My Interview In Mid-day Mumbai

Meet the guy behind Big B's iconic dialogues

Scriptwriter R D Tailang is responsible for some of the most recognised catchphrases on the actor's popular TV game show

August 18, 2012

MUMBAI

Shakti Shetty

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Amitabh Bachchan is known for some of the most famous on-screen dialogues in the history of Bollywood cinema. However, many a times, the audience rarely gets to know the real face behind such iconic dialogues. We introduce R D Tailang to you, the man responsible for some of the most recognised catchphrases on the actor’s popular TV game show.

R D Tailang

Tailang, who is the scriptwriter of the show, has also lent his pen to films like Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and Arjun: The Warrior Prince. His job on the game show, however, is to make sure every single episode has a captivating beginning and a memorable end. And the show’s sixth season is all set to start soon, with Big B busy rehearsing for it these days.

Ask him about his experience with Bachchan and SRK, who hosted season three of the same show, Tailang says, “Bachchanji has the mix of seriousness as well as humour. He emphasizes a lot on diction and when he talks. Even his simple line like, ‘yuh gaya aur yuh aaya’ turns effective. Shah Rukh Khan made the most of his ability to make people laugh. He was engaging, cool and represented youth.”

The writer has managed to remain an integral part of the show from its very inception. So now when you hear AB mouthing “panchkoti mahamoney” and “gadhiyal babu”, you know it’s Tailang weaving those magic words!

Lessons from Big B
Tailang even admitted to having been reprimanded by Big B himself for being a bit careless on his punctuation during the initial days of the show. As they say, all’s well that ends well!  

My Interview in Indiantelevision.com

R.D. Tailang Script Writer By: Chikita Kukreja My growing up yearsI was born and brought up in Mandla which is in Madhya Pradesh. A small village from where we had to walk 20 kms to reach the main road. Since, my father was in the service class we led a very simple life. So, basically, half of my life was spent in a place which did not bear roads, and the second half, in a place like Mumbai, among rushing vehicles, intelligent lights and sets ofKBC. It's been 13 years since I've been in this city of dreams. My big break with KBC I used to make sketches during my childhood. So, once when I had come to Mumbai for a seven day vacation for the first time and got my sketches along. I decided to try my luck at a newspaper office. I went to an afternoon paper called Dopeher, just entered the editor's cabin to show my artistic work. Within no time he offered me a job, and I willingly took up the proposal. I joined them as a cartoonist and later shifted to hard core journalism. I worked on various beats like crime, sports, film reviewing and even interviewing celebrities. Later, I joined Plus Channel with Mahesh Bhatt and Amit Khanna. And from then on, there was no looking back. I soon realized that writing was a good field and maybe I could carve a niche in it. My first big assignment came with Farida Jalal's Star Yaar Kalakar and then Shekhar Suman's Movers and Shakers happened. The big break came with KBC. Writing for Bachchanji has been an awesome experience. I've worked for him for two years and have written 350 episodes for him. Writing for Bachchanji at the beginning of his career is the biggest award a writer can get. It gives me the same feeling an actor would get on receiving an Oscar. I begin my daySleep is a must for me. It's like; if possible, I can sleep for 12 hours at a stretch. Normally I get up at around 10 or sometimes even 11. Then, I literally lick the newspaper for say 3 odd hours. It is a must for me. Now there is no time for breakfast so I land up eating my lunch. I am very lazy at times so I prefer to rest for a while after that. Exercise mantra Sleeping is really my passion. Even if I try I just cannot get up early in the morning.. Some of my friends do try to influence me to stick to a regime, but then after a few days it's back to square one. So, it's me and my dear bed again. Diet Mantra I am a strict vegetarian; no eggs, no onion and in fact at my mother's place, we are not even allowed to bring garlic. I am not a real foodie. I don't follow any kind of diet mantra, at any point in time. It's just not my cup of tea. Instead, whenever am upset or annoyed, my wife knows which string to pull. It's rice with tomato sabzi. To dine out we love going to Yokos, or grab a pizza at Pizza Hut. And though I am not a Gujarati , I love the Gujarati thali at Rajdhani. Shopping I hate shopping but my wife loves it. It's like if I have to purchase a shirt and if I happen to like a belt too, I will return home with the shirt and go for the belt the next time. I hate window shopping. I am not at all brand conscious but I am definitely quality conscious. We normally shop at Inorbit, as it is very close to our place or else from Infinity in Andheri (W). Gizmos and GadgetsI won't call myself a gizmo freak, but yes, I can call myself as an extremely advanced writer.I am technically very sound. I have a blue tooth attached to my computer, my printer and my mobile phone. I do all my editing work on my advanced computer; right from editing clips to making my own ring tones. I possess a Nokia 6062 and an Ipod, and very shortly I plan to buy a plasma for myself. My car is fully equipped with a DVD player and a monitor. Religion I have been very lucky in my life. It's like, if my life is a journey by car then I am sure that God is on the driving seat. I believe in the almighty. He has always been on my side right from the very beginning. Everything happened in my life rather unexpectedly. I thank God for all this.. Favourite car I drive a Scorpio. I just love my car. It's spacious and we love going for long drives in it. Reading To be very frank, I hate reading thick books and novels. Just a look at them makes me perspire. I am happy being a script writer and I don't think I have any qualities of a writer. But I make it a point to religiously read all regional newspapers. It's an essential part of my schedule and helps me connect things better while I am scripting. Click here for Fast Track Archives Newsletters  Email Story  Print Comment Contact Us | Feedback | About Indiantelevision | Disclaimer © 2001- 2012 Indian Television Dot Com Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.