Jasmine and I felt so dam cheated. We sat through 22
episodes of prison break and lost some sleep over it. We tried watching
whenever we had time, catching even one episode if possible. My friend had
given us the episodes. It started well and was gripping enough. Towards the
end, all hell broke loose with characters dying left right centre and the plot
getting out of control of the writers. It grew too big on them and suddenly
they were facing Mount Meru and they wondered what to do. A victim of their own
success they avoided simple clichés but then left it abrupt and hanging. In
fact after it ended Jasmine and I were googling to know if 22 was indeed the
last episode. It was so random.
A story is supposed to end right and this ending is crucial.
I think many script writers or story tellers have met their grave in the
endings. Even the great harry potter series built up brilliantly well only to
end loose. Very few have been able to close it in a way that you see and say –
oh shit. Awesome. That’s why you have saccharine sweet endings. If you don’t know what to cook
just make something sweet. When you don’t know what to gift – gift a chocolate.
Sweet.
One interesting ending I remember and will probably stay in
memory for a long time will be Parinda. The Movie had a great villain with Nana
Patekar as Anna. He overshadowed everything in the movie. The two heroes were
reduced to mere bystanders. But in the end the evil must end and who will
destroy it. The hope was over when he killed the upholder of good (one brother).
It was obviously left to the other … but how will the other destroy evil. He
has to walk into the lair and be completely unarmed. That Anna was to be destroyed is a given but
poetic justice must be served and that will make or break the movie. It was a
class act. Here is the ending, though I wonder if you will appreciate the
ending if you haven’t seen the movie.
I remember I was kid when it was released. It made a huge
impact. Soon after the release I was roaming around at my cousin’s place in
Ghatkopar. We used to go there often. My cousins (they were my uncles) were
young and were revered in the area. So being their nephews we were treated very
well in the area. But they weren’t too well off. I remember a plan being made
in the area to see the movie. The youngest uncle wanted to go. Then when the
gang was going I shouted out to him – he told me that he wasn’t going. I asked
why, it’s a nice movie. He replied that he wasn’t in the mood. The elder
brother heard him and called out to him and then gave him the money to go. I
guess it was money stopping him. Next time I met the younger uncle – he had
shaved his head to a close crop and was roaming around in kurta pyjama a la
Anna. He was completely mesmerized by the movie and the villain. It did not
matter that villain died in the end – brutally – a death befitting his evil –
but it was Anna all the way.
Endings are crucial. Most of the time it’s not what you do
that people remember you by, it’s how you exit or end… that is critical. When
it ends there is invariably a void, but a nice ending helps fill the void with
better memories.
Take whatever you want from this as a life lesson :) bah.
