boat song | Mr. & Mrs. 55 – Classic Bollywood Revisited!

Amitabh Bacchan and Zeenat Aman share a romantic moment during a glamorous gondola ride shot in Venice, Italy for The Great Gambler (1979).

Today, we present the lyrics and English translation to an all-time hit song from The Great Gambler (1979): do lafzo.n kii hai dil kii kahaanii. Directed by Shakti Samanta, this action film starring Amitabh Bacchan in a dual role takes the audience on a cosmopolitan journey through a variety of exotic locales including Cairo, Rome, Lisbon, Amsterdam, and Egypt. While the film itself has not much to offer over other masala films released during this period of Hindi cinema, the soundtrack’s crowning gem do lafzo.n kii hai dil kii kahaanii is cherished by audiences to this day. In fact, watch Asha Bhonsle (at the age of 80!) dazzle the audience with this song here accompanied by the Metropole Orchestra at The Hague in 2013.

do lafzon kii hai dil kii kahaanii can be considered a natural successor to previous boat songs directed by Shakti Samanta, such as raat ke humsafar (An Evening in Paris, 1967) and chingaarii koii bhaDke (Amar Prem, 1972). The exotic picturization as well as the exquisite lilting melody make this song a stand-out among the other lackluster items found on the film’s soundtrack, which was composed by R.D. Burman and penned by Anand Bakshi. To infuse a dose of authentic Italian charm, the lyricist has included a few words of Italian in the song’s introduction–I’m certainly not an Italian expert, but my attempt at translating these lines is also presented below.

While the choice of veteran songstress Asha Bhonsle as the playback singer for heroine Zeenat Aman is no surprise, the choice of Sharad Kumar as the voice of the gondolier is rather interesting. Sharad Kumar Bader is an actor/singer who achieved fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s for his imitative renditions of songs originally performed by the one and only Elvis Presley. In addition to touring the globe for concerts where he sang Elvis numbers decked out in The King’s trademark jumpsuits, Sharad also received a break in Bollywood as an actor in films such as Paisa Ya Pyar (1969) and Zameen Aasman (1972) with the support of Shobhana Samarth (mother of actresses Tanuja and Nutan). After his brief stint in the film industry, Sharad moved to Canada where he worked as an insurance agent and opened a vegetarian Indian food company called Zara’s Gourmet Kitchen with his wife Gita Bader. A colorful career path indeed!

What is your favorite foreign destination featured in a vintage Bollywood song? Let us know in the comments! Until next time…

-Mr. 55

Venice’s Grand Canal and its rich tradition of gondoliering are featured prominently in this all-time fan favorite song.

Do Lafzon Ki Hai Dil Ki Kahani: Lyrics and Translation

Sharad Kumar: laa, laa, laa… amore mio, dove sei tu?
My love, where are you?
ti sto cercando, tesoro mio!
I am searching for you, my treasure!

Amitabh Bacchan: “amore mio, dove sei tu..”
ai kyaa gaa rahaa hai?
What is he singing?

Asha Bhonsle: apne pyaar ko yaad kar rahaa hai aur kah rahaa hai ki…
He is remembering his love and saying…

Amitabh Bacchan: na, na, na aise nahii.n! gaa ke sunaao na?
No, not like this! Sing it for me, won’t you?

Asha Bhonsle: gaa ke? acchhaa!
Sing it? Okay!

do lafzo.n kii hai dil kii kahaanii
The tale of my heart is only two words long.
yaa hai muhabbat, yaa hai javaanii
Is it love or is it youth?

Sharad Kumar: amore mio, il tempo vola
My love, time flies.
prendilo, prendilo, amore mio!
Catch it, catch it, my love!

The on-screen chemistry shared by the leading pair serves as the backbone for this lighthearted, action-packed, and often nonsensical film.

Asha Bhonsle: dil kii baato.n kaa matlab na puuchho
Please don’t ask me the meaning of my heart’s words.
kuchh aur ham se bas ab na puuchho
Please don’t ask me anything now.
jis ke liye hai duniyaa diivaanii
What the world has gone mad for,
yaa hai muhabbat, yaa hai javaanii?
Is it love or is it youth?

yah kashTiivaalaa kyaa gaa rahaa thaa?
What was that gondolier singing about?
koii ise bhii yaad aa rahaa thaa
He was reminded of someone special
qisse puraane, yaade.n puraanii
along with old tales and old memories.
yaa hai muhabbat, yaa hai javaanii?
Is it love or is it youth?

is zindagii ke din kitne kam hai.n
The days of this life are limited in number.
kitnii hai.n khushiyaa.n aur kitne gham hai.n
they are filled with so much joy and so much sorrow.
lag jaa gale se, rut hai suhaanii
So embrace me, in this beautiful season.
yaa hai muhabbat, yaa hai javaanii
Is it love or is it youth?

do lafzo.n kii hai dil kii kahaanii
The tale of my heart is only two words long.
yaa hai muhabbat, yaa hai javaanii
Is it love or is it youth?

Glossary

lafz: word; kahaanii: tale; muhabbat: love; javaanii: youth; matlab: meaning; duniyaa: world; kashTiivaalaa: gondolier; qisse: tales; yaade.n: memories; khushiyaa.n: joy; gham: sorrow; gale se lag jaanaa: to embrace; rut: season; suhaanii: lovely, beautiful.

A glimpse of Italy at The Venetian hotel from my recent vacation to Las Vegas.

Vegas’s replica of the Grand Canal–complete with gondolier and Italian serenades!

Rajesh Khanna serenades Asha Parekh in one of Hindi cinema’s most treasured boat songs from Kati Patang (1970)

If you’ve been following the latest news about Bollywood stars (as you should be), you might be aware of the fact that Rajesh Khanna has been hospitalized recently for exhaustion and a stomach infection. In light of this news, I thought I’d share one of my favorite songs picturized on the Bombay superstar and send along our best wishes for a speedy recovery. Below, I’ve provided the lyrics and a translation for “jis galii me.n teraa ghar na ho baalma,” a beautiful number sung by Mukesh in Kati Patang (1970).

Mukesh singing for Rajesh Khanna? Blasphemy, you might say. As we all know, Kishore Kumar was officially the playback voice for India’s beloved ‘Kaka,’ and you might hear a pairing with Mohammed Rafi on occasion. But a Mukesh song picturized on Rajesh Khanna, let alone a popular one, is quite rare indeed.

In spite of the unconventional pairing, this song from Kati Patang is an all-time classic that has been cherished by fans of Hindi cinema over the years. The beauty in the simplicity of Anand Bakshi’s lyrics here is striking. Expressing the the theme of selflessness in love, these lyrics are unique when placed into context of the film. Rajesh Khanna’s character uses this song to profess his love for Asha Parekh, a woman pretending to be a widow after fleeing the altar. At a time when societal norms prevented such women from marrying again, using such romantic lyrics to describe the love between a man and an ostensible widow is a bold move. In his inimitable style, Mukesh gives one of his career’s best performances as he sings these lyrics with sincerity and a tinge of melancholy. To top it all off, R.D. Burman composes a simple, yet touching melody that does justice to the beauty of these lyrics. Enjoy this poignantly crafted declaration of love with our glossary and translation below!

-Mr. 55

Playing the role of a supposed widow, Asha Parekh wears a white sari throughout most of this film.

Jis Gali Mein Tera Ghar Na Ho Balma: Lyrics and Translation

jis galii me.n teraa ghar na ho baalma
Any street on which your house does not reside
us galii se hame.n to guzarnaa nahii.n
is not a street that I shall traverse.
jo Dagar tere dvaare pe jaatii na ho
Any path that does not lead to your door
us Dagar pe hame.n paa.nv rakhnaa nahii.n
is not a path on which I shall set foot.

zindagii me.n kaii rangraliyaa.n sahii
In my life, there have been many colorful celebrations.
har taraf muskuratii ye kaliyaa.n sahii
In every direction, there are smiling flowerbuds
khuubsurat bahaaro.n kii galiyaa.n sahi
and many beautiful views of springtime.
jis chaman mei.n tere pag me.n kaa.nTe chubhe.n
Yet, the garden in which thorns pierce your feet
us chaman se hame.n phuul chunnaa nahii.n
is not a garden from which I shall pick flowers.

haa.n ye rasme, ye qasame.n sabhii toD ke
Yes, after having broken these rituals and vows,
tu chalii aa chunar pyaar kii oDh ke
please come to me, flying your scarf of love in the air.
yaa chalaa jaauu.nga mai.n yah jag chhoD ke
Or else, I shall go away and leave this world.
jis jagah yaad terii sataane lage
The place where your memories begin to torture me
us jagah ek pal bhii Thaharana nahii.n
is not a place where I shall spend a single moment.

jis galii me.n teraa ghar na ho baalma
Any street on which your house does not reside…

Glossary

galii: street, alley; baalma: beloved; Dagar: path; dvaaraa: door; rangraliyaa.n: colorful celebrations; kaliyaa.n: flower buds; chaman: garden; pag: foot; chubhnaa: to pierce; rasm: ritual, ceremony; qasam: vow; chunar: scarf; jag: world; sataanaa: to torture.