From SRK to Big B, actors in B-town have often delivered dramatic monologues that have stood the test of time. Here’s a quick check

Mona

Actor Ravie Dubey, aiming at setting new records, recently opened up on recording a 28-minute monologue for his Jio Cinema show Lakhan Leela Bhargava. And that too in a single take!

That’s surely a feat so far unheard of. Right from sattar minute to no means no, Bollywood has seen its stalwarts and newbies win the audience with some crackling monologues. Here’s a look.

Sattar minute…

“Sattar minute, sattar min hai tumhare paas. Shayad yeh tumhare zindagi ke sab se khaas sattar minute…” One of the most powerful lines by coach Kabir Khan, played by Shah Rukh Khan, just before the hockey final is one of the most inspiring speeches from the film Chak De! India.

No means no…

“No. No. Your Honour ek shabd nahi apne aap main ek poora vakya hai …These boys must realise that no ka matlab no hota hai. Use bolne wali ladki koi parichit ho, friend ho, girlfriend ho, koi sex worker ho ya aapki apni biwi hi kyu na ho, no means no and when someone says no, you stop.” Amitabh Bachchan as counsel Deepak Sehgal in his closing statement in Pink makes a powerful speech about consent.

A happy woman is a myth…

Problem kya hai monologue in Pyaar Ka Punchnama gave debutante Kartik Aaryan overnight fame. In the five-minute monologue where he rants about ‘problem’ with his girlfriend, Kartik goes, “Problem yeh hai ki woh ladki hai. Aur kya problem hai. Problem yeh hai ki main chahta hoon ki meri life mein koi problem hi naa ho. Lekin agar meri life mein koi problem naa ho toh yeh uski life ki sabse badi problem hai…” Written and directed by Luv Ranjan, Pyaar Ka Punchnama established Kartik as the youth heartthrob.

Family can never be…

The late Sridevi, as Shashi in Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish, gives a wedding speech that moves everyone in the scene, and the audience to tears. A simple homemaker’s attempt to learn English and how she delivers towards the climax, Sridevi totally slayed the role. ‘Family can never be judgmental’, says a forgiving Shashi, demure and conscious, extolling the value of family life to the just-married couple.

Mai wo hu jo…

Inimitable actor Naseeruddin Shah in A Wednesday represents the common man and brings out the pain in a powerfully delivered speech, as Anupam Kher engages him in dialogue to diffuse a bomb situation. “Mai wo hu jo aaj bus aur train mein chadne se darta hai …mai wo hu jo kabhi barsaat me phasta hai, kabhi blast mai…Aur mai wo bhi hu jo aajkal daadi badhane aur topi pahanne se ghabrata hai… I am just a stupid common man..” Naseeruddin’s dialogue brings out the empathy for his character and the plight of the common man in the country.

Tarikh par tarikh…

Sunny Deol, currently riding high on the success of Gadar 2, cemented his place with the Tarikh par tarikh monologue in Damini. Deol as advocate Govind goes, “Tarikh par tarikh, tarikh par tarikh, tarikh par tarikh, tarikh par tarikh milti rahi hai … lekin insaaf nahi mila my lord, insaaf nahi mila … mili hai toh sirf yeh tarikh.” The Rajkumar Santoshi film won Deol the National Award for Best Supporting Actor.

‘Main Gangubai…’

Alia Bhatt’s Gangubai Kathiawadi act in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s biographical drama has this moving speech about prostitution and how it’s at the receiving end. “Likh dena kal akhabaar mein ki Azad maidaan mein Gangubai ne aankhen jhukaakar nahin, aankhen milaakar hak ki baat kee hai…,” she roars…

Right from Nana Patekar’s Aa gaye meri maut ka tamasha dekhne in Krantiveer; Kirron Kher in Devdas and her emotional Tera ghar bhi chandani se aabad ho to the latest SRK monologue about democracy and the power of the vote in Jawan, the list continues to grow.