Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi

Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi
Yeh shaam bhi ajeeb hain
Woh kal bhi paas paas thi
Woh aaj bhi kareeb hain
Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi
Yeh shaam bhi ajeeb hain
Woh kal bhi paas paas thi
Woh aaj bhi kareeb hain
Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi

Jhuki hui nigaah mein kahin mera khayaal tha
Dabi dabi hansi mein ikk haseen sa gulaal tha
Main sochta tha mera naam gunguna rahi hain woh
Main sochta tha mera naam gunguna rahi hain woh
Na jaane kyun laga mujhe ke muskura rahi hain woh
Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi

Mera khayaal hain abhi jhuki hui nigaah mein
Khili hui hansi bhi hain dabi hui si chaah mein
Main jaanta hoon mera naam gunguna rahi hain woh
Main jaanta hoon mera naam gunguna rahi hain woh
Yahi khayaal hain mujhe ke saath aa rahi hain woh
Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi
Yeh shaam bhi ajeeb hain
Woh kal bhi paas paas thi
Woh aaj bhi kareeb hain
Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi

Movie: Khamoshi (1970)
Director: Asit Sen
Singer: Kishore Kumar
Lyricist: Gulzar
Music Composer: Hemant Kumar

This is a song I learned to appreciate better as an adult. I had heard it when I was a teenager and I loved Kishore Kumar’s voice but I couldn’t determine if the song was happy or sad. The haunting notes in the music, the tenor of Kishore Kumar’s voice, all suggested a deep sadness but the words were all bright and expectant.

It was only when I finally saw the video and accumulated a bit of life experience that I understood how two people in a relationship can be living two different experiences. All that the singer (Rajesh Khanna), intiially hesitantly, and in the last verse more confidently, attributes to a blossoming relationship is actually his lady love (Waheeda Rehman) responding mechanically while reliving memories of an old love (Dharmendra). It made the song both sadder and more meaningful for me. And reading a bit about the song and its picturisation and the movie itself (which, unfortunately, I have not seen) helped put the song into context.

A beautiful song from a beautiful soundtrack (that features one of my all-time favourites, Humne dekhi hai), this was long overdue a space on this blog! ~ R