Everything is more colorful when when it's in a hindi film. Take Dil Chahta Hai, one of my all-time favorite hindi films. In the scene on top left Preity Zinta and Aamir Khan are debating the merits of love while falling in love in beautiful Sydney. I saw the song, and thought, wow, Sydney looks great, and forgot that the two comely looking actors were in the foreground.
But most striking song to me in the movie is this song called Tanhayee, or Tanhaa'ii, which means loneliness (I learned this from the subtitles). This song is the one where Aamir Khan realizes that he loves Preity Zinta, but cannot admit it, and walks all over Sydney in an Armani (I think) suit. My first reaction was, gawd, I'd love to mope around in an Armani suit, and in sydney no less. But after repeated viewing of the movie, I fell in love with the song, which goes like this (first hindi, then english). The lyrics are slightly different than typical hindi popcorn fare, I think, more angry, and relatively less flowery. I was listening to the song this afternoon, so here it is.(Parts of the hindi version)
tanhaa'ii tanhaa'ii
dil ke raaste me.n kaisii THokar mai.n ne khaa'ii
TuuTe khwaab saarii ek maayuusii hai chhaayii
har khushii so ga'ii zi.ndagii kho ga'ii
tumko jo pyaar kiya mai.n ne to sazaa me.n paa'ii
tanhaa'ii tanhaa'ii milo hai phailii hu'ii tanhaa'ii...
khwaab me.n dekha tha ek aa.nchal mai.n ne apne haatho.n me.n
ab TuuTe sapno.n ke shiishe chubhte hai.n in aankho.n me.n
khwaab me.n dekha tha ek aa.nchal mai.n ne apne haatho.n me.n
ab TuuTe sapno.n ke shiishe chubhte hai.n in aankho.n me.n
kal koii tha yahii.n ab koii bhii nahii.n
banke naagin jaise hai saa.nso.n me.n laharaa'ii
tanhaa'ii tanhaa'ii
palko.n pe kitne aa.nsuu hai laa'ii
THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Loneliness, loneliness
How I stumbled on the path of the heart
All my dreams broken, ash, despondency
All my happiness gone to sleep; my life, lost
In the love I had for you I found only a punishment:
Loneliness, loneliess,
A vast expanse of loneliness
In a dream I had seen a sari hem in my hands
Now the shards of broken dreams pierce these eyes of mine
Yesterday someone was right here; now there is no one at all
It's as though, having become a snake, it twisted around my breath -
Loneliness, loneliness
How many tears has it brought to my lashes
Loneliness, loneliness,
how many tears it has brought to my lashes
Why, when I hoped so hard, was that hope useless?
My goal had been set in the distance; then dusk fell on my path
Why, when I hoped so hard, was that hope so useless?
My goal had been set in the distance, and then dusk fell on my path
Now where shall I go; to whom shall I explain
What I had wanted, and why fate brought me
Loneliness, loneliness
Like the depths of darkness
How I stumbled on the path of my heart
All my dreams broken, ash, despondency
All my happiness gone to sleep; my life lost
In the love I had for you I found only a punishment:
Loneliness, loneliess, a vast expanse of loneliness
Loneliness...
THE MUSIC VIDEO
