Rakhee daydreams about the ever-handsome Dharmendra in Blackmail (1973)

Blackmail (1973) is considered to be one of Vijay Anand’s most romantic directorial ventures. Starring Dharmendra and Rakhee, this film has all the ingredients to make a great Bollywood film: bogus science,  outrageous costumes, and of course, a memorable soundtrack. This album’s shining jewel is none other than “pal pal dil ke paas,” a beautiful expression of love that is remembered today for Kishore Kumar’s romantic and sensitive rendition.

To understand this song in context of the film, let’s take a look at a brief synopsis of the plot. Kailash (played by Dharmendra) is in charge of operating a power plant that provides electricity to homes across India. His quirky uncle Dr. Khurana (played by Madan Puri) is a scientist that is researching novel approaches to generating electricity via solar sources–how innovative for the 1970s! A local man named Mr. Mehta is unhappy about these advances because solar-powered energy is likely to put an end to his battery business. His business partner Jeevan (played by Shatrugan Sinha) is aware of Dr. Khurana’s research because he is a dear friend of Kailash.

Jeevan is set to marry Asha (played by Rakhee), Mr. Mehta’s daughter, but things change once Kailash unknowingly confesses his love for Asha to him. Taking advantage of this situation, Jeevan plans to get Kailash and Asha married so that he can eventually use Asha to get access to Dr. Khurana’s profitable “formula.” Jeevan arranges to meet Asha in a beautiful garden, but he sends Kailash in his place. They have a conversation about their dreams and hopes, and Asha warms up to the sincerity and purity of Kailash’s heart. In a bold move, Kailash hands over a packet of love letters he has written to Asha over the years to express his deepest desires, and he subsequently flees the scene to avoid embarrassment.

At this point in the film, we hear “pal pal dil ke paas,” song composed by music director duo Kalyanji-Anandji and penned by Rajinder Krishan. Unlike many instances where the on-screen portrayal of a song fails to do it justice, director Vijay Anand has done an excellent job to ensure that this picturization enhances the beauty of the music in the context of the film. In a nutshell, this song describes the progression of love between Kailash and Asha over time. At the beginning, Asha expresses restrained pleasure as she begins to read Kailash’s letters with a coy smile; by the end, she is so smitten by the poetry in his letters that she cannot stop daydreaming about him.

Does the love story between Kailash and Asha reach a happy conclusion? You’ll have to watch the film to find out! Even if the plot doesn’t appeal to you, there’s a particularly steamy  scene between Dharmendra and Rakhee  during “mile mile do badan” that is worth watching for the scandal factor alone.  Enjoy, and remember to send us your requests for song translations — we haven’t received one in a while!

-Mr. 55

Does anyone even write love letters like this anymore?

Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas: Lyrics and Translation

pal pal dil ke paas tum rahtii ho
You reside forever near my heart,
jiivan miiThii pyaas yah kahtii ho
And you call this life a sweet thirst.

har shaam aa.nkhon par teraa aa.nchal laharaaye
Every evening, the end of your sari flutters over my eyes. 
har raat yaado.n ki baaraat le aaye
And every night, it brings a parade of memories. 
mai.n saa.ns letaa huu.n, terii khushbuu aatii hai
With each breath, I smell your fragrance. 
ek mahkaa-mahkaa saa paighaam laatii hai
It brings along a scented message. 
mere dil kii dhaDkan bhii tere geet gaatii hai
Even my heartbeat sings a song for you. 
pal pal dil ke paas tum rahtii ho
You reside forever near my heart.

kal tujh ko dekhaa thaa, mai.ne apne aangan me.n
Yesterday, I saw you in my own courtyard. 
jaise kah rahii thii tum, mujhe baa.ndh lo bandhan me.n
It was as if you were saying, “Bind me in an eternal bond”
yah kaisaa rishtaa hai? ye kaise sapne hai.n?
What kind of bond is this? What kind of dreams are these?
begaane ho kar bhii kyo.n apne lagte hai.n? 
Despite being so foreign, why do I find them to be intimate? 
mai.n soch me.n rahtaa huu.n, Dar Dar ke kahtaa huu.n 
I remain in contemplation as I hesitatingly declare: 
pal pal dil ke paas tum rahtii ho
You reside forever near my heart. 

tum sochogii kyo.n itnaa mai.n tum se pyaar karuu.n
You might question why I love you so dearly.
tum samjhogii diivaanaa, mai.n bhii iqraar karuu.n
You might think I am crazy, and I would confess to that.
diivaano.n kii ye baate.n, diivaane jaante hai.n
Only a person crazy in love can understand the actions of another,
jalne me.n kyaa mazaa hai, parvaane jaante hai.n
And only moths understand the pleasure found in burning.
tum yuu.n hii jalaate rahnaa, aa aa kar khvaabo.n me.n
Please continue to ignite my passion as you come into my dreams.  
pal pal dil ke paas tum rahtii ho
You reside forever near my heart. 

Glossary

miiThaa: sweet; pyaas: thirst; aa.nchal: decorative end of a sari; laharaanaa: to flutter; baaraat: parade, procession; khushbuu: fragrance; mahka: scented; paighaam: message; aangan: courtyard; bandhan: bond; begaanaa: foreign, alien; Dar Dar ke: hesitaingly, fearfully; iqraar karnaa: to admit, confess; mazaa: pleasure; parvaanaa: moth;  jalaanaa: to ignite; khvaab: dream.

Dharmendra and Rakhee get cozy together in Blackmail (1973).