Meaning of punjabi words in bollywood films

  

A  TO Z  OF BOLLYWOOD PUNJABI

A   Aahun Aahun

Remember that line from Jab we met?  Hum to Punjabi hain,  humein to naachne ka bahaana chahiye’  Truer words have never been spoken.

And when Punjabis get to the dance floor,  we need to verbally express our happiness.  ‘Aaho aaho’  would mean ‘Yes, yes’, but since no one’s stopping us from inventing words, ‘Aahun aahun’ it is (Happy Count)

B   Balle balle

Where there is bhangra,  where there is joy,  where there is a party and even where there is not,  there is still some ‘balle balle’.  The phrase could probably be the Punjabi version of ‘oh yeah’  -  an expression of complete and total happiness (Happy Count  2)

C   Chak de phatte

The phrase literally translates to,  ‘Pick up the wood’  But no,  Shah Rukh Khan wasnot asking his hockey players to become woodcutters for India.  Because over time,  the phrase has come to be slang for, ‘Keep it going’/Go for it.

D   Dholna

Contrary to speculation, it doesnot mean, ‘stop playing the bl *** day Dhol’  Dholna is actually the unisexual term for beloved or lover.  It does not discriminate between girlfriend and boyfriend and is equally used for either (Beloved count  1)

G   Gidda /  Gabroo

When the guys do the ‘bhangra’ girls do the ‘gidda’.  Gidda is what Punjabi girls break out into (at least the good dancers do) when you turn up the music.  It is a traditional dance form of women.   G also stands for Gabroo,  which menans ‘ a young masculine guy’ also known as ‘Dude’ in English.

H     Heeriye/  Hadippa

When in love, young Punjabi ‘mundas’  (which means boy) --- not to be confused with mundoo)  call their girl friends ‘Heeriye’  affectionately.  It literally menas ‘like a diamond’.  But is usually meant ‘Heerlike’  from the love story of Heer Ranjha(find out about that on your own will you?)   H  stands for Hadippa,  and is another expression of joy like ‘Yahoo’

I  J/k

Ik could well be the sound of a hiccup,  but where Punjabi is considered,  Ik is the number ‘one’  or ‘ek’  Used extensively with ‘Vaari’  ‘ik vaari” translates to ‘one time’ for inexplicable reasons, most lyric writers usually want the hero to get everything only one time.

J  Jee/jind

When Akshay Kumar sand ‘Ji Karda’ in Singh is King,  he wasnot referring to himself respectfully.  Jee is derived from ‘Jigar’ and both mean ‘heart’.  When lyric writers get bored of using the word ‘dil’ they turn to jee.

J also stands for ‘Jind’ which is a town in Pakistan.  But when it comes to Bollywood songs Jind means ‘life’ and is a derivative of ‘Zindagi’

K  Kudi

K is for ‘kudi’  or girl,  but ‘M’ is not for ‘Munda’  or boy,  because no one really writes about the ‘Munda’.  Most Punjabi songs are about/in praise of /in want of a ‘kudi’ like most songs all over the world.  The ‘Mundas’ as usual, are only incidental.

M  Mahi

If the guy who invented the word would have been paid for every time it would be used in Bollywood songs,  he could have bought out 10 Bollywoods, and still have money left for his next seven generations.

The most used and abused word in Bollywood is not, in fact an ode to Mahendra Singh Dhoni,  like most other often-used Punjabi words,  ‘Maahi’ is an affectionate term like ‘Sweetheart’  that you call your loved one by.  (Sigh)  Yes it does mean ‘beloved too.

M also stand for ‘Makhna’ like the many words before this,  ‘Makhna’ is yet another term of endearment, and means someone who is like ‘makhan’ or butter. Yes  that is supposed to be a good thing.

Oye  hoye

In India, everyone from a waiter to your boss is an ‘oye’.  When you have to express feelings you have to express feelings that range from surprise to sarcasm,  it would still be ‘Oye’  but when it comes to Bangra,  ‘Oye hoye’  is in the league of ‘Balle balle’ it can mean anything you want it to be ,  because it makes you want to dance!

R   Rabba

No, for those living under a rock ‘Rab’  in ‘Rab’ Ne Bana Di Jodi did not stand for Aditya Chopra.  Pathetic jokes apart,  ‘Rab’ or ‘Rabba’ is the Punjabi word for God.

S   Soniye /  Shava Shava

‘Soni’  literally means ‘beautiful’  so Punjabi guys (and non-Punjabi guys who hear a lot of Bollywood songs) call their girlfriends ‘ the beautiful one’  or Soniye,  out of love (and out of flattery).  The few handsome men, who have songs dedicated to them are ‘Soneyas’     S also stands for ‘Shava Shava’  which is not to be confused with its Sanskrit meaning ‘corpse’ .  it is yet another expression for joy,  (or a word filler,  when lyric writers run out of poetry) 

V    Ve

Clearly the ‘baap’ of all suffixes when it comes to Punjabi songs,  ‘ve’  is a shout out an exclamatory remark or an affectionate call out to that beloved we have been talking about.

O’  could very well be the English word for ‘ve’ while ‘re’ is its Hindi equivalent.  (for those still struggling to put it together ‘Jind Mahi ve’ means, ( ‘O’ Love of my life)

Y   Yaara

Here is some ‘gyaan’.  When a ‘yaar’ or friend becomes more than just that he/she becomes ‘yaara’  Greek apart though ‘yaara’ is nevertheless referred to as a friend,  more often than not ,  it is again,  another word you can call the love of your life the ‘beloved – by.