Listening to: Waqt (1965)

Which Hindi film fan has not seen Achala Sachdev giggle at Balraj Sahni singing Aye Meri Zohra Jabeen? Over the years I have seen many hundreds of romantic songs but this song sung by a middle-aged husband to his middle-aged wife has always been the epitome of romance for me, even when I was a young girl. Romancing a young woman who is not yet yours, that is a game all men play. But romancing your wife of many years and the mother of your children? Ah, therein lies true romance. I was but a kid when I saw this song on TV but I have never forgotten, neither the song, nor my idea of romance.

Remembering the song but not the movie, I re-watched it recently. One of the pioneering ‘multi-starrers’, it has an enviable cast. Siblings-lost-in-childhood-who-find-each-other-again is a theme which is very popular in Indian cinema, and this movie is a good example of it.  I quite enjoyed myself, noting in passing that –

• Raj Kumar indeed has a great style of dialogue delivery. He’s got some really nice lines like जिनके अपने घर शीशे के हों वह दूसरों पे पत्थर नहीं फेंका करते , all of which he delivers with panache.
• He also has a cool manner of walking, a little lazy stroll almost. Attractive..
• He should never smile, I would never trust a man who smiles like that! (Good God, does it mean I trust men based on their smiles???Oh!!!!)
• Shashi Kapoor, whom I admired as a young woman, looks too ‘pretty’ to me now..but those canines are charming…
• If you get separated from people, go back to where you saw them last!! Kids, are you listening?
• Coincidences occur more often in Bollywood than anywhere else!

Coming to the music by Ravi and lyrics by Sahir Ludhianwi, I enjoyed my favourite songs as much as I did before and heard a couple I had never heard previously. I noted with interest that Asha has sung all the feminine tracks though a few seem very suitable for Lata. Is there a story there? Given the music is for a film by B.R.Chopra with music Ravi, it is not surprising to see Mahendra Kapoor sing quite a few tracks too. This team has produced some good songs. Here is the Waqt song list :

• Aye Meri Zohra Jabeen – Manna Dey : Superb!
• Waqt Se Din Aur Raat – Mohammad Rafi : Sad song, competently sung but not catchy.
• Kaun Aya – Asha Bhonsle : I had not heard this song before. It has a lilting tune and reminds me vaguely of some other song I know well..can’t quite place it though.
• Din Hai Bahar Ke – Asha Bhonsle, Mahendra Kapoor: A beautiful melodious song, this reminds me strongly of Sarse Sarke Chunariyan from Silsila (1981).
• Hum Jab Simat Ke – Asha Bhonsle, Mahendra Kapoor :
• Maine Ek Khwab Dekha Hai – Asha Bhonsle, Mahendra Kapoor : A slow and romantic duet.
• Chehre Pe Khushi Cha Jaati Hai – Asha Bhonsle : Very nice song, I would have chosen Lata for this.
• Aage Bhi Jaane Na tu – Asha Bhonsle : A masterpiece!! Asha has sung this to perfection! Congratulations to Ravi for the truly haunting music.

  जीने वाले सोच ले यही वक़्त है कर ले पूरी आरज़ू  Sometimes the lyrics and the music complement in each other very well – in this song the match is perfect. 

As I can’t decide between my two favourite songs, I am presenting both for your inspection. Tell me which you like better. In case you want to listen to the whole album, you can find it here.

Aye Meri Zohra Jabeen–Manna Dey

You can find the lyrics to Aye Meri Zohra Jabeen here.

Aage Bhi Jaane Na tu– Asha Bhonsle

 

You can find the lyrics to Aage Bhi Jaane Na Tu here. (I saw a few mistakes though, I am not sure of the quality)