Messing up a scene during takes end up in bloopers. But some end up in the final cut. And those are iconic.
Actors bring the script to life with their performance. Every line, every look, ever
As time rolled by, more and more Urdu, Hindi, and Sanskrit words made their way to Britain, along with English merchants, civil servants, and officers who had adopted the local customs, food, and clothes of India, during the colonial rule.
Linguistic overlaps and cultural appropriation is widely cherished. The English language has been absorbed from cultures across the globe. Here is a short crafted list of English words for you, that are influenced by Hindustani languages (Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit).
Bandana (Hindi)
Etymologically the word bandana has been derived from the Hindi wordbandhan, meaning “he ties”. Another explanation suggests that the method of dying fabric by tying knots in multiple places is known as bandhnuorbandhani, and this is where the colorful bandanas got their name from. It is also remarkable to remember that bandana, bright-colored printed handkerchiefs with bandhani prints, originated in India.
Cashmere (Sanskrit)
Cashmere, the smooth, soft shawls with intricate designs in several colors, trace the origin of its name back to the 1680s, christened by the old spelling of the Himalayan state of Kashmir. Cashmere is the anglicized version of the word Kashmir and it underwent a metamorphosis when the Kashmiri shawl reached Europe in the 19th century. The wool for this garment comes from long-haired goats of Kashmir, thus the name cashmere.
Juggernaut (Sanskrit)
The English word juggernaut means “a powerful, overwhelming or huge force”. Juggernaut is perceived as the anglicized version of the Sanskrit word Jaganndtha(lord of the universe), a name of the Hindu God Krishna.
Thug (Hindi)
Thug has originated from the Hindi word thagor the Sanskrit wordsthaga, meaning swindler or cheat. The English word thug implies a violent robber, operating in a gang. This word made its entry into the English dictionary in the early 19th century.
Avatar (Sanskrit)
The roots of the English word avatar can be traced back to the 18th century. The Sanskrit word avatarana, meaning descent, gave birth to the word avatar. In Hinduism, avataranawas traditionally used to describe an alternate form or manifestation of God.
Cummerbund (Urdu)
Cummerbund, a sash or broad waistband, worn by men as a part of a formal evening suit. However, the actual word is derived from the Urdu word, Kamar-band. The meaning in both the languages remains unaltered, as it means “waist-band”.
Should it be a surprise that the derivation of dacoity also owes its roots to the Hindi word dakaiti?
wave of the hand is directed. But sometimes, not all lines are scripted. Sometimes, actors ad-lib their own lines, which fit so well that they make it to the final cut. Not all unscripted lines make it to, but the ones that do are pretty iconic.
Here are the movie scenes that you didn’t know were totally unscripted.
The King of Unscripted – Leonardo di Caprio: In Django Unchained, Caprio cut his hand open accidentally but kept going on with the scene, giving his character the villainous look. He even smeared his own blood on a fellow actor that made it to the final cut.
The Usual Suspects line-up scene: In the scene, the suspects were lined-up and was supposed to keep straight-face. However, actor Benicio del Toro kept farting during takes and the actors couldn’t get through the tale without laughing. Director was annoyed but the scene is one of the most iconic scenes in cinema.
Gregory Peck pranked Audrey Hepburn: In Roman Holiday, in the Mouth of Truth scene, Peck pretended to have his hand stuck in the statue and screamed, scaring Hepburn. It was unscripted but so spontaneous it made it to the final cut.
Tom Holland’s Marvel-ous line: In Avenger’s Infinity War, when Tom Holland’s Spiderman is disintegrating, director Joe Russo told the actor to act like he didn’t want to let go. Holland went off-script, hugged RDJ and improvised it. “Mr Stark, I don’t feel so good…I don’t want to go Mr Stark”. Chills.
Roy Schneider’s ad-libbed line in Jaws: “We’re gonna need a bigger boat” was not scripted. Schneider added it on his own. We now know this as an iconic quote.
Tom Felton in Harry Potter- Chamber of Secrets: After forgetting his line, Tom Felton’s Draco Malfoy asks Goyle “Reading? I didn’t know you could read”.
Richard Gere, Julia Roberts and jewellery box scene: in Pretty Woman, when Gere presents the diamond jewellery to Roberts, he snaps the box shut while Roberts went to touch it, which elicited the iconic laugh from her. That scene was unscripted.
Viggo Mortenson’s cry in LOTR: In the Lord of the Rings, Mortenson’s character Aragorn kicks a helmet and immediately cries out. The actor broke two of his tows, the cry was actually a cry of pain, but he let it drive his performance. The scene made it to the final cut.
