Trivia Posts

I have not updated trivia posts here for quite a while; however, I have been updating trivia bits on my Instagram account @ReadingFilms daily. Going forward, I will not post them here as they are already available there or on my Twitter account. Also, given the decline in hits of this blog, it does not motivate me to put them here. I will try to write normal posts on films, though I am contemplating if it makes sense to do that as well. I have been writing here for almost a decade, and I have come to the realization that I will never be a 'great writer.' I used to get restless earlier thinking about it, but now I have kind of accepted it. It does not bother me much. There is a certain freedom in acceptance. It makes me think everything I write here is pointless. And I get only two types of comments here, and I like neither of them, honestly. One, they say, I am a good observer. It makes me feel less valued, although they mean it well. A big part of writing is observing, and I have worked on this skill to improve a lot. It takes work to see. To research. To evaluate. To make sense of it. To find patterns. And the second type of comment that I hate more is that you think too much. I have clearly articulated all patterns with evidence. I wish more people understood that criticism has something called subtext.

My book also flopped (LOL). I sent my book to some friends, and they hardly even bothered to tell me how it was because they did not even read it. It hurts a little because if your friends behave like this, what to expect of others. Again, it does not bother me now. It is presumptuous of me to expect someone to take time out. People are busy in their lives. I should not have expected anything in the first place. The other bit I have realized is most people like to see you fail. I see this a lot on Twitter, and that is why I don't say anything personal on Twitter. I am very guarded. 

Anyway, I have to think of my life ahead. We are all getting old. I don't want to waste my life. I want to live it well. I want to bring a change. I want a lot of things, but for that, I have to also work on a lot of things. Let's see how the next few months pan out.

Memorable Scenes from Films — 2022

It is almost the end of the first quarter of 2023. It is late to talk about the films of 2022, but given how slowly I watch films, it is only recently that I managed to see some of the films of last year. As I do every year, I write about some scenes that come to my mind when I think about the films of 2022. Like it was in 2021, there were not many good films to watch, but compiling a few notes on some of my favorite moments.

1. Gehraiyaan: Shakun Batra's Gehraiyaan is my favorite film of the year. It has a profoundly poignant scene between Alisha (Deepika Padukone) and her father, Vinod (Naseeruddin Shah), who tells her that she has to accept her past and choose to move on. There is no need to run away because we all are bigger than our mistakes. A sobbing Alisha asks, "Do my choices even matter, Papa?" Her father tells her, "Yeh jaanane ka toh ek hi tareekha hai. You give yourself a chance." Like her mother, Alisha blamed everything on her ill-fated luck. She and her mother used to play a game of snakes and ladders. When her mother lost the game, she said, "Bad luck, I guess." Her father had advised her mother the same thing, that one can always start again, even after losing. It is a choice even though it is difficult. Our past does not have to stop us from changing our present. Gehraiyaan is a lovely gem of a film. And, yes, no one can cry as gracefully as Deepika Padukone.

2. Gangubai Kathiawadi: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's biopic on the eponymous madame of a brothel gave Alia Bhatt another feather in her cap. The film has some stunningly created Bhansali-esque moments. Early on, one of the girls in the brothel asks Gangu (Alia Bhatt) to write a letter to her father. She agrees to help her write it. Taking turns, all the other girls add a few words of their own to the letter. This is the perfect example of shared sisterhood. Another lovely scene is one when Kamli (Indira Kumari) dies, and all the other women dress her up while she is lying dead. On the other side sits Gangu holding Kamli's child in her hands. The scene is set up wonderfully, showing different contrasts. There is red and white. There is a mother and child. There is life and death. There is the end of life and the beginning of life. Gangu then asks to tie her legs as men cannot be trusted with women, even in graves. And there is also the very gorgeous Meri Jaan, a one-take song sequence shot at the back of the car.

3. Laal Singh Chaddha: Advait Chandan's adaptation of Forest Gump is a beautiful film about the power of stories. The film's most memorable scene also talks about the stories of our lives. After the death of his beloved Rupa (Kareena Kapoor), Laal (Aamir Khan) visits her grave, which lay below the tree that was their special place. A Sikh man sobs in front of the grave of his Christain wife. He talks to her about stories. He says that his mother told him everything in life is pre-destined and written from before, although he does not know who wrote it. He wonders if the things that happen to us are under our control or if we are just drifting along. It may be both, he concludes. Like the song Kahani that also said, "Kya pata hum mein hai kahani, ya hai kahani me hum?" Are we the story, or is the story in us? Stories are everywhere in Laal Singh Chaddha.

4. Badhaai Do: Harshavardhan Kulkarni's second feature film is the story of a lavender marriage. The male protagonist Shardul (Rajkummar Rao) is gay. He is a policeman but so scared of anyone discovering his sexuality that he feels like a thief. He sports a heavy mustache and has built up muscle, hiding in the guise of masculine symbols. He marries Sumi (Bhumi Pednekar), who is also gay, for the sake of his family. The film's best scene is when he finally comes out to his family. Films usually depict characters moving towards homosexuality when they are ignored in heterosexual relationships and advocate that sexuality is a choice. Badhaai Do, after Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, refutes this notion of choice. Shardul states that the 'feeling' comes from the inside. Nobody chooses to be gay or straight (or bisexual). He talks about his loneliness and inability to share his secret with anyone. Then, his mother (Sheeba Chaddha), who has been treated like an outcast all her life because of being a widow, hugs him. The scene also has a memorable character placement. All the family members sit opposite Shardul, while only his mother sits behind him. The film has another beautiful moment in the climax when Sumi's father (Nitesh Pandey) nudges Rimjhim (Chum Darang) to sit with the baby's parents. There are no grand statements or crying at this moment. A quiet nod between Sumi and her father was all that was needed for his acceptance. It is profoundly moving. The colors in this climax scene, especially in the costumes of the two couples, are so distinct as if nodding to the colors of pride.

5. Shamshera: Ranbir Kapoor had two film releases in 2022. Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra did not work for me, but Karan Malhotra's Shamshera, though not particularly great, had more things that engaged me. The father-son revenge drama showed some aspects of nature. The crows come to the rescue. The bees move together in a swarm. The tree provides space to keep gold. The sand dances with the music. But the best thing about Shamshera is the charming Ji Huzoor that yet again depicts the dancing skills of Ranbir Kapoor. He has a fluidity of movement, making even tricky steps look so effortless. The song is choreographed by Chinni Prakash with innovative use of spaces—the alleys, the windows, the trolleys, and the kids. My favorite part is the one when he falls through a fold of chairs right on the beats, as if the chairs are dancing as well. It is superb.

6. Qala: Anvitaa Dutt's film on the life of a singer dealing with mental health issues had some gorgeously framed scenes. However, the most memorable bit of the film is the conversation between Qala (Tripti Dimri) and her friend Majrooh (Varun Grover), likely named after the famous Majrooh Sultanpuri. Like Dr. Sudip (Parambrata Chatterjee) from Bulbbul, Majrooh is the feminist ally. He wears red nail paint on all his fingers. He is also some kind of prophecy teller. Majrooh sees Qala's continued sexual abuse at the hands of Sumant Kumar (Amit Sial). He tells her if she allows it, it will keep on happening. Today, the producer has the power; tomorrow, she will have the power. Times will change. Daur badlega, daur ki yeh puraani aadat hai. In the next moment, his prophecy comes true. The camera people who used to follow Sumant Kumar started following Qala. The film depicts this power change through height, where Qala is on a higher pedestal while Sumant Kumar watches her from below. She is mobbed by the media while he stands alone. In another symbolic moment in the film, a disgraced Sumant comes to Qala's house, hoping to sign her for his next movie. He looks at himself in the mirror, wearing a pristine white shirt. The mirror, however, is stained and rusted, making his shirt appear dirty, symbolizing the stains in his past. Qala had many more stunning shots, especially some in the snow. 

7. Love Hostel: Shanker Raman's film brings Bobby Deol as a psychopathic maniac hunting lovers who don't follow the norms of caste hierarchy. The film's most memorable scene is when Jyoti (Sanya Malhotra) and Ashu (Vikrant Massey) are on the run and take shelter in an old factory. While waiting there, a red car enters. The duo gets suspicious that there are people in the car who are probably sent to kill them. Jyoti takes a gun to the car to find out more. But it is not what they expected. The car has two lovers, both men, who were making out. She seems slightly disgusted, but then it hits her; the two men are lovers, like herself and Ashu. They are also running away from society. Lovers belonging to the same gender are not accepted by society, like lovers belonging to different religions face opposition. At this precise moment when she realizes this, she sees and hears a peacock chirping nearby. It is a tender moment reminding us of the beauty while dealing with the barbarity of a cruel world.

8. Jalsa: Suresh Triveni's film tells the story of two mothers, Maya (Vidya Balan) and Ruksana (Shefali Shah). When Ruksana finds out the truth about Maya being the car driver that hit her daughter, it appears that she decides to take revenge. She takes Maya's son Ayush (Surya Kasibhatla) to the land's end, a place where there is nowhere else left to go. Ruksana, however, does not take the final step. Because an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. She could have left Ayush to drown, but she did not. She comes out as a bigger person in the end. Earlier in the film, Ayush and Ruksana laugh at the haanthi-cheenti jokes. The power dynamics are so imbalanced in favor of the elephant that any ant's action seems comical. But, sometimes, an ant too can exert a different kind of power by its choices. After all, as we saw in the case of Ruksana, power manifests not just physically but also morally. Jalsa should also be credited for having one of the best sound design in films.

9. Goodbye: Vikas Bahl's film on the death of a family member is largely inert. I really wanted to like it but could not. It is dull and boring. However, there is a thoughtful scene that I still remember when I think of the film. There is a scene when Tara (Rashmika Mandana) and Pandit Ji (Sunil Grover), who had been arguing about the irrationality of faith, have some sort of reconciliation. Pandit Ji asks Tara where she learned to play the ukulele. She said that she learned it on her own. He then tells her that when you first play the tune and then learn how it was created, it is faith—vishwaas. And, when you first learn how the tune was created and then play it, it is science. But eventually, it is the same tune. In the context of the film, it supports irrationality, but I also believe it is an attempt to not be utterly dismissive of things one does not understand. Remember the scene in Friends where Phoebe and Ross argue about whether evolution exists. She does not believe in evolution, while Ross tries every trick to convince her that it does; after all, his entire professional life is based on studying it. She says, "Wasn't there a time when the brightest minds in the world believed that the world was flat? And, up until like what, 50 years ago, you all thought the atom was the smallest thing, until you split it open, and this like, whole mess of crap came out. Now, are you telling me that you are so unbelievably arrogant that you can't admit that there's a teeny tiny possibility that you could be wrong about this?"

10. Monica, O My Darling: Vasan Bala's neo-noir comedy is a lot of fun. While it has its share of moments (such as the scene at the Hotel Prince Amar), this film is memorable because of its music, especially the three songs—Yeh Ek Zindagi, Bye Bye Adios, and Love You So Much. Anupama Chakraborty Shrivastava and Sarita Vaz are simply fantastic. The other thing about the film is Radhika Apte's hilarious dialogue, "Somvaar ko main sab pe vishwaas karti hun."

11. Sharmaji Namkeen: Rishi Kapoor's swansong, directed by Hitesh Bhatia, tells the story of a widowed man trying to make sense of his newly retired life. Sharmaji (Rishi Kapoor/Paresh Rawal) takes up cooking for kitty parties and becomes friends with a group of lovely women. His son Rinku (Suhail Nayyar) is opposed to his new profession. There is a scene where Veena (Juhi Chawla) and Sharmaji talk about their life. She tells him about the death of her husband. And then says she has to keep busy in life. It is a lovely little moment in a lovely little film. And, yes, Laal Tamatar is so much fun.

Honorable mentions:

The cinematography in Thar, the top shots in Drishyam 2, the historical retelling in Dasvi, the Savitri-Satyavan story in Looop Lapeta, the conversation at the riverbank in Uunchai, the lead pair not ending up together in Doctor G, the Khala-Zulfi kiss in Darlings, and the crossing of the bridge in Modern Love: Mumbai. I have not seen the following films, but I do plan to watch them at some point—Bhediya, Jaadugar, Jersey, Ram Setu, RK/Rkay, and Vikram Vedha.

Other Reading:

1. On Gehraiyaan—Link

2. On Gangubai Kathiawadi—Link

3. On Laal Singh Chaddha—Link

4. On Qala—Link

5. On Love Hostel—Link

6. On Jalsa—Link

7. On Monica, O My Darling—Link

8. On Darlings—Link

Dialogue of the Day:

"Jo bhi honda who hum karde hain, ya hawa wich aiweyi udte phirde rehte hain, idhar udhar."

—Laal, Laal Singh Chaddha

Love Hostel — No Country for Lovers

Shanker Raman's Love Hostel opens with a just-married young couple recording a video pleading for acceptance from their family members. It is reminiscent of Dibakar Banerjee's Love Sex Aur Dhokha, a seminal film that turned Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge into a dystopian nightmare. A violent assassin Dagar (Bobby Deol), dealing with his issues, is soon sent to finish off the couple. Love Hostel tells the story of these lovers in a country where everything is political. Another couple, Jyoti Dilawar (Sanya Malhotra) and Ashu Shokeen (Vikrant Massey), belonging to different religions, elope to start a life together. The girl belongs to a powerful political family, which, as can be guessed, is against this match as she chose Eid over Diwali. The lovers then ask the state for protection. But Dagar is again sent to eliminate them, and the cycle repeats. Raman, who earlier made Gurgaon, again tells a story of conservative families resorting to violence to uphold their regressive outlook of the world.

The film takes its title Love Hostel from the safehouses the government has built to shelter lovers from their families. Jyoti and Ashu are sent to one such hostel. Little did they know that the hostel was made by Jyoti's grandmother Kamala Dilawar (Swaroopa Ghosh), not as a goodwill gesture but as a tool for reaping political benefits. On reaching the hostel, Jyoti calls it Taj Mahal. Ashu, though, rightly feels it is a bhoot bangla. It is officially called a hostel, but it is essentially a pinjra—a cage—where lovers remain trapped for years in the rigmarole of court hearings. Residents' cell phones are confiscated at check-in, removing all contact with the modern world. The graffiti on the hostel's walls, as seen on old historical monuments, is a cry for help from lovers who only ask to let them love on their terms.

In a land where the rules of khaps have been enforced for over six hundred years, modern jurisprudence rules have little bearing. It is the writ of Kamala Dilawar, the influential politician and family matriarch, that rules over the Dilawar family. She controls everything leaving her sons to feel emasculated. Her role reminded me of Amma Ji (Meghna Malik) from the show Na Aana Is Des Laado. It takes a bit of time to get used to seeing Swaroopa Ghosh play Kamala as it kept reminding me of her performance as the genteel Pishi in Vicky Donor. Ashu is also dealing with his familial problems. His father has been sent to jail on charges of being a terrorist. His mother has Alzheimer's disease. His family has a meat shop. When Ashu talks about 'doing a delivery,' I initially thought it was related to drugs. But he was tasked with delivering meat, most likely beef, in a state that has banned the sale of beef. Unlike many other films, where politics seems to be forced and inorganic, the politics of Love Hostel is sharp and merges with its story without any artifice. The political element blends in and is depicted with authenticity. Love jehad, communalism, and identity politics are all present in the film.

The medium for the powerful families to eliminate rebellious lovers is a man called Dagar. He is a menacing figure who has burn-inflicted scars over him. He is a beast who hunts and kills not just the bhagode couples who indulged in inter-religious marriages but also all other people who assisted these couples. When Dagar is injured, he does not go into a hospital for humans; instead, he goes to a veterinary hospital. He also has this thing like Bob Biswas, where he takes selfies of people before killing them. He gradually develops a liking for a friendly canine and takes it with him on his travails, like Hathoda Tyagi (Abhishek Banerjee) from Paatal Lok developed a fondness for dogs. Toward the end, the dog runs out of the car. Dagar crosses the road to pet him. A truck zooms by, killing Dagar instantly. Early in the film, a girl, whom he killed, curses him that someday he will fall in love and then he will realize how it feels. "Tera bhi dil aave kisi pe," she tells him. Her prophecy came true. It is love that kills Dagar.

In terms of story, Love Hostel does have not anything novel. However, I liked the tiny details in the film. For instance, the truck that kills Dagar has Has Mat Pagli Pyaar Ho Jayega written on it. The song that plays on the radio during the said scene is Ya Allah Ya Allah Dil Le Gayi from Ujala. "Koi rangeela sapnon me aake, ek najar se apna bana ke. Pyar ka jadu hampe chala ke. Ya allah, ya allah, dil le gaya." Both these artifacts remind us of the girl's curse of Dagar falling in love. Early in the film, Jyoti and Ashu elope and meet in a secluded place. In the first scene, the camera pans to Jyoti's feet, which are shown in the air when she is held up in the arms by Ashu. Toward the end, the same shot is repeated but in a different and chilling context. The camera pans to her feet, where she is again being held up in the air when she is tied to the rope while Dagar watches her. Raman has also been a cinematographer in his career. It is discernible that the director has a penchant for cinematography. The film is exquisitely shot by cinematographer Vivek Shah. Dead bodies looks absolutely symmetrical without any dirt or disorder. The gunshot wound is perfectly circular. Blood adds to the perverse beauty of the dead bodies. In another scene, a shot of half-dried flowers over a car adds a layer of sadness to the story.

Truck

In Love Hostel, the children are used as a motif where they are often present in violent situations but unafraid of the bloodbath in front of them. When Dagar goes to kill the lawyer who helped Jyoti get married, an irritated kid playing video games and wearing headphones opens the door. The kid's entire family is killed, and he is simply busy playing. Later, during the shootout at the hotel where Ashu delivers meat, a young girl, also wearing headphones, sits on the aisles. After the gun fights, she tells Ashu that he has blood on him. Later, in a similar scene, a young kid tells Dagar that he has blood on him when Dagar saunters into a wedding and starts indiscriminately shooting at people. And, the terrifying character in the film is another young kid—Rakesh (Yudhvir Ahlawat), Jyoti's brother. Think of Sandhya's brother from Dum Laga Ke Haisha, who was shown for comic effect. But add violence and rage and multiply by hundred times to get Rakesh. He is the one who violently hits Jyoti with a stick when he finds out about her affair with Ashu. He is the one who reveals Ashu's Muslim identity to her family. He is the one who kills Ashu in the end. He had this rage that he was willing to kill his father for standing up to his grandmother. It is a reminder of how children are not always beacons of innocence, and it is they who ultimately grow up to become perpetrators of violence. In a telling moment, when police inspector Sushil Tripathi (Raj Arun) comes looking for Dagar at Kamala Dilawar's place, she tells him any of the kids playing around her could be Dagar, so which Dagar is he looking for?

Love Hostel is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, a company owned by Shah Rukh Khan. That may be why the film added two references from the films of Shah Rukh Khan. On their first night at the love hostel, Jyoti puts up a partition using a saree to get some privacy with Ashu. At this point, Aankhon Mein Teri from Om Shanti Om starts playing in the background. Later, Ashu smuggles meat to a hotel, but he also plays the role of a police informer. At the hotel, his truth is busted leading to a a shootout. All this while, the television in the room plays Laila Main Laila from Raees. There was a shootout going on during the song in Raees as well.

Love Hostel is also a film that depicts the manifestation of male depression in different forms. The men in the film are grieving and are advised to take help. Two characters—Sushil Tripathi and Dagar—go through similar trauma. Both these men lost their brothers. Sushil's younger brother performed self-immolation after he married another girl from a different religion. Maybe it is why he is kind to Ashu, as he sees his brother in him. Dagar's elder brother also took his own life after his daughter eloped with a man from another religion. Both Sushil and Dagar suffer from depression but refuse to accept help. Sushil has nightmares even today, prompting his wife to urge him to seek therapy and let it out. "Dil ki baat dabakar rakhna jhooth hi hai," she tells him. He is taking (sleeping) pills, but he dismisses the suggestion. On the other hand, Dagar takes to violence to deal with his trauma. He is called a bimar and is told by people that he needs to get treated. He is falsely living under the belief that he is a social reformer.

Performances in the film uplift it. Bobby Deol, as Dagar, is in a completely different avatar. Sanya Malhotra is feisty and spunky as Jyoti. Vikrant Massey brings a vulnerability to his character. Ashu is often timid in situations as he has seen more difficulties in life than Jyoti. He is also shown crying at one point. I was also thinking about another scene where he feels jealous of Jyoti dancing with another boy, even though he is gay. It makes Ashu realize that he cannot see Jyoti with another man. Raj Arun as Sushil Tripathi is excellent. Aditi Vasudev is also great as Nidhi Dahiya, who helps the two lovers. I still remember Aditi playing Mallika in Talaash. One thing I struggled with in the film was the dialogue of some characters. I could not understand some words. Some were said too quietly, which made me miss a few things. The film also does not explain everything, so I had to read up a bit to understand more.

Within the violence and blood, the film adds some beautiful dialogue. Early in the film, after getting married, Jyoti tells Ashu, "Ab paa liya tujhe, baaki sab bemaani." Jyoti has got everything she wished for, so she does not wish anything else. Toward the end, a crying Ashu tells her, "Teri mehek me rehna hai." He wants to live in her fragrance. And, the most memorable scene is when Jyoti and Ashu are hiding in an old factory, and a red car enters. They get suspicious that there are people in the car who are sent to kill them. Jyoti carries her gun to the car to find out more. But she sees that there are no enemies. The car has two lovers, both men, who are making out. She seems slightly disgusted, but then it hits her; the two men are lovers, like herself and Ashu. They are also running away from society. Lovers belonging to the same gender are not accepted by society, like lovers belonging to different religions face opposition. At this precise moment when she realizes this, she sees and hears a peacock chirping nearby. It is a tender moment reminding us of the beauty while dealing with the barbarity of a cruel world.

Trivia:

1. Solah Khatam Satra Shuroo from Aakhri Adalat is shown playing in one scene in the film.

Dialogue of the Day:

"Dil ki baat dabakar rakhna jhooth hi hai."

—Sujata, Love Hostel