Subject: Abhi To Main Jawan Hun (#452)
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 03:20:30 GMT

#452

        Song:    tujhe kya sunaauun main dilruba
                 tere saamne mera haal hai
                 teri ek nigaah ki baat hai
                 meri zindagi ka sawaal hai

        Film:    Aakhri Daao (1958)
        Singer:  Mohammed Rafi
        Music:   Madan Mohan
        Lyrics:  ?
        *ing:    Nutan, Shekhar

Madan Mohan's (I think 25th) death anniversary passed on July 14. And
Sajjad Hussain's death anniversary falls tomorrow. Seems fitting today
to write about a song that is inextricably linked to both of these
composers through the (in)famous "what do you mean stealing my tune"
incident, apocryphal or historical one can only surmise.
(Incidentally, Geeta Dutt's 27th death anniversary falls today, July
20. I'll spend the next couple of posts, maybe more, one some of HER
lesser known gems).

An enamored and pudgy Shekhar gazing squarely into the eyes (and what a
pair!), of Nutan, implicitly egged on by Shammi - provides a rather
delightful visual setting for one of my alltime favorite Rafi songs.
This is an unequivocally wonderful melody, notwithstanding it's close
similarity to the earlier Sajjad classic from 'Sangdil'("yeh hawaa yeh
raat yeh chaandni"). Even the beat employed by Madan Mohan is inspired
by Sajjad's trademark rhythm. Now I don't know if Madan Mohan required
Rafi to sing this 37 times before he was satisfied (as the story goes
with Talat and Sajjad for "yeh hawa.."), but it should be fairly hard
to top Rafi's gorgeous rendition of this song, even for Rafi himself.

And, as all other things fall into place for the song, the lyrics (and
I've forgotten who wrote them) aptly convey what the earnestness on
Shekhar's face tries to - the debatably asinine act of falling
hopelessly and irrecoverably in love with someone ("a ton of bricks", I
believe the phrase goes? :-)) :

meri har khushi tere dum se hai
meri zindagi tere dum se hai
tere dard se rahe bekhabar
mere dil ki kab yeh majaal hai...

or

mere dil jigar mein samaa bhi jaa
rahe kyuun nazar ka bhi faasla
ke tere baghair to jaaneja
mujhe zindagi bhi muhaal hai..

and so on and so forth. yeh to gayaa :-)


Guest Author: Hrishi Dixit