First Quote Added
April 10, 2026
Latest Quote Added
"[narrating the first lines of the movie] September 1980. My best friend Matt and I have the same birthday. He got a brand-new chopper bike. It's really fast and looks so cool. I got a Rubik's Cube, but Matt gave me this diary that he didn't want, and I'm going to write in it every day. The Russians have been in Afghanistan for 363 days. "Baggy Trousers" by Madness is my favorite song."
"[writing a poem dedicated to Eliza] In my dreams, I am holding you tight, You are all I ever wanted, Such a magical sight, I feel a buzz of electricity from my feet to fingertips, When I try to imagine, kissing your beautiful lips, A flash of lightning in a midnight storm, gust of wind that lifts me off my feet, a summer ray that radiates heat, every minute I'm with you feels divine and makes you wish you could be mine."
"[about his poems] They're not brilliant, but they're mine."
"Goodbye, cheese and pickle! My summer job is done! The cold war rages on. Reagan and Thatcher are still number one! But I'm stuck in Luton, one of the herd. No fun, freedom or future, 'cause Luton is a four-letter word."
"My dad's not a typical dad. We don't have jokey chats. He's not like the dads you see on the telly. A lot of the time he seems pretty angry at the world. I think Bruce Springsteen would understand my dad, 'cause, like his father, they both came from poor backgrounds, both worked hard in factories, both had dreams that never came true, which left them angry. And they both had sons who wanted the chance to make them proud."
"But the reason I connected with Springsteen is because what he sings about and champions are not only American values but are the best of human values. He talks about working hard and holding on to your dreams and not letting the hardness of the world stop you from letting the best of you slip away."
"Listen to me, beta. I'm not your typical Pakistani father who says you must be a doctor. I'm saying... lawyer, accountant, estate agent. I'm giving you freedom, see?"
"You're very lucky. You'll always be Pakistani. You will never be British!"
"Roops: Congratulations! You've popped your Bruce cherry. You never forget your first time!"
"Noor Khan: If we don't try to fix this now we will lose our son for good. And if that happens, I will never forgive you."
"Mr. Evans: 48 years ago I marched into war with my friends to fight men in swastikas. Today I see swastikas on young men on the streets of Luton. That was a very brave poem, young man. You must write more and get your message out. N.F. scum indeed!"
"Alan: No one listens to Springsteen anymore. He's history!"
"Viveik Kalra - Javed Khan"
"Kulvinder Ghir - Malik Khan"
"Meena Ganatra - Noor Khan"
"Nell Williams - Eliza"
"Aaron Phagura - Roops"
"Dean Charles Chapman - Matt"
"Rob Brydon - Matt's Father"
"Jeff Mirza - Mr. Shah"
"Nikita Mehta - Shazia Khan"
"Tara Divina - Yasmeen"
"David Hayman - Mr. Evans"
"Sally Phillips - Mrs. Anderson"
"Marcus Brigstocke - Robert, Eliza's father"
"Olivia Poulet - Frances, Eliza's mother"
"Frankie Fox - Colin Hand"
"Hayley Atwell - Ms. Clay"
"Lorraine Ashbourne - Kathy"
Young though he was, his radiant energy produced such an impression of absolute reliability that Hedgewar made him the first sarkaryavah, or general secretary, of the RSS.
- Gopal Mukund Huddar
Largely because of the influence of communists in London, Huddar's conversion into an enthusiastic supporter of the fight against fascism was quick and smooth. The ease with which he crossed from one worldview to another betrays the fact that he had not properly understood the world he had grown in.
Huddar would have been 101 now had he been alive. But then centenaries are not celebrated only to register how old so and so would have been and when. They are usually celebrated to explore how much poorer our lives are without them. Maharashtrian public life is poorer without him. It is poorer for not having made the effort to recall an extraordinary life.
I regret I was not there to listen to Balaji Huddar's speech [...] No matter how many times you listen to him, his speeches are so delightful that you feel like listening to them again and again.
By the time he came out of Franco's prison, Huddar had relinquished many of his old ideas. He displayed a worldview completely different from that of the RSS, even though he continued to remain deferential to Hedgewar and maintained a personal relationship with him.