Dialogue. Dialogue. Dialogue.


A few days back, my wife’s sister-in-law (who’s a kindred spirit when it comes to food and Bollywood) asked me to change my BB status message to my favourite Hindi film dialogue. And awakened a monster – albeit a friendly one. I got so excited that I was changing my Blackberry AND Facebook statuses every 15 minutes, even tweeting them for good measure!

When I asked people on Facebook if they agreed with my choice, I had 38 comments in a flash with mostly serious (and passionate) choices though the spell was nearly broken by my good friend, Arijit, who insisted “Mere do do baap. Mere do do baap.” from Gopi Kishen should be considered.

For a film line to be memorable beyond generations, languages, caste, creed and OBC quotas, it has to – in my humble opinion – have: 
  • Performance – This is a no-brainer that if the performer does not deliver the line with aplomb, even the most jhakaas of lines will pass like a ship in the dark.  
  • Immediate Impact – People in the theatre must sit up and say ‘WOW’ because of the situation in which the line is said.  
  • Repeat Value – People should want to say it in real life. Most filmi dialogues are such bombastic that we never think of saying it in real life but it should make us want to.

With these in mind and picking from the suggestions received from friend, here is my assessment of the Most Impactful Lines in Bollywood (using a shortlist of 15 culled from responses on Facebook and Twitter).

Aapke pair bahut khubsoorat hain. Inhe zameen par mat rakhiyega. Mailey ho jayengey.
Performance – 8. Immediate Impact – 6. Repeat Value – 5. 
Total – 19 

Har aadmi ke liye ek aurat bani hain. Agar usse bach gaye toh samjho zindagi ban jayegi.
Performance – 7. Immediate Impact – 7. Repeat Value – 8. 
Total – 22

Hum woh hain jo kisi ke peechhe nahin khade hote. Hum jahan pe khade ho jaate hain, line wahin se shuru hoti hain.
Performance – 8. Immediate Impact – 7. Repeat Value – 7. 
Total – 22

Aansoo pochh dalo, Pushpa. I hate tears.
Performance – 7. Immediate Impact – 8. Repeat Value – 8. 
Total – 23

 Badi badi deshon mein aisi chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hain, Senorita.
Performance – 7. Immediate Impact – 8. Repeat Value – 8. 
Total – 23 

Yeh haath mujhe de de, Thakur.
Performance – 10. Immediate Impact – 10. Repeat Value – 3. 
Total – 23

Khandaani chor hoon. Aaya hoon, kuchh to lootke jaoonga.
Performance – 8. Immediate Impact – 7. Repeat Value – 9. 
Total – 24 

Picture abhi baaki hain, mere dost.
Performance – 7. Immediate Impact – 7. Repeat Value – 10. 
Total – 24 

Thoda khao, thoda phneko.
Performance – 7. Immediate Impact – 7. Repeat Value – 10. 
Total – 24

 Kabhi kabhi jeetne ke liye kuch haarna padhta hain. Aur haarke jeetne wale ko baazigar kehte hain.
Performance – 8. Immediate Impact – 8. Repeat Value – 9.
Total – 25

Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahin, namumkin hain.
Performance – 9 (AB)/6 (SRK). Immediate Impact – 8 (AB)/6 (SRK). Repeat Value – 8.
Total – 25 (AB)/20 (SRK). 

Shaant gadaadhari Bheem, shaant.
Performance – 8. Immediate Impact – 8. Repeat Value – 10. 
Total – 26

 Mere paas maa hain.
Performance – 9. Immediate Impact – 9. Repeat Value – 9.
Total – 27

 Mogambo khush hua.
Performance – 10. Immediate Impact – 10. Repeat Value – 8.  
Total – 28

Main aaj bhi phneke hue paise nahin uthata.
Performance – 10. Immediate Impact – 10. Repeat Value – 8. 
Total – 28

(Mere blog mein mera favourite No. 1 banega, samjhe? Pasand nahin aaya to apne blog mein apna favourite ko No. 1 banao! Mwahahahaha...) 

Comments

Bhaskar said…
And just out of interest, what is your favourite Bengali dialogue?
Aneela Z said…
here goes:
1) Long before I read up on Foucault's "nurture/nature" question I had been introduced to the debate courtesy Awaara (1951): "sharifo ki aulad hamesha sharif hotee hai aur chor daakuo ki aulad hamesha chor daaku"". Or is it?

2) On not succumbing to the "disease to please" courtesy Har Dil Jo Piyar Kareyga (2000): "Zindagee may jitna bhee karo saala kum parh ji jaata hai"

3) The hypocricy of moral policing, on shifting the gaze courtesy Rocky (1981) "Gandagee na naach may hain, na naachney waley may. Gandagee naach dekhney waaley may hai".

Nazar ka purdah, eh

4) On letting a good thing be courtesy Dil Chahta Hai (2001) "Waise bhi perfection ko improve karna bahut mushkil hai"

5) On the perils of being overheard, for life can turn out quite messy on an airport runway one night. Would Shakti (1982) have ended differently if Vijay had not overheard Ashwini "Maar dalo usse, kar dalo uska khoon' " Kumar over the phone with K.D. Narang?

6) On Friendship, through thick and thin "Dosti ki hai nibhanee tau pareygi" Maine Piyar Kiya (1989)

7) On finding my USP "Mein woh bala hu jo shishe se pathar todta hoon" Souten (1983)

8) And once I have found my USP, to protect it at all costs, Pakeezah (1972) "Aapke paon dekhe, bahut haseen hai. Inhe zameen par mat utariyega, maile ho jayenge"

9) On taking the road less taken , Baazigar (1993) "Kabhi kabhi jeetney ke liye, kuch harna bhi parta hain. Aur haarkar jeetney wale ko,baazigar kehte hain"

10) And for all the izhar bhee mushqil please read between the lines moments we had Qayamat Sey Qayamat Tak (1988) "Dettol wali koee chot nahee"


And for the Pakistani item number I offer some words regards honour among thieves
"Hum Kanjar Hain Beyghairat Nahee"
Madam Bavary (1988)
shIrIn said…
Good list but No "dhaai kilo ka haath"??