Amitabh Bacchan plays a writer who falls for Rekha’s timeless beauty in Silsila (1981)
Directed and produced by Yash Chopra, Silsila (1981) sparked controversy even before it was released. Rumors regarding the film’s casting spread throughout the industry, as its portrayal of a love triangle between Amitabh Bacchan, his wife Jaya Bacchan, and his alleged mistress Rekha was said to mimic reality. Today, we present the lyrics and English translation of a classic romantic ballad from Silsila: niilaa aasmaa.n so gayaa.
This film depicts a passionate romance between Amit (played by Amitabh Bacchan) and Chandni (played by Rekha) that cannot culminate in marriage due to unfortunate circumstances. After his brother (played by Shashi Kapoor) is killed in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Amit marries his brother’s pregnant fiancee in order to save her honor. Unable to pursue her love with Amit, Chandni marries Dr. Anand (played by Sanjeev Kumar). When Amit and Shobha are involved in a car accident (that causes Shobha to lose her baby), they are hospitalized and treated by Dr. Anand. Chandni sees Amit in the hospital, and this encounter triggers memories of their past love. Amit and Chandni give into their temptations and begin to rekindle their romance through clandestine meetings. The plot thickens when an evening rendezvous goes sour: Amit and Chandni must go to the police station after hitting a pedestrian while driving, and officer assigned to their case turns out to be Shobha’s cousin. How long can Amit and Chandni keep their adultery a secret? Will Amit and Chandni leave their spouses to be together? Silsila is worth a viewing to find out!
Although Silsila is not the first Bollywood film to depict extra-marital love, it is ground-breaking in its concrete portrayal of the consummation of adultery. Indeed, this film compelled Indian audiences to think about extra-marital affairs and whether they can be cinematically romanticized in a way that appeals to the masses. Silsila offers some justification for the relationship between Amit and Chandni because they were a couple before Amit sacrificed his love to uphold his duty to his brother. However, the film portrays the tumultous decline of their extra-marital romance, eventually depicting Amit and Chandni as disloyal adulterers instead of righteous lovers. The uncomfortable subject matter is presumably the reason why this film failed to be a box office success. Regarding the audience’s reaction to Silsila, Yash Chopra has said:
“The film had inherent tensions because of the casting coup. If I was confident of the project, it was because all the three artistes had individually assured me that there would be no problems at their end. And they kept their word. It was a film on extra-marital relationships and call it moral and societal pressures, but at the last minute, I developed cold-feet and thought that maybe the hero should come home to his wife. The original ended differently. When and why I changed the ending I don’t know, but I did so because I felt that the audience wasn’t ready. But the audience didn’t accept what we gave them either.”
Although audiences may not have reacted positively to its thematic content, the film has left a legacy of controversy that is still remembered today. The release of Silsila marked the end of the alleged affair between Rekha and Amitabh, but those associated with the Bollywood industry still discuss their love story more than 25 years later. At public events such as award functions, the media is unforgiving in keeping a close eye on how Amitabh, Jaya, and Rekha interact with each other!
Aside from its controversy, this film is also remembered for a number of special debuts. In Silsila, Yash Chopra introduced Shiv (santoor maestro Pt. Shivkumar Sharma) and Hari (flute maestro Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia) for the first time as composers of Hindi film music. Moreover, Javed Akhtar penned his first lyrics for a Hindi film in Silsila. The soundtrack for Silsila has a number of popular hits such as dekhaa ek khvaab and rang barse, but “niilaa aasmaa.n so gayaa is especially noteworthy for its use of Amitabh Bacchan as a playback singer. Amitabh showcases his versatility as a performer by doing his own singing, which defied the conventions that had been established in the industry for years. Although he lacks the refinement of musical training, Mr. Bacchan can certainly hold a tune in his version of this ballad. A little bit past her prime, Lata Mangeshkar also offers a melancholic interpretation of the same song picturized on Rekha. Listen to both as you follow along with our translations, and let us know which version you prefer in the comments! Until next time…
-Mr. 55
The first version of niilaa aasmaa.n showcases the passionate on-screen chemistry shared by Rekha and Amitabh Bacchan in Silsila (1981).
Neela Aasman So Gaya: Lyrics and Translation (Male)
niilaa aasmaa.n so gayaa
The blue sky has fallen into slumber.
os barse.n, raat bhiige, ho.nTh thharraaye.n
Dew falls, the night becomes drenched, and my lips quiver.
dhaDkane.n kuchh kahnaa chaahe.n, kah nahii.n paaye.n
Although my heartbeats desire to say something, they are unable to.
havaa kaa geet maddham hai
The breeze sings softly,
samay kii chaal bhii kam hai
while the time passes slowly.
merii baaho.n me.n sharmaate lajaate aise tum aaye
You came into my arms, shying away in embarassment,
ki jaise baadalo.n me.n chaa.nd dhiire dhiire aa jaaye
like the Moon cautiously slipping into the clouds.
yah tanhaayii, yah mai.n aur tum
This solitude, you, and me.
zamii.n bhii ho gayii gumsum
Even the Earth has fallen silent.
niilaa aasmaa.n so gayaa
The blue sky has fallen into slumber.
Rekha wallows in sorrow during the second version of niilaa aasmaa.n after Amitabh tells her that they cannot marry each other in Silsila (1981).
Neela Aasman So Gaya: Lyrics and Translation (Female)
niilaa aasmaa.n so gayaa
The blue sky has fallen into slumber.
aa.nsuuo.n me.n chaa.nd Duubaa, raat murjhaayii
In my tears, the Moon has set and the night has withered.
zindagii me.n duur tak phailii hai tanhaayii
Solitude has spread far into my life.
jo guzre ham pe vah kam hai
What has happened to me thus far is a small beginning,
tumhaare gham kaa mausam hai
for I have just entered the season of sorrow for you.
yaad kii vaadii me.n guu.nje biite afsaane
Tales of the past resonate in the valley of memories.
hamsafar jo kal the ab Thahare ve begaane
Yesterday’s companion is now a stranger.
muhabbat aaj pyaasii hai
My love remains unquenched today.
baDii gahrii udaasii hai
I am overcome by a very deep sorrow.
niilaa aasmaa.n so gayaa
The blue sky has fallen into slumber.
Glossary
niilaa: blue; aasmaa.n: sky; os: dew; bhiignaa: to become drenched; tharraanaa: to quiver; dhaDkan: heartbeat; havaa: wind, breeze; maddham: dim, soft; samay: time; chaal: movement, passing; sharmaanaa: to shy away; lajaanaa: to be embarrassed; baadal: cloud; dhiire dhiire: cautiously; tanhaayii: solitude; gumsum: silent; murjhaanaa: to wither; phailnaa: to spread; yaad: memories; vaadii: valley; guu.njnaa: to resonate; afsaanaa: tale, story; hamsafar: companion: begaanaa: stranger; pyaasii: unquenched; gahraa: deep; udaasii: sorrow.
Amitabh Bacchan sacrifices his love for Rekha to marry his late brother’s pregnant fiance Jaya Bacchan in Silsila (1981).
Mr. & Mrs. 55 - Classic Bollywood Revisited! 
Love the song despite the scandal or because of the scandal!
I love the song, the lyrics are really lovely, and Rekha looks so beautiful. All the songs are really nice. I also liked the film, which I thought was really well written and engaging (though it is pretty long, even for a Hindi film ). Clearly, a lot of thought and genuine creative input went into it. It seems worlds away from much of the stuff Yash Chopra came up with later on in his career.
The ending is pretty contrived, the doctor encountering an accident and Shoba revealing that she’s expecting Amit’s child, thus causing Amit and Chandni to renounce their plans and return to their respective spouses. It really does seem to manifest the ‘cold feet’ sensation Yash Chopra encountered, and his sudden turning away from the narrative he had originally envisaged for the film. The adultery thing, with the attendant deception and betrayal will always be sordid, but the film does a really good of bringing out the nuances on both sides of the argument. What to do when the marriage is burnt out, has lost it’s warmth and vitality and both sides are in it just for the sake of it? It’s more problematic when its bondage for one party to the relationship, and is still deeply meaningful and important to the other. How do you extricate yourself from it without seriously hurting or even destroying those around you?
These themes, and the whole ‘free love and individual acquiring self actualisation vs. the shackles and cruel impositions of society’ debate has been repeated so often, and features in so many films and novels, that you would approach ‘Silsila’ with some weariness, but when I saw the film there was nothing tired or stale about the film’s treatment of it’s subject matter. It was, for the most part very well executed, such that for someone watching the film over 30 years after its release, it was still engaging. When Amit says ‘I am your husband and you are my wife, this is the truth and everything else is falsehood’ it sounds so solid and reassuring, but it can’t always be that easy. At the same time, the views he earlier propounds in the the play he writes, using his character as a mouthpiece, yield very little.
“Love, affection, friendship, religion, patriotism all are hollow terms. They are not related to reality…call yourself…Denounce this life full of falsehood and artificiality…you are free!..”
Religion is almost a different domain altogether, and patriotism is a somewhat dated concept, but to suggest that all these other things ‘love, friendship’ etc are not instinctive and inherent but are mere constructs, super-imposed and wholly gratuitous, is itself illusory. In conflating core human sensibilities with kitsch and pure social conditioning, Amit’s worldview negates the meaningfulness or value of anything. Amitabh’s version of ‘Neela Asman’ or Lata’s? I think I’ll go with Lata’s, but the first version was certainly an interesting idea..lol…u don’t have to be Rafi, Kishore or Mukesh for your voice to convey emotion, and still resonate with people.
I love your blog . Please keep writing. I prefer lata’s version because I think as she got older around this time her voice changed and became richer with layers of depth one didn’t see earlier . I still prefer her 60s output but both eras of her singing outstrip most singers of that time and now – I find the female voices we have heard since have been one dimensional and whilst very sweet have lacked the heart clinching power that lata ‘s did in those times .
Love this song so much! I have to say though, Lata’s voice had changed by then rather than degraded. Love her voice during this period.