AankhoN dekhee makkhee niglee naheeN jaatee

Film : Lajja

Year of release : 2001

Spoken by : Hazaarilal (Govind Namdeo)

Spoken to : Nek Chand (Anjan Srivastav)

Lajja was actually a good film, which did not get its rightful due. All the female characters had names of Sita. Mythili (Mahima Chowdhury) is getting married. Her father-in-law is keen on ensuring the dowry is delivered as agreed. However, Nekchand (Mythili's father) is falling short by Rs 50000. A thief Raju (Anil Kapoor) who is hiding in Mythili's bedchamber overhears her plight and decides to help her. He goes and quietly adds Rs 50000 to the briefcase which is supposed to carry the dowry amount. Nekchand does not know this. When the money is handed over Hazaarilal, Nekchand is apprehensive that he would throw a fit due to the short amount. However, Hazarilal discovers that the amount is exactly as agreed. But one of the guests (who has been robbed by Raju) sees the money and recognises it as his own. This leads to discovery of the fact that Raju had been hiding in Mythili's bedchamber. All hell breaks loose. Hazaarilal wants to fish in troubled waters. Hence he demands more money to accept a 'tainted' Mythili as his daughter-in-law. As he puts it,

"aankhoN dekhee makkhee niglee naheeN jaatee"

"आंखों देखी मक्खी निगली नहीं जाती"

Of course, this is a famous Hindi proverb. But I have heard it for the first time in a Hindi movie in Lajja. And I quite like the way Govind Namdeo says it. It is one of Hindi cinema's better scenes. Do see this scene if you get a chance.

Of course, the line means that it is hard to accept something bad after you know about it. For example most of the restaurants in Delhi have dirty kitchens. But as long as you sit in air-conditioned comfort and don't see the kitchens you love the food. But if you happen to pass by the kitchen and realise how dirty it is, it is extremely hard to eat in that restaurant. As the saying goes

"आंखों देखी मक्खी निगली नहीं जाती"

JaaT maraa tab jaaniye jab terahvee ho jaaye

This is a quote from an unlikely source. Kamalahaasan keeps making movies in which he has strange get ups. Right from the dwarf in Appu Raja to the women in Chaachi 420 to the old man in Hindustani. And you have to hand it to him. He is the only major star in Indian cinema, who takes his make up seriously. He is currently working on a film called Dashaavataaram where he will play 10 roles. But in the year 2001 he came out with a movie called AaLavandaan (आळवन्दान ஆளவந்தான்) where he played a double role of an army officer and his deranged long lost twin brother (Abhay Kumar). It was also simultaneously released in Hindi as Abhay. The Abhay Kumar character had a bald pate, grotesque tattoos, dangerous dagger with serrated edges and a pronounced preference for the soliloquy. In one such soliloquy - he rants and narrates a long poem. But the last line of the poem is the line featured here

जाट मरा तब जानिये जब तेरहवी हो जाए

JaaT maraa tab jaaniye jab terahvee ho jaaye

Now this is not a blog on sociology and casteism - so the line has to be understood in that spirit. This is of course not a film dialogue in itself - it is a proverb. But it is a less known proverb and hence I am featuring it here. So whenever you are beaten in a game or at work, but believe you can bounce back. Or if you see someone who has that capability you can use this line. For the eternal never say die spirit - not even when you are dead. तेरहवी of course is a reference to the obsequies that are held on the 13th day after death in India. So technically you would have been dead for thirteen days on your terahvee or tervee as some people call it.