“Songs Addressed to the Wind”

My Lists,

Songs depicting the wind in various forms have been popular in Hindi cinema. Hawaa or its variations pawan, purwai, purwaiyya, saba, vaat are used by lyricists to create memorable songs. They evoke a wide range of emotions including romance, separation, mischief, pathos etc as per the situation.

Today’s post features songs where the onscreen performer is addressing the wind. It is either a request, a pleading or an invitation. In spite of being invisible, the hawaa makes its presence felt enabling the actor to converse with it freely. It becomes a means to voice out their feelings. So, over to 10 songs on this theme.

1) Song: Ae Baad-e-Saba Ahista Chal
Film: Anarkali (1953)
Credits: Rajendra Krishan | C. Ramchandra | Hemant Kumar

This is a nice song which is less talked about compared to other hit songs of this movie. The song plays during the titles. The singer is narrating the love story of Salim and Anarkali. He requests the gentle breeze (baad-e-saba) to blow softly as this is the resting place of Anarkali. The eternal wind blows over the mazaar (shrine or tomb) which is a mark of their romance.

Ae baad e saba ahista chal…
Yahan soyi hai Anarkali…
Ankho me jalwe Salim ke
Liye khoyi huyi hai anarkali

2) Song: Hawaa Dheere Aana…Nanhi Kali Sone Chali
Film: Sujata (1959)
Credits: Majrooh Sultanpuri | S. D. Burman | Geeta Dutt

There was a time when lories were popular in Hindi cinema. This is a beautiful lullaby where the mother (Sulochana) tells the wind to be mindful as her young one is about to sleep. The lyrics begin with the phrase hawa dheere aana. The picturization is interesting as an orphan baby girl is crying nearby and she calms down after listening to the lullaby. The girl grows up to be the protagonist “Sujata.”

Hawaa dheere aanaa…
Neend bhare pankh liye jhoolaa jhulaa jaanaa,
Nanhi kali sone chali hawaa dheere aanaa,
Neend bhare pankh liye jhoolaa jhulaa jaanaa

3) Song: O Basanti Pawan Paagal
Film: Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960)
Credits: Shailendra | Shankar Jaikishan | Lata Mangeshkar

Basanti pawan is the term used in this song. It is not clear whether the heroine is referring to the wind or using it as a metaphor for the hero. It is difficult to stop the flow of the wind. Whatever, it is a great song where Padmini pleads Raj Kapoor to stay back for the sake of love.

O basanti pawan pagal,
Na ja re na ja roko koi,
O basanti…

4) Song: Dheere Dheere Chal Ae Bheegi Hawaa
Film: Boyfriend (1961)
Credits: Hasrat Jaipuri | Shankar Jaikishan | Mohammed Rafi

A rare film starring Shammi Kapoor and Madhubala. Madhubala is pretending to be asleep and enjoying the hero’s attention. He sings and requests the moist wind to blow softly as his beloved is sleeping. Strangely, it is a fast faced song which makes it irritating to listen and watch! A softer approach would have created a winner of a song.

Dheere chal dheere chal ae bheegi hawaa,
Ke mere bulbul ki hai neend jawaan,
Ke kahin laage naa kisi ki use badnazar,
Ke meethe sapnon mein khoyi hai wo bekhabar,
Ke dheere chal dheere chal ae bheegi hawaa..

5) Song: San Sanan Jaa Ri O Pawan
Film: Sampoorna Ramayana (1961)
Credits: Bharat Vyas | Vasant Desai | Lata Mangeshkar

This is a film based on Ramayan and this song depicts the period when Sita is held captive by Raavan. Sita desperately pleads to the wind to pass on her message to Lord Ram. This is arguably one of the best songs of Lata Mangeshkar with its piercing high pitch rendition. It is based on raag Chandrakans (rare in Hindi films) which is effective in bringing out the emotions. Great composition by Vasant Desai.

San sanan sanan sanan jaa ri o pawan,
Door desh leja sandesh jahan mere sajan,
Jaa ri o pawan

Chhu ke charan kehna pawan, birha agan ab ho na sehen,
Tan hai yaha aur praan waha, meri puja yaha aur bhagwan waha,
Ye doori sahe kaise man ki mayuri, baraste hai naino ke ghan,
O o san sanan…

6) Song: Jaa Ri Pawaniya
Film: Do Boond Paani (1971)
Credits: Kaifi Azmi | Jaidev | Asha Bhosle

Feeling wise the song is similar to the earlier song. Simi Garewal requests the wind to deliver a message to her husband. Her husband has left the drought ridden village and gone to work far way on a canal construction site. She is left alone and remembers him.

Jaa ri pawaniya, piya ke des jaa,
Itna sandesha mora kahiyo jaa,
Piya so sandesha mora kahiyo jaa..

7) Song: Sun Jaa Ae Thandi Hawaa
Film: Haathi Mere Saathi (1971)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | Laxmikant Pyarelal | Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar

This is a catchy, romantic song from the blockbuster Haathi Mere Saathi. The picturization is unique as the hero and heroine are swinging in hammocks throughout the song. They invite the wind to visit them but warn her not to gossip about their romance. They remind her that she too goes to meet the cloud who is her companion.

Sun jaa ae thandi hawaa,
Tham jaa aye kaali ghataa,
Kuchh pyaari pyaari baatein hamaari,
Aa jaate jaate tu bhi sun jaa

8) Song: Sun Ri Pawan, Pawan Purwaiyya
Film: Anuraag (1972)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | S.D. Burman | Lata Mangeshkar

Anuraag was the story of a young blind girl who falls in love. In this raag Bhairavi based song, the heroine Moushumi Chatterjee talks about her life by speaking to the pawan purwaiyya. She talks about being alone and if the wind can become her companion.

Sun ri pawan pawan purwaiyya,
Mai hoo akeli albeli,
Tu saheli meri ban ja sathiya..

9) Song: Chupke Chupke Chal Ri Purwaiyya
Film: Chupke Chupke (1975)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | S.D. Burman | Lata Mangeshkar

The well known title song from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s classic is picturized on Jaya Bhaduri and Amitabh Bachchan. She addresses the eastern wind or purwaiyya. The reference is obviously to the young woman’s feelings, about blossoming of love and the accompanying hesitation.

Chupke chupke chal ri purawaiyya…
Baansuri bajaaye re, raas rachaaye dayya re dayya,
Gopiyon sang Kanhaiya,
Chupke chupke chal ri purawaiyya

Pagal pawan se, kaise koi bole,
Gori ke mukh se, ghunghata na khole, dole,
Haule se man ki naiyya, gopiyon sang Kanhaiyya..
Chupke Chupke…

10) Song: Ae Ri Pawan Dhoondhe Kise
Film: Bemisaal (1982)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | R. D. Burman | Lata Mangeshkar

Picturized in scenic Kashmir, the song stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rakhee and Vinod Mehra. In a literal sense, Rakhee converses with the wind, but deeper, a woman is thinking about her loneliness, relationship, and her purpose.

Baadal se tera kya hai kuchh naata,
Ho, baadal se tera kya hai kuchh naata,
Kaahe jhoome naache gaaye aaye jab saawan,
Baanwari si tu phire, Kaun hai tera sajan,

Ho, ae ri pawan dhoondhe kise tera mann
Chalte chalte

Savarkhed Ek Gaon (2004)

My Reviews,

Good thrillers have been rare in Marathi cinema. Savarkhed Ek Gaon (Savarkhed: A Village) is a sincere attempt in this genre. What happens when a model village is surrounded by unexpected terror? How the villagers deal with it is depicted in Savarkhed Ek Gaon (SEG) made under the banner of Eera Films. The story, screenplay, dialogues and direction are credited to Rajiv Patil. Rajiv Patil directed 3 films including the much acclaimed Jogwa (2009). He passed away in 2013.

The Plot

SEG in a sense is a story of 2 political opponents – Tukaram Patil (Vikram Gokhale) and Sampatrao More (Sadashiv Amrapurkar). Patil is the local MLA. More used to be Patil’s close supporter once upon a time but then he moved to the opposition camp. More is proposing a new industrial development corporation in Savarkhed but Patil is against it. He is clear that agricultural land is not to be used for industrial purpose. More feels that a village is considered prosperous only when there is money in the pocket of its inhabitants. Opening of industry will ensure this.

Savarkhed has been recently recognised as a model village. A young reporter Sneha Raut (Sharvari Jamenis), working for the newspaper Lokmat has arrived in Savarkhed to work on an article about this achievement. She will be staying in the village for a few days. Patil has invited her to stay in his bungalow. Sneha starts her work by interviewing Patil and More among others to gain material for her assignment.

Patil’s son Rahul (Ankush Chaudhari) is returning to the village after completion of his studies. His friends are looking forward to welcome him. There is Priya (Sonali Khare), who is his romantic interest and also More’s daughter. Her cousin brother is Ajay (Shreyas Talpade), who is More’s nephew. Ajay’s parents have passed away and he stays with his uncle’s family. The other friends are Ishwar/Ishya (Makarand Anaspure) and Baban (Balkrishna Shinde), an auto-rickshaw driver.

Ajay is in love with Samidha (Sanjyot Hardikar), who is Ghorpade’s sister. Ghorpade is a close confidante of Patil. He warns Samidha to stay away from Ajay as he is from More’s family and hence an opponent of Patil. Samidha tells him that she wants to marry Ajay but he silences her with a slap.

Rahul is back and all are happy to see him except one person. This is Suresh (Upendra Limaye). Rahul and Suresh used to be close friends but they had a tiff 3 years back and are not on good terms. In a nutshell, there is some discontent in the village but in general people live peacefully, like a model village.

But the peace is about to be disturbed. One night, someone starts throwing stones at More’s bungalow. The windows are shattered. More calls for Inspector Deshmukh to look into the matter. Unfortunately, there are very less clues available. The villagers gossip about black magic being involved.

Next day, Rahul and his friends go to visit the local temple. They are returning in the night when fireballs are suddenly thrown at Rahul’s jeep. They escape unhurt but all are shaken. Later, Ishwar is returning home when he apparently sees a “ghost” in the fields. Again, in the following night, some houses in the village are set on fire. There is definitely something sinister happening.

Sneha is keen to publish the news about the strange happenings in her newspaper. Her article is ready and she attempts to fax it from Patil’s bungalow when she is stopped by Rahul (on his father’s orders). He requests her to postpone the publishing until the matter is sorted. They quarrel but she is adamant to go ahead. She steps out to go to More’s bungalow to fax the article. This means walking down the deserted road in the night. She disappears and nobody knows her whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Ajay goes to meet Samidha. They board Baban’s rickshaw and go to his house. Ajay tells Samidha that they will get married tomorrow as her brother will never agree to their match. Baban is supportive of this decision. Rahul suddenly arrives. He tells them about Sneha. She has not returned and he is worried. It is decided that they will drop Samidha back to her house (for now) and continue the search for Sneha. It is important to locate Sneha, it is a question of the village’s reputation. They reach Samidha’s house where tragedy has already struck. Her family has been murdered. This seems like a planned conspiracy.

It is noted that the events occur only during the night. The friends along with the villagers team up to undertake night vigil and patrolling to catch the culprits. Rahul and Suresh bury their differences and join hands.

But is it easy? There is another shocking murder. Who is behind all this and will it end soon?

The Music

In spite of being a thriller, music is an important part of the film. Ajay-Atul give memorable tunes to Dasu’s lyrics. There are 3 songs which pop up at the appropriate time in the story and not meant as a diversion. The first one Varyawarti gandh pasarla is placed at the beginning when Rahul returns home (in happier times). This was Kunal Ganjawala’s first song for a Marathi film, and was well received.

The second song Hoshiyaar (by Swapnil Bandodkar. Ajay and Yogita Godbole) is sung by the friends as they prepare to patrol the village. The climax song is the gondhal number effectively rendered by Ajay. (Gondhal is a traditional and popular folk art form and religious ritual in Maharashtra. It is a ritual performed to pray to the family deity (especially Tulja Bhavani or Renuka Mata). It succeeds in creating the atmosphere of suspense and dread as the villagers make a final attempt to catch the perpetrators. Arguably, it is one of the best songs by Ajay-Atul.

My Thoughts

I felt this was a sincere attempt to make a thriller film in Marathi. There are some loopholes but the director succeeds in managing the ensemble cast, multiple sub plots and still retain the audience’s attention till the end. Thankfully, there is less focus on the romance tracks and an absence of romantic songs. The attention seemed to be on the younger actors including Ankush Chowdhari, Shreyas Talpade and Upendra Limaye, and the 3 female actors. In that sense, veteran actors like Vikram Gokhale and Sadashiv Amrapurkar seem under utilized. The film ends with a voice over mentioning a twist which is not very satisfying but that can be overlooked. It highlights the sad reality of politics and its associated compulsions.

Yahan Wahan (1984)

My Reviews

Yahan Wahan (YW) means here and there and in this case is the name of a delightful film. It is a low budget, light comedy film reminding you of the likes of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee. The film is produced by Usman Khan and directed by Rajat Rakshit.

YW is a story of 2 ordinary people meeting and falling in love; they have to face some challenging but hilarious situations. Starring Farooq Shaikh, Surinder Kaur, Jagdeep, Aruna Irani and Dina Pathak, it is a less known but nevertheless enjoyable film.

The Plot

The young couple in YW is Rashi Verma (Surinder Kaur in her debut film) and Rajesh Chopra (Farooq Shaikh). Rashi is a young working woman (an interior decorator by profession). She stays with her childhood friend Neeta (Aruna Irani) in a small rented flat. The flat has its problems like unreliable water supply, a squeaky fan etc. The 2 friends carry on their routine in spite of the hardships.

It’s Rashi’s birthday. Neeta wishes her in the morning before they leave for their respective jobs. Rashi works as an interior decorator. Her boss is Mr. Kapoor (Col. Raj Bharti). She is not expecting her office colleagues to remember her special day but she is in for a pleasant surprise when her boss and colleagues wish her. Mr Kapoor announces that the afternoon tea and snacks (read cakes) will be sponsored by Rashi. She agrees knowing too well that Kapoor is crazy about cake. He loves them and likes to eat them all.

Rashi has gone to “Commerce Building” for some work. Here she meets the hero Rajesh for the first time. They are riding in the same elevator when it suddenly stops. Rajesh is hyper and can’t stop talking nonsense. Rashi is irritated by his behaviour but is somewhat impressed by this good looking man.

The two meet again when they are trying to get a taxi. Later, Rashi is looking for a carpet for one of her clients when Rajesh arrives in the same shop. Rajesh assumes that she is purchasing the expensive carpet worth Rs. 40,000 for herself and must be from a rich family. He tells her clearly that he has not been following her and this is a meeting by chance. He notes that it is a coincidence that they have met three times in a single day.

Back home, Rashi tells Neeta about Rajesh, his personality etc. She is so impressed. Neeta tells her to consider it as a one-off meeting and forget about it. But can Rashi do so?

Rajesh is in a similar condition. He dreams that a rich and snobbish Rashi is visiting his home. She is embarrassed to see his small house and insults him on his face. Rajesh wakes up. He decides to try and meet her again by going to the same building. Rashi thinks of doing the same. But they end up missing each other. However, luck is on their side. By another coincidence, they go to attend the same ghazal performance in the evening. There is a sense of relief when they see each other. Love is in the air!

Rajesh takes her to a restaurant. He praises her for her simplicity in spite of being so rich. She does not correct his assumption. He offers to drop her home. But she is reluctant. She cannot have him seeing her accommodation with all its issues. He is bound to feel insulted after knowing the truth. She makes an excuse that she has to go and see a friend who has met with an accident. They agree to meet again for lunch.

Next day, Mr Kapoor informs Rashi about their new client Mr. Chopra whose flat needs to be redecorated and the job has been assigned to Rashi. Chopra has gone to New Delhi for a week and left the flat’s keys with Kapoor. Rashi can visit his house and start her work. Unknown to Rashi, the new client Mr Chopra is none other than Rajesh. Additionally, Rajesh was supposed to go to New Delhi but that has been taken care of. He will stay in Mumbai.

Its their lunch date and Rajesh insists that post lunch, he will come to her house. He is free today and there will be no excuses this time. Rashi finds herself in a tight spot. She cannot take him to her place as she fears the truth will be out. She needs to keep with the pretense. She comes across the keys of Mr. Chopra’s flat in her purse. An idea strikes her. She decides to take Rajesh to her client’s flat and behave as if it is her flat.

So they go to “her” flat in Gulistan apartments on Pedder Road. Rajesh doesn’t know what is happening when he arrives at his building, on his floor and enters his flat. It is humorous to watch as Rashi cooks up one lie after another when Rajesh asks her “awkward” questions.

Rajesh goes to his friend’s house as he cannot stay in his own flat now that Rashi has “occupied” it. His friend is Fatikchand Bandopadhyaya (Jagdeep), an eccentric Bengali who talks in extra pure shuddha Hindi. Rajesh realises that Kapoor must have rented his flat to Rashi as he had the duplicate keys. Rashi is an honest girl and not to be blamed.

Rashi on the other hand feels guilty that she is lying to Rajesh and staying in a client’s flat. What will happen if the client suddenly returns. She will not be able to face the consequence. Neeta tries to calm her down and asks her not to overthink and enjoy their stay in the luxurious flat.

So, the drama falls into place. But there is one problem after the other. Rajesh’s mother (Dina Pathak) comes to the flat to meet her son (she calls him Billoo fondly). She is perplexed to find two young ladies staying there. Hurriedly, Neeta tells her that there was a telegram stating that Mr. Chopra’s mother will be arriving. This old woman must be the client’s mother. They cannot ask her to go away. They make up a story that they have purchased the flat but she can stay with them. They will help to locate her son’s new address. Seeing no option, Rajesh’s mother settles down in the flat.

The chain of problems, half truths and cover ups continues. Fatik and Neeta also fall in love and decide to spend the rest of their lives together. Amid all this Rajesh and Rashi get closer to each other. There is some misunderstanding created between them. But eventually, the truth is revealed and everything is forgiven and forgotten.

The Music

Indivar and Kalyanji Anandji are credited for the lyricist and music direction. Suresh Wadkar and Alka Yagnik are the singers. One song that stands out is the beautiful ghazal Taj Mahal mein aa jaana…performed by Rajendra Mehta and Nina Mehta on screen.

My Thoughts

YW is a simple film. There are no big stars or budget. There is no villain and scenes of action and revenge that you would find in a typical potboiler. Farooq Shaikh and Surinder Kaur perform brilliantly. There reactions are hilarious to watch as they have to invent a new story every time to cover the lies. Surinder Kaur may not be the conventional Hindi film heroine but she is impressive in her debut film. I was wondering what would be the outcome if Deepti Naval had been paired with Farooq Shaikh. Dina Pathak is fine. Jagdeep and Aruna Irani are most irritating with their over the top acting, expressions and and body language.