tu kuli hai,kuli hai,kuli hai, KULI HAI

Film : Coolie No 1

Year of release : 1995

Spoken by : Hoshiyar Chand (Kader Khan)

Spoken to : Raju (Govinda)

Dialogue writer : Kader Khan

David Dhawan made his career by remaking Telugu superhits. This was a remake of the 1991 film of the same name - starring Venkatesh and Tabu. The Hindi version is substantially different (though the basic premise is the same). It is more of a comedy and the Telugu version is more of a action comedy drama (typical Telugu Film formula).

This is another dialogue that I use often. It can be used when you want to forcefully reiterate an aspect of your interlocutor's identity - which your interlocutor might be denying. The film is of course hilarious and replete with Kader Khan classics like "ye banglaa hai yaa bangaal". 

Hoshiyar Chand has been tricked into believing that Raju is a rich man's estranged son (Kunwar Mahendra Pratap). He gets his daughter Malti (Karishma Kapoor) married to him hoping that father and son will patch up one day and the property worth crores would eventually come to him (his daughter). However one day he discovers that his son in law is actually a coolie at the state bus stand. He goes to  his daughter's house and tells her the truth. When Raju comes back Hoshiyar Chand and Malti accuse him of being a coolie. Raju reacts with

"मैं कुली का काम करूंगा - कुंवर महेन्द्र प्रताप ?"

Hoshiyar Chand rebuts his assertion with this classic line

"ए तू नाम नहीं लेना कुंवर महेन्द्र प्रताप का. कुंवर गया कुएं में. साला झूठ बोलता है. तू कुली है, कुली है, कुली है कुली है"

"ae too naam nahee.n lenaa kunvar mahendra prataap kaa. kunvar gayaa kue.n me.n. saalaa jhooTh boltaa hai. tu kuli hai, kuli hai, kuli hai KULI HAI"

"

Raju has to handle the situation with another carefully crafted lie. lekin voh qissaa phir kabhii!

Comes after about 1 hour 7 minutes into the film. 

Aisaa kuchh laa jo ang pe lage

Film : Rangeela

Year of release : 1995

Spoken by : Munna (Aamir Khan)

Spoken to : Waiter at 5 star (Rajeev Mehta)

One of Ramgopal Varma's non RGV-esque films. This was a romantic musical on the lines of Singing in the Rain (another film I love). Although there is a 'Taporii' character in the film (also referred to as 'bhai'), but he is as lovable as they come. In one of the most shocking statements, RGV (post release) said that Govinda would have done a better job. I felt Aamir lent a certain dignity to the role.

Coming back to the line, Munna has invited Mili to a 'date' to a five star restaurant. He is obviously out of place in a five star. This makes his exchange with the snobbish waiter a treat. The waiter incidentally is played by Rajeev Mehta who is now a TV star (remember the Praful 'gadha' from KhichDii) of many serials. And he plays a fantastic foil to Munna's naivete.

Munna asks the waiter what are the items on offer - like you would in an Udupi 'hotel'. He would have expected - 'vada pav, misal pav, kanda bhajia...' kind of response. But what does he get! A list of items in English, that he has never heard of in his life. Instead of showing his ignorance by asking what they are, he comes up with this brilliant line:

"arre wo angreejii item nahee.n chaahiye apun ko, aisaa kuchh laa jo ang pe lage"

"अरे वो अंग्रेजी आइटम नहीं चाहिये अपुन को, ऐसा कुछ ला जो अंग पे लगे"

You should watch this movie just for Rajeev Mehta's reaction to Aamir's one liners.

The world is fast moving towards a multi-cuisine existence. Twenty years ago if someone said that his favourite dish is the Lebanese Shavarma, he would be someone who would be trying to impress. Today it is actually possible. So if you end up in a foreign cuisine restaurant and the waiter throws some foreign names at you, use this line. If he is an Indian waiter, he will understand and get you something that is deep fried. And as my mother says, anything that is deep fried or put in sugar syrup is good on the palate.

Par uskaa bad luck hee Kharaab thaa

Film: Rangeela
Year of release: 1995
Spoken by: Munna (Aamir Khan)
Spoken to: Mili (Urmila Matondkar)

This is another overused line which basically has its roots in the Mumbaiyya way of speaking, that generally avoids 'bol bachan" and focusses on the KISS principle - Keep It Short and Simple. I am really enamoured of this character played by Aamir Khan. I still remember a Ram Gopal Varma interview where he said that he thought this role would have been done better by Govinda. I felt very angry when I saw the film two years after its release. Govinda might have made the film funnier, but Aamir lent the role a quiet dignity which a forty thousand Govindas could not have managed. Here is the full dialogue for your reading pleasure - अक्षरश: . Munna justifying his friend Pakya's (Rajesh Joshi) illegal activities.

अरे मिली तू उसकी लाइफ़ स्टोरी सुनेगी ना तो हिल जायेगी. ये पक्या जब पांच साल का था ना, तभीच उसकी मां टपक गयी. उसका बाप अक्खा दिन दारू के नशे में फ़ुल्टू रहता था. वो भी साला लुढक गया. उसकी जीने का एक ही मक़सद था. अपनी बहन की शादी. उसी की शादी कराने वास्ते वो साला जी रेला था. हुं . पर उस का बॅड लक ही ख़राब था. लडके वालों ने इतना दहेज मांगा, इतना ब्लॅक मनी मांगा, कि तब से लेके अजून तक, वो दस का तीस दस का तीसिच कर रेला है.

An otherwise tautological usage of 'bad luck' being 'Kharaab' is lent a certain charm by the way Aamir says it.

Kisko diyaa hai jo too reh gayaa hai

Ramgopal Verma’s films are famous for their clever lines. His best films are Shiva, Rangeela. Satya, Company, and Sarkar. If you notice, apart from Rangeela, all the others are in the underworld/gangster genre. Smart lines are so much easier in that genre. But since Aamir Khan plays Munnabhai, a petty blackmarketer of cinema tickets in Rangeela, there are a plethora of smart lines in Rangeela too.

After a shift at the local theatre selling tickets in black, Munna and Pakya (Rajesh Joshi) stop by at a small street restaurant to have a cuppa. But the waiter there (Sanjay Goradia) knows them quite well and says

Udhar paDhaa nahee kyaa?...aaj rokRaa kal udhaar.
उधर पढा नहीं क्या? आज रोकड़ा कल उधार
Munna responds in typical Mumbai tapori style

Ae khajoor…rokRaa hotaa to apun 5 star me jaake ‘cutting’ nahee peeetaa kyaa? Chal jaldee kar…teraa account kal settle karegaa…
ए खजूर ...रोकड़ा होता तो अपुन 5 स्टार मे जाके ‘कटिंग’ नहीं पीता क्या? चल जल्दी कर ...तेरा अकाउंट कल सॅट्टल करेगा...
The waiter reconfirms

Pakkaa?
पक्का?
And then Munna comes up with this classic line

Pakkaa, pakkaa. Kisko diyaa hai jo too reh gayaa hai…
पक्का पक्का. किसको दिया है जो तू रह गया है...
Initially the waiter (and the audience too) take that as a simple confirmation. And after a few seconds it dawns upon the waiter (and upon the audience too) that they had been had. Essentially Munna is saying that he doesn’t intend paying.

A great line to use while buying time for delinquent loans (from friends), which are being called in. It would not be a good line to try with professional recovery agents.

HaTaa saawan kee ghaTaa

The 1995 Rangeela is probably the only 'normal' love story made by Ramgopal Verma. This is now a classic line and often used (especially by those in Mumbai). I do not know whether it was first written by Neeraj Vora (the writer of the film) or it existed in the street language of Mumbai prior to that. I suspect it existed before. It found fame and glory thanks to Aamir Khan (who incidentally was the initial Munnabhai). This sequence comes in the beginning of the movie when the character of Munna as the street smart struggler with dignity is being etched. Milee (Urmilaa Matondkar) who is a dancer in Saroj Khan's troupe and Munna's childhood friend, is coming back from a cancelled shooting. Munna sees her and invites her for a cuppa. She tells him that her shooting was cancelled because of a flimsy reason. Munna tells her that she should give up her work as it would not take her anywhere. Milee retorts,

पूरा दिन इधर उधर मस्ती करते घूमता रहता है. किसी अच्छी कम्पनी मे छोटी मोटी नौकरी कर ले
pooraa din idhar udhar masti karte ghoomtaa rehtaa hai. Kissi achchhee company me choti moti

naukree kar le.

And our hero responds with the featured line

अरे हटा सावन की घटा. किसी सेठ की गाडी मे बिस्किट खाने वाला कुत्ता बनने से अच्छा है, कि अपुन सडक पे मस्ती करेगा. अपनी मर्जी का मालिक, अपना राजा. क्या बोलता है पक्या (सही है बाप) ए मिली कहा चली.

Are hata saawan kee ghataa. Kisee seth kee gaadee me biskit khaane vaalaa kuttaa banne se achchhaa hai, ki apun sadak pe masti karegaa. Apnee marjee kaa maalik, apnaa raja. Kyaa boltaa hai pakyaa. (Sahee hai baap). Aye milee kahaan chalee

This is followed by the song. Yaaron sun lo zaraa. Incidentally this was AR Rahman's first original Hindi score. Till that time, his Tamil scores were being translated into Hindi. That resulted in 'wonderful' songs like 'paTTee rap' in Humse hai muqaablaa.

So if you want to peremptorily and summarily dismiss a suggestion or an idea, use this line. It is very powerful

हटा सावन की घटा

This incidentally marks Aamir Khan's debut on this blog.