RRR Songs (Songs of Regret, Repentance and Ruefulness)
I started this new series on 17 Jan 21 on my Facebook Group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne. My efforts failed to involve people in writing their own stuff about songs and music rather than copying and pasting from here and there or worse, just sharing url of songs from YouTube. Hence, I had decided to give the group a burial that it deserved rather than making it like thousands of groups on Facebook about songs with nothing unique about them at all.
Hence this series shifted to my page Lyrical.
I hope you liked RRR Song #13: Woh jo milate the kabhi. Here is the next song:
Song #14
Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam
Movies and Songs Are Reflections of One’s Emotions
This was the last movie that Guru Dutt produced and directed. He commissioned Abrar Alvi to write the story that he had earlier asked to write Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam and Pyaasa. Another thing common in this movie was Waheeda Rehman, the actress of choice for Guru Dutt so much so that rumours were rife about their real life romance being reflected in their reel life. To complicate it further, Guru Dutt’s wife Geeta (nee’ Roy) used to be the singing voice for Waheeda Rehman.
This complex scenario, some feel, resulted in first Guru Dutt and later Geeta Dutt killing themselves with drinks and emotions.
Pyaasa, the 1957 Guru Dutt movie wherein Waheeda Rehman is depicted as the prostitute with a golden heart whom Guru Dutt seeks after being disappointed with the valueless and even meaningless world.
Pyaasa had some of the best lyrics of Sahir Ludhianvi, whose centenary we shall be celebrating on 08 March this year. And since Guru Dutt was depicted as a poet (with Sahir’s poetry), Pyaasa was also thought of a biographical movie for Sahir.
Kaagaz Ke Phool from where this song is taken may be an attempt to depict Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman’s actual aspirations and emotions.
This Song
SD Burman of Pyaasa continued in Kaagaz Ke Phool. However Burman and Sahir had fallen apart and hence Kaifi wrote the lyrics. In this song, he may have penned his greatest:
वक़्त ने किया क्या हंसीं सितम
तुम रहे न तुम हम रहे न हम
वक़्त ने किया…
बेक़रार दिल इस तरह मिले
जिस तरह कभी हम जुदा न थे
तुम भी खो गए, हम भी खो गए
एक राह पर चलके दो क़दम
वक़्त ने किया…
जाएंगे कहाँ सूझता नहीं
चल पड़े मगर रास्ता नहीं
क्या तलाश है कुछ पता नहीं
बुन रहे हैं दिल ख़्वाब दम-ब-दम
वक़्त ने किया…
Kaifi Azmi, of course, was the poet and lyricist, who used minimal and most simplistic words to convey the strongest emotions. You can make out that he did here too.
The Light and Shadow Dance
The effect of the song, difference between aspirations and what came about (regret or ruefulness) was sought to be conveyed through light and shadow done very cleverly. It looks ethereal but highly effective. All of us have bodies but the self is something within and Guru Dutt used light and shadows to convey this.
My Own Poetry
HUM RAHE NA HUM…
तनहाई है, उदासी है, पर इतना शोर क्यूं है?
मुहब्बत अच्छी है तो इश्क पे इतना ज़ोर क्यूं है?
चांद निकला नहीं, वही अंधेरी रात है लेकिन,
यहां कोने में खड़ा मुस्कराता चकोर क्यूं है?
उसकी जुल्फें खुली ना थी, ना ही लहराईं,
चारों तरफ फिर यह काली घटा घनघोर क्यूं है?
खुदा ने बख्शी है आदमी को ताकत ओ मजबूती,
फिर प्यार में उसी का दिल इतना कमज़ोर क्यूं है?
अब मिलते नहीं, न ही मिलने की उम्मीद बाकी है,
फिज़ा अब भी उन्हीं की ओर क्यूं है?
कहने को तो सब लोग खुद इन्हिसार और आज़ाद हैं,
ऊनके हाथों में, रवि, फिर मेरी डोर क्यूं है?
Please enjoy: Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam…
I hope you liked Song #14 in this series.
Please await Song #15: Muft huye badnaam.
