Tag Archives: Naushad

Aap Ki Nazaron Ne Samjha Lyrics and Translation: Let’s Learn Urdu-Hindi

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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.

Making the Cut in Pakeezah: Behind-the-scenes of one of Bollywood’s most elaborate musicals

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The ethereal Meena Kumari in Pakeezah (1971)

Few films have more behind-the-scenes gossip and excitement than Pakeezah (1971). If you know anything about classic Hindi film songs, you’ve probably heard some part of the Pakeezah soundtrack from director Kamal Amrohi’s 1971 legend. The film stars tragedy queen Meena Kumari as Pakeezah and gorgeous, gravely-voiced Raajkumar in a story of unforgiving traditional values that collide with the forbidden love of a pure-hearted courtesan. In an ironic twist, Pakeezah is revealed at the climax to be the hero’s long lost cousin, thus at last sanctioning their marriage (the ethical complexities of this kicker are a whole different issue.) But the movie itself is pure cinematic magic–Kamal Amrohi was notorious for his artistry and attention to detail. Pakeezah’s breath-taking production design, Ghulam Muhammed’s haunting semi-classical thumris, and the effortless poetry of the film’s dialogue is like entering one long, opium-induced dream.

But what was happening beneath the surface? A whole lot of drama.

Director Kamal Amrohi married Meena Kumari when she was 19 years old in 1952. They began filming Pakeezah within a few years–in fact, the song Inhi Logon Ne (raga Yaman) was filmed and edited before Amrohi switched to coloured film stock. The 1956 black-and-white version of the song was never used, but many of the shots are extremely similar to the final version. Notice how different young Lata’s voice sounds in this song compared to parts of the soundtrack recorded years later. Even more interestingly, Inhi Logon Ne was originally taken from the film Himmat (1941) in a version sung by none other than Shamshad Begum!

My favorite non-Lata song from the film is, Nazariyan Ki Maari, sung by 1930s playback singer Rajkumari Dubey. During production, when Naushad spotted Rajkumari singing in his chorus to make ends meet (and this is a woman who had been first female playback singer of India!), he reportedly caused an uproar and gave his former collaborator her own solo. This is why we love Naushad.

Pakeezah took over 14 years to complete, mainly because of the famously tumultuous relationship between Kamal and Meena (and her eventual alcoholism). Rumor has it that Meena was such a hot mess during the filming of Chalo Dildar Chalo, Amrohi cut her out and reworked the shot list so that her face is actually never seen in the song. Her condition became so bad that during the filming of the grueling emotional mujraa “Teer-e Nazar,” Meena Kumari collapsed. A body double, none other than filmi vamp Padma Khanna, was recruited to replace her! Meena Kumari personally trained her for the scene, and the song was filmed with the majority of the dancing done with an opaque chunni hiding Padma’s face! I would’ve killed to be a yes-man on that set and drink in all the gossip.

A very convenient camera angle…

Speaking of which, did you know the beautiful Mohammed Rafi-Lata Mangeshkar duet, Chalo Dildar Chalo (raga Pahadi), was actually also recorded as a female solo? Intended for use as a dancing number, the fascinating solo version was cut from both the film and record releases, although in my opinion, coupling the theme of romantic freedom in the lyrics with the close-up imagery of a ghungroo-bound Pakeezah could have been beautiful filmic irony. But it just didn’t make the cut.

And you know what else got cut from this film? I mean, literally, cut off. Turns out Meena Kumari was actually missing her left pinky from an accident that occurred around the time of her marriage! For a film that is so heavily focused on music and dancing, you can imagine that structuring every tiny shot and dance move to hide the left hand was tricky–but if you watch the film closely, Amrohi does a meticulous job of making sure her left hand stays hidden. And Meena Kumari’s right hand works such graceful magic, I dare you to find a prettier dancer with all 10 fingers.

For more information on the classic film, check out our page dedicated to the immortal dialogue from Pakeezah and the songs from Pakeezah!

– Mrs. 55