tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post4055422780678870664..comments2024-03-29T15:45:04.867+05:30Comments on Jabberwock: In defence of dialogue-baazi (notes from a session at the language festival)Jabberwockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-28229029745425643252016-05-22T08:46:34.213+05:302016-05-22T08:46:34.213+05:30Kaushik: how is that quoted bit a general principl...Kaushik: how is that quoted bit a general principle? It's completely false, in my view. <br />And the point was that some literary/highbrow novelists are under the impression that if they simply decided to, they could sell in CB-like numbers. Which is self-deluding. Just as self-deluding as CB proclaiming that he "chose" to write for the masses, implying that he could have written very highbrow things if he had decided otherwise. Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-11234605616595619392016-05-22T04:59:38.881+05:302016-05-22T04:59:38.881+05:30“any literary novelist can easily write a book tha...“any literary novelist can easily write a book that will sell millions of copies” - Chetan Bhagat comes pretty close to defying this general principle, no?Buttaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17586329248093912193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-77514736526507840152016-05-18T13:47:14.859+05:302016-05-18T13:47:14.859+05:30This comment has been removed by the author.Vinayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06676134773873647341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-85374943705681406532016-05-14T00:30:16.381+05:302016-05-14T00:30:16.381+05:30Nice read. I agree that good dialogue is not just ...Nice read. I agree that good dialogue is not just about a writer's skill, it is also about happenstance, and a responsive audience, and various other factors outside of a writer's perceived skill and experience. Just because Salim Khan wrote some memorable dialogue in one or a few films in the 70s, while it does attest to his skill, does not automatically mean whatever and whenever he chooses to write, his dialogue will be worthwhile although it might get a lot of praise solely, and a tad unfairly, because of his past laurels, especially in BWood where his son rules. I have replaced my Indian movie watching with watching Pakistani dramas for some time now, and the one thing that strikes me about even some of my most dismal viewing experiences is the presence of very evocative dialogue. For example, I remember one character talking, in a rather off-hand way, to his beautiful albeit flirtatious fiancee about the perils of vanity and how it will trap her in a bubble of self-delusion and distance her from the ones she loves and the loveable parts of her own personality. The dialogue was so memorable and succinct, as was the moment. The director didn't dwell on it the way they do in most hindi movies, and the outcome was compelling enough to jolt me out of my stupor. And I don't think all memorable dialogues in these shows are the product of a single writer, which reminds me of what Tina Fey said in her memoir about writers learning to accept that they will, regardless of their perceived ability and laurels, write sub-par material, and the memorable bits of their writing will emerge, few and far between, on occasion, quite unexpectedly. She advises writers to enjoy those moments on seemingly divine inspiration and move on. NJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02676333722319085849noreply@blogger.com