Friday, May 20, 2011

lekin woh qissaa phir kabhii

Film : Manoranjan
Year of release : 1974
Spoken by : Dhoop Chhaon (Shammi Kapoor)
Spoken to : Train Passenger (MacMohan)
Dialogue writer : Abrar Alvi

Shammi Kapoor's directorial debut was a bold Indian version of Billy Wilder's 1963 classic Irma la Douce. Even this line is Abrar Alvi's Indianisation of Moustache's (Lou Jacobi) line - "But that's another story"

Dhoop Chhaon is a bartender who is travelling by train. He invites his co passengers Macmohan and a Parsi gentleman (on honemoon) to join him for a drink. And then starts talking about a street in Bombay called Manoranjan Street. After he has them hooked with the build up about the place, he very cleverly withdraws by saying

"lekin woh qissaa phir kabhee"
"लेकिन वो क़िस्सा फिर कभी"

Macmohan protests out loud with

"phir kabhii kyon saahab abhi sunaaiye, kyaa baat hai"

The Parsi gentleman also joins in and demands that the story be told. That's how the film starts. 

This line is repeated often in the film. When Ratan (Sanjeev Kumar) gets the idea of becoming his own double to get Nisha (Zeenat Aman) rid of her profession, Dhoop Chhaon says he too had done this earlier, when he had taken the agency of Bhimsaini oil and had picked up his own stock from the market in order to create demand. Just as he is about to launch into the full version, Ratan interrupts

'woh qissaa phir kabhee"
"वो क़िस्सा फिर कभी"

In another instance, Thingoo (Paintal) comes and asks Dhoop Chhaon why he is shooting darts so late. Dhoop Chhaon says that because it is Independence Day. A surprised Tingoo says it is 4th September not 15th August. Dhoopu says that was the day his dad died. And quickly adds

'lekin woh qissaa phir kabhee'

In another instance he tells Ratans he had once robbed a bank in Patna, a bank which belonged to his dad. And quickly adds

'lekin woh qissaa phir kabhee'

In another instance when Nisha protests that Dhoopu can't get her married to Nawab because he is not a real priest, he says that he has conducted many marriages ranging from king's marriages to their dog's marriages. He quickly adds

'lekin woh qissaa phir kabhee'

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

National dress kaa mazaaq nahee.n uDaaoge to broad-minded kaise kahe jaaoge

Film : Golmaal
Year of release : 1979
Spoken by : Bhawani Shankar (Utpal Dutt)
Spoken to : RC - Guest at party (Unknown)
Dialogue writer : Dr. Rahi Maasoom Raza

This is the scene where Bhawani Shankar sees Ramprasad's fake mother at a party in stark contrast to her simple white sari avatar that he had seen. This makes him smell a rat and leads to many interesting situations. He is sitting sipping his drink with a couple of his friends and lamenting (as usual) the state of affairs. He is wearing a bandgalaa suit while his friends are wearing the typical English suits. Here is that exchange.

"aaj kal party hotii kahaa.n hai. party ke naam par fashion parade hotii hai..  fancy dress show hotaa hai."

"tum kisme.n aaye ho, fashion parade me.n, yaa fancy dress show me.n ?"

"haa.n haa.n national dress kaa mazaaq nahee.n uDaaoge to broad-minded kaise kahe jaaoge. "
"हाँ हाँ, नॅशनल ड्रेस का मज़ाक़ नहीं उडाओगे तो ब्रॉड माइंडिड कैसे कहे जाओगे."

RC jhenp jaao bhai, bhawaani ne jawaab to munh toD diyaa hai. 

Sunday, May 15, 2011

bandook bhii dikhaataa hai aur peechhe bhii haTtaa hai

Film : Agnipath
Year of release : 1990
Spoken by : Vijay Deenanath Chauhan (Amitabh Bachchan)
Spoken to : Kaancha Cheena (Danny Denzongpa)
Dialogue writer : Kader Khan

One of my pet peeves about this film is that everyone calls it Agneepath. While the Johars might have numerological reasons to do so, the people who speak the language have no such reasons. It is, and shall remain for all times to come - AGNIPATH. Now that I have ranted, we get back to this line.

This is a film that got Mr Bachchan his first National Award, though it seemed like the kind of film which justified taking back all rewards given until then. I liked Danny much more than Amitabh and the lesser said about Krishnan Iyer yum yay the better. Roles where accents are required should generally be given to people who either have a neutral accent or the required accent. Mithun has not been able to speak Hindi properly all his life, and he dares to attempt a Tamil accent. Oh the miseries heaped upon us by M/s Johar and Anand. Since both of them are dead, I shall say nothing further.

But I have met a lot of people who adore this film. This film has been part of growing up for many of my friends (like Shiva for me). And I cannot ignore such overwhelming feedback.

Hence I have seen this movie three more times to see what they see in it. I have now put it down to their oculists. But I cannot deny that there are some interesting and stylised lines in this film.

Towards the end, Vijay lures Kaanchaa to his old village and once he has set his trap, he reveals to Kaancha that he is actually the son of Master Deenanath (the man who was brutally lynched to death by Kaancha's henchmen), A cornered Kaancha takes out his revolver and simultaneously, almost instinctively, backs up a few steps. He says

"tumko bhii pataa nahee.n chalegaa, ki kitnee jaldee tum maasTar dinaanaath ke raaste pe chal paDe ho. "

"ei...kaanchaa...saalaa bandook bhii dikhaataa hai aur peechhe bhii haTtaa hai. hai.n. peechhe nahee.n haTne kaa kaanchaa. "
"एई...कांचा...साला बन्दूक भी दिखाता है और पीछे भी हटता है. हैं. पीछे नहीं हटने का कांचा."

Having observed a lot of street fights, I do know one thing. Having a weapon does not always give you the confidence to attack. The confidence to attack or the killer instinct comes naturally. There is a great Damini dialogue about that. I will feature that later. 

Saturday, May 14, 2011

ek zamaane me.n ye kaam naaii kiyaa karte the

Film : Anand
Year of release : 1971
Spoken by : Anand (Rajesh Khanna)
Spoken to : Renu's mother (Durga Khote)
Dialogue writer : Gulzar

Anand Sehgal is a friend who comes into Dr Bhaskar's life and tries to turn his staid life around. He finds out from Raghu Kaka (the family retainer) that there was a girl Renu, who was interested in his Babumoshaai (Dr Bhaskar). But since Bhaskar was too reticent, they had never progressed. He decides to take matters into his own hands and first extracts a confession from Bhaskar about the girl he likes. Then he engineers their meeting and declaration of love for each other. After ensuring that the fire has been suitably stoked from both sides, he directly reaches Renu's house. He meets Renu's mother and without beating about the bush, comes out with his proposal for marriage.


"maa.n jee mujhe aapse bahut zaroori kaam hai."

"kyaa kaam hai?"

"ek zamaane me.n ye kaam naaee kiyaa karte the maa.n jee. aajkal bhaaii karte hai.n
एक ज़माने में ये काम नाई किया करते थे माँ जी, आजकल भाई करते हैं."

"mai.n samjhee nahee.n "

"mai.n renu jee ke liye rishtaa lekar aayaa hoo.n, haa.n."

"mai.n unhe.n apnee bhaabhii banaanaa chaahtaa hoo.n "



Jo pachchees baras me.n nahee.n huaa woh ab hogaa


Film : Deewar
Year of release : 1975
Spoken by : Vijay Verma (Amitabh Bachchan)
Spoken to : Rahim Chacha (Yunus Parvez)
Dialogue writer : Salim-Javed

The coolies of the dockyard are sitting and sipping tea in the canteen. Rahim is very concerned about Vijay's act of defiance in refusing to pay protection money (hafta). He says

yahaa.n Gareeb ko sau baate.n soch ke chalnaa paDtaa hai. aur phir ye log to mawaalii Thahare, inke munh kaun lage
यहाँ ग़रीब को सौ बातें सोच के चलना पडता है, और फिर ये लोग तो मवाली ठहरे, इनके मुंह कौन लगे. 

Another coolie eggs him on with this line,

Theek kehte ho raheem chacha bilkul Theek kehte ho
ठीक केहते हो रहीम चाचा बिलकुल ठीक कहते हो.

Suitably encouraged, Raheem continues his litany.

pachchees baras ho gaye hame.n yahaa.n kaam karte. hamane nahee.n dekhaa koee kulee unhe.n haftaa dene se inkaar kar de
पच्चीस बरस हो गये हमें यहाँ काम करते. हमने नहीं देखा कोई कुली उन्हें हफ़्ता देने से इनकार कर दे.

And the laconic Vijay pauses for a while and then says sententiously,

raheem chaacha jo pachchees baras me.n nahee.n huaa woh ab hogaa. agale hafte ek aur kuli in mawaaliyo.n ko paisaa dene se inkaar karne vaalaa hai. 
रहीम चाचा, जो पच्चीस बरस में नहीं हुआ वो अब होगा. अगले हफ़्ते एक और कुली इन मवालियों को पैसा देने से इनकार करने वाला है.

This is the line which later gives rise to  the "Peter ab ye taalaa mai.n terii jeb se chaabee nikaal ke..." line. But that line will come in some other post.

So when India wins the cricket World Cup after 28 years, the Left front loses Bengal after 34 years, and there is history being made all around. This is a great line to use. 

Remember the Emirates line - when was the last time you did something for the first time. So whenever you do that, use this line.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

moorakh mukhiyaa bhool kare aur bhugte saaraa gaao.n

Film : Mausam
Year of release : 1975
Spoken by : Harihar Thapa (Om Shivpuri)
Spoken to : Dr Amarnath Gill (Sanjeev Kumar)
Dialogue writer : Gulzar

Well I thought I must get this one in before Shahid Kapoor's Mausam releases :)

Though I am not partial to the 70s, I do feel that the quality of writers in that phase, will never be replicated. Rajinder Singh Bedi, Rahi Masoom Raza, Sachin Bhowmick, Salim Javed, Gulzar - all contemporaries! That is why neither the 50s nor the 60s nor the 80s and later appear as much as the 70s do on this blog. But on second thoughts probably I am biased :)

Mausam was a film based on AJ Cronin's 1961 story The Judas Tree. Kamleshwar is credited with the story, but then he did make substantial changes. Indian audiences would not have accepted Kajri getting married to Dr Gill. 

Amarnath is a medical student, who has come to Darjeeling to study. During one of his excursions, he slips over some stairs and falls. He manages to drag himselves to the nearest 'vaid' - Harihar Thapa. When Harihar hears how he slipped over the stairs, he comes up with this quip. The line is a reference to Amarnath's eyes (the mukhiya) whose fault leads to the entire body (saaraa gaao.n) suffering. 

"moorakh mukhiyaa bhool kare aur bhugte saaraa gaao.n"
"मूरख मुखिया भूल करे और भुगते सारा गांव" 

Friday, May 6, 2011

I am a dropout by choice sir.

Film : A Wednesday
Year of release : 2008
Spoken by : Anuj Sharma (Parth)
Spoken to : Prakash RaThoD (Anupam Kher)
Dialogue writer : Neeraj Pandey

This film will become of one of the enduring classics of Hindi cinema. Neeraj Pandey is one director whose second films is being awaited by more people than he himself is aware of. 

This line also shows how characters are changing in cinema. Prakash comes in to the situation room, where he finds a young boy standing casually. The boy is the hacker who assists the police on cyber crime cases. He is dressed in jeans, t-shirt and a baseball cap. Now savour this interaction;

Prakash comes in and asks his junior

"yeh bachchaa kaun hai"
"sir iskaa naam Anuj hai. hacker hai sir, cyber crime cases crack karne me.n aksar hamaaree madad kartaa hai."
"itnaa qualified hai ye?"
"sir vaise to college dropout hai lekin....Anuj"
"ye, equipment aur ye setup samajh me.n aa rahaa hai tumhaaree?"
"no sir. ye saare equipments outdated hai.n.aap log abhii bhii n series ke 3423 models use kar rahe hai.n, jab ki s series ko launch huye teen maheene se zyaadaa ho chukaa hai, I need some time. thoDaa vaqt to lagegaa."
"ye hogaa tumse"

At this point, Anuj's phone rings. He pauses to pick it up.

"hey babes! yeah. running late honey. will catch you in half an hour. ok. love you. see you."

And then he sighs and says "women" like some seasoned 40 year old would have. Now back to the conversation.
"sorry aap kuchh keh rahe the"
"ye hogaa tumse?"
"definitely. I am a dropout by choice sir."

In the link you can see this at 07:11 timecode.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

ahl-e-zabaan is cheez ko to.nd hee kehte hai.n

Film : Naram Garam 
Year of release : 1981
Spoken by : Seth Salaamat Hussain Khaan (T P Jain)
Spoken to : Bhawani Shankar Bajpai (Utpal Dutt)
Dialogue writer : Dr. Rahi Masoom Raza

The one scene that I will never forget in this film is the 'kusi beTii eee' scene of Utpal and Swaroop. But for the moment, I will let that be. The line on hand refers to a lesser known actor called TP Jain. If you have seen Angoor you will remember him as the jeweller who insists that he be paid since it is eleven o clock. But if you don't remember that, you might as well see this film. 

Naram Garam tried to recreate the Golmaal magic - Hrishida might actually have called it Golmaal Returns :) - but it did not work that well. But it was an enjoyable film nonetheless. 

In the film Utpal Dutt is a widower who suddenly develops the desire to get married (thanks to some astrological beliefs and incitement), but since the girl who he is marrying (Swaroop Sampat partly dubbed by Farida Jalal) is almost 40 years younger, he tries to keep everything hush hush. So the tailor who comes to take the measurement for the sherwani (played by TP Jain) is asked to lock the door behind him. The tailor is suddenly very suspicious (his look is a classic), but being a professional he stands his ground. While taking the measurements, the inevitable waist measurement happens. Salaamat writes down the measurement as 'tond' - a reference to the generous paunch. Bhawani protests, to which Salaamat retorts

'ab is cheez ko kamar keh kar allah paak kee tauheen to nahee.n kar saktaa naa huzoor. ahl-e-zabaan is cheez ko to.nd hee kehte hai.n"
"अब इस चीज़ को कमर कह कर अल्लाह पाक की तौहीन तो नहीं कर सकता ना हुज़ूर. अहल-ए-ज़बान इस चीज़ को तोंद ही कहते हैं"