Titular Magic

Titular Magic

Film titles are usually of the boringly mundane kind. You can't blame them - their makers have a film to sell. The titles have many a burden to carry: they must convey the right impression about the plot (Sholay and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge), attract attention (do you really expect people to go and see a film called Hazaaro.n Khwaishe.n Aisi when they could see Dhoom?), and be sufficiently functional (Bunty aur Babli and The Burning Train).

Not everyone is inclined to go on a flight of fancy, but sometimes some do. Cheeni Kum raised my eyebrows slightly, but it now seems like a nice title, one with several facets to it. One, it could indicate the age of the male protagonist (a low-sugar-daddy, if you please), or two (which has been indicated as the main reason) a not-so sweet romantic story, or even three, a nod to the supposedly sarcastic ways of the chef in question.

Some Tamil movies have smelt fragrantly of names. Mani Ratnam's Mouna Ragam (literally: 'the silent raag'), Alaipayuthey (evoking both the restless ocean and a famous devotional song), or Kannathil Muthamittal (literally: (if) 'kissed on the cheek'). An Aazhtha Ezhuthu (the Tamil character made of three dots) was lost in translation to Yuva. Similarly, Gautham Menon showed a creative mind in picking the likes of Kaaka Kaaka (literally: "to protect", also a well-known fragment from a religious hymn) and Vettaiyadu Vilayadu (literally: "to hunt and play") for his similarly tuned cop themes.

Several English movies also seem to have boldly chosen names that branch off oddly from the beaten path (yes, yes, the majority still go for a Snakes on a Plane or a Commando). My all time favourites would be Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and American Beauty.