DID YOU KNOW ?

The character Surma Bhopali, from the film Sholey, is known to everyone. His compatriot, Ghafoor Miyaan is also a comical character created by famous satirist Takhallus Bhopali (Abdul Ahad Khan) in his journal ‘Bhopal Punch’ in 1960. Along with Ghafoor Miyan, is another character named Paan-daan Waali Khaala (The Aunt with the Betel Box), who became so famous that later a book was published on her.

Ghafoor Miyaan is a Pathan who loves Bhopal and considers himself wise but finds himself doing stupid things every now and then. We see him boasting about his ancestors in typical Bhopali Urdu. On the other hand, Paan-daan waali Khaala is an experienced, talkative woman who, while chomping on Paan, goes house to house and weighs is on the bygone days against the present times in Bhopal's pure feminine dialect. Her biting remarks and digs at the country’s politics evoke much hilarity amongst the women.

The 'Bhopal Punch' lasted for barely three years, but these two characters, adorned with the contrast of past and present, are still alive. Reflecting the social and political conditions of their time, they have become the hallmark of Takhallus Bhopali in Urdu literature.