10. The opening credits of Bhappie Sonie’s Pyar Hi Pyar

11. There is a scene in Amit Sharma’s Badhaai Ho where Nakul (Ayushmann Khurana) is drinking at the banks of a river and is surrounded by a lot of birds. The screeching of the birds is really loud as if it is mirroring the internal chaos in his mind. It also resembles wailing of a baby. In an interview, the film’s cinematographer elaborated on the scene. He says, “The effort was to find a subtle approach. For example, there is a scene where the sons meet immediately after the pregnancy news is broken to them. It opens on a close up of Nakul. Then it cuts wider and you realise they are sitting on the ledge of the roof. It looks like they are going to jump down any moment to death. We composed the shot with a lot of space below them than above them. It brings in a smile, without being ‘in-your-face’. There is another scene where Nakul is trying to digest the news with the aid of alcohol. It starts with a riot of seagulls flying ominously. Then you realise that he is sitting drinking at the Yamuna ghats in the middle of this cacophony of birds. You can’t miss the connection it makes with Nakul’s inner voices.” And, then, later, when Nakul finally accepts reality of his mother’s pregnancy after which he starts talking to her, the birds appear again and fly away.

[Read more of the author’s work on his blog here]