Monday, May 10, 2010

'ye duniya agar mil bhi jaye to kya hai' revisited

Piyush Mishra has carried forward from where Sahir had left-off. In his mesmerizing words he reminds what a worthless life it is and what worthless causes we are chasing at our own expense. He also makes a reference to Iqbal's sitaron ke aage jahan aur bhi hai beautifully.
http://img1.chakpak.com/se_images/1465187_-1_564_none/gulaal-wallpaper.jpg 
O ri Duniya…
Surmayi aankhon ke pyaalo ki duniya
Satrangi rangon, gulaalo ki duniya
Alsaayi sejon ke phoolon ki duniya
Angdayi todey kabootar ki duniya
Karvat le soyi hakeekat ki duniya
Deevani hoti tabiyat ki duniya
Khwahish me lipti zaroorat ki duniya
Insaan ke sapno ki, niyat ki duniya





























Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaye to kya hai
Mamta ki bikhri kahani ki duniya
Behno ki siski, jawani ki duniya
Aadam ke Havva se rishte ki duniya
Shayar ke pheeke lafzon ki duniya
Ghalib ke, Momin ke khwabon ki duniya
Mijaazon ke, un inquilabon ki duniya
Faiz, Firaq-O-Sahil-O-Makhdoom, Mir ki, Zauk ki, Daagon ki duniya
Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaye to kya hai…
Palchhin me baatein chali jati hain
Palchhin me raatein chali jati hain
Reh jata hai jo savera vo dhoonde
Jalte makaan me basera vo dhoonde
Jaisi bachi hai, vaisi ki vaisi bacha lo ye duniya
Apna samajhke, apno ke jaisi utha lo ye duniya
Chhut-put si baaton mein jalne lagegi, sambhalo ye duniya
Kat-pit ke raaton mein palne lagegi, sambhalo ye duniya
O ri duniya…
Vo kahey hai ki duniya ye itni nahi hai
Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hai
Yeh hum hi nahi hai, vahan aur bhi hai
Hamari har ek baat hoti vahin hai
Humey aitraaz nahi hai kahin bhi
Vo Aalim hai, Faazil hai, honge sahi hi
Magar falsafa ye bigad jata hai jo vo kehte hain
Aalim ye kehta vahan Eeshwar hai
Fazil ye kehta vahan Allah hai
Qatil ye kehta vahan Eesa hai
Manzil ye kehti tab insaan se ki
Tumhari hai tum hi sambhalo ye duniya
Yeh bujhte huay chand basi chiraagon
Tumhare ye kaale iraado ki duniya…

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Raavan : Maoist Connection & Music Review

Have been listening to the music of Raavan non-stop. I had tweeted quite sometime back that rahman+gulzar = magic; and that's coming true again. The album has been an overwhelming experience with some fantastic and fresh sounds that haven't been heard before. Rahman's musical notes and Gulzar's thoughtful lyrics make for a great listening experience.

Let me start with the controversial topic of maoism/naxalism. Like Dil Se, Bombay and Roja, Mani Ratnam has picked up another socially relevant theme for the silverscreen. I loved his terror ravaged trilogy and this time around I am hoping that he has got it right again. The theme of naxalism is sprayed around by Gulzar in a strong yet poetic charm in two of the songs.

I shall first discuss the comical song Kata kata bechara bakra which is fun to begin with, but has the references to naxalites. The theme of the song is age-old, of a man getting married and hence being called 'bechara bakra' ready for the chopping block.

kata kata bechaara bakra kata kata bechaara
mana mana le khair maanale aakhari raat kuwaara

But soon after that follows these words :

dulhe miya dulhe miya dand-vand pelo
dulhe miya chhodo joru jhaarkhand le lo

The village folks ask the guy to do some body-building [dand-vand pelo]; forget about his wife and chase the cause of 'jharkhand'. Gulzar slips in the message with such subtlety. The song has a beautiful earthy feel with Sapna Avasthi and Ila Arun bringing the folk flavor. This is only the second time that Sapna Avasthi has sung for Rahman, 10 years after Chaiyya Chaiyya, and she still sounds as energetic as she was back then.

Since we all know that the movie is titled Raavan for a reason. And where there is Raavan, there has to be a Ram and Sita too. This melancholic song Behne De sounds like Ram's heart bleeding for Sita after she has been kidnapped by Raavan.
 

Umeed ko aag laga zara
Sehra ki pyaas bujha zara
Ghan itna baras ke galne lagoon
Mei paani ke upar tarne lagoon

A man missing his sweetheart very badly, that's what the song is about. It also speaks about the deep bonding and love between two inseparable beings. It has the feel of emptiness and is expressed beautifully in words.


Shart lagi hai mar jaane ki
Jeena hai toh pyaar mei
Dil kahin bhi ho mera
Jaan rakhi hai yaar mei
Behja behja hai saagar ka kehna
Behja behja hai nadiya ko behna

Coming back to the theme of naxalism, there is another song Thok De Killiwhich has been powerfully sung by Sukhwinder Singh. Its a scorn against the caste/class barrier, about the have's and have-nots. It first describes the condescending look that the upper caste/class people give to the downward trodden:


Sabko ghoore aankh dikhaye
Tanashahi kare daraye
Oh baakad billi hey

And then, the song goes on to say that no one has ever discussed the problems of people below poverty line.


Aaja milke baithe
Haal sunaave dil ka
Kela woh khaate hain
Humko phenke chilka chilka

The despair of being teased as 'backward' is brilliantly penned in the song. The instrumentation is fabulous and the drum beats are that of an uprising against this class/caste barrier.

Pichde pichde keh ke humko
Khoob udaye khilli dilli
Sehte sehte ab toh
Gardan ghar rakh kar jaate hai
Choti ho gayi kabren
Bin mundi hi mar jaate hain

The gross violence inflicted against the backward castes by the upper-caste is very well described in the last 3 lines of the above stanza. It speaks of the gruesome acts of terror where people are beheaded callously and the body being buried while heads are being tossed out. Such a painful act of violence has been put down so effectively. I am sure the movie will capture the essence of the song well.

sadiyon se chalata aaya hai
unch ninch ka lamba kissa
abb ki baar hisaab chuka le
chir ke le le apna hisaa
apna khun bhi laal hi hoga
khol ke dekh le gaal ki jhilli

And finally, the vengeful act of the maoist is spoken about. How they have decided to take law in their own hands and settle the score. The song will remain with you for long, that's for sure. This is one of the best songs of the movie, but unfortunately people will soon forget all the stanzas and only the start will be hummed.

Another song which will remain with you for long is Ranjha Ranjha Kardi Vey. A perfect song tailor-made for Rekha Bharadwaj to lend her vocals melodiously. Originally written and sung by Bulle Shah, we have had many versions of this including Abida Parveen's. Its a part of folk legends and this time Gulzar picks up this one.

Ranjha ranjha kardi vey mai
Aape ranjha hoyi

The song has a rustic rhythm and folksy feel to it. Rekha does complete justice to the song. Its a sad romantic song that describes the woes of love and the look out for that elusive lover who is nowhere to be seen.

Waqt katata bhi nahi
Waqt rukta bhi nahi
Dil hai sajde mei magar
Ishq jhukta bhi nahi

The pangs of separation is evident in the musical notes. And the soft singing adds to the sadness. Although I believe that Sonu could have done a better job because Khan has a hollow voice which does not emote much. There is no expression in his voice and that is one reason I have never been able to like Jashn-e-bahara song for Jodha-Akbar.

There is another romantic number Khili Re rendered by Renee Bharadwaj. That's the weakest song for me. Haven't liked it much until now.

Finally, I come to the new-age Raavan named Beera this time around. A naxalite out to fight against the system.

Beera ke dus maathe
Beera ke sau naam
Chhede jo beera ko
Dhama dham dham dham

The reference of dus-maathe could be about having a brilliant mind that does organizing, planning, plotting, communicating, executing the plan; all in one go. And the sau-naam would well be the many aliases that he is known by, just my guess of the interesting lyrics. The song has a lot of African drum-beats which gives it the much needed energy and aggression. At around 3 mins length, I felt it was short. I wished it was long 7-8 minute piece, but nope.

The album is a sure-shot success with great sounds, superb lyrics, fine instrumentation and some inspired singing. A great album indeed.

By the way, I got some clues on the storyline of the movie. If you can recall Khalnayak, its on those lines is what I can make of it. Madhuri Dixit aka Ganga is chsing Sanjay Dutt aka Ballu, while Ram is on the lookout for both. And when Ganga finally returns, she has to give her testimony in court to prove her innocence, much like Sita had to do after returning to Ayodhya. The difference is that, in Khalnayak , Ganga did not get kidnapped. In this movie, the leading lady gets nabbed by Beera. Another new addition is the presence of an emissary in the form of Govinda. This angle was not there in Khalnayak.

But I am sure it will not be this simple, Mani Ratnam definitely has some other plans; maybe a few twists in the storyline will make it interesting. Whatever it is, I am waiting for the movie to release. Desperate to watch it. Till then, let me immerse myself in the soundtrack of the movie.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Raavan Lyrics : Beera

Annkhon mei jaan
O ho ho o ho hohooo
Beera

Beera ke dus maathe
Beera ke sau naam
Chhede jo beera ko
Dhama dham dham dham

Beera Beera Beera Beera Beera

Arre beera uthti aandhi
Beera ek Toofan
Saanson mei ugli agni
Beera jalti jaan
Jalti jaan jalti jaan jalti jaan

Janam na pooche
Jaat na pooche
Poocho jo pehchan
Beera ka abhimaan hai
Abhimaan hai abhimaan hai Beera
Beera Beera Beera Beera Beera

Dhana dhan dhan dhana dhan dhan

Beera

Beera ke dus maathe
Beera ke sau naam
Chhede jo beera ko
Dhama dham dham dham

Beera Beera Beera Beera

Raavan Lyrics : Khili Re

khili re khili re
khili re khili re
raat ki raani
chumo sawariya phir se basuriya
bheeni baasuriya
honto se phuko re bheena badan mora
bheena bheena hai badan mora

aaja piya aaja
haathon se chhuna re surila badan mora
surila surila badan mora
aaja piya aaja

piya re piya re piya more aa
raat ki daari kab se jhur rahi hai re
daariyon ki godi bhar ja
saari raat mehki hai
saari raat behkegi
sej suhaani kar ja

hothon pe rakh ke phoonk basuriya
tan bar tan bhar ja
aaja re aaja samay abhi hai
kohare mei thehara hu

Raavan Lyrics : Kata Kata Bechara Bakra

kata kata bechaara bakra
kata kata bechaara
mana mana le khair maanale
aakhari raat kuwaara
dhik dhik thaak dhin, jaaye na joru bin
joru abhi kamsin, kanya ko bulaao
dulhe miya dulhe miya dand vand pelo
dulhe miya chhodo joru jhaarkhand le lo
gaya gaya ek aur gaya re gaya gaya bechaara
mana mana le khair maanale, aakhari raat kuwaara

hawa pe chalti hai yeh chhori
paro se bhi halki hai re
dahi se bhi khatti hai suna hai
dahi bhi woh kal ki hai re
gaya gaya ek aur gaya re gaya gaya bechaara

dhik dhik thak dhin jaaye na be joru bin
joru abhi kamsin, kanya ko bulaao
dulhe miya dulhe miya dand vand pelo
dulhe miya chhodo joru jhaarkhand le lo

rang thaaro kaashani uthe rang chadhaave na
tu na kaalo na tu kaaga, kankar maare kaun abhaaga
une koyi daraave na...
gaya gaya ek aur gaya re gaya gaya bechaara
mana mana le khair maanale, aakhari raat kuwaara

woh na gori na anguri bohaari lagaaiyo na
jijo kyun banaave chaakar, jiji ganga bhari si gaagar
unke ke raani banaiyo haan...
kata kata bechaara bakara, kata kata bechaara
mana mana le khair maanale, aakhari raat kuwaara

chhoto koi devar hoye toh, chhaati laagiye
aur saas sasur ke aadar kije paye laagiye
jeth jethaani samjhaave toh maathe raakhijo re
aur nand sakhi saheli jaisi saath raakhije re
o chhori sun saath raakhije re....

dhik dhik thaak dhin, jaaye na joru bin
joru abhi kamsin, kanya ko bulaao
dulhe miya dulhe miya dand vand pelo
dulhe miya chhodo joru jhaarkhand le lo

hawa pe chalati hai yeh chhori, paro se bhi halaki hai re
dahi se bhi khatti hai suna hai, dahi bhi woh kal ki hai re
gaya gaya ek aur gaya re gaya gaya bechaara
mana mana le khair maanale, aakhari raat kuwaara
dhik dhik thaak dhin, jaaye na joru bin
joru abhi kamsin, kanya ko bulaao
badi beere badi beere shaadi jaldi karna
dulhe miya dulhe miya, godhi jaldi bharna
gaya gaya ek aur gaya re gaya gaya bechaara
mana mana le khair maanale, aakhari raat kuwaara

yeh gaya re gaya ek aur gaya
gaya gaya gaya gaya bechaara
ek aur ek aur ek aur gaya bechaara
ek aur gaya, ek aur gaya, ek aur gaya bechaara
dhin tanak dhin...
dhol nagaade bajaake le gaya, dhun suna shahnaai
re dhole baja ke

Friday, April 30, 2010

Raavan Lyrics : Behne De

Arre aankh se boond gira koi
Chingari ka tukda jala koi
Umeed ko aag laga zara
Sehra ki pyaas bujha zara

Umeed ko aag laga zara
Sehra ki pyaas bujha zara
Ghan itna baras ke galne lagoon
Mein paani ke upar tarne lagoon

Behne de mujhe behne de mujhe
Behne de mujhe behne de

Behne de ghangor ghata
Behne de paani ki tarah
Saagar mein jaa girna hai
Behne de nadiya ki tarah

Shart lagi hai mar jaane ki
Jeena hai toh pyaar mei
Dil kahin bhi ho mera
Jaan rakhi hai yaar mei
Behja behja hai saagar ka kehna
Behja behja hai nadiya ko behna

Patte se tapakti boond ki awaaz sunai di thi
Nadiya mein tapak aur gum ho ja
Beh gaya beh gaya jo reh gaya reh gaya
Beh gaya beh gaya jo reh gaya reh gaya
Behne de mujhe behene de mujhe
Behne de mujhe behene de

Mera pal-pal ang-ang bhar diya
Tuney jaan pe junoon saa kar diya
Mera hai kya jo main haar doon
Jaan teri hai tujh pe vaar doon
Doob gaye jo suna hai saare
Tere dere aate hain
Dil ko chulu mein bechare
Doobkiyan gotey khaate hain

Beh ja behja chal todh kinaare ko
Behja behja dhar le majhdhaare ko

Chingari udha ke raakh se
Ek boond gira ke aankh se
Chalne ka ishaara kar gaya

Kar gaya kar gaya sab bhar gaya bhar gaya
Kar gaya kar gaya sab bhar gaya bhar gaya
Behne de mujhe behene de mujhe
Behne de mujhe behene de

Raavan Lyrics : Ranjha Ranjha Kardi Vey

Ranjha ranjha kardi vey mai
Aape ranjha hoyi
Ranjha ranjha saddoni mainu
Heer na aakho koi

Ohh raanjha ranjha na kare heere
Jag badnami hoye
Patti patti jhar jawey
Par khusboo chup na hoye

Begunah pakda gaya yaaron
Ishq mein jakada gaya yaaron
Aankh ke dosh mein dil
Bewajah pakada gaya yaaron

Aankh se hatthi nahi
Are hatthi nahi are hatthi nahi

Sote sote bolta hoon
Kabhi bolte boltey sota hoon
Kya jaane kya hota hai
Kabhi jalti aag dadolta hoon
Ek baar toh aake dekhe wo
Bhi

Ranjha ranjha kardi vey mai
Aape ranjha hoyi
Ranjha ranjha saddoni mainu
Heer na aakhe koi

Ohhh raanjha ranjha na kare heere
Jag badnami hoey
Patti patti jhar jawey
Par khusboo chup na hoey

Jal ja jal ja ishq mei jal ja
Jale so kundan hoye
Jalti raakh lagaa le maathe
Lage toh chandan hoye
Ranjha ranjha kardi vey mai
Ranjha ranjha kardi vey mai
Aape ranjha hoyi
Ranjha ranjha saddoni mainu
Heer na aakhe koi

Waqt katata bhi nahi
Waqt rukta bhi nahi
Dil hai sajde mei magar
Ishq jhukta bhi nahi

Bina tere raatein... Arre raatein
Kyun lambi lagti hain
Kabhi tera gussa, teri baatein
Kyun achchi lagti hain
Yeh jalte koyele arre koyele
Ab rakhna mushkil hai

Heyy ranjha ranjha kardi vey mai
Aape ranjha hoyi
Ranjha ranjha saddoni mainu
Heer na aakhe koie

Ohhh raanjha ranjha na kare heere
Jag badnami hoey
Patti patti jhar jawey
Par khusboo chup na hoey

Jal ja jal ja ishq mein jal ja
Jale so kundan hoye
Jalti raakh lagaa le maathe
Lage toh chandan hoye

Chal... Chal junoon chalte rahe
Tu kahin thahre nahi
Dil agar aa bhi gaya
Woh tera sheher nahin

Bina tere saansein, arre saansein
Kahin khatam na ho jaye
Sabhi teri yaadein
Sabhi yaadein kahin bhasm na ho jaye

Sulagte koyele, arre koyele
Ab bujhna mushkil hai...
Ranjha ranjha kardi vey mai
Ranjha ranjha kardi vey mai
Aape ranjha hoyi
Ranjha ranjha saddoni mainu
Heer na aakhe koi