1) A beautiful frame from Imtiaz Ali's Socha Na Tha.
2. In an interview, Amit Masurkar mentioned that Vidya Vincent (Vidya Balan) in Sherni was named after Vincent Van Gogh. Therefore, we also see Starry Nights by the painter in one scene in the film. Also, check out my Twitter thread on #ArtInMovies.
3. Dil Hoom Hoom Kare in Kalpana Lajmi's Rudaali shows Shanichari (Dimple Kapadia) chasing the shadows.
4. Bridges as a motif in Imtiaz Ali's Love Aaj Kal. Most of the conversations of Veer (Rishi kapoor) and Jai (Saif Ali Khan) happen near a bridge. Most of the film's scenes are shot near a bridge. Even the iconic poster of the movie shows the Golden Gate bridge. The bridge was connecting the love of the aaj and the kal, the present and the past. Howrah bridge was shown for the love kal as it is located in the East, and the Golden Gate bridge was shown for the love aaj as it is located in the West—symbolizing that old love was more traditional and oriental, and the modern-day love has more of Western influences.
5. The red muffler in Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider. Arshia (Shraddha Kapoor) knits it and gives it as a gift to her father. Her father uses it to tie Haider (Shahid Kapoor). Towards the end, Arshia starts unknitting it. When the muffler is fully unwoven, Arshia also unties her from all the worldly relationships and chooses to go away from the world.
6. The woman is symbolically represented by the flower in Mehboob Khan's Andaz.
7. Shadows in Bimal Roy's Madhumati.
8. The sparks of the impending romance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Nandini (Aishwarya Rai) falls from the bed because of a firecracker. In the next moment, Sameer (Salman Khan) falls into the water.
9. Dupatta in Karan Johar's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Nikkhil Advani's Kal Ho Naa Ho. Anjali (Kajol) gives it to someone else. Aman (Shah Rukh Khan) tries to hold it but life has other plans.
10. Dubey Ji (Vijay Raaz) and his heart of (mari)gold in Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding.
11. Roses in Vinil Matthew's Hasee Toh Phasee.
12. The play of lights in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black.
13. The play of lights in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish and Devdas.
14. A beautiful dialogue from Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.
15. Cartoonist R.K. Laxman in films: a) The opening credits of Gulzar's Hu Tu Tu b) Guru Dutt's Mr & Mrs '55 c) Suresh Triveni's Tumhari Sulu.
16. Suhasini Mulay in Mrinal Sen's Bhuvan Shome.
17. I love this scene from Mansoor Khan's Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander when Sanju (Aamir Khan) sees his father crying.
18. A gorgeous frame from Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 1942: A Love Story.
19. Laddoos in Gauri Shinde's English Vinglish.
20. All the things that Abhimanyu Roy (Ayushmann Khurrana) mentioned while talking about Bindu (Parineeti Chopra) in the end in Akshay Roy's Meri Pyaari Bindu.
21. Sons coming back to Naseeruddin Shah's life in Gulzar's Masoom and Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
22. There are two reflection scenes of Akash (Aamir Khan) and Shalini (Preity Zinta) in similar situations in Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai. They are almost like mirror images. In the first one, Akash’s reflection is seen while in the second one, Shalini’s is seen. However, the thing to note is that the first one happens in reality while the second one happens in imagination. Excerpt from my book on Dil Chahta Hai. Available to read here.
Other Reading:
1) Trivia Post 23—Link 2) Trivia Post 22—Link 3) Trivia Post 21—Link 4) Trivia Post 20—Link
There is a beautiful dialogue in Ayan Mukerji's Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. After narrating the flashback story where Naina (Deepika Padukone) fell in love with Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor), she says, "Aath saal beet gaye hain, usne mudke nahi dekha aur maine intezaar bhi nahi kiya." It has been eight years. He did not look back, and she did not wait for him as well. This particular line has stayed with me. It has a tinge of sadness, but at the same time, it also has a bit of selfishness to move on in life. This scene also contrasts nicely with one of the deleted scenes from the film where the travel guide tells them about the legend of the Bhutha Parbat. A young prince met and fell in love with a beautiful girl when he visited the temple at the top of the Bhutha Parbat. Later, the prince had to choose between war and love, and he chose war. He wanted to take the girl with him, but he could not. Thirty years later, the prince, who had become a famous king, visited the same temple. He saw that the girl was still there, waiting for him. While he had become old, the girl remained young and still in love with him.
"Us ladki pe waqt beetne ka koi nishaan hi nahi tha," says the travel guide. The girl showed no sign that the time had passed by her. Waqt or time is one of the recurring themes of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and becomes the guiding principle for Bunny and Naina to make crucial decisions in their life. Throughout the film, there are references to waqt. On the boat cruise on the Seine in Paris, Bunny looks towards the evening sky. His friend Ria (Poorna Jagannathan) asks him what he is looking at. A philosophical Bunny replies, "Waqt ko guzarte." He is seeing the time that is passing by him. This scene is one of the initial moments directly mentioning waqt which gives a sense of its significance in the latter portions.
Bunny receives the invitation from Aditi (Kalki Koechlin) for her wedding. He decides to go to India for his friend's wedding and surprises everyone by dancing at the cocktail party. After the party, Naina is sitting with her feet in the water. Bunny sits by her side but is taken aback by the cool temperature of the water. He avoids putting his feet in the water but Naina tells him, "Kuch der mein theek ho jayega." It will get better in a while. Bunny puts his feet in the water. Then, they start talking with each other. He tells her was she always this pretty or did she get pretty with time. "Waqt ne kiya, kya haseen sitam," he sings flirtatiously the line from Guru Dutt's Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959). After a few minutes of chatting, she asks him how he is feeling in the water. He said that it feels nice and comfortable. She tells him, "Maine kaha than na. Kuch waqt do, sab theek ho jayega." Give it some time and it will get better.
Now, after the conversation with Aditi, Bunny goes to talk to Naina again. She is sitting by the poolside with a friend Vikram (Rana Dagubatti). Bunny believes that Vikram is trying to flirt with Naina and asks him to leave. An argument ensues between the two while Naina tries to pacify them. Later, Bunny wonders if Vikram is the same guy who was texting her. Bunny thought Naina only drank when she was with him. Naina asks why he is bothered with her life. Bunny tells her, "Main chahta hun tum apna saara waqt mere saath bitayo." He wants Naina to spend all her time with him. Naina replies, "Main tumhare saath aur waqt nahi bita nahi sakti." She cannot spend more time with him. If she spends even two more minutes with him, she will fall in love with him again, and he will not fall in love with her again.
A few moments later, Bunny is sitting with some friends and singing a few lines of the song Kabhi Kabhie Mere Dil Mein from Yash Chopra's Kabhi Kabhie (1976). Naina comes along, embraces him, and tries to forge a plan with Bunny for their future together. But, they both know they want different things from life. She, therefore, suggests that they should forget each other and move on in life. Bunny, however, does not want to let her go from his arms as he feels nice there. "Paanch minute. Please paanch second," he begs Naina. He keeps asking for some more time—a few more minutes, a few more seconds—from her because that is the place where life seems sorted out in those moments. Aditi's words seem to ring true again for Bunny. Kuch logon ke saath sirf waqt beetane se sab kuch sahi ho jata hai. Naina is that person for Bunny. Later during the song Kabira, Bunny is sitting alone with his feet in the water, again reminiscent of the scene earlier with Naina. Kuch waqt do, sab theek ho jayega.
A tearful Bunny leaves after the wedding festivities end. He is sitting at the airport, but he does not take the flight. He goes to his home. He remembers his father. His stepmother comes and hugs him. He talks to her and tells her that he is tired of running. And, then adds, "Maine waqt ki izzat nahi ki aur Papa chale gaye." He never respected time, and his father passed away. He again brings up time. He further adds that he wishes that he could tell his father that how much he loved him.
Something changes in Bunny. He goes to Naina's home to spend New Year's Eve with her. He proposes to her for marriage. She asks about his dreams to travel the world. He says, "Har cheez ka ek waqt hota hai." There is a right time for everything and now it is the right time for him to get married. Naina is still apprehensive of his intentions. She asks him if he would be able to live with her. As expected, Bunny again brings up time. "Waqt kisi ke liye nahi rukta. Beetata waqt hai, lekin kharch hum hote hain. Aur isse pehle ki main pura kharch ho jaun, tere saath kuch waqt kuch beetana chahta hun." Time waits for no one. It flies past us, and we get left behind. Before Bunny gets left too far behind, he wants to spend some time with Naina. His decision is impacted by the regret of not being able to say goodbye to his father. He has the same fear that he will lose Naina. He wants to spend more time with her because everything feels alright with her. He sees a future with her. In his mind, he has already married her. If he wants to travel, they can travel together.
Thus, we saw how time plays a part of its own and makes its presence felt throughout Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. If Naina and Bunny decide to get married, I suspect they would have many challenges initially. There will be conflicts related to time, but I believe it might work out for them with time. Because as Naina said, "Kuch waqt do, sab theek ho jayega." Give it some time and it will get better.
I have finally finished and self-published my book on my favorite film Dil Chahta Hai. It completes twenty years in a few weeks. The book is complete and can be read (for free) on a new website given below. I hope some people who visit my blog read it.
The book is free and is available for anyone who wants to read it. If you would like a physical copy of the book, please sign up below and I will send it to you for free. I cannot promise that I will send it to everyone as I only have a limited set of physical copies. Therefore, I am not asking for any physical address from you. I am only requesting an email. I will contact you if I can send the copy to you. I will definitely try my best to send it to all of those who signed up. If not, the book can be read on this website.
I am a published book writer now. :)
Dialogue of the Day: "Ya toh dosti gehri hai, ya yeh photo 3D hai."
I am adding some trivia notes for the last few weeks.
1. Barbed wires in Mani Ratnam's Dil Se.
2. More barbed wires in Mani Ratnam's films—Dil Se and Alaipayuthey.
3. Spotlights in Yash Chopra's Dil To Pagal Hai.
4. Some of the scenes most overflowing with chemistry and sexual tension are in Ashutosh Gowariker's films—The dhoti scene from Swades and the sword-fighting scene from Jodhaa Akbar.
5. The beautiful poster of Anil Ganguly's Kora Kagaz.
6. The loneliness of Neeraj Ghaywan's characters in Masaan and Geeli Pucchi (Ajeeb Daastaans).
7. The four colors—green, red, blue, and yellow—in Anurag Kashyap's Dev.D.
8. Trapped in Hansal Mehta's Aligarh.
9. The double Os in the magnifying glasses and the spectacles in the title of Vikramaditya Motwane's Lootera.
10. Radha, Rukmini, Anay, Krishna in Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani. More on it here.
11. Nandini and her yellow flowers in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
12. Veera moves from the darkness of the desert to the light of mountains in Imtiaz Ali's Highway. From the arid lands to the river.
13. In Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy, Murad (Ranveer Singh) and Safeena (Alia Bhatt) usually meet on a bridge surrounded by garbage that separates the regions where they come from. Safeena is financially well-off as compared to Murad and comes from a better part of the city, while Murad lives in the slums of Dharavi. The bridge reflects this divide. The production designers mentioned that the bridge was also mentioned in the script and they were able to find one such spot that fit the description as desired.
14. All the portraits made by Sid (Akhshaye Khanna) in Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai.
15. Water and the elements of nature play an important part in the films of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In another such motif in Bajirao Mastani, when Bajirao (Ranveer Singh) learns that his wives are pregnant, he is again standing in water.
16. The parallels between Kayoze Irani's Ankahi (Ajeeb Daastaans) and Anurag Basu's Barfi.
17. Recreating the photograph in Ankahi (Ajeeb Daastaans).
18. Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland in Vikas Bahl's Queen and Sachin Kundalkar's Aiyyaa.
19. Seema Pahwa in Nupur Asthana's television show Hip Hip Hurray.
20. A poster of Mukhesh Khanna's television show Shaktimaan in Mari Selvaraj's Karnan.
21. The notes in the script of Sriram Raghavan's Andhadhun and Badlapur.
22. White and black conflict in Mani Ratnam's films—Alaipayuthey, Iruvar, and Raavan.
23. The scene in Reema Kagti's Talaash when Suri (Aamir Khan) keeps imagining different scenarios on how he could have prevented his son from going into the water shows regret is also a component of grief. The film ends at the same spot when he finally comes to terms with it.
24. The moon in Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om.
25. The lights on Shabana Azmi's face in Mrinal Sen's Ek Din Achanak and Mahesh Bhatt's Arth.
26. The voices are calling in Imtiaz Ali's Highway. Awaz Dedo.
27. The sadness of Geet (Kareena Kapoor) in Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met.
28. Aditya (Shahid Kapoor) and Geet (Kareena Kapoor) in similar situations in Jab We Met.
The blog was mentioned on Chalchitra Talks' Quiz. So nice to see people give credit, else most of them directly copy all the passages and post them on Instagram. :|
Follow me @readingfilms on Instagram for more such trivia.
Dialogue of the Day: "Sapnon ka jahaan, hoga khila khila, barsega saawan, barsega saawan, jhoom jhoom ke." —Aaoge Jab Tum, Jab We Met
