Anpadh | Mr. & Mrs. 55 – Classic Bollywood Revisited!

Mala Sinha experiences the pain of rejection in Anpadh (1962) from her husband Dharmendra due to her illiteracy.

As a sequel to our previous post on “aap ki nazaro.n samjhaa,” I have provided an English translation and glossary for another memorable ghazal from Anpadh (1962): “hai isii me.n pyaar kii aabhruu.” As a quick refresher, Anpadh narrates the story of a wealthy but illiterate woman (played by Mala Sinha) who is married off to an educated gentleman (played by Dharmendra). When Dharmendra asks Mala to recite a poem for him for her on their wedding night, she is compelled to reveal her darkest secret: her parents never taught her how to read or write. After hearing this, Dharmendra is furious that his parents lured into arranging his marriage to an uneducated woman because of the large dowry. As he spurns Mala for her lack of education, she expresses her sadness through this song, which was composed by Madan Mohan and penned by Raja Mehndi Ali Khan.

I’ll be the first to admit that these lyrics are a tad excessive in the drama department, but this is exactly the kind of song that you need when you’re in the mood to wallow. The essence of heartache is and the pain of rejection are illustrated beautifully in these words, so listening to a song like this can really hit the spot when you’re love-sick and need to get that sulking out of your system. Although one can find beauty in the lyrics, it is difficult to overlook that this ghazal also carries an underlying subtext of misogyny that reflects societal attitudes of the time. Take, for instance, the mukhDaa where Mala proclaims that she finds pride in her beloved’s cruelty: “hai isii me.n pyaar kii aabhruu / wah jafaa kare, mai.n vafaa karuu.n” (In this, I find the pride of love: he is cruel to me, yet I remain faithful to him). You won’t (and shouldn’t!) find such a line sung by the heroines in the Bollywood industry today.

Even if the lyrics for this song are too much for you to handle, I am certain that you can appreciate this song for its musical value. Madan Mohan has composed an evergreen melody that tugs at your heartstrings, and Lata Mangeshkar pulls through with a winning rendition. As an aside, I thought that I would share an alternate version of this song rendered by Madan Mohan himself using a different tune. This alternate melody was not used in the film, and I am guessing that was because it sounds too happy to suit the melancholic nature of these lyrics. Take a listen to both versions for yourself, and enjoy the translation and glossary that we have provided below! Requests for future posts, as always, should be e-mailed to themrandmrs55@gmail.com.

The intensity of Mala’s pain depicted in this song highlights the urgency of Anpadh‘s message about the need educate Indian girls.

Hai Isi Mein Pyar Ki Abhroo: Lyrics and Translation

hai isii me.n pyaar kii aabhruu
In this, I find the pride of love:
wah jafaa kare mai.n vafaa karuu.n
He is cruel to me, yet I remain faithful to him.
jo vafaa bhii kaam na aa sake
Although this love is in vain,
to wahii kahe ki mai.n kyaa karuu.n
It now dictates my actions.

mujhe gham bhii unkaa aziiz hai
Even the sadness I feel is dear to me,
ki unhii kii dii huii chiiz hai
Because it is something given to me by him.
yahii gham hai ab merii zindagii
This sadness has become my life,
ise kaise dil se judaa karuu.n?
how shall I separate it from my heart?

jo na ban sake mai.n wah baat huu.n
I am the matter that cannot be,
jo na khatm ho mai.n wah raat huu.n
And I am the night that cannot end.
yah likhaa hai mere nasiib mein
It is written in my destiny
yuu.n hii shamma ban ke jalaa karuu.n
That I shall burn here like a candle.

na kisii ke dil kii huu.n aarzuu
I am not the desire of anyone’s heart
na kisii nazar ki huu.n justajuu
Nor am I the object of anyone’s glances.
mai.n wah phuul huu.n jo udaas ho
I am that flower which is wilted.
na bahaar aaye to kyaa karuu.n?
If the spring does not arrive, what shall I do?

hai isii me.n pyaar kii aabhruu
In this, I find the pride of love.

Glossary

aabhruu: pride; jafaa: cruelty; vafaa: loyalty, love; aziiz: dear; judaa: separate; khatm: end; nasiib: destiny, fate; shamma: candle; aarzuu: desire; justajuu: quest, search; udaas: sullen, wilted.

A musical match for the ages: Lata Mangeshkar and Madan Mohan

The collaboration between Lata Mangeshkar and Madan Mohan has produced some of the most cherished songs in the musical history of Hindi cinema. Think of gems such as “lag jaa gale,” “nainaa barse rimjhim rimjhim,” or “tu jahaa.n jahaa.n chalegaa,” to name a few. Today, I’m going to share the lyrics and translation for a ghazal from Anpadh (1962) that is widely considered to be one of this duo’s finest: “aap kii nazaro.n ne samjhaa.” Penned by Raja Mehndi Ali Khan, the lyrics of this song are an equal match for the beauty of the musical composition and rendering. The beauty of the lyrics, however, is perhaps best appreciated once you can get over the whole slave-master dynamic that is going on as Mala Sinha sings to Dharmendra in the film. Although I admit that it is bizarre to refer to your lover as “banda-parvar” (master, lord), it is important to remember that these lyrics were written for the society of 1960s India: gender norms from that era differ dramtically from those established in modern times. At this time, the ideal Indian woman was expected to be submissive to her husband, and this sentiment is reflected in many songs like this one from the period.

An interesting piece of trivia: after the ghazals from Anpadh were released, it is said that composer Naushad supposedly told Madan Mohan that he would trade all of his own compositions for this one song! Although Madan Mohan rarely got his due from audiences back then, it’s nice to hear that his fellow music directors recognized his talent.

-Mr. 55

P.S. Please, for my sake, go to YouTube and give a thumbs-down to Bally Sagoo’s atrocious remix of this song. I don’t understand how these people sleep at night after they ruin the classics (seriously, how did they just change the taal here from 7-beat rupak to 8-beat kaharvaa?)

Mala Sinha expresses her devotion to the handsome Dharmendra in Anpadh (1962)

Aap Ki Nazaron Ne Samjha Lyrics and Translation

aap kii nazaro.n ne samjhaa pyaar ke qaabil mujhe
Your glances deemed me worthy of love.
dil kii ai dhaDkan Thahar jaa, mil gayii manzil mujhe
Oh stop, my heartbeats, for I have found my destination.

jii hame.n manzuur hai, aap kaa yeh faislaa
Yes, this decision of yours is acceptable to me.
kah rahii hai har nazar, bandaa parvar shukriyaa
My every glance is saying, “Thank you, oh lord!”
ha.nske apnii zindagii me.n, kar liyaa shaamil mujhe
As you brought me into your life with a smile.

aap kii manzil huu.n mai.n, aur merii manzil aap hai.n
I am your destination, and you are mine.
kyo.n mai.n tuufaa.n se Daruu.n? meraa saahil aap hai.n
Why shall I fear the storm? You are my shore.
koii tuufaa.no.n se kah de, mil gayaa saahil mujhe
Someone tell the storms that I have found my shore.

paD gayii.n dil par mere aap ki parchhaaiiyaa.n
Your shadows have cast upon my heart.
har taraf bajne lagii.n saikDo.n shahnaaiiyaa.n
In every direction, hundreds of shahnaiis are playing in celebration
do jahaa.n kii aaj khushiyaa.n, ho gayii.n haasil mujhe
Today, I have enjoyed the happiness of both worlds.

aap kii nazaro.n ne samjhaa pyaar ke qaabil mujhe
Your glances deemed me worthy of love.

Glossary

nazar: glance; qaabil: worthy; manzil: destination; manzuur: acceptable; faislaa: decision; bandaa parvar: master, lord; haasil: achieved, obtained; saahil: shore; parchhaaiiyaa.n: shadows; saikDo.n: hundreds; shahnaaiiyaa.n: traditional Indian instrument resembling a clarinet (associated with weddings); shaamil: present.