Nuggets of Sholay: Eleven - Ek Galti Ki Thakur Sahab, Humein Tijori Kholkar Dikhadi

I'll be upfront with you. There are a few, in fact very few scenes, where Jai and Veeru don't do justice to either their brains or their brawns. I'm ashamed to bring you one such scene from Sholay. Being a massive Sholay fan myself, my hands tremble as I write this, but the reportage is important, even if to show that the makers of Sholay were only human.

Phrase: Ek Galti Ki Thakur Sahab, Humein Tijori Kholkar Dikhadi (एक गलती की ठाकुर साहब, हुमें तिजोरी खोलकर दिखादी)

But first, the analysis of the phrase. Having worked in the corporate world for more than 25 years, I've seen this particular phrase used the most number of times, mostly to describe a deal when one gets to know vital information about the other party, unwittingly revealed by the party itself. And this piece of information gives the other party leverage, or advantage in the deal. For example, in a competitive RFP sales situation, you get hold of an email (by accident) where the client has placed you as No. 1 in the evaluation process. That piece of information surely changes the way you approach negotiation in that deal. That's when you say, 'Ek galti ki thakur sahab.....'

And now, coming to the topic that will have all die-hard Sholay fans cringe. Let me break this story into 3 acts (the dramatist in me at his dramatic best!)

Act 1: Enter, the tijori

Jai and Veeru have finally arrived at Thakur's haveli in Ramgarh, and Thakur motions Ramlal to give them their money's due. At 0h47m, Ramlal goes towards the tijori (safe), opens it, takes out ₹5,000 and hands it to Jai. While Ramlal has the tijori open, Jai and Veeru get a peek at the loads of cash stored there. But the thing to note is in the picture below.

Carefully note how Ramlal opens the tijori (safe)

Act 2: Evil designs

Ramlal then escorts Jai and Veeru to their guest house, where they decide to wipe the tijori clean in the night. But as they enter the house, they are put to a stern physical test. They pass the test with flying colours of course, and then Thakur arrives. When Jai asks them why he had goons sent, Thakur says that he did not do any galati (mistake) by calling the two. When Thakur leaves the room, Jai adds a rejoinder, 'Ek Galti Ki Thakur Sahab, Humein Tijori Kholkar Dikhadi'. Translated as 'You made one mistake Thakur, you opened the safe and showed it to us'.

Ek Galti Ki Thakur Sahab, Humein Tijori Kholkar Dikhadi

Act 3: Nimwits!

As night befalls the Thakur household, Jai and Veeru gingerly go back to the haveli and head straight for the tijori. A small mental note - why was the door open? Perhaps Thakur was the trusting type. Anyway, they have a torch and a set of thieves' masterkey (called Ashen Key I think). First Jai tries, with Veeru holding the torch, and then Veeru tries with Jai holding the torch. But both are unable to open the safe even after trying so hard. Do you know why? See the picture below and compare it to the first picture above. If you still don't get it, please ask me in the comment section below.