It’s not a Bollywood film if all does not end well. Such situations are a little more real — a mishmash of them is strung together and given a four-letter tag: life.

But in India, we love Bollywood fare. We know it’s grossly unfair, that fare, but we still love it. We are like that only.

A bit of that was played out in parliament today, as Mayawati, the irrepressible Bahujan Samaj Party chief, took a U-turn a day after her scathing deprecation of Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari and said she has nothing but respect for the man and the chair he occupies.

"I respect you. I respect the chair...I have full faith in the chair that he will find a way to get the voice of the downtrodden heard," Mayawati said, according to PTI.

And more: "I have full faith in you. I have full confidence that you will be able to find a way out to ensure that the House runs smoothly and the legislation is passed."

As did everyone else — from the prime minister to the leader of opposition to other members of the upper house. They all rose to the occasion and showed their respect for Ansari, the country’s vice-president, and his chair.

"Respect for the chairman of the House is respect for maintenance of the dignity of the House,” Manmohan Singh said. “We will work, from all sections of the House, to ensure that the chair gets all the cooperation, all the respect that is due to you and to this august chair.”

Addressing Ansari, leader of opposition Arun Jaitley said, "This House will speak in one voice in upholding your honour both as an individual and the also the dignity of the chair that you occupy."

It was a typical Bollywood film endgame, as, to quote the PTI report, “An overwhelmed Ansari profusely thanked the Prime Minister, Jaitley, Mayawati and leaders of all other political parties and members of the House for the sentiments expressed.  "The Chair as always seeks the cooperation of the House for running it smoothly," he said, bringing curtains down on the controversy that had raged in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.”

You could almost visualise the relieved audience using the back of their hands to wipe away tears of joy after the anxiety- and angst-ridden climax, even as the end credits roll down the screen.

All very good, for democracy does not allow us to stand up and start making contemptuous remark against others.

But democracy also advises us to stand up and point out if someone is wrong, without, of course, assaulting the person — either verbally or physically.

So what did Mayawati say on December 12 that got everyone’s goat? She blamed Ansari, as chairman of the Rajya Sabha, in scuttling the passage of her pet bill: one that assures reservation to SC/ST in government job promotion. The BSP supremo rushed to the well of the House after protests from her bête noire, the Samajwadi Party, disrupted proceedings when the issue was to be discussed.

"I am not ready to listen to anything. We have seen in the last few days that every day the House is not allowed to function after 12 pm. It is your responsibility to ensure that it functions. Who will ensure that it functions?" Mayawati asked Ansari (LINK: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/manmohan-singh-calls-hamid-ansari-after-mayawati-remarks-in-rajya-sabha/1/237457.html)

Shorn of the dramatics, was she way off the mark?

Then she took the attack straight to Ansari: "You are not seen here after 12 pm. What kind of House is this? You have to take a decision on what has to be done for this (ensuring the functioning of the House)."

Shorn of the theatrics, again, was she wrong? If yes, she ought to apologise. And profusely at that.

But if not, she was right, right?

And if you cut out the purportedly insulting language she used, Mayawati was only using her democratic right and duty to speak the truth, and point out what she deems is a malaise in the system. Can she be faulted for the purport of her comment per se?

No one addressed those issues today, for we are not a nation that loves unhappy endings. Long live Bollywood.