Those who don’t learn from history* are condemned to repeat it
I was once stumped in an interview when the interviewer referred to my three strong interests in life, reading, old Hindi film music and cricket as trivial. My trivial mind thought that in a way he’s right since the etymological origin of the word ‘trivia’ is from Latin ‘tri’ (three) and ‘via’ (way). I relayed that thought back to him. He knew he was being had. So he dug in his heels and remarked about how most Hindi film songs portrayed the same emotions and situations. I was about to extol the virtues of constancy in life to him when he asked the key question “when have Hindi film songs been a reflection of times that we have lived in?” My first reaction was to ask “sir, ek bechaare se gaane pe aur kitna pressure daaloge?” Fortunately, better sense prevailed and I gave him a dose of Sahir’s Phir Subah Hogi and ‘Door hato aye duniyawalon’ stuff from Kismat to hold up the flag for Hindi film songs..
After the interview I introspected more on this question. Introspection is my unique strength; not Salman’s, who after threatening chinkaras to extinction introspected long enough to give this gem of advice, “In life, always go straight and turn right.” I would never reach my office if I followed his counsel. Anyway, after days of deep thought I wanted to kick myself for not providing some awesome examples from the 80s which truly reflected the times that we lived in. Some of you might perk up after reading this line (yeah, I have that skill). Aren’t the 80s widely regarded as the worst times for Hindi film music? What gems are you going to uncover from that decade which would have been the reflection of those times?
To such queries, I would counsel patience (shaant, gadaadhari Bheem shaant as Yudhistar sagely advised his younger sibling). So here are my 3 songs which on surface appear, umm, trivial but we will unlock the hidden messages underlying them. The other important reason for doing this exercise is it would open up that decade to many readers who weren’t born then. They would understand the prevailing ethos, culture and thoughts which would enrich them (I have tears in my eyes now just imagining the nobility of it all).
I’ll give you an example from a 20th century literary masterpiece to illustrate what I intend to do. Let’s take T.S. Eliot’s remarkable work The Waste Land. This is how it starts:
Nam Sibyllam quidem Cumis ego ipse oculis meis
vidi in ampulla pendere, et cum illi pueri dicerent:
THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD
April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee
With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade,
And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,
And drank coffee, and talked for an hour.
Bin gar keine Russin, stamm’ aus Litauen, echt deutsch.
And when we were children, staying at the archduke’s,
My cousin’s, he took me out on a sled,
And I was frightened. He said, Marie,
Marie, hold on tight. And down we went.
In the mountains, there you feel free.
I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter
Now the normal reader will interpret the above as some Latin verse followed by random thoughts of a multi-linguist who finds April as a month unbearable and then warbles into some other foreign languages before talking about Marie and then deciding to head into mountains. Quotidian stuff, really, between you and me. But hand this over to some higher level of intelligentsia and they will talk to you about the allusions to foreign languages, the metaphysical deceit, the Old Testament references, Dante’s Inferno et al leading up to Eliot referring to the Waste Land that Western civilization was reduced to after the first World War. Could you see that? No. Do you see it now? Yes. That’s exactly what I am going to do with these 80s songs.
Exhibit 1:
Film: Gharana
MD: Laxmi – Pyare
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Singers: Amit Kumar, Alka Yagnik
Picturized On: Govinda, Neelam
Song: “Tere Daddy Ne Diya Hai Mujhe Permit Tujhe Patane Ko”
This is an intriguing line when you listen to it without the context of the film. Who is this daddy with such laissez faire attitude towards men in his daughter’s life? Why does this guy believe that such a line will work like charm on the girl? But when you put it in the context of the film, you realize there are wheels within wheels. Prem Chopra has grander and more devious plans that you can imagine and those have been set in motion. So, Prem Chopra has asked Govinda to go out and endear himself to Neelam with his blessings. Simple enough? Easy song to comprehend? Good.
Let’s now apply the principles of metaphysical conceit and the hermeneutic code to see how the lines reflect the lives and times in 80s. First, see how the poet has stressed on the importance of parental (Daddy) approval. This reflects that despite sweeping trends in modernism (as shown by the strange attire of Ms. Neelam in the song), we were rooted to our sabhyata. Next, notice he doesn’t refer to Mummy anywhere which shows that critical decision making during this decade was still the preserve of the male. But most importantly, please pay close attention to the word ‘permit’. Permit when used in the context of a 1989 song is the culmination of India’s two decades of tango with license raj. You needed permit to start a plant, to increase capacity, to produce a new line of products and to eventually let go off a worker. It was what the government was meant to do. Dole out permits. There was no greater achievement than getting a government permit. Sorry, there was a greater achievement – becoming a Permit Officer. See how skillfully, the writer reminds us about it and ensures that future generations while humming the song will pause and question themselves about this word and then go back and discover India of the 80s. So there you have it, a song that combines social and economic issues of the day while taking the story ahead.
Exhibit 2:
Film: Jeete Hain Shaan Se
MD: Anu Mallik
Lyrics: Shaily Shailendra
Singers: Anu Mallik
Picturized On: Mithun
Song:
“Salaam seth salaam seth, kuchh apne laayak kaam seth,
Aap to khaayen murg-mussalam, apni to bas rice plate, haan rice plate”
In the movie, Mithun plays Johnny who when not wooing the “pleasantly plump” Mandakini (Julie) with ‘Julie, Julie, Johnny ka dil tum pe aaya, Julie’ spends most of his spare time fighting for the rights of the jhopadpatti dwellers. So you read the above lines as Mithun mocking a rich Seth while walking down the road street across his bungalow.
Look closer. Mithun, an able bodied youth (with unique skills in gyrations), is looking for work; a stinging indictment of the unemployment rife in the 80s. He also mentions that he is looking for ‘apne laayak kaam’, therefore, bringing the age old Indian mindset which refuses to accept concepts like dignity of labour. Mithun will only settle for his ‘laayak kaam.” Then look again, Mithun is asking this from a Seth, the face of capitalism then. A subtle message (if there’s such a thing in Mithun’s movie) of failed model of socialism that we pursued for decades. The state has failed while the Seth, the venal symbol of amoral capitalism, rules the roost. Mithun also comments on the dietary divide among the classes and contrasts the murg-mussalam with rice plate. Hidden there is a message that once Mithun becomes upwardly mobile, he will trade up his dietary patterns from rice plate to murg-mussalam. This was a visionary line. Indians, with economic growth, have changed their dietary patterns considerably leading Bush to blame Indians on the global food crisis recently. All I can tell Bush and company is the signs were everywhere in the film songs of 80s and you guys missed them. What were you watching when Jeete Hain Shaan Se released in India. Born on Fourth of July, Driving Miss Daisy? Pay no heed to Hindi songs now and you will suffer intolerable pains two decades from now. Be seriously warned.
Exhibit 3:
Film: Karate
MD: Bappi Lahiri
Lyrics: Indeevar
Singer: Bappi Lahiri
Picturized On: Mithun
Song link: If you’re a Mithun bhakt, please also watch the following links to understand why I consider Karate to be a classic of Indian cinema
A stellar example of fight choreography later stolen by Ang Lee (original credit to Deb Mukherjee)
Song:
“Jag saara naache, dono haathon mein jahan
Chorus: karate, karaaate, karaaaate
Aag nahin, goli nahin, kuchh bhi wahan
Chorus: karate, karaaate, karaaaate
Is ka naam hai, karate, karaaate, karaaaate”
It’s 1983. A landmark year in Indian cricket as Kapil’s Devils triumph in Lords. And what better way to celebrate than a song eulogizing the power of bare hands – Karate. While that’s all good, we were a country that was still coming to terms with the apparent paradox of a strong centre and federal states as evidenced by separatist movements which gained strength in Punjab and Assam. The country was being torn and the sovereignty of the union was under threat. See how cleverly the writer captures this dilemma by mixing metaphors in first line where ‘jag saara naache’ (the world is dancing) while you have the world in your hands (dono haathon mein jahan). A difficult imagery but that’s art. The writer points to the futility of aag and goli in solving such disputes and reiterates the need for diplomacy using Karate as a metaphor. Insightful political commentary of the times. This is deep stuff.
It’s a pity that such treasures have been buried in the sands of time. But then you’re also lucky that tireless lovers of Hindi cinema like yours truly are working to unravel such mysteries of the past. After all our future lies in redeeming our past.
Tags: Mysteries, Of Life, Unraveling
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
One song that really forewarned us on the future of “bhartiya sabhyata”:
Film: Mawaali
MD: Bappi Lahiri
Lyrics: Indivar
Singers: Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle
Picturized on: Jeetendra, Jaya Prada
The song went: “Oui Amma Oui Amma Mushkil Ye Kya Ho Gayi, Tere badan mein toofan utha to saree hawa ho gayi”
A telling comment on how the saree (symbolizing ‘bhartiya sabhyata’ would disappear from the wardrobe of our heroines!
enjoy the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t7cFm02c78
Writing convincing piece on shit is not easy. You do have some talent.
Mithun and the late Mazhar Khan on screen singing “Jug saara naache dono hathon mein jahan… karaate”… damn! I thought I was the only one with a database of “golden” songs
Jeetendra has been a deliverer on screen of such “golden” songs… “Ek ankh maroo toh purdah hut jayee; doojee ankh marron kaleja kut jaye, dono ankhen maroon toh chori put jaye chori put jayee”
(Hinglish: Closing one eye, veil coming off, closing second eye heart cutting off, closing both eyes girl becoming girlfriend) – or the short cut way to learning pickup: close both eyes.
Rajnikant in one of the forgettable Hindi stint. From John Jaani Janaradhan : Laundiya, satra saal ki, launde shaher ke pagal ho gayee
(Hinglish: Babe, of seventeen years old, boy of town going crazy) – a vital message to parents of all 17 year old daughters… a vieled under the radar message to all teens to play it safe or go crazy.
Mithun from Ghar Ek Mandir: Bubumbubum Bobby, ho gayee badi kharabi, kisi ke akal ke talay ki, kho gayi hain Chabi, bubumbubum bobby…
(Hinglish: Bubumbubum Bobby, something going very wrong, key of intelligence gone, Bubumbubum bobby) – such an apt connection of key and intelligence getting lost and Bobby being made aware of it.
Mithun again from Dalal: Chud gay upar re, atariya pe lotan kabootar re
(Hinglish: Climbing on top, crazy pigeon) – so important to show the plight of pigeons walking on their favourite grounds – thunder thighs
Mithunda did superb social service by conveying social messages to world through his songs.
Daana Paani- condition of garib aadmi
“jiski bitiya badi ho gayi, uski khatiya khadi ho gayi”.
pyaar ka mandir- prejudice against rich people
“jhopadpatti zindabad, oonchi haveli mudabad,
mehnat waale zindabad, daulat waale murdabad” – mithun and his friends are destrying home of Shakti kapoor and rajkiran.
swarg se sunder: machchar in heaven
“apna ghar hain swarg se sunder… swarg me kahaan se aaye machchar.. o machchar… machchar bhi aashique hai mein kya karoon…”. actually jitendra and jaya prada were in this song.
Guru(1989)- daroo as a saviour
“ho jaate diwane jo na milti sharaab, kaun kehta hai ki daroo kharab, daroo kharaab…”
Ladaai- power of union
ek bhai sher, ek shava sher.. laakhon pe bhari hai hum ek maa ke do sher…”
Numbri aadmi- the number game
“mijhe numberi kaho, dus numberi kaho par sachhi baat sunata hoon, duni mein jitne log hain, sab ke number mein ginvaata hoon”
Aadmi- another number game…true meaning of 143.
I 1 Love 4 you 3… bolo 143 yaani i love you.. i love you hua poora naam, poora naam, yah naya hai zamaana, nayi nayi baat karo, jab bhi mulaqaat karo… hur ho ya pari…
Bowing to theeeeeeee Subrat !!!!
awesome post ….knowledge ..with Acknowledge waala post
SUPERB
wasan kidhar hai tu ????
“Introspection is my unique strength; not Salman’s, who after threatening chinkaras to extinction introspected long enough to give this gem of advice, “In life, always go straight and turn right.” ”
quote for the day
errr .just saw the fight video (Mithun vs Deb Mukherjee)
isnt Deb the same guy who played the coach of Rajput College in Jo jeeta wohi sikander ???
watsay subbu ?
i bow to the distributors of mallu land for sparing me and hordes of others, the trauma of watching da 80s bollywood filmography. (or it could also be that moi was just too ’studious’)
somebody tell me where this karate-gymnasium-disco club is. i want in!
@ subbu – no “permit room” reference?
hilarious (the post and the comments)
.
I am enlightened
Amongst the songs counted as yet, have only seen the picturization/video of “atariya pe lotan kabootar reeee… gutar gutar” in its time.
Can songs from ‘Tohfa’ pass off as notes on Diplomacy (’Pyaar ka tohafa tera bana hai jeevan mera, dil ke sahaare maine pa lie jeene ko aur kya chaahie’).
man, in these 80s songs you can see the dance master out of the frame saying, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2, 1-2, 1-2-3-4.
Amazing pieces of wisdom here from Subrat, Oz and Co.How can we forget those socialist movies of “shwetvastra” Jeetendra and Mithun, uplifting the poor in the face of tyrrany of Prem Chopra, Amrish Puri and Sadashiv Amrapurkar? The thigh was the only respite for our underclass hero and Shakti Kapoor/Kader Khan the only source of Moral codes (or naada or thook..depends on which side of the coin we choose to see). Tohfaa, A gem as I know it, had a scene where Sridevi, the thigh comes to know of her sister Jayaprada’s love for the hero (Jeetu was in the meanwhile busy with pots, pans and white boots)and Sridevi sucks in her shock and allows Jeetu to marry Jayaprada after rocking away her youth with him. The scene shifts from pans to melodrama and the women in the hall weep for her, her hero and the unknowing sister. Verdict – HIT! Jeetu style…You think India has gotten rid of underclass heroes, damsels and their sacrificing sisters..watch all the Balaji serials, they have shifted to your drawing room and now lives with us..within us!!
So, the eighties still live on..even the dialogues are very much the same..sample a Kasautti..one evening, any evening..but, as Subrat pointed out, the songs of the underclass, their simple words (karaaate…kaaraaaaate)…their dulcet tunes..(tink..tink..taaoo..taaoo)..and their placements in the movie are a thing of the past..their architects are on TV doing Reality shows and being called Sir by present day bozos!!!!!!!!
dabba..the 1-2-3-4 stuff can be seen in a song..cha..don’t remember which one in Mawaali…a clearly disinterested Sridevi doing PT with a very overexcited Jeetu in a garden..she wearing a tight brown salwar kameez…look I remember that more..and she counting away and looking at the dance director off camera..very visible!!!!
And Anil Kapoor in Saaheb is a hoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ Indraneel (13): That goes for any Jeetendra Sreedevi song of that era. (see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN0supVIu8g)
Or, this one from Justice Chowdhury (Mama Mia Pom Pom) doing social service by giving traffic lessons:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsYlIokRFuo
That brings me to a masterpiece about global warming from Maqsad (Oye Oye Oye Garmi Hai), where sridevi and rajesh khanna are so worried about global warming that they call out to their abba and amma for help! Notice Rajesh Khanna’s expert dance steps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKWSC2RE8Vo
I’m loving this
bows.. to the superb post!!!
Classic post and classier comments..Simply hilarious !!
Oops, gave the wrong link to the Sridevi-Rajesh Khanna ‘glbal warming’ song: Here it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcXozzNV3zo
The one I gave above by mistake was also an important one – a song on national integration.
ROTFL
Subrat….. too much!!! Simply hilarious and absolutely loved it…. waiting for your next one…..
@subrat..This is one of the most ingenuous posts on PFC i have read..wow what a way to put it “… the principles of metaphysical conceit and the hermeneutic code…”
Adding my bit to the archives: Papa kehte hain bada naam karega..Koi engineer ka kaam karega’ from QSQT..Well late eighties were the time when engineers and doctors were the most respected profession..IT,BPOs,software engineers were just about on the horizon and anything and everything concerning digital were hovering outside the windows to come in..
@subrat
Kudos…
Lyrics sure have had a distinct flavour in each decade…
U’ve already talked ’bout the 80s
The 90s were essentially the years of Nadeem-Shravan and Sameer.. what with all their ishq, ashique, mohabbat, deewana, pyaar appearing in every song.. (AR Rahman was an exception though..but his sounds were heavily influenced by a south indian touch)
2000-01 saw some change in the music scene..with the most memorable influence being Dil Chahta hai.. that was different. Even Rahman’s Lagaan soundtrack was much different from his earlier works..a true blue international OST..
Wonder what the trends are today.. One distinct influence has been the flavour of Pakistani bands..they’ve brought their own style of lounge cum sufi cum rock music..whatever that is.. Strings/Jal/Fuzon and individually Shafaqat/Atif..nd others have sounded really good.. combine that with pritam’s attempt to create band music (metro)..and we do have a distinct sound..
The icing on the cake has been saeed qadri’s fresh hindi/urdu lyrics.. hatke from the ishq/ashiq/mohabbat of the 90’s..
like “awaarapan..banjaarapan” ..
“lage abr sa..mujhe tann tera..”
Dont remember who wrote the lyrics for “life in a metro”.. but i found them pretty original
Well..that’s about it..wrote that up in a hurry with whatever came to mind.. was too enthused by subrat’s article..how bout starting a new one on similar lines with today’s hindi music..???
hey..just realised that i have really mixed up 2 things together..had started off talkin bout lyrics..nd ended up talkin bout d music as well..
but wanted to talk bout both..so it’s all right..
LOL
“Salaam seth salaam seth, kuchh apne laayak kaam seth,
Aap to khaayen murg-mussalam, apni to bas rice plate, haan rice plate”
I have a younger cousin brother who used to dance crazy to that song…all the salaams at all the right cues.
“Pay no heed to Hindi songs now and you will suffer intolerable pains two decades from now. Be seriously warned.”
White White Face Dekhe Dilwa Beating Fast Sasura Chance Mare Re…
And you thought Burkini would suffice.
Meanwhile, listen to Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy
Aaja
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N30iwAt4i8
and don’t ask why Jimmy.
ankur, “pappu” and “saala” are definitely the trends today !!
Aditya, Oz, Shailesh, KK, Dabba, Rbehemoth, Indraneel, Sudhir, kcp, Krysh, Shriya, Ankur, Vinayak: The usual suspects on such topics! Thanks for all your additions. It made my day! I shudder to think what will happen if some us get together and do a That 80s show!
Will round up with a Dharam paaji song that paid tribute to Perestroika after the erstwhile USSR broke up.
Film: Khule-Aam(1992)
Music: RDB
Lyrics: Gulshan Bawra(?)
Singer: Mohd Aziz
Picturized on: Dharamendra, Chunkey
Song: “Jo achha lage woh kaam karo
Jo kaam karo khule-aam karo”
Amazing! I could easily recall 90% of the songs mentioned here! And I used to think that I was the only mad one…
Btw, do any of you remember a song called “Batata Wada” picturized on Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit? It goes like this:
Batata Wada, O Batata Wada,
Dil nahi dena tha, dena pada,
Batata Wada, O Batata Wada,
Pyar nahi karna tha, karna pada
Priceless!
Nirav…oh yes, batata wada is a claasic. it was such an apt song. Madhuri dixit was unusually thin in Hifaazat and probably Anil Kapoor was giving her tips to be more healthy like the reigning queen of those days: Sridevi. Madhuri probably took it very seriously and lo, 3 years later she was as hrisht pusht as the queen she dethroned.
ho ho ho ha ha ha ha laaafing nd laaafing…
1st class …
lotan kabootar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BTmQyPCPHM
Govinda and Karishma – Meri Pant Bhi Sexy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWdUNZ8TWFo
cholee ke peeche
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X4_YZJWWO4
cudnot found video of mother of all such songs
7 saheliyan khadi —- vidhata.. great showman subhash ghai ka ashleel tohfa 2 audience ha ha ha ha
Any1 remembers that song on national integrity picturised on jeetendra( 30+ age ) and sridevi (30+ waist ) … dont’ remember the movie name, but the lyrics were like this -
“ghar tere aaungi dulhan banke nakhre liye gujratan/punjaban/martahan… (etc) ke”
The bride wants to have qualities of women from all the states of India.. amazing ..
This song should have been sent for national award for its strong promotion to national integrity.
Reeman: I remember probably every Jeetendra Sridevi song there is
The movie was Ghar Sansar. You can check out the video on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VRTTjiD2Oo
krishn: here you go. video of 7 saheliyan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9ACS8OzoRs
This is getting better and better… All I needed now was to watch saat saheliyaan… now I can die in peace!
wah 7 saheliyan…thanku aditya 31
Adiyta yaar, I think you’re going to get me fired for lauging so damn loud at this … “That brings me to a masterpiece about global warming from Maqsad (Oye Oye Oye Garmi Hai)”. Well, that and the fact that I’m at work and on PFC…
PS – Thanks Subrat, Karate was, is, and always will be a classic in my book! :D
God! inspiring, to say the least. :-)
Aditya: hazaar bows for digging out the 7 saheliyan masterpiece. Such commitment
“uyeee amma uyeee amma..mushkil ye kya ho gaya..tere badan mein toofan utha to…saree hawa ho gayi”..Tulsi Tanti got his inspiration to start windmills from there..only he did not use buxom ladies..but put the bloody fans on long and big poles (no puns here!!)and is striving to make big money..see where people went after watching Sridevi, Jayaprada, Madhuri, et al in action!!!
someone find the above song on youtube and do the honors..and note the hip gyrations…that was sheer orgasmic bliss in the heydays!!!
Indraneel, see the very first comment on this post….yours truly talked about the same song and put the youtube link as well.
ooopppssss no article 2day… icame to read new post as i guessed u post every saturday..
bit disappointed…
sighing…
seems aamir nd sarkar raj stopped ur writing …
ok next week
would anyone be having Bubumbubum Bobby, ho gayee badi kharabi sung by Kishore Da in Ghar Ek Mandir?
Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee I’d be very grateful if you could mail it to me at soniakhan1@yahoo.com