Colours & Songs: Holi 2008

20 Mar 2008 1 Comment

by poorva63 in Uncategorized

With the festival of colours rounding the corner, it only seems natural to dedicate this post to my wonderful relationship with Holi.So, what new can I add to everything everybody already knows about this messy, wet and splashy festival? Good guess. Almost nothing.

Holi is about dry colour, liquid colour, pasty colour, sticky colour, dark colour, light colour, impossible-to-wash-off colour, harmful-to-the-skin colour, and in short, all kinds of colour!

As is the case with most Hindu festivals, Holi also has its origins intricately woven with the threads of mythology. According to most popular beliefs, Holika was the shrewd, and in modern day terms, “vampish” sister of the self proclaimed God, King Hiranyakashipu. The king had a son, Prahalad, who alone out of all his subjects refused to acknowledge him as the Supreme Power and devoted himslef instead to the worship of Lord Vishnu. Infuriated with his son’s disregard of his wishes, he made many futile attempts to get the young Prahalad murdered. Ultimately a plot was hatched to have Holika-who had been gifted with a special shawl that prevented her from suffering any harm from fire- sit in a bonfire, with Prahalad on her lap. Inspite of their plan of having Prahalad perish in the fire while his aunt remained untouched by it, the boy’s incessant chanting of Lord Vishnu’s name reversed their destinies, and the wind blew the shawl onto Prahalad instead, protecting him from the flames while Holika was reduced to ashes.

As it brings along with it such a livewire of cheer, togetherness and activity, Holi has played a very important part in Hindi Cinema. Many Bollywood films have showcased Holi sequences, mostly in the form of immensely enjoyable songs and dances. Also, rarely has it been, that these sequences have not become, if not the highlight, then at least a very popular part of the film.

Some of my most favourite Holi songs date back to the fifties…

Mother India was a film that released in 1957, one of the all time greats of Hindi Cinema, it saw the lead actress, Nargis, winning herself both, a Filmfare Award for her title role, and also a life partner in the form of Sunil Dutt, who played the role of her son in the film. The film encases a mischievous Holi ballad picturised on Birju(Sunil Dutt) and village girls, also showing a flashback of how Radha(Nargis) and Ramu(Rajkumar) had celebrated Holi in better times. The song, Holi aayee re kanhaaiyee became very popular, both for bringing out the spirit of the festival, as well as the pranks that are associated with Vrindavani Holi, that Lord Krishna played with his beloved Radha and the Gopis.

Apart from its deep rooted significance, marking the victory of goodness, which ultimately succeeds in vanquishing evil, Holi also invokes the advent of Spring, or Phalgun, falling every year on Phalgun Poornima(or the month Phalgun’s full moon day), as per the Hindu Calendar.

Yet another hugely popular Holi song was “Are Ja Re Hat Natkhat” from the film, Navrang that released a couple of years after Mother India in 1959. The lyrics of the song that made it so memorable are:

Are ja re hat natkhat , na chhoo re mera ghoonghat ,
palat ke doongi aaj aisi gali re, mujhe samjho na tum bholi bhali re …
Aaya holi ka tyohar, ude rang ki bauchhartu hai nar nakhredar matwali re,
aaj meethi lage hai teri gali re …

Sholay(1975) is a film that broke more than a few records, including that of unforgettable music. Veeru (Dharmendra) flirting with his Basanti(Hema Malini), and Jai’s(Amitabh Bacchan) silent moments shared with the white clad widow portrayed by real life wife Jaya Bhaduri in the song “Holi ke din dill mil jaate hain” have etched a place for themselves in every movie-goers memory, irrevokably and it stands as a landmark Holi song.

Chalo saheli
Chalo re saathi
Ye pakdo
Ye pakadoo ise na chhodo
Arra arra arra baiya na todo,
Oye thaher ja babhi, arey jare sharabi
Kya ho raja gali mein aaja
Holi ke din dil khil jaate hain rangon mein rang mil jaate hain
gile shikwe bhul ke doston dushman bhi gale mil jaate hain
Gori tere rang jaisaa thodasa main rang bana lu
Aa tere gulabi gaalon se thoda sa gulaal chura lu
Jare ja deewane tu holi ke bahane tu
Chhed na mujhe besaram
Puchh le zamane se aise hi bahane se liye aur diye dil jaate hain
Holi ke din dil khil jaate hain rango mein rang mil jaate hain

Celebrated widely in most parts of the country, especially the north, Holi is a time for fun and frolic. For most children it’s a time when they can relax, having finished with their exams(atleast this year it is! ), colleges are closed with their mid-semester breaks, and almost every person in the country is refreshed with renewed vigour, after a sleepy winter, welcoming wholeheartedly the Spring, with its hues, fragrances, and beautiful sunshine.

Next in line comes the song, Rang Barse from Yash Chopra’s immortal love story, Silsila starring Amitabh Bacchan, Rekha, Jaya Bhaduri and Sanjeev Kumar. You hear this song playing in every corner you pass, every lane you cross and every street you set your foot across during the Holi week. It is by far the most popular Holi tune, what with all its mentions of “bhaang”, “pichkaari”, sweets and of course the hero’s betrothed and her “chunari”. The lyrics go something like this:

Rang barse bheege chunar wali, rang barse
Are kaine maari pichkaari tori bheegi angiya
O rangrasia rangrasia, ho
Rang barse bheege chunar wali, rang barse…Sone ki thaali main jona parosa
Are, sone ki thaali main jona parosa
Haan, sone ki thaali main jona parosa
Are, khaye gauri ka yaar balam tarse rang barse
Holi hai!!!
O, Rang barse bheege chunar wali, rang barse…

Launga elaichi ka, are launga elaichi ka
Launga elaichi ka? Haan
Are launga elaichi ka beeda lagaya
Haan, launga elaichi ka beeda lagaya
Chabe gauri ka yaar, balam tarse
Holi hai!!!
O, Rang barse bheege chunar wali, rang barse …

Are, bela chameli ka sez bhichhaya
Bela chameli ka, sez bhichhaya
Are, bela chameli ka sez bhichhaya
Haan, bela chameli ka sez bhichhaya
Soye gauri ka yaar, balam tarse
Holi hai!!!
O, Rang barse bheege chunar wali, rang barse…

Holi a time to shed your inhibitions, to celebrate without strings attached, to let your hair down, be intimate with people you hardly know, have fun, enjoy, and even pull a few tricks without having to worry about the consequences, or hurting the people concerned. It’s not without reason that people say, “Bura na maano, holi hai!” (Don’t feel bad, it’s Holi!)

Lamhe came in 1991 and apart from offering the audience a pathbreaking script it also gave us some impeccable melodies, including “Mohe Chedo Na Nand Ke Laala”, which was an extremely different take from how the normal Holi sequences were executed in regular Hindi films. The song had a soul, and lyrics that spoke for themselves in the form of Sridevi’s infallable expressions.

Mohe chhedo na
O mohe chhedo na nand ke lala
Ki main hi brij bala
Nahi main radha teri
Mohe chhedo na nand ke lala
Ki main hi brij bala
Nahi main radha teri
Mohe chhedo na nand ke lalaRadha se hogi
Radha se hogi teri chhichholi
Aankh micholi tum humjoli
Holi main yoon mujhe kyon rang dala
Ki main hoon brij bala
Nahi main radha teri
Mohe chhedo na nand ke lala
Ki main hoon brij bala
Nahi main radha teri
Mohe chhedo na nand ke lala

Last up is the slightly demented Shah Rukh Khan expressing is undying love for his one and only, Kkkkkkkkiran! Yash Raj banner’s Darr(1993) saw the King Khan turning shades of blue, black and green as he watches his beloved Kiran(Juhi Chawala) having a wonderful time on Holi with her brother(Anupam Kher), his wife(Tanvi Azmi) and the man of her dreams Sunil(Sunny Deol) and what ensues is a dangerous, yet memorable Holi sequence with Shah Rukh Khan turning quite the villain.

Are jo jhimi ayee, are jo jhimi ayee
Tum aaj karaloo, chaho jise bina baho meh barloo
Ang se ang lagana sajaan hame aise rang lagana
Ghal lo se yeh ghal la lagake, naino se yeh naina milake
Holi aaj meh nana sajaan hame aise rang lagana
Ang se ang lagana sajaan hame aise rang laganaUpaar upaar rang lagaayo na kario kuch liche
Mujse kuchna bole garye chupse akia miche
Hoo… Bach ke paroo san jaane na payee
Jaye to aapas aane na payee
Door meh nay aise, baaso maroora
Sajara na gagaara, kuch be na choora
Lapata likaado… lapata likaado ane meh hum
Dharte gay jurmaana
Ang se ang lagana sajaan hame aise rang lagana
Rang barase bhige chunaravaali, rang barase

Although there haven’t been as many memorable Holi songs in the recent past, Holi sequences noteworthy of mention are:

* Tan rang lo ji aaj mann rang lo… Kohinoor(1960)
* Aaj na chodenge bas humjoli khelenge hum holi… Kati Patang(1970)
* Phagun aayo re… Phagun(1973)
* Aayee re aayee re holi… Zakhmee(1975)
* Mal de gulal mohe, aaye holi aaye re… Kaamchor(1982)
* O dekho holi aayi… Mashaal(1984)
* Apne rang mein rang de mujko … Aakhir Kyon(1985)
* Rang di preet ne rang di… Dhanwan(1993)
* Soni soni ankhiyon waali…Mohabbatein(2000)
* Holi khele Raghubeera Avadh mein…Baghban(2003)
* Koi bheega hai rang se … Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost(2003)
* Dekho aayi holi…Mangal Pandey(2005)
* Do me a favour let’s play Holi…Waqt(2005)

So this Holi, let’s spread cheers, and happiness, ’cause life is a celebration, let’s celebrate!