By Anil Raturi
Song and dance have become an intrinsic part of Hindi films. Many of these songs have attained legendary status. Listening to such songs,makes one feel nostalgic. These songs tend to forge a bond amongst us, as a people. A bond that emanates from a sense of a shared culture.
This feeling is common even amongst the global Indian diaspora.
As each one of us has unique tastes, it is difficult to say which song is the best.
In any case, music is an aspect of art and hence it is not amenable to mathematical quantification.
It is now close to a century since songs were first introduced in Hindi films in “Alam Ara” – 1931.
Therefore, it was an interesting exercise, when in 2006 the “Outlook” magazine tried to figure out which is the best ever Hindi film song.
It constituted a 30 member jury for this task.
The jury had renowned film professionals, musicians, singers, lyricists, etc., including well-known names such as Gulzar, Manna Dey, Khayyam, Mahendra Kapoor, Javed Akhtar, Rajesh Roshan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sonu Nigam, Kumar Sanu, Anu Malik, Kailash Kher, Prasoon Joshi and others for selecting the best ever song through voting.
The song that was finally selected as the best ever was from the 1964 film, “Chitralekha”– “Man Re Tu Kahe Na Dheer Dhare!”
It is a profound philosophical masterpiece written by Sahir Ludhianvi, composed by Roshan and soulfully rendered by Mohammed Rafi.
“Chitralekha” (1964) was directed by Kidar Sharma and was based on Bhagwati Charan Verma’s classic Hindi novel by the same name. The story explores deep moral dilemmas, human frailties, the conflict between sin and virtue, and the illusion of worldly attachments. The director required a song that expressed the emotions of a man who has to come to terms with life, after losing all that mattered to him. In the context of the film, the moment occurs when the protagonist Bijgupt’s beloved Chitralekha forsakes him.
As the period of the story predates the use of Persian/Urdu lexicon in India, the challenge that Sahir (a predominantly Urdu poet) faced was to use only Hindi words in the lyrics.
According to anecdotes, just when Sahir was confronting this challenge Kidar Sharma narrated Tulsidas’s couplet:
“Man tu kahe naa dheer dharata ab, Dheer dhare sab karaja sudharata.”
Inspired by this, Sahir Ludhianvi beautifully built the rest of the deeply philosophical and reflective verses around it.
Roshan set the tune in Raag Yaman Kalyan (an evening Raag) utilising a serene, meditative classical framework that mirrors a quiet internal monologue. Instead of booming orchestration, the arrangement relies on subtle classical elements like the flute, sitar, and soft tabla to capture a sense of resignation and calm. It is said that unlike the relatively sharper notes of Raag Yaman, Raag Yaman Kalyan has flatter notes which are conducive to inducing calmness. It blends “shringar ras” with “bhakti”.
Mohammed Rafi poured intense, unadorned vulnerability into the track. Rather than singing it like a standard playback performance, he approached it as a gentle reprimand to a restless human heart, advising it to accept life’s transient nature. “Man re tu kahe na dheer dhare” (Oh my dear heart why aren’t you more patient?).
It is said that after the recording, Rafi embraced Roshan and said, “Today I have sung not for money but for piety!”
The lyrics capture the inevitability of sorrow, the illusion of youth and beauty, and the ultimate solitude of the human journey -“Janma maran kaa mel hai sapnaa, ye sapnaa bisraa de, koi na sang mare.”
The words “koi na sang mare” have an indefinable wisdom which insinuates that howsoever much someone may love you, still when the mortal moment of death approaches, you will have to face it alone. There no one can take your place. You will have to face your own fate alone!
That is the truth!
Knowing it and internalising it brings a sense of calm that accompanies acceptance.
In this sense “Man re tu kahe na dheer dhare…” becomes an immortal song that articulates the truth of human predicament in a sublime manner!
Something akin to what Keats says:
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, – that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
(Anil Raturi is a retired IPS officer and former DGP, Uttarakhand.)
