Two Deccanis call it a day, but show goes on

Hyderabad: Hyderabadi filmi humour and Deccani lingo received a major setback last week when two famous Deccanis called it a day. If film actor Adnan Sajid Khan brought humour to every Hyderabadi household through his unique but comic character Gullu Dada, young rapper Ruhan Arshad put Hyderabadi, Deccani or Urdu rap onto the international platform of modern music through his melodic yet forceful rendition Miya Bhai.
Both may have quit for different reasons bringing an abrupt end to two major Hyderabadi characters, Gullu Dada and Miya Bhai, but their sudden decision has definitely jolted the Hyderabadi dialect, popularised in the last two decades through Hyderabadi cinema and YouTube.Though their exit would not put an end to Hyderabadi lingo on big screen or cyberworld, it had created a huge vacuum that would take a long time to fill.
Adnan brought curtains down on Gullu Dada, a character he first played in Deccani or Dakhni film, FM or Fun aur Masti, in 2007. Gullu Dada, a local don, had endeared the Dakhni audience through his comic actions and humorous dialogues in Dakhni or Hyderabadi Urdu so much so that Gullu Dada now runs a Hyderabadi biryani restaurant. Adnan said he had quit the Hyderabadi film industry, though he would continue with the film industry in general.
The reason Adnan had cited for quitting the Hyderabadi film industry is really disheartening. The Dakhni films he had acted did not receive the expected cash flow, causing loss to producers. “I do not want to cause loss to my producers,” he said in a recorded video message on why he was quitting the popular Gullu Dada character.
Ruhan, who became a household name through his Miya Bhai rap with over 50 crore views on YouTube, said he was quitting the music industry for religious reasons. But, then there is a group of Dakhni rappers, who thrive after giving rap the spiritual touch. In fact, one can say Hyderabadi rap has evolved spiritually too to keep the orthodox section happy.
Urdu or Dakhni rappers Mudassir Ahmed and Syed Irshad, popular with YouTube names Mo Boucher and Irish Boi respectively, gave Hyderabadi rap a Sufi touch.
Miya Bhai and Gullu Dada though Hyderbadi in attire and attitude are characters apart. While Gullu Dada is a local villain with his own gang of goondas, his actions are sure to leave one in raptures, Miya Bhai is a young Hyderabadi lad but dreams big even as he spends the fortune of his forefathers.
Last Id-ul-Fitr, Ruhan joined hands with film actor Salman Khan and sang ‘Bhai Bhai’ rap emphasising the need for communal harmony and religious tolerance. It was also an instant hit like the Miya Bhai rap.
Hyderabadi Urdu or Dakhni like Hyderabadi cuisine has a flavour of its own. Though introduced to the Deccan region from the north, Dakhni or Deccani imbibed the local languages to carve out its distinct dialect with its own vocabulary, quite different from the Urdu of the north. There’s a subtle difference still between Dakhni and Urdu though many do not see major differences, says Dr Mohammad Safiullah honorary director of Raja Dhanraj Gir Institute of Deccani. Safiullah recalls how Basalat Jah, son of Nizam VI Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, would speak to him in Dakhni.
Dakhni was popularised by Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah through his poetry. Mohammad Quli was the founding father of Hyderabad and the man behind the iconic Charminar. Then came poets like Mah Laqa Chanda, the first woman poet to publish an anthology in Urdu.