Satrangi Re - Dil Se

Dil Se... is my absolute favourite movie - read more on why I love it, here. As is well known, the movie Dil Se... depicts the seven shades of love, namely - attraction, infatuation, love, reverence, worship, obsession, and death. And the one song that brilliantly conveys it - as the title indicates - is Satrangi Re. So how do we see the seven shades of love? The lyrics and the picturization of the song is what goes hand-in-hand to do it. So presenting to you, the seven shades...

...but wait, I'm confused as to how I'll put the lyrics, its translation and the images so that you'll get what it's all about! Nevertheless, follow me!

Credits - 

Movie: Dil Se...

Song: Satrangi Re

Lyrics: Gulzar

Music: A R Rehman

Singers: Sonu Nigam, Kavitha Krishnamoorthy

Tu hi tu, tu hi tu satrangi re 
You, it's you -  you are the seven-coloured one
Tu hi tu, tu hi tu mann-rangi re
You, it's you - you are the one with a colourful spirit

Notice how they both are in black - even as the song begins on a 'colourful' note

***Attraction***

Dil ka saaya hamsaaya, satrangi re... mann-rangi re
The shadow on my heart is your many colours

Koi noor hai tu, kyon door hai tu?

You are the light; but why are you so distant?

Jab paas hai tu, ehsaas hai tu... satrangi re 

When you are near, you are feeling itself (or he's continuing the comparison with light; and says when you are near, I can feel you - like I can feel the light)

Koi khwaab hai ya parchaai hai, satrangi re, satrangi re
Are you a dream, or a shadow? 

Is baar bata muh-zor hawa thehregi kahaan?

Tell me, where will this forceful wind come to a halt?

Ishq par zor nahin hai yeh woh aatish Ghalib 

Jo lagaye na lage, aur bujhaaye na bane

Ghalib was an Urdu poet. This is a shair, or verse, from one of his ghazals; a form of poetry in which the poet often finds a way to include his own name in the verse. The verse is brilliant because ghalib means 'overcoming', 'triumphant', 'dominant' or 'victorious'. And so the verse could literally reads:
"No one has control over love; it is a ghalib (triumphant) fire/firework;

It can neither be kindled on a whim, nor extinguished when you desire."

 Notice how he's in black (in the dark) and she's in white (the light) and he's yearning to cross over - to traverse from darkness to light, perhaps?

Aankhon ne kuch aise chua 

Her eyes, they touched me so...

Halka halka uns hua 

...Gently, and gently I was infatuated 

Dil ko ye mehsoos hua 

My heart felt it

***Infatuation***

Tu hi tu, tu hi tu  - jeene ki saari khushboo

You, it's you - you are the fragrance of living/life

Tu hi tu, tu hi tu aarzu aarzu 

You, it's you - you are my longing 

Teri jism ki aanch ko choote hi 

As soon as I touch the flame that is your body

Meri saans sulagne lagati hai 

My breath is ignited

Note the burning tree in the backdrop; a perfect prop to depict his fire

Mujhe ishq dilaase deta hai 

Love consoles/calms/comforts me

Mere dard bilakhne lagte hai 

 But my pain sobs noisily

 This is just to say that I love this 'twirling' technique! I've seen this in Alaipayuthey/Saathiya too - Mani Ratnam Trademark?
***Love***

Tu hi tu, tu hi tu  - jeene ki saari khushboo

Tu hi tu, tu hi tu aarzu aarzu 

Chooti hai mujhe sargoshi se 

You touch me like a whisper

Aankhon mein ghuli khaamoshi se 

My eyes, with silence dissolved in them...

Can't you see it too? The reverence in his eyes!
***Reverence***

Main farsh pe sajde karta hoon 

On the floor, I offer my prayers to you
Kuch hosh mein kuch behoshi se 

Some consciously, and some unconsciously

***Worship***

This bit is for the choreography - I am not sure, but to me, this appears like the 'two-bodies-one-soul' depiction. And this idea was (is?) pretty different.

 My interpretation - she's like the water; leaving him thirsty for more

Teri raahon mein uljha-uljha hoon

I am entangled in your ways

Teri baahon mein uljha-uljha 

I'm entangled in your embrace

The prop is (very aptly) the Rope. He's entangled by her.

Suljhaane de hosh mujhe 

Let me disentangle my senses

Teri chaah mein uljha hoon 

For, I'm so ensnared by your desires!

Mera jeena junoon, mera marna junoon

My life is submitted to your obsession; and so it'll be until death

Ab iske siwa nahi koi sukoon

Save this, there is no peace

A maddening frenzy and trance - the anticlimax

***Obsession***

Tu hi tu, tu hi tu satrangi re 

Tu hi tu, tu hi tu mann-rangi re 

Ishq par zor nahin hai yeh woh aatish Ghalib 

Jo lagaye na lage, aur bujhaaye na bane

Mujhe maut ki god mein sone de

Let me sleep in the lap of death!

Teri rooh mein jism dubone de 

Let me dip my body in your soul

Satrangi re... mann-rangi re 

And note the end: both of them are in white (i.e. have found light; compare it to the initial scene). Death gave them salvation, perhaps?
***Death***

If you didn't still realise, the seven colours do appear in the song (almost- and in the reverse VIBGYOR order, at that!) 

For me the magnificence of the lyrics, the visuals, the choreography combined is an overwhelming revelation. Of course, I don't know if I'm reading too much between the lines, but I find this a perfect harmony - what was intended to convey has been beautifully interpreted and presented. The credits have to be given where it's due - Gulzar, Mani Ratnam, A R Rehman, Sonu Nigam - take a bow!

P.S. I do realise that it's a tad too long, and different in structure from my other posts. But I bet you agree that this song deserves this elaboration!

Chandan sa Badan - Saraswatichandra

There have been innumerable songs that describe love and how it feels to be smitten. In that enormous category, a sub-classification (if I could call it so) is describing your lady love. I would say it's an enormous avenue for drawing comparisons. And it's an endless opportunity - enough is never said, when you talk of your lady!

One such song that stands our for me is Chandan sa Badan. The language and the metaphors are rich -  sample some words: chitvan, kaam-kamaan, bhaune- does anyone use such good language any more? We are increasingly defiling love by calling it Kambhaqt Ishq and the likes; that's the sorry state of lyric writing today - the more crass and vulgar it is, the better (Actually that's fodder for another rant -so let me save it). The music itself is tasteful (based on Kalyani raga, apparently) and needless to say, it's highly romantic. It illustrates dignity while courting, which is rare to see these days. Often love is portrayed as 'sexy', lustful, sensuous - but the elements of purity, innocence or divinity is amiss now. And this song reminds me of how poetic and creative one can get. How he describes her is lovely - 

Her body - as if sculpted from sandalwood

Her mind - restless and playful

Her eyebrows - finely pencilled and bent like a bow

Her eyes - like a pond, lined with kohl (the eyes are like the pond, and the banks are lined with Kajra)

Her forehead - emblazed with the vermillion of the sun (referring to the Bindi)

Her lips - like the glowing embers

With such poetry, which lady wouldn't be bowled over? And I'd even liken this song to a great persuasive sales pitch. The man heaps praises on her - evoking her Attention, Interest and Desire. And ends up by saying, 'I've already suffered a lot without you, now please don't make me suffer any more!' - that's the Action she's supposed to take. Ergo, the AIDA model. See?

The picturization is interesting (and a bit naughty too). You can call it a bit clichéd also (but who hates clichés in romance?): we've the heroine going chori-chupe for a midnight rendezvous with her object of affection. I am impressed with Nutan; I haven't seen much of her movies, but how she acts in this song is lovely. Though I'm not convinced about Manish. He has this poker face (I feel) and he doesn't seem like he's madly in love with her. By the end of the video I went, 'She took the trouble of meeting him?' So yeah - he don't impress me much!

Here's the video (take a look - I've hyped it up so much already!)

Credits -

Movie: Saraswatichandra (1968) [Apparently the last Bollywood movie made in B'n'W]

Song: Chandan Sa Badan

Lyrics: Indeevar

Music: Kalyanji -Anandji

Singer: Mukesh

Lyrics- 

Chandan sa badan, chanchal chitvan,

Dheere se tera yeh muskana,

Mujhe dosh na dena jagwaalon,

Ho jaun agar main deewana.

Yeh kaam kamaan bhaune teri,

Palkon ke kinaare kajraare;

Mathe par sindoori suraj,

Honthon pe dehakhte angaare.

Saaya bhi jo tera pad jaaye,

Aabad ho dil ka veerana.

Tan bhi sundar, mann bhi sundar

Tu sundarta ki moorat hai;

Kisi aur ko shaayad kam hogi,

Mujhe teri bahut zaroorat hai.

Pehle bhi bahut mein tarsa hoon,

Tu aur na mujhko tarsaana. 

Gata Rahe Mera Dil - Guide

I woke up groggily this Sunday morning and switched on the TV while having my cereal. That's when the news channel were flashing the unexpected news - Dev Anand had passed away.

Since then, all the channels have been swarming with reactions of the film fraternity - co-stars, directors, actors, et al. Numerous recent (and past) interviews are being aired and lots of movie clippings are being shown. But most importantly, a lot of songs! Indeed he had a number of super hit songs picturised on him. This post would prolong into a blog in itself, if I had to write on all the good Dev Anand songs (heck, that might as well be the compilation of all songs from his filmography!). So no - I won't. True to this blog, it's just one song that will be here. And I guess you figured it from the blog title!

My memory of this song is that I would inevitably sing this first if the letter 'ga' came whilst playing Anthakshari with friends or cousins. It was effortless. And when I was a kid, I didn't like this song much. And singing it for the letter 'ga' was the only purpose this song served (yeah, as strange as it sounds). But later on, I actually started listening to it carefully - and started loving it. It has this fresh, young feel to it and it's the kind of open-throated song you should sing out in the open - like in the jungles or the hills (as it has been picturised in the movie). I've heard that Dev Anand had a fascination for the hills and he often chose it as locations for his songs (I bet now you are doing a mental recap of his songs).

I think this song best embodies how optimistic love seems at its onset - it seems everlasting, you wish your partner is always by your side; that he/she never changes and you'll walk into the sunset of your lives - together. Of course, it was not meant to last, in the movie. I think I should catch it soon.

Why this song? - you didn't ask. But let me tell you anyway. Mom had called me today morning. After the usual chit-chat, as she was going to cut the call, Dad insisted he be given the phone. The next thing I hear is him singing 'Gata rahe mera dil....'! I hadn't expected it and my immediate reaction was to laugh. But then I knew. He had paid a little tribute when he sang that one line in the best way he could. So here it is - 

Credits -

Movie: Guide (1965)

Song: Gata Rahe Mera Dil

Lyrics: Shailendra

Music: S D Burman

Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar 

And to sing along - 

Gaata rahe mera dil, Tu hi meri manzil

Kahin beete na yeh raatein, kahin beete na yeh din

Gaata rahe mera dil

Pyaar karne waale, arre pyaar hi karenge

Jalne waale chaahe jal jal marenge

Mil ke jo dhadke hai woh dil, hardam yeh kahenge

Kahin beete na...

Oh kahin beete na yeh raatein kahin beete na yeh din

Gaata rahe mera dil

O mere hamrahi, meri baah thaame chalna 

Badle duniya saari, tum na badalna 

Pyaar humein bhi sikhaladega, gardish mein sambhalna

Kahin beete na ...

Oh kahin beete na yeh raatein kahin beete na yeh din

Gaata rahe mera dil

Dooriyan ab kaisi, arre shaam jaa rahi hai 

Humko dalthe dalthe, samaja rahi hai 

Aati jaati, saans jaane kab se gaa rahi hai, 

Kahin beete na ...

Oh kahin beete na yeh raatein kahin beete na yeh din

Gaata rahe mera dil