February 14th is observed as National Ferris Wheel Day in honour of the birth of George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., the man who invented the Ferris Wheel. 

So here is celebrating the day, a bit belated, with the most telling image of the #FerrisWheel or the #GiantWheel from Avinash Arun Dhaware’s #ThreeofUs.

In the novel, “The Catcher in the Rye”, by J.D. Salinger, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, reflects on his childhood memories while riding a Ferris Wheel with Phoebe at a carnival. He wishes it could be this way for him and her forever.

In this film, while taking a spin on the Ferris Wheel, childhood buddies Pradeep Kamath and Shailaja Desai relive their good old days, rewinding to that moment with a tinge of nostalgia when they were here together for the last time as children and giving that unfinished story the much-needed closure as adults.   

A Ferris Wheel has a distinctive and universally recognizable nature, and it is no surprise that this scene is one of the most memorable in the film and finds a place on the poster, too. 

The circular motion of a Ferris Wheel symbolizes cycles, continuity, and the never-ending nature of certain processes or experiences for both Pradeep and Shailaja and even Dipankar Desai.

The motion of a Ferris Wheel, with its ascending and descending movements, can be seen as a metaphor for their lives ups and downs after their last ride together on the Ferris Wheel many moons ago. 

When Pradeep says, “If the wheel ever stopped mid-air, I didn’t want it to start again,” it highlights how the Ferris Wheel evoked nostalgia and a sense of the past, connecting people to memories of fun times and simpler pleasures. It also creates a sense of adventure and excitement because we see Dipankar choosing to stay away from the ride, letting Shailaja and Pradeep go for a ride one last time before they bid goodbye to each other forever. 

When the wheel stops for a while (a brilliant way to pause and let the characters converse), Shailaja takes a moment to express how she still wouldn’t wish the wheel to restart. She reminisces how she was in a great hurry to get to Vengurla, and now, when she’s here, she’s missing Mumbai. But at that particular moment when the wheel has halted, she doesn’t feel the need to hurry anymore. “This is where I want to be, and I’m here,” she says, to which Pradeep couldn’t help but ask her, “Why didn’t you come back sooner, Shailaja?” She has no answer to his question but makes up for all that was and is now lost by saying, “After I left, I didn’t find the time to return. Our whole life is spent in a dilemma. Do we choose a busy or a peaceful life? Only recently, life said to me, “Slow Down.” And I did.” 

Riding the Ferris Wheel together provides a different perspective of the surroundings with each revolution. It also symbolizes the importance of gaining new perspectives, reflecting, and seeing the bigger picture in various aspects of life for Pradeep and Shailaja. 

However, the filmmaker has steered away from giving any romantic connotation to the Ferris Wheel ride by filming this scene in the glowing light of the evening and not an illuminated Ferris Wheel at night.

The scene is subtle, subdued, and sublime, much like their performances and the film, #ThreeofUs.