Nothing spells drama better in Hindi Films than slaps. I have seen them being used sparingly in Hollywood films too, but in Bollywood they are used liberally. May be it is a reflection of our society, where slapping is considered normal in certain situations. Parents hitting children to stop them from doing something. Teachers hitting students to discipline them. Men hitting their wives to show their masculinity. You get the drift!
But slaps in films work only when they are done right and audience is made to feel the sting. As a viewer if the slap doesn't connect with me (pun unintended), there is no point of showing it to me. The slap has to act as a catalyst for the movement in the story. Here are the three slap scenes which come to my mind almost immediately. They are not necessarily my favorite.
In the 1991 film Lamhe (Moments), there was no scope for conventional action. No Punches! No Kicks! But still there were violent undertones in the film with several slap scenes. One slap scene was glamorized to such an extent that it led to a dance performance by Sridevi, titled 'Moments of Rage'. During this dance performance that slap scene is played over and over again for impact.
We all remember the 2001 film Dil Chahta Hai (What the heart wants) for its lovely music, nice comedy and friendship. Bromance! But at one point in the film, the friendship between 3 leads gets strained. And it is shown by a well deserved slap. Here the slap is not as loud as the one in Lamhe, but the impact is louder.
Now when it comes to feeling the impact of a slap, nothing echoes better than the insulting slap Dr. Dang (character played by Anupam Kher) receives in the 1986 film Karma. In fact the dialogue he delivers immediately after the slap portends devastation. Iss thappad ki goonj suni tumne! (Did you hear the echo of this slap)
In the videos above we see slaps being used in different situations. But Hindi Films definitely use them in one cliched situation always. When one of the characters is crying inconsolably or is rattling meaningless dialogues at double fast speed, as if in trance, and all efforts to stop this crying or rattling have failed, there is one sure shot solution. Thwack! Slap!
And nothing sums up this post better than the image below from the film Dabangg.
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| Translation : I don't fear a slap, I fear love! |
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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Hindi Film Industry / Bollywood cliches. You can read the theme reveal post here.
2017 Challenge Post from Letter S: Story - A fictional story based on real events. Click here to read.
2018 Challenge Post from Letter S: Short Sentences / Stories - 10 micro-stories based on 10 lesser known words. Click here to read.
1 comment:
Came here as part of A to Z Roadtrip. Hope you will be active soon.
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