My Favourites: Songs of Cynicism

I've never been a hopeless romantic, though I often looked at lovestories with a feeling that bordered on the wistful. Are there really the roses-and-candlelight kind of lovestories? Or the rainbows-and-unicorns-and-pixie-dust kind? Perhaps there are, and perhaps there the other kind that is no less real for not having any of those. I do know that I enjoy romances though I'm not too sure that I like the overly sweet ones. I also know that experiences have made me much more cynical today than I was before. Perhaps the truth, as always, lies somewhere in between. (Hmm, does that make me a cynical romantic, or a romantic cynic?) 

Talking with a friend about Hindi film music in general, and Sahir Ludhianvi in particular, it was pretty obvious that cynicism should come up in the conversation. After all, good old Sahir was the person who, in the middle of a perfectly good song of heartbreak, decided to put in a cynical verse which makes you want to smack him (I think I was in a pretty bad mood that day).  

So then, the discussion veered to a post of cynical songs in old hindi films. When I first made the list I realised that the first four songs I listed from that genre were penned by Sahir. Of course! He was the face of cynicism during that period. (The man, I swear, filled his pen with vitriol.) So I set about to finding songs that I liked that were not penned by the maverick poet-lyricist. 

My criteria was simple: the lyrics had to be cynical, not merely philosophical; they had to be from films I had seen; and they had to predate the 70s. Interestingly, my shortlist had no songs from the 40s at all. Am I to deduce that cynicism steeped into the society only post-independence? 

Anyway, I ended up with my final list and managed to keep Sahir's contributions to the original four, and found five other cynics to keep him company. (Shailendra appears twice.) So, here are my final contributions in no particular order (except for the first and the last, which are my particular favourites)...

1. Cheeno arab hamara 

Phir Subah Hogi (1958) 

Music: Khayyam

Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi

In a film that also boasted the slyly humorous (but definitely cynical) Aasman pe hai khuda, this song was Sahir's take on Iqbal's Tarana-e-Milli and Tarana-e-Hind.  Sahir definitely had a very cynical view of the realties of everyday life, and of Nehruvian socialism. In 1904, in his Tarana-e-Hindi (Saare jahaan se achcha) in the same rhyme and metre, Iqbal had written: 
Mazhab nahin sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna, 
Hindi hai hum watan hai hindostan hamara
His sojourn in Europe would turn him into an Islamic visionary, and six years later, in 1910, Iqbal would write his Tarana-e-Milli: 
Chino-Arab hamara, Hindostan hamara, 
Muslim hai hum watan hai sara jahan hamara,
Sahir would turn this into:  
Chino-arab hamara, hindostan hamara, 
Rahne ko ghar nahin hai, sara jahaan hamara 

Taking off from Saare jahan se achcha, where the lines are:

 Ae aab-e-rud-e-Ganga, voh din yaad hai tujhko  

Utra tere kinaare jab kaarwaan hamaara 

Sahir penned: 

Kholi bhi cheen gayi hai, benchein bhi cheen gayi hai, 

Sadkon pe ghoomta hain ab karwaan hamara
While Iqbal's -
Parbat woh sab se uncha humsaaya aasmaan ka, 
Woh santari hamara, woh pasban hamara 
became Sahir's:  
Jebein hain apni khaali, kyon deta varna gaali 
Vo santari hamara, vo pasban hamara  
This song was an anthem of the disillusioned, educated, unemployed youth who, in their idealism, still believed that their country would provide for them. Controversial as the lyrics were, there was talk of the song being banned at one time.

2. Haal chaal theek thaak hai   

Mere Apne (1971) 

Music: Salil Choudhary

Lyrics: Gulzar

An equally stirring criticism of the state of the country from a disillusioned youth on the cusp of their manhood, Gulzar's Mere Apne (his debut directorial venture, and a remake of Tapan Sinha's Bengali film Apanjan) took on the dilemmas of educated youth who couldn't find employment and therefore resorted to violence and crime, and juxtaposed it with the plight of the elderly who were brought to the cities to provide unpaid labour to their affluent children. While Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha seethe in rage as rival student leaders, Meena Kumari is the old woman who realises she is a but a maid to her own nephew, and prefers to make her home with a child beggar who takes her into his own dilapidated home. Gulzar penned the humorous and acerbic lyrics which directly took on the establishment.
Aur kya kahoon, choti moti chori
Rishwat khori Deti hai apna guzaara yahaan-
Aap ki dua se baaki theek thaak hai

3. Dekhi zamaane ki yaari  

Kaagaz ke Phool (1959)

Music: SD Burman

Lyrics: Kaifi Azmi

Singer: Mohammed Rafi

Soon after Pyaasa, SD Burman had a falling out with Sahir Ludhianvi, and they would never work together again. In stepped Kaifi Azmi into Sahir's shoes as a lyricist for Guru Dutt's magnum opus and penned some fantastic songs including the philosophical treatise on love and loss (Waqt ne kiya).  A semi-autobiographical story of a successful director who falls on bad times and is forsaken by the very industry that had deified him, Dekhi zamane ki yaari is a bitter and cynical look at the fickleness of fame and relationships in a world that values only what it can get. 
Arre dekhi zamaane ke yaari
Bichde sabhi baari baari

4. Aurat ne janam diya mardon ko Sadhna (1958) 

Music: N Dutta

Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi

Singer: Lata Mangeshkar

Sahir's pen dripped with contempt -  whether it was taking on the establishment, or the pillars of society, or a patriarchal society which dictated how women should behave, Sahir spared no one. When it was for a like-minded director like BR Chopra who made socially-conscious films that mirrored society, he had free rein to voice that contempt. On the face of it, Aurat ne janam diya mardon ko is a plaint of a fallen woman;  it is a martyr's lament. If you look deeper, you will find him lambasting society's hypocrisy and its double-standards, its very different rules for men and women, and highlighting how men exploit women's weaknesses. The very men who visit prostitutes are the ones who are the most vocal in decrying the 'shame of society'. It is sad that even today, 55 years after these stinging verses were penned, not much has changed. Women are still raped, and killed, and sold, and abused, and in many parts of the country, so much chattel to be disposed off as the men in their lives deem fit.
Tulti hai kahin deenaron mein
Bikti hai bazaaron mein
Nangi nachwayi jaati hai
Aiyaashon ke darbaron mein
Ye woh be-izzat cheez hai jo
Bant jaati hai izzatdaaron mein

Sahir doesn't pull his punches as he leaves you with the horrifying image of an unfortunate mother, bedded against her will by her own son.

Ye woh badkismet maa hain jo
beton ki sej pe leti hai 

5. Dil ka haal suno dilwala
Shri 420 (1955)
Music: Shankar-Jaikishen
Lyrics: Shailendra
Singer:  Manna Dey
In a movie that dealt with the battle between integrity and chicanery, personal principles are often sacrificed at the altar of life. Why else would Raju, who comes to the city of dreams with a gold medal for honesty in his pocket, be so quick to resort to deceit? Raju has an answer though - the world is such that honesty does not stand a chance. In this dog-eat-dog world, being poor is a crime.    
Bin dekhe pehchaan ke ek din
Baandh ke le gaya policewala 

Shailendra's lyrics poke humorously at the doublestandards of society; a man is picked up and taken away to jail because he looks like a criminal; an offender is released because he is the police inspector's brother-in-law.
Boodhe daroga ne chashme se dekha
Aage se dekha peeche se dekha
Upar se dekha neeche se dekha
Bole ye kya kar baithe ghotaala
Hai ye kya kar baithe ghotaala
Ye to hai thaanedaar kaa saala 

6. Kya hawa chali

Parakh (1960)

Music: Salil Choudhary

Lyrics: Shailendra

Singer: Manna Dey

Parakh took a very satirical look at society and its so-called pillars. The film dealt with the change in the villagers, especially the landlord, the doctor, the priest, and the moneylender, who suddenly become do-gooders because they want to win the Rs5,00,000 that an anonymous benefactor has awarded to the man who works hardest for the benefit of the villagers. Suddenly, the villagers are treated for free, their long-pending interest on loans is forgiven, the priest welcomes one and all into the temple. They may be simple, but they are certainly not naïve enough to fall for the obvious ploys to gain their support. Through his sharply satirical verses, Shailendra lampoons the men who would do good only to benefit themselves. 
Kya hawa chali re baba rut badli
Shor hai gali gali
Sau sau choohe khaaike billi 
Haj ko chali...   
 

7. Kasme vaade pyar wafaa sab

Upkaar (1967) 

Music: Kalyanji Anandji

Lyrics: Indeewar

Singer: Manna Dey

This song wasn't originally written for Upkaar, but the composer duo eventually used it very appropriately in Manoj Kumar's film. Having scrimped and saved to educate his younger brother and send him abroad for further education, Bharat (Manoj Kumar) and his family are torn apart when, upon his return, egged on by his uncle, Puran (Prem Chopra) asks for his share of the property. The song, sung by the village wise man Malangchacha (Pran, in his first 'good' role) bemoans the trust shown by Bharat (he had warned Bharat of his no-good brother earlier).
Kasme vaade pyaar wafa sab
Baatein hai, baaton ka kya
Koi kisi ka nahin, ye jhoothe
Naate hai, naaton ka kya 

Encouraged by then-Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri (who had appreciated the well-made Shaheed) to make a film on the Jai Kisan Jai Jawan slogan, Upkaar was Manoj Kumar's first offical directorial venture. Overly didatic and emphasising the 'Western=bad, Indian=good' trope that became the foundation of his films from then on, Upkar was made bearable by Pran's Malangchacha, Madan Puri's turn as Charan Das, the main villain, and Kalyanji-Anandji's melodious score.

8. Sansar se bhaage phirte ho 

Chitralekha

Music: Roshan

Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi

Singer: Lata Mangeshkar

If you want cynicism, wrapped up in a philosophy of life, then Sansar se bhaage phirte ho is the perfect offering. It should come as no surprise that it is penned by Sahir. A lovely courtesan is in love with the young and dashing commander-in-chief of the army, and he returns her affections. Only, there is a tiny bothersome detail - he is affianced to the princess of  the land, and her father, his king and overlord will not have his daughter's heart broken. So he sends his Rajguru to show the courtesan the error of her ways. Only, the courtesan is not overly impressed. Na kabhi ishwar ne Chitralekha ko yaad kiya na Chitralekha ne ishwar ko. What follows is a powerful debate on right and wrong. And a scathing denunciation of the hollowness of spirituality.

Ye paap hai kya ye punya hai kya
Reeton par dharm ki moharein hain
Har yug mein badalte dharmon ko
Kaise aadarsh banaaoge

9. Dekh tere sansar ki haalat 

Nastik (1954) 

Music: C Ramchandra

Lyrics: Pradeep 

Singer: Pradeep 

In the aftermath of the Partition, the country saw much violence. Nastik, set during that fraught period, held a mirror to that horrifying period in our history and  strongly condemned the hypocrisy of organised religion. It was a rather bold statement for those times. One can understand how easy it was to lose one's faith in God, when one looked around and saw the carnage that people were capable of. This song, at the beginning of the film, still resonates today. One cannot help but feel that things have not changed much in the intervening decades. 
Chhal aur kapat ke haathon apna
Bech raha imaan
Kitna badal gaya insaan
Dekh tere sansar ki haalat 
Kya ho gaye Bhagwan
Kitna badal gaya insaan

Of course, Sahir had to go and parody this song - same tune - with Dekh teri Bhagwan ki haalat kya ho gaya insaan, kitna badal gaya Bhagwan in Railway Platform. In reaction to Pradeep's lyrics, he wrote:
Inhi ki puja prabhu ko pyaari
Jinke ghar Lakshmi ki sawaari
Jinka dhandha chor bazaari
Humko de bhookh aur bekaari
Inko de vardaan, kitna badal gaya bhagwan...
I must say the parody is even more cynical than the disillusionment of the original. But what else do you expect from Sahir?
 

10. Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai 

Pyaasa (1957)

Music: SD Burman

Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi

Singer: Mohammed Rafi 
This is, even today, probably the anthem of disillusionment. Even more powerful than Dekhi duniya ki yaari because here, he has not only seen fair-weather friends, they have exploited his work for their gains. Sahir does not hesitate to call a spade a spade - a world that is ruled by the lust for all things material, that values wealth above personal relationships, where friendship, brotherhood, love mean nothing (the accompanying shot is fantastic) - lending a face to Sahir's voice is Vijay, the disillusioned poet. 
Ye duniya jahaan aadmi kuchh nahin hai
Vafaa kuchh nahin, dosti kuchh nahin hai
Jahaan pyaar ki qadr hi kuchh nahin hai
Ye duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai 

But the poet is not satisfied with just raising his voice against the world; he calls for its destruction.
Jalaa do ise  phoonk daalo ye duniya
Jalaa do jalaa do
Jalaa do ise  phoonk daalo ye duniya
Mere saamne se hataa lo ye duniya
Tumhaari hai tum hi sambhaalo ye duniya
Ye duniyaa agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai   
What use does he, or Vijay, have of a world like this? 

It is said that we, who listen to Hindi songs, especially old Hindi songs, turn to them to express our moods better than we can, ourselves. So. What songs do you turn to when you are affected by cynicism?