Nuggets of Sholay — Five: Zamindar Ki Beqaari (ज़मींदार की बेक़ारी)
Breaking tradition, this nugget isn’t a muhavra but a rare phrase from Sholay that showcases Basanti’s wit and linguistic flair. If you’ve landed here directly, you can explore the earlier entries:
Phrase: Zamindar ki Beqaari (ज़मींदार की बेक़ारी)
Around the 42-minute mark, Jai and Veeru arrive at the station (which one? — trivia for later). Outside waits Basanti with her tanga, launching into her signature nonstop spiel. Instead of simply asking where they want to go, she delivers a mini-lecture:
"...ab koi zabardasti ka sauda to hai nahin. baithe baithe, nahin baithe nahin baithe. arre yeh to Basanti ka tanga hai — kisi jameendar ki bekaari thodi hai, ke marzi na marzi karna hi pade."
The word beqaari (बेकारी) normally means unemployment or idleness — which doesn’t fit here. Why would one “do the unemployment of a landlord”? The real clue lies in dialect.
In parts of UP and MP, the word is actually pronounced beqaari (बेक़ारी), spoken from the epiglottis, like qeemat or qayamat. It means “force” or “compulsion.” Hence, the line translates to:
“This isn’t some landlord’s compulsion that you must do it, whether you wish to or not.”
A tiny pronunciation shift changes the entire meaning — a subtle example of how Sholay’s dialogues brim with linguistic play.
That was the nugget. Samjhe ke nahin? Agar achha laga to comment kijiye. Agar achha nahin laga to lament kijiye.
Goodbye, aadab and namaste.
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