ham dekhnewaaloN kii nazar dekh rahe haiN

Ustad Dagh Dehlvi was as prolific as his verse was captivating. He had this great ability to compose couplets that were easy to understand (at least for the average Urdu/Hindi speaker of his day), and capture very simple, yet alluring images in those couplets. That's very much the same goal that film lyricists have: they want the songs they write to be memorable, and a song that's easy to understand is easy to memorize, hai na?. Little wonder, therefore, that a number of his works have been adapted into film songs time and again. In this post, we visit the matla of a Ghazal by Dagh that has been used not once but twice by different lyric writers in different films. The couplet is simply too good! -- sab log jidhar woh hain udhar dekh rahe hain ham dekhnewaalon ki nazar dekh rahe hain The first recorded use of this verse we know of is in the film Gyarah Hazaar Ladkiyan (1962) by none other than Majrooh Sultanpuri. The song is set as a cabaret song in a restaurant, with Helen on the screen lipsynching Asha's vocals for music director N. Dutta. Gyarah Hazaar Ladkiyan is a movie that was ostensibly based on the life of the emerging new woman of India -- the 11,000 working women in various jobs in the roaring metropolis of Mumbai (then, Bombay). Here's the song. Doesn't Helen look cute? As we can see, Majrooh used Dagh's words verbatim, with no modification or alteration. About a decade later, in the film Sabak (1973), Saawan Kumar (credited as "Sawan") reused the same couplet, with a very small modification; he writes: woh jidhar dekh rahe hain, sab udhar dekh rahe hain ham to bas dekhnewaalon ki nazar dekh rahe hain Such a minor change that it is 100% obvious where the couplet is copied from, right? This time it's Suman Kalyanpur singing under Usha Khanna's baton. The "singer" on the screen is Poonam, Shatrughan Sinha's wife! Not sure Dagh could have ever imagined that his verse would figure in cabarets and party songs!

koii hamdam na rahaa koii sahaaraa na rahaa.

The original written by J S Kashyap for Jeevan Naiya (1936)

kishore used the same song with the same tune and the mukhRa for Jhumroo (1961), Majrooh changed the words of the antaras

Here's the original



and the more popular version

kyaa huaa ik baat par barsoN ka yaaraanaa gayaa

Majrooh Sultanpuri's song in Teri Kasam (1982) inspired by Khatir Ghaznavi's (1925-2008) Ghazal

go zaraa sii baat par barsoN ke yaaraane ga_e
lekin itnaa to huaa kuchh log pahchaane ga_e

maiN ise shohrat kahuuN yaa apnii rusvaa_i kahuuN
mujh se pahle us galii meN mere afsaane ga_e

yuuN to wo merii rag-e-jaaN se bhii the nazdiik tar
aaNsuoN kii dhund meN lekin na pahchaane ga_e

vahshateN kuchh is tarah apnaa muqaddar ho gayiiN
ham jahaaN pahuNche hamaare saath viiraane ga_e

ab bhii un yaadoN kii Kushbuu zahen meN mahfuuz hai
baaraha ham jin se gulzaaroN ko mahkaane ga_e

kyaa qayaamat hai ki Kaatir kushta-e-shab bhi the ham
jab hui subah to mujrim hum hi gardaane ga_e


here is a rendition in Mehdi Hasan's voice

Dar na muhabbat kar le/do lafzoN kii hai

Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote the following song for Andaz (1949)

duniyaa faanii tuu bhii faanii
letaa jaa ulfat kii nishaanii
do lafazo.n kii ek kahaanii
ek mohabbat ek javaanii
yaad ise tuu kar le\- 2
Dar naa mohabbat kar le\- 2



In The Great Gambler (1979) thirty years later Anand Bakhshi used it as:
do lafzoN kii hai dil kii kahaanii
yaa hai muhabbat yaa hai jawaanii

kisne chilaman se maaraa

Saher Bhopali {Siraj Mir Khan} 1857-1918 wrote

siine me.n dil hai dil me.n daaG, daaGo.n me.n soz-o-saaz-e-ishq,
parda ba parda hai pinhaa.n parda nashee.n kaa raaz-e-ishq

baa.ndh ke saf ho.n sab khaRe, teG ke saath sar jhuke
aaj to qatlgaah me.n dhuum se ho namaaz-e-ishq

farsh-e-zamii.n pe mustafaa, arsh-e-barii.n pe kibriyaa
pahu.nchaa kahaa.n se kahaa.n silsila-e-daraaz-e-ishq

Majrooh Sultanpuri used the first sher as an antara in the song "kisne chilaman se maaraa nazaaraa mujhe" from Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962)

charaaG dil ka jalaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

Firaq Gorakhpuri's exquisite Ghazal was an inspiration for a great filmi Ghazal written by Majrooh Sultanpuri.

sukuut-e-shaam miTaao bahut a.ndheraa hai
suKan kii sham'a jalaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

dayaar-e-Gam me.n dil-e-beqaraar chhuuT gayaa
sambhal ke Dhuu.nDhane jaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

ye raat vo ke suujhe jahaa.n na haath ko haath
Kayaalo duur na jaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

laTo.n ko chehare pe Daale vo so rahaa hai kahii.n
ziyaa-e-ruKh ko churaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

havaa_e.n niim shabii ho.n ki chaadar-e-a.njum
naqaab ruK se uThaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

shab-e-siyaah me.n gum ho ga_ii hai raah-e-hayaat
qadam sambhal ke uThaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

guzashtaa ahd kii yaado.n ko phir karo taazaa
bujhe charaaG jalaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

thii ek uchaTatii hu_ii nii.nd zi.ndagii usakii
'Firaq' ko na jagaao bahut a.ndheraa hai

For the film Chiraag(1960) Majrooh Sultanpuri used the same refrain - bahut a.ndhera hai.

ham aur tum aur ye samaaN

So, what are the chances that the beginning of a song sung by the same singer and picturised on the same actor would be the same?

In 1959 Usha Khanna debuted as an Music Director for Dil Deke Dekho. The shooting was nearly complete when Shammi Kapoor heard Usha humming a tune. He liked it so much that asked it to be included in the film. The result was "ham aur tum aur ye samaa.n kyaa nashaa nashaa sa hai" by Majrooh.




The next year Shankar Jaikishen looked beyond Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri for the first time and got Rajinder Krishen to write for College Girl. Perhaps Rajinder Krishen too liked the 1959 song as much as Shammi Kapoor, for he added "lovely lovely lovely" to ham aur tum aur ye samaa.n!



Of course both Shailendra and Hasrat were livid with SJ for going to another lyricist. A miffed Shailendra wrote "chhoTii sii ye duniyaa pahchaane raaste hain tum kahee.n to miloge, kabhii to miloge, to puuchhe.nge haal." Which was later tuned by SJ for Rangoli!

diiwaanaa aadamii ko banaatii haiN roTiyaaN

Nazeer Akbarabadi (1740-1830) wrote extensively. roTiyaaN is a famous nazm of his:

jab aadamii ke peT me.n aatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
phuulii nahii.n badan me.n samaaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
aa.Nkhe.n parii_ruKho.n se la.Daatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
siine uupar bhii haath chalaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
jitane maze hai.n sab ye dikhaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
roTii se jis kaa naak talak peT hai bharaa
karataa phire hai kyaa vo uchhal kuud jaa ba jaa
diivaar phaa.Nd kar ko_ii koThaa uchhal gayaa
ThaaThTha ha.Nsii sharaab sanam saaqii is sivaa
sau sau tarah kii dhuum machaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
jis jaa pe haa.NDii chuulhaa tavaa aur tanuur hai
Khaaliq kii qudarato.n kaa usii jaa zahuur hai
chuulhe ke aage aa.Nch jo jalatii huzuur hai
jitane hai.n nuur sab me.n yahii Kaas nuur hai
is nuur ke sabab nazar aatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
aave tave tanuur kaa jis jaa zabaa.N pe naam
yaa chakkii chuulhe kaa jahaaN gulzaar ho tamaam
vaaN sar jhukaa ke kiijiye DanDavat aur salaam
is vaaste ke Kaas ye roTii ke hai.n muqaam
pahale inhiiN makaanoN meN aatii haiN roTiyaaN
in roTiyoN ke nuur se sab dil haiN puur puur
aaTaa nahii.n hai chhalanii se chhan chhan gire hai nuur
pe.Daa har ek us kaa hai barfii-o-motii chuur
har_giz kisii tarah na bujhe peT kaa tanuur
is aag ko magar ye bujhaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
puuchhaa kisii ne ye kisii kaamil faqiir se
ye mehr-o-maah haq ne banaaye hai.n kaahe ke
vo sun ke bolaa baabaa Khudaa tujh ko Khair de
ham to na chaa.Nd samajhe na suuraj hai.n jaanate
baabaa hame.n to ye nazar aatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
phir puuchhaa us ne kahiye ye hai dil kaa nuur kyaa
is ke mushaahide me.n hai khulataa zahuur kyaa
vo bolaa sun ke teraa gayaa hai sha_uur kyaa
kashf-ul-quluub aur ye kashf-ul-qubuur kyaa
jitane hai.n kashf sab ye dikhaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
roTii jab aa_ii peT me.n sau qand ghul gaye
gul_zaar phuule aa.Nkho.n me.n aur aish tul gaye
do tar nivaale peT me.n jab aa ke dhul gaye
chaudaa tabaq ke jitane the sab bhed khul gaye
ye kashf ye kamaal dikhaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
roTii na peT me.n ho to phir kuchh jatan na ho
mele kii sair Khvaahish-e-baaG-o-chaman na ho
bhuuke Gariib dil kii Khudaa se lagan na ho
sach hai kahaa kisii ne ke bhuuke bhajan na ho
allaah kii bhii yaad dilaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
ab jin ke aage maal_puye bhar ke thaal hai.n
puurii bhagat unhii.n kii vo saahab ke laal hai.n
aur jin ke aage rauGanii aur shiir_maal hai
aarif vohii hai.n aur vohii saahab kamaal hai.n
pakii pakaa_ii ab jinhe.n aatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
kapa.De kisii ke laal hai.n roTii ke vaaste
lambe kisii ke baal hai.n roTii ke vaaste
baa.Ndhe ko_ii rumaal hai rotii ke vaaste
sab kashf aur kamaal hai.n rotii ke vaaste
jitane hai.n ruup sab ye dikhaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
roTii se naache piyaadaa qavaayad dikhaa dikhaa
asavaar naache gho.De ko kaavaa lagaa lagaa
ghungharuu ko baa.Ndhe paik bhii phirataa hai naachataa
aur is ke sivaa Gaur se dekho to jaa ba jaa
sau sau tarah ke naach dikhaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
duniyaa me.n ab badii na kahii.n aur niko_ii hai
na dushmanii va dostii na tund kho_ii hai
ko_ii kisii kaa aur kisii kaa na ko_ii hai
sab ko_ii hai usii kaa ke jis haath Do_ii hai
naukar nafar Gulaam banaatii hai.n roTiyaa.N
roTii kaa ab azal se hamaaraa to hai Khamiir
ruukhii bhii roTii haq me.n hamaare hai shahad-o-shiir
yaa patalii hove moTii Khamiirii ho yaa katiir
gehuu.N ju_aar baajare kii jaisii ho 'Nazeer'
ham ko sab tarah kii Khush aatii hai.n roTiyaa.N




Majrooh Sultanpuri reworked this as diwaanaa aadamii ko banaatii hain roTiyaan for Kali Topi Lal Rumal (1959)

raahii manvaa dukh kii chintaa

Listen to Fani Badayuni's Ghazal:

goyaa nahii.n taGHaaful-o-tamkii.n me.n ko_ii farq
itnii bhii aadmii ko umiid-e-karam na ho

GHam bhii guzashtanii hai KHushii bhii guzashtanii
kar GHam ko iKHtiyaar ke guzre to GHam na ho.

manzuur har navishta-e-taqdiir hai mujhe
lekin vo jis me.n harf-e-tamanna raqam na ho

har lamha-e-hayaat hai begaana-e-hayaat
faanii hayaat se hii ibaarat adam na ho.

Majrooh expressed the same thought as the second she'r at the beginning of raahii manvaa dukh kii chintaa kyuu.n sataatii hai in Dosti (1964)

o kaalii Topii waale zaraa/o laal dupaTTe waalii teraa

Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote "o kaalii Topii waale zaraa naam to bataa" in Kali Topi Lal Rumal(1959)


Indivar copied the phrase but managed to massacre the grammar in "o laal dupaTTe waalii teraa naam to bataa" in Aankhen(1993)

jaate ho to jaao/aa_e haiN duur se

In "Jaate ho to jaao par jaaoge kahaaN" from Milap (1955) written by Sahir, the first antara is the same as the mukhRa used by Majrooh in Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957)

tum jiyo hazaaroN saal saal ke din hoN pachaas hazaar

Mirza Ghalib prayed for Bahadur Shah Zafar's long life when he wrote

tum salaamat raho hazaar baras
har baras ke hoN din pachaas hazaar

Majrooh rewrote it as tum jiyo hazaaroN saal, saal ke din hoN pachaas hazaar in Sujata (1959)

pattaa pattaa buuTaa buuTaa

One of Mir Taqi Mir's most famous Gazal is "pattaa pattaa buuTaa buuTaa haal hamaaraa jaane hai, jaane na jaane gul hii na jaane baaG to saaraa jaane hai" Majrooh used this sher as the mukhRaa of a song in Ek Nazar(1972)

Mir's Ghazal:

patta patta, buuTa buuTa, haal hamaaraa jaane hai,
jaane na jaane gul hi na jaane, baaGH to saaraa jaane hai.

aage us mutakabbar ke ham KHuda KHuda kiya karte haiN,
kab maujuud Khuda ko woh maGHrur KHud-aara jaane hai.

aashiq saa to saada koii aur na hoga duniyaa meN,
jii ke ziaaN ko ishq meN uske apna waara jaane hai.

chaaraa garii biimari-e-dil ki rasm-e-shahr-e-husn nahiiN,
varna dilbar-e-naadaaN bhii is dard kaa chaara jaane hai.

mehr-o-wafa-o-lutf-o-inaayat, ek se waaqif in meN nahin,
aur to sab kuchh tanz-o-kinaaya, ramz-o-ishaara jaane hai.

aashiq to murdah hai hamesha jii uThta hai dekhe use,
yaar ke aa jaane ko yakaayak umr dobaara jaane hai.

tishna-e-khuuN hai apna kitna, Mir bhi naadaan, talKHi-kash,
damdaar aab-e-teGH ko uske aab-e-gawara jaane hai.

zamaane ko dikhaanaa hai

Jigar Muradabadi wrote a Ghazal in which one of the couplets is:
kyaa husn ne samjha hai kyaa ishq ne jaanaa hai
ham Kaak nashiino.n kii Thokar me.n zamaanaa hai.

All Nasir Husain films used to begin with this sh'er.

Majrooh Sultanpuri used it in the beginning of the title song/qawwaali of Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai (1981):



By the way, there is another very famous couplet in the same Ghazal:
yeh 'ishq nahii.n aasaa.N, bas itnaa samajh leeje
ik aag kaa daryaa hai, aur Doob ke jaanaa hai

Do you remember any song that uses this couplet?

Thahari_e hosh meN/dil-e-naadaaN ko sambhaaluuN

Majrooh wrote "Thahari_e hosh me.n aa luu.n to chale jaai_egaa, aap ko dil me.n biThaa luu.n to chale jaai_egaa for the film Mohabbat Isko Kahte Hain (1965).



Kaifi Azmi wrote
dil-e-naadaa.n ko sa.nbhaaluu.n to chale jaai_gaa,
ek zaraa hosh me.n aa luu.n to chale jaai_egaa for Farar (1965).


Both films were released in the same year, and both songs were tuned exquisitely- the former by Khayyam and the latter by Hemant Kumar.

ye terii saadgii ye teraa baa.nkpan/sonaa nahii.n naa sahii

Mir Vazeer Ali Saba (1793-1855 C.E.)wrote:
tirchhii nazro.n se na dekho aashiq-e-dilgiir ko
kaise tiirandaaz ho siidhaa to kar lo tiir ko

Javed Anwar used this she'r in the song
"ye terii saadgii ye teraa baa.nkpan"
tirchhii nazro.n se na dekho aashiq-e-dilgiir ko
kaise tiirandaaz ho siidhaa to kar lo tiir ko
and added
vo gayaa dil meraa alvidaa alvidaa

in the film Shabnam (1964)



Majrooh Sultanpuri used the same she'r in the song
"sonaa nahii.n naa sahii, chaa.ndii nahii.n naa sahii"

and added

vo baRaa tez hai jo diiwaanaa hai meraa
huu.n usii kii shikaar jo nishaanaa hai meraa
to kholo zulfe.n inkii Kushbuu me.n mahak jaauu.n zaraa
gore tan kii chaa.Ndanii me.n phir chamak jaa_uu.N zaraa
chalo do pal ham ik duuje me.n kho jaaye.n is tarah
bahut din ke tarasate lab lipaT jaaye.n jis tarah
sajan sun-naa jaan-e-tamannaa
sajan sun-naa jaan-e-tamannaa tere liye
sonaa nahii.n naa sahii chaa.ndii nahii.n naa sahii

in the film One Two Ka Four (2001)

*Javed-Anwar were actually two people. Javed was the taKallus of Usha Khanna's father who wrote lyrics under the name of Manohar Khanna as well as ML Khanna, and Anwar in this duo was another lyricist who wrote separately as Rahil Gorakhpuri.

terii aa.nkho.n ke siwaa duniyaa me.n rakhaa kyaa hai

"terii aa.kno.n ke sivaa duniyaa me.n rakhaa kyaa hai" is a line from Faiz Ahmad Faiz's nazm " mujh sii pahlii sii muhabbat merii mahbuub na maa.ng".
Raj Khosla, the director of the movie Chirag (1969) was a student of Faiz and wanted to use in a song in the film. Majrooh only relented after Faiz gave his wriiten permission to use this line as a mukhRhaa.

a_e dil mujhe aisii jagah le chal

Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib wrote

rahiye ab aisii jagah chal kar jahaa.n ko_ii na ho
hamsuKan ko_ii na ho aur hamzabaa.n ko_ii na ho

be dar-o-diiwaar saa ik ghar banaayaa chaahiye
ko_ii hamsaayaa na ho aur paasbaa.n ko_ii na ho

paRiye gar biimaar to ko_ii na ho biimaardaar
aur agar mar jaa_iye to nauhaKwa.n ko_ii na ho

Majrooh Sultanpuri turned it into a song for Arzoo (1950)

a_e dil mujhe aisii jagah le chal jahaan ko_ii na ho
apnaa paraayaa mehrbaa.n naamehrbaa.n ko_ii na ho




Incidentally four years later in Sohrab Modi's Film "Mirza Ghalib" (1954) his whole Ghazal was sung by Suraiya.

zer-e-diiwaar khaRe hai.n/ daGaa daGaa va_ii

Listen to Kaifi Azmi's

zer-e-diiwaar khaRe hai.n teraa kyaa lete hai.n
dekh lete hai.n tapish dil kii bujhaa lete hai.n

from Sakhi Hatim (1955) Music Director: A R Qureshi; Singer: Talat Mehmood.

and Majrooh Sultanpuri's following lines from the song
"daGaa daGaa va_ii va_ii va_ii" :

yuu.nhii raaho.n me.n khaRe hai.n teraa kyaa lete hai.n
dekh lete hai.n jalan dil kii miTaa lete hai.n

from Kaali Topi Lal Roomal (1959), Music Director: Chitragupt; Singer: Lata Mangeshkar