As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, one of my favourite types of movie endings are those that feature (something that I’d like to call) ‘Liberating Runs’. You’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about. Whether it is Rani running to the concert in Amsterdam or the three bachelor boys running from bulls in Spain – their running is such a symbolic message to their situation and so satisfying to watch.
Our lives are so unpredictable that it gets really hard to have one particular outlook on life. Our ideas of what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong’ keeps changing and they have to. If you hold on to certain beliefs that you thought were correct, you’re bound to get stuck in one place and often, alone. I believe that’s what these liberating runs signify – the ability to grow, evolve and change.
Simran ran to Raj after Babuji started to see the true power of love. There was a shift in his thinking and so the iconic DDLJ train scene was born. You remember Ved from Tamasha running home to his father to tell him that story? Can you imagine him driving up there or walking in casually? Hell NO! He couldn’t contain his emotions enough and was almost bursting with this unshackling feeling of finally realising his purpose giving you one of the most emotional scenes in Hindi cinema. Jai running up to Aditi in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na at the airport? Tell me your heart didn’t leap out of your chest at that moment. That’s nothing but a realisation of the fact that he cannot live without his best friend, his partner in crime and the person he was truly meant to be with.
These are nothing but shifts in people that they are finally able to see within themselves. These are people who have decided to break free from the world they lived in, the thoughts that caged them, and the attitude that held them back. It’s empowering to see them (literally) run as though their chasing a sunrise that is equivalent to a new dawn in their own lives.
It’s not only what they’re running towards but also what they are running away from. Geet running away from Anshuman, in the end, was her choosing a man who made her feel valued and loved way more than Anshuman ever did. I almost forgot my all-time favourite and the reason for me to write this blog – Udaan. Rohan running away from his toxic father is the ultimate definition of a liberating run and I absolutely love it. The reason to run away and celebrate is so joyful to watch, maybe that’s why we have victory laps, no?
Here’s my unsolicited advice but if you’ve read so far, you might as well get some.
Run. I don’t mean it in a figurative way…I mean actually try running. Burn your bridges with things that no longer feel right, take a step forward into looking at the world from a new lens and you will soon realise how many things you’ve been misjudging. How many people you’ve believed to be different. How many things you’ve labelled ‘wrong’ without even considering them. You’ll soon realise that you’re opening yourself up to so many possibilities and helping your mind grow. Be brave with your choices….and then run.
