They came, we saw, and all of us conquered. We are talking about Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean (POTC) in the early 2000s. But first, apologies for altering the famous Latin phrase ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici’ from Julius Caesar. However, ‘modification’ is our topic of discussion and you’ll see why. We all are aware of Bollywood’s big Diwali release, Thugs of Hindostan (TOH) and how it fared at the box office. Yes, Aamir Khan-Amitabh Bachchan’s ambitious desi pirate’s saga proved to be a box-office turkey, and the reasons are aplenty. But for me, the cringiest moment in TOH was when Katrina Kaif blatantly copied Zoe Saldana’s dialogue from POTC. This fine scene proves why the film deserves all the backlash from critics and movie buffs. Opinion: Why Aamir Khan's Thugs of Hindostan Failed When SS Rajamouli's Baahubali 2 Turned Out to Be All Time Blockbuster.

Thugs of Hindostan was released on November 8 amid a storm of hype. The movie was panned by critics, who pointed out flaws in everything, right from the screenplay to the characters. As for the aam janta, they had a field day posting Thugs of Hindostan memes and jokes. Seeing so much of negativity, ardent fans of Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan as well as many Bollywood celebs including superstar Shah Rukh Khan came out in support of the film. They all spoke how audiences should be supportive of Indian films that are trying to make ‘new’ films in different genres. Basically, they convinced me to buy the expensive tickets to the movie. Shah Rukh Khan Supports Aamir Khan’s Thugs of Hindostan; Says the Film Is Fantastic but Some People Have Been Little Too Harsh.

So, I went to watch Thugs of Hindostan with a conflicted state of mind. By the end of it, I promised myself to trust critics and fans’ reviews over everything else. In fact, it was the very last scene that made me not only dislike the movie but cringe. The scene I’m talking about takes place after the ‘victory of good over evil’ climax (come ‘on, spoilers are fine, any way you’re not going to watch the film). Thugs of Hindostan Viewers Review in Memes and Jokes! Twitterati Who Booked Expensive Tickets Are Roasting Story of Aamir Khan-Amitabh Bachchan’s Latest Movie.

It shows Aamir Khan’s Firangi Mallah and his childhood friend, Shanichar (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) chilling at the deck of a ship. Suddenly, they hear a commotion. They find Katrina’s character Suraiyya, who's also Firangi's love interest, make a dashing entry. A surprised Firangi approaches her, only to be slapped by her. When the confused thug questions why, Suraiyya said it is because he ‘ran away with her jewellery.’ To this, Firangi replies that he didn't steal it but had just borrowed it, and was going to return them to her. We know there’s nothing extraordinary about this conversation between the two forgettable characters. Except, when you realise it was lifted by Thugs of Hindostan writers from Pirates of the Caribbean.

The original scene is from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the first film of the hit fantasy-drama series. It takes places when Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is recruiting crew with Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) to rescue the kidnapped Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). It is here when Sparrow meets Anamaria (Zoe Saldana), who slaps him almost immediately upon meeting. Can you guess the reason?

Watch Zoe Saldana's Anamaria and Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Anamaria, the female pirate, explains how Jack Sparrow stole her boat years ago. To this Jack says – he borrowed, borrowed without permission! Eerily similar, right? Not just the dialogue, but just like Saldana’s Anamaria joins Captain Jack Sparrow on his mission in Pirates of the Caribbean, Suraiyya joins Firangi Mallah on his new mission in Thugs of Hindostan.

It is crazy how the Rs 300-crore Thugs of Hindostan did not think twice before lifting dialogues of other films. It is fascinating how the team thought so little of audiences’ intellect and took it for granted. Overconfidence on their part led them to believe that their lazy writing, or should we say blatant plagiarism of ideas and dialogues, would not be caught by the viewers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 15, 2018 03:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).