Kader Khan: Tribute from a Fan

Kader khan passed away in December 2018 and with him, an era came to an end. The actor who became synonymous with comedy in Bollywood was also a Script and Dialogue writer and a Director. Kader Khan went from playing the role of a villain in films like Farz Aur Kanoon, Khoon Pasina, Parvarish to winning hearts with his impeccable comic timing in Hum, Bol Radha Bol, Hero No.1 among others. 

There are some wonderful stories attached with his legend which I have been hearing since childhood through Film magazines and interviews of some popular stars. They say he would recite the dialogues he composed in a deserted cemetery at night so that he could stand out in peace without any disturbance from the outside world.

His journey in the Indian Film Industry began after Dilip Kumar saw the Play he had written and acted in, known as “Taash Ke Patte” and was impressed with the playwright. So he ended up giving him a small role in his films Sagina & Bairaag. Later on Rajesh Khanna gave him the break as dialogue writer in his film Roti and thereafter Manmohan Desai became his mentor and lifetime friend. In those days there used be a bitter rivalry between the camps of Manmohan Desai & Prakash Mehra but he could shuttle between them comfortably.

He went on to give major hits with Amitabh Bachchan in films like Amar Akbar Anthony, Coolie, Sharaabi, Lawaaris, Muqaddar Ka Sikander, and Suhaag, to name a few. The dialogues of Amitabh Bachchan added to his on-screen charisma after he gained popularity and was trying to shift his image from “An Angry Young Man” to playing lighter comic roles. For Coolie, they say, Kader Khan would record the dialogues in his own voice and hand them over to Amitabh through a cassette tape for practice and to get the “Roaring Effect” for which his lines were distinctly praised by the audiences. He composed the dialogues for almost 20 films with Bachchan.

The other star with whom he wrote the most was Jeetendra while he was staging a comeback through “South Indian” remakes. He efficiently captured & transformed the essence of South Films into Bollywood settings.

His pairing with Shakti Kapoor in Himmatwala was the beginning of yet another comical journey as they both became a very “Hit Jodi” and the Producers were running after them to accept a role as a pair in their films. They starred in various hits, namely Tohfa, Baap Numbri Beta Dis Number, Ghar Jamai, Aankhen etc. The 80s and 90s was a time when his buffoonery as a Villain and Supporting actor touched its zenith.

Finally a new era began with his pairing with Govinda with whom he acted in lengthy roles as well. This was a brand new phase of acting for him where he limited his compositions to himself & Govinda. Their on-screen pairing became a cult in the 90s with films like Coolie No. 1, Raja Babu, Hero No.1 etc. Their chemistry and comic timing together on screen was unmatchable and hasn’t been accomplished by any other actor/actors till date. They had a mass appeal and the public would rush to the theatres to watch their (at times illogical) entertaining/slapstick comic shows. These films were termed as “Paissa Vasool” and celebrated Multiple Jubilee Shows all over India.

Kader Khan was not only a brilliant artist but a true scholar as well who translated many Arabic texts into Urdu as an Islamic scholar. His dialogues were never illogical but eloquent and easy for the masses. I still remember the scene where he appears briefly in “Chaalbaaz” with Shakti Kapoor as a beggar; he outshone the remaining supporting cast of the film, including Anupam Kher. Such was his command over the genre that an Intense film like “Hum” is till date known for the Double-role Kader Khan played. He provided relief to the melodramatic scripts but over the years, the regular usage of double entendre aggrieved him before he finally decided to cut down his work.

As his fan, I am sharing some of Kader Khan’s famous dialogues.

“हम जहां खड़े होते हैं लाइन वहीं से शुरू होती है।” from Kaalia (1981)

“इस थप्पड़ की गूंज सुनी तुमने?” from Karma (1986)

 “ज़िंदा हैं वो लोग जो मौत से टकराते हैं। मुर्दों से बदतर हैं वो लोग जो मौत से घबराते हैं। – मुकद्दर का सिकंदर (1978)

“मालिक मुझे नहीं पता था कि बंदूक लगाए आप मेरे पीछे खड़े हैं….मुझे लगा कि कोई जानवर अपने सींग से मेरे पीछे खटबल्लू बना रहा है।” from हिम्मतवाला (1983)

 “विजयदीनानाथ चौहान, पूरा नाम, बाप का नाम दीनानाथ चौहान, मां का नाम सुहासिनी चौहान, गांव मांडवा, उम्र 36 साल 9 महीना 8 दिन. और ये सोलवान घंटा चालू है ” from अग्नीपथ (1990)                           

“ऐसे तोहफ़े (बंदूकें) देने वाला दोस्त नहीं होता है, तेरे बाप ने 40 साल मुंबई पर हुकूमत की है इन खिलौनों के बल पर नहीं, अपने दम पर”  from अंगार  (1992)

“मोहब्बत को समझना है तो प्यारे, ख़ुद मोहब्बत कर …. किनारे से कभी अंदाज़े–तूफ़ान नहीं होता।” from  हम (1991)

“दुनिया की कोई जगह इतनी दूर नहीं है  जहाँ जुर्म के पाँव में क़ानून अपनी फ़ौलादी ज़ंजीरे पहना ना सके।” from शहंशाह (1988)

“ना पेट में दाना है … ना लोटे में पानी है …. ना बंडल में बीड़ी है… ना मचिस में तीली है।” from बाप नंबरी बेटा 10 नंबरी  (1990)

“क्या इश्क़ का ख़ून किसी साहूकार के पान की पिचकारी है? क्या तुम्हारी ज़िन्दगी ज़िन्दगी, हमारी बीमारी है? क्या तुम्हारा ख़ून ख़ून, हमारा ख़ून पानी है, तुम्हारा नाम नाम, हमारा नाम गाली है? तुम करो ज़ुल्म, तो वो सरकारी है और हम करें फ़रियाद, तो वो ग़द्दारी है ?” from हम (1990)       

“whisky में सोडा या पानी मिलाने  से उसका taste ख़राब होई जाता है … whisky में whisky मिलाके पीना चाहिए।”  from ख़ून भरी माँग

“तुम्हारी ये बात सुनकर मेरा दिल हैदराबाद की तरह आबाद हो गया।” from हिम्मतवाला (1983)

“सारी दुनिया के बच्चे जब पैदा होते हैं तो माँ माँ करके रोते हैं … ये गधा cinema cinema करके रो रहा है ….” from जुदाई (1996)

“होश में आ ज़ालिम ग़रीब जागने वाला है …. तैयार रहो भाइयों अब ये खुजाने वाला है।” from हम 

“पुराने खंडर की गिरी हुई दीवार पे तंगी हुई बदसूरत तस्वीर के पीछे छुपी हुई गंदी छिपकली की फड़फड़ाती पूँछ पे लहराती हुई चींटी” from हिम्मतवाला (1983).

“बचपन से सर पर अल्लाह का हाथ और अल्लाहरख्खा है अपने साथ, बाजू पर 786 का है बिल्ला, 20 नंबर की बीड़ी पीता हूं और नाम है ‘इकबाल’।”  from कूली (1983)

And one should never forget that

 “दारू पीने से LIVER ख़राब हो जाता है………..”