Such a Nostalgic Song!

Why this Sad Song was Salil Da's Favorite... Some very Curious Facts! 

মনে পড়ে সেই সব দিন ('Mone Pore Shei Shob Din') from the film Swarnatrishaa (1992) is the last and arguably the best song sung by Kishore Kumar for Salil Chowdhury. It has been one my favorite songs of nostalgia, and of moments of past joy since the time I first heard it in the late 1980s.  I just loved the Hindi version of the song, which I discovered only a few years back. I thought this was perhaps his only song with a single 'antara' – as you’ll see in the video – until I found the full version, which I can’t but share with all of you. Listen to the song first and then we’ll talk about it in some detail (please ignore the intro-ad).

मन करे याद वो दिन ('Man Kare Yaad Woh Din') is from the film Aakhri Badla ('Last Revenge'), which was originally called Sabotage and released a couple of years after Kishore Da passed away in 1987. Shot in the Calcutta of the 1980s, these scenes from the otherwise forgettable film picturized on Mithun Chakraborty and his real-life wife Yogeeta Bali show glimpses of city’s streets, the Victoria Memorial and the Maidan. The song begins with Mithun reminiscing about his golden days sitting on a bench by the Ganga as Kishore lends him a superb playback rendition of one of his most difficult and heart-touching songs. The fact that the singer in real life was once married to the actress in the movie perhaps brought in a bout of extra pathos that makes this song so pensive.

Roughly translated, the beautifully penned lyrics by Yogesh go like this: "I think about those days. The joyful moment I spent with you. The beautiful dreams we saw together. Sometimes we walked in the shade, sometimes basked in the sun... with you beside me, and sometimes we walked together in the rain. We never knew how those days passed by, and sometimes the nights were spent just counting the star. I think about those days..." Below are the actual lyrics in Devnagari script:

मन करे याद वो दिन
तेरे संग बीते थे जो पल रंगीन
तेरे संग देखे थे जो सपने हसीन.

कभी छाँव में हम चले, जले धूप में भी हम तुम साथ में
कभी साथ-साथ भीगे बरसात में
कभी तो पता ना चला, दिन जाने कैसे ढला
कभी-कभी रात काटी, तारे गिन-गिन.

बहारों की डोली लिये, कितना भी चाहे ये मौसम सजे
तेरे बिन बसन्त भी ये पतझड़ लगे
सिंदूरी ये मांग भरे, पांवों में महावर मले
दुल्हन जैसी साँझ भी ये, डंसे तेरे बिन.

Listen to Full Song / Download Audio File of the Hindi version 

I am writing about this Hindi film song on my Bangla Blog not just because it was originally written by Salil Da himself in Bengali, but because there seems to be some strange stories surrounding it. It seems to be one of his favourite tunes, which he used in four different films! Yes, that’s right. I’ll come to that in a moment, but first watch, and read the Bengali lyrics below, and then access the link to the song.

মনে পড়ে সেই সব দিন
সেই সব ঝড়ে যাওয়া স্বপ্ন রঙ্গীন
সেই সব ঋতু জুড়ে ফাগুনের দিন |

ভালবাসা কি যে জাদু , কি যে মধু আছে তার পাত্রে ভরা
সকলি নতুন লাগে, নতুনে ধরা |

মধুর কি যে সে ব্যথা না বলা কত সে কথা
চোখে চোখে চেয়ে শুধু কেটে যাওয়া দিন |

শুধু দুজনায়ে মিলে সৃজন করা যে যায় বিশ্ব ভূবন
ভালো যে বেসেছে সেই জানে সেই জন |

সে ভুবনে নেই সীমা, সারাক্ষণ পূর্নিমা
মিলে মিশে এক হয়ে যায় রাত দিন |

Listen to Full Song / Download Audio File of the Bengali version 

Originally entitled Antarghaat in 1980, the film didn't see the light of day until it flashed back with a new name Swarnatrisha in 1992, and was forgotten soon after. It is only because of Salil Da's marvelous music (still labeled Antarghaat) that it is remembered today. But surprisingly, there are two other versions of the song in Hindi and Malayalam! I would have never known this rather curious fact had I not chanced upon the brilliant research by Gautam Choudhury on Salil Chowdhury’s life and works.

A Couple of Clones

The Malayalam version of this song was translated by ONV Kurup for the 1979 film Chuvanna Chirakkukal (Red Wings). Yesudas does a great job in singing the sad and touching ‘Parannupoy Nee’ (പറന്നുപോയ്‌ നീ). The incredible journey of this tune doesn’t end there.  In 1980, Chuvanna Chirakkukal was remade as Daisy in Hindi with pretty ordinary lyrics by Prem Dhawan. If you have listened to the earlier two renditions of the song by Kishore Kumar, you’ll be able to judge where its clone - 'Bichhad More Saathi Gaye' sung by Mahendra Kapoor stands. That amply explains why we love Kishore’s voice the way we do even today! 

Recycled Melody

Two film songs with the same melody by the same music director in the same language but written by different lyricists and sung by two different playback singers is indeed a rare occurrence. But 'Man Kare Yaad Wo Din' is not the only song that has such a clone. The Malayalam film Madanolsavam, which was dubbed in Hindi as Dil Kaa Saathi Dil (1982) has a beautiful song written by Manohar , and sung by Yesudas - 'Pyaar Mein Jo Bhi'. 

Salil Chowdhury must have forgotten that he had used the same melody in the past for 'Jaane Raaz Kyaa Hai' also rendered by his favorite singer Yesudas and penned by Yogesh, for another Hindi film Kuhasaa (1978). Only the song’s title can perhaps explain how that happened!

~ Subho