Today’s third post is the analysis of the song, Mere dil mein aaj kya hai, from the Bollywood movie, Daag (1973). The song has been analyzed on the basis of its context and visualization.
Movie – Daag (1973)
The song, Mere dil mein aaj kya hai, was featured in the Yash-Raj Films’ romrama, Daag (1973), produced and directed by Yash Chopra. The movie starred Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore, Prem Chopra, Rakhi, etc.
Sunil (Rajesh Khanna) and Sonia (Sharmila Tagore) are collegemates and are dating each other. They get married with the support of her maternal uncle (Madan Puri), though her aunt (Achla Sachdev) is against the alliance. During the newlyweds’ honeymoon, they stay at his employer’s home. Sunil, soon, ends up killing his employer’s son, Dheeraj (Prem Chopra), in a bid to save his wife from getting raped by the wayward man.
Sunil is sentenced to life imprisonment but on the way to the jail, the police van encounters an accident and all those inside it, are feared dead. Sonia’s uncle brings her back home. However, she is already pregnant with Sunil’s child and her aunt finds it affecting their reputation.
Sonia leaves her uncle’s place and moves elsewhere to give birth to a boy. Some years later she is a teacher at the school where her son Rinku (Master Raju) studies. Chandni’s (Rakhi) daughter, Pinky (Baby Pinky) is also studying there. Sonia’s past catches up with her and she is thrown out of the school. However, Chandni takes her home as a friend.
Things seem to be working out for Sonia. But fate has something else in store for her. It turns out that Chandni’s husband is none other than Sunil, living there under the name of Sudhir. Sonia and Sunil are shocked to see each other. That night Sonia is about to leave, with Rinku when Sunil stops her and it begins to rain.
Sunil coaxes her to move into the greenhouse with the kid. There, he informs her that he had survived the police van accident and had escaped to get his handcuffed removed from a blacksmith (Habib). He had gone to meet Sonia’s maternal uncle, who had told him that she had left his home, pregnant with Sunil’s child. At the same time, Sonia’s aunt had informed the police that Sunil was alive and with difficulty Sunil had given them the slip.
Since then, Sunil had been searching for Sonia and had ended up meeting Chandni and her father, Deewan (Manmohan Krishna), whose life Sunil had saved. With the police on his tracks, Sunil decides to stay at Deewan’s home. But it turns out that Chandni was about to be an unwed mother. During those times, the name ‘unwed mother’ was a blemish for the woman.
Being a virgin at marriage used to be an important moral equation, a woman had to share with the world. It was also imperative that a woman needed the anchoring given by a man. On the other hand, men did not have any kind of such restrictions. Virtue was a term limited to women and men could be as wayward as they wanted.
Coming back to the movie, Sunil agrees to give his name to the unborn child of Chandni, albeit without marriage. It was decided that their marriage would be a front for the society to accept Chandni and her child. Even Deewan would not be in on the truth. Sunil also insisted that he would not want to know her past and Chandni would not ask about his.
Sunil decides to leave with Sonia. But Sonia tells him that they should stay back for the reputation of Chandni and her kid. He agrees on the conditions that she and their son stay. Deewan is on the way to Haridhwar for some business and Chandni joins him to pray for a blissful married life. Left alone with Sonia, Sunil decides to take her for an outing and sings this song.
Song – Mere dil mein aaj kya hai
The lyrics of the song, Mere dil mein aaj kya hai, were penned by Sahir Ludhianvi and the tune was set by Lakshmi-Pyare.
The song goes, “If you ask, I will tell you what is in my heart. I will adjust your hair and apply vermillion in the parting of your hair. (Meaning, I want to get married to you again.)”
Video – Mere dil mein aaj kya hai
Cinematography is by Kay Gee.
The video opens with Sharmila Tagore walking away from the jeep. The song begins in the background. She turns toward the camera. Rajesh Khanna climbs down from the jeep, singing the song.
He comes closer to her and pushes a strand of her hair away from her face. She smiles and places her head close to his. Sun peeps from behind the network of tree-branches. They walk on a tree-shaded path together.
Soon, she walks toward him and he spreads his arms in a welcome. Then, she runs into his arms. More beautiful natural scenery later, they lean on 2 tall trees close to each other. He sings, “Nobody should find us even if they are searching for us.” She sighs.
They hug again and she smiles, enjoying the embrace. Next, they are seen laying on a grassy lawn. Soon, the song peters out. The video also ends as the pair walks through a path in the fog that is being formed in the dusk.
Artists
Kishore Kumar sings this song for Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore is also seen in the video.
Cultural Influence
This song is a song of a second proposal of a man to his own long-lost wife. The song and the artists are fantastic. The video is watchable for the same.
