Flicks n’ Chill 2023

On a seemingly ordinary Friday the 13th, something extraordinary transpired on campus. The Sparks – Flicks and Chill event took place in three different rooms – 309, 409, and 609. Despite the usual hustle and bustle of students rushing to classes and lectures going on as scheduled, by 6 p.m., the campus was being emptied and frisking started, as students excitedly started entering the campus. By 7 p.m., the first batch of students was accommodated in room 309. As soon as everyone settled down with their friends by their side, Prof. Kaiser Katchi addressed the room full of excited students who were eagerly looking forward to the rest of the night. Prof. Katchi explained that he and Aditya, both huge movie enthusiasts, had tried to include all the movies they believed were worth watching. He also encouraged students to watch any movie they had not seen before if it was being played in another room.

The mid-semester exams had just concluded, so Prof. Katchi told all students to take this opportunity to relax and have some fun with their friends. Heramb Haridas, the Editor in Chief, then took over and shared that this was the first season of Flicks and Chill, and he hoped that with its success, they would have another season next year. He expressed his hope that this event would be a medium for students to explore different directors and their work.

The Movie Night kick-started with the screening of the first movie, “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara”. Everyone was excited and looking forward to what was going to be an epic and memorable night.

By around 10 p.m., dinner was ready, and everyone was escorted to room 008. Nothing is more exciting than having dinner with your friends inside your college. During dinner, different groups were formed, and a fun game of charades started among a group of seniors. Even Spark members couldn’t hold themselves back and joined the group.

Some students got ready to leave for home after their dinner as no student was allowed to leave the campus after 10:30 pm. However, some students were entering the campus by 10:30 after returning from a garba event. When asked why they came for movie night even after a tiring garba event, they said they didn’t want to miss this once-in-a-blue-moon chance to stay overnight in the college with their friends.

After everyone was done with dinner, every group was escorted by a Spark member to their respective room. All Spark members, be it the Junior correspondents, Senior correspondents or the core committee, played a huge role in the smooth execution of the event. Nights are very unpredictable, especially with about 100-150 college students staying overnight in college. However, the decorum of the event was well maintained by the organizing committee.

Now that everyone’s tummy was full, people were feeling a bit drowsy, and the AC was not helping at all, so Spark decided to scare the students’ sleepiness away by playing “IT”. At first, the movie was going to be played only in 609, but then it was played in all rooms. As the movie started, the students who were feeling sleepy were immediately woken up by a jump scare in the very first scene. The whole room went in pin-drop silence. No one dared to make a single noise. With every jump scare, everyone was wide awake.

As the movie came to its end, many were now scared to leave their rooms to even go to the washroom. By 4 a.m., the all-time favourite “Jab We Met” started. The atmosphere went from creepy and nerve-wracking to cheerful and giggly. By the time it started getting brighter outside, students went out with their friends to watch the sunrise. Watching the sunrise with the most fun people in your life has to be one of the best memories one can make in college life. By morning, to conclude this amazing night, a movie that has many iconic scenes that all friend groups dream of recreating someday, “Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani,” was played. Half-sleepy and half-awake, people were grooving to all the songs in the movie, be it “Ghagra” or “Balam Pichkari” and many other iconic songs.

After the Flicks and Chill event came to an end, many people found it hard to believe how much fun they had while staying overnight in college. When asked whether this event should be repeated every year, most of the students replied with a resounding “Yes!” without any hesitation. This was an experience that created unique memories that everyone will cherish forever.

– A Report by Powromita Ughade and Asmiya Sayyad