🎬Dialogues in the Background, Deadlines in the Foreground🎬

What do you listen to while you work?

Some people need silence to concentrate. Others swear by classical music, lo-fi beats, or the calming hum of a ceiling fan. But me? I thrive in the company of Shah Rukh Khan declaring eternal love at a train station.

Yes, I confess — I work best when my old, beloved movies play in the background. And not just any movies. These are the ones whose dialogues I know better than my own passwords. “Hum saath saath hain,” indeed — my work and my nostalgia walking hand in hand.

There’s a strange comfort in letting Chak De India chant its motivational monologue while I reply to emails with Olympic-level speed. When Kajol runs toward the train again (for the 87th time), I’m not distracted — I’m inspired. “Bade bade deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hai,” I whisper to my error messages.

These aren’t just background noises. These are my colleagues. Each one with their quirks — Salman’s “Maa ka pyaar” from Hum Saath Saath Hain keeps me grounded when deadlines try to give me anxiety. The movies remind me of simpler times, of Sunday TV screenings and VCRs, of laughing before overthinking became a full-time job.

And then there are days I swap movies for podcasts — a splash of logic, psychology, or parenting gyaan. But still, old dialogues tug at my heart. They are my playlist of peace in a world buzzing with chaos.

“Sometimes, productivity doesn’t need silence. It just needs a familiar voice telling you everything is okay.”

Thought to ponder:
Do you really need to shut the world out to focus — or can you invite your memories in to keep you company as you create your best work?