He could survive. No, he cannot. May be there is a herb that saves him! But who else could take his place? As I was maneuvering through the traffic around AMB Cinemas, my son along with his buddies had bigger things to worry about. Are we on time, uncle? Yes, dear, we’ll make it.

Supposedly, Wakanda was the most powerful country in the world, and their leader was in danger. The Black Panther was infected with something fatal, and we were all supposed to worry about him! I joined the worry-drill, gleefully! I suggested if his son could be the next Black Panther? They roared together, No, uncle, no kids for T’Challa yet. Hmm… they got me interested.

Until I offered to take them to a movie, I didn’t understand they lived in a different world! As a kid, we always knew Chiranjeevi would end it by beating the crap out of Rao Gopal Rao or Amrish Puri. That was a foregone conclusion. We just had to worry if he would end the fight on the top of a moving train, on a horseback, or inside a secret tunnel. Nevertheless, it was a win for the hero. Our heroes never died of fatal diseases! Their worry seemed genuine.

The kids educated me about the rare metal Vibranium, found only in Wakanda. It can pass through metal detectors without the beeps, can absorb lots of energy, and can release it at the hour of need. They have access to mysterious herbs that turn a normal person into a super human, a Black Panther! It seemed like complicated stuff, but they were attuned to it. There was no need to call it out, I just tried to blend in, asking more questions and piquing their interest. They had an answer to almost every question. By the time we ended the show, I learnt so much more about these super heroes & about another powerful country, Talocan, that lives underwater. The kids were horrified when they found out Talocan has Vibranium too, but the happy-ending seemed to calm their nerves.

My happy-ending? We could talk about the Wakanda and Talocan when we meet next. That seemed like a fair deal!