And that’s a wrap

AS Red (Morgan Freeman), explains in a narrative the sequences leading to Andy’s (Tim Robbins) escape from Shawshank state prison and his own trip to meet Andy once he’s out on parole, one marvels at the ingenuity of the plot. Now, it’s been rated the best ever. And rightly so, says theatreperson and scriptwriter Atul Tiwari. “The Shawshank Redemption is like a copy book. It’s a great example of fine movie making,” he says.

Trade analyst Indu Mirani agrees it had a great ending, but says it may not necessarily be the best. “The ending was good, but it’s too courageous and out of the box to be replicated in Indian cinema,” she says. M Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense is the film Indu and Atul rate as the one with the best ending. “It makes you want to see it again and again,” adds Indu.

Director Leena Yadav (of Shabd fame) says the climax isn’t the only thing that worked for The Shawshank Redemption. “The ending cannot be looked at in isolation. The film had a remarkable screenplay and great performances. The plot was built up superbly through the screenplay,” she says. Leena, whose personal favourites for great endings are Pulp Fiction and The Usual Suspects, says Indian films often fall short in this aspect because even when they copy a Hollywood film they tweak it for Indian audiences. That’s why there aren’t many Indian movies one can think of with superb endings, says Indu.

“Indian movie-goers like their movies to be happy; as in fairytales. Bollywood is changing, happily-ever-after still rules. That’s also why entertainers do so well in this country. They give you a feel-good factor,” she says, adding that the film that came closest to being different was 15 Park Avenue. This penchant for happy endings is because there’s no tragedy in Indian drama, explains Atul, “Everything has to have a sukhaanth here. Even when there’s tragedy, the end is always happy because we believe so.” But trade analyst Atul Mohan believes there have been movies with fantastic endings in India.

“If you look at Mother India, Ek Duje Ke Liye, Sholay, Pyaasa, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and, lately, Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par and Chak De! India they have all had great endings. Chak De!’s finale might seem predictable, but it was good nevertheless,” he argues and admits that the formula that works for India is the feel-good factor.

FILMS WITH THE BEST ENDINGS

1. The Shawshank Redemption
2. Memento
3. The Usual Suspects
4. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
5. The Empire Strikes Back
6. The Sixth Sense
7. It’s A Wonderful Life
8. A Clockwork Orange
9. Back To The Future
10. The Blair Witch Project