Munnabhai is happening and well, Gandhigiri too. Finally. The ‘Lage Raho catchphrase setting Mumbaiyya fervor on fire. From Bandemataram to Bande-me-dam-hai? All very well. But have you, if you are a Hindi film buff, ever tried to decipher what all the slang words thrown in the film actually mean?
Yes, everybody speaks Hindi. Almost everybody in India. And some outside too. Have heard even Arabs posing questions like ‘Kaise ho?’ (How are you) and ‘Khaana Kaaya?’ (Had your food?).
But things are different in Mumbai, the land of Hindi film stars. Here, if you really, really want to get by, just a smattering of Hindi will not do. I am talking about Mumbai Hindi, the ‘Marathiized Hindi’ or whatever it is.
Enter the world of Hindi slang words.
For the uninitiated, below is an incomplete, hitherto ‘un-compiled’, dictionary/thesaurus of those slang words, which will help you digest films like the current rage ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’, ponder over the gangster flick like ‘Satya’, laugh at Javed Jaffrey’s album ‘I Love Mumbai’ and generally get a better deal from Mumbaiites.
(A little admission here. The following is the result of an ‘inspirational’ deliberation with my husband, a puckka Mumbaiyya)
Here goes..
P.N. They are in random order.
Bidu ? Friend. Not the types who profess to die for each other. Anybody could be anybody’s ‘Bidu’. ‘Hey, Bidu, kidar jaate ho?’ (Hey, Bidu where are you going.) Members of gangs are also ‘Bidu’s for each other.
Chaavi (literal meaning ? Key), Handbag, Aadi ? Lover/girl friend/fianc?e. ‘Maine thumhara ‘Handbag’ ko Bandra mey dekha.’ (I saw your ‘Handbag’ in Bandra) Or, ‘Woh meri ‘Aadi’ hain.’ (She is my ‘Aadi’).
Chikna/Chikne ? Handsome. ‘Kya beh, Chikne.’ (What’s up ‘Chikne’?) ? Here, ‘beh’ demonstrates a kind of cheekiness.
Shaane ? Smart Alec. ‘Hey Shaane!’
Samaan (literally ‘things), Goda ? Gun.
Item, Maal ? Beautiful girl (Often used derogatorily).
Patka ? Slap. ‘Ek ‘Patka dhun kya’ (Do you need a slap?)
Jardu ? Drug Addict.
Anta ? Drugs. ‘Anta marke aaya.’
Thambu ? Capture. ‘Police ne usko ‘Thambu’ kiya.’ The cops have caught him.
Kopche me ? In the corner.
Ludka diya/ Ludak gaya, Tapkaya/Tapak gaya ? Killed him/was killed.
Uda diya/Uda do ? Shot him/her.
Vaar kiya ? Stabbed him/her.
Locha,? Problem. ‘Locha hogaya, yaar.’ (There is a problem.)
Bankas, Maskari ? Fooling. ‘Bankas mat kar.’ (Don’t fool with me.)
Dakkan ? Eyes. ‘Uska Dakkan band kar diya.’ (His eyes have been shut (killed) for good.)
Batheesi (Literally, 32) ? Teeth. ‘Batheesi nikaal dhoonga.’ (I will punch your teeth out/in(?).)
Ek Peti ? One lakh Rupees (Hundred thousand).
Ek Koka ? One Crore Rupees (10 million).
Ek Thahn ? One thousand Rupees.
Kalti ? Scram.
Tapori ? Trouble maker.
Supari ? Amount paid to the mercenary for killing celebrities/gang members/anybody.
Kanpati ? Cheeks. ‘Kanpati pe ek dhun kya?’ (Do you want a slap?)
Batka ? Shorty. ‘Keshav Batka, police encounter mey mar gaya.’ (Keshav, alias Batka, was killed in a police encounter.
Kahniya ? Squinty.
‘Solid’ ? Heavy. ‘Usko Rajesh ne ‘Solid’ maara. (Rajesh hit him ‘Solid’.)
Maara ? Eat/Ate. ‘Usne biryani achcha maara. (He ate a lot of ‘biryani’.)
Apun ? I/me/myself. ‘Apunse zyaada maskari nahin karne ka.’ (Do not try to be over smart with me.)
Kalaas ? Finish/Kill.
Katam ? end.. of this column. For now, that is.
Author: Suzy Fontes- Mangalore