Bhaskar Sumpali
Appearances
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: At The Movies
When I was about 9, 10 years old, the only source of entertainment we had in the village that I grew up, in southern India, was an open-air theater. where we could watch old Indian movies for free. And it was a thrill to watch all these Indian movie stars in their shiny shirts and bell-bottom pants and David Bowie-inspired hairstyles on the screen.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: At The Movies
But what we enjoyed the most were these fight scenes between the hero and the villain, and particularly the sound effects, where the punches would land to the sound of the shoe. It was so popular that kids in the playground We thought that's how real people fought. So whenever we fought each other, we would just make the sounds ourselves.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: At The Movies
Over time, as we got older, we would go into town to watch movies in the theater, fancy theaters. And one of these bus rides, taking them was a rite of passage to adulthood. So we would go there. And during one of these bus rides, a couple of drunk villagers started fighting each other. And it was so funny to watch because
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: At The Movies
They were drunk, old, out of shape guys trying to punch each other and nothing would land. Instead, they ended up hitting all the handlebars and other passengers and they were kicked out mid-ride. But we didn't go and watch that movie after that. But the magic was gone because we knew that in real life, there is no Dishoom sound. There are no sound effects.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: At The Movies
It's just a bunch of old guys trying to hit each other. And really, the magic that we used to see on the silver screen was gone. It was sort of a coming of age story for us.