Hyderabad, June 4 -- Mohammed Wajihuddin

In the course of her continuing friction with the Centre, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee recently used a slightly changed version of a dialogue from the 1970s' blockbuster Sholay. Exhorting opposition CMs to raise their voice against an "autocratic Centre", Banerjee said: "Jo darte hain, so marte hain (those who run scared, are certain to die)."

Berating his mercenaries for chickening out in the face of strong resistance, Sholay's baddie Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan) delivered the dialogue that has remained with us for decades: Jo dar gaya, samjho mar gaya (Those who get scared are destined to die). If life imitates arts, the dialogue is articulation of man's weakness. Fear is what keeps many away fr...