Latest / Breakdown Besties | Bollywood Screenwriting Podcast / E30: SALMAN KHAN is the only REAL SUPERHERO. Bhavesh Joshi shows you why
Transcript
- Akshay: General regular heroes are superheroes. Ananya: like bhai ka Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: films are superhero films. if Bhavesh Joshi, the person, had maybe had his friend with him, he wouldn't have died because Sikandar Akshay: Hmm, yeah. Ananya: had his friend with him. because vigilante films are not a thing in India, what they've done is employed the superhero tropes, Akshay: let's be honest everybody likes a cool superhero name Ananya: that is the difference between Rang de Basanti and here, Yes, we wanna make change, but we're also so aware of the realities of our country Combined, we have more than 14 years of experience writing for shows like Mismatched, Grahan, Rana Naidu, that is the message you do something good, you are gonna get caught by the system. You're not gonna escape scot free. Hello everyone and welcome back to the Breakdown Besties podcast. I'm Ananya. Akshay: Hi, I'm Akshay. Ananya: And we are your breakdown besties. Combined, we have more than 14 years of experience writing for platforms like Amazon, Netflix, Disney Plus, with shows like Mismatched, Grahan, Rana Naidu, Ishq In The Air, and a host of others that have gotten stuck in development hell, but will hopefully see the light of day one day. With the Breakdown Besties podcast, our goal is to give you an authentic film school experience where, as Akshay and I were just discussing, you don't have to go in and memorize every technique as if this is a screenwriting rule. No. You just have to watch films with enough attention and intention that you understand the mechanics of every scene, of the whole journey, of the dialogue, and then break it down in the moment, which is exactly what we're doing over here, and such that it eventually, after doing it several times over, just becomes part of how you function. So, welcome to the film school experience. And today on what we're recording as episode number 29. This is episode number 30, if you think about it in terms of the fact that Mayur's episode is 25.1 on our list. So Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: yeah. So episode 29 or 30 is Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, written by Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap, and Abhay Korrane. And is this our only superhero esque film? I will say esque because it's actually a vigilante film, not a superhero film. Akshay: Yeah, yeah, I think a little bit Koi Mil Gaya falls into slightly that space. Krish, Krish we could do sometime soon. So like it will have a superhero Ananya: Krrish, maybe does, yeah, yeah. Akshay: format. But yeah, I think the first proper like vigilante film. Ananya: Ven. Akshay: It's not a concept which is that common in India anyway, right? Like because like Let's be honest, our Salman Khan films are vigilante films in some way, right? Like... Ananya: Yeah, yeah. Akshay: our heroes can do anything, right? Like they can like Ananya: Anything. Akshay: jump on trucks, they can like fly through trains and whatever. Ananya: Our hero films are actually superhero films, like bhai ka Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: films are superhero films. Akshay: Our General regular heroes are superheroes. Ananya: Superheroes, exactly. Yeah, that's what I'll talk about it when we get into the world of this film is how they've kept it really rooted to the reality of being a vigilante. And Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: I think because vigilante films are not a thing in India, Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: what they've done is employed the superhero tropes, right? Of Akshay: Drops. Yeah. Ananya: costumes and things like that to bring some sort of familiarity in your head. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: like you can make a connection because introducing the concept of a vigilante is a whole other thing. It would be really hard. Akshay: Yeah, yeah. And even in theory, like the difference between a superhero and a vigilante, let's say like a Batman as a superhero, essentially Ananya: Mm. Akshay: falls in the same vigilante space, right? Like a little bit because his pa... Ananya: Yeah. He's a vigilante with money. Akshay: Because his powers have been curated. It's not a superhero like... powers he was born with or he got like through a failed scientific experiment like you know he which falls with like say like Ananya: mm, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Akshay: say spider-man or like all these characters so I think Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: it's a little thin line between like what vigilante films are and what superhero films are especially like in main Ananya: Definitely. Akshay: commercial space yeah Ananya: Absolutely. So let's dive right in, as we always do, by starting with the log line. What is your log line? Your log line is your film's guiding light or your film's helicopter, as we've recently established. It essentially allows you to get a bird's eye view on what your film is. And you especially need that when you're on page number seventy-six, you're lost, you're confused, you're so deep in the weeds of the scene that you can't see the forest for the trees anymore, and you're like, wait. What is the point of this? Why am I even writing this? Why is this sounding like a rom com when I started off writing a thriller? So that's when you need to be reminded of the fundamental bones of your film. And that's when you refer to your log line because it contains this skeleton. It contains the essence. Now, why and what does this essence comprise of? Comprises of four essential elements. The first is your flaw block. limitation or wound. This is essentially a trait within the character which is holding them back. It could either be a wound from, you know, an incident past in their life, which has scarred them emotionally. It could be a limitation because of their circumstances. It could just be a trait that they've been born with or culturally or picked up, conditioned to embody, which is holding them back in life. And what specific thing is it holding them back from? It is holding them back from element number two, which is their goal. The goal is the whole reason your audience comes to watch the film. It's a promise that you make that you are going to go on this journey to see this character get something that they want or lose it and mope about it. But then you have the main thing between the person and the goal, which is the journey. And this journey has to be filled with element number three. Conflict. Because if there is no conflict, there is no story. There has to be something constantly blocking your character from achieving their goal. And it just can't be anything. This conflict has to be an external manifestation of your internal flaw, wound, or need. So if you are a coward, you are constantly going to be chased by a lion, attacked by a lion, being threatened by a lion. So that you can get over your cowardice and actually become brave. And finally, you have element number four, which is your stakes. Stakes are what your character will lose should they not achieve their goal. It is not simply failing to achieve their goal, it is going one level lower than that. Now, while I've said that there are these four elements to the log line, and I stand by them. Oftentimes you can also include your inciting incident within your log line. Now, what is your inciting incident? Your inciting incident is something that happens usually in the first act of your film, which makes your hero kind of go on this journey. You can even call it the ultimate call to action. That they are call to action and they said, like, okay, now I have to go and pursue my goal. Usually you don't need to bake this into your log line because it is an incident, it is singular it doesn't define every scene or every sequence it doesn't underscore it but when I read out this log line I've written two versions of it here Akshay: Huh. Ananya: I have baked it into one of them for two reasons A) is that the whole first act for our vigilante character here is long it is a very long first act Because of which the inciting incident is important. Because to justify why you have such a long first act, it needs to be baked into the log line. Especially when you're pitching. Because you can't pitch this to a studio without not talking about this first act. And the second thing is, this inciting incident also establishes the stakes. It tells you what the character will lose. Right? Akshay: Hmm yeah Ananya: And I know I'm talking in very abstract terms, so let's just get into an example of the log line. So I'm gonna read out the one with the inciting incident, and then I'll read out the normal one. Right. So when his friend is killed for speaking truth to power, a jaded every man turns vigilante to take down and expose the corrupt government. Akshay: Yeah, perfect. Ananya: Right. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: So the inciting incident is when his friend is killed for speaking truth to power. Right? Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: So this automatically tells you what got everything started. And it also has the stakes built in because he got killed. So now Akshay: Hmm. Hmm. Ananya: you know what's gonna happen should our jaded everyman, who's our main character, not achieve his goal. Right? And so over here, what is the goal? To take down and expose the corrupt government. Akshay: Hmm. Right. Ananya: What is what is the flaw? It is the fact that he's an everyman. It's his limitation that Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: he is a normal you and me kind of person and he's jaded, but now he kind of has taken on this mission which requires a lot of him. And the conflict is the government. So that automatically entails like systemic forces coming against you and every man against a structure. So you know that this is the conflict. So over here, this would work from-- this won't even work 100% from a pitching point of view because it's not specific enough. If I were pitching this to a studio, I would really like go into the emotion of it and say that, you know, this man who's a vigilante is killed and you know, he goes after the government, there's a water scam, so many normal people are being affected, people are dying of thirst, it hasn't rained, all of that. So Akshay: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Ananya: this Can be the bones of a pitching log line, but at the end you can't use these words to pitch it. I mean, imagine telling a studio executive that he speaks to to power, like what? Yeah, Akshay: yeah yeah yeah like but what's happening? yeah Ananya: but specificity beats every abstraction, every general Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: the more specific, the more universal. Akshay: Yeah, for sure. Ananya: But if you wanted to not have the inciting incident baked in, one that would still guide all of your scenes, a log line, would still be an every man turned vigilante takes on the corrupt and systemic government forces to bring accountability to the powers that be at the risk of losing his life. Right? So it's the same thing. Akshay: Yeah, I think it's the same thing. The second one maybe falls better to write at least for sure because Ananya: Right. Yeah. Akshay: your inciting incident comes so late in the film anyway. Generally, Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: the inciting incident has to come pretty early on as a part of just like I think almost like center of your first act is where your inciting incident should come up. So but Ananya: Absolutely. Cause that's your call to action, right? Your inciting incident Akshay: Correct. Ananya: is essentially a big call to action, an unignorable call to action. Like you cannot it's like you're looking at a dragon's eye, you can't say the dragon doesn't exist. I'm imagining it. So that's Akshay: Yeah, yeah, yeah Ananya: what it is. Right? Great. Let's get into the hero's journey now. What is your hero's journey? Your hero's journey is something that all of us, not just your characters in your film, embark on when we decide to do something new, when we decide to do something that is out of our comfort zone that we've never done before. Yes, it is a journey we all go on to achieve our goal, but before achieving the goal, we go on a journey of becoming the person who is able to hold that achievement, who is able to achieve that achievement essentially. It is a transformational internal journey which manifests externally. And as you go on this process of transformation, you don't just go after it. You have several turning points. There's a journey and you have emotional levels over there. And those are meeting people who will help you and learning how to accept help, realizing what challenges you're going to face. Getting so close to your goal and then pulling behind because my god, I don't know if I can do it. Or getting almost getting your goal and then facing consequences for it. These are all organic turning points in any journey. I encourage you to think of the last time you did something new, whether it was hiking up a mountain or cooking something new, you have emotionally gone through all these steps. Right? But in our heroes' journey for a film. It is rather codified and condensed into specific emotional beats because we only have two and a half hours to tell the story. So Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: while as humans we experience this here and there, all these steps may not fall exactly into place. They kind of do at some level in your film in order to ensure that your ex audiences get a solid experience or a cohesive experience, right? Now, as we go into the hero's journey of this film, because the first act is so long, I the first act itself has its own hero's journey, which is very evident, right? And then which is the hero's journey of Bhavesh Joshi, the character himself, the person. And then your main hero's journey is that of Bhavesh Joshi the Vigilante, which is actually Sikander Khanna's hero's journey, right? So let's first go into Act One's Heroes Journey of Bhavesh Joshi, the human being. Akshay: Yeah. Yeah. Ananya: And I think it's generally a good rule to kind of understand, we've spoken about this before. I don't know if I've edited this out and when we've spoken about it, is that every scene should have its own heroes journey. 'Cause everything is a new experience and a new journey Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: to go on. So I like that this act one is so big that we can see the hero's journey in plain sight, right? Akshay: Yeah, yeah. Ananya: So let's start with Bhavesh Joshi, the person's hero's journey, which is your first act. You always open with the ordinary world. Your ordinary world is the world in which your character exists before they have decided to go pursue their goal. You can understand why they haven't pursued their goal yet, who they are, when this is taking place, where this is taking place. And what they want and haven't gone after yet. The five W's of screenwriting or of storytelling. So over here you see Bhavesh Joshi as this guy who is a college student. He is super excited about the future of India. He wants to fight for it, he loves it, all of that. And he has his two friends, Sikandar and Rajat, with whom they have this little group and we will fight for justice ideas going along, right? And they go to their protests, they attend them. But then the call to action actually comes when they're sitting around and they're like, wait, you know, we tell everyone that they're just complaining and all of that. Are we just complaining too? Like, we're Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: not really doing anything to solve these problems, right? Like, Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: we need to step in and have a bias for action. So That is your call to action. Your call to action is when your hero is stole that. Come, come, here's an opportunity to achieve your goal. And here this call comes from within. So Akshay: Hmm, yeah. Ananya: that. Then you have a refusal of the call. Refusal of the call is when you're like, mm, I'm not sure if I can do this. am I equipped to do it? Or someone outside you is like, bruh, this call be too big, like, do not heed it. Right? Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: Do you think there's a refusal to the call here? Akshay: Not explicitly, no. Ananya: No, right? And similarly, there's no meeting the mentor either. a mentor character, structurally, especially at this point, is someone you meet who has been on the journey that you want to go on, and they say that okay, if you want to slay the dragon, here I will hand you the sword and every other resource you need to be able to slay the dragon. There is no mentor over here. They are willing to experiment and try things out themselves and do it. Right. Then you have crossing the threshold. Crossing your threshold is as you step into act two and you take an action which seals your fate. After this point, there is no going back to the old world. The door behind you is firmly shut. It is a point of no return. And this is then starting the Insaafers YouTube channel. And them for going after their first target, which is a man who is cutting a tree legally, illegally, we don't know. And they're like, You can't cut trees, trees also have feelings, and they chase the whole thing away. And Akshay: Yeah. Yeah. Ananya: they get a lot of you know, accolades for it online, you're doing good work, and they can't stop this work now. They are at a point of no return. Then you have test allies and enemies. Now you are exploring what this world is like. You're getting a lay off the land. You're seeing what challenges you're gonna face. You're going to see what who your enemies are gonna be. You're gonna see who's gonna be your friends, who's gonna approach you. And this is a long sequence in an already long first act. So you see them kind of growing up. You see that protests in India are having like sparse attendance. So the whole culture of rebellion is dying down, of asking of accountability is dying down. You see that all their friends have gotten jobs and have kind of ascribed to the system. So Sikandar and Rajat are both kind of corporate slaves at this point and they refuse to kind of rebel because of their own personal fears of getting attacked and hey, it's not worth it, like all of us do. And but Bhavesh Joshi is still active. The channel isn't as popular as it used to be, but he is still someone who fights. And he gets the and now he finds another person who approaches him and says that look, we're not getting as much water as our quota is promised to us. There is something wrong here, and Bhavesh Joshi is doing his investigations, right? Akshay: Huh. Ananya: Then you have the approach to the innermost cave. Your approach to the innermost cave is well, if your goal is to slay the dragon, you now approach the cave where the dragon is, enter it, and begin your fight with the dragon. Right? Over here it is when he gets a lead to follow regarding the watercase and he goes down, he follows the pipes, he figures everything out, and he realizes that okay, this is what's happening, that they are cutting the municipal supply of water and the tankers are coming, filling from there only and selling it back to the people who should be receiving this water from the government, but now being sold at the price of petrol. Right? And he wants to do something about it, but his friends are not willing to join any of the cause. And they get into a big fight over there that you know, you all are just cowards, you all just want to run away from the country for a better life, you all don't want to fight for a better future, you're just scared, you're all of that. And in that, Bhavesh Joshi and Sikhhandar get into fisticuffs, and Bhavesh ends up socking Sikhandar in the face. And he is not exactly apologetic about it, as you know, boys are it. It's their own internal, like haha you look so funny with your eyes swollen. But Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: this essentially angers Sikandar a lot. Because this has hit him somewhere deeply, right? When Bhavesh has said, You're a coward and you're not doing Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: the right thing. This he does know somewhere deep down that he is a coward. He's not like Rajat who has completely ascribed to the system. And we'll go into this when we talk about theme, because they've got a very good thematic web of characters over here. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: But so Sikandar is affected by this and he gets angry and as men do often when they are consumed with emotion, instead of talking about it with each other, they decide to get angry. They rage-bait Akshay: They rage bait online. Ananya: online, yes. So Sikandar uploads this video of Bhavesh Joshi like essentially talking shit about the government online. And therein begins your ordeal. Your ordeal is when, okay, you have slain the dragon, injured the dragon, gotten your bag of gold, but now the dragon is coming after you, the dragon's keepers are coming after you, the king and their men are coming after you, and you need to figure out what to do about this. Right? So there is complete outrage. Bhavish gets beaten up by the people at a protest, he is completely exposed. And the the insaf man nakab that he is wearing, the disguise that he's wearing, is completely exposed and goes for a toss. Sikhand does that. Right? But the reward, the reward now is when you have a moment of absolute peace with your prize and you say that, okay, this is what I've got out of it. I'm happy with this, you know, I have fought the monsters behind me. And this is Bhavesh Joshi coming up and owning his identity. He's like, I have Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: nothing to hide anymore. It's great that you know who I am. I'm fighting for justice over here. Akshay: And even if I die, There's no problem in that. Yeah. Ananya: There's no problem in that. Absolutely. And then you have the way back. The way back is still going after your goal. You're on your way back. You've gotten really far. And now thieves are coming after you. They want to take away your prize from you. And over here he is doing one final investigation at the site where the water is being stolen or of those offices, etc. And he's found out he's caught. And there he is beaten to pulp. And unfortunately, there is no resurrection for him. Resurrection is where your character's at their lowest, and then they rise like a phoenix from the ashes and they come back to fight what's been holding them back. Unfortunately, Bhavesh Joshi is killed. But you have your return with the elixir. Your return with the elixir is when you return as a new person in the old world. While Bhavish doesn't return, it is now Sikandar who returns into the old world as a new person, as a reformed person. And that is his call to action. His final call to action is and his mentor moment, because Bhavesh Joshi has also been his mentor in showing him how to live your life. Okay. Akshay: Mentored yeah, Ananya: Great. So that is Bhavesh Joshi's hero's journey. He dies a martyr. And now you have Sikandar's hero's journey. So everything's Bhavesh Joshi's Superhero's journey. Yes. Akshay: The Bhavesh Joshi Ananya: So everything we just talked about, this ordinary world, is also it's Bhavish Joshi's superhero's ordinary world. It's Sikandar's ordinary world, right? And over there you see a little more of his life. Of obviously, if we talk about it from Sikandar's point of view, he has a normal job, he's been offered a gig in Atlanta. He's been trying to get his passport and you see that Sikandar hasn't completely sold out to the system. He's still someone who, you know, doesn't want to indulge in bribery. He believes he wants things have to be done the right way. So he does until he's really pushed into a corner and has to pay a bribe for his passport. And the thing is, he's gets many calls to action, even in this ordinary world, right? It's Bhavesh telling him to do the right thing all the time and come back, solve this problem. But he keeps refusing those calls. He's like, No, I'm gonna go to America, okay, no, I'm finally paying this bribe. Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: Even once Bhavesh dies, he goes all the way to the airport and is almost like, okay, I am going to leave the country. But then he comes back and he's like, No, I'm gonna fight. Akshay: Huh. Huh. Ananya: Right? So Bhavish is his mentor, you have several calls to actions and many refusals. And then you finally have crossing the threshold. When he goes to the water site and sets it all on fire and gives them a warning that, look, buddy, I am like here and I am now Bhavesh Joshi. You're Akshay: Huh. Ananya: gonna get-- I'm gonna get my revenge on all of you. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: Then you have tests, allies and enemies. Now, this is where the movie starts to get a little too scattered for my liking. So I'm Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: not gonna be very specific over here in talking about the incidents because it is essentially Bhavesh chasing one lead after another lead after another lead. It is the superhero Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: chasing another lead. And you're not emotionally invested in any of these leads. They haven't established these characters well enough. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: And we'll go into Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: that when we talk about character, where I think they could have done it, but they didn't. Akshay: Huh. Ananya: And you also don't have stakes in terms of who's being affected by this problem. They set up Akshay: Ugh. Ananya: one man initially to represent the problem that we don't receive water in our building and that man gets beaten up and stuff, but you don't really see the ordinary people or someone you care about being affected by that either. So it's just they have-- This entire second half is dependent on you having empathy for your Bhavesh Joshi superhero, which you Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: do, but it's not enough to carry through so many fight sequences. Akshay: And also like they never tapped into Sikandar's guilt also like the fact that he uploaded the video which sort of made Ananya: Mm. Akshay: him go viral and then like he got beaten up which eventually got him killed. There is no explanation of this right like there Ananya: Yeah, yeah, mm hmm, mhm. Akshay: is no discussion about it either with his girlfriend or either with his other friend like it's such a big deal right like that's essentially your superhero awakening in this way, right? Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: So, but there is no, there's no enough time spent with him for us to really Ananya: Mm. Akshay: feel for, he's driving this whole thing to also avenge his friend's death, you know, suddenly Ananya: Right in set, yeah. Akshay: it just becomes about, he's for the good cause, but like all the Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: weight you have that's not been explored at all. Ananya: Yeah, yeah. His emotional interiority after he decides to cross the threshold is not explored. They don't Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: use the guilt to fuel him. Yeah. It Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: does come back later on at in the ordeal reward moment. Akshay: Huh. Ananya: but yeah, we'll get to that. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: So yeah, you have tests, allies, and enemies where he's fighting various forces, he's also getting trained in self defense in karate, he is going after government officials, all of that. There are many fight sequences. Akshay: Huh. Huh. Ananya: And then you have the approach to the innermost cave, which is a big chase sequence. I don't know why they're going after him, but they're going after him in this. He's honey trapped one of them, got some information. This is the point where I kind of tapped out of the film. And they chase after him and they're not able to get him. So what the one of the higher ups does in the government does is shoots a police officer and blames it on Bhavesh Joshi. And that starts off your ordeal, where it's Akshay: to go. Ananya: not really much of a visual ordeal, as much it is an ambiental ordeal. It's Akshay: Ugh. Ananya: not even that emotional, I'd say it's environmental, because in dialogue it is said that you know all our like anti terrorist forces, you know, police, everyone needs to be after Bhavesh Joshi. So you know that his ordeal has begun, but you Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: don't really See the ordeal. And I think that was a wise choice because that would have been another chase sequence, which we didn't need. So long Akshay: Yeah, another 10 minute long sequence, minimum. Ananya: there. And at the end of this ordeal, he's kind of like decided that look, I have to go after this no matter yes or yes. And he calls his friend Rajat and says that if I don't text you tomorrow, just you know go into my basement and take my laptop, right? Or go into my flat. And then you have the reward. The reward is that Rajat doesn't wait until tomorrow. He goes immediately and he finds Sikandar's laptop and he sees a video there where Bhavesh is admitting to his guilt. Sikhandar is admitting to his guilt that I uploaded that video and you know, everything that happened is my fault, etc. And Rajat kind of realizes that Sikandar is gonna do something really big now. He looks at the map and realizes, you know, something is going on and he follows the map, but I don't even know how people know how to read that map in this day and age, but okay. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: And then you have the way back, which is Bhavej really fighting for what he believes is right. It is another chase sequence where you have a moment which I quite enjoyed, which is very true to the reality of what we live in, where all the water that has been hoarding that should have gone to the people explodes in the background and goes to waste. Which is a Akshay: Based. Yeah. Ananya: nice symbol of, you know, where the movie thinks our future kind of may lie. Like Akshay: Huh. Ananya: and Then Bhavesh Joshi is fighting in this, he gets pushed into the-- He falls down off the bridge into the water, and that is he's at his lowest. Will he survive? Will he not survive? But Rajat comes to his rescue and he saves him, and that is his resurrection. Right? Akshay: Huh. Huh. Ananya: And then you finally have the return with the elixir. Over here, it is not Bhavesh returning to the old world now. It is now Rajat Akshay: Huh. Ananya: who has taken this Elixir from Bhavesh because Bhavesh is not physically fit enough to be a vigilante. Which ought to fit into the role of the vigilante that is required by this film. So Rajat takes the mantle from him and now goes after this case. Right? Akshay: Yeah. Very long heroes journey this is. Ananya: Very, very Akshay: Like even structurally if you think about it, like they showed the life of one full friend then another life of like the other second friend. When Rajat came I was like, are they gonna start his story now? Like you know I was almost wondering like yeah exactly, Ananya: It's like Reneg Hill, right? Passing the button. Akshay: exactly. I think it was not Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: done in the most economical way. I feel like Ananya: No. Akshay: your first act could have been much shorter even though very enjoyable. But if Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: the point of the film is your second act, then you have to do it. Like you have to kill your darlings. Ananya: Yeah. Do it. Yep. Yep. Absolutely. Akshay: I think but in Kill Your Darlings like I think the fact like that's why your logline becomes so important right that for Ananya: Yeah, yeah. Akshay: you to not meander that this is the story of your vigilante stick to that you know Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: at every point of time you have to remember that does this movie warrant this length? You know? Ananya: Exactly. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: Yeah, that's a very good tip. Your log line needs use your log line as the sword to kind of kill your darlings. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: Cool. Shall we go into theme next? Akshay: Let's do it. Ananya: What is your theme? Your theme is the whole reason you are an artist. If you're not gonna lean into your theme, then you shouldn't be in art. Because why did you become an artist? Why are you a writer? Why are you a filmmaker? It's because you have a point of view on the world and you need to express it. You need to tell the world, you need to go climb up to rooftops and say, Hey, hey, this is the hill I'm gonna die on because I think it's really important, right? And over here, that hill is your film. And through the film you scream out your point of view. Except that screaming doesn't really get anyone anywhere, it just gets you a deaf ear. So in the film, what you have to do is essentially make a case for your point of view. You have several characters who will be for and against your point of view, and depending on the character who comes out on top at the end of the film, they achieve their goal or not, you determine which point of view wins. It's a question that you ask and people say, yes, no, maybe. Right now, cutting through all the abstraction, what does it look like in Bhavesh Joshi? The theme I've got is very similar to Rang de Basanti, which is until when should one fight for what's right? Right? And over here the answer is until you die, until you can no more, which is also death, which is grievous injury, all of that, right? Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: So which is also in Rangde Basanti done very well, but over there they mobilized the whole country. Akshay: Huh. Ananya: Vis-a-vis over here it is a single vigilante. And Akshay: Huh. Ananya: I think Rangevasanti ends with hope. Because Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: even as all of them die, you have the scene of them, you know, in the fields of I don't know, Elysium or wherever, you know, like there Akshay: Yeah. Yeah. Ananya: is hope, there is joy. Here, despite everything that they're doing, they're only able to mobilize another person. And you have the water at the back, you know, being wasted and things like that. So there is a certain groundedness to Bhavesh Joshi, which is very real in terms of Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: the fact that change takes a very long amount of time. And even when Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: you use like the media and things like that, mobilizing forces is really hard. Like if you take the character of Rajat, he has to see two of his friends suffer grievous consequences to turn. You know? So I think that is the difference between Rang de Basanti and here, which is again great because the artists, the writers had a very specific point of view. They're like, Yes, we wanna make change, but we're also so aware of the realities of our country and we know how hard making changes that we're not gonna have like any idealism baked into this, which Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: is what you which is your right as a filmmaker, right? Akshay: I think again like it boils down to the tone which the filmmaker wanted to like adhere to right like they Ananya: Hm. Akshay: wanted Rang De Basanti to be a lighter film to be a mass entertainer Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: and in general have the feeling of hope even though Ananya: Mm. Akshay: even in that film when these people want to take the revenge they all of them died so Ananya: die Akshay: even like so if you look at Soha Ali Khan's character like she had to lose her husband number one and all her friends also Ananya: Mm. Friends, yeah. Akshay: before she could see any change happening in her life also. So I think Ananya: Hm, yeah. Akshay: both the films sort of have the same trajectory which is that change will take like long time and there will be so much damage, so much loss of human life Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: until that happens but you just hope that somebody after you will continue to fight the battle. Ananya: Exactly. Exactly. Now I wanna talk about thematic scene. This is a scene where which is there in all movies, but how it's treated will either have a lot of subtext or it's said in all the words possible. Which is where you pose the dramatic question to your characters and you say, This Akshay: Huh. Ananya: is what I believe in. Do you agree with me? Do you disagree with me? What am I gonna do here? And this happens over here early on in the first act of the film, in Bhavesh Joshi, superhero's first act, where Bhavesh Joshi the human being essentially has a fight with Sikandar and says that all of you are cowards, this country is never gonna change. We need to stay and fight. All of you wanna run away, you know? We need to do something about this. And he puts his ideas out there very openly. And Rajat and Sikandar are like, Bro, you're being too much, which is so realistic, right? Every time Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: you like put out an idea which is slightly revolutionary because human rights are now revolutionary, it's like you're being too much because you're from in this privileged position where politics don't affect you yet, but they come for everyone. So this thematic scene very encapsulates your film's ideas, your politics and the message of the filmmakers very well. That is your art over there. Akshay: Yeah Ananya: Then I want talk about a thematic web of characters, right? Because Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: often you do need films of this scale to show you the thematic web. What does this mean? So when you have a dramatic question like this, you have a spectrum between yes and no where people stand. And in order to make a solid case, you have to have ideally every point of view incorporated so that you can see how it affects different people who hold these different point of views on this range of questions, right? So you have Bhavesh Joshi's character. He is, you know, fight until death. He is a character who has already arc'd, right? He knows what he wants. He says that, yes or yes, I'm gonna fight for my system, fight for my country. Then you have Sikandar. Sikandar is somewhere in the middle. He believes in revolutionizing things. He wants to do what's right. But he's held back by his fears, by his sense of self preservation, of personal security. And he's essentially the one who's always posed with that moral choice, right? Doing what is easy and doing what is right. Then you have Rajat. Rajat is a cog in the machine. He is well within the system and he's so deep in the matrix that he can't believe anything can be changed. And it his personal safety is really important to him. Yes, you see that he has the inklings of someone who can changed. Because he used to write graphic novels or stories about characters who were vigilantes. He does, when one of the contractors dies, somehow he has like a crisis of conscience and goes, like, You are responsible for killing this man. But at the end of the day, he if he is given instructions, he will follow them because he believes it'll keep him safe without Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: realizing that He's just a cog in the machine. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: Right? And then at another level of this, you have the contractors and the police officers. They are, again, on the side of power structures, but they are not powerful enough. Their power is lent to them and they're still kept on a long or short leash, depending on who you are. As long as you abide by the power structures, you will be given what you want. And sometimes, even if you abide, you won't. Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: Now there are characters who are aware of this and characters who are not. So the contractor who is killed at the end of the day thought that he is almighty. And you even see it why when he's driving a Mini Cooper and all of that. He thinks he is invincible, that he his power is his own. And but he is killed in the process, like because Akshay: Ugh. Ananya: of his actions, which are not even his fault. Right? And similarly, something happens to a police officer. Now I think That police officer was simply doing his job, right? He was the equivalent of Rajat in the sense that he needs to feed his family, he needs to do his job, he has to chase a criminal to put food on the table. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: But he is very simply a pawn. Like he is killed Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: and his death is blamed on the Bhavesh Joshi superhero, even Akshay: Bye bye, Joe Shea Superhero. Ananya: though it is actually someone higher up in the system. And Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: then you have the policeman above him who notices this. And he starts realizing that am I on the right side of this? We don't see him act on it in any way. In fact, he does get threatened because he doesn't act on it later at the end in the return with the Elixir. Rajat is the one who threatens him with all Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: the information he has on him. But you do see him realizing that he has a place in that system and that he's in a cage, and that cage Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: is opened, but it can very well be shut. Okay. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: So And then you have the ordinary people. I think Rajat is a good representation of the ordinary people, but then you also have the masses. And you see Akshay: Huh. Ananya: them, you know, when the politicians are giving talks, etc. And they're essentially treated as cattle. They're an audience who they play out to, whose emotions are messed around with, who are not even cogs. They are just NPCs, non player characters, especially Akshay: Hmm. Yeah, yeah. Ananya: in the realm of this movie. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: So thematically I think very well explored. Akshay: Yeah, again, it just falls a little flat because we invested in neither of these characters. Yeah, Ananya: None, none of them. Akshay: so that becomes a slight problem. But yeah, we'll talk about that in character. Ananya: Let's just go into character creation then, right? Akshay: Hmm, hmm. Ananya: Because I want to talk about this because I've written down this note. Called Akshay: Huh. Ananya: the I don't know what to call it, so I called it the representation character, where Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: you essentially pick one character who represents the whole system. Akshay: Huh. Ananya: Because instead of having five scattered characters, Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: it's easier to have one character your audience can invest in who represents the system. And you know that his downfall means the downfall of the system, or that the character has made progress, right? Akshay: Fuh. Fuh. Ananya: And I wanted to to do this, I also wanted to talk, bring Kahani as a reference. Because Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: Kahani faces a very similar problem, okay? Where they have the contract killer, right? Bhashkar... whatever. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: And you're very invested in him because they've shown Akshay: Huh. Ananya: him as a character with quirks, he's a bumbling Akshay: Ugh. Ananya: dude, who can't whose cardio fitness is shit. But he's also like this crazy contract killer who's absolutely remorseless. So he represents Bob Biswas. Sorry, not Bhaskaran, yeah, Bob Biswas, yeah. Akshay: Bob Biswas is his name, sorry. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ananya: And you're really invested in that character. He inspires a sense of fear. You know what's gonna happen when he's around, you know, it's very clear. And similarly, over here, you have the policeman character. He is actually a very good representation of the system in the first half of the film. He tells Bhavesh, he warns him. He's like, you know what, you should go to America. Don't ever come back. Because if you do, imma fuck you up, you know? He's but then what happens, and this happens in Kahani too, is that once Bob Biswas dies, you go into this plethora of male characters you have no investment in. And Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: over here too, is after Bhavesh Joshi's superhero kind of comes into the picture, you open up the story into all these characters you're not invested in. So a trick here is to create one or two characters or a family of characters Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: who you're super invested in, have them represent the entire system of the bad guys rather than trying to show the entire system So Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: again, the more specific, the more universal. Akshay: And I think we can, I want to like give, make us a little bit more credit here because you know, that's also a problem of a country like ours, right? Like there is some guy always above the guy whom you're reporting. So like you go Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: to the junior constable, then the senior constable, this, so like even for the passport verification, you first go here, then you go here, then you do this, then you do that. So that Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: systemic claustrophobia, so you Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: sort of understand. But then you have to build it up in that way. Then that tonal choice Ananya: Exactly. Akshay: has to be done of like the character feeling suffocated with this sort of like presence. Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: That doesn't happen. But I want to give the example of a film like Johnny Gatard. Which is that Ananya: Hm. Akshay: again there were a plethora of characters there also. But Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: you know each of them very well. Like Ananya: Yeah but Akshay: you know their personal lives, know their quirks, you know their tastes, Ananya: Mm. Akshay: you know what they speak like. So then even though there are so many characters, you don't Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: feel confused that who is this person and there is Ananya: Yeah, yeah. Akshay: enough investment in them for us to care about. Ananya: Exactly. Absolutely correct. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: I also want to talk about the dog character. So a dog character is a character who is created to motivate your main character into finally taking action. Your dog character is someone who always does the right thing, their intentions are good, their actions are good, but they suffer consequences for being too white in a world that is grey. Right? And over here it is Bhavesh Joshi, the human being. He Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: is someone who's always fighting for what's right, doing what's good. Sure, he has his little human flaws of like socking his friend in the face and being too loud, but those are all excusable. But at the end of the day, he's a great guy and he gets killed for pursuing what is right. And this dog's death is what spurs Sikander Khanna to become Bhavesh Joshi superhero. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: I also wanted to talk about character creation in terms of both Bhavesh Joshi and Sikandar initially, and very, very initially in the film, in terms of how quickly they've established them as likable, right? First, they are fun-loving and playful. They're taking the piss out of each other right from the get-go. You like characters who are fun-loving, who are playful, who bring joy, who don't take life too seriously, right? And while they don't take life too seriously, they have deepened the character by giving them an alternate trait of wanting to be revolutionaries, of wanting to do what's right, of being rebels, right? They're going to protest, they're speaking out their mind. And then they've added to that by giving them a bias for action. They question Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: themselves, they're like, are we doing enough? And then they do enough because there are talkers, like people like us who have revolutionary ideas. Do we actually act on them? No. These guys have a bias for action, right? And but even as they do it, they keep it light. That playfulness isn't lost. And they also have one trait, which is the gift of the gab, and can they can they can hold their own. So this especially comes through when Bhavesh is flirting with the girl in the club and you know he's actually using a Michael Jackson song to flirt with her. And his girl who later becomes his girlfriend catches on. And instead of being like, my god, I'm caught, he's sharp, he's quick on his feet, he holds his own, he defends his point of view. And you like characters who are sharp, you kind of want that trait in yourself, right? Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: So it creates admiration. It creates Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: yeah, that's why it really work as character creation. Let's go into genre tropes next. Akshay: Okay, so like we spoke earlier, that's a vigilante film, but treated it with the lens of a superhero film, right? So Ananya: Right. Akshay: I have a lot of superhero tropes which this movie has Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: employed. The most, so I'm gonna go them one by one, okay? First is making an identity. This is important that your superhero want... Conceals his real identity and puts on another one so that he is unidentifiable the people around him are not under a threat from the bad guys and let's be honest like this is everybody likes a cool superhero name essentially at least Ananya: Yeah, yeah. Akshay: that's the writers reason to do the superhero genre, okay, so Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: And your does Peter Parker become spider-man or like Bruce Banner becomes Batman here Sikandar Khanna becomes Bhavesh Joshi. What did I say? Ananya: Batman. Akshay: Bruce Wayne becomes Batman, Bruce Banner becomes Hulk and here Ananya: I'm done. Yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah. Akshay: Sikander Khanna becomes Bhavesh Joshi Superhero. Now Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: putting on this identity comes with another trope which is unmasking of the identity. Ananya: Mm. Akshay: Constantly you'll be put in situations where the mask is sort of taken off by somebody, everybody wants to find out who the superhero is. who was this person behind this big superhero figure? Everybody tries Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: to go after it and it creates a lot of conflict and a lot of scenes. So here we have moments like somebody trying to like open his, take off the mask, people trying to find out online who this guy is, if they have a doubt Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: on somebody but it's unclear because, other pictures have been put up online. So Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: the reason is because the thrill of making a superhero you will need to have a force who wants to uncover that like who is this person. Ananya: Mm. Akshay: So that's another trope. Now there is one big trope of everything which comes under when he's on his journey to become a superhero and this has now subtropes. So for Ananya: Mm. Akshay: example having a hideout. Now because this person has concealed his identity he will need to live some he will need to live somewhere. He needs to live somewhere else right now because he can't live Ananya: Yeah, yeah Akshay: at his original home, otherwise he'll be caught. here, Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: Sikander makes his hideout in a rundown hotel, which is under dispute and hence nobody is using it. Ananya: Mm. Akshay: And he sort of also even like, scrap, like puts a newspaper on windows, nobody can look inside. Again, Ananya: Mm. Akshay: most recently this was done in Spider-Man brand new day. Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: again, now another part of this is. making his gear or equipment. So here we see like he Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: has gets a new shiny bike and we see shots of him making his bike. Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: Again these are elements like these are the coolest elements of any superhero Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: film right like you want to see Iron Man trying and testing his new suit because Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: essentially this is what excites you about like having this one hero figure whom like Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: people might want to look up to and like you create this big figure, then Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: you have the training montage where somebody else will sort of, if it's not a natural skill, somebody else will teach you. So here we have his karate instructor giving him karate lessons, how to jump Ananya: Mm. Akshay: on roofs, how to like sneak here and there. Again, Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: it's important if the superhero is not born with powers, this montage is important so that you don't feel suddenly how'd he acquire these powers?! Ananya: Exactly. Akshay: And this doesn't happen in all superhero movies, but a common theme, a common trope which comes here is faking your death, which is that Ananya: Mm. Akshay: after a point of time when a big mission is accomplished, you sort of... fake your death or you make your identity or presence go away from the world so that the looming threat which you had on you sort of dissipates. Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: It's an important beat for the character himself that he realizes he has done enough for the world now and Ananya: Mm. Akshay: he needs to move on and at the same Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: time like the villains Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: think okay the superhero is gone so now Ananya: Mm. Akshay: we don't have to worry we can continue with our evils again. So here Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: after Bhavesh Joshi superhero has been pushed under the water and shot Ananya: Mm. Akshay: he tells that tell everybody I died and Ananya: No. Yeah. Akshay: he doesn't come out of that shell again so he can continue with saving people from crimes. Ananya: Hmm. Saving crime. Yeah. Akshay: So again recently we saw this in Spider-Man brand new day like he made the world forget Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: his Peter Parker identity and Ananya: Yeah yeah. Akshay: this happened in the last Batman movie also like where you think Batman is gone now. Ananya: Mm. Akshay: So yeah these are all the superhero tropes I had. Ananya: Yeah, I had two more which I wanted to add to it. Akshay: Hmm. Yeah. Ananya: One is saving innocent lives or doing what's right when your heroes, the when your villains won't. So this establishes the moral clarity of where each of them stands. So over here, while it's not about saving lives, you know, like if a tram is coming, the they he'll ensure that n people in there are not injured, it is about following the signal. So even when all the goons are gonna come after Bhavesh Joshi. He is waiting at the signal. I will only push off when the light turns green. So again, establishing their moral standing. And you also have the costume upgrade, which is a Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: very defined moment where you know, like you said, they're tinkering with costume. So over here it starts with a paper bag, all of Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: that. And then finally he takes that little light that they're carrying around and fashions that into a mask. And you're like, yeah, now the superhero has come into his own. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: So that is also another trope I wanted to talk about. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: And then the investigation scene. This is Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: always there in your superhero or investigation films where they are following a lead and they go check out the different spaces, get a lay of the land, that. So over here it's when he goes like sees the pipes, follows them, all of that. And then at the end you put it together for your audience. And I saw these scenes, this is what I deciphered. So this is to show how your superhero's quick thinking, how they Akshay: Huh. Ananya: can put clues together which ordinary people can't, and how their brain works. So this shows their intelligence. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: Cool. I wanna go into world next. This is a vigilante film, not a superhero film. And what I want to laud is the filmmaker's adherence to that, in terms of how real some of the conflicts are. So there is a fight sequence where Bhavesh Joshi is fighting, is trapping the contractor, and then two of his goons enter. And Bhavesh Joshi fights the goons. But he's having a hard time. He can only take one at a time. He's not a superhero. He's clearly a vigilante. He is a normal guy having to fight them. That's Akshay: Ugh. Ananya: what I really like about it. And then when the goon gets whacked against the wall, most of these goons immediately get up and start fighting. But this guy Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: is like, no. And in fact, the other guy's like, get up, like go fight. And he's like, Bro, I can't fight, you know? Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: So again, they've kept it very real. These are real people. These are not like some superhero-y type villains, you know? Akshay: Yeah, yeah Ananya: Even when Bhavesh Joshi jumps out of the window, like he holds onto the cable and then he lands on the car downstairs, he doesn't immediately roll off the car and start running. He needs a moment to gather himself. He has a limp. You know? Akshay: Yeah. Yeah. Ananya: So again, very real. Then the chase sequence, you know, where Akshay: Foo. Ananya: he's on a bike and there are cars coming after him and all. The chase sequence is very tame. There are no crazy jumps, yeah. Akshay: Yeah Ananya: It is normal. And When he does do the one crazy thing of going on the railway overpass, they give Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: him consequences. He falls off his bike as he's coming down. Again, Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: he is a normal person. So they've understood what the tone of the world is, what the grammar of the world is, and kept the conflicts very real to that. You know, Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: he's taking those karate classes so that later on when he has those fight sequences, it lands. He needs to train himself. Akshay: Yeah, yeah. I really like that this world is very conscious choice because Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: in most superhero movies you forget this. Like everything is possible in the realm of things but that's not the case here. So yeah. Ananya: Yeah. Not at all. Yeah. Let's go into scenes and sequences next. Yeah. the first thing I want to talk about is an easy way of creating tension, which is intercutting. You always intercut, Akshay: have the same one. Ananya: right, to show that what's going on and what the stakes are, what the conflict is, how it's building. So over here, Bhavesh, I mean Sikandar has lied about going to the US, or he wants to create the impression that he's left the country and gone to the US so that no one suspects that he's the vigilante. And the policeman starts checking the immigration records to see whether he has gone to the US or not. At the same time, Sikandar is hacking the immigration system and inputting his details to make sure that it looks like he's left the country. And you intercut between the two. Is he gonna do it? Will he get there in time? Who gets there first? This intercutting creates automatic tension of what's going to happen next. Very easy way of creating it. Use it well. All your scenes Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: will be elevated. Akshay: And I think another reason this technique has been employed for this particular sequence is because looking into a computer and typing is boring visually, right? Like, Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: especially when you're not having any piece of dialogue, how do you make it more interesting that at least if two people are doing simultaneously, it's interesting. And Ananya: Thanks. Akshay: it's again, taking a little bit of a leap that this is obviously a little bit of a different time frame, right? Like obviously, Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: Bhavesh Joshi went like the superhero went a little earlier and then you're intercutting this with like a moment like Ananya: Mm. Akshay: when the police inspector is trying to look. But again, you become economical, right? Like you don't Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: go into making one sequence following Bhavesh Joshi superhero, then another sequence Ananya: Mm. Akshay: following the police inspector. It's made into Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: it's just made into one sequence. So another reason why intercutting works for a sequence like this. Yeah. Ananya: It's economical for sure. So I wanted to talk about the opening sequence because it's like it's a cold open, right? Essentially, that this movie has. It's a flash forward where Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: you see the superhero with the mask fighting. Akshay: Huh. Ananya: And I love that because immediately it sets up your expectations. The audiences have come for a superhero film. The movie is Bhave Joshi's superhero. And you Akshay: Huh. Ananya: know that the first first one hour of the story is gonna be his origin story. But Akshay: Ugh. Ananya: you need to kind of set up the fact that it is a superhero film from the get-go. So Akshay: Huh. Ananya: they flashed forward and they have had him fight a villain. But they've also done another interesting thing. You think he's fighting the villain, but then he gets caught with law enforcement. And you realize that people are coming after him. This is Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: subversion of expectation. So how can you make it end on a hook that something interesting is gonna happen? Subvert expectations. And this is also true to the logic of the film because that is the message that they're trying to give at the end of the day that you do something good, you are gonna get caught by the system. You're not gonna escape scot free. Akshay: Yeah, correct. Ananya: So again, very well done in terms of unpredictability and engagement. Right. Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: Then I want to talk about a comedy creation technique. Okay, which is comedy is not just witty dialogue. A lot of comedy is reactions. I want to talk about the scene where Bhavesh Joshi, has yeah, Bhavesh Joshi the normal dude has gone with his paper bag to listen to the man with water troubles. He's obviously not gonna take his disguise off. So he's sitting there. And you think it's normal because the character is treating it as normal. But then the maid comes in and she's like, What? Like serving the tea? And it is her reaction which creates the comedy. Right? Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: So comedy through reaction. So your person who's actually doing the comedic action has to treat it as normal. And only Akshay: Hmm. Yeah. Ananya: then will a reaction land. Right? Akshay: Yeah, it's the 100 % commitment to the bit. Because Ananya: The bit. Yes. Yes. Akshay: even when he has to have chai, like how will he have chai? Because Ananya: Hm. Akshay: he has this plastic bag over his face, paper Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: bag over his face. So now he has to like sort of like move to the side and then like drink from... Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: Now he is not thinking it's funny, right? He is Ananya: Mm. Akshay: fully serious. Like he's committing to this bit. Like I want to have chai now, right? Like Ananya: Big. Yeah. Akshay: that's the bit. But... Ananya: Yes. Akshay: 100 % commitment in comedy is key and not just in performance Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: in exceptional writing as well. Ananya: For sure. You have to believe that this is your character. They are not trying to put on a bit. This is who they Akshay: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Ananya: are. And similarly, to build on this, treating something out of place as normal. Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: So this is the Mini Cooper scene, right? So Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: he goes into this poor locality, right? And this man pulls up in his Mini Cooper. And you can think it's funny, but there is still no reaction there. So they are very committed to the bit, But then what they do is they make him play that Marathi song in the Mini Cooper. That Akshay: Yeah Ananya: is out of place. So even there, if no one in the scene reacts, it gets you laugh as an audience because Akshay: Yeah Ananya: again it is misplaced for where it is and layering misplacements to the point that it's normal for them, but an audience cannot ignore it. Akshay: Hmm. Ananya: Is like sandwiching misplacements. Akshay: Correct. Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. Ananya: Really helps create comedy. Yeah. Okay, then we can go into moral choice very quickly, which we touched upon, which is doing what is easy or doing what is right. And this moral choice is posed to Sikandar throughout the first act of the film. And finally, when Bhavesh Joshi dies, it is should he now go follow up, build on his legacy, or should he leave the country? And he almost leaves the country, but then he makes the moral choice of staying back and fighting for what is right. This shows you who your character is in this face of difficult situations. Strength of character in hard times reveals character. Akshay: The next scene technique I want talk about is using a mirror scene. Now, Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: a mirror scene, as we've established, is a scene which has taken place with the character in a certain way, and Ananya: Mm-hmm. Akshay: the similar setup or the similar play out happens with either the same character or another character in a later part of the film. Now, Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: this is essentially done to either create contrast once your characters have grown or Ananya: Hmm? Akshay: It sh is shown, it is used to show pattern between two characters. Like if character A Ananya: Good night. Akshay: experiences something in your first half and character B experiences it in the second half, so you know that Ananya: Mm-hmm. Akshay: the world is pretty much the same. Okay? And like their Ananya: Right. Akshay: their constraints and their limitations are the same, their situation is the same. Now, Ananya: today. Akshay: this the scene which I want to refer to is the scene where Bhavesh Joshi, the character is Dying. So he Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: has come to the main plot where the scam is being taking place, and Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: it's this one night where he's attacked by all the goons and it starts raining and like there's bloodshed, and it's almost like the night of doom, essentially, right? Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: And in the second half of the film, with Bhavesh Joshi's superhero, when it's also his night when like we think he's gonna die. it's a similar setup, right? Like he Ananya: Hmm. Hmm. Akshay: it's raining excessively, people are hitting him left, right, center, and it induces Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: the same feeling that no, like I hope he also doesn't die. And Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: they cleverly conceal the gunshot, right? Like they don't tell us if the gun Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: like where the gunshot has hit him. So Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: for the moment you think, he has also died now. And now his friend will take over the story. Now this Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: this is essentially done because the playout of the scene was exactly mirrored how Bhavesh Joshi was dying in the previous Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: first half. So I thought that was a good employment of this technique for this film. Ananya: Perfect. And you know what that also does is thematically, like Akshay: Mm-hmm. Ananya: it also gives a message that if Bhavesh Joshi, the person, had maybe had his friend with him, he wouldn't have died because Sikandar Akshay: Hmm, yeah. Ananya: had his friend with him. So it's kind of showing how slowly we are making improvements because they're in the same situation. But what rescues one but what led to the other to die was the presence of someone who would love them and take care of them and ascribe to the same cause. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: So that's actually very well done. Akshay: Hmm. Another technique I want talk about is using a song for a montage which is devoid Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: of any conflict at the moment. So we've established that montages generally don't have a big conflict in them. The reason they are used Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: as a montage is because they are a set of scenes that deliver the same emotion. Now Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: and but At the end of that montage, at the end of the song, something is important or something contrasting is going to happen, which will pay off the entire lead up for this moment to happen. So, Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: in this film, after Bhavesh Joshi the character has died, his friend Sikandar is sort of almost in a state of shock/ grief, where now he does his whole like the funeral, and after that everything that comes after that, he is packing his bag for America. He tries to do these different things, like he's now gonna say goodbye to his friends. Only Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: until-- but he never thinks that he's gonna stay back. Only Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: when the montage ends, the song ends, you come to know that he's not gone. Ananya: Yeah. Akshay: So this build-up is important so that for the shock to land that, he didn't go. Ananya: Hmm. Akshay: Again, I felt this was slightly unnecessary in the film because Ananya: Yeah, yeah. Akshay: the death of this friend could have been his key turning scene anyway. Ananya: Maybe. Yeah. Akshay: But I guess again, rooted in reality, like your situations don't your reactions are not so drastic so suddenly. So I guess like yeah, both arguments are valid. Yeah. Ananya: Yeah. Tonal choice. Yeah. Great. I want to talk about another callback or a mirror scene. Some of these techniques are just different names doing the same thing. So this is where a character is in a certain situation with another character, and they behave one way. And then later on, you have the same line of dialogue, the same prop or something. But the character behaves either the same way signifying that their relationship is the same or behaves in different ways signifying the relationship is now different. This initially in both these scenes are in the first act of the film where they have a cab driver breaking the signal and they stop the cab driver and they're like, you can't do this, all of that. And Sikander is part of this very much, but it's like, no, no, you have to do what's right. And then later on, once he's become a corporate slave, he breaks the signal and himself and his friends are like that's not okay, go back, reverse and he's like, dude, are you mad? Like, are you insane? Right. And this is his relationship with, of course, with Bhavesh Joshi, but his relationship with justice and what he believes is possible, his politics. Akshay: His politics, yeah. Mm. Ananya: Yeah. So later on, when he is getting chased by goons and he refuses to break the signal, that really tells us where he's at. That's almost kind of like he has arc'd now, his arc is complete. So Akshay: Hmm. Yeah. Ananya: a very solid way of showing character progression through visuals is by creating similar scenes. So think callback mirror scenes, very similar in that sense. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: And yes, this is all I have on Bhavesh Joshi Superhero. How about you? Akshay: Yeah, that is all I have on Bhavesh Joshi Superhero as well. Ananya: Great. So it was fun being able to break down a superhero film. Maybe we should do Brahmastra at some point, just so that we can Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: do an actual superhero film. Akshay: Yeah. Ananya: And you guys know the drill. Please leave any questions notes, recommendations in the comments, or DM us, email us. We are all yours. We are super responsive if slightly delayed in our response. So we will see you next week on another episode of the Breakdown Besties podcast. Bye. Akshay: Bye.