In the 2013 Ayan Mukerji film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Kabir "Bunny" Thapar (Ranbir Kapoor) is asked to attend the wedding celebrations of good friend Aditi Mehra (Kalki Koechlin). Because Bunny has been busy travelling the world the last eight years he has been out of touch with his friends, who have missed his energy and enthusiasm.
Bunny makes a dramatic entrance by first announcing:
"They say there is no right time to get married. You're in trouble from the moment it happens. Adita, my tiger, my wild child, I left you alone for a few years and look at the mess you've made! Madness is an illness, an illness that old age makes you forget. But screw that. We won't be old for a while, so let's be MAD tonight!"
He strides into the room, reunites with Adita and Naina Talwar (Deepika Padukone), then transforms the event from a formal sit-down affair to a wild celebratory bash.
The music for "Badtameez Dil" was composed by Pritam and sung by Benny Dayal and Shefali Alvares. The eccentric lyrics were penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya. In an April 2013 Times of India article, Bhattacharya explained the genesis of the lyrics:
For "Badtameez Dil", his new smash hit, director Ayan Mukerji had a clear brief - Give me a hit song. "Pritam came up with the hook and I tried random lines like Dil dhadak dhadak...bole re, bole re, until we settled on Badtameez Dil. Ayan wanted the rest of the lyrics to be gibberish; which explains paan mein pudina dekha, hawa mein Havana dekha. You know, whatever works," he winks.
Here are the translated lyrics of the song via HindiLyrics.net:
Bunny:
I have seen mint in betel leaf, seen a stone of nose-ring
Seen sexy girls and handsome guys
When the moon became a cheater and cheated
All the stars said gili gilli akkanMy talks, your talks, too much talking is a bad thing
Taking a bowl in the plate potato rice and bread rice
If someone repeated after me
I punched in your faceHe has been possessed by a ghost and doesn't know to stop
He doesn't know the difference between what it has done wrong and right
He is insisting and unwilling to leaveThis ill-mannered and uncivil heart doesn't give up
This ill-mannered and uncivil heart doesn't give up
Nobody knows this world is a question and amazing
This ill-manner and discourteous heart doesn't listenIt saw Hawana in the air
It saw everything and the lion's roar
Circumventing the whole world
I gave a push to the worldHey, Bollywood Hollywood very very jolly good
The three-feet Lilliput is on the top of the molehill
If someone repeated after me
I punched in your face
It doesn't know to turn from the path of ostentation
It doesn't know to cover itself with the blanket of shame for no reason
This damned heart is very insisting
It never knows to give inIgnorant and bad-mannered heart doesn't give in
Ignorant and bad-mannered heart doesn't give inAditi:
All the galaxy have become disco lights today
Naina:
By lighting, and going off and ignoring us
They are saying party all nightBunny, Aditi and Naina:
It doesn't know to break the relation with this idiotic pleasantry
It doesn't want to get attached with tomorrow's worries
This damned heart is very insisting
Never know to give in, hahaIgnorant and bad-mannered heart doesn't listen
Ignorant and bad-mannered heart doesn't listen
This world is a question and amazing
Nobody knows
Ignorant and bad-mannered heart
Doesn't listen
In a May 2013 article in The Indian Express, we learn how Amitabh Bhattacharya develops lyrics:
...one finds out that his original creative sources lie in the course of everyday life. The tea-dipped biscuit then becomes one such instance, an unexpected sample of one of Bhattacharya's personal favourites that go "Chai mein dooba biscoot ho gaya," ["Made biscuits dipped in tea"] from the peppy Punjabi number "Ainvayi Ainvayi" from Band Baaja Baarat.
"Something that is inherently part of our daily lives always works. I remember laughing at the humour myself when I came up with that line," he says.
To date, "Badtameez Dil" won both a Zee Cine Award and a Star Guild Award for Best Choreography. The filming of this item number took five days and was choreographed by Remo D'Souza. According to a July 2013 story in The Indian Express, the dance moves of Michael Jackson had a big influence on Remo D'Souza's decision to pursue dancing as a career:
"I was 14-15 when I first saw Michael Jackson dance and I thought 'How can he move like that?' I started following him. We didn't have TV in those days and could access videos on VCR. But who in Gujarat would keep a MJ tape? After a year or so, I knew somebody from Mumbai who got that tape for me.
"That is how I started dancing and told my parents that I don't want to study but dance. Initially, they were very scared, my father was against it. But my mom and sister supported me and allowed me to go to Mumbai ..."
You can certainly see the influence of Michael Jackson in "Badtameez Dil" item number through a brief dance step reminiscient of "Thriller" as well as moves by Ranbir Kapoor on the stage.
Before the video for "Badtameez Dil" was released, Movie Talkies and Miss Malini reported that Ranbir Kapoor insisted director Ayan Mukerji be in the item number. Mukerji was reluctant but he apparently obliged. However, the photo circulating appears to be a publicity still rather than a movie still as the scene pictured above doesn't appear in the final version of the film.
The following video playlist features a brief version of the song, the "Making of", the full version of the song from the film, and the trailer of the film which includes a portion of "Badtameez Dil".
If you liked this, please visit our other Music Monday or Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani posts.