(Luka Chuppi from the award-winning Hindi movie Rang De Basanti – one for the weekend. Image source: Bollywood Hungama)
Luka Chuppi – damn, it is the song that I have been listening all day long for the past week and I can’t shake it off.
(This song, Luka Chuppi was sung by the legendary Lata Mangeshkar and A R Rahman)
I saw the movie Rang De Basanti starring Amir and the duo from the 3 Idiots sometime ago, liked this song (especially the fast guitarist music in the background which later transcends to haunting tabla music) and this song has been one of the must-have songs that I listen at least once in the morning especially when I am starting on my journey.
A R Rahman is simply brilliant with his composition (the other compositions – Tu Bin Bataye and Roobaroo are brilliant as well) but equally brilliant is the lyrics (I don’t understand Hindi – it is not necessary though, music is a universal language – you can just sense the meaning without you realising it).
It makes the song more touching with the beautiful lyrics is the scene from the movie – where a mother loses her loving son and his friends losing a good friend and they know that he will not be back.
The award-winning lyrists, Prasoon Joshin who wrote the lyrics for this song said that the lyrics were developed while discussing with Rahman the scene about a mother losing her son. Joshi wrote the lyrics about the mother and son playing hide-and-seek with the sad reality of the son being hidden forever. He confessed to having been in tears while Mangeshkar was singing the song.
The soundtrack won the Filmfare Best Music Director Award and had two of its tracks, Khalbali and Luka Chuppi, considered for an Academy Award for Best Original Song nomination (Source: Wikipedia)
The translated lyrics, from Music & Lyrics blog:-
[Mother]
Luka Chuppi bahut huyi saamne aa ja naa
Enough of hide and seek, come before me.
Kahan kahan dhoondha tujhe
I searched for you everywhere.
Thak gayi hai ab teri maa
Your mother is now tired.
Aaja saanjh hui mujhe teri fikar
Its evening and I’m worried about you
Dhundhla gayi dekh meri nazar aa ja na
Hazy is what my sight is, come to me
[Son]
Kya bataoon maa kahan hoon main.
What do I tell you about the place where I am, maa?
Yahan udney ko mere khula aasmaan hai
There is freedom and independence like the vast sky here.
Tere kisson jaisa bhola salona
Like your stories it is innocent and beautiful here
Jahan hain yahan sapno vala
Its like a dreamland here.
Meri patang ho befikar udd rahi hai maa
My kite (I am) is flying without any worries maa.
Dor koi loote nahin beech se kaate na
Nobody to steal or cut my kite’s string.
[Mother]
Teri raah takey aankhiyaan
My eyes are waiting for your arrival.
Jaane kaisa kaisa hoye jiyaa
My heart is going through various emotions.
Dhire dhire aangan uthre andhera, mera deep kahan
Slowly darkness in creeping in the courtyard, where is my lamp(son)
Dhalke suraj kare ishara chanda tu hai kahan
The sun is setting and gesturing to the moon, where are you?
Mere chanda tu hai kahan
Where are you my moon (son)?
[Son]
Kaise tujhko dikhaun yahaan hai kya
How do I show you what is here?
Maine jharne se paani maa, tod ke piya hai
I’ve drunk water from the fountain maa
Guchcha guchcha kayee khwabon ka uchal ke chuwa hai
I’ve touched several clusters of my dreams
Chaaya liye bhali dhoop yahaan hai
The sunlight along with the shade is here
Naya naya sa hai roop yahan
The atmosphere is so different and new
Yahaan sab kuch hai maa phir bhi
All that I want is here maa… but still…
Lage bin tere mujhko akela
Loneliness is what I feel here without you
Have a nice weekend!
Excellent post. I do admit, Rang de Basanti is one of those films that blew me off when I watched it. As always, with Aamir Khan’s films (Lagaan, Dil chahta hai, Rang de Basanti), the scenario was heavy materials.
But, the music was fantastic all round in RDB, it is true. A R Rahman, just like his tamil senior Maestro Ilaiya Raja, is pure genius, this is proved by the fact hat he still keeps making music in perfect tune with the films and spirits of his time.
I’m not particularly crazy about Lata Mangeshkar’s vocals featured in 2000s onwards films (there is virtually no role that she can do playback for, thanks to the invasion of the Kapoor, Padukone, Kaif and Chopra), but I think that she is perfect for this song, as the mother part.