Dapper Dev Anand floats through Ooty with hair that could make Tintin jealous in Kala Bazaar (1960).
Today we highlight the lyrics and English translation to Mohammed Rafi’s “Khoya Khoya Chand” from the film Kala Bazaar (1960). Dev Anand stars as a poor bus conductor with an ailing mother who becomes desperate when he loses his job. He turns to the black market and makes a fortune in underground business dealings. Although he is able to provide well for his mother, he is ashamed when he meets the pure-hearted, but strong-willed Waheeda Rehman who spurns all forms of dishonesty. The strength of Kala Bazaar is in its character study, and though perhaps occasionally heavy-handed, the personalities it portrays are not stereotypic. Both Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman carry flaws as they navigate the grey space of their moral boundaries, adding a welcome warmth to the film.
Like the effortlessly romantic “Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe,” “Khoya Khoya Chand” makes my top three Mohammed Rafi songs of all time (bonus points if you can guess the third!) Set upon the peaceful Ooty landscape and brimming with whimsy, “Khoya Khoya Chand” is Dev Anand’s ode to the woman he loves and the crossroads at which they stand. The camera breezes alongside him, a cinematographic embodiment of the changing winds, and soars left and right as flirtatiousy as Shailendra’s lyrics. “Khoya Khoya Chand” is quite literally a breath of fresh air that will change the characters (and possibly you) forever! With an open sky of possibility above, what’s there not to love?
With bold and unafraid eyebrows that make no excuses, Waheeda Rehman glows in the elegant black-and-white cinematography of Kala Bazaar (1960).
We hope you enjoy our English translation of the playful hit song “Khoya Khoya Chand” below! Follow along with our lyrics to the video here and try not to get dizzy as the camera spins with Dev Anand through the Ooty countryside!
Khoya Khoya Chand Lyrics and Translation:
O ho ho, khoya khoya chaand, khula aasmaan
The lost moon in the open sky
Aankhon mei.N saari raat jaayegi
The whole night will fly before your eyes
Tumko bhi kaise nee.Nd aayegi
How will you be able to sleep?
Oh oh, khoya khoya chaand…
Oh, the lost moon
Mastii bharii hawaa jo chalii
The blowing wind is filled with intoxication
Khil khil gayii yeh dil ki kalii
The flower of my heart has blossomed
Man ki gali mein hai khalbalii
There is an agitation in the alley of my soul
Ke unko to bulaao
For I must call out to her
O ho ho, khoya khoya chaand
Oh, the lost moon…
Taare chale, nazaare chale
Stars go, sights go
Sang sang mere woh saare chale
They all go along with me
Chaaro.N taraf ishaare chale
Signals come from every direction
Kisi ke to ho jaao
That I must become someone else’s
O ho ho, khoya khoya chaand
Oh, the lost moon…
Aisii hii raat, bheegii sii raat
On a rainy night like this
Haatho.N mein haath hote voh saath
If she was beside me, hand in hand
Keh lete unse dil kii yeh baat
I would tell her these words from my heart
Ab to na sataao
Now do not torture me
O ho ho, khoya khoya chaand
Oh, the lost moon…
Hum miT chale jinke liye
The person for whom I would disappear
Bin kuch kahe woh chhup chhup rahe
Without saying a word, she sits quietly
Koi zaraa yeh unse kahe
Someone tell her
Na aise aazmaao
Do not test me like this
O ho ho, khoya khoya chaand, khula aasmaan
The lost moon in the open sky
Aankhon mei.N saari raat jaayegi
The whole night will fly before your eyes
Tumko bhi kaise nee.Nd aayegi
How will you be able to sleep?
Oh oh, khoya khoya chaand…
Oh, the lost moon
Glossary:
chaand: moon; aasmaan: sky; aa.Nkh: eye; raat: night; [kisi ko] nee.Nd aanaa: to fall asleep; mastii: intoxication; hawaa: wind; khilnaa: to bloom; dil: heart; kalii: flower; man: soul; galii: alleyway, street; khalbalii: agitation; bulaanaa: to call; taaraa: star; nazaaraa: sights, vision; sang sang: alongside, together; chaaron taraf se: from 4 directions, from everywhere; ishaaraa: signal, sign; bheegii: rainy, wet; haath: hand; baat; word; sataanaa: to torture; miTnaa: to disappear; chhup: quiet; aazmaanaa: to test; to try
I see you, you sneaky lover of men with vintage hairstyles. Wanna piece of this pompadour?
One of the best moments of Kala Bazaar is earlier in the film when Dev Anand and his posse are selling black market tickets to the premier of the film Mother India (1957)! Real archival footage from the premiere is blended seamlessly into the narrative, giving us a glimpse at the hysteria and excitement of a real-life star-studded movie premiere in the Golden Age of Bollywood. Watch as Mohammed Rafi, Nargis, Lata Mangeshkar, Guru Dutt, Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar and many more make unexpected real-life cameos! There are few things I love more than the existential fairyland that is a film about films.
Famed playback singer Mohammed Rafi smiles at the real-life Mother India (1957) premiere as seen in Kala Bazaar (1960)!
This fun-loving song was requested by two faithful fans, Sudipta Banerjee and Himani Sood! Many thanks for the brilliant request and if you’re trapped in a snowstorm this week like we are, we hope these lyrics remind you of the joys of warm weather soon to come!
– Mrs. 55
Mr. & Mrs. 55 - Classic Bollywood Revisited! 
I am extremely greatful for your emails which bring back memories of my childhood growing up in Hyderabad, India. The other song I love is ‘Suhaani raat dhal chuki, naa jaaney tum kab aayoogay…Habib Durrani
Glad to hear you enjoy our site! We’ll be certain to add your request for Suhani Raat to our list–stay tuned!
was the third: Chand mera dil from HKKN?
On Thu, Mar 5, 2015 at 9:25 PM, Mr. & Mrs. 55 – Classic Bollywood
That’s a great guess! It’s actually a somewhat sadder Rafi hit–but a love song nonetheless!
Great! This post is about as lovely as the song!! You guys are terrific !!! Studying at Harvard and doing this. Am posting link to your blog. Check it out at @vsengupta (my twitter handle)
Thank you for sharing our site! We are thrilled that you liked the post!
the 3rd must be ‘yeh mera prem patra’ from sangam. Right?
That’s also an excellent guess! Yeh Mera Prem Patra is definitely one of Rafi’s best songs–but just barely didn’t make my top 3! We’ll be posting the last of our favorite trilogy soon 🙂
Mrs 55,
Can you please translate the song ‘Bole re Papihara’ from the film ‘Guddi’? And morover, its translation is nowhere available even on the internet! So, please can you translate it and elaborate its meaning?
We appreciate the request–and we’ve added it to our list to translate. Bol Re Papihara is a good one–be sure to check back on the site for a translation soon!
Another lovely post. One of my very favourite songs, too 🙂
Is the 3rd song “main zindagi ka saathi nibhataa chala gayaa” from ‘Hum Dono’ ?!! It would be my choice ;-D
Thank you, Muskaan! While not among my personal top 3, I think my parents would agree with you about Main Zindagi Ka Saath–it’s evergreen and certainly reflects excellent taste 🙂 We translated this song earlier last year with some great stills from the colourized version of Hum Dono to accompany it!
A Rafi song, aaaah that makes me mad. Shailender and RD Burman might have had something to say about that! ha ha.
I am just as big as a Rafi groupie as you guys. In fact I think he is the greatest star (along with Lata) of Bollywood.
I finally found my favorite song lyrics translation. Thanks so much. My all time favorite Dev saab and Rafi sir. This is great.
Great stuff. Thanks.
Love this song. Thank you. Dhanyavaad (?)
is the third song chaudavin ka chand???
Thank you for this great work, we are so addicted to Hindi songs and Bollywood movies as we origin from South Asian region, sometimes I go insane not knowing the meanings of these beautiful songs. Great post. Is your third song a one in Dosti?
I’ll hazard a guess as to your 3rd favorite Mohammed Rafi song: is it “Mann re tu kahe na dheere” from Chitralekha ?
Thanks much for your wonderful translations.