Waqt Ne Kiya – A Song That Encapsulates a Tragedy

The desolate, deserted setting is a foreboding image of the tragedy that has been played out. The Mentor and his Muse stand apart from each other divided by an invisible chasm of fame and success! She, riding the surging waves of adulation, and he, buried in the pile of neglect and rejection. The huge cavernous sound stage, once abuzz with the mad rush of artistes and crew, lies abandoned — it’s dusty darkness seeking to cover-up the recent fall in its fortunes! All the air, a solemn stillness holds — a sense of impending doom pervades the atmosphere and in that gloom a song emerges — a melody of melancholy.

वक़्त ने किया क्या हंसीं सितम
तुम रहे न तुम हम रहे न हम ||

Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam
Tum rahe na tum hum rahe na hum

Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) is the story of a director Suresh Sinha (Guru Dutt) who has once tasted phenomenal success and popularity and is now in a free fall to an ignominious end with his chronic alcoholism. His marital life, in shambles, was spurred on to creative heights by the arrival of Shanti (Waheeda Rehman) in his life. Seeking solace in her company, he aims to resurrect his personal life. But his daughter Pammi goes to Shanti, asking her to leave him so her parents can have a chance at reconciliation.

Shanti leaves the film industry to teach in a village school, only to be forced to return to fulfill her film commitments. The success of her films takes her to the top. And here, the director, who made her the star, feels abandoned and betrayed. Thus begins the journey that ends in the same studio, which has seen his finest hour and now is a mute witness to his final moments!

Kaifi Azmi’s sublime poetry not just narrates, it recreates this tragedy. His poetry gives it the immortality it deserves. Words oozing pain and frustration pour forth in Geeta Dutt’s euphonious voice –

बेक़रार दिल इस तरह मिले
जिस तरह कभी हम जुदा न थे
तुम भी खो गए, हम भी खो गए
एक राह पर चलके दो क़दम ||

Beqaraar dil is tarha mile
Jis tarha kabhi hum juda na the
Tum bhi kho gaye, hum bhi kho gaye
Ek raah par chalke do qadam

The point of no return

The two souls met, as if they were never apart. And yet today, they lie  sequestered, their dreams shattered – just two steps down the path of hope! And now the point of no return seems to have been reached.

जाएंगे कहाँ सूझता नहीं
चल पड़े मगर रास्ता नहीं
क्या तलाश है कुछ पता नहीं
बुन रहे हैं दिल ख़्वाब दम-ब-दम |

Jaayenge kaha soojhta nahi
Chal pade magar raasta nahi
Kya talaash hai kuchh pata nahi
Bun rahe hain dil khaab dam-ba-dam

 वक़्त ने किया क्या हंसीं सितम
तुम रहे न तुम हम रहे न हम ||

Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam
Tum rahe na tum hum rahe na hum

There is an element of black magic in this song. The dark spaces of the studio seem to be creeping up upon the two people as the inevitable looms in the distance. The black saree and dark coat suggest the darkness lying ahead of the two distressed lovers. And that is when the spell of black magic is broken by a shaft of bright light that sears the gloom and splits the darkness. Into that sanctuary of bliss, two disembodied souls meet—the only place they could meet!

A shaft of bright light that sears the gloom, splits the darkness

Into that sanctuary of bliss, two disembodied souls meet

The song doesn’t just stay away with you—it comes with a 999-year lease. The orchestral music with the deep bass of the violin section—its measured crescendos and mournful movements—the wizardry of photographer V K Murthy and art director M R Acharekar— which light up the pain on Waheeda’s face and the defeat written on Guru Dutt’s stooping shoulders. Every frame, every note, riveting, spellbinding!

The pain on Waheeda’s face and the defeat written on Guru Dutt’s stooping shoulders

Burman Dada’s greatness as a music director lay in the fact that, like a graceful gentleman who believes in “Ladies First,” he always held the door open with “Lyricists First”! And then the ladies—Waheeda, Geeta Dutt, both living the sepulchral mood of a Greek tragedy—one with the flicker of light on her face and the other with the cascading pain in her voice! And before the light and the voice fade into the void of infinity, for all the protagonists, immortality has been achieved!

As Douglas Yates says about unrequited love, “People who are sensible about love are often incapable of it!”

The music, the words and the voice — SD Burman, Kaifi Azmi and Geeta Dutt

More Must Read in Silhouette

Kaifi Azmi: A Poet for the Ages

Pioneering Experiments Which Became Trends: S D Burman and His Music (Part-I)

Geeta Dutt – The Skylark Who Sang From The Heart

The Mesmerizing Moods of Jaane Kya Tune Kahi (Pyaasa)