'Have you watched Inglorious...? That is what most people stop at while inquiring if you have watched the latest Tarantino Firecracker at the cinemas. In India, we can't get ourselves to say Basterds in public. I have seen people do crazy things to avoid saying the name , but still convey their message. Take my German Class for example; the teacher asked "What movie have you watched this weekend?" An eager soul responded, "Yes I watched a movie at e-square. I forgot the name, but it was set in Nazi occupied France". How the hell can you forget the name of a movie you watched yesterday? Its better you give up on learning a language then I believe. However on hearing his response I couldn't help but laugh. When the teacher (who is also old and wouldn't have understood what film the guy watched), asked me what the reason for my outburst was , I smugly responded "I guess he watched Ghajini, so he forgot the name after 15 mins. He should probably click pics the next time ".
If you ask me, purely on dictionary meaning terms, a Bastard is just a victim of circumstances. There is no fault of his that he is the Bastard. The real bad-word should be "Bastard's Mom" or "Bastard's Pop", but like true legacy the child carries the societal disrepute although his folks literally fucked up. But now if you look at the way in which the term is used on a daily basis, it conjures up that anyone who is remotely connected with stuff that is illegal or unethical maybe called a Bastard. I guess the reason is that phonetically "Illegal" or "Unethical" don't have the same impact as "Bastard" does. Its similar to how everyone from an only child sans even cousins to a brother with dozen sisters is termed as "Bhenc*" in Hindi. It is all for the lack of a more impactful word.
Sometimes, people refer to each other as bastards even endearingly. Like in the movies, Robert De Niro (with his eyes half shut and smile half formed) might say to fellow Italian with a warm smile on his face " You dirty Bastard". The moment is so tender , you almost feel they might actually peck each other on the cheek now. Some people do refer to each other as Bastards just for the sake of it, because they believe that they are Bastards themselves for no real reason except some deep hatred for being termed as all good. This phenomenon is common in Punjab where everyone is a BhenC* or Bhen Da* atleast verbally.
I would say to sum it up " Some people are Born bastards, Some achieve Bastardness, while some have Bastardness thrust upon them". It is very difficult to remain out of all thse 3 categories as Greatness Excludes but Bastardness Includes!! So Happy Diwali Fellow Bastards! May the new year bring you Sexual Fulfilment, Sexual Prowess, Striking Good Looks, and Shitloads of Money!