Endings ….that stayed with me
The most important part of a movie is its end…its climax…..even a dragging dud movie but with a superb climax can make it worth a watch ……..then there are movies which are exactly opposite to this….how many times have we come out of the theater thinking about how good the opportunity was, but was all ruined in the end ……most of the bollywood movies these days belong to this category…….If I have to recall the best endings from Indian cinema in recent times, then dombivli fast stands tall…….who couldn’t feel for Madhav Apte ? …he is just been shot …injured…and now all he wants is the window seat in the local train …for never did he got a chance to sit by the window, all these days…. all his life…….The climax totally sums up to what a common man wants these days……just a peaceful life and nothing more then that…….and still he has to fight for it……Fight for all those things which are his basic rights………even though I saw the end coming, I was stirred by the end…and that’s why for me,it’s arguably the best endings in recent times……..
Rang de Basanti had one most controversial ending in the recent times …by controversial I mean, when it was released the climax was heavily argued upon,…is it fine to show some college guys taking law in their hand ? is it moral ? is it bla bla and bla …and bla…….i seriously don’t care if the ending was moral or not, I don’t care if the message given was not good in the end…for all I care is the effect…the effect of the movie after it is over……for what I remember I was speechless after the movie and by speechless I mean in literal sense……I watched the film with four of my friends …and none of us spoke after the movie for almost 15 mins…..those 15 mins are enough for me to count RDB endings as one of the best …..moreover the ending went apt with one of the dialogues of the movie …” Jo log ucha sunte hai unke liye dhamake ki zaroorat hoti hai” …….
Then there is satya….which has classic written all over it in its last few mins……..the scene where Satya attacks Bhau Thakur Jawale ..classic…the scene where Kallu mama is shot in the car …classic…..the entire sequence where Satya is trying to break down the door…pleading to open it……and his death ..classic ..classic…. classic …RGV at its best ….arguably the best ending of any underworld movie….the other underworld movie which comes to my mind after satya is Vastav’s ending….how an helpless mother kills his gangster son Raghu….it was perfect end to the story and a perfect end that Raghu deserved ……Reema lagoo did a fabulous job and according to me she did far better job then Sanjay Dutt who actually won the best actor award….forget about winning she was not even nominated ……
Black Friday doesn’t have a spectacular ending, but what it does is what very few films achieve….it makes you numb…sore ..angry …all at the same time………..After watching Black Friday what remains with you is questions…tons of questions…it raises questions against our system….against our beliefs…against our own community…whichever it may be…..
Chandni Bar made me believe that “Life is a bitch”…….Mumtaz feared her Past, she wanted to run away from it but her past never actually leaves her moreover she is never able to run away from it…Her dreaded Past becomes her future ..her son becomes a gangster and her daughter a bar dancer …..life is a bitch..sure is ….Madhur Bhandarkar did set a very high benchmark for himself and was not able to surpass it….with Page 3 he came closer……….I don’t know why , but swades’ last 15 mins stayed with me……it wasn’t “emotional”….it wasn’t dramatic……it was not like it was unexpected…but for some reasons, it stayed with me…..may be it was because of the title track….. a r Rahman’s music…his voice…may be because of the picturisation……On one hand Mohan Bhargav is shown remembering his work in India of lighting the bulb and on other hand he is actually working on satellite launch project…..a classic case of how a man is drawn to his source….swades no doubt will remain one of my fav
Please do add your favourite endings that stayed with you for days….weeks…months after the movie
Tags: Black Friday, climax, dombivli fast, end, ending, endings, rdb, satya
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
My favourite climax is Mirch Masala.. it stayed for last 20 years and still with me.. Then Anand has an unforgettable ending.. So many names have started dropping in.. will post later..
pavansaab agree. but in recent times, one film that impressed me with its ending without any kind of drama in it was michael clayton. ofcourse there was big filmy natak just before the last scene. but 50 dollars cab ride was a killer. george clooney’s face says it all. will stay with me for long.
the requiem for a dream end sequence[not so much for its content but its presentation is so effective that it really made me think twice before i touch drugs]
the snatch ending sequence
the fight club ending sequence
the prestige !!!! how can i forget
RDBs ending sequence
and many more i have to think of this
From the recent lot, I liked Johnny Gaddar’s (did I spell it right?) ending. And of course, Ek Haseena Thi’s too.
No Smoking, Aamir, Mithya, all of these had superb endings too.
No Country For Old Men has one of the best endings ever.
Those are the ones that come to my mind instantly.
I like the ending of KAUN another movie of RGV.
one of the best endings has to be of jaane bhi do yaaron..
with hum honge kamyaab song in the background..priceless
I liked ending of Truffaut’s “400 blows”
Pavan Jha….agreed about mirch masala and anand…..i was more specifically looking for movies from last say 8 to 10 years….but anyways it should be fine if we discuss movies from any period…..waiting for your list of movies……..
Raja, agreed that kaun was a good movie……but really, did its end or climax stayed with you ?
pnu, haven’t seen michael clayton as yet so cant comment on it… ..but i would be glad to know any of your fav endings from indian cinema…..if we count in hollywood or world cinema then the list will be endless….
Aakrosh had arguably the best ending – great Om Puri performance.
Ek Doctor Ki Maut – again one of the best.
Saagara Sangamam – moving climax
Paasa Malar – till date nothing in Thamizh beats this climax
Veerapaandiya Kattabomman – most inspirational speech in a climax for me, matched only by Mel Gibson’s “Freedom” climax in Brave Heart.
Sethu – superb climax
Poovizhi Vaasalile – amazing heartwrenching climax.
Drohkaal/Kurudhip-punal – gritty
Paruthi Veeran – In your face mind numbing climax – not a slap in the face but punch in your face kinda climax.
Down south there is an unwritten axiom – If your climax is sensational, everything preceding it will be accepted. IF the climax is tame, the movie is bound to be a flop.
A reason why Rajini had to become the mottai boss in Shivaji – Even Rajinikanth has to abide by the unwritten axiom down south.
Lets see,
Bullet in the Head: John Woo’s best. Friends turned foes revisit an old haunt and play an old game. As if you needed any reason to hate the bad guy he gives you one more.
Farewell My Concubine: “Douzi…Deiei”
Dil Se: Did anyone see it coming? Anyone?
Satya
From last year: Gone Baby Gone, Atonement, There will be Blood, Before the Devil Knows, In the Valley of Elah.
All Nolan films except Batman Begins.
The Evil Dead series especially the last one: “Noooooooooo. I slept too long” hehehehheh
Also,
Chirs Marker’s “La Jetee”
In recent times, not seen much movies…To me Dil pe mat le yaar had fantastic climax (cant say same about the rest of the film..) Recently MSFU had an out of the box ending..
[Editor Note(OM): Krshn..your comment is partially deleted as it reveals the ending of Sarkar Raj. Let us give this movie a few months before we reveal the ending]
sarkar raj ending is gud… ramu left space 4 3rd sequel
ddlj ending was gud…
tzp ending ws gud…
lagan had gud ending…
lage raho munnabhai ending was gud…
bad endings
kank..johny gadar…khosla ka ghsola…all yash raj films… all rgv films… all dharmesh darshan films… of last 5 years.. tashan…race…all david dhawan films..allpriyadarshan films of last 5 years… no smoking…all srk films… all salman khan films of 5 years…yatra…all mahesh bhat camp films…krish…all govinda films…
Arth, Dead Poets Society, Jaane Bhi Do yaaron…to name a few.
HKA had an interesting ending within the context.Life is a bitch and nothing ever turns out the way one wants it to.
Dil se..yeah…
Deewar, Shakti, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Darr, Raam Jaane, Ahista Ahista(Superb), MSFU, Frozen(Had a debate with Shivajee and rest as to what it really meant), Pancham Unmixed…off course Dombivli Fast..many more…
Anand- To date one of the most hauntign climax, that scene where Rajesh Khanna’s voice comes out from the tape recorder.
Moonram Pirai- One of the most devastating ones.
Mirch Masala- All the women folk attacking Naseer.
Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander- Bike race scene
Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa- Losing never looked so good.Miss the SRK of those days.
Heat- Not exactly the shootout scene in the airport, but the last one where Pacino holds the dying De Niro’s hand.
Aashirwad- Heart wrenching climax scene.
Nayakan- Velu Naicker is let off by the court, as none is willing to give evidence against him. But he is felled by a bullet from none other than his trusted bodyguard. Talk of irony here.
Masoom- Simple ending, no teary melodrama or hysterics here.
The Good,The Bad and the Ugly- Mindblowing 20-30 minutes. The scene where Tuco searches for the treasure in the graveyard, and then the Mexican shootout, and add Ennio Morricone’s score to that.
For a Few Dollars More- Another awesome climax, where Lee Van Cleef, corners the baddie who raped and killed his sister.
The Godfather II- Michael Corleone sitting all alone, staring out. Indicating that while he has become all powerful, but also totally lonely, with none around him.
Akali Rajyam- One of the best movies from K.Balachander-Kamal. In Tamil it was Varum Nirayin Sivappu( sorry if i got the spelling wrong). Kamal unable to find any employment, takes up a job as a barber. His conservative, orthodox father, searching for him, lands up in the same saloon for a shave and is shocked. Kamal cooly tells him he has no qualms about doing any work, as long as its honest. The last scene shows Kamal and Sridevi in the park, indicating that Kamal has accepted life as it is.
Cast Away: Loved the ending, when Tom Hanks stands at the cross roads, not knowing what path to take. Guess an indication of his own life, where he is unsure of what to do.
Shawshank Redemption: One of the best endings ever. Morgan Freeman reading the letter, and then he crosses to Mexico, and on a lone beach meets Tim Robbins. Hope is always a Good thing.
Favourite endings…
Bicycle thief
Usual Suspects
Shawshank Redemption
Mulholland Dr
I will write about movies which are 8-10 years old
Raincoat: A climax with a double gift
Blue Umbrella, how can I forget the last scene. Though it got the best children movie award, I bet that it is not a children movie by any standard.
Moksha the salvation : A mystical movie with a very very stylish climax.
Adaptation: It has a gem of a climax. The best thing about this climax is that you feel why the shit this type of climax was there in the movie.
Pan’s Labyrinth : In the climax the fantasy and reality become one.
Mulholland Dr: a weird movie with a weird climax(if u didnt understand the movie)
Dont remember any more…
From the older movies, one movie not mentioned is Satyakaam. Its climax beats all.
Mili, Parwana, Zulm Ki Hukumat (a wonderful Godfather take with a very underrated Govinda performance), Andaz apna apna, Maqbool..come to my mind…
Good Bad and the Ugly
Reservoir Dogs
Itchi the killer
Two Towers
Scarface
hazaaron khwaishein aisi had a shocking climax
Arth- One of the most realistic climax. No falling on feet, no “mujhe maaf kardo” kinda dialogs, no long winded speeches. The main character is left alone both by his wife and mistress. Where is the Mahesh Bhatt of those days?
Ankur- One of the most harrowing climaxes i had ever scene.
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron- No not the famous by now Mahabharat Scene. For me its the last frame, where Naseer and Ravi Baswani, expose the crooks to the cops. The cop proceeds to arrest em, before the corrupt commisioner calls him aside. And last scene shows Naseer and Ravi walking in prisoner’s dress, with strains of Hum Honge Kaamyab in background. Talk of irony here.
Mithya’s ending is superb
MullHolland Drive (was the entire film a climax?)
2001: A Space Odyssey(realism to super-realism takes a spacewalk),
Dr. Strangelove (the mushroom cloud explosions with Vera Lynn in the background….doesnt get better than this),
A clockwork Orange(I am cured),
The 400 Blows (perhaps the most hard-hitting of ‘em all),
BlowUp (the mime tennis match knocked me out),
Little Miss Sunshine(perhaps the best ending in the last few years),
Pratidwandi(”Iti Sidhhartha”….I watched the last 5 minutes countless number of times),
Jaane Bhi Do Yaroon(no comments),
Satya(classic, one of the best in Indian films ever)
Black Friday(”Bombay is now known as Mumbai”- AK, take a bow)
rudro ,
“Black Friday(”Bombay is now known as Mumbai”- AK, take a bow)”
can’t agree more ….
Ratnakar ,
yep….. Arth was Mahesh Bhatt at its best..he was one director who could have changed the mainstream picture …but sadly it didn’t happen ….
my fave endings are:
sadma
suraj ka satvan ghoda
cant recall anymore now :(
There are two endings which stayed with me for a long long time -One is Usual Suspects. Just as the last shot flickered on the screen, you realise you have been taken in for one long ride and half of the film might have been a lie. the other one was Shawshank redemption where you were completely bowled over by the the tenacity of Tim Robbin’s character
HKA was also brilliant.
You guys haven’t left me much… still i will try… Schindler’s List, Minority Report, Life is Beautiful, Pyar Tune Kya Kiya, Seven, Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, Terminator 2, Planet of the Apes, Momento…
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Sixth Sense.
there are so many movies which ended on a baffling note… but the ones i remember are
The sixth sense, sadma, HKA, mithya, unbreakable, shawshank, stand by me, fight club, memento, prestige,trainspotting,usual suspects, the shining, RDB, city of god, se7en, pans labyrinth,JBDY!!!
@Nirad: the two ending which r my fav… Kevin Spacey rocked in Usual suspects and Shawshank never fails to lift me up!!!
Pan’s labyrinth, 21 grams, powder keg (from the BMW films), lives of others, crouching tiger hidden dragon, memento, children of heaven, 400 blows, happy together, pixote, city of god, La Haine…to name a few
Last 15 mins of Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi were fabulous.I have seen this movie n no. of times just to enjoy its climax. The same goes for Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander…I can never get tired of watching that cycle race.
Aamir
HKA
Johny Gaddar
To name a few –
Schindler’s list (Always there in my mind), Shawshank redemption (Twist in the tale), DDLJ (how can someone forget the train scene), No smoking (really spiritual, if I may use the word), QSQT (first heartbreaking tragedy), Braveheart (Love, freedom and bagpipe), A clockwork orange (thought provoking), v for vendetta (dramatic but still REVOLUTION) and above all Anand (babu moshaye).
One Climax I always wanted to crack was 2001- a space odyssey. Please if somebody could explain it to me.
Recently a climax I hated most(very biased opinion)was Into the wild. I desperately wanted him to be alive (and kicking).
@ Anand Kadam, you are bang on regarding Mahesh bhatt. But to be fair to him he tried but gave away. This may be incorrect but sometimes I feel nowadays he is like one of the characters of fountainhead ‘who knows devil and preaches devil’.
I have to admit ending of ‘15 Park Avenue’(movie by Aparna Sen) stayed with me for a long time…compelling and leading to a sub conscious retrospective diagnostic/analysis.
To add some more names – Pushpak (silent movie), Mr and Mrs Iyer, Antarmahal (Bengali movie – Abhishek B & Soha), Unforgiven (clint eastwood), There will be blood (Daniel lewis)
Anjali – had a very emotional end.
“Anand” had one of the best climex scenes of hindi movies.
Kabul express- the scene of donkey in climax makes you light hearted after serious scene of death.
Omkara and Satya’s climax stayed with me for long time.
Manish Takyar …i was not able to interpret the climax of 15th Park avenue…and never got a chance to watch the movie again ….hopefully will catch it again ….
from overall comments..it seems Anand and Satya are the winners
…
Shailesh Kabul Express did had a very good ending……i guess 1971 also had a similar ending….Omkara rocks but no one can come near Satya ….
How about the montage of cinema paradiso???
Pan’s Labyrinth. May be never felt so bad, at the end of a movie. Another one is Constant Gardener.
Von Ryan’s Express (saw it when i was very young, may be 8-9 years)
Saving Private Ryan
Heat
Gulaal
Twelve Monkeys
Seven
Agnipath
The French Connection