Actors and script writers share with Anuradha Varma the names of those behind some of Bollywood's most memorable scenes and dialogues!
Junglee
Yahoo, chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe!
Remember a young, handsome Shammi Kapoor rolling down the snow, boisterously singing 'Yahoo, chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe'? The playful number from Junglee (1961), directed by Subodh Mukherjee, wouldn't have had the same impact if Shammi hadn't put his foot down in Kashmir and moved the shooting to Kufri, near Shimla. Shammi recalls, "When we reached Pahalgam, there was hardly any snow. So, I put my foot down and we came to Kufri in February, where the snow was perfect." Sung by Mohammad Rafi, 'Yahoo' was vocalised by Prayagraaj, one of the film's writers. The word 'Yahoo' was Shammi's idea. He says, "I had used it in my other movies too, like Tumsa Nahin Dekha and Dil Deke Dekho, though not to this effect!"
Maine Pyar Kiya
Friendship mein, no thank you, no sorry!
Whether it was the "Kabootar ja, ja.." song or the famous dialogue "Friendship mein, no thank you, no sorry", Sooraj Barjatya's Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) was a winner all the way, launching two stars - Bhagyashree and Salman Khan. While Bhagyashree left films and opted for marriage, the public never really forgot her or the movie. Bhagyashree recalls, "Soorajji and I were discussing how friendship meant unspoken understanding, and there was no place for 'thank you' and 'sorry'. That's how it came to be included in the dialogues. I also used to say 'Hota hai, hota hai", through the movie. Salman was teasing me and while doing that, he climbed up the stairs of the sets and suddenly fell. I laughed, saying, 'Hota hai, hota hai'. Soorajji asked me to repeat it for the movie. Shooting for the movie was fun and Salman and I became great friends. He was the first guest at my wedding and the last to leave."
Deewar
Mere paas ma hai!
It was Amitabh's coming of age film, soon after his hit Zanjeer, when he could finally stand tall alongside his friend and star Shashi Kapoor. The dialogue "Mere Paas Ma Hai" from Yash Chopra's Deewar (1975), spoken by police officer brother Shashi to Amitabh, who was on the wrong side of the law, are etched in filmgoers' memories. Javed Akhtar, who teamed up with Salim Khan to create Brand Bachchan, with hit movies like Sholay and Deewar, says, "We didn't write the script keeping Amitabh in mind, but when we looked around, he was right for the part. A good writer has to be capable of shifting his loyalty according to the character he is writing for." Later, Amitabh blogged about the premiere, "When the scene under the bridge started, the 'mere pass maa hai' moment, I felt a gentle hand on mine. It was Shashi ji's. He never spoke, but the way he held my hand said everything. It was everything that a struggling actor who once played an 'extra' in a film that starred this gentleman sitting next to me, had never ever dreamt would happen."
Mr India
Mogambo khush hua!
For years after the film, it was common to quip, "Mogambo khush hua!" Shekhar Kapur's sci-fi superhero classic Mr India (1987), immortalised the late Amrish Puri in his larger-than-life role, with this oft-repeated dialogue in the film, co-starring Sridevi and Anil Kapoor. Mogambo sat on his throne on a high-tech island, monitoring the activities of his henchmen. Says producer Boney Kapoor, "Shekhar was clear that he wanted a comic book feel to the film and the character. 'Mogambo' was characterised after about 65 per cent of the film had been shot. We considered Anupam Kher, but decided on Amrish Puri, who was already a known villain. About 10 of us, including Shekhar, Sridevi, Shabana, Javed (Akhtar, the scriptwriter) flew to meet him in Ooty, where he was shooting. Mogambo's throne, the outlandish costumes with embroidered skulls, all added to his persona. And the consummate actor that he was, Amrish Puri never said the line the same way once."
Kalicharan
Log mujhe lion ke naam se jaante hain!
Remember Mona, darling? This is where the Ajit jokes began! The villain's punchline "Log mujhe lion ke naam se jaante hain," came from director-writer-producer Subhash Ghai in the Shatrughan Sinha and Reena Roy-starrer Kalicharan (1976). He explains, "The letters of 'lion' read backwards spelt No 17, an important clue in the film. Punchlines have always been important, like the one in Karma, where Anupam Kher as Dr Dang tells Dilip Kumar, "Yeh thappad ki goonj sun rahe ho .... Dang ko yeh thappad ka goonj hamesha yaad rahega."
Bobby
Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra...!
The name was Prem Chopra and Bollywood fans can never forget it! While Raj Kapoor's Bobby (1973) became a famous launch vehicle for his son Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia, another dialogue that went into Bollywood's hall of fame was "Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra!" Recalls 'villain' Prem Chopra, "When Raj Kapoor first handed me the one-liner, I wondered, 'Kya kah raha hai? Mazaak toh nahin kar raha?" (What is he saying? Is he joking?) I had just asked him about my character and my dialogues and he handed me that single line!" Of course, nobody's complaining now!
Upkar
Why is Manoj Kumar called Mr India?
Actor-writer-producer Manoj Kumar found his calling as Mr India in this 1967 hit Upkar, where he played a hero named Bharat. Songs from the movie, such as "Kasme Yaade Pyar Wafa" and "Mere Desh ki Dharti" are still played. Says Manoj Kumar, "I had thought of calling myself Ram, but then felt that the character signified a lot of good that was in India, and decided to call myself Bharat. The songs in my films too have a lot of contribution from me."
Sholay
Tumhara naam kya hai, Basanti?
When Amitabh Bachchan (Jai) asked a talkative Hema Malini deadpan, "Tumhara naam kya hai, Basanti?" or Hema raced on her horse-drawn tonga, yelling "Chal, Dhanno", they probably had no idea that viewers would be pressing the replay button many times over the next few decades. Dialogues from Ramesh Sippy's Sholay (1975) like "Kitne aadmi the?" (the late Amjad Khan as villain Gabbar Singh), "Basanti, in kutton ke samne mat naachna" (Dharmendra as Veeru), are still alive in public memory. Recalls Hema Malini, "I had no idea then that the film would be such a huge hit. People still call me Basanti. I liked my character as she was bubbly, like my part in Seeta Aur Geeta. The dialogues were by Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, only the acting was mine. It was on the first day of shooting, when we did the temple scene, that I prepared for my part. Once one gets into character, it's easy. I was a spontaneous actress."
Junglee
Yahoo, chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe!
Remember a young, handsome Shammi Kapoor rolling down the snow, boisterously singing 'Yahoo, chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe'? The playful number from Junglee (1961), directed by Subodh Mukherjee, wouldn't have had the same impact if Shammi hadn't put his foot down in Kashmir and moved the shooting to Kufri, near Shimla. Shammi recalls, "When we reached Pahalgam, there was hardly any snow. So, I put my foot down and we came to Kufri in February, where the snow was perfect." Sung by Mohammad Rafi, 'Yahoo' was vocalised by Prayagraaj, one of the film's writers. The word 'Yahoo' was Shammi's idea. He says, "I had used it in my other movies too, like Tumsa Nahin Dekha and Dil Deke Dekho, though not to this effect!"
Maine Pyar Kiya
Friendship mein, no thank you, no sorry!
Whether it was the "Kabootar ja, ja.." song or the famous dialogue "Friendship mein, no thank you, no sorry", Sooraj Barjatya's Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) was a winner all the way, launching two stars - Bhagyashree and Salman Khan. While Bhagyashree left films and opted for marriage, the public never really forgot her or the movie. Bhagyashree recalls, "Soorajji and I were discussing how friendship meant unspoken understanding, and there was no place for 'thank you' and 'sorry'. That's how it came to be included in the dialogues. I also used to say 'Hota hai, hota hai", through the movie. Salman was teasing me and while doing that, he climbed up the stairs of the sets and suddenly fell. I laughed, saying, 'Hota hai, hota hai'. Soorajji asked me to repeat it for the movie. Shooting for the movie was fun and Salman and I became great friends. He was the first guest at my wedding and the last to leave."
Deewar
Mere paas ma hai!
It was Amitabh's coming of age film, soon after his hit Zanjeer, when he could finally stand tall alongside his friend and star Shashi Kapoor. The dialogue "Mere Paas Ma Hai" from Yash Chopra's Deewar (1975), spoken by police officer brother Shashi to Amitabh, who was on the wrong side of the law, are etched in filmgoers' memories. Javed Akhtar, who teamed up with Salim Khan to create Brand Bachchan, with hit movies like Sholay and Deewar, says, "We didn't write the script keeping Amitabh in mind, but when we looked around, he was right for the part. A good writer has to be capable of shifting his loyalty according to the character he is writing for." Later, Amitabh blogged about the premiere, "When the scene under the bridge started, the 'mere pass maa hai' moment, I felt a gentle hand on mine. It was Shashi ji's. He never spoke, but the way he held my hand said everything. It was everything that a struggling actor who once played an 'extra' in a film that starred this gentleman sitting next to me, had never ever dreamt would happen."
Mr India
Mogambo khush hua!
For years after the film, it was common to quip, "Mogambo khush hua!" Shekhar Kapur's sci-fi superhero classic Mr India (1987), immortalised the late Amrish Puri in his larger-than-life role, with this oft-repeated dialogue in the film, co-starring Sridevi and Anil Kapoor. Mogambo sat on his throne on a high-tech island, monitoring the activities of his henchmen. Says producer Boney Kapoor, "Shekhar was clear that he wanted a comic book feel to the film and the character. 'Mogambo' was characterised after about 65 per cent of the film had been shot. We considered Anupam Kher, but decided on Amrish Puri, who was already a known villain. About 10 of us, including Shekhar, Sridevi, Shabana, Javed (Akhtar, the scriptwriter) flew to meet him in Ooty, where he was shooting. Mogambo's throne, the outlandish costumes with embroidered skulls, all added to his persona. And the consummate actor that he was, Amrish Puri never said the line the same way once."
Kalicharan
Log mujhe lion ke naam se jaante hain!
Remember Mona, darling? This is where the Ajit jokes began! The villain's punchline "Log mujhe lion ke naam se jaante hain," came from director-writer-producer Subhash Ghai in the Shatrughan Sinha and Reena Roy-starrer Kalicharan (1976). He explains, "The letters of 'lion' read backwards spelt No 17, an important clue in the film. Punchlines have always been important, like the one in Karma, where Anupam Kher as Dr Dang tells Dilip Kumar, "Yeh thappad ki goonj sun rahe ho .... Dang ko yeh thappad ka goonj hamesha yaad rahega."
Bobby
Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra...!
The name was Prem Chopra and Bollywood fans can never forget it! While Raj Kapoor's Bobby (1973) became a famous launch vehicle for his son Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia, another dialogue that went into Bollywood's hall of fame was "Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra!" Recalls 'villain' Prem Chopra, "When Raj Kapoor first handed me the one-liner, I wondered, 'Kya kah raha hai? Mazaak toh nahin kar raha?" (What is he saying? Is he joking?) I had just asked him about my character and my dialogues and he handed me that single line!" Of course, nobody's complaining now!
Upkar
Why is Manoj Kumar called Mr India?
Actor-writer-producer Manoj Kumar found his calling as Mr India in this 1967 hit Upkar, where he played a hero named Bharat. Songs from the movie, such as "Kasme Yaade Pyar Wafa" and "Mere Desh ki Dharti" are still played. Says Manoj Kumar, "I had thought of calling myself Ram, but then felt that the character signified a lot of good that was in India, and decided to call myself Bharat. The songs in my films too have a lot of contribution from me."
Sholay
Tumhara naam kya hai, Basanti?
When Amitabh Bachchan (Jai) asked a talkative Hema Malini deadpan, "Tumhara naam kya hai, Basanti?" or Hema raced on her horse-drawn tonga, yelling "Chal, Dhanno", they probably had no idea that viewers would be pressing the replay button many times over the next few decades. Dialogues from Ramesh Sippy's Sholay (1975) like "Kitne aadmi the?" (the late Amjad Khan as villain Gabbar Singh), "Basanti, in kutton ke samne mat naachna" (Dharmendra as Veeru), are still alive in public memory. Recalls Hema Malini, "I had no idea then that the film would be such a huge hit. People still call me Basanti. I liked my character as she was bubbly, like my part in Seeta Aur Geeta. The dialogues were by Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, only the acting was mine. It was on the first day of shooting, when we did the temple scene, that I prepared for my part. Once one gets into character, it's easy. I was a spontaneous actress."
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