Koi Chupke Se Aake: The Unspoken Melody of the Past

The shock of seeing him almost freezes her

The door-bell rings and the woman of the house opens it herself. What she sees, is the totally unexpected face of a man who is her past. A past which had been tucked away, untraceable, unreachable like a vault that had been closed and the key thrown away!

The shock of seeing him almost freezes her. As he talks, the words barely register in her brain. But slowly, as his presence percolates in her mind, she moves the hand that is barring his entry, letting him in, her face still a blank canvas, hiding the turmoil, trying to smother that prohibited whiff of pleasure that has sprung-up, and her heart starts to hum a silent song!

Koi chupke se aake

She moves the hand that is barring his entry

He moves around the flat, unfazed by her less than warm reception, completely at ease, and then she thinks, “Look at him, he’s not carrying any baggage from the past and here I am, rooted and dazed by his presence”. She snaps out of it – but the song refuses to stop –

Door kahin bole papiha, piya aa,
mausam suhaana
Tarse hai koi yahaan, aa bhi ja,
karke bahaana 

He moves around the flat, unfazed

Her mind has broken the shackles and has started roaming. Feelings that lay submerged rise to the surface, and she starts feeling the forbidden pull to have him back in her life. But how could that happen? What reason could she provide?

Kaun sa bahaana, kaisa bahaana
Kitna mushkil hai yah bataana
Dekho phir bhi koi bhaa raha hai
Kaun bhaaye yah main kaise jaanu 

She understands the futility but cannot fully suppress the urge. The lines continue Koi chupke se aake!

At this juncture, when no one is speaking, the Director (Basu Bhattacharya) steps in with a subtle touch of his craft. At first one hears the loud ticking of the clock, almost echoing the pulsating heartbeats of Tanuja. And in another moment, when both fall silent, there is the whirring of the ceiling fan, resonating the palpitations of the unexpected guest! And then Dinesh Thakur seeks solace from rubbing a glass of cold water against his face, trying to calm his nerves. Small touches that speak louder than words.

She ruminates, the emptiness that occupies her life

Pyaasa hai dil ka gagan, pyaar ki agni jalaaye
Palkon men qaid hai saawan, honthhon tak baat na aaye

She ruminates, the emptiness that occupies her life, the wait for someone to kindle the fire. Desires that have been shooed away, locked in the deep recesses of her mind, never to reach the lips. The thirst, unquenched, comes surging back –

Baat aate aate raat ho gayi
Chaahon ki baaraat, chhod gayi saath
Baat aate aate ho gayi raat

Missed opportunities, beckoning fulfillment, and the long train of desires that has melted in the dark. She giggles at the tragedy of it all –

Itni raat gaye kaise gaaun – ha ha ha

A forbidden breeze stirs those embers

But still, the song continues to haunt –

Dekho phir bhi koi gaa raha hai
Kaun gaaye yeh main kaise jaanu

The song fills the atmosphere like smoke that rises when some dying embers are stirred – this time unknowingly! A forbidden breeze stirs those embers and the crackling lights up those dark recesses of the mind where unwanted memories have been stowed – albeit carelessly. And in a moment, they all come gushing out in the form of these beautiful lyrics.

Unwanted memories

The lyricism of aa raha hai, jaa raha hai, gaa raha hai is seamless in its appearance in the song, but Chaahon ki baaraat, chhod gayi saath is, to me, the magnificent crystallisation of the lament, the pain, and the opening of the long-forgotten wound! There is the clear interplay of baat and raat in the unique opening line –

Koi chupke se aake
Sapne sajaake mujhko jagaake bole
takes the cake! (The lyricist Kapil Kumar deserves a salute)!

This dilemma, the conundrum, and the whirlpool of emotions

Loneliness can be a dangerous host to the growth of imagination. It is the forbidden apple syndrome, which has been played over and over again across centuries. The mind yearns for the prohibited, out of reach, and proscribed moral codes. This song reflects the dilemma, the conundrum, and the whirlpool of emotions that threatened the marriage of the protagonists with lyrical accuracy! A difficult subject, rarely tackled, but sensitively penned by Kapil Kumar (by the way where did he disappear?)

Geeta Dutt

If the poet captures the dharmasankat then Geeta puts life in the song. Her voice weaves a fabric of emotions that lie shimmering in the lyrics. Sometimes playful, sometimes sad, sometimes guilty, at times brazen, at time shy, myriad moods all expressed with a disarming simplicity. People often confuse simple with simplicity. Simplicity is the crowning glory of expression. Complexitiy is impressive but the simplicity of Geeta Dutt’s singing — from the first Koi chupke se aake sapne sajaake mujhko jagaake bole to the reprise kaun aaye – to the nervous giggle in between – is nothing short of Genius – and I am putting it simply.

Anubhav was a movie ahead of its time. The lead pair – Sanjeev Kumar and Tanuja are a delight to watch. Both share a comfort level with not just each other but even the camera! The emotional turmoil that hits them gives them ample scope to underscore the maxim – “Less acting is indeed great acting”.

Black and White movies lend a starkness and proximity to emotional stories and that is amply visible in Anubhav. After time, some of the scenes that have fascinated you, entranced you, or transfixed you may fade. But time cannot diminish the magnificent score of Kanu Roy and the seductive, plaintive, effervescent songs (4 in all) of Geeta Dutt!

A cinematic masterpiece!
An abiding Anubhav in itself!

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