Chhod aaye hum wo galiyaan (Maachis)

In a listener's mind, this song's iconic whistling is so important a part of the complete package, that last I started writing about this song, the post was hijacked by the whistling part alone and I ended up writing this post instead. While whistling is often associated with a carefree disposition and an untroubled mind, the feelings behind this song are anything but carefree or untroubled.

Maachis (1996) is a movie about the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards. As violence broke out, the atrocities against Sikhs resulted in many Sikh youths joining militancy.

The song itself shows a transition - from four (apparently) happy young men singing (and whistling) about leaving behind their loved ones' streets (in the mukhda) - to a slightly melancholic mood (in the first antara) - and suddenly shifting gears to a hard-hitting second antara talking about 'Ek chhota sa lamha hai, jo khatm nahin hota' - those moments of atrocities that one tries hard to forget, but is unable to.

Lyrics, and translation

Chhod aaye hum wo galiyaan... - 2

[[We've left behind those streets...]]

Jahaan tere pairon ke kanwal gira karte the

Hanse to do gaalon mein bhanwar pada karte the

Teri kamar ke bal pe, nadi muda karti thi

Hansi teri sun-sun ke, fasal paka karti thi

[[Where the lotuses of your feet used to fall /

When you used to laugh, the dimples in your cheeks were deep like whirlpools /

The river used to take its curves from your waist /

And the crops ripened with the sound of your laugh

(Everything beautiful revolved around you)]]

Chhod aaye hum wo galiyaan... - 2

[[We've left behind those streets...]]

Jahaan teri eDi se dhoop uda karti thi

Suna hai us chaukhat pe, ab shaam raha karti hai

Laton se uljhi lipti ek raat hua karti thi

Kabhie-kabhie takiye pe, wo bhi mila karti hai

[[Gulzar shifts into a more melancholic gear with this antara - though the hero has left behind his love for a greater(?) cause, he is missing those times and places.

When you used to walk, sunlight took off from your heels (you set free the sunlight) /

(I've heard that) that doorstep of yours is now under a gloomy shadow of dusk /

The night that I found entangled and coiled around in your hair /

Once in a while it comes to pay me a visit when I'm lying awake at my pillow]]

Chhod aaye hum wo galiyaan... - 2

[[We've left behind those streets...]]

Dil dard ka tukda hai, patthar ki dali si hai

Ek andha kuaan hai ya, ek band gali si hai

Ek chhota sa lamha hai, jo khatm nahin hota

Main laakh jalata hoon, yeh bhasm nahin hota

[[The song shifts mode yet again, giving a glimpse of the heart of a militant. No one becomes a terrorist for the heck of it. It often results from deep-rooted pain and suffering.

My heart is like a lump of pain, it's like a piece of stone /

(It's) Like a bottomless pit, or a blind alley / 

There is this fragment of time, which just wouldn't end /

No matter how much I try to burn it, it just wouldn't reduce to ashes]]

Music Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Lyricist: Gulzar
Singers: Hariharan, KK, Suresh Wadkar, Vinod Sahgal

My two cents:

1. The last para talks about how there are some memories which, no matter how much one tries to forget, are impossible to get out of your mind. They change your life for ever.
2. This song somehow reminds me of Bhagat Singh - also a young man who left behind his family and loved ones to join a cause he believed in.

(On Samyak's request)

Mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan (Anubhav)

This is one song that is mellow, yet so sensuous and fiercely intimate, it takes your breath away. Sung superlatively by Geeta Dutt, composed by (my namesake) Kanu Roy, and penned by the inimitable Gulzar; this song is like liquid romance in your ears. The playfulness of Geeta Dutt's voice perfectly balances the witty wordplay by Gulzar; and Roy's minimal musical arrangement provides the perfect foil to the package.

Backed by a stunning cinematography by Nando Bhattacharya, this song is a joy to behold visually as well. The palpable chemistry between Sanjeev Kumar and Tanuja gets sparks flying even in the constant drizzle outside. There's no mindless running around trees or fancy sets, as the song is almost entirely filmed within the frame of one window, with only the rain-soaked plants and rain-stained windowpanes for backdrop. (Do watch the video at the end of the post, it's truly beautiful.)

This is another one of those songs that mom had in one of her cassettes, and I was not able to appreciate till much later in my life. Ironically, both starred Sanjeev Kumar, one of the finest actors Bollywood has produced.

Movie: Anubhav (1971)

Music director: Kanu Roy

Lyricist: Gulzar

Singer: Geeta Dutt

Lyrics, and translation

Meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan

Meri jaan!

[[My life, don't call me your life, oh my life!

This right here is a classic Gulzar wordplay at work. While the first 'jaan' could be taken to mean 'my dearest/darling', the second one is in fact, life. Though why she is asking him to not call her his life is only made clear in the next antara.]]

Jaan na kaho anjaan mujhe, jaan kahan rahti hai sada - 2

Anjaane, kya jaanein, jaan ke jaaye kaun bhala

[[Oh ignorant one, don't call me your life, since life is not permanent. It doesn't stay with you forever.

So, though unknowingly people say that; knowingly no one would go down that path.]]

Sookhe saawan baras gaye, itni baar in aankhon se - 2

Do boondein na barsein, in bheegi palkon se

[[I've cried so many times with dry eyes,

But my moist eyelids have never allowed even 2 teardrops to escape from them.

The beauty of this couplet can only be understood in the original lines :( I feel bad about ruining their beauty. But such is the nature of this blog!]]

Honth jhukein jab hothon par, saans uljhi ho saanson mein - 2

Do judwa hothon ki, baat kaho aankhon se

[[When your lips are near mine, and our breaths are entangled in one another's;

At such time, let the eyes speak what our (twin) lips want to say.

This is so beautifully written. No one can describe intimacy quite the way Gulzar does! My favorite couplet :)]]

Some more random thoughts

1. Tanuja is one underrated actress. For me the most appealing part of her is that she seems so full of love for life. There's a constant spark in her eyes. I think Kajol got that from her. Also, I think she's more beautiful than her more illustrious sister Nootan.
2. As a kid, I didn't like Geeta Dutt's (what I thought) nasal voice. But she was such an awesome singer. Songs such as this one are sung with such exquisite simplicity. Also love the playfulness in her voice.
3. So few truly romantic songs are filmed on married couples. But this one right here kicks ass of all those n00b unmarried romances.

Woh khat ke purze (Marasim)

I've been thinking about writing this post since forever. Will finally finish it today as my (inadequate and delayed) tribute to the Late Jagjit Singh (February 8, 1941- October 10, 2011). Though I had never been much of his fan, I do honour and respect him for almost single-handedly keeping ghazals alive in India for so many years; and introducing at least 2 generations of Indians to nazms and ghazals. And like so many others, I have listened to, loved and hummed his songs since I was a kid.

Trivia: The famous Lifebuoy jingle from our childhood "Tandurusti ki raksha karta hai Lifebuoy" was sung by Jagjit Singh. :)

This particular ghazal is part of the music album 'Marasim' (meaning relationship, rishta) - composed and sung by Jagjit Singh, written by Gulzar. Putting it very crudely, in this ghazal, a person (let's say a guy, for the sake of consistency in the remaining post) is talking about his observation of his lover's behaviour after their breakup. The ghazal itself is anything but crude, though.

Since it will be a gross injustice to the beauty behind these words if I translate them literally, I'll try to go into the thought (or what I think is the thought) behind each couplet. In green is my interpretation, while blue is the literal translation of the couplet.

Lyrics, and translation

Wo khat ke purze uda raha tha

Hawaaon ka rukh dikha raha tha

[[Letters are often some of most precious keepsakes in any relationship. By tearing them up and throwing them, one is not only making clear one's intention of ending this relationship, but showing that it has lost all its meaning to them. 'Hawaaon ka rukh dikhana' is used metaphorically to mean 'show the way things are going to be'.
Literal meaning: She was showing me the direction of the wind, by tearing my letters to pieces, and throwing them in the air.]]

Kuchh aur bhi ho gaya numaaya

Main apna likha mita raha tha


[[Sometimes, when a relationship goes bad, we go back and try to relive as to what might have gone wrong. At times, we realize just how wrong the whole thing was, and that it's better to forget it and begin the rest of our with a clean slate. At such times, it becomes obvious that it's time to move on.
Literal meaning: Something else also begin apparent, since I find myself erasing what I had written earlier.
Numaya = apparent, obvious]]

Usi ka imaan badal gaya hai

Kabhi jo mera khuda raha tha

[[How would you feel if for as long as you can remember you have had some conviction, some belief and something or some event makes it go off in pieces? How would you feel if you loved and trusted a person with all that you have, and one day that person turns out to be someone completely different from what you thought he was? Would it ever be possible to hold on to your own faith/beliefs after that?
Literal meaning: The person who used to be my God, has now changed her religion.]]

Wo ek din ek ajnabi ko

Meri kahaani suna raha tha

[[There are secrets to any love story, that are intensely personal, to the point of being sacred. To discuss your ex-lover with a stranger means you're letting a third person in on that relationship's solemn secrets, thus invading its sanctity.
Literal meaning: She was telling my story to a stranger the other day.]]

Wo umr kam kar raha tha meri

Main saal apne badha raha tha


[[Honestly, I'm quite confused about this couplet, but will share what I think, which is -
While she (my ex) was trying to belittle me and the time we spent together; I thought it was the best thing that happened to me, and the most meaningful period of my life - I was attaching more and more significance to that time. 
Literal meaning: She was decreasing years from age, while I was adding them on.]]

Aye Ajnabi (Dil Se)

Rahul, this one's for you -
Because it's like I'm only half-alive when you're not here.
Because I miss you so much everything else seems unimportant and uninteresting.
Because even this festive season seems like a drag without you.
Because without you, even breathing seems like an effort.
Because I miss you so much, it's as if my whole being is aching to be with you.
Because, if it weren't for you, I'd never have realized that all these clichés I was so quick to diss were actually true.

Honestly, I had no intentions (as yet) of posting this song on this blog. I have always loved this song, but today it's been playing on a loop in my head, and it's today that I fell in love with it all over again. How fitting are the words of this song! It's a song of separation, of yearning, but above all of love. And how haunting is the melody! I'll go on to say, at the risk of sounding redundant because I've said this already, that Dil Se is one of A.R. Rahman's finest albums.

Do read the translation too, there are some 'Words of wisdom' inserted here and there :P. Yes, they break the flow of the song. Yes, I'm sorry about that. :-|

Why 'Jai Ho' deserved an Oscar

(+ Jai Ho Hindi and Spanish lyrics with English translation)

Whether or not Slumdog Millionaire (2008) deserved the 8 Academy Awards it got will always be a question that could lead to much heated discussions. The movie was good. But was it good enough? Mere rhetorical questions now. But in my mind, there are no such questions about 'Jai Ho' winning its Oscar (or Grammy).

It has a breathtaking soundtrack

I have heard many say, that by this time, A.R.Rahman had already hit his lean patch, and that Slumdog Millionaire had a pretty average soundtrack when compared to his previous work. I disagree, specifically when the song in question is 'Jai Ho'. While there's no denying the fact that Rahman has given some outstanding soundtracks before and since Slumdog Millionaire, it surely doesn't take away from the breathtaking arrangement of this masterpiece.

Title track (Kaminey)

Kaminey

(noun) scoundrel, rascal

(adjective) crooked, contemptible, questionable, unscrupulous

The word 'kaminey' could mean any of these things. And I've used these various meanings in different contexts.

The title track of Kaminey is a lyrical masterpiece for a number of reasons. But instead of jumping right to the translation of the song, let's first look at the intentions of the character (rather, the lyricist) for choosing the words he did.

The character Charlie is the narrator of Kaminey (2009),  as well as the voice behind the song (not literally, just in the movie. The singer is Vishal Bhardwaj). Charlie is a small time crook, and his mantra in life is to get everything through shortcuts (fortcut ya chhota fortcut) - a morally ambiguous, but quicker way of getting what he wants.