Saliim tujhe marne nahee.n dega aur hum tujhe jeene nahee.n denge

Film : Mughal-e-Azam

Year of release: 1960

Spoken by: Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor)

Spoken to: Anarkali (Madhubala)

The lid had been blown off the Salim-Anarkali love story and it has now reached a situation where Akbar has decided to execute Anarkali. However Salim has promised Anarkali that he will consummate their love, and Anarkali begs Akbar to let Salim fulfil his promise, or else, the future emperor of India will be proved a liar. Akbar grants her the wish, saying that at the end of the day she has to make Salim unconscious, so that his soldiers can carry Anarkali away for execution. In his words -

"taaki voh teri maut se naa aashnaa ho jaaye, tujhe bhool jaaye, aur hamaare pehredaar tujhe behosh aashiq ke pehloo se uThaa kar, maut kee aaGosh me.n gum kar de.n"

Anarkali agrees to this plan. She says

"maut muhabbat se qareeb ho gayee. aisaa hee hogaa."

Akbar however delivers his immortal ultimatum thus -

'agar aisa naa huaa, to saliim tujhe marne nahee.n dega.. aur hum, anarkali, tujhe jeene nahee.n denge'

"अगर ऐसा ना हुआ, तो सलीम तुझे मरने नहीं देगा और हम अनारकली, तुझे जीने नहीं देंगे' 

peD par chaDha kar seeDhii kheench lii

Film : Parakh

Year of release : 1960

Spoken by : Pandit Tarkaalankaar (Kanhaiyalal)

Spoken to : Bhanj Babu (Asit Sen)

This is on my all time top 25 list. If you haven't seen this film, please do see it.

The Post Master NivaaraN Babu (Nazir Husain) gets an anonymous letter promising Rs. 5 lacs to the most honest man in the village. Many in the village put forth their candidature. The priest Pandit Tarkaalankaar is one of them. The zamindar TaanDav Tarafdaar (Jayant) promises to support him, but when the actual meeting starts, he favours Rajat (Vasant Choudhury). This makes Tarkaalankaar say

"peD par chaDha kar seeDhii kheench lii badmaash ne"

"पेड़ पर चढ़ा कर सीढ़ी खींच ली बदमाश ने"

taaj un saroN pe naheeN rehtaa jinke qareeb Khauf aa jaaye

Film : Mughal-e-Aazam

Year of release : 1960

Spoken by : Bahaar (Nigar Sultana)

Spoken to : A maid in the palace

Bahaar, is one of the senior maids in the palace. She nurses a secret ambition of becoming the princess. One day she is trying on the crown and she is spotted by another maid. The other maid says

"taaj doosroN ke haath pehne jaate haiN bahaar"

"ताज दूसरों के हाथ पहने जाते हैं बहार"

Bahaar retorts with

"haath doosroN ke hote haiN par himmat apnee hotee hai"

"हाथ दूसरों के होते हैं पर हिम्मत अपनी होती है"

The maid says

"koee aa na jaaye bahaar, kyaa tumhe Khauf naheeN?"

"कोई आ न जाये बहार, क्या तुम्हें ख़ौफ़ नहीं?"

Bahaar says

"Khauf? taaj un saroN pe naheeN rehtaa jinke qareeb Khauf aa jaaye"

"ख़ौफ़? ताज उन सरों पे नहीं रहता जिनके क़रीब ख़ौफ आ जाये"

That is so true. Even today, to be a leader in any field, courage continues to be one of the competencies required.

Mohabbat jo Dartee hai vo mohabbat naheeN ayyaashee hai, gunaah hai

Film : Mughal-e-Aazam

Year of release : 1960

Spoken by : Prince Salim (Dilip Kumar)

Spoken to : Anarkali (Madhubala)

You would have guessed from the line which film this line belonged to. Anarkali and Salim are in an amorous mood (or as our journalists call it - 'compromising position'), when Akbar the Great walks in. Anarkali is scared and makes a gesture to run away. Salim stops her and asks her not to be afraid. Because he believes, fearful love is manifestation of dishonourable intent. As he puts it

"mohabbat jo Dartee hai vo mohabbat naheeN, ayyaashee hai, gunaah hai"

"मोहब्बत जो डरती है वो मोहब्बत नहीं, अय्याशी है, गुनाह है"

Though that means that all that I have done in my life is 'gunaah'. PDA or public display of affection is such an unacceptable thing in India, that you have to be fearful.

"तो क्या मैं गुनाहगार हूं?"

Usne kahaa thaa

Film : Usne Kaha Tha

Year of release : 1960

Spoken by : Nandu (Sunil Dutt)

Spoken to : Havaldar (Tarun Bose)

This Bimal Roy production based on Chandradhar Sharma Guleri's most famous short story 'Usne Kahaa Thaa' is not directed by Bimal Roy himself. He is merely the producer. It is directed by Moni Bhattacharjee. Although it is based on a very famous short story, I would prefer the other 1960 Bimal Roy film Parakh any day over this one. But I will write on that great film some other day. The story is about a simple village man Nandu who meets Kamli for the first time when both of them are kids. Nandu has a soft corner for the girl, but the girl Kamli leaves the village. She comes back years later as a beautiful young girl. It takes very little time for the love to be rekindled. However Nandu is a lotus eater, who depends on his mother Paro's (Durga Khote) sewing machine heroices to make his ends meet. Kamli's uncle refuses to accept Nandu's marriage proposal on this pretext. A disappointed Nandu goes and joins the Army. When he later comes back he is shocked to find that Kamli is now engaged to be married. What he does not know is that she is engaged to his boss the Havaldar. This is revealed to him at the railway station when the entire company is leaving Ambala Cantt to go to the Rangoon front to fight the Japanese. A tearful Kamli says to Nandu

"Nandu, jang pe jaa rahe ho...apnaa Khayaal rakhnaa aur ..."

Nandu asks her

"Aur kyaa?"

She says,

"unkaa Khayaal rakhnaa"

Nandu is mortally wounded in the battlefield while he is transporting a wounded Havaldar to safety. In the hospital, the Havaldar asks Nandu

"MaiN tumse ek baat poochhnaa chaahtaa hooN Nandu...tumne merii jaan bachaaii lekin mujhe bachaane ke liye tumne jaan boojh ke apnee zindagii Khatre meN kyoN Daalee"

"मैं तुमसे एक बात पूछना चाहता हूं नन्दू...तुमने मेरी जान बचाई लेकिन मुझे बचाने के लिये तुमने जान बूझके अपनी ज़िन्दगी ख़तरे में क्यों डाली?"

I think you would have guessed the response. Nandu says

"usne kahaa thaa"

"उसने कहा था"

and dies. So how far would you go on someone's say so. Far enough to endanger your life.

kaneez kee majbooree ko aarzoo naa samajhiye zill-e-ilaahii

Film : Mughal-e-Aazam
Year of release : 1960
Spoken by : Anarkali (Madhubala)
Spoken to : Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor)

Anarkali says this to Akbar when he accuses her of having been a gold digger.

"Kaneez kee majboori ko aarzoo naa samajhiye zille ilaahee"
"कनीज़ की मजबूरी को आरज़ू ना समझिये ज़िल्ल-ए-इलाही"

Sometimes, the desire is so inveterate, that it takes the form of a compulsion.

kabhee kabhee daave dilchasp bhee huaa karte haiN

Film: Mughal-e-azam

Year of release: 1960

Spoken by : Salim (Dilip Kumar)

Spoken to : Bahar (Nigar Sultana)

The language used in this film is so beautiful that even straightforward lines become classics. The modern day 'get out' becomes - 'taKhaliyaa', the modern day 'shut up' becomes 'sukoot ho' and so on.

When the statue made by sangtaraash (Kumar) is to be unveiled, Bahar tells Salim

"sangtaraash kaa ye daavaa hai, ke jab ye mujassamaa benaqaab hogaa to..."

"संगतराश का ये दावा है, कि जब ये मुजस्समा बेनक़ाब होगा तो..."

And she pauses. Prince Salim urges her to go on

"beKhauf hokar kaho. kabhee kabhee daave dilchasp bhee huaa karte haiN"

"बेख़ौफ़ होकर कहो. कभी कभी दावे दिलचस्प भी हुआ करते हैं"

Such lines make you realise the power of words, the power of language. If language was all about communication, then we never really needed anything beyond sign language. It is a potent force. It can make you feel good. I am also reminded of a couplet by Javed Akhtar

"हम से दिलचस्प कभी सच्चे नहीं होते

अच्छे लगते हैं मगर अच्छे नहीं होते"

Yeh kaneez Jalaaluddin Mohammad Akbar ko apnaa Khoon maaf kartee hai

Film : Mughal-e-Aazam
Year of release : 1960
Spoken by : Anarkali (Madhubala)
Spoken to : Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor)

ये कनीज़ जलालुद्दीन मुहम्मद अक्बर को अपना ख़ून माफ़ करती है

Mughal-e-Aazam is of course full of great lines. Most of them generally require a dictionary to unravel and decode. This is one of the simpler lines. But equally effective.

As the film is coming to an end, Akbar goes to meet Anarkali. He tells her that due to her, the son and father are at loggerheads. He makes it clear that he cannot allow her to live. Anaarkali resigns herself to her fate, but not without this parting shot. This line brings out the proud dignity in that character. Though I would shudder to think that a maid actually would have the courage to say this to an emperor. But then as they say, this is the stuff that legends are made on.

"ये कनीज़ जलालुद्दीन मोहम्मद अक्बर को अपना ख़ून माफ़ करती है"

Now where in the wide world can you use this line. Sure. One of my friends changes her job every six months. She is very good looking and somehow still manages to find a new job every six months. It could be because of her looks, could be because of her business contacts. But whenever she resigns she tells me

"MaiN Akbar ko apnaa khoon maaf kar aayee"

Though I think it is more appropriate to be used, if you are fired, not when you resign. But anyways, people use film lines the way they want to. It is not a violation of the Cinematography Act 1952. Whatever!

KaanToN ko murjhaane kaa Khauf nahee hotaa

Mughal-e-Aazam once more. I think this film is amazing. No wonder it took 20 years in the making. This line comes after the famous qawwali - Teri mehfil mein qismat aazmaa ke hum bhee dekhenge. This is actually played out as a competition between Bahar (Nigar Sultana) and Anarkali (Madhubala). Finally when it is time to judge - Salim (Dilip Kumar) hands over the petals of the rose to Bahaar and the thorns to Anarkali. She comes up with this beautiful line

कांटों को मुर्झाने का ख़ौफ़ नहीं होता

kaanToN ko murjhaane kaa Khauf naheeN hotaa

So whenever you are in a situation of despair, you could have nothing more to lose. Something like that famous joke "shani teraa kyaa bigaaD legaa". Use this line.

Shahenshaahon ke insaaf aur zulm mein kis qadar kam farq hotaa hai

I am falling in love with Mughal-e-Aazam (1960). This line is uttered by Sangtaraash (the sculptor played by Kumar) when Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor) offers to reward him with Anarkali. He has sent Salim away to Deccan to fight and in the meanwhile wants to ensure that the object of Salim's affection is safely put away. What better than to get her married to an aged sculptor. Sangtaraash refuses the offer (though not to Akbar's face). But not before he has delivered this line. If you come across a decision from someone in power, which is not entirely fair, use this line. Usage of the word 'shahenshaah' will surely placate him and he might reconsider his decision. It worked for me. Might work for you. Try it.

शहंशाहों के इंसाफ़ और ज़ुल्म में किस क़दर कम फ़र्क़ होता है

Ab janaaze ko rukhsat kee ijaazat diijiye

The 1960 magnum opus Mughal-e-azam once more. Often when you work with voice over artistes or drama artistes and you belabor a point about language or pronunciation too much, a standard response is

"abe mughal-e-azam thoDii banaa rahe hain"

That movie has really set standards in terms of dialogues and attention to detail. Anyways, coming back to the line featured here. Anarkali (Madhubala) takes leave of Salim (Dilip Kumar) towards the end of the movie where she knows that she is destined to be executed and separated from the Prince. She says this line

It means that "kindly permit this coffin/dead body to leave". But figuratively you can use it whenever you are leaving the company of someone who has battered you so much (mentally of course; if you are battered physically you would not be thinking dialogues) that you feel like a living corpse. That is when you can use this line

"Ab janaaze ko ruKhsat kee ijaazat diijiye"

taKhaliyaa

And now the fifties makes a debut. Though Mughal-e-azam was released in 1960 - it was in the making, largely during the 50s. Of course, the Dilip Kumar-Madhubala affair also lent a special flavour to this film, but this film in my opinion is one of the greatest examples of what great writing should be. The dialogues and screenplay have been the source of constant copying across ages. Sample this

"YalGaar ho" used by Ismail Durbaar in a TV reality show as his war cry:)

"Shahenshaah baap ka bhes badal ke aayaa hai?" copied by Salim Javed 15 years later in Deewar

"Mujrim bhaai ka bhes badal kar aayaa hai". The list goes on and on. It is one such film where you do not understand anything (due to the quality of Urdu used) but still like the sound of it).

Coming down to the line featured here, it is not a line - it is a word. When I first saw this film I was a teenager. When I came out of the cinema hall, the only word I remembered was this. Oh the no of times I have used this word. I just love it.

taKhaliyaa

It means solitude. But in the movie, it is used by the emperor or the prince every time they wish to be left alone. The imperious tone in which it is said gives the word its special flavour. So next time you are in a meeting room and wish everyone to leave, go ahead and say "taKhaliyaa". Beware. Be prepared to explain the meaning to those around. But very quickly they will learn the meaning and start doing the needful. It is so much more courteous than "all of you get the hell out of here". Try it.