The Villain “Gabbar” Proves That Villians Can Become Heroes in Gabbar Is Back Movie
Gabbar Is Back Villain Posters
An anti-corruption film, Gabbar Is Back, based on the Tamil hit Ramanaa, now tributes Sholay in the most open fashion, hoping to cash in on the magic of Indian cinema’s biggest hit ever. This time, Gabbar is the reformist and vigilante hero, and the tag-line says “Kaam hero ka, naam villain ka”.
And this Gabbar spouts the original Gabbar’s immortal lines by Salim-Javed that are tweaked for the film’s needs yet retain the well-remembered core of the original, like “Pachaas pachaas kos door jab koi rishwat maangta hai to sab kehte hain mat le, mat le varna Gabbar aa jayega” and “Ab tera kya hoga, kaalia?”
Clearly, it was a stroke of inspiration on the part of the team to call the film by that iconic name with which even today’s children will connect if their families have been movie buffs (and how many Indians are not?). Says writer Rajat Aroraa: “Gabbar as a title had already been finalized when I was signed. So I had to capitalize on some iconic lines that live forever in our minds. At the same time, we could not have overdone this, so I have at the most used just four or five of Gabbar’s famous one-liners.”
Producer Shabina Khan admits that the idea for the title came from Sanjay Leela Bhansali. And why Gabbar? “That will be clear only after watching the film’s climax!” she declares.
Nevertheless, the universal appeal of the villain was also exploited in the film’s marketing, like a poster put up at a paan stall, in which one more ‘Gabbar-ism’ was modified—“Rishwat ka chuna khaaya, ab goli kha.”
Villains are often paid tributes or spoofed even in other films, with lines like “Tu kya apne aap ko Gabbar samajhta hai (Do you think you are another Gabbar)?” An ingenious case was when Prem Chopra, in his memorable cameo in Bobby, leered, “Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra.” Chopra recalls director Raj Kapoor telling him that if the film became a hit, his character would always be remembered. “Till today, more than 40 years after its release, whenever I go to a public function I am asked to speak the line!” reveals the famous villain. “It has been used endlessly on television shows and stage performances by every mimic. And to think that even on the first day of shooting I was pretty disturbed that I had no other lines! It is amazing!”
And this Gabbar spouts the original Gabbar’s immortal lines by Salim-Javed that are tweaked for the film’s needs yet retain the well-remembered core of the original, like “Pachaas pachaas kos door jab koi rishwat maangta hai to sab kehte hain mat le, mat le varna Gabbar aa jayega” and “Ab tera kya hoga, kaalia?”
Clearly, it was a stroke of inspiration on the part of the team to call the film by that iconic name with which even today’s children will connect if their families have been movie buffs (and how many Indians are not?). Says writer Rajat Aroraa: “Gabbar as a title had already been finalized when I was signed. So I had to capitalize on some iconic lines that live forever in our minds. At the same time, we could not have overdone this, so I have at the most used just four or five of Gabbar’s famous one-liners.”
Producer Shabina Khan admits that the idea for the title came from Sanjay Leela Bhansali. And why Gabbar? “That will be clear only after watching the film’s climax!” she declares.
Nevertheless, the universal appeal of the villain was also exploited in the film’s marketing, like a poster put up at a paan stall, in which one more ‘Gabbar-ism’ was modified—“Rishwat ka chuna khaaya, ab goli kha.”
Villains are often paid tributes or spoofed even in other films, with lines like “Tu kya apne aap ko Gabbar samajhta hai (Do you think you are another Gabbar)?” An ingenious case was when Prem Chopra, in his memorable cameo in Bobby, leered, “Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra.” Chopra recalls director Raj Kapoor telling him that if the film became a hit, his character would always be remembered. “Till today, more than 40 years after its release, whenever I go to a public function I am asked to speak the line!” reveals the famous villain. “It has been used endlessly on television shows and stage performances by every mimic. And to think that even on the first day of shooting I was pretty disturbed that I had no other lines! It is amazing!”