- Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore get too close for comfort in “Roop Tera Mastana” from Aradhana (1969)
Our next post brings you the full lyrics and English translation of the all-time hit “Roop Tera Mastana” from Aradhana (1969). The film stars one of Bollywood’s favorite on-screen couple: the dashing Rajesh Khanna and the elegant Sharmila Tagore. Now this song gets a little racy, so for everyone who isn’t sure they can handle it, please direct yourselves to our G-rated posts (see Rabindranath Tagore’s Influence on S.D. Burman) at this time. Everyone else, grab a seat and a drink of water because it’s about to get a little hot in here.
One of the things I love most about “Roop Tera Mastana” is the cinematography (check out the youtube link here!). The entire song (roughly 4 minutes) is shot in a single long take! The camera swirls around the fire following Rajesh Khanna making his moves on Sharmila, without ONCE cutting for an insert or change in camera angle.
For this to succeed, not only do both the actor and actress need to know exactly where to start and stop with every movement they make during the sequence (any small shift could result in a loss of camera focus), but there is an elaborate dolly track for the camera also laid out all around the floor that they have to be careful not to trip on as they move. And every time the dolly men, the grip guy, the pull-focus team, or heaven-forbid the actors screw up in the 4 minutes you need per take, you start all over again, lose valuable film stock, and probably get a public slap in the face. Check stills from this sequence below!
Rajesh Khanna swoops in for the kill.
Sharmila Tagore senses danger and edges away.
Oh, awkward–Sharmila and Rajesh bump into each other unexpectedly.
Sharmila: To give in or not to give in??!
Rajesh Khanna rushes in from the other side.
Well…maybe this idea isn’t so bad after all…
Sharmila gets so on board, she starts to be a little aggressive.
Things are just getting out of control now with Rajesh and Sharmila.
Gorgeous Rajesh Khanna is abandoned, bursting with chest hair.
Gotcha! Just when you thought you thought you had given him the slip.
It’s super tense in that room, and I’m not just talking about Sharmila’s sternocleidomastoids.
In the film Aradhana (1969), Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna have both just come from getting secretly married in a private temple ceremony. They happen upon a shelter lodge, and obviously consummating the marriage is all over Rajesh Khanna’s mind.
Interestingly, the camera itself becomes complicit in the scene. Like the actors themselves, the camera too encircles the fire as if echoing the hallowed rites of Hindu marriage, the saath phere (or seven circles), that give sanctity to their union. It is as if the audience is now the testifying witness of the validity of their marriage, and the camera hesitates–sometimes pausing, sometimes rushing just like the whirlwind of conflicting emotions in the scene. It is extremely symbolic and by eliminating all cutting, the long take seems to slow time down as we grasp the moral and social complexities of this moment, as well as build the tension of what is imminent. Enjoy our English translation of the lyrics of this all-time classic and let us know your opinions in the comments!
Roop Tera Mastana Lyrics and Translation
Roop tera mastana pyaar mera diwaanaa
Your beauty is intoxicating, my love is crazy
Bhool koi humse na ho jaaye
Let me not commit a wrong
Raat nasheelii mast samaa hai
The night is lush, the atmosphere is intoxicating
Aaj nashe mei.N saara jahaa.N hai
Today the whole world seems drunk
Haa.N yeh sharaabii mausam behkaaye
Yes, this intoxicated atmosphere has enticed us
Roop tera mastana pyaar mera diwaanaa
Your beauty is intoxicating, my love is crazy
Aankho.N se aankhe.N miltii hai.N aise
Our eyes met like this
Bechain hoke toofaa.N mei.n jaise
Becoming restless like a storm
Mauj koi saahil se takraaye
Like a wave crashing toward the shore
Roop tera mastana pyaar mera diwaanaa
Your beauty is intoxicating, my love is crazy
Bhool koi humse na ho jaaye
Let me not commit a wrong
Rok rahaa hai hum ko zamaanaa
The world is stopping us
Duur hii rehna paas na aana
We must stay apart and not come closer
Kaise magar koi dil ko samjhaaye?
But how can anyone make our hearts understand this?
Roop tera mastana pyaar mera diwaanaa
Your beauty is intoxicating, my love is crazy
Bhool koi humse na ho jaaye
Let me not commit a wrong
Glossary
roop: beauty; mastaana: intoxicating; diiwaanaa: crazy (in love); bhool: mistake, wrong; nasheelii: lush; samaa: atmosphere; nashe mei.N: drunk; mausam: atmosphere; bechain: restless; toofaa.N: storm; mauj: wave; saahil: shore; zamaanaa: the world
Notice how no one actually gets close to kissing each other in the sequence. I mean, you’d think it happened if you looked at some of these still shots, but in reality the closest thing to physical contact that occurs in this whole sequence is when they hold hands and half-way hug. It would have been awkward, but they pretend like they’re kissing so well, that you hardly notice that no one has touched each other. Oh, the magic of Bollywood!
For more from the magical soundtrack of Aradhana, check out our translation of “Kora Kaagaz Tha” here!
-Mrs. 55
Mr. & Mrs. 55 - Classic Bollywood Revisited! 
This song is a very popular one, even today! What do you think has made it so successful despite it having been shot in a single long take and having only one background, which is very unusual for Bollywood songs?
Indeed! We’re glad you like it! Bollywood songs LOVE to make use of dream sequences, costume changes, and exciting sets–not like the cramped, static fireside of “Roop Tera Mastana.” But perhaps because it’s so isolated, we truly feel the immense intimacy of the scenes. Rather than be dazzled by pretty new saaris, or flashy backdrops, we are forced to focus on their raw sexual-romantic tension (which, albeit still PG, is at this level so rare in films from that era, that it’s probably what got audiences going back for more!)
this leaves so much to the imagination which is why it is so timeless and classy, much like the actors of the era it represents. the song is wonderful and of course depicting a marriage scene however strange, since the viewer knows it is for real, only adds to the crazy Bollywood beauty of the song.
I agree! The beauty of classic Bollywood love is intertwined with what it chooses to leave up to the imagination, instead of putting it all on display. Because of this innocence, not only were Bollywood films among the few films allowed to be viewed in Soviet Union for many years, but as you say, gives them a kind of timelessness that is not tainted by the shifting moral standards of the day.
thank you so much for the translation. This is one of my fav songs & the scene is amazing!
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