ZINDAGI OR JEEVAN SONG #4 – HAI DUNIYA USI KI

Song #4
Hai duniya usi ki zamana usi ka
Theme-word: Usi ne hai loota maza zindagi ka and in the very last line! Satayega kya gham use zindagi ka.

Remembering Shammi Kapoor on His Birth Anniversary 21 Oct

Recently, I talked about the contribution of Kapoor family to Hindi cinema, which, thanks to their patronage was rid of the parochialism of Bengalis when the Hindi films industry was located in Calcutta. Indeed, Kapoors ensured that talent from all across the country was encouraged.
I told you about the three in the family: the doyen Prithviraj Kapoor and two out of three sons: Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor who were awarded the highest in cinematic excellence: the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. And the third son who didn’t get the award was Shammi Kapoor, who really knew how to act!

He acted in all movies with bad names and yet he emerged as the paragon of gentlemanliness: Janwar, Budtameez, Junglee, Bluff Master and so on.

Kashmir Ki Kali

This 1964 Shakti Samanta movie was the debut film of Sharmila Tagore. There was tremendous chemistry between Sharmila and Sharmila and they both enacted their roles with passion: a poor flower girl in Srinagar and spoiled brat of a rich family respectively.
The movie owes its success not just to the romantic pair but also to the freshness of the songs created by SH Bihari, OP Nayyar, Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle; indeed the freshness of the songs competed with the freshness of the songs and we had all kinds of songs too in the movie.

Shammi Kapoor and Mohammad Rafi

Mukesh became the singing voice of Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor gave some of his songs also to Manna Dey. However, Shammi Kapoor stuck with Mohammad Rafi. Hence, some of the best and most romantic songs of Mohammad Rafi are picturised on Shammi Kapoor.

This Song Theme

Many lyricists have penned words in this theme and I shall be giving you many such songs. Zindagi is to be measured by the scale of Love and then you realise that Zindagi pyar ki do chaar ghadi hoti hai, Chahe thodi hi ho yeh umr badi hoti hai. SH Bihari immortalised this theme with lyrics that are, if I may say so, extraordinary:

है दुनिया उसी की, ज़माना उसी का
मोहब्बत में जो हो गया हो किसी का

(लुटा जो मुसाफ़िर दिल के सफ़र में
है जन्नत यह दुनिया उसकी नज़र में) – २
उसी ने है लूटा मज़ा ज़िंदगी का
मोहब्बत में …

(है सजदे के काबिल हर वो दीवाना
के जो बन गया हो तसवीर-ए-जाना) – २
करो एह्तराम उस की दीवानगी का
मोहब्बत में …

(बर्बाद होना जिसकी अदा (???) हो
दर्द-ए-मोहब्बत जिसकी दवा हो) – २
सताएगा क्या ग़म उसे ज़िंदगी का
मोहब्बत में …

Enacting This Song

It is not just the lyrics. The song was immortalised by its outstanding composition (including Manohri’s saxophone), extremely passionate singing by Mohammad Rafi and its enactment in the bar by Rajiv (Shammi Kapoor), the saxophonist and the mustachioed Colonel. The entire effect is as if the lyrics, composition, singing and enacting gelled into one compact performance. No one can ever have enough of this song; it is like eating peanuts; you can’t have one!

My Own Poetry

Zindagi Mil Jayegi Dobara

बारिश कभी रुक जाए,
यकायक बरसते बरसते।
ज़ुबान कभी हो जाए खुश्क,
एक बूंद को तरसते तरसते।
दिल कभी खामोश हो जाए,
ऐसे ही धड़कते धड़कते।
नजरें बन जाएं पथरीली,
दो पल बहकते बहकते।
बादल अचानक छंट जाएं,
चमक के गरजते गरजते।
शमा बुझने को हो तैयार,
सारी रात लरजते लरजते।
आंखों की नमी हो जाए खत्म,
आंसूओं को झटकते झटकते।
मेरे कदम हो जाएं साकिन,
तेरी गलियों में भटकते भटकते।

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, on Shammi Kapoor’s birth anniversary today, lets enjoy a song beautifully enacted by him on the lyrics of SH Bihari, composition of OP Nayyar, voice of Mohammad Rafi in the 1964 Shakti Samanta movie Kashmir Ki Kali: Hai duniya usi ki zamana usi ka…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #4 in the series.

Please await Song #5 –  Koi sagar dil ko behlata nahin.