Movie : Baharon ke Sapne

Singer : Lata Mangeshkar

Music : R D Burman

Lyrics : Majrooh Sultanpuri

Before a couple of months, while scrolling down Facebook videos I changed upon watching a hugely popular TV talk show wherein the guests invented were Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh and Helen. All three of them were so fondly sharing some of their most cherished memories. The host in between asked them how come the best of the female actors of golden era had become besties and not rivals of each other. I still remembe the answer given by Asha Parekh at that time. She said in any of the films made at that times there were roles conceived/designed for the particular artist only. The kind of fims and characters done by one actor were not same as the other one would do. And so, there was no sense of competition.  How true and convincing it sounds! Yeah, checking out the list of the films done by Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand and also remembering all those wonderful heart warming photos of all three of them together often seen on internet confirm Asha Parekh's statement. 

Today's 80th birthday of the legendary, 'The Hit Girl' Asha Parekh and I'm leisurely checking the list of all her hits. Dil De ke Dekho, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hun, Meri Surat Teri Aankhen, Bharosa, Ziddi, Mere Sanam Teesri Manzil, Love in Tokyo , Do badan Aaye Din Bahar ke, Pyar Ka Mausam, Pagla kahin Ka, Kanyadan, Caravan, Chirag, Kati Patang, Aaya Sawan Jhoom ke, Aan Milo sajna.. and so on...  Such a lovely lot of musical mega hits with  bubly and beautiful Asha Parekh as a lead female actor who shined out substantially with her emotive best performances. In this entire list, there's just one film that I have yet to watch - Baharon ke Sapne. 

But... 

3 songs. It takes just 3 songs to portray one of the finest female characters ever conceived in Hindi films if the lyricist is Majrooh Sultanpuri. Yes!  As I just have mentioned, I haven't watched Baharon ke sapne yet. And still I have felt all the colours of Geeta's 'roohani' beauty depicted by Majrooh's black and white pen and paper. Whenever I think about her character, it feels me like the soil after first rain of the season. Yes, the soil. Strong enough to carry all the burdens over it.  Soft enough to soothe your feet. Wet enough to hold your footprints close to its heart. Capable enough to give you back thousand times more whatever you give it and fragrant enough to fill your breaths with sheer essence of life.!! And by watching all three songs I can say that Asha Parekh has lived that character by utmost perfection. 

My goodness! How much lucky this man (Ram - Rajesh Khanna) was to have such a woman in his life who love, love loves him all the way and wants back nothing but him him and him only ! From the very childhood she cares for him ( just recall their flashback scene in aaja piya..),  

she inspires him (Raina nahin apni par apna hoga kal ka savera..), 

she soothes him (thake hue in haathon ko de de mere haathon mein..), 

she comforts him at any cost (sukh mera le le, main dukh tere le lun..) 

and she tenders him a godly stature while saying - jal uthe sau diye jab liya tera naam.. 

She can do just anything and everything for him. She hardly cares about any pain while offering - 

but the only thing breaks her is - Ab bideswa jaiyo na....

This melody is ultimate from each of aspects. Lyrics, music and visuals everything is so heart stirring.! 

Long but lovely prelude. Santoor and flute are Pancham's favorite instruments whenever he composes drizzling.  Here too he uses the same for all the love Geeta has been drizzling over Ram since years with  the same soothing notes depicting her ever comforting attitude  - aa ja piya, tohe pyaar dun.. 

Soon violins sway in to give a starting call to mandolin strums which add movements to the masti on screen with help of bongas and guitar. Drizzling notes of Santoor, tweeting notes on flute, dancing notes on glockenspiel and swaying violins follow the hero leaving carelessly along with Asha Parekh. All it stops at a moment with a single note on glockenspiel. 

And that mesmerizing whisper.. 

..so serene.. so emotive.. full of adore and much more that you can not define but  love with your every bits of self..

And then - 

Aur mohe tarsaiyo na.. 

Lataji has put something in "aur mohe tarsaiyo na" which goes deeper inside your heart and comes out wetting the corners of eyes if you are truly engrossed in the melody. 

After composing a long prelude, Pancham and team has planned to keep both the Interluds short and here too santoor gives it a languid start. Rhythm switched to dholak when lyrics were being rendered comes back to bongas and guitar again. Then joins mischievous flutes. But considering the plan of Pancham and party, glockenspiel and violins complete their calls in no time. 

Lataji croons pouring all her heart out..  

But what stirs you much is the last line of stanza.. 

Majrooh takes here the reference of the another lines written on behalf of Geeta. 

.. remembering that you would be able to sense all those silent sobs she hides behind her loving smile and a lovely little touch of her finger on his nose tip. She's not lamenting. She's just conveying that be the rest of world harsh, wicked and merciless to him, how much he was missed and how much he is loved by her. He's so precious and so is his presence in her life at any point of time! 

For providing a rural piquancy, Pancham chooses dholak as a rhythm option and still keeps it so melow to provide supremacy to the moving lyrics and also to the most mellifluous voice our senses could ever have in our lifetime.  Second interlude brings some vibrant guitar strums. But soon breaks in shehnai which gives an earthy rustic feel to the song. And flute invites Lataji to proffer same sublime feel which Majrooh has worded for other two songs. 

You and just you are the ultimate treasure of my life. I want nothing but you and will live my life the way you lead it. No complaints, no demands. Just hold my hand forever and let my love-drenched eyes soak the vivifying elixir of your presence  all along the way. 

Have you really notice one thing throughout the song? How affectionately she keeps  staring at him.!! Without caring a bit about who's watching and how her hero is responding. She keeps on showering her love and still he hardly seems getting wet!! Perhaps because to him, his life is like that salt field on screen. Barren and burning hot, clumsy and colourless. But when she cared even? She keeps on drizzling.. She will keep on. And that's why I immensely love this song. 

While listening to the songs of Baharon ke sapne you meet a different Pancham. And here too he makes you speechless!