I don't want to be told 'I love you' at exactly 10 o'clock every day. I don't want my husband to buy me chocolates, overpriced red roses, or Valentine's Day cards. I absolutely don't want to pay exorbitant rates for a dinner in a restaurant. (Restaurants in my part of the world hike up their prices by at least 40% during this week.) Candlelight dinners are not very romantic - for me. I like my food too much; I want to see what I am eating.
As for my husband, I'm thinking back to our first wedding anniversary; let's see...
We decided (hmm, I decided) to go out for dinner; on the way we ran into our neighbour, who whistled in appreciation when he saw me. (Thank you, Sachin!) My husband promptly offered to let him take me to dinner in his place. And no, he didn't buy me flowers either. In fact, I'm the one who sent my husband flowers on our first anniversary (much to my mother-in-law's amusement and my husband's embarrassment). And the waiter at the restaurant we went to took pity on me when he learnt it was our anniversary, and brought me a red rose. (True story!)
Romantic? Hah!
In addition, S'll flirt soundly with anyone of the female persuasion and charm them into giving him upgrades, free samples, better service, etc., and grin happily when I point out that his smile is a weapon of mass destruction (he will also protest that he is not flirting; he's just being 'friendly'... yeah, right!); he has a congenital inability to answer a simple 'Yes' or 'No' to questions (everything is a treatise) and an even bigger disability when it comes to finishing his sentences (Son Major and I have spent years admonishing him - in emotions ranging from affectionate frustration to just plain exasperation - to '...finish what you were saying, please!'); he has a horrible habit of forgetting what he was going to say to you, and then remembering it (and interrupting you) when you are in the middle of telling him something very important; he is a total softy where the kids are concerned, and both of them wrap him around their little fingers, leaving me to be the bad cop and the not-fun parent; he will insist on tapping me on my shoulder when we are listening to a beautiful romantic song to tell me 'Listen to the chord progression' or 'Did you see how he jumped from D minor to...' or 'Listen to the way the violins reach a crescendo... and it matters not a whit that I wouldn't know a chord progression if it came and socked me on the jaw, or that D is a grade I am always scared I will see on Son Minor's report card, or that I can just about make out a violin from a clarinet (if it were a sarodh and veena, all bets are off)... all I want to do is listen to the song!
Romantic? Naah...
But, and this is a huge 'BUT': he willingly makes tea for me when I grumpily crawl out of bed in the mornings on weekends and holidays (on weekdays, I wait until I can throw him and Son Minor out of the house before I drink my tea in peace); he cooks up 'experiments' in the kitchen that do not have a name but taste finger-lickin' good (and saves me the trouble of having to cook); he writes funny little 'pomes' that make me laugh; he makes me laugh, period; he puts up with my moods and forbears to roll his eyes when I over-react; and he is there, when I need him to be, solid, dependable and comforting. He is one of only three people with whom I have been able to be completely myself - warts and all. I'll take that over any amount of chocolates or flowers or gifts.
And for the record, I have no problem with people choosing to celebrate Valentine's Day (or any other day) in a way that is meaningful to them. What I do have a problem with is that it seems to be one of those holidays where the point is to show everyone else how much you are 'loved', a holiday that just sets men up to fail. At least over here, it is as if the men have to pass a series of tests that 'prove' their love. And what I have a bigger problem is with the commercialisation of the holiday - does anyone have to buy chocolates, flowers, gifts to show they love you? Does it have to be on this one day? Or can it be any odd day of the year? (And I say this as someone who loves chocolates, flowers and gifts - both giving and getting the last.)
So, if I'm hopping on to the Valentine bandwagon now, it is with the purest of intentions - that of embarrassing my husband thoroughly and completely... (especially when he passionately hates all that Valentine's Day stands for.)
All jokes apart, we live in a jaded, often cynical world. But there are some beautiful songs that make you feel that romance is still alive, that if 'love' exists, this is how it should be/feel like, songs that make you feel all mushy for a while... Here's my contribution to the world of romance, my all-time favourite romantic songs in no particular order. It was a difficult task, I tell you...
1. Hum aur tum aur ye sama
An Evening in Paris
1967
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle
Music: Shankar-Jaikishen
Lyrics: Shailendra
It is fitting that a list of love songs should have a preponderance of Shammi Kapoor. I love, love, love this song. It is perfect. Such a romantic, intoxicating night, and two happy people.
Kashmir ki Kali
1964
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle
Music: OP Nayyar
Lyrics: SH Bihari
Shammi Kapoor once again. And Sharmila as well, though this film precedes the earlier one on this list by a few years. Sharmila is the mountain lass in her debut film, and Shammi is the genial scion of a wealthy family. As expected they fall in love. Unlike the usual Shammi-style of wooing (which is evident in Ye chand sa roshan chehra), this one is quiet, almost devotional, in the manner in which he treats her. There is a sense of awe that they have found such love, a sense of wonderment at the emotions that the night has evoked. Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle again, and oh, how beautiful they sound!
Shammi being Shammi, is irrepressible. When she asks him where he learnt to steal hearts, he tells her he learnt it from the same place that she learnt how to bewitch him with her eyes. She chides him, gently; people who love do not speak of their love so openly. Where is the fun in that?
Mazaa kya raha jab ke khud kar diya ho
Mubobbat ka izhaar apni zubaan se
He is unrepentant - as he has shown before:
Ye Raanjha ki baatein, ye Majnu ke kisse
Alag toh nahin hain meri daastaan se?
4. O nigahein mastana
Patita
Tarana
Romantic? Hah!
In addition, S'll flirt soundly with anyone of the female persuasion and charm them into giving him upgrades, free samples, better service, etc., and grin happily when I point out that his smile is a weapon of mass destruction (he will also protest that he is not flirting; he's just being 'friendly'... yeah, right!); he has a congenital inability to answer a simple 'Yes' or 'No' to questions (everything is a treatise) and an even bigger disability when it comes to finishing his sentences (Son Major and I have spent years admonishing him - in emotions ranging from affectionate frustration to just plain exasperation - to '...finish what you were saying, please!'); he has a horrible habit of forgetting what he was going to say to you, and then remembering it (and interrupting you) when you are in the middle of telling him something very important; he is a total softy where the kids are concerned, and both of them wrap him around their little fingers, leaving me to be the bad cop and the not-fun parent; he will insist on tapping me on my shoulder when we are listening to a beautiful romantic song to tell me 'Listen to the chord progression' or 'Did you see how he jumped from D minor to...' or 'Listen to the way the violins reach a crescendo... and it matters not a whit that I wouldn't know a chord progression if it came and socked me on the jaw, or that D is a grade I am always scared I will see on Son Minor's report card, or that I can just about make out a violin from a clarinet (if it were a sarodh and veena, all bets are off)... all I want to do is listen to the song!
Romantic? Naah...
But, and this is a huge 'BUT': he willingly makes tea for me when I grumpily crawl out of bed in the mornings on weekends and holidays (on weekdays, I wait until I can throw him and Son Minor out of the house before I drink my tea in peace); he cooks up 'experiments' in the kitchen that do not have a name but taste finger-lickin' good (and saves me the trouble of having to cook); he writes funny little 'pomes' that make me laugh; he makes me laugh, period; he puts up with my moods and forbears to roll his eyes when I over-react; and he is there, when I need him to be, solid, dependable and comforting. He is one of only three people with whom I have been able to be completely myself - warts and all. I'll take that over any amount of chocolates or flowers or gifts.
And for the record, I have no problem with people choosing to celebrate Valentine's Day (or any other day) in a way that is meaningful to them. What I do have a problem with is that it seems to be one of those holidays where the point is to show everyone else how much you are 'loved', a holiday that just sets men up to fail. At least over here, it is as if the men have to pass a series of tests that 'prove' their love. And what I have a bigger problem is with the commercialisation of the holiday - does anyone have to buy chocolates, flowers, gifts to show they love you? Does it have to be on this one day? Or can it be any odd day of the year? (And I say this as someone who loves chocolates, flowers and gifts - both giving and getting the last.)
So, if I'm hopping on to the Valentine bandwagon now, it is with the purest of intentions - that of embarrassing my husband thoroughly and completely... (especially when he passionately hates all that Valentine's Day stands for.)
All jokes apart, we live in a jaded, often cynical world. But there are some beautiful songs that make you feel that romance is still alive, that if 'love' exists, this is how it should be/feel like, songs that make you feel all mushy for a while... Here's my contribution to the world of romance, my all-time favourite romantic songs in no particular order. It was a difficult task, I tell you...
1. Hum aur tum aur ye sama
1959
Singer: Mohammed Rafi
Music: Usha Khanna
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
One of the most romantic songs, ever. Mohammed Rafi's voice, a dashing Shammi Kapoor, a tremulous Asha Parekh, the early morning mists, the music, barely there for most of the song, and then swelling into a crescendo... bliss. Dil Deke Dekho was music director Usha Khanna's debut. Unfortunately for her, every one of the songs (except this one) was 'inspired'. (For what it's worth, I don't think she had a choice.) I haven't come aross anyone pointing out an original for this song, so I'm hoping it was her original composition. It is also an incredibly sensuous song. A very innocent sensuality, but sensuous nevertheless. The song I have linked to is the audio version; for some reason I cannot find a video with the middle verse intact:
Beqaraar se ho kyun hum ko paas aane bhi do
Gir pada jo haath se woh roomal uthane bhi do
Ban-te kyun ho jaane bhi do
Hum aur tum aur yeh sama kya nasha nasha sa hain
Boliye na boliye sab soona soona sa hain
It is definitely there in the film.
An Evening in Paris 1967
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle
Music: Shankar-Jaikishen
Lyrics: Shailendra
It is fitting that a list of love songs should have a preponderance of Shammi Kapoor. I love, love, love this song. It is perfect. Such a romantic, intoxicating night, and two happy people.
Raat ne pyar ke jaam bhar kar diye
Aankhon aankhon se jo maine tumne piye
Hosh toh ab talaq jaake laute nahin
Aur kya laa rahi hai subha pyaar ki
Picturised in Paris, with Shammi Kapoor. And Sharmila Tagore. Asha Bhosle at her sensuous best. Mohammed Rafi singing for Shammi in just that way that was uniquely Shammi. And what better way to celebrate a love than to walk hand in hand with your lover around the city of love, under the light of the stars and a benevolent moon. What more can one ask for?
3. Isharon isharon par
Aankhon aankhon se jo maine tumne piye
Hosh toh ab talaq jaake laute nahin
Aur kya laa rahi hai subha pyaar ki
Picturised in Paris, with Shammi Kapoor. And Sharmila Tagore. Asha Bhosle at her sensuous best. Mohammed Rafi singing for Shammi in just that way that was uniquely Shammi. And what better way to celebrate a love than to walk hand in hand with your lover around the city of love, under the light of the stars and a benevolent moon. What more can one ask for?
3. Isharon isharon par
Kashmir ki Kali 1964
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle
Music: OP Nayyar
Lyrics: SH Bihari
Shammi Kapoor once again. And Sharmila as well, though this film precedes the earlier one on this list by a few years. Sharmila is the mountain lass in her debut film, and Shammi is the genial scion of a wealthy family. As expected they fall in love. Unlike the usual Shammi-style of wooing (which is evident in Ye chand sa roshan chehra), this one is quiet, almost devotional, in the manner in which he treats her. There is a sense of awe that they have found such love, a sense of wonderment at the emotions that the night has evoked. Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle again, and oh, how beautiful they sound!
Shammi being Shammi, is irrepressible. When she asks him where he learnt to steal hearts, he tells her he learnt it from the same place that she learnt how to bewitch him with her eyes. She chides him, gently; people who love do not speak of their love so openly. Where is the fun in that?
Mazaa kya raha jab ke khud kar diya ho
Mubobbat ka izhaar apni zubaan se
He is unrepentant - as he has shown before:
Ye Raanjha ki baatein, ye Majnu ke kisse
Alag toh nahin hain meri daastaan se?
4. O nigahein mastana
1957
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle
Music: SD Burman
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Moving from Shammi to my other favourite hero, Dev Anand. These were the two heroes who, to me, personified 'romance' on screen. A long time ago, I wrote a post on how Dev Anand romanced his heroines. He wooed, he coaxed, he teased, he bantered... And he was very convincing in every mood. Here, he is in love. Completely, utterly, thoroughly in love. He is lost in her luminous eyes, so full of mischief, and who can blame him? This is one of my favourite star pairings ever. Their chemistry is unbelievable. Nutan looks incredibly lovely, the moon is shining, and when she begins to hum, he cannot but join in, singing an paean to her eyee - how can one not be driven insane by them, he queries.
Koyi dekhe nasheeli aaankhein mal mal ke
Dil kaise bane na deewaana
Shama kare hain ishaare jab jal jal ke
Kaho kya karein parwaana
5. Abhi na jao chhodkar
Koyi dekhe nasheeli aaankhein mal mal ke
Dil kaise bane na deewaana
Shama kare hain ishaare jab jal jal ke
Kaho kya karein parwaana
5. Abhi na jao chhodkar
1961
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle
Music: Jaidev
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
As I mentioned earlier, Shammi and Dev personified romance on screen for me. There are a few songs that I think of as quintessentially Dev Anand. This is one of them. It is one of the quietly romantic numbers, the sort that makes my heart go pit-pat. Love should be like this.
Here he is, young, handsome, earnest. How can any woman leave? Here there are no questions, no answers. There is no teasing here, just a quiet sadness that she has to leave. Don't go, he says, you've just come. There is so much he wants to tell her, so much he wants to hear from her. But dusk has fallen and she has to leave. Don't stop me, she begs tremulously. If she stays any longer, she will never be able to leave.
Bas ab na mujhko thokna, na badhke raah rokna
Agar main ruk gayi abhi jaa na paauungi kabhi
She knows her own weakness. He is persistent: don't go; don't leave our dreams, our desires unfulfilled.
Here he is, young, handsome, earnest. How can any woman leave? Here there are no questions, no answers. There is no teasing here, just a quiet sadness that she has to leave. Don't go, he says, you've just come. There is so much he wants to tell her, so much he wants to hear from her. But dusk has fallen and she has to leave. Don't stop me, she begs tremulously. If she stays any longer, she will never be able to leave.
Bas ab na mujhko thokna, na badhke raah rokna
Agar main ruk gayi abhi jaa na paauungi kabhi
She knows her own weakness. He is persistent: don't go; don't leave our dreams, our desires unfulfilled.
Patita
1953
Singers: Hemant Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Shankar-Jaikishen
Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri
Yes, Dev Anand again. Why not? The man was a romantic to the core. And this is, in my very biased opinion, one of the best Hemant Kumar - Lata Mangeshkar duets ever. It has a dream-like quality, like a feeling that is so ephemeral that you can only sense it.
It is a song of second chances. She has a past; he is man enough to accept it. There is a quiet, more mature, and a very grateful acceptance of a love that has been attained after much trials and tribulations. Their present happiness is all the more poignant for the sadness that has gone before.
It is a song of second chances. She has a past; he is man enough to accept it. There is a quiet, more mature, and a very grateful acceptance of a love that has been attained after much trials and tribulations. Their present happiness is all the more poignant for the sadness that has gone before.
Kho gaye ho aaj kis khayal mein
Dil phansa hain bebasi ke jaal mein
Mutlabi jahaan meherbaan ho tum
Yaad kiya dil ne kahan ho tum...
I'm so happy to have found a video clipping that has the prelude.
7. Nain mile nain hue baawre
Dil phansa hain bebasi ke jaal mein
Mutlabi jahaan meherbaan ho tum
Yaad kiya dil ne kahan ho tum...
I'm so happy to have found a video clipping that has the prelude.
7. Nain mile nain hue baawre
1951
Singers: Talat Mahmood, Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Anil Biswas
Lyrics: Prem Dhawan
From the Dev-Nutan pairing to another star pair who scorched the screen. This was their first film together, and the beginning of a doomed love story, very much in the tradition of all great love stories. The emotions were barely held back in this film; each touch, each glance simmered with a passion that was barely concealed, lending an intimacy to their scenes together that touched us with their intensity. Anil Biswas' score only added to the feeling of romance. This is a happy song, filled with the first pangs of love. There is an innocence to the lyrics that will probably be laughed at today.
Dhadkane dil ki chhupaaun kis tarah
Laaj ka ghoonghat uthaaun kis tarah
Kis tarah saajan teri ban jaaun re
Nain huye baawre
This is a film where the 'acting' (I cannot believe they were merely acting!) soared over the trite script and made me invest in the travails of the leads. It is probably one of the best 'awww' inducing films there is.
8. Do sitaron ka zameen par hai milan
Kohinoor
1960
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Naushad
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
A perfectly charming film, and the leads, great actors both, were in fine fettle. Besides, with a swashbuckling hero, and a spunky heroine, what's not to like? Composer Naushad aided and abetted the love story of a prince and princess and the ensuing mayhem with a wonderful score. What made Kohinoor stand out from the usual raja-rani tales was that it was laced with madcap humour from beginning to end (well, barring the last half hour) and both Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari seemed to be having so much fun.
Considering Rana Dhivender Pratap Bahadur Chandrabhan (yup, a mouthful) and Rajkumari Chandramukhi fall in love with each other's portraits, I suppose it is not a huge stretch of imagination that when they finally meet (after RDPBC has been ambushed, presumed killed), they should voice that love.
9. Phir na keeje gustakh nigahi ka gila
Dhadkane dil ki chhupaaun kis tarah
Laaj ka ghoonghat uthaaun kis tarah
Kis tarah saajan teri ban jaaun re
Nain huye baawre
This is a film where the 'acting' (I cannot believe they were merely acting!) soared over the trite script and made me invest in the travails of the leads. It is probably one of the best 'awww' inducing films there is.
8. Do sitaron ka zameen par hai milan
1960
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Naushad
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
A perfectly charming film, and the leads, great actors both, were in fine fettle. Besides, with a swashbuckling hero, and a spunky heroine, what's not to like? Composer Naushad aided and abetted the love story of a prince and princess and the ensuing mayhem with a wonderful score. What made Kohinoor stand out from the usual raja-rani tales was that it was laced with madcap humour from beginning to end (well, barring the last half hour) and both Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari seemed to be having so much fun.
Considering Rana Dhivender Pratap Bahadur Chandrabhan (yup, a mouthful) and Rajkumari Chandramukhi fall in love with each other's portraits, I suppose it is not a huge stretch of imagination that when they finally meet (after RDPBC has been ambushed, presumed killed), they should voice that love.
9. Phir na keeje gustakh nigahi ka gila
1958
Singer: Mukesh, Asha Bhosle
Music: Khayyam
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
From Dilip Kumar to Raj Kapoor. Again, this is one of my all-time favourite songs, whatever genre you choose to put it in. I love everything about it - music, lyrics, picturisation. There is something very endearing about the shy playfulness that is there in the initial story-telling; it is the hero who is bashful, not the heroine. And I found that a refreshing change as well. I like how the story merges into the song, and I really, really like the juxtaposition of his desires and her emotions. Beautiful!
Ek yunhi si nazar dil ko jo chhoo leti hai
Kitne armaan jagaa deti hai tumhe kya maaloom
Rooh bechain hai kadmon se lipatne ke liye
Tumko har saans bulaati hai tumhe kya maaloom
Dekhiye aap ne phir pyaar se dekha mujhko
Aap ke dil ne kayi baar pukaara mujhko
10. Ye raat bheegi bheegi
Ek yunhi si nazar dil ko jo chhoo leti hai
Kitne armaan jagaa deti hai tumhe kya maaloom
Rooh bechain hai kadmon se lipatne ke liye
Tumko har saans bulaati hai tumhe kya maaloom
Dekhiye aap ne phir pyaar se dekha mujhko
Aap ke dil ne kayi baar pukaara mujhko
10. Ye raat bheegi bheegi
1956
Singer: Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Shankar-Jaikishen
Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri
I seem to have covered the Holy Trinity of the golden age quite comprehensively! This the second RK song to make it to this list after three Shammi Kapoor songs, three Dev Anand songs and two Dilip Kumar ones. Once again, this is a song that absolutely drips romance. (I'd initially thought of Dum bhar jo udhar munh phere, but it's made an appearance in too many of my lists.) Two strangers, thrown together by circumstances, discover an affinity to each other, regardless of the great gulf between them. Yet, they are circumspect, not really comprehending their own emotions - why should they feel the way they do? It is the beginning of a relationship that will stand the test of time. (Ironically, it ended a relationship that was as searing in intensity in real life as it was on reel.)
Ithlaati hawa neelam ki gagan
Kaliyon pe ye behoshi ki nami
Aise mein bhi kyun bechain hai dil
Jeevan mein na jaane kya hai kami
This was a time when Shankar-Jaikishen couldn't get a note wrong. Mukesh had taken a sabbatical to chase his dream of becoming an actor, and Manna Dey stepped in to become Raj Kapoor's voice (much to the producer's consternation). Chori Chori had four duets, each one of them a gem, though Aaja sanam will always hold a special place in my heart. I didn't use it here because it is a tad bit too poignant, in context of both reel and real.
11. Udhar tum haseen ho idhar dil jawaan hai
Mr and Mrs 55
1955 Ithlaati hawa neelam ki gagan
Kaliyon pe ye behoshi ki nami
Aise mein bhi kyun bechain hai dil
Jeevan mein na jaane kya hai kami
This was a time when Shankar-Jaikishen couldn't get a note wrong. Mukesh had taken a sabbatical to chase his dream of becoming an actor, and Manna Dey stepped in to become Raj Kapoor's voice (much to the producer's consternation). Chori Chori had four duets, each one of them a gem, though Aaja sanam will always hold a special place in my heart. I didn't use it here because it is a tad bit too poignant, in context of both reel and real.
11. Udhar tum haseen ho idhar dil jawaan hai
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Geeta Dutt
Baharein Phir Bhi Aayegi
Music: OP Nayyar
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Mohammed Rafi and Geeta Dutt. OP Nayyar's music. Majrooh Sultanpuri's lyrics. A glowing Madhubala and a suave Guru Dutt. The picturisation. Perfect. It is a film that turned heavily regressive as it went on, but its songs (each and every one of them) are, justifiably, regarded as classics. Like the previous song on this list, this one too is about nascent emotions finding a voice. The plot is eerily similar - two people thrown together by circumstances, the girl in love with someone else (completely ineligible, obviously), the man needing to be with the girl for the sake of his job... from there, it diverges, this film becoming a hammer-headed treatise on how 'good' women should behave. (Chori Chori allowed the woman her freedom of choice, even while it was evident she was making a mistake in the beginning. It is a far more satisfying film.) But here, in this song, all one can see, and feel, is the romance, the often-confusing emotions that arise when one feels so strongly about another person.
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Mohammed Rafi and Geeta Dutt. OP Nayyar's music. Majrooh Sultanpuri's lyrics. A glowing Madhubala and a suave Guru Dutt. The picturisation. Perfect. It is a film that turned heavily regressive as it went on, but its songs (each and every one of them) are, justifiably, regarded as classics. Like the previous song on this list, this one too is about nascent emotions finding a voice. The plot is eerily similar - two people thrown together by circumstances, the girl in love with someone else (completely ineligible, obviously), the man needing to be with the girl for the sake of his job... from there, it diverges, this film becoming a hammer-headed treatise on how 'good' women should behave. (Chori Chori allowed the woman her freedom of choice, even while it was evident she was making a mistake in the beginning. It is a far more satisfying film.) But here, in this song, all one can see, and feel, is the romance, the often-confusing emotions that arise when one feels so strongly about another person.
Sulagti hain taaron ki parchhaayiaan
Buri hain muhabbat ki tanhaayiaan
Mehakne laga meri zulfon mein koyi
Lagi jaagne dhadkanein khoyi-khoyi
Meri har nazar aaj dil ki zubaan hai
12. Aap ke haseen rukh
Buri hain muhabbat ki tanhaayiaan
Mehakne laga meri zulfon mein koyi
Lagi jaagne dhadkanein khoyi-khoyi
Meri har nazar aaj dil ki zubaan hai
12. Aap ke haseen rukh
1966
Singer: Mohammed Rafi
Music: OP Nayyar
Lyrics: Anjaan
Now this is pure romance. There is no doubt here, no conflict. He loves her, she returns the emotion in spades. He is not loth to tell her exactly how he feels about her, and she is more than willing to accept that quiet devotion - yes, there is an element of that - in the lyrics, in Rafi's voice, in the way Dharmendra looks at Tanuja on screen. Totally awww. All the time; and one of my perennial favourites for precisely that reason. There is something very touching about a song that asks how his it is his fault that his heart skips a beat when she is near. It is not his fault either that his beloved's sister mistakes his intentions.
Jhuki-jhuki nigaah mein bhi hain balaa ki shokhiyaan
Dabi-dabi hansi mein bhi tadap rahi hain bijliyaanShabaab aap ka nashe mein khud hi choor-choor hai
Mera dil machal gaya toh mera kya kusoor hai
Aap ki nigaah ne kaha to kuchh zaroor hai
Mera dil machal gaya toh mera kya kusoor hai
I love the way Mohammed Rafi almost caresses the notes in this song. It reminds me why, when pushed to make a choice, I always pick Rafi as my favourite male singer of all time.
So, a dozen songs; a dozen shades of love, of romance at its (to me) purest. My favourites. What are yours?
p.s. Here is the playlist, if anyone is interested.
