Memorable lines from films are given a humorous spin to make the public take notice and stop littering stations

A hilarious memefication of iconic scenes from five Bollywood films, interspersed with messages on cleanliness at Howrah Station has gone viral on social media and influenced the way the government sends out messages to the public.

The awareness posters are displayed prominently along the station platforms.

Good habits

Remember the lines “Thoda khao, thoda pheko. Maza aayega [Eat some, throw some. It’s good fun]” sequence in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro? A 30 inch by 20 inch poster depicts a still from the film with the two main actors Naseerudin Shah and Ravi Baswani asking, “Kya aap thoda khatein hain, thoda phekte hain? (Do you eat some and throw away some?). The poster then asks the public to always dispose litter in waste bins.

Another poster has Gabbar from Sholay seemingly worried not about the price on his head but the fine imposed for spitting on a railway platform.

Even the heart-wrenching climax in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge where Amrish Puri (Baldeo Singh) lets Kajol (Simran) go with Shah Rukh Khan (Raj) is turned into a spoof: “Jaa Simran jaa, platform bhi saaf rakhte hue jaa (Go Simran go, but ensure that the platform remains clean)”.

Memorable lines from Deewaar are given a witty spin in another poster featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor where one asks another: “Mere paas railgaadi hai, reserved seat hai, Twitter hai; Tumhare paas kya hai? (I have a train, a reserved seat and Twitter; What do you have?” And the reply comes: “Mere muh main paan hai (I have betel leaf in my mouth)”. The poster then declares in bold red letters “Par mat thukna” (But don’t spit).

Less preachy

“Government messages are usually serious and appear to be preachy. The new posters have an element of humour and show that such messages can be funny,” said Howrah divisional railway manager R. Badri Narayan, who conceived and executed the cleanliness awareness project.

Mr. Narayan, who holds a doctorate in Economics, is an avid Bollywood fan who quotes lines from films to make a point during lectures and sometimes with his peers.

When it came to observing Railway Swachhta Saptah (Railway Cleanliness Week) last month, he decided that the campaign had to have some zing to it. On the night of September 16, he downloaded a still from Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and put the message on the photograph. DDLJ, Deewar, Sholay and Anand followed days after.

The posters made their debut on Twitter, and when they turned an instant hit, they were displayed along platforms.

Other officials of Eastern Railway are elated at the response to the posters. R. Mahapatra, CPRO, Eastern Railway, said the posters were a good way of catching the attention of young people.

Spreading the message

Mr. Narayan is already getting requests from other Railway Divisions to allow the posters to be displayed at other stations. He also plans to create cleanliness posters with a filmy twist to be displayed on trains.

“Anything to do with Bollywood becomes an instant hit in the city,” says author and film critic Shoma Chatterji.

“However, being an instant success does not mean that it will have an impact on the psyche of the people,” she cautions.