AAJ YEH MERI ZINDAGI

Song 75:

Asha essayed some complex moods and themes in her songs pretty early on in her career. This song from the same movie as yesterday's song is so different from that one. Pretty dark and macabre, the song depicts a slow degeneration into a dangerous stupor where you don't know what you're doing. So while most drinking songs are about bonhomie and partying, this one definitely stands out as being evil and intense. The story of course is well known. The movie was based on the true story-The Nanawati case.  It created quite a stir and peeped into a risqué terrain back then. People used to make movies with conviction and passion. They were not necessarily made with a check-list of all commercially viable formulas. I am sure it took courage to make such cinema. The movie may not have been a commercial success but it sure left an impact. It left a huge impact on my mom for sure! She created such a hue and cry throughout my angst-ridden teen years about the movie in hush hush tones, but the moment I would ask her to reveal some more about the story, she would say no it's not meant for you! Haha I grew up with some kind of psychosis about this movie!:)

Anyway, I decided to exorcise my demons and caught it on you tube recently. Yes, the dialogues are a bit laborious and preachy for this day and age and the sermonising gets to you but the music and the actors stand out. Sunil Dutt always the perfect gentleman and well suited for all fauji/defense type roles, Rehman who was such a deliciously evil character and the beautiful, fine boned Leela Naidu, half Swiss-French, half Indian, so dainty and fragile. She could not speak Hindi very well but gosh was such a beauty to behold. She was Femina Miss India 1954, was voted one of the 5 most beautiful women in the world by Vogue and featured on the covers of Mags such as Vogue and Tatler. In this song, she has done full justice, managing to look innocent, drunk, graceful, evil, manipulated and macabre at the same time. And that's no mean feat.

YEH KHAMOSHIYAN YEH TANHAIYAN

Song 74:

Sometimes they got away from it all and rushed to the mountains. Off to the slithery slopes of infinity. Snow covered, mysterious and silent mountains were witness to their love. They sang and walked in perfect unison. Taking cues from each other and bolstering with each step. The carpet of pristine snow at their feet cushioned the love-filled spring in their step. If one slipped, the other was there to hold on to and get your bearings. They did not want to return to any place. They were Adam and Eve in their garden of Eden. Oblivious to anyone else, they became one. There were no barriers and no boundaries. They were alone. They were together. They were complete. And that was all that mattered.....

DEEWANA MASTANA HUA DIL

Song 73:

Gosh, it's been ages since we last communicated. My wi-fi at home had gone kaput and there was no way I could get round to blogging at work. It's been one helluva busy time at work. But now I am at peace. Taken a decision and sticking by it. I have never been scared of following my heart, both in my career and relationships. And somehow God has been kind and always shown me a new path, exciting and fun, at each step. 

Looking forward to this little breather. Will surely do things that a 9-6 job often doesn't allow you the time to pursue. These breathers have always helped me grow and evolve, cultivate new interests, develop new faculties. It is important after all to revel in the beauty of a cloudy sky, to smell a rose, to take a deep breath and patiently watch a golden sunset. Yes I was earning well and now I will have to be more careful with my spending. But there have been times in the recent past when I have not had the time or the inclination to enjoy my money, so tired and stressed out I used to be.

Now this song has the typical joie de vivre, as if sung on a lark. Yeah, I am not done with Asha-Rafi yet. I had but given you a glimpse of their talent through the decades picking one song per decade, but there is a wealth of songs still unexplored. I am back from a walk through a breezy, merrily moist night. This was the first song that sprung to my mind. Suchitra Sen is simply gorgeous. What a smile! Dev Anand is well, just being himself. The story was pretty avant garde, pretty bold but very deftly handled. And I have a little memory attached to the song. We had a Phillips Karaoke Competition in 3rd year of college. They came with a list of songs. We had to choose a song on the spot and sing in front of a packed auditorium. Out of the blue I selected this one and sang it. Now I am an untrained voice but dabble at singing as music is pretty much steeped in my maternal family. Sure enough, I won the first prize (I have just been insanely lucky in most singing competitions all my life) and I got a lovely Phillips music system. Well that system still lies, creaky and old in some little alcove seating corner of my parent's home in Chandigarh and my mom dusts it lovingly once in a while. That's why visits to your parents' homes are so important. They bring back the child in you and remind you of your hidden joys.

CHAND ZARD ZARD HAI

Song 72:

Proxy song on 19th Sept 2013. Sorry no write up