Gulzaarisms !!!

18th Aug happens to be the birthday of bollywoods most enigmatic lyricist.

Some more that 10 years ago I happened watch a song from ‘Aandhi’ The actors seemed to be roaming in some ruins with a rather tensed expressions and rather irritating me.

But the song remains special. It has been so beautifully composed that even a 13-14 year old kid could realise the intensity.

तेरे बिना ज़िन्दगी से कोई शिकवा नहीं,

तेरे बिना ज़िन्दगी भी लेकिन, ज़िन्दगी तो नहीं .

A few years later I was watching the making of the Sanjya Dutt and Urmila Matondkar starer KHOOBSURAT. There was a line in there.

मेरी आँखों मैं झाँक कर देख लो

तुम्हे आईने कि जरूरत नहीं.

Urmi (I like her work) was giving her thoughts about this song. I could observe her arrogance. She was so delighted that someone had written such a line for her.

There are so many other compositions that Gulzar has given to the bollywood music lovers. It all started with मोरा गोरा अंग लैले , मोहे शाम रंग दैदे from Bandini.

The saga continues, and has captured a variety of human characteristic and expressed it in words in a manner, so elite.

The film Namkeen – Directed by Gulzar himself, has Sanjeev Kumar play a role of a Truck driver. There is scene where he has to leave one place where he has been working for months and go to another destination.

राह पे रहते है , यादों पे बसर करते है

खुश रहो पहले वतन हम तो सफ़र करते है

जल गए जो धूंप मैं तो साया हो गए

आसमान का कोइ कोना, ओढा सो गए

जो गुजर जाती हैं बस उस पे गुजर करते है

This makes me feel I should have lived life as a truck driver.

Amol Palekar’s films have always had a touch of a common man. The hero of an Amol Palekar film never had any super powers. He had to deal with the society and had to fight with it. There was always a question – to do or not to do.

How will you fall in love with such a person with no charm, no fortune and very low ambition.

What Gulzar saab had to say?

तुम्हे हो न हो, मुझको तो इतना यकीन है

मुझे प्यार तुमसे , नहीं है, नहीं है

I like to write the antara of this song as I find them enchanting.

मुझे प्यार तुमसे, नहीं है , नहीं है , मगर मैंने यह राज़ अब तक न जाना .

के क्यों प्यारी लगाती है बातें तुम्हारी , मैं क्यों तुमसे मिलने का ढूँढूं बहाना

कभी मैंने चाह तुम्हे छु के देखूं , कभी मैंने चाह तेरे पास आना .

मगर फिर भी ..

इस बात का तो यकीन है मुझे प्यार तुमसे , नहीं है, नहीं है

I like the use of the to in last line.

After all the ifs and buts and thoughts and aspirations and confusion mentioned earlier there is a small confirmation of I thing.

At least I know one thing, I am not in love with you-and I am sure of it.

फिर भी जो तुम दूर रहेते हो मुझसे तो रहेते है दिल पे उदासी के साए .

कोई ख्वाब ऊँचे मकानों से जानके कोई ख्वाब बैठा रहे सर झुकाए .

कभी दिल कि राहों , मैं कर दे अँधेरा , कभी दूर तक रोशनी ज़ग्मगाये .

मगर फिर भी ..

इस बात का तो यकीन है मुझे प्यार तुमसे , नहीं है, नहीं है

I know that I don’t love you but still I keep missing you, I keep thinking of you.

Sometimes I Dream of Ruling the world sometimes I feel unwanted in the society.

Sometimes I am bagged down by all the questions the other times I have answers to all the questions.

And even then, I am damn sure of I thing. That I am not in love with you.

No one ever has come out with anything similar or even close to express this dilemma that everyone has day in and day out.

Now what makes Gulzaar special is not his ability to put across his thoughts so explicitly. What makes Gulzaar special is his enigma.

If you happen to listen to छैय्याँ छैय्याँ from Dil se, or जोड़ी है यह from Guru बीरा बीरा from Raavan or for that matter even his मेरा कुछ सामान from Ijaazat you wonder what he really means. How did we forget आ आ ई ई मास्टर जी के आगे चिट्ठी, चिट्ठी मैं से निकली बिल्ली, VIP Underwear Baniyaaan You may even think that because he found good music composers his work got noticed. But then he comes out with some lines which make you wonder how could he say such a complex thin in such a simple way.

If you have to live with अगले मोड़ पे मौत कड़ी है , मरने कि भी क्या जल्दी है . होर्न बजा के आ बगियन मैं , दुर्घटना से देर भली है in इब्न बत्तुता, he also serves you with कोई तो रोके, कोई तो टोके

इस उम्र मैं अब कहोगे धोखे

डर लगता है इश्क करने मैं जी in दिल तो बच्चा हैं जी

For every बीडी जलैले जिगर से पिया,

… there is a . ओ साथी रे, दिन डूबे ना

Like there are line that just leave you wonder struck ..

छोटीसी कहानी से , बारिशों के पानी से सारी वादी भर गई .

न जाने क्यों दिल भर गया , न जाने क्यों आँख भर गई .

OR

हमने देखि है उन आँखों कि महेकती खुशबू , हाथ से छु के इसे रिश्तों का इलज़ाम न दो .

सिर्फ एहेसास है यह रूह से महेसूस करो , प्यार को प्यार ही रहेने दो कोई नाम न दो OR.

जाने क्या सोच कर नहीं गुज़ारा . एक पल रात भर नहीं गुज़ारा .

And then there is

रांझा रांझा कर गई रे मैं आपे रांझा होई . रांझा रांझा सब बोले मेनू हीर कहे न कोई.

And if you are into gazals and shayaris, then you have

शाम से आँख मैं नमी सी है ;

आज फिर उनकी कमी सी है

OR

एक पुराना मौसम गुजरा, याद भी हो पुरवाई भी,

ऐसा तो कम ही होत है, वोह भी हो तनहाई bhi

And as a kid you should have lived with

लकड़ी कि काठी , काठी पे घोडा

And many more.

His work has been versatile and for all moods for all ages.

If you have heard the song from Khoobsurat (sanju baba and urmi baby starer)

आज्माले , यह फोर्मुलाए . इश्क विश्क के .. दिल बिल के .

A street smart guy is training a recluse girl on how to get attention of the guys around her and how to get them attracted. Again a very different but very beautifully written song.

Or रिंगा रिंगा from Slumdog Millionaire.

You realise its vulgarity only when you happen to listen it carefully.

I wished this song could have won the an Oscar, just because a man has written down a woman’ feelings in an uncomplicated manner.

I can also mention कजरारे कजरारे from Bunty or Bubbly here and आसमां के पार शायद और कोई आसमा होगा from Rockford. One performed in a dance bar and other picturised on a teenager who has just settled in a boarding school.

And there are so many more. You realise it only when you are in that mood.

So what ever is you mood… Gulzar Saab already has expressed it in his poems before.

When ever I think about of the compositions of India’s only Oscar winning poet… there is one thing that I always feel..

फिर छिड़ी रात बात फूलों