STUMPED! What do Masaan, Jaanisaar, Drishyam mean?

Here's what these movie titles mean!

With novel themes and movie narratives come unfamiliar titles.

Debutant director Neeraj Ghaywan's Masaan has been much praised, but few would know the meaning of its title.

Or director Muzaffar Ali's comeback film, that goes by the lyrical and rather charming title, Jaanisaar.

Still wondering what the titles of some Hindi movies you've watched, or are looking forward to, mean?

Help's on the way!

Masaan

Masaan is derived from the Sanskrit word Shmashaan (also Shamshaan in Hindi), a crematorium.

One of the six leads in Neeraj Ghaywan's film -- played by newcomer Vicky Kaushal -- works at a Masaan in Varanasi.

Masaan releases on July 24.

 

Jaanisaar

This Urdu word has Turkish and Persian origins and is a combination of two words -- Jaan and Nissar.

Jaan is 'life' and Nissar is 'to sacrifice', so Jaanisar translates as the act of sacrificing one's life for a purpose.

Muzaffar Ali's film, set for release on August 7, marks fashion designer Pernia Qureshi's acting debut.

 

Drishyam

Jeethu Joseph's acclaimed Malayalam film Drishyam was remade in Tamil as Papanasam, but its Hindi remake starring Ajay Devgn retains the original title.

Drishyam in Malayalam, Drishya in Hindi and Drushyam in Telugu all mean 'a sight/visual.'

The title plays a crucial part in the narrative. (You'll know what we mean if you've watched the Mohanlal starrer.)

The Hindi Drishyam, which also features Tabu in a powerful role, releases July 31.

 

Koyelaanchal

Ashu Trikha's 2014 Vinod Khanna-Suniel Shetty starrer takes its name from a combination of two words -- Koyla (coal) and Aanchal, which loosely translates as 'province of coal.'

The movie, as the title lets on, is based in the coal belt dominated by a mafioso (played by Khanna).

Desi Kattey

Suniel Shetty has a knack for picking films with odd titles!

Apart from Koyelaanchal, he also starred in the 2014 action drama Desi Kattey.

A 'Katta' means country revolver in Hindi and is a commonly used term in the North Indian hinterland.

'Kattey' is the plural of 'Katta'. So this makes the first part of the title redundant because a country revolver is desi.

It's like how firangs call our naan 'Naan-bread.'

 

Kai Po Che

Abhishek Kapoor's much liked movie borrows its name from a popular Gujarati phrase, which roughly translates to a kite's string being cut.

Set in communal tension-ridden Gujarat, it is based on Chetan Bhagat's bestselling novel The 3 Mistakes Of My Life.

 

Kochadaiiyaan

Rajinikanth and Deepika Padukone's 2012 historical actioner derives its name from a 7th century king named Kochadiyan Ranadhiran.

The word also has a Tamil meaning -- it is made up of 'Ko' and 'Chadaiyan', which mean 'king' and 'a male with matted hair' respectively.

 

Fukrey

The Farhan Akhtar-Ritesh Sidhwani produced Fukrey is the story of a couple of good-for-nothings who spend their days thinking of ways to make a fast buck.

Fukrey is a colloquial term popular in New Delhi (where the film is set) and other parts of North India and refers to young men who talk big but do zilch.

 

Singham

Rohit Shetty's 2011 Ajay Devgan hit Singham is also the name of its hero.

Singham means 'Singh' in Hindi, a lion. The title is symbolic of its hero's courage and ferocity, much like a lion.

Thakshak

Govind Nihalani's 1999 drama Thakshak, starring Ajay Devgn and Tabu, derives its name from the king of serpents in the Mahabharat, as the director revealed in an interview.

In the epic, Thakshak kills Janmajeya, Arjun's grandson.

 

Aflatoon

Akshay Kumar's 1997 whodunnit's name mirrors its hero's outlook.

Aflatoon means someone who leads a carefree existence.