World Bicycle Day: Movies where bicycles played a pivotal role
Bicycles used to be the preferred mode of transportation in times when everyone couldn't access or afford motor vehicles. Recently there is a visible surge in the use of bicycles, not particularly for transportation, but for fitness too. Bollywood movies have frequently stuck to these nostalgia-inducing dopahiya to further their stories. On World Bicycle Day, we list such gems which used them thoughtfully.
The 1992-classic showed the rush of cycling, when done competitively like a sport. It also depicted the charm of riding around aimlessly with your friends. When the whole premise is based on an impending bicycle race between rival groups, it's almost like the bicycle is a character on its own. The high octane bicycle race in the climax still manages to provide an adrenaline-rush.
The deaf and mute Barfi, played by Ranbir Kapoor, is instantly smitten by Shruti (Ileana D'Cruz). A man of limited means, he takes her around town, riding through picturesque locales on his bicycle, and during these rides, they form a beautiful bond. The way Barfi stares lovingly at Shruti sitting on the bar of his cycle will always give us those first-love goosebumps.
Like many, Barfi and Shruti's tale meets an abrupt end. His bicycle was a part of that heartbreaking scene too, where we see him giving her a speech for breaking his heart. The way he fixes his cycle's chain, struggling to push-off, stays with you.
Comic-drama Piku starring Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone beautifully depicts the many layers of a father-daughter relationship. The movie serves many nuanced and memorable moments, one of which remains Bachchan's bicycle ride through the streets of Kolkata. It is as if the character is reborn once he reaches his hometown, while taking us on a nostalgic ride through his city, reliving his memories.
Kajol's bicycle scene in KKHH (Ye Ladka Hai Deewana) has an interesting story behind it. Apparently she fell down from her cycle while shooting, and suffered a concussion. The superstar shared that anecdote today, and Manish Malhotra quipped, "Every song you fall in becomes hit."
Salman Khan can do anything and everything in his movies. Period. In his movie Kick, even though he dons a mask similar to Batman, he trades the Batmobile with a Bicycle-mobile. He is a vigilante serving justice left, right and center, and his bicycle is also somehow laden with superpowers. It flies, glides, races with a train with as much ease as Bhai himself.
