Market. I remember this mainly because I was single at the time. Everything about the movie back then made us go “Wow! What amazing science fiction”. It took 24 years to realise in hindsight that it was neither science nor fiction. Like the headless statue outside Salt Lake Stadium. Or perhaps (to quote from the film), it is a sentinel for every man, woman and child.
In fact all of Kolkata could very easily be mistaken for the Matrix. There is a scene in the movie where Neo is able to bend the spoon after following the mini monk’s instructions, “There is no spoon”. I feel the same way when Bengali relatives offer me a rasgulla without a spoon.
But perhaps the most seminal concept in the movie is when Morpheus offers Neo the blue pill and the red pill. Bengal of course has gone blue in the face after consuming many a red pill. If there’s one thing in the movie we can learn is whether we want our friends to be our friends or tell us the truth? Because it really is mutually exclusive. You can’t hope to remain besties after you tell them exactly what you think of their obsession with gondhoraj momo (yes, it exists).
‘Bengal of course has gone blue in the face after consuming many a red pill’
So be careful about wanting to exit the matrix. You may not like what you see. Like finding out that putting pronouns in your bio and the rainbow flag in your DP is not the moral flex you thought it was. Or that ‘diet chivda’ is less diet and more chivda because they know the Marwari taste buds better than he knows his own balance sheet. Or the girl who “identifies as a psychologist” on a dating app has been identified by many other psychologists as having identity issues. And now with AI and deepfakes you can never be sure if the Donald Trump video you are laughing at is actually Trump or Trump pretending to be a deepfake of himself?
Just like knowledge of the future takes away a man’s hope, perhaps knowledge of the matrix takes away a man’s fun. It’s hard to order Dominos anymore after seeing a documentary that showed the varying nutritional standards for the same product in the US and in India. I perhaps now feel some empathy for the antagonist Cypher, who betrays the team in exchange for a sweet spot in the matrix even though he knows it’s fake.
But, you see, no one can be told what the matrix is. You must see it for yourself. So like, share and comment to follow the rabbit.
The author is a Marwari investment banker turned corporate comedian. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the website.
