Draamebaaz hai.n saale sab ke sab

Film : Maachis

Year of release : 1996

Spoken by : Commander (Kulbhushan Kharbanda)

Spoken to : Sanatan (Om Puri)

Dialogue writer : Gulzar

I love the way Kulbhushan chews every words and then spits it out.

The commander of the terrorist force spends most of his day at office driving a truck. His team members get into the truck, take orders and disperse after that. In one such transaction, Sanatan gets into his truck, and Commander tells him that Kedar Nath (a political leader) is visiting their town Manikaran on 13th March. Commander tells him that he is the same leader, who was an accused (as a ringleader) in the '84 Delhi riots. He had now become an MP and a central minister. Sanatan enquires whether he is the same leader  who had once been attacked by their group member Jimmy (Jimmy Shergill).  Commander replies in the affirmative and tells him that Kedar Nath was visiting a religious shrine to pay his respects. It is of course hypocritical, because he led mobs to murder many people of a particular religion and later when he becomes a minister, he goes to the religious shrines of the same religion. "To pay respects"! Commander comments on this action of Kedar Nath with a cynical line, before getting into the details of the plot to assassinate Kedar Nath.

"Draamebaaz hai.n saale sab ke sab. Acting karte rahte hai.n"

"ड्रामेबाज़ हैं साले सब के सब. ऍक्टिंग करते रहते हैं"

When I see the politicians and their day to day acts, I am often reminded of this line from Maachis. 

dimaaG pe bojh naheeN Daalte

Film: Ek Chaadar Mailee Sii

Year of release: 1986

Spoken by : Tirloka (Kulbhushan KharbanDa)

Spoken to : Various characters

This is one of the underrated films of Bollywood. A story written by Rajinder Singh Bedi, screenplay by Phani Majumdar and cinematography by Shaji N Karun and of course, excellent performances by Hema Malini, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Rishi Kapoor. This has excellent credentials. And it lives up to its potential. Do watch it if you already haven't. You will like it for its raunchy Punjabi humour, if not for everything else that I have listed.

On to the featured line now. this is the 'takiaa kalaam' or shibboleth that Tirloka uses in the film. He plays a chauvinistic, alcoholic and wife-beating horse buggy driver in this film. One night when he returns home, he has brought a chicken dish from the local restaurant. His wife asks him what has he brought. And he says

"दिमाग़ पे बोझ नहीं डालते"

which means, one should not needlessly tax one's brains. 'Take a chill pill' or 'cool it' are phrases which are close approximations. Now Tirloka is a character who puts his money where his mouth is. For sure, in this film, he does not tax his brains at all. He is satisfied with enjoying his alcohol and chicken and his wife Rani (Hema Malini) at regular intervals (probably daily). In a key turning point in the story, one day he sees a girl at the station whose brother has been left behind at an earlier station and she looks quite lost. He offers to take her to an inn run by Chaudhary. She objects saying she does not have any money. He again uses his favourite line

"दिमाग़ पे बोझ नहीं डालते. भाई कल आकर दे जायेगा"

The girl agrees. Later the Chaudhary rapes the girl and sends one of his men to get rid of her body in Tirloka's buggy. He tells Tirloka that the girl had an epileptic fit. Tirloka says that could be treated by getting the girl to smell a shoe (which is the native Indian treatment for epilepsy). Chaudhary says it could bring disrepute to the inn. Tirloka wonders how epilepsy can bring disrepute to an inn, but true to his wont - gives in with the line

"दिमाग़ पे बोझ नहीं डालते"

As it later turns out, he is killed because of this attitude. In hindsight, agar woh dimaaG par bojh Daal letaa to achchhaa hotaa. But then whenever you want to convince someone not to take things too seriously, this, is a great line to use.