POETRY IN GOLDEN OLDIES–PART III

My series on “Poetry In Golden Oldies”,continues.                                               

Today I take up the following song:

                                                                                                                                                                                              

 

A GOLDEN OLDY FROM THE HINDI FILM “SARASWATI CHANDRA” (1968)

Lyricist :Indeevar

Singer :Lata Mangeshkar – Mukesh

Music Director :Kalyanji Anandji

Director : Govind Saraiya

The song goes thus :

“PHOOL tumhe bhejaa hai khat mein,

 PHOOL naheen meraa dil hai

PIAYATAM mere mujh ko likh do,

KYAA yeh tumhaare kabil hai

PYAAR CHHUPA HAI KHAT MEIN ITTNA

JITNE SAGAR MEIN MOTI

CHOOM HI LETAA HAATH TUMHARA

PAAS MERE JO TUM HOTI

        ………………………PHOOL TUMHEIN BHEJA HAI KHAT MEIN….

 

NEEND tumhe to aatee hogee,

KYAA dekhaa tum ne sapanaa

AANKH khulee to,tanahaee thee,

SAPNAA ho naa sakaa apanaa

TANHAEE hum door karenge,

LE aao tum shahanaaee

PREET badhaakar bhool naa jaanaa,

PREET tumhee ne sikhalaayee
             …………………..PHOOL TUMHE BHEJAA HAI KHAT MEIN……

KHAT se jee bharataa hee nahee,

AB nain mile to chain mile

CHAAND humaare anganaa utare,

 

KOEE to aisee rain mile

MILNA ho to kaise mile hum

MILNE kee surat likh do

NAIN bichhaye baithhe hain hum

KAB aaoge khat likh do
                        ……………..PHOOL TUMHE BHEJAA HAI KHAT MEIN…

Beautiful words,excellent picturisation,well enacted roles by both Nutan and Manish.Enjoy the song on YOUTUBE in the privacy of your bedroom late at night with all the lights switched off and I guarantee that you’ll love this excellent, unforgettable poetry which will haunt you for days…Happy listening.

As a bonus,I give below the story line for those readers of MUSE who are not old as me ( I am 59 )and might not have seen this movie.

STORY:

Saraswati Chandra is not a movie for the faint hearted. At a running time of two hours and forty four minutes it requires not just a strong heart but also a long attention span. This classic encompasses it all, true love, lust, deceit, betrayal, moral duty and yes even a smidgen of violence. All this drama is backed up by a brilliant soundtrack by Kalyanji Anandji. In fact I will bet that most of you are familiar with all of the songs in the movie, but were unaware of their origins.

The two main characters are played by Nutan and Manish. They are backed up by a strong supporting cast which includes Vijaya Chaudhary, Sulochana and Jeevankala.

The movie is set in Gujarat during the era in which the British had not yet made their presence felt. An era where orthodox conservatism ruled, where your jaat represented who you were, and where the role of women in society was clearly defined.

The movie opens with a marriage proposal from Saraswati Chandra to the father of Kumud (Nutan). In the letter Saraswati says that out of familial obligation to his father he is proposing to Kumud , and since he has devoted his life to “Lok Seva”, he is devoid of any interest in such frivolous matters as women. Kumud who is eavesdropping on all of this decides to take matters into her own hands and win Saraswati’s heart by sending him letters that proclaim her love for him.

The strategy works and Saraswati is quite taken by his bride-to-be. He is so taken that he comes to visit her home. What entails is a playful and sometimes sensual courtship of the two lovers.
Saraswati returns to his home filled with longing to be united with his bride-to-be. This of course does not sit well with his stepmother who fears her place will be usurped by the new “bahu”. So she plots and plans, finally poisoning Saraswati’s father’s mind with her deceitful bitter words.

A rift is created between father and son, which results in Saraswati abandoning his wealth and leaving his home. Being that he is now a penniless pauper he writes to Kumud’s father saying that he is filled with love for Kumud, and when he comes to the realization that he cannot exist without her, he sets off to her house to explain to her family what happened in the hopes that they will still accept him as their son-in-law.

Meanwhile over at Kumud’s pandemonium has broken loose. A rejected daughter, oh what shame. How will the family ever show their face in society again? How will the younger daughter ever find a husband. Luckily a neigboring merchant has sent in a proposal asking for Kumud’s hand in marriage for his son. Kumud’s family decides to save face and accepts the proposal. Kumud’s mother comforts her daughter by telling her that although her heart will always belong to Saraswati, she must accept her new role, one of a wife, and abide by the duties and discipline that come with it.

Saraswati meanwhile is making haste to be united with Kumud. However he is delayed when his boat is swept away by a storm. He braves the dark tormented seas arriving just in time to see Kumud being carried away in a doli to her in laws’ home.

The length of the movie is made bearable by poignant dialogue, authentic traditional garb, Hindi in its purest form, memorable music, an ending that will startle even the most jaded, and to top it all off, Nutan in her finest hour.

Courtesy : Neeta Misra, March 28 1997 Website:http://freespace.virgin.net/jamal.akbar/saraswat.htm

Brief details of Nutan:

Born 04.06.1936

Died :21.02.1991

(Died of cancer at the age of 54)

She won 5 Filmfare Best Actress Awards

(highest number of awards won by an actress)

 

Hope you enjoyed reading this piece as much as I loved presenting it.

                                                                    

– J S BROCA                                                                       

NEW DELHI