Everyone knows the common ones, viz. "Kutte, kaminey main tera khoon pi jaoonga" or "Main tumhare bachhe ki maa banne waali hoon", etc. So, I will try to stay clear of those and take a look at some of the less common ones ...
"Ab inhe dava ki nahi, duaa ki zaroorat hai"
Translation: Medicines could only do so much, now he needs prayers.
Frequency of use: Extremely high in the 70s and 80s. Declining now.
Explanation: Typically said by the a middle aged man wearing a white coat and a stethoscope. Even if the beneficiary from the aforesaid prayers is dying of lymphosarcoma of the intestine, the stethoscope is mandatory.
Can be substituted by: "Ab sab upar waale ke haath mein hai"
Translation: Now everything is in God's hands.
B is for ...
"Bas ek baar ... bas ek kaar keh do ki tumhe mujhse pyaar hai"
Translation: For once ... tell me that you love me.
Frequency: Quite high in war movies. However, when creatively paired with other cliches it can also be used in revenge sagas or in tutti-frutti love stories.
Explanation: The lovesick hero will utter these words of passion before he goes off to defend his country in war or rushes of to do something that is make-believe very important. Invariably whatever he is going to do will be selfless in nature. This dialog is often followed by a slow love song sung by the heroine with short montages of the hero off on his "mission".
Explanation: The lovesick hero will utter these words of passion before he goes off to defend his country in war or rushes of to do something that is make-believe very important. Invariably whatever he is going to do will be selfless in nature. This dialog is often followed by a slow love song sung by the heroine with short montages of the hero off on his "mission".
Can be substituted by: "Mujhe kuchh nahi hoga, tumhara pyaar mere liye woh kavach hai jo mujhe maut ke mooh se bhi kheench ke tumhaare paas waapas layega."
Translation: Nothing will happen to me. Your love for me is an armor that will allow me to return safely into your arms from the gallows of death.
C is for ...
"Chillao mat!"
"Chillao mat!"
Translation: Don't shout.
Frequency of use: Any movie that has a patriarch will have a version of this dialog.
Explanation: Used more as a threat rather than as an advice or request. Generally, an authoritarian figure will say these words and more-often-than not will say it at a pitch exceeding 103.7 decibels. These words are generally spoken inside enclosed spaces such as in the living room of a mansion or in a really large office. This allows the words to echo and the camera immediately takes 3 closeups of the speaker's contorted face from different angles.
Explanation: Used more as a threat rather than as an advice or request. Generally, an authoritarian figure will say these words and more-often-than not will say it at a pitch exceeding 103.7 decibels. These words are generally spoken inside enclosed spaces such as in the living room of a mansion or in a really large office. This allows the words to echo and the camera immediately takes 3 closeups of the speaker's contorted face from different angles.
Alternative: "Khamosh!"
Translation: Silence
D is for ...
"Dhokebaaz! Maine tumhe kya samjha aur tum kya nikle"
Translation: You cheat! I trusted you and then you stabbed my back.
Frequency of use: Pretty low lately, given the fact that treachery and deceit is "cool" these days. However, back in the 80s you couldn't even make a mythological movie without this dialog.
Alternative: "Aastin ke saanp"
Translation: Difficult to translate!
E is for ...
"Ek mahal ho sapnon kaa"
"Ek mahal ho sapnon kaa"
Translation: I dream of a house of dreams.
Frequency of use: No good movie has this dialog. Most bad movies have it. You guess.
Explanation: The girl or the guy will utter these words in a tender romantic moment when the couple is dreaming of a future together. Invariably, the writer puts this line into the script for melodrama and to play for contrast, because soon one of them is going to die. The house of dreams will remain a figment of imagination in a metaphorical, but clichéd, way. Oh yes, a dreamy love song has to start playing within 71 seconds of this dialog being spoken.Alternative: "Hum apni duniya basayenge"
Translation: We will build a world of our own.
F is for ...
"Fizaon ne fir se apna rukh badal liya hai"
Translation: The winds of change are in motion.
Frequency of use: Potentially huge. Can be used in stories about business rivalry, ideological clashes, love triangles, and social uprising.
Explanation: Any story that involves two or more people competing against each other has a version of this dialog. Generally spoken by one of the competitors before he unleashes some action that for-a-while puts him ahead in the race. If this dialog is spoken in the first 30 minutes of the movie, the greater probability is that the underdog will win. If spoken in the last 30 minutes, the speaker wins.
Alternative: "Mausam badal rahe hain"
Translation: The weather is changing. Don't we love metaphors?
G is for ...
"Gaon ki gori"
Translation: The village belle.
Frequency of use: Done to death till the mid 90s. Declining now.
Explanation: Well, technically speaking this isn't a stand alone dialog. It's more of a personification of a cliched character. Typically the gaon ki gori is one that dresses up in lehenga-cholis, reveals ample cleavage, gets soaked in water every time she is near a pond/river/pot, has the local goon lusting after her, has a fat sidekick who has been thrown into the story for comic relief, is the lead dancer in the group dance act during the festival or the wedding celebrations, and has a razor sharp tongue that often gets her into trouble. Sometimes, this village belle will travel to the big, bad, city and will magically transform into a Paris Hilton overnight. One thing that never fails to surprise me about these girls is that even though they often live in villages where they have to fetch water from a well or a brook, they always seem to have perfect eyebrows, manicured nails, and waxed hairless arms, underarms, and legs.
H is for ...
"Haramzaade"
Translation: Bastard.
Frequency: Off-the-charts!
Explanation: Often confused as a mere cuss word, this word has several profound applications. The obvious situations where this word is used are right before the rape scene (said by the girl), before/during/after a fight scene between the hero and the bad guy (said by the hero), right after an accounting fraud has been discovered (said by the boss), and many more such obvious situations. However, when the hero (or one of the central characters) is an illegitimate child then the word develops undertones that may lead to a melodramatic flashback or a philosophical discussion, sometimes even a song!
Alternative: "Gandi naali ke keede"
Translation: Can someone help me with this one? Some statements don't cross over very well into a different language.
Translation: The winds of change are in motion.
Frequency of use: Potentially huge. Can be used in stories about business rivalry, ideological clashes, love triangles, and social uprising.
Explanation: Any story that involves two or more people competing against each other has a version of this dialog. Generally spoken by one of the competitors before he unleashes some action that for-a-while puts him ahead in the race. If this dialog is spoken in the first 30 minutes of the movie, the greater probability is that the underdog will win. If spoken in the last 30 minutes, the speaker wins.
Alternative: "Mausam badal rahe hain"
Translation: The weather is changing. Don't we love metaphors?
G is for ...
"Gaon ki gori"
Translation: The village belle.
Frequency of use: Done to death till the mid 90s. Declining now.
Explanation: Well, technically speaking this isn't a stand alone dialog. It's more of a personification of a cliched character. Typically the gaon ki gori is one that dresses up in lehenga-cholis, reveals ample cleavage, gets soaked in water every time she is near a pond/river/pot, has the local goon lusting after her, has a fat sidekick who has been thrown into the story for comic relief, is the lead dancer in the group dance act during the festival or the wedding celebrations, and has a razor sharp tongue that often gets her into trouble. Sometimes, this village belle will travel to the big, bad, city and will magically transform into a Paris Hilton overnight. One thing that never fails to surprise me about these girls is that even though they often live in villages where they have to fetch water from a well or a brook, they always seem to have perfect eyebrows, manicured nails, and waxed hairless arms, underarms, and legs.
H is for ...
"Haramzaade"
Translation: Bastard.
Frequency: Off-the-charts!
Explanation: Often confused as a mere cuss word, this word has several profound applications. The obvious situations where this word is used are right before the rape scene (said by the girl), before/during/after a fight scene between the hero and the bad guy (said by the hero), right after an accounting fraud has been discovered (said by the boss), and many more such obvious situations. However, when the hero (or one of the central characters) is an illegitimate child then the word develops undertones that may lead to a melodramatic flashback or a philosophical discussion, sometimes even a song!
Alternative: "Gandi naali ke keede"
Translation: Can someone help me with this one? Some statements don't cross over very well into a different language.
I is for ...
"I object, your honor"
"I object, your honor"
Translation: I object, your honor :P
Explanation: Court scene. If the hero's lawyer objects, the objection is over-ruled. If the bad guy's lawyer objects, it is sustained. Simple.
Alternative: Are you kidding me? It's blasphemous to even think that this dialog can have a substitute.
Translation: Sind sie vich verarschen? (German for "are you kidding me?")
Frequency: Every movie with a court scene WILL have this dialog. Period.
J is for ...
"Judwaa bhai/behen."
Translation: Twin brother/sister
Explanation: Once again, not a dialog but an interesting species only found within Bollywood. You CANNOT have a twins story that does not involve a few cases of mistaken identities. You CANNOT have a twins story that ends with the two walking off in different directions. One HAS TO BE an absolute introvert and the other, an out-and-out extrovert. If there is a bad guy in the story, he WILL kidnap the wrong twin. There WILL be a happy song that the twins will sing together wearing dresses that are in absolute contrast with each other.
K is for ...
"Kutte, kaminey ... bhagwaan ke liye mujhe mujhe chhod de"
Translation: You bastard, leave me alone for god's sake.
Explanation: The quintessential precursor to a rape scene. Invariably followed by either the girl getting raped (with most of her clothes on), or by the dramatic entry of the hero who will pause to cover up the girl with his jacket before bashing up the goon. It's uncanny how the hero always remembers to wear a jacket on a night when any girl might be about to get raped.
Can be substituted by: "Nahinnnnnnnnnnnnn"
Translation: Nooooooooooooo. Also commonly used when someone dies.
Frequency of use: High.
Part 2 will soon follow ... Till then hit me with your ideas that I can use for L - Z.
"Judwaa bhai/behen."
Translation: Twin brother/sister
Explanation: Once again, not a dialog but an interesting species only found within Bollywood. You CANNOT have a twins story that does not involve a few cases of mistaken identities. You CANNOT have a twins story that ends with the two walking off in different directions. One HAS TO BE an absolute introvert and the other, an out-and-out extrovert. If there is a bad guy in the story, he WILL kidnap the wrong twin. There WILL be a happy song that the twins will sing together wearing dresses that are in absolute contrast with each other.
K is for ...
"Kutte, kaminey ... bhagwaan ke liye mujhe mujhe chhod de"
Translation: You bastard, leave me alone for god's sake.
Explanation: The quintessential precursor to a rape scene. Invariably followed by either the girl getting raped (with most of her clothes on), or by the dramatic entry of the hero who will pause to cover up the girl with his jacket before bashing up the goon. It's uncanny how the hero always remembers to wear a jacket on a night when any girl might be about to get raped.
Can be substituted by: "Nahinnnnnnnnnnnnn"
Translation: Nooooooooooooo. Also commonly used when someone dies.
Frequency of use: High.
Part 2 will soon follow ... Till then hit me with your ideas that I can use for L - Z.
5 comments:
L is for Lekin...
It would turn up at the most inapt of moments and make the movie more cliched with its twist and turns than you thought it previously had..
usage : rampant till mid-90s.
current status : implied and not explicit
can be substituted with par, agar or magar
Hilarious.
Witty.
Wonderfully written.
You are indeed blossoming as a writer :)
Also, I loved the tutti fruti ;)
Totally Entertaining!!
You can add these too:
Main tere bache ki ma banne wali hun
Nahiii yeh nahiii ho sakta
ohh my good god!!
Hilarious!!
way to go sunny da!
L is for ...
"Lo! Muh meetha karo.."
Translation: Have some sweets.
Explanation: 70 aur 80 ke dashak mein yeh dialogue lagbhag har movie mein kaha jane laga, filmo mein agar kahi koi shadi ki baat pakki ho tab yeh dialogue ka use mien ana utna hi swabhavik tha, jitna ek gareeb hero ke ghar mein budhi ma aur andhi behen ka hona, tajyub ki baat toh yeh hai ki hero aur heroine ke parents so called ittefak se milte the aur shadi ki baat hona bhi ek ittefak hi hota tha, but na jaane ghar mein mithayi ka usi samay hona kitna sach hota hoga :P
Can be substituted by: "are bhai! koi muh to meetha karao"
Translation: Please help yourself
Frequency of use: 90% in 70's and 80's but now less than 10%
Funny stuff... please complete the L-Z. Heres a few from top of my mind.
M- Maa Ka Dudh, heaps of usage.
N- NAHIIII!!!!!
O- O Khuda, ye tune kaisa nainsaaf kiya
P- Pehle zara apne peeche mud kar to dekho ha ha ha.
P- Patthar ki Murti, kaha tha thu jab...
P- Pyaar Ka Mausam
P- Pehla Pyaar
P- Pagdi- Mai meri pagdi aapke charno me rakh kar apni beti ke liye bheek maangta hu. Ye rishta na todo.
Q- Qurbanis, like brother sacrificing his well being by participating in a death match for the Dahej of his sisters rishta. Many others
R- Rishta tod diya.
S- Sifaarish Sifaarish Sifaarish!! usually uttered in frustration by unsuccessful job candidates.
S- Suhagraat (usually camera focus on the feet n slowly panning to show 2 flowers in a garden landscape.
T- TAREEKH PE TAREEKH!!! Ye kya ho raha hai judge sahab???
U- Umar Qaid. Life sentence given to a framed good guy to begin the movie or given to the bad guy at the end of the movie for all the rape murder smuggling n every thinkable offense.
V/W- WARNA
X
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Z-
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