A hilarious meme-fication of iconic scenes from five Bollywood films carrying a message of cleanliness for the public at Howrah Station has gone viral on social media and changed the way the government sends out messages.
Remember the sequence of “ Thoda khao, thoda pheko. Maza aayega [Eat some, throw some. It’s good fun]!” sequence of Jaanee Bhi Do Yaron , considered a cult comedy film. A 30 inch by 20 inch poster depicting a still from the film with two main actors Naseerudin Shah and Ravi Baswani asking, " Kya aap thoda khatein hain, thoda phekte hain ," (Do you Eat some and Throw some). Followed by a message of using the dustbin. Imagine Gabbar in Sholay concerned not about the price on his head but the fine of spitting on a Railway platform. Or the most powerful dialogue in Deewaar “ Mere paas maa hai ” (I have mother) being replaced with “ Mere muh mein paan hai ” (I have betel leaf in my mouth).
Even the heart-wrenching climax in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaenge ( DDLJ) where Amrish Puri (Baldeo Singh) lets Kajol (Simran) go and catch a train with Shah Rukh Khan (Raj) is also turned into a spoof to give the cleanliness message. " Jaa Simran jaa, platform bhi saaf rakhte hue jaa ” (Go Simran go, but ensure that platform remains clean) is the message.
“Government messages are usually serious and appear to be preachy. The new posters have an element of humour and show that such messages can be funny,” R. Badri Narayan, the Divisional Railway Manager, Howrah Division who conceived and executed the idea told The Hindu . With a doctorate in economics, this Bollywood fan has the habit of using dialogues from Hollywood to make a point in lectures and sometimes with his peers.
So when it came to observing Railway Swatchata Saptah (Railway Cleanliness Week) from September 17, he found that nothing was working out. On the night of September 16, he downloaded a still from Jaanee Bhi Do Yaron and put the message on the photograph. DDLJ, Deewar, Sholay and Anand followed days after. The photographs made their debut on twitter and after being an instant hit they were put up on platforms in the last week of September.
“We have put up five such posters on Platform 8 and 9. This is where the more cosmopolitan passengers of trains like Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express board and de-board,” he said. It is not only the DRM but also the other officers of Eastern Railway who are elated at the response these posters have brought about.
“There should be more such posters of films that younger people see,” R. Mahapatra, CPRO, Eastern Railway said.
Mr. Badri Narayan is already getting requests from other Railway Divisions to allow the posters to be put up at other stations.
While these posters will soon be put up on other platforms the DRM has already plans for a few others like this to be put on trains, most likely depicting scenes within a train. “I am not divulging the details. I want to keep the suspense alive,” he added.
Author and film critic Shoma Chatterji feels that the posters are becoming viral due to their association with Bollywood.
“Anything to do with Bollywood becomes an instant hit in the city. However, being instant success does not mean that it will have an impact on the psyche of the people,” she said.
An earlier version of this story said that the actors in Jaane Bhi Do Yaron were Naseeruddin Shah and Sudhir Mishra. The actors were Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani. The error is regretted.
