Sholay, UP ishtyle

There is one Sholay role almost anyone in UP can pull off with conviction: that of Gabbar Singh, what with almost every party fielding criminals this time

THE Uttar Pradesh election has many complex elements, as our homegrown psephologists keep reminding us. Having learnt some statistics and a smattering of political science, this lot is specially trained to wonder aloud on prime time television if the MY or Muslim-Yadav factor will work for the Samajwadi Party this time, or whether Mayawati’s BM or Bahujan-Muslim combination would prove more effective.

Then there is that complicated business about the Lodh vote and the Thakur vote, although there is general consensus that Rajnath Singh will retain the latter and Kalyan Singh, the former. As for the Brahmin vote, a great deal depends on whether the BJP continues to be a favourite with the upper castes or whether Priyanka’s baby will campaign in these elections.

Such analysis is, of course, very educating and generally a great way to fill up the newspapers. But it should not lead us into imagining that it is anything but plain nonsense — good, well-meaning stuff certainly, but nonsense just the same. I believe our psephologists, if they wish to understand whose lies have the best chance of travelling all the way to Lucknow, would be better employed gauging the Sholay factor, as opposed to the Ramayan-Mahabharat one.

In other words, the forthcoming electoral battle is not so much one between the BJP, the SP, BSP and the rest, as one between the appeal of the Ramayan-Mahabharat teleserials and that sturdy old box-office hit, Sholay. Of the two it looks as if Sholay will prove the winner this time. Rajnath Singh can dress up like Arjuna as much as he likes and have videos taken of himself in such fancy dress, but it is not going to work. Sholay is the winning formula this time, make no mistake, and Rajnath Singh may do better by passing himself as Gabbar Singh.

Already scenes from Sholay are being staged all over UP. Remember that classic Yeh Dosti song in the film, with Dharmendra (Veeru) playing a mouth organ as he sits on the shoulders of Amitabh Bachchan (Jai), who whistles in tandem while riding a motorcycle? This image of Veeru and Jai went on to become, if you may recollect, the ultimate image of male bonding for Indian audiences.

Well, the latest version of male bonding has Mulayam Singh Yadav riding on the shoulders of the rather expansive Amar Singh and Amar Singh, in turn, perched on the shoulders of Amitabh Bachchan, superstar and crorepati quiz master, as they whizz past the UP countryside in tandem donating blood and what not. No one quite knows the alchemy behind this mysterious friendship, but there it is.

The return of Basanti, alias Hema Malini, is also going to shore up the Sholay challenge. The Dream Girl, who claims to be a great fan of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has been pressed into service to flog a few dreams for the BJP. Imagine her then riding the Uttar Pradesh masses like Basanti did Dhanno in Sholay, urging the poor mare to bring the BJP back to power as she cries: ‘‘Bhaag Dhanno, Basanti ki izzat ka sawaal hai.’’ (Run, Dhanno, it is a question of Basanti’s honour).

Or take that other great sequence — Basanti dancing on glass splinters in order to save the BJP as Gabbar Singh growls, ‘‘Jab tak tere paon chalenge, uski saans chalegi; jab tere paon ruke to yeh bandook chalegi’’ (as long as your feet move, it breathes; when you feet stop moving the gun breathes). Wherever Hema Malini goes in UP, Basanti will go with her. And where Basanti goes, so will Sholay.

There is one role, in any case, that almost anyone campaigning in the UP elections can pull off with conviction and that is the one that Amjad Khan played with such felicity in the original hit. With 18 ministers in the erstwhile Rajnath Singh Cabinet linked in some way to cases of arson, murder, rioting, dacoity, rape, blackmailing and the like; with almost every party fielding several criminals this time, what we are about to witness in this state is nothing less than the clash of the Gabbar Singhs.

Every time any one of them campaigns, the image of Gabbar looms large, grinding tambak between thumb and palm, and pronouncing in menacing tones, ‘‘Loha garam hai, maar do hathoda’’ (strike while the iron is hot) and screaming, ‘‘Arrey O Shambha’’.

In any case, the Gabbar Singhs of the state have almost sewn up the elections. Once the results come it, they will once again have the citizens of the state nicely tied, trussed up and ready to be grilled over the bonfire once more with the words, ‘‘Inko to bahut tadpa, tadpa ke maroonga’’ (I’m going to torture them to death) ringing in their ears.

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