Great Indian Rope Trick!!!

This is not about snake charmers and the thick rope, which supposedly dance to their tunes.

This is about a rather small rope.. or thread literally but Hey.. 'Great Indian Thread Trick' would not have been such a good title...!!!

This is my take on how that thread found its way into nearly 2 out of every 5 movies made in Indian cinema... (not just Bollywood, Kollywood or Tollywood)

It is infact difficult to think of our top ten hit movies, in any language, without feautring the scene involving a Thaali or a Mangalsutra as its known in the North...

Nopes.. Any language does not include English.

The following conversation and its contents are purely fictitious. Any resemblance to any hit or flop movie, already made, running or under production is purely coincidental.. :o)

Now that the disclaimer is over.. Lets get to the point...

D -> Would be director..

P -> Would be bankrupt/wealthy - Producer.. Isnt the Indian audience supposedly unpredictable?

D - Opening shot sir...

Hero running sir... Overtaking bus.. car.. lorry sir..

Reaches home sir...

P - um... go on..

D - Hero got to go city college sir.

Hero poor. 2 sisters, one father, one mother sir.

Mother ask father to tie yellow thread. Mother give thaali to hero sir.

Hero see thaali... No dialogue.. No music

Whole family cry sir..

I guarantee, sir, half the women cry along this scene... Family audience, our side sir.

Hero pawns and gets money. Sing family song. Shows tata and goes college sir.

P - good good.. go on...

D - Hero goes college sir.

Heroine entry sir.. White car.. Speeding.. 2 Bodyguards sir.

P - Why bodyguards??

D - Then audience understand sir. Heroine rich.

P - Ok..

D - Heroine car put mud on hero shirt. Hero angry sir.

P - Ok ok. We can build that up from there.

D - Hero Heroine fight sir, for few scenes.

P - What about heroine's family?

D - Heroine family sir. One father, one mother & 4 brothers. All heroine pet sir.

P - Why 4 brothers?? Wont 2 be enough?

D - Sir... Fight scene... If hero fight all 4 sir in kung fu then action fans our side sir.. Lotsa scope...

P - Makes sense.. Good.. Go on..

D - So hero take revenge before interval. Ties thaali on heroine's neck sir.

P - His mother's..???

D - No sir, thats pawned. Heroine go temple on friday. Hero tie there. Take from roadside shop sir..

After tie sir, we leave interval. Story twists.

P - What about the 2 other songs before interval?

D - College hero heroine fight one song sir. Heroine solo one song sir. We can also make that a dream song.

P - Ok. What happens after interval?

D - After interval, sir. Story move fast. Heroine brothers fight hero sir.

Hero fight kungfu. We can have fire jump, bike or car chase here sir.

P - Around the temple??

D - Temple on hilltop sir, helicopter chase also possible.

P - Thats for high budget movies. We can have a car chase itself.

But isnt that for climax?

D - That separate sir. This make our movie different.

Hero fight sir. But 4 brothers hold hero. Heroine father come with knife sir.

Heroine show thaali sir.

P - Umm.

D - Sir. Very important scene sir. No dialogue... No music...

Heroine show thaali. Father drop knife. Brothers leave hero. They go sir.

We keep duet song here.

So far sir, Story in city - 'A' center we cover.

Now story move to village. 'B' and 'C' center cover sir..

P - Umm.. ok... What happens further?

D - Hero go village with heroine sir.

Go see family .. they happy.. same family song sir.. heroine also join.. everybody happy..

P - Movie ends..??

D - No sir... We cut there.. song end.. villain entry sir..

Village landlord sir.. beat farmers and take hero land sir.

P - Isnt that too abrupt for a villain to come towards the end?? Umm.. I think he needs more footage.

D - No Problem.. Change script sir..

Hero and villain childhood enemy... one school fight scene in the movie starting sir...

Then villain college senior.. villain also behind heroine. But hero marry so villain angry ..

What sir..??

P - Umm.. This sounds better..

D - Now villain taking revenge. Comes to hero house and tries to kidnap heroine sir.

Father try stop. So kill father sir.

P - Heroine's father??

D - No no sir.. Hero father sir...

P - Ok.. Go on..

D - Now sir.. Sad version of family song.

We show mother in white sari. Her thaali in ground sir.

Half the women audience again cry.

P - But didnt they pawn it???

D - That was reclaimed in the heroine version family song sir.

P -O..ok..

D - We show mother.. thaali.. hero's face sir..

3 times.. no dialogue.. no music

3rd time.. hero roar sir.. Goes running to villain's house sir..

Hero hit all henchmen sir.. 20 minutes.. fight scene sir..

then all hurt.. villain and hero .. stick or sword fight another 10 minutes sir..

then hero grab axe and runs toward villain sir..

again roars sir..

we show hero face... villain face... axe...

Villain close eyes sir..

P - Then...?

D - Nothing sir..

P - Nothing..???

D - Yes sir..

villain open eyes... axe inches away from villain neck sir..

We turn the camera slowly.. show his wife sir..

P - Heroine..??

D - No sir.. villain's wife.

P - How did she come there..??

D - sir.. fight happen villain house... so villain wife there..

P - Ok go on

D - She showing thaali to hero sir..

we show her face.. thaali.. hero.. and villain sir.. 3 times.. no music no dialogue sir...

hero feel sympathy sir...

P - Ummm... i dont think the audience will feel sympathy.. how did she come there all of a sudden..??

D - Ok sir.. Change in script... Before fight scene sir..

villain and wife fight. villain hit wife.. wife faint sir..

now wife wake up.. saves husband sir..

P - I still dont feel right abt it..

D - We can put the popular TV Serial actress for this role. The one who cries all the time. Sympathy factor will work sir.

P - That might work out.. ok go on...

D - Hero slowly drop axe sir.. turns ..

and goes sir..

Family song again sir. 4 lines here.. Villain and wife join with hero family sir..

Movie end sir...

P - Wonderful!! Family subject.. Romance and Action.. and a moral ending too.

D - Yes sir. Moral sir.. Ending sir...



If you think that this story in parts or in Sum reminds of you of many other stories... Well, you can call it copied, I will call it inspired!!!

Heres to many more creative thinkers destined to take our Indian cinema forward!!!

May the force be with you!!!