Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Top 10 most memorable Hindi movie quotes

Kitne admi the – Sholay (1975)


In her well researched and immensely readable book on Sholay, Anupama Chopra says that the popularity of a movie can be assessed by the ad spoofs it inspires. From the time of its release in 1975, kitney aadmi the has churned out innumerable ads. So is Gabbar's kitne admi the Hindi movie's most memorable dialogue ever? Sholay was the first movie to bring out an audio of the film's dialogues and the experiment was a raging success. The dialogues sold more than R D Burman's compositions! From jo dar gaya samjho mar gaya to <>and tumhara naam kya hai Basanti anyone who has seen the movie, has his own favourite dialogue.


Yeh bacchhon ke khelne ki cheez nahi, haath kat jaaye toh khoon nikal aata hai' – Waqt (1965)


Directed by Yash Chopra and produced by B R Chopra, this multi-starer blockbuster established some of Hindi movies most recurrent and popular themes: brothers separated at birth, who keep meeting each other without realizing their kinship; one brother grows up virtuous, the other is on the wrong side of the law; rich girl falling in love with an idealistic poor man. Waqt also set the trend for all future Yash Chopra movies, with opulent houses, lush manicured lawns, ladies dressed prettily in chiffon and designer churidars, flashy big cars and song sequences in the verdant valleys of Kashmir (which later shifted to Switzerland).


Babumoshai…! – Anand (1970)


Rajesh Khanna was already a superstar when he co-starred with the gangly Amitabh who looked quite uncharismatic next to the effervescent charmer. Rajesh Khanna's babumoshai was replete with affection, warmth and had a teasing note to it. It wasn't an artificially contrived Bengali mannerism like Bhansali's bondhu or shotti from Devdas. The same playfully affectionate address takes on profoundly tragic overtones when Rajesh Khanna's recorded message tries to comfort his friend Amitabh, as Amitabh weeps over the death of his patient (Rajesh Khanna), who had also become his closest friend.


Aap ke paon dekhe, bahut haseen hai. Inhe zameen par mat utariyega -- maile ho jayenge – Pakeezah (1972)


Raj Kumar's gravelly rendition of this immortal sentence has become synonymous with classic romance and chivalry. It was delivered as a 'voice over' through a letter that Meena Kumari discovers left on her train berth. The irony is of course that the courtesan Sahibjaan (Meena Kumari) earns her living through mujras, where she has to get her feet dirty, enticing men with her dance. The train's piercing whistle recurs as a leitmotif throughout the movie, reminding her of her secret admirer and holds out the promise of a better life, away from men who purchase her beauty at the kotha.


Mujhse dosti karoge? Bobby (1973)


Dimple puts out her hand and asks Rishi mujhse dosti karoge ? Seems like a simple request but it created cinematic history of sorts. Never before had a girl been so forward as to make the first move. That too with a handshake. It was unheard of, since Hindi film heroines normally simpered and shied away from any bodily contact until the man had wooed her. In a short skirt and with a wide-eyed quizzical expression, Bobby (Dimple), is unabashed youthfulness and sexiness personified. The line also became the most hackneyed ice-breaker in college campuses all over the country.


Mere pas ma hai – Deewar (1975)


Nirupama Roy, the quintessential long suffering, patient and gentle 'ma' in innumerable Hindi movies, became immortalized as the 'ma' whom Amitabh could not win over with his gari, bari and bungalow. That single stark sentence was brilliantly juxtaposed against Amitabh's rantings about his material possessions. Mere pas ma hai summed up the entire gamut of moral issues that were at stake in the movie. Ponderous generalizations such as 'crime does not pay', 'money cannot buy love' and 'the end does not justify the means' were put across succinctly and simply through this single sentence. Another classic quote from the Salim – Javed duo.


Mogambo khush hua – Mr. India (1987)


Amrish Puri could never live down his Mogambo image (his evil priest role in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was simply another exaggerated and more grotesque Mogambo). Mogambo khush hua was eccentric evil incarnate, in colourful Bollywood hyperbole. He wore outlandish clothes, made his eyes as big as saucers, threatened hapless victims into submission and then chortled out loud Mogambo khush hua.

Children loved him because he seemed a caricature straight out of a comic strip.


Dosti mein no sorry, no thank you – Maine Pyar Kiya (1988)


Saccharine…but teenagers loved this new definition of friendship. Friendship badges and stickers became a rage in schools, which was in itself, a completely new phenomenon in India (to be revived as friendship bands after Kuch Kuch Hota Hai hit the screen in 2003). "Love means never having to say you are sorry", from Love Story was the inspiration for this dialogue. The theme of friendship between a girl and a boy is juxtaposed against the cynical view ek ladka aur ek ladki kabhi dost nahin ban sakte , questioning the innocence and purity of their relationship.


Mein chota sa, pyara sa, nanha sa, baccha hoon – Chaalbaaz (1989)


One of Shakti Kapoor's first comic roles in striped knee length drawers with the drawer string hanging out, which went on to become a staple character in David Dhawan movies. By this time Shakti Kapoor had exhausted his range of villainous expressions. He tried his hand at comedy and proved to be a huge success. Ever since then, he has been repeating this dialogue in umpteen shows and TV interviews. And why did he say he was a baccha? Because he thought Sridevi wanted to seduce him, when in reality, she wanted to beat the living daylights out of him!


Bade bade deshon mein, aisi choti choti baatein hoti rahti hain - Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995)


Youngsters picked this line up and used it whenever they had to justify a meaningless, random act. It was thought to be 'cool' and witty. Shah Rukh Khan of course epitomized the cool dude. That he was a second generation Indian, settled abroad increased his appeal to all aspiring yuppies back in India ! The comment was quintessential Raj – the carefree, rich, mischievous, but heart-in-the-right-place, lover boy who wooed Kajol and millions of girls in India and abroad with his mandolin in tujhe dekha to yeh jana sanam.