Time and again

There are several Hindi films with a "lost and found family" as the basic plot. One such classic is the 1965 Yash Chopra directed Waqt. The story can be summarized as follows. In the aftermath of a severe earthquake Lala Kedarnath's (Balraj Sahni's) family gets separated. His eldest son Raja finds himself in an orphanage from where he flees after being mistreated by the manager. He grows up to become a thief (Raj Kumar). The second son Ravi gets adopted by a couple who find him on a road, hurt. Under their wings he (Sunil Dutt) goes on to study law. Kedarnath's wife Lakshmi (Achala Sachdev) faces many hardships to raise their youngest son Vijay (Shashi Kapoor). In the meanwhile Lala is sentenced to jail when in his anger he kills Raja's orphanage manager. Years go by and the three brothers cross paths. Seeing a childhood photo of Ravi, Raja recognizes him but does not reveal his identity. When Raja is falsely implicated in a murder case Ravi comes to his defense. Both Vijay and Lala Kedarnath are key witnesses in this trial. After many twists and turns Ravi succeeds in proving Raja's innocence. Wanting to hear the final verdict Lakshmi also comes to the court. In this manner the whole family is brought face to face and gets ultimately reunited. Towards the end Lala Kedarnath says to his wife:

"Lakshmi... aisa maaloom hota hai jaise kuch hua hi nahi. Guzarne se pehle waqt kitna lamba maloom hota hai, kaate nahi kat-ta. Lekin guzarjaane ke baad sadiyan pal ban jaati hain, jaise koi sapna dekha ho."

meaning "Lakshmi... it appears as if nothing has happened. Before time passes by it appears so long, difficult to spend. But after it passes by centuries seem like moments, as if it was a dream we had seen."

As each day ends I tell myself that time is slipping away and gliding by. I am thankful for this as it brings me that much closer to the kind of life I am longing for. But as I am no way near the stage where the mega (centuries) transforms into nano (moments), there is still a lot left to endure. The uncertainity springs all kinds of doubts and when my spirits sway and sag I wonder if there is light at the end of the tunnel. To people who are in a similar boat Emily Dickinson gives the message:

"Time does go on
I tell it gay to those who suffer now
They shall survive
There is a sun
They don't believe it now"
____________________________________________________________

PS: At what speed has 2011 been going for you so far? You'd rather it moved slower or faster?

Some more romantic movie dialogues

1. P.S. I Love You
Denise Hennessey (finishes kissing Tom): What's my name?
Tom: Tom.
Denise Hennessey: Where've you been?
Tom: With all the wrong women. (he kisses her again)


2. Serendipity
Sara: You don't have to understand. You just have to have faith.
Jonathan: Faith in what?
Sara: Destiny





3. 50 First Dates
Henry (to Lucy): You erased me from your memories because you thought you were holding me back from having a full and happy life. But you made a mistake. Being with you is the only way I could have a full and happy life. You're the girl of my dreams... and apparently, I'm the man of yours.


4. Bridget Jones' Diary
Mark Darcy (to Bridget): I don't think you're an idiot at all. I mean, there are elements of the ridiculous about you. Your mother's pretty interesting. And you really are an appallingly bad public speaker. And, um, you tend to let whatever's in your head come out of your mouth without much consideration of the consequences... But the thing is, um, what I'm trying to say, very inarticulately, is that, um, in fact, perhaps despite appearances, I like you, very much. Just as you are.


5. The Holiday
Graham (to Amanda): I have another scenario for you - I'm in love with you. I apologize for the blunt delivery, but as problematic as this fact may be, I'm in love... with you. I'm not feeling this because you're leaving, and not because it feels good to feel this way... which, by the way, it does, or did before you went off like that. I can't figure out the mathematics of this, I just know I love you. I can't believe how many times I'm saying it! And I never thought I'd feel this way again, so that's pretty phenomenal. And I realize that I come as a package deal: 3 for the price of 1. I know my package, perhaps in the light of day, isn't all that wonderful, but I finally know what I want and that, in itself, is a miracle. And what I want is you.

More romantic movie dialogues

1. Never Been Kissed
Josie: That thing, that moment, when you kiss someone and everything around becomes hazy and the only thing in focus is you and this person and you realize that that person is the only person that you're supposed to kiss for the rest of your life, and for one moment you get this amazing gift and you want to laugh and you want to cry because you feel so lucky that you found it and so scared that that it will go away all at the same time.


2. 13 Going On 30
Jenna: You want to know a secret?
Matt: Yeah.
Jenna: You are the sweetest guy I have ever met.



3. Runaway Bride
Ike: Look, I guarantee there'll be tough times. I guarantee that at some point, one or both of us is gonna want to get out of this thing. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life, because I know, in my heart, you're the only one for me.



4. As Good As It Gets
Melvin (to Carol): I might be the only person on the face of the earth that knows you're the greatest woman on earth. I might be the only one who appreciates how amazing you are in every single thing that you do, and how you are with Spencer, "Spence," and in every single thought that you have, and how you say what you mean, and how you almost always mean something that's all about being straight and good. I think most people miss that about you, and I watch them, wondering how they can watch you bring their food, and clear their tables and never get that they just met the greatest woman alive. And the fact that I get it makes me feel good, about me.


5. Sleepless In Seattle
Dr. Marcia: Tell me what was so special about your wife?
Sam: Well, how long is your program?... Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were suppose to be together... and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home... only to no home I'd ever known... I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like... magic.

To new "beginnings"

Christmas is over and we have now come to that part of 2008 when everybody is looking forward to the new year. Everybody at this time is reminiscing all that happened in the past twelve months. However bad the bygone 365 days might have been everybody is hopeful of the tide changing with the setting of January the First. There's a vigor, excitement and desire to start some projects afresh and to bring others to completion.

2008 has so far been very good to me. Two of my papers got published with a third one waiting to be uploaded soon. Instead of one stamp on my passport, I got two! I presented an invited lecture at an international conference. On the personal front I was gifted with a niece who filled my life with happiness. I found a certain precious thing I'd never had and threw away that no longer held any meaning.

I am now waiting with bated breath for 2009 to arrive. I have a simple two-point plan.

Someone very wise told me "You set your own standards." I am going to remind myself to always place the bar high. To try and do the best I can.

In the film The Holiday, Miles (Jack Black) says to Iris (Kate Winslet), "Iris if you were a melody... I'd use only the good notes." That is what I want to do... use only the good notes... make the sweetest melody.

:)

Rock on!

We are always advised by our friends and peers to move on or in today's lingo rock on whenever we suffer a personal or professional setback. We are told to cross the boulder or push it aside and keep walking. I am always reminded on such occasions of a few lines of a poem that my Sanskrit teacher in school had long ago recited to us during a class. The poem said

Chalna hai keval chalna jeevan chalta hi rehta hai
Ruk jaana hi mit jaana hai nirjhar yeh jharkar kehta hai

(Moving and only moving, life always keeps moving on
To stop is to meet your end, tells us the ever flowing waterfall)

These few words have stayed with me ever since I first heard them in class 9th and have always given me the necessary push.

The reason I recalled the above lines is the following dialogue that I heard in the movie Jodha Akbar:
Paani aur tamanna ki ek hi taaseer hoti hai... aage badhte rehna.

Refresher course (3)

Here are two more refreshed posts for you:

1. Spin-a-yarn: Click on the title to go to the post. The original one was titled Story Behind a Picture and has been kept as it is below the new version.

2. From fat to slim (4): exercising: Click on the title to go to the post. Unlike my other posts where content was inadequate, here it was in plenty and so I decided to modify it.

Number one

The one song that always comes on my lips when I think of romance is Pehla nasha pehla khumaar... from the movie Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar. Like in this song so in many hindi films the stress is invariably on the word pehla (first).

Pehle pyar ka pehla gham... (Papa Kehte Hain) talks about the first hurt experienced in first love. Can we ever forget the pehle pyar ki pehli chitthi that the heroine Bhagyashree sent off a pigeon to deliver to Salman Khan in Maine Pyar Kiya? There is an old song Aaj unse pehli mulakaat hogi... which Rakesh Roshan sings in anticipation of his first meeting with Hema Malini, his prospective bride. In Sirf Tum the heroine Priya Gill complains that she doesn't know what to do since its the first time she is in love. She sings Pehli pehli baar mohabbat ki hai kuch na samajh mein aaye main kya karoon... in the beautiful backdrop of Nainital.

There are many a songs that have paid tribute to love at first sight. Like in the duet Raja ko rani se pyar... (Akele Hum Akele Tum) Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala admit pehli nazar mein pehla pyar ho gaya. In the movie Run that I saw a few days back, Abhishek Bachchan professes merrily Pehli nazar mein dil diwana ho gaya, yeh toh dhadka aur kisika ho gaya... after seeing the first glimpse of Bhumika Chawla.

Then we have films with names like Pehla Nasha, Pehla Pehla Pyar, Mera Pehla Pehla Pyar and even First Love Letter. All of these to my knowledge sank at the box office.

There are many dialogues too that talk about various firsts. Often lovers can be found to proclaim "ki tumhi mera pehla aur aakhri pyar ho", that you are my first and last love. Post interval Kal Ho Na Ho begins by showing how hearts of various characters are breaking. Thats when Preity Zinta acknowledges "Apna pehla pyar bhulana aasaan nahi hai... its not that easy." In Hum Apke Hain Kaun, Salman Khan confesses to Madhuri Dixit "Aaj pehli baar koi ladki hamari gaadi ki front seat mein baithi hai." bringing out the significance of the simple act of giving her a lift in his car. These days Anil Kapoor can be caught declaring in trailers of the movie Tashan "Afterall first impression is the last impression."

My personal favourite however is a scene from the not so famous film Dil Maange More in which when actress Tulip Khanna patches up with her ex-boyfriend reasoning "Aakhir woh mera pehla pyar hai.", a heartbroken Shahid Kapoor retaliates in a timid voice "Pyar koi race nahi hai jisme pehla, doosra, teesra hota hai. Pyar sirf pyar hota hai."

Rules - pyar ka superhit formula

There is something inherently sweet about this movie: Rules - Pyar Ka Superhit Formula that whenever I watch it I can't help but smiling. It could be because I am, putting it mildly, an admirer of Aamir Khan and a succour for romantic comedies which are rare in Hindi filmdom.


The story is very simple.


Radha (Meera Vasudevan), an assistant photographer, is a huge fan of the model Vikram Verma (Milind Soman). One day her agency gets to shoot an ad campaign with Vikram and his girlfriend Maggie (Namrata Barua). Eventhough they are now working together Vikram does not notice Radha. Enters Daadima (Tanuja) who decides to help out her grandaughter by teaching her aakarshan ke paanch niyam (5 rules of attraction).


Rule No. 1: Aadmi ka dhyaan paana ho toh use dhyaan mat do. If you want to catch a man's attention then don't give him any attention.

That day Vikram asks Radha her name.

Rule No. 2: Aadmi ke peeche bhaagna use khud se dur bhagaana hai. Use bhaagne do tumhaare peeche. Running after man makes him run away from you. Let him come after you.

That day Vikram shares a taxi with Radha.


Rule No. 3: Aadmi ke liye hamesha ek raaz ban kar raho. Have a certain mystery about yourself in front of the boy.

That day Vikram dances with Radha in a party and drops her home.

Rule No. 4: Aadmi se hamesha ek baat chupake rakhna ki usme tumhe dard pahuchaane ki taaqat hai. Don't let the man know that he has the capacity to hurt you.

That day Vikram kisses Radha.



Rule No. 5: Agar aadmi se pyaar ka izhaar karwaana ho toh uski bahut tareef karo. If you want to make a man confess his love to you then you should praise him a lot.

That day Vikram says I love you to Radha.


By following these rules Radha gets what she wants afterall. But thats when it strikes her that she had been playing tricks on Vikram all along... that by playing by the rules she did not give him any choice but to love her. She tells him the truth believing that she couldn't be in love with him otherwise she wouldn't have done any of this.


Daadima takes charge for a second time to bring the two together knowing that Radha is being foolish. She remarks "Aakarshan ke toh phir bhi niyam hote hain par pyar ke... koi nahi."


In the climax of the film Radha climbs inside a hot air balloon to take some pictures during the shooting of a music video and it accidentally leaves ground. Our hero jumps to catch hold of the rope hanging from the balloon and climbs up to rescue his lady love!!


The following dialogues however save the ending from becoming melodramatic.




"Radha: Jab main chaudah saal ki thi toh maine ek photo dekha aur mujhe pyaar ho gaya. Woh tumhara photo tha. Jab main badi ho rahi thi pyar mere liye sirf ek khayal tha. Pyar ki kain tasveerein banaa rakhi thi maine apne mann mein... filmon se, romantic kitaabon se, gaano se. Aur har us tasveer ko main pyar samajhti rahi. Laal gulaabo ka ek guldasta, candle light dinner, barsaat mein saath saath bheegna, Valentine's Day pe kisko ek teddy gift karna, safed ghode pe ek rajkumar ka aana, bageeche mein gaane gaana, pyar bhare khat likhna, Bobby mein Rishi Kapoor aur Dimple ka ek kamre mein akele bandh ho jaana...


Lekin ab main jaan gayi hoon woh pyar nahi hai. Pyar woh hai jo...


Vikram: Jo tum mere liye mehsoos karti ho. "



Radha's description of love as 14 year old is so true. It comes very close to what I still associate with romance. So also are the lyrics of the song Kabhi phool dena... which tells what all happens in the name of love.



Kabhi phool dena...

Kabhi phool dena manaane ke liye
Kabhi dur rehba sataane ke liye
Aur kabhi kabhi khamosh baithe
Yunhi baahon ke sahaare
Suraj bujhaana saagar kinare
Phir raaton ko chaand ugaana
Waise pyar ke naam yeh toh yaaron
Sab hua hai
Ab yeh pyar bhi ho jaaye bas
Itni dua hai
Kabhi raahon mein phirte rehna
Bina kahe bas yunhi sunte rehna
Kammo mein uski saanson mein
Jalte hue pighalte rehna
Its only love I want to
Hold on to
And forever let it stay
Its only love that I need
Its only... only love

Janmo ke waade
Har baat pe kasam
Kabhi jaan kehna
Kabhi kehna haan sanam
Aur sau sau baar yeh kehna
Le aayenge hum taare zameen pe
Jo kahoge toh jaan bhi denge
Waise pyar ke naam yeh toh yaaron
Sab hua hai
Ab yeh pyar bhi ho jaaye bas
Itni dua hai
In lamhon ko rokne ki
Woh naakaam koshishein karna
Jo guzre hain saath unko
Phir yaadein banaake rakhna
Its only love I want to
Hold on to
And forever let it stay
Its only love that I need
Its only... only love

Spin-a-yarn

"There is always a story behind a picture."

says Julia Ormond who plays a photographer in the movie Sabrina, to Harrison Ford.

In my final year at school as Director Publications I had organized a week long literary event called Born Free to celebrate 50 years of Indian Independence. The competitions of the literary week were such that students from class sixth to class twelfth could participate in them. We had a book reading competition, an Enid Blyton quiz, a poetry writing competition, an essay writing competition and my personal favourite of the lot the Spin-a-yarn contest. In the latter we gave contestants chits to pick and each chit corresponded to a particular photo. Depending up on what the photo told them they had to spin a yarn, that is, write a story.

One of the photos was of hundreds of mice surrounding a bowl of milk. It was a coincidence that this picture came the way of a good friend of mine participating in the competition. I had thought that my friend's effort was one of the best stories but to my disappointment the judges felt differently.

I have to admit that while it may seem that the inspiration behind Spin-a-yarn was Julia Ormond's dialogue the suggestion to hold such a competition was actually given by my elder sister. My sister who was then doing her graduation used to tell me about the various festivals stretched over days going on in not just her college but also through out Delhi University. This got me excited enough to organize Born Free in school.

The Literary Week turned out to be a huge success and we even managed to get a monetary grant allotted from our Principal to give books as prizes to all the winners!!


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The original post was:
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In the movie Sabrina, Julia Ormond while urging Harrison Ford to take photographs of the scenic beauty around them says "There is always a story behind a picture."

What kind of story would my photograph tell? It would depend on a number of things. Like...

Is it a baby pic or a grown up one?
Whether I was simply posing or was caught doing some action?
Am I standing alone or am I part of a group?
Whether alone or amidst a crowd, am I looking happy or crying or frowning?
How are the other people seeming to interact?
What is the backdrop of the picture? A room, a stage or some beautiful landscape? Or was the photo taken during a celeberation?

The answers to these questions will help reveal my story though only in part. A collection of photos would give away a lot more. Even with the thousand words spoken by each photo, the compilation may still fail to tell the entire tale of my life. But whether a partial or complete account is disclosed what kind it shapes into lies up to us.

Very simply be good if that is what what you want your photos to say.

Ratatouille: change is nature

Yesterday evening I saw the movie Ratatouille (pronounced Rat-a-2-ee). I found it to be more than just a fun film. It taught me a great lesson through the story of Remy.

Remy is a rat - a rat with a gift. By simply smelling a dish he can tell what all ingredients went into making it. When rats are supposed to steal food for surviving he dreams to be a cook!! In the face of strong disapproval from his father Django, Remy sets out to turn his dream into a reality.

At one point in the film Django presents to Remy a bleak future by showing him a shop displaying dead rats killed by the rat poisons that it sold. But Remy does not waver. The following dialogues are then exchanged between father and son.

Remy: No. Dad, I don't believe it. You're telling me that the future is... can only be... more of this?
Django: This is the way things are. You can't change nature.
Remy: Change is nature, Dad. The part that we can influence. And it starts when we decide.

What we want to become is indeed in our hands. All we've got to do is believe in our potential. We shouldn't let anyone set limitations to our goals. When feeling down we should remember the advice a bird had given to a mouse (in Stuart Little - 2)

"you are as big as you feel."

Hoping against hope

I have used the phrase "hoping against hope" innumerable times all through school, college and now as I am doing my Ph.D. Even in the worst case scenario I preferred to imagine that something good would happen, I preferred to believe till the last minute that whatever was not working would suddenly start functioning again and that eventually everything would just fall into place. Hoping for the best is what kept me going.

Can one completely lose hope?
Is it really difficult to get back the lost hope?
Why aren't some people able to make a U-turn after reaching a dead end?

In the last few years I have come across quite a few headlines in papers giving the news of an IIT student committing suicide. It saddens me to learn that these young kids chose to embrace death instead of life.

I can speak for myself and I am sure many would agree that we've had an easier life than our parents. We didn't have to give tuition to fund our education. We were never made to take care of the household and look after our brothers and sisters when we were in school. We didn't have to walk miles to reach our colleges. How many of our wishes were not granted by our parents?

May be we've had it too easy that at the very first instance of hard luck coming our way we begin to crumble. Whatever happened to that age old mantra of "if you try and don't succeed try, try again"?

We must remind ourselves like the dialogue from The Shawshank Redemption that "hope is a good thing" and we don't need any courage to hold on to it. Infact holding on to hope gives you the courage needed to face the future.

Heartbreak

Sheesha ho ya dil ho
Aakhir toot jaata hai...

Meaning

Be it a mirror or a heart,
it will eventually break

... go the lyrics of the famous Reena Roy song from the film Asha comparing the fragility of the heart to that of a mirror. Just as a slight push can cause a mirror to fall down and break into many a pieces so can be the effect of the simplest of words or actions of someone you love on your feelings. Indeed as Emily Dickinsen says in her poem

Not with a club the heart is broken,
Nor with a stone;
A whip, so small you could not see it,
I ’ve known

If breaking of a heart is easy then putting the pieces back together is all the more difficult. One of my favourite dialogues is from the film Mann where Manisha Koirala lectures Aamir Khan when he lightly confesses to have broken many a girls' hearts saying

Vishwas jeetna bahut aasaan hai
Usse bhi aasaan hai vishwas ko todh dena
Aur sacha insaan woh hota hai
Jo us vishwas ko nibhaaye
Todhe nahi

Recently I came across an article which talked about whether couples who reunite after a period of time has passed since they had broken up can make their relationship work. The answer was somewhat in the negative. Its not a surprise because there would be no peace of mind when you are always afraid of things going wrong a second time over. In the absence of comfort you are not likely to even feel free be yourself.

Lagaan (1): dialogues

Lagaan is one of my all time favourite movies. I have seen it n number of times but on each time I watch it with an enthusiasm as if it was a first. Every time I get all excited when the film reaches its climax.

I had first seen the film in Delhi in 2001 after having finished with a series of MSc entrance exams. I was pretty crazy about Aamir Khan then (still am) and when the titles showed "Aamir Khan Production" I felt a rush as if I had only made the film. I found the music and the images rolling in the background during the titles very grand. It was but a slight flavour of what was to come. The cast, the costumes, the setting, the music and the dialogues just blended perfectly.

I had the real experience of watching Lagaan in the IIT Bombay Auditorium. It was jam packed on the night on the screening. There were people of all age groups. Old uncle-aunties who needed walking sticks for support, bachas and bachis, and ofcourse all IIT students... everyone turned up in full flow. Or as some ads say "overfull" flow. From the word go the audience was in raptures. We were clapping at every scene. People were reciting dialogues simultaneously with the film. There was such excitement towards the second half of the movie when the cricket match begins. Everyone was hooting, shouting, whistling, dancing, jumping with joy as Bhuvan scores a six on the last ball leading the Champaner team to victory and relief from teen guna Lagaan.

I haven't seen any other film following Lagaan to get that kind of response and this makes it even more special for me.

I am putting here some of favourite dialogues. The favourites amongst the favourites are typed in italics.

Mai: Hey Ram! Bakhat se pehle hi khushiyaan!

Arjan: Chaon dena ped ka dharma hota hai. Hum toh sirf itna jaan-na chahit hain ki aakhir bhookhe pet kab tak unki malaalein gaadhe? Kab tak unki kodaamein bharen?

Bhuvan: Mukhiya ji! Chahe dahine haath par dharo chahe baayen haath par… lagaan toh humka dehi ke padi. Hum toh kehit hain ke sab jane milke rajmahal chalo aur Rajaji se baat karo. Ee baadal unse chupe nahi hain. Unse kaho ki ee saal hum lagaan nahi de payenge. Ekho daana bhi nahi.

Bhuvan: Toh phir saari alag-alag ungliyan ki muthi ban jaaye Mukhiya ji.
Mukhiya: Matlab tum ladoge?
Bhuvan: Agar jaroorat padi toh woh bhi.

Mukhiya: Tohar khopadi ghoom gayi hai. Rajaji ke saath gustaakhi karoge toh khud toh dooboge hum sab ka bhi laike dooboge.
Bhuvan: Abhai kaunsi zindagi sukh bhog rahi hai. Doobe nahi hain ka?
Mukhiya: Jo bhi ho... lekin hum poore gaaon par dhool nahi udhne denge.

Out! (Umpire raises finger pointing towards the sky.)
Bhura: Baadal aa gaye ka?

Rajaji: Yeh ladka toh waise bhi naadaan hai.
Capt Russel: Itna bhi naadaan nahi hai.

Capt Russel: Lekin yeh mumkin hai. Bataata hai. Theek hai hum lagaan maaf karega. Lekin ek shart hai.
Mukhiya: Sharat? Ka sharat hai?
Capt Russel (to Bhuvan): Tum... idhar aao. Kya kaha tha tumne hamare khel ke baare mein? What did he say? Sadiyal. Bhadda sa khel hai. Tum is khel ke baare mein kya jaante ho?
Bhuvan: Bachpan se khelat aa rahein hai. Hum ika gilli danda kehte hain aur aap na jaane kaa.
Capt Russel: Cricket! Toh tumhara yeh kehna hai ki yeh cricket tum khel sakte ho.
Bhuvan: Haan. Aasaan hai.
Capt Russel: Theek hai. Toh main lagaan maaf kar deta hoon. Lekin tumhe is khel mein humein haraana hoga. Shart yeh hai ki tum humko is khel mein harao aur hum tumhara lagaan maaf kar dega.
(Rajaji laughs in bakground.)
I am serious. You beat us in this game and I’ll cancel your tax.
Lekin kahin tum haar gaya toh tum humko triple tax yaani tin guna lagaan dega. Theek hai. Bolo sharat manzoor hai?
Team member: Sir I think the cat has caught his toungue.
Capt Russel: Quiet. Theek hai hum shart badhata hai. Tum humko is khel mein haraoge toh tumhare is saal ka toh kya hum agle saal ka bhi laagaan maaf kar dega. Hai manzoor?
Villagers: Bhuvan kuch mat kehna! Chup rehna! Kuch mat bolna!
Capt Russel: Theek hai. Hum sharat aur badhata hai. Sirf ek saal ka hi nahi agle do saal ka lagaan maaf kar dega. Yaani teen saal. Sirf tumhare hi nahi saare praant ka. Ab manzoor hai?
Villagers: Humka phasaane ki khatir gaddha khod raha hai!
Capt Russel: Tum bolo. Dugna lagaan doge ki sharat manzoor hai?
(Long pause.)
Bhuvan: Sharat manzoor hai.

Mukhiya: Hum toh pehle kehit rahen kaunhu badi bipda aa sakat hai. Nahi kehit rahen Bhuvan?
Bhuvan: Aur kaunhu chaara tha? Main poochon tha kaunhu chaara? Ka kar sakte the hum? Dugna lagaan jabardasti nahi hai? Bhare ki taakat hai? Bataiye? Bhar sake hai koi? Ee bipda nahi hai Mukhiya ji hai mauka. Hum sirf jos ma haan nahi kiye hain. Choolhe se roti ko nikaalne ke liye chimpte ko apna mooh jalaaike padi. Maanat hai. Maanat hai ki hamar palda halka hai. Par ee maa umeed toh hai. Aur yehi umeed ka hum sacchayi maa badhalna chahit hain. Ee khel hai hamare khet khaliyan ke liye. Bhool gaye agar jeete toh teen saal sukhi rahenge. Teen saal! Zara socho! Teen saal kaunhu lagaan nahi. Jaane ho eeka matlab? Matlab hamaar anaaj hamra apna hoga. Kisiko daana nahi dena padega. Ee ma hamre bachon humri humaare gaaon ki khushaali hogi. Humra paseena hamare tan mein khoon ban ke daudega.
Arjan: Sabaas! Choti choti aakhen aur bade bade sapne.
Bhuvan: Haan Arjan. Hum sapna dekhat hain. Aur sapne wohi saakar kar sakat hain jo unhe dekhat hain.

Gauri: Bharosa hai mohe... tujh pe... tohri himmat pe. Bas itna hi kehne aayi thi.

Bhuvan: Sau kaude manzoor hai magar hum maafi nahi maangenge.
Rajaji: Maafi ki toh ab baat hi nahi uthti. Ab jo kar diya hai use bhugato.
Mukhiya: Toh phir ka karen Maharaj?
Rajaji: Unka khel seekho.

That is out Sir! (Umpire raises finger towards sky.)
Tipu: Oo phir se aasman ki taraf ungli kahe dikha raha hai?
Bhuvan: Yehi toh humhu samajhne ki kosis kar rahein hain.
Guran: Apni amma ko yaad kar raha hai. Upar baithi hai na!

Goli: Bhuvan toh ka humra lagaan maaf hoga?
Bhuvan: Haan Goli.
Goli: Ka hum bhar pet khaayenge? Ka hamare sapne sach honge? Bhuvan tu gili chutki mein namak pakad raha hai!
Bhuvan: Bharosa kar Goli. Sach aur saahas hai jike mann mein anth mein jeet uski rahe.

Ismail: Dekh! Dekh! Ek Angrez chori hamra tan-pet bachaane ke khatir gaaon ki madad kar rahi hai. Aur hum gaal phoolaye baithe hain. Laalat hai sasuri! Alaah nigehbaan. Humein Bhuvan ka saath dena hi hoga.

Ismail: Bhuvan. Taang se kapda hate toh poore tan ki laaj jaave. Maine us din jo bhi bura bhala kaha uske liye main sarminda hoon. Aur ee kosis maa main tumhare saath hoon. Maula kasam. Namaaz ka imaan nahi gawaya hai.
Gauri: Kitni badhiya baat hai Bhuvan. Ismail bhaiyya ne kitni himmat badha di. Ab kaun hai rokne waala!

Bhuvan: Ka dekh rahi hain Memsaab?
Elizabeth: Yeh statute... murat kiski hai?
Bhuvan: Yeh Radha-Kisen ka mandir hai Memsaab. Bhagwaan Kisen aur Radha ji ki murtiyan hain yeh. Aaj Kisen ji ka janamdin hai. Isi liye humne in murtiyon ko sajaaya hai.
Elizabeth: Kya yeh pati-patni the?
Bhuvan: Arrey nahi-nahi Memsaab. Kisen ji ki shaadi Rukmini se hui thi aur Radha ji ki Anay se. Lekin dono mein bahut gehra prem tha. Jo ek misaal ban kar reh gaya. Aap samajh lo kamal ke patte par sabnam ki boond jaisa... ek bhi nahi hue aur alag bhi nahi.

Gauri (about Lakha): Bhuvan isse hargiz mati lena. Mann ka kaala hai.

Elizabeth: Tum khel ke baare mein kya jaante ho?
Deva: Do baatein Memsaab. Agar gend phenkoon toh teeno lakdiyan di dhajjiyan udha doon. Aur jo agar kheloon toh gend nu cheer ke rakh doon.

Bhuvan: Ae Gauri. Saare gaaon mein ek hi ghar hai jike aangan mein neem ka ped hai. Bagal ma bada sa khet bhi hai. Ek joda bel, do gaay, teen bakriyan bhi hai. Aur main jaanu hoon pagli ki woh ghar mora hai. Aur ek baat sunti ja. Tu Mai ko pasand bhi hai.

Mukhiya: Goron ke saath ladna dharm hai. Par ek achoot ka saath laike poora doodh bhrast nahi hone denge hum!
Bhuvan: Kachra. (Touches him.) Doodh par choot achhot ki chaap lagai ke doodh ko aap bhrast kare ho. Saare gaaon ki saans ee choot achoot ki dohe se kahe ghot rahe ho Mukhiya ji? Chamdi ke naam pe mann ko chalna kaunhu nek kaam hai ka.? Phir kahe pujte ho raam ji ko jinne sabri ke jhoote ber khaaye? Jo bhagwaan sabki naiyya par lagawat hai uki naiyya ek choti jaati ek naawik ne paar lagaayi. Ee sab jaan ne ke baad bhi choot achoot ki baat kare ho! Aur aap Issar kaka... aap toh vaid ho. Peedha harte ho. Rogi ki naadi parakh karke uka ilaaj karte ho. Ka aapka sastra yehi kehta hai ki achoot ka ilaaj na kiya jaaye? Uka marne diya jaaye? Agar aisa hai toh ee insaaniyat ke naam pe sabse bada kalank hoga. Aaj ke baad koi bhi vaid ko Bhagwaan ka doosra roop nahi maanega.
Lakha: Oo sab chod Bhuvan. Tu toh tagda khiladi chahe tha na. Ee Kachra toh lula hai.
Bhuvan: Tere haath salamat hai na. Devi maa meherban hai Lakha so keh raha hai. Magar jis kalai ko tune lula kaha hai wohi hamri sabse badi taakat banegi dekh lena. Ee bejaan sa panja hi humein jeet dilayega. Ek baat sab logan ka yaad dilayi doon. Yeh sirf khel nahi hai jo hum aapke manoranjan ke liye khel rahe hain. Yeh ek ladayi hai jo humka jitni hain. Hamara maksad sirf ek hi hai. Lagaan se mukti. Gaaon ki khushaali. Aur uke vaaste main marte dam tak main kisi ke saamne nahi jhukoonga. Aap log mera saath de ya na de magar Kachra khelega!
Issar kaka: Bhuvan beta. Jo aakhen poori tarah se khul gayi hon unmein toh saram bhi nahi aa sakat.
Arjan: Main Issar bhai ki baat se sehmat hoon. Tum theek kehte ho.
Mukhiya: Kachra humre saath khelega!

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PS: Lyrics of some of the songs from Lagaan I am reserving for the next post.

Mera kuch saamaan

Film: Ijjazat
Music: R. D. Burman

Mera kuch saamaan
Tumhare paas padha hai
Ho... saawan ke kuch bheege bheege din rakhe hain
Aur mere ek khat mein lipti raat padhi hai
Woh raat bujha do
Mera woh saamaan lauta do
Mera kuch...

Patjhad hai kuch, hai na? hmmm?

Ho... patjhad mein kuch patton ke
Girne ke aahat
Kaanon mein ek baar pehenke lautayee thi
Patjhad ki woh shaakh abhi tak kaanp rahi hai
Woh shaakh gira do
Mera woh saamaan lauta do
Woh shaakh...

Ek akeli chatri mein jab aadhe-aadhe bheeg rahe the
Aadhe sookhe aadhe geele sookha toh mein le aayi thi
Geela mann shaayad bistar ke paas padha ho
Woh bhijwa do
Mera woh saamaan lauta do

Ek sau solha chaand ki raatein
Ek tumhare kandhe ka til
Gili mehndi ki khushboo
Jhooth moot ke shikwe kuch
Jhooth moot ke waade bhi sab
Yaad kara dun
Sab bhijwa do
Mera woh saamaan lauta do
Sab bhijwa...

Ek ijazzat de do bas
Jab isko dafanaaoongi
Main bhi wahin so jaaoongi
Main bhi wahin so jaaoongi


The song Mera kuch saamaan... has been soulfully rendered by Asha Bhosle in the film Ijaazat, meaning permission, starring Rekha, Naseeruddin Shah and Anuradha Patel. In the movie Naseeruddin Shah and Anuradha Patel were in love but N. Shah gets married to Rekha. This song comes at a point when Rekha tells her husband to send away all of Anuradha's things (saamaan) that were lying in their house. But as the lyrics tell us the things that Anuradha wants back are very different. What she asks for are the rain soaked days (saawan ke kuch bheege bheege din...), the night she had spent writing a letter (mere ek khat mein lipti raat padhi hai), her wet heart (geela mann shaayad bistar ke paas padha ho), the insipid fights (jhooth moot ke shikwe kuch) and the silly promises (jhooth moot ke waade bhi sab).

Often those who've lost in love wish if they could get back every moment that they'd spent laughing, crying, loving and hating while dreaming, thinking, imagining and remembering this one person. As you go about realizing the futility of this desire, you begin to think yourself as a fool to have spent every every moment laughing, crying, loving and hating while dreaming, thinking, imagining and remembering this one person.

Faye puts it much better in the climax of the Tom Hanks movie "That Thing You Do" when her long time boyfriend Jimmy breaks up with her. She sadly admits,

"I have wasted thousands and thousands of kisses on you. Kisses that I thought were special because of your lips and your smile and all your color and life. I used to think that was the real you when you smiled. But now I know that you don't mean any of it, and you just save it for all your songs. Shame on me for kissing you with my eyes closed so tight."

Michael Moscovitz

I saw a rerun of the movie Princess Diaries a few days back. Though the film story and its characters are quite different from those in Meg Cabot's book of the same name, I happen to still like it. A huge reason for this is seen in the photo above: actor Robert Schwartzman who plays Michael Moscovitz. He looks a total sweet heart with his hair falling almost upto his eyes. :)

In the movie Michael finds himself surprised at being invited by Mia to the Genovian Ball and asks her "Why me?" The reply to this question: "Because you saw me when I was invisible." is my favourite dialogue.

PS: The story of the film has been nicely summarised on yahoo movies. For more on the book check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_Diaries.

Beautiful dialogue

I am writing here this amazing dialogue, from the movie End of the Spear, that I found on someone's blog

Nate Saint: Do you know how far away the sun is?

Young Steve Saint: 93 million miles.

Nate Saint: Do you know that that’s just a fraction of how much I love you?

Shero-shaayari from Aamir Khan films

Fanaa

Bhool ke humse jo bhool ho gayi ho
Toh bhool samajh kar bhula dena
Lekin bhulaana sirf bhool ko
Galti se bhi humein na bhula dena

Dur humse jaaoge kaise?
Humko bhool paaoge kaise?
Hum woh khushboo hai jo saanson mein baste hain
Apni saanson ko rok paaoge kaise?



Sarfarosh

Milte hi nazarein dil milaaya nahi jaata
Aaghaaz ko anjaam banaaya nahi jaata

Phool khilte hain bahaaron ka samaa hota hai
Aise mausum mein hi toh pyaar jawaan hota hai
Dil ki baaton ko hothon se nahi kehte
Yeh fasaana toh nigaahon se bayaan hota hai



1947-Earth

Husn ki chakki chali
Ek daana phas gaya
Tum phase toh kya phase Dilnawaaz
Saara zamaana phas gaya

My favourite romantic movie dialogues

1. My Best Friend's Wedding
Michael: Kimmy says if you love someone you say it, you say it right then, out loud. Otherwise the moment just...
Julianne: Passes you by...
Michael: Passes you by...






2. Notting Hill
William: I live in Notting Hill. You live in Beverly Hills. Everyone in the world knows who you are, my mother has trouble remembering my name.
Anna: I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.


3. Jerry Maguire
Jerry: I love you. You... complete me.
Dorothy: Shut up. Just shut up. You had me at "hello."




4. When Harry Met Sally
Harry: I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

5. You've Got Mail
Joe: You know, sometimes I wonder...
Kathleen: What?
Joe: Well... if i hadn't been "Fox Books" and you hadn't been "The Shop Around the Corner," and you and I had just met...
Kathleen: I know.
Joe: Yeah, yeah. I would've asked for your number. And I wouldn't have been able to wait 24 hours before calling you up and saying, Hey, how about... oh, how about some coffee, or drinks, or dinner, or a movie... for as long as we both shall live?