Growing up into adulthood in the National Defence Academy, I was taught three activities were a must to begin the day - Sh.., Shave and Shampoo. In those times, that applied not only to people in the Defence Services but to all. Iconic sportsmen like golfer Arnold Palmer, tennis star Rod Laver and cricketer and Brylcreem face Denis Compton, all appeared freshly shaved and well-groomed. Girls' heart throb Shammi Kapoor had a clean face and hair nicely combed though cast as "Junglee" and screaming "Yahoo" in the film of the same name.
Not now, as exemplified by today's popular hero Ranveer Singh in "Dhurandhar" I and II. I don't know about the first activity but Shave and Shampoo don't seem to appeal to today's young men including our Cricket heroes who only have time for T20s but not Tests!
This fashion fits well with today's movies like the two mentioned above which are full of violence, blood and gore. Gone are the days of simple love stories like "Breakfast at Tiffany's" with Audrey Hepburn mesmerising us with "Moon River". So it was a delightful surprise when, on a whim, I viewed last year's "Materialists" on Netflix the other day. No foul language, no fights, no ugly scenes, just a plain love story with captivating dialogue.
Its story is about Lucy (Dakota Johnson) working in a matchmaking firm. Her efforts have resulted in nine marriages for her clients and she is upbeat for more. But her own love life is in a bit of a mess. She has broken off with her boyfriend John (Chris Evans) due to differences in financial aspirations and, after initial reluctance, starts dating rich Henry (Pedro Pascal). She has a client, Sophie (Zoe Winters) for whom, after some difficulty, Lucy arranges a date with Mark.
Lucy's successful run of matchmaking receives a jolt when Sophie files a case against the company claiming Mark assaulted her after the date. Sophie refuses to meet Lucy who persists and finally catches up with her to apologise. When Lucy claims that she arranged the date because Mark "checked the boxes", Sophie is livid that her life was being shaped by checking off boxes and she walks off calling Lucy a pimp.
I found this aspect of matchmaking very interesting and similar to the Hindu custom of parents rushing to astrologists with horoscopes of the prospective couple to 'check the boxes'. I am told that the astrologers look for 36 attributes and declare whether the couple make the match or not. Later people discover the hollowness of it all when matches backfire and mismatches succeed!
I shan't continue with the story as you might have seen the movie or may want to. But for me, the movie stands out because of its distinctive dialogue by its Writer and Director, Celine Song. Here are a few examples.
1. Lucy: You're the same as always.
John: I was hoping you'd say I was different.
Lucy: Why?
John: Because if I'm different, I wouldn't be the guy who lost you.
2. Lucy: You're investing a lot in me, huh?
Henry: I just want our dates to be romantic.
Lucy: How expensive a meal is makes a date romantic?
Henry: Doesn't it?
3. Harry: I wouldn't date you if I didn't see value.....I don't want to date you for your material assets. Material assets are cheap, they don't last. I want to be with you for your intangible assets. Those are good investments. They don't degrade. They only get sharper.
4. Lucy: I don't want to hate you because you're poor but right now I do and it makes me hate myself.....And however much you hate me, I promise, I hate myself more.
John: I don't hate you.
Lucy: You do. And it's not because we're not in love. It's because we're broke.
5. John: You asked how I could love you. I just do; it's the easiest thing.
Lucy: I love you too. More than you know. You're the only reason I know I'm capable of love.
John: I love you now like I loved you before. I"ll love you till the day I die. It's a lifetime guarantee.....I"ll be your certainty. It's my final offer. You can't negotiate because I don't have anything else to offer you.
Lucy: (after a pause, extends a hand) Deal.
6. Lucy: Who our partner is...it determines our whole life and how we live. Not for one, two, ten years, but forever.
With love, nothing is a lot. Without love, a lot is nothing.
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