Dhoop Kinare Pays off - Mogambo KHush hua!

Remember those Pakistani sitcoms from the 80’s/90’s? Tanhaiyan? Dhoop Kinare? Padosi? The crazy antics of Qabacha? Endearing Dr. Zoya? I remember sitting cross-legged on my parent’s living room floor in the afternoons and watching rerun episode after episode on video-tape. Not only was the story-line interesting, but the acting was great and the language – oh the language! I remember most of the Urdu went over my head. I had no idea what the words meant, but they sounded so magical and BEAUTIFUL and in context, I was able to follow the plot perfectly. It was a great tool in my procrastination toolbox, especially around the time of homework deadlines and board exams.

Finally, all those hours spent hearing the “KHaalis Urdu” in these TV serials has paid off as I rehearse the dialogues for Tughlaq. I am surprised that I can tell the difference between the “kh” in KHamosh and khilona, the “gh” in GHum and ghoda, the “K” in yaKeen and karela (last word not in Play). Hopefully, with our efforts, the audience will be able to hear the difference too. Even if every single Urdu word cannot be understood, the actors’ expressions, the context and the English Supertitles will help. And then, the audience can say “Shabash! Bahut KHoob! Wah - Kya KHaalis Urdu hai!”

I am now itching to YouTube Mr. India to see if Amrish Puri actually said "Mogambo KHush hua!"