You can’t handle the truth

Here's an article I wrote for The Hans India - a reputed daily in Telangana.

Some one-liners are so popular we tend to use almost everyday in our lives. But ever wondered how they originated and gained prominence. Here are a few from a source you would have thought not possible. Yes, Hollywood! A number of aphorisms we use are taken from these movies. Take for instance, “There’s no place like home” how often have you used this phrase. Thousand times?! Million, perhaps?! Then you’ll be surprised to know that this is actually a dialogue from a renowned movie ‘Wizard of Oz’, a children’s flick which was greatly popular in the late nineteen thirties. The expression was so renowned; it became an essential part of English usage later on. Similarly, “Go ahead, make my day” – where did that come from? Every now and then these words ricochet in boardrooms of power, bounce off on parents at homes, or randomly thrown at people – in fact, this too has its beginnings in a movie called “Sudden Impact”. Owing to the movie’s immense fame - which Clint Eastwood not only directed but also acted in, the phrase assumed an unexpected popularity. Today, its usage is almost a part of our everyday lives.

Another equally engrossing line from the cinema fiefdom is: “I am going to make you an offer you can’t refuse”. This comes straight from the flick, “The God Father”, which is based on the renowned writer Mario Puzo’s book. In the movie, Don Corleone, the mafia don, uses this phrase often to settle disputes. Although there is always an underlying threat when he utters it, in the real usage, there’s no intimidation but a handsome offer.

Gaining significance in its usage is the phrase “You can’t handle the truth”. This line comes from ‘A Few Good Men’ in which Tom Cruise stars as an astute advocate. In the movie, Jack Nicholson, a high-ranking military official, when cornered in the court about a suspicious death in the barracks, angrily screams “You can’t Handle the Truth”. Its relevance being simple: Truth sometimes is hard to accept. The dialogue since then has become a rage, many authors have unabashedly added this phrase in their books and so have directors in their movies.

Frankly, I don’t give a damn” is another expression that has been long in usage and many of us have used it countless times. This comes from the classic cinema of yesteryears; ‘Gone with the Wind’. Clark Gable, who is the protagonist in the movie, uses it often. Initially, there was a lot of hue and cry against the dialogue since it was very uncommon then to use the word “Damn”.  But later, everyone came around to accepting it. Today, you find many frequently use the phrase: “I don’t give a damn”.

On parting let’s not forget the dialogue that has done its fair share of rounds - “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.". This is actually taken from the movie ‘Casablanca’, where Humphrey Bogart, who plays the role of Rick Blaine, utters this phrase. The line since them has become so popular that it stands as one of top dialogues from Hollywood movies.

For a quick e-page review, you can follow link below. Just in case you didn’t know, the link may not be available for long, the reason why the content above. :)


http://epaper.thehansindia.com/468461/SUNDAY-HANS/29-Mar-2015#page/8/2

Mamma Mia, it’s ABBA!

The best way to move back forth in time is to listen to music of the yesteryears.  Yeah. Hell with H.G Wells and his implausible time machine, I could do the 70s and 80s anytime. Just punch the play button on ABBA songs …and there you go. The rushing moments of yesteryears come at thunderbolt speeds. And the ghosts called the ‘unforgettable moments’ dance around in your memories and you are lost without any sense of time.

In retrospection, I don’t think I have enjoyed any days better than the days when I was a teenager. Life seemed like a huge never-ending roller coaster with many highs and few lows. Only when I got married did I realise that there are more lows than highs. (Ekes! hope my better half isn’t reading this). Anyways, to cut the long story short, I have had a whale of a time growing up. Now I have hit the age, where you are neither young nor old, and the onus of finding out on which plateau you exactly are is too taxing on the depleting grey matter. When  faced with intensely anxious moments such as the one above, I resort  to ABBA as a mental therapy. I tell you it serves my anomalous psyche well.

Flipping over to why I like ABBA better than others. Well, there are countless reasons, but here’s one I would like to expound. There was a close pal of mine who was damn good on the keyboards and I was insanely jealous of his talent. Unfortunately, music was something that evaded me. Then, I realized that music is something that can’t be earned, fought for, stolen from, or even learnt. It has to be a gift from god. Saying that, in no way do I mean I am an absolute dunce. I do manage to play almost all tunes by the ear. But compared to my friend I was a dunce. And this guy, didn’t just have the talent to play music, had the talent to rub it in too!

Whenever he played the ABBA songs, he used to move his fingers little faster than the usual…or stop in the middle to ask me how I liked the piece… or act as if he forgot the tune …he sure did rub it in than the usual. But sucker for music, I tolerated his idiosyncrasies.  Except for those annoying moments, I relished those songs like mad. All said, I got to hand it to my friend for the way he used to translate the songs onto his keyboard in an astonishingly accurate manner. It was a scream. 

The haunting music has been a part of the growing up years. Though we listened to countless numbers of Cliff Richards, Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, Dean Martin…But what  closely stuck with us are these Swedish enthrallers’ numbers. Even now when my friend and  I meet, we pore over those good old days. And he still tries to rub it in…and I say com’n kiddo grow up. You are too good for such shortcomings. And he puts on his mischievous smile. And, ABBA, the group, still remains a mutual friend of ours! 

The Movie Bug Leaves An Indelible Scar!

How will you die, Joan Wilder? Slow, like a snail? Or fast, like a shooting star? A dialogue from the movie which happened accidentally to us, three friends, decades ago. Then, we had just won a competition and  planned to cap it off  by throwing ourselves a surprise – an unplanned movie. Without putting all our cards on table, we rushed off to watch Kurt Russell’s ‘Big trouble in Little China’ but realised that ‘Romancing the Stone’, was what was playing instead. Since, we had already made up our minds to watch a movie; we didn't haggle much over what’s screened. We decidedly went Dutch, bought tickets and kept our fingers crossed, hoping the movie would be interesting. But interesting is a mild word. It turned out to be an awesome movie. Kathleen Turner (Joan Wilder) really got my eyes, while Micheal Douglas (Jack Colton) pretended to look the other way. And the whole movie dug deep into the recesses of my heart, searing it with an indelible mark.

Initially, the title didn't make any sense. Romancing the Stone? Why the heck would any director name a movie like that?! We, friends, assumed that the name of the heroine must be stone (as in Sharon Stone), but it turned out to be a jewel instead. That, in fact, added a dash of new thrill to the viewing. As teenagers we weren't into girls. But into adventure?! Yes, very much. The kind, which spices up the viewing quotient and has the adrenaline pumping at a dizzying pace.

I loved the way the movie hit off: a slime ball of a gang kidnapping a woman, shady characters trailing the heroine, the hero, who empties a double-barreled gun at the slightest provocation, the treasure map with directions to a sparkling gem stone, Wow. It was incredible. This action-packed adventure in the thick wooded plains draws your breath away. The humour cuts well too. Danny Devito, what a character! The way he rants caustic remarks could make the listener die of shame. But he is so adorable within his spaces.

I never really admired Douglas. But my perception about him completely changed after this movie. In the movie, what takes you by complete surprise is the time when the whole village is turned on Jack Colton and Joan Wilder and there seems no way around, the bearded villain suddenly realises that Joan Wilder is the famous writer, Joan Wilder. The tables swiftly turn and he offers help instead of a bullet. That hits you hard.

Although it’s been a long time since I saw the movie, I still remember most discourses by heart. Especially one that’s scribbled below, which takes place right after Joan Wilder realises that she is stranded in the middle of a jungle with nowhere to go:


Jack Colton: My minimum price for taking a stranded lady to a telephone is 400 dollars. 

Joan Wilder: Will you take 375 in traveler’s checks. 

Jack Colton: American Express? 

Joan Wilder: Of course. 

Jack Colton: You’ve got a deal.

I tell you much water has passed under the bridge since then. But nothing has changed my perception of the movie. It still stands out as the best – may not be technologically awesome but plot-wise and direction-wise it stands apart. Definitely worth a watch!

Oh My Pretty Thing!

Suddenly, she appears at my doorstep,

Sparkling, brilliant as a breath of fresh air,

Heart skips a beat, palms turn clammy,

After all, who can resist a sight so rare?

She isn’t rousingly jealous of my friends

But joins in the fun to blow away the blues

Sipping milkshakes bathing in warm smiles

She is mine by the day and nights too!

She loves when I can’t see her in the eye

And hide behind dense sunshades

She whispers sweet nothings in the wind

As I turn nervous under her intense glare

For a few months, she vacations here.

A few months there and a few months elsewhere

How I wish for her returns; her memorable sojourns 

Which never fail to light up life without a care

 I greet her with outstretched arms,

As memories haunt numbed bodies and minds.

Oh my darling Summer, whose embrace is warm,

Don’t leave me; for I am a prisoner of your charm