Monday, September 24, 2012

Power Packed Punches




In an online poll Schwarzenegger’s phrase from ‘The Terminator’ -- "I'll be back" topped the list of most popular movie quotes beating Clark Gable's, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" from the American epic ‘Gone With The Wind’. 

"May the force be with you" from ‘Star War’s and Humphrey Bogart's immortal, "Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine" from the classic ‘Casablanca’ ranked high on the popularity list. 
Big deal.
When it comes to unforgettable movie quotes, we have to hand it to Bollywood. All the memorable movie quotes from foreign cinema put together cannot beat the memorable ones from Indian cinema.

Dialoguebaazi mein hamein pakadna mushkil hi nahin namumkin hai.

If we were to hold an online poll to decide the most popular phrase in Bollywood, it would be impossible to decide between, “Kitne admi the, Mogambo Khush hua, Haar kar jeetne wale ko Baazigar kehte hai, Filmein sirf teen cheezon ke wajah se chalti hain...”and scores of golden expressions from other regional languages. Indeed, catchphrases fly thick and fast in Indian cinema. Proving once again that our dialogues are a lethal combo of the writer’s magical pen and the actor’s starry enigma. When rolled by a super star - jocular, vulgar, pedestrian and double meaning entendres; all are winners.

The phoren quotes may be globally hurrahed, but the desi ones are milked at every award function. The infamous mare of Bollywood is immortalized each time Hema Malini says ‘Chal Dhanno, Basanti ki izzat ka sawaal hai’.

On the sets of reality shows, Dharmendra continues to flare nostrils, and drink blood “Ku**e, Kami**y, mein tera….” Newbie Sonakshi goes on to mint her classic, “Thappad se dar nahin lagta…” No wonder. Hasn’t she grown up watching her father utter “Khamosh” at the drop of a hat?

Movies are a great leveler. Just when I thought it was a desi phenomenon to quote,  "Main ek baar commitment kar doon to phir apne aap ki bhi nahin sunta,” I hear several Americans use movie quotes in business meetings and weddings. Some even try movie quotes to talk their way out of a parking ticket. Imagine telling a desi traffic cop, “Rishte mein to hum tumhare baap lagte hai…”. One can only hope that the constable turns out to be a movie buff. He could then pardon you with, “Yeh police station hai, tumhare baap ka ghar nahin.”

Irrespective of who utters them, some gems define the Hindi cinema of the seventies. Come to think of it, ‘Apne aap ko kanoon ke hawale kar do’, ‘Bhagwan ke liye mujhe chhod do’ and ‘Mein tumhare bachche ki maa banne wali hoon’, sound almost comical today.

With the success of mindless comedies and the advent of puerile humour, catch phrases are deliberately inserted to make the hero appear witty and larger than life. Out of ten, even if one hooks you, it’s a win-win. The best part is that even though the vulgar ones become viral, they die a slow death of ignominy. Just like Tushhar Kapoors double entendres or Devgan’s ludicrous, “My chest has become blouse.”

In a world where the hero has to deliver power packed punches, both verbal and otherwise, Ranbir Kapoor’s silent yet successful Barfi has put brakes on dialogue-baazzi.

For the time being.
But then, silence only speaks for the multiplex audiences. The masses want their protagonist in a larger than life role, mouthing dhamakedaar dialogues.

Make way “Bond. So what if your name is James Bond?”
Match the onslaught of, “Rahul. Naam to suna hoga” and “Poora naam… Vijay Dinanath Chauhan,” and “Hum yahan ke RobinHood hai..naam hai RobinHood Pandey,” and "Basanti, tumahara naam kya hai?"..….the list is endless.

(Picture Courtesy : Google Pictures/ facebook.com)

62 comments:

  1. I thought you would also include classics like ' Anarkali, Hum tumhe jeena nahi denge aur Saleem tumhe marne nahe dega' apart from the regular cliche ones, Alka:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know Rahul, I have excluded the golden ones from the sixties....there are so many.

      Delete
    2. Lol...Hina as Anarkali....and UK educated Salim.

      Delete
  2. you forgot the immortal - mere paas maa hain :)
    I love the quote "Frankly my dear I don't give a damn" from Gone with the wind :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are so many....Picture abhi baki hai mere dost...I need to write a sequel.
      :)

      Delete
  3. Lovely compilation... I wish it had more...

    Arvind Passey
    www.passey.info

    ReplyDelete
  4. Like Ruchira, the Gone with the wind quote is my favorite too.. the style of delivery and the final giving up of the hero with his obsession is great! Loved this post
    Along with the 'mere pass maa hain', we had all those famous 'main ab kisi ko moon dikhane ke layak nahin rahi', Mera pati mera devata hai' etc etc the list would never end LOL

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very well written.I wonder where o you get ideas for such subjects .
    Superb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Hollywood list was in the papers this week which reminded me of our desi quotes.

      Delete
  6. Good one. Enjoyed reading it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. :) made my day this one ..

    WE are the best I am sure in dialoguesss.. I am sure you can add a lot more to this .. PART 2 please jaldi jaldi


    Bikram's

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost....

      Delete
    2. yayyyyyyyyyyyy.. excellent ok I have my snacks ready .. interval khatam karo :)

      Delete
    3. Arrey..hold the snacks Bikram.Or better, go for a long drive while I write a sequel.

      Unfortunately I am not a movie buff. I will need Google baba to help me post interval...
      :)

      Delete
  8. Thar's a fine collection. My favourites:

    1. "The truth is out there...."

    2. "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius...."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for visiting. I was missing your valuable inputs.

      Delete
  9. Nobody can beat us in dialoguebaazi!! We can also come up with very lame dialogues like "Kutte aur bacche pyaar ke buke hote hain". Heard of this??? Well I heard of it in Amit's blog. It's from Mr.Hashmi's latest it seems!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha, ha...If we compile a list of lame ones, we will perhaps go crazy...
      The worst I can think of right now is, 'Tumhare dimaag mein piles ho gaya hain," from a recent one...I guess it was Housefull.

      Delete
  10. Entertainment. Entertainment. Entertainment. Your post, I meant. I had forgotten some classics, but you raked them up again!!! Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Alka, this is a gem of a collection and looking at the responses, this so has to be followed by a sequel!!

    There is this joke, about the mere pass ma hain joke!
    Amit: 'mere pass bangla hain gadi hain, blah blah'
    Shashi: 'mere pass bhi bangla hain gadi hain , blah blah'
    Amit: 'Abe to apni maa kiske pass hain!?' :-) :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha, ha ..Good One!

      I guess, I need to do a post on lame dialogues...will have to watch Housefull.

      Delete
  12. I think the most common dialogue in Bollywood is - "Tum haath munh dho lo, mein abhi khana layi". There is not one Ma, Behen, Beti ya Biwi who has not mouthed these words!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I like the comic versions of some of these too... Like... Mere Paas Raaj"ma" hai.... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Alka,

    Well compiled. However you forgot DHAI KILO KAA HAATH and MERE PAAS MAAN HAI.

    Take care

    ReplyDelete
  15. My favorite one is undoubtedly "With great power comes great responsibility."

    ReplyDelete
  16. Our Hindi movies are rampant with heavy duty dialogue baazi. I remember so many: Hema Malin's "Chal Dhanno" from Sholay, Salman Khan's from Bodyguard, Amitabh's from Shahenshah...to name a few.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am not familiar with the South Indian Cinema quotes...I am sure they have several memorable ones too

      Delete
  17. hit hai.....BABU-MOSHAAYE....:)

    BTW looking at the comments from your readers, you will have to bring a sequel of this post...:))

    ReplyDelete
  18. Desi quotes the best :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. One can never compare dal chawaal with pizza. Desi rules.

      Delete
  19. Fantastic quotes from a firebird, sorry freebird.
    "I have not come to save Rambo from you. I have come to save you all from Rambo."
    is my favourite English movie dialogue.
    And in the desi ones I like fast dialogues like the Tamil inspired ones.
    "She is not in the house."
    "I know that."
    "How do you know?"
    "You only told me now"
    Above from a Kamalhaasan starrer Mrs.Doubtfire inspired movie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Chachi 420...that was a great movie. The list is endless....

      Thank you for visiting.

      Delete
  20. HI Alka...Hope you are doing well...
    reading blogs after a long time....

    the dialoguebazi in Bolywood is endless...one can go on and on adding to the list....we talk more than we do :)
    a great compilation....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi. Its a pleasure to see you back. Hope your little one is doing fine.

      True...I am not a movie buff and yet so many came to my mind.

      Delete
  21. Thanks for the wonderful walk down memory lane. As you say, some of the punch dialogues of the 70s sound comical today, don't they? Adding my farmaish for a sequel...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am not a movie buff, but so many came to mind. For a sequel, I need to Google....ha, ha.

      Delete
  22. You know what Alka...an entire ad can be made only with these cliched dialogues...how about you writing a fictional story using only such unforgettable gems??!

    I loved the desi traffic cop and driver clash here! Hilarious post...loved it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thats a brilliant idea...As I said, I am not a movie buff. Will need Google Baba for writing a sequel.

      Delete
  23. LOL, seriously no one can beat these desi avatars. This is such an entertaining post and the end was awesome. :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Today I met a Malaysian woman , who has just moved to Brisbane from Lagos. She couldn't stop gushing about Kuchh kuchh hota hai and Kabhi khushi, kabhi gaam!

    The French speaking girl in Brussels who claimed to be a huge fan of John Abraham and Shahrukh.

    Such is the magic of Hindi movies. Trash it, love it but you can never ignore Indian cinema.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True.
      Senorita, How are you? Once you settle down, we are waiting to hear new stories on A-Musing.

      Delete
  25. ROFL....Alka, you need to write a part 2 for this, seriously...you cracked me up. After reading Purba's comment, I remembered something. A colleague at work said, she and her daughter loved to watch Bend it like Beckham..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you liked it....ya, Bollywood has its own unique charm...

      Delete
  26. True. And who can match....Main aaj bhi pheke hue paise nahin uthata.

    The olden phrases were golden...I did not use them only because as you say not many youngsters can identify with....Aapke paanv dekhe, bahut khoobsoorat hai, Inhe zamin par mat utariyega....there was poetry in dialogues.

    ReplyDelete
  27. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  28. u hv collected the best set if dialogues and presented in a much better crisp and sweeter way, lovely beautiful post :)
    btw " main tumhare bacche ke maa banne waali hun " was the killer punch line

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Vineet. Yes that was a shocker but after the IPill the phrase has lost its punch.

      Delete
  29. he he....this was a revision for me! Btw, Schwarzenegger is back these days promoting his autobiography!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I guess, all the bestest quotes from our very own bolly-world have been captured here!! Entertaining and interesting post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Shilpa for finding time to read so many posts on this blog. It means a lot. Some how I lost contact but your blog was one of the first few I read when I started blogging.

      Delete
  31. My fav oneliner is "main tumhaare bache ki maa banane wali hoon" complete with background music and expressions saying "ye kaise hua"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a shocker....but after the IPill it has become comical...

      Delete