Gulzar: Kuch khoye huye nagme - 2

Every Hindi film music aficionado knows about the greatness of this man named Sampooran Singh Kalra aka Gulzar. We have all heard his famous songs a thousand times now, such as: “Tere bina zindagi se” from Aandhi, “Hazaar Rahen” from Thodisi Bewafayee, “Mera kuch saaman” from Ijaazat, or “Kajra re” from Bunty aur Babli. This series is about those lesser known songs penned by this master poet.
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Movie: Anubhav (1971)
Music Director: Kanu Roy
Singer: Geeta Dutt

The beauty of this song is its sheer simplicity in the lyrics, the music, the singing and the on screen depiction. Basu Bhattacharya deliberately chose to make Anubhav in black and white even though Indian cinema had been introduced to color by 1971.

The song is shot in a situation of a husband-wife enjoying a rainy evening and sharing some intimate moments.

Meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan
Meri jaan, meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan
Meri jaan, meri jaan

Jaan na kaho anjaan mujhe, Jaan kahaa rehti hai sadaa
Anjaane, kya jaane, Jaan ke jaaye kaun bhala
Meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan
Meri jaan, meri jaan

Sookhe saawan baras gaye, Kitni baar in aankhon se
Do boondein naa barse, In bheegi palkon se
Meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan
Meri jaan, meri jaan

Honth jhuke jab honthon par, Saans uljhi ho saanson mein
Do judwaan honthon ki, Baat kaho aankhon se
Meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan
Meri jaan, meri jaan, mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan
Meri jaan, meri jaan

Repetition! Repitition!! Repitition!!! All over the song the word Jaan is used liberally and with different meanings.
Meri Jaan mujhe Jaan na kaho, meri Jaan
Here “Jaan” is "love”. Also note the incredible irony in this line:
“Do not refer to me as Jaan - my Jaan”

Jaan na kaho anjaan mujhe
Here “Jaan” is used as “Life” followed by the reason of why She does not want Him to refer to her as “Jaan” (love) since “Jaan”(life) is temporary.

Some other quintessential Gulzar flavors can be seen in :
“Sookhe saawan baras gaye, Kitni baar in aankhon se” &
“Do judwaan hothon ki, baat kaho aankhon se”
I am not even going to try and translate these lines.

This was also one of the last songs sung by Geeta Dutt. If there were ever a list of the most romantically picturised songs in Hindi cinema this one will definitely feature in it. It does not take the Swiss Alps or the meadows of Baden-Baden to create a romantic song.