Wo pyaara pyaara pyaara pyaara chanda
Posted on: August 8, 2016
This article is written by Raja, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
A few days ago, on Shakeel Badayuni’s birth anniversary, Atul wrote a post paying tribute to him. In that post, Atul did a thorough analysis of how this blog has covered Shakeel saab. He analysed it by composer and further, by film. It made for very interesting reading.
It was only on reading this post that I realized that this blog has only one song from Wahan Ke Log (1967) covered so far. The film had 5 songs in all, so we still have 4 to go.
I then decided that I’d do my bit to change this situation. This blog is now in its 9th year and has already clocked over 12300 songs, with over 800 films YIPPEEEED so far. And Wahan Ke Log has only contributed ONE song to this blog – and is only 20 per cent of the way to being YIPPEEEED. Bahut na-insaafi hai.
You may well ask, what’s so special about this film? A lot of films have still not been covered here. And there are still many more which are far from YIPPEEEE status. And this film isn’t exactly a Mughal-e-Azam or Awara. Most people have probably not even heard of this film, let alone heard songs from it.
This is true. But this film is very special to me. For a personal reason.
This was one of the films that I subtitled a few years ago. What makes it even more special is that it was my subtitling debut film. I learnt subtitling through this film, making mistakes and correcting them along the way.
But let me take a step back. To May 2010.
(I hope I am able to recount the events correctly – my memory is so bad that I’ve had lunch multiple times a day without realizing it. 🙂 ).
It all started with Bela Bose.
I used to be a regular on memsaab’s (Greta’s) blog in those days. She would post film reviews regularly – and I would thoroughly enjoy reading her reviews. I’d invariably leave a comment too.
That was the time she wrote https://memsaabstory.com/2010/05/26/bela-bose-fans-rejoice/ on Bela Bose. It was to inform all of us that Tom, passionate about reviving and cleaning videos of old films/songs, had produced a fantastic DVD on Bela Bose. Ava had helped him with the subtitling on the project.
Part of the project also included an article in Dutch on Bela Bose. Since I know some Dutch, I offered to translate it into English. An offer that memsaab was very happy to accept.
That was my foray into the world of translation. 🙂
Memsaab then contacted me saying that Tom was looking for subtitling help for a Hindi sci-fi film “Wahan Ke Log”. Ava was not in a position to take this on, so would I be able to help?
I offered to take it on, though I was apprehensive about whether I’d be able to manage it. This was a full-length film, not a 5-min song. And I’d never done subtitling before.
See, for a short video clip (say, a song), one can manage without using software. I could type out the lines (original and translation) and send them over to Tom. He could then get them into the video (with right timings) using software. In fact, this was the modus operandi for Ava.
But for a long video (like a 3 hour film), this approach would be hugely time-consuming, double work and very error prone. It would just not be feasible.
The only feasible solution was that I use the software myself. Get the translations and timings right into the subtitle files that Tom would then later burn into his DVD.
So this is what we decided to do. Tom was very helpful (and patient) all the way. I downloaded free subtitling software as suggested by him. He then gave me some tips on how to use it.
And this was how my subtitling journey started.
With Wahan Ke Log (1967).
I followed it up with Shikari (1963), Samson (1964), Roti (1942), Achhut Kanya (1936), Amar Jyoti (1936), Sikandar (1941), Kismet (1943), Magroor (1950), Shikast (1953), Daera (1953), Maa Beta (1962), Mujhe Jeene Do (1963), Pagla Kahin Ka (1970), Sautela Bhai (1962), Dak Ghar (1966), Miss Frontier Mail (1936), Kashmakash (1973). And maybe a few others that I don’t now remember.
It did take a lot of time to subtitle a full-length film. After all, one has to go through every single dialogue and do the translation. One has to keep in mind “literal translation” often doesn’t work – in fact, it often looks silly. The meaning is more important. One has to also keep in mind space on screen – I used to be verbose 🙂 and had to learn to be more crisp. Also, very importantly, one had to time it correctly.
Besides, I would sometimes have problems with quality of audio. That meant the dialogues wouldn’t be clear, making subtitling even more difficult. Sometimes I’d just not get the “right” translation, though I knew the meaning perfectly well. Not every word in Hindi/Urdu translates well in English.
All in all, each film was an experience in itself. And a thoroughly enjoyable one. As I told memsaab, I was enjoying watching each of the films while subtitling it – not one of them bored me. And I watched all of them multiple times during that process because I would have to replay dialogues often.
In all this, I got a lot of help from Ava. Though she was not in a position to subtitle entire films, she often took care of the song translations. That saved me a lot of time. I’d just have to fit her translation at the right timing into the subtitles.
I remember we once even took the help of Sudhirji. It was a really tough (but fun) song for Miss Frontier Mail (1936) with references to horse racing and the like. Both Ava and I were struggling, so , out of desperation, we approached Sudhirji. And typical of him, he painstakingly did research, contacted friends and got back to us with the best-possible translation one could manage.
It was a good time – of course, all a labour of love, as these projects invariably are. We do it because we want to. I’ve seen foreign-language films which I’ve wished would have been subtitled, so I know how useful subtitles can be.
And then, when we have passionate Hindi film fans like memsaab, Tom, Todd, Mike, Carla, Beth and many more, who just love Hindi films but are prevented by the language barrier at times from enjoying them even more, why not help out? New films invariably have subtitles nowadays but the older ones, especially the less-famous ones which are not seen as worth re-releasing with subtitles, often don’t.
I must admit that all this subtitling was done years ago when I had more time. Now I don’t – and I haven’t subtitled for a while now. I think I’ve even forgotten how to use that software. (Am not even sure it works anymore).
Anyway, so this was the long story behind Wahan Ke Log (1967) and why I have a special attachment to it. 🙂 When I saw the film’s name in that post by Atul, it brought back memories. In fact, I have a special attachment to each of the films mentioned above, if only because of the subtitling. (Imagine if I can get so attached to a film just because I did some subtitling, how must directors and others involved in a film feel about it?)
Moving on now to the song for today.
It is “ye pyara pyara pyara pyara chanda”, picturised on Johnny Walker, Laxmi Chhaya and other dancers in a club scene. It is a fun song, sung by Mahendra Kapoor to Shakeel Badayuni’s lyrics and C. Ramchandra’s music. For a lyricist known for his Urdu, these are surprisingly “light” and “fun” lyrics for Shakeel saab.
Wahan Ke Log (1967) is directed by N.A Ansari for his home production Bundel Khand Productions. And as he often does, he acts too in the film – which is always a plus for me. I enjoy watching him, with his multiple plots and disguises, trying to pull one over the hero and the police. Much as in Zindagi Aur Maut (1965), another of his home productions, he doesn’t disappoint .
I will not discuss the story of the film here – anybody interested can go over to Memsaab’s blog and read her detailed review of the film. I’ll just say, for a Hindi film, it is an early attempt at sci-fi. And that itself is charming. The “flying saucer” and associated paraphernalia, mechanically constructed (no computers for these things in those days!) , is a tribute to N.A Ansari’s creativity.
Then there are the Bond-like scenes, of secret codes, chases and the like. Pradeep Kumar and Tanuja play the main leads, but for me, NA Ansari and Nilofar (as his assistant) steal the show. As is often the case, Johnny Walker is Pradeep Kumar’s friend (and help) who helps him solve the case.
Let’s now enjoy the song which takes place in a club. It is a catchy song, with Laxmi Chhaya as vibrant as ever, lighting up the dance floor, together with a bevy of other dancers.
Lyrics have been provided by Ava. She thoughtfully sent them over to me when she realized I wanted to post songs of this film.
Song-Woh pyaara pyaara pyaara pyaara chanda (Wahaan Ke Log)(1967) Singer-Mahendra Kapoor, Lyrics-Shakeel Badayuni, MD-C Ramchandra
Lyrics(Provided by Ava Suri)
Wo pyaara pyaara pyaara pyaar chanda
ye gol gol gol dharti
wahaan ke log
wahaan ke log
wahaan ke log heere
yahaan ke log moti
chibachi chibaaba
chibachi chibaaba
chibachi ba
chibachi ba
chibachi chibachibabiboobiba
chibachi chibaba
chibachi chibaba
chibachi ba
chibachi ba
chibachi chibachibabiboobiba
yeh gulbadan zameen ke
aakaash ke wo taare
donon se ishq apna
donon hain hamko pyaare
pariyon ki ek mehfil
hai apne dil ki nagri
chibachi chibaba
chibachi chibaba
chibachi ba
chibachi ba
chibachi chibachibabiboobiba
upar ke log jaanen
ulfat ke rang bharna
neeche ke log jaanen
din raat twist karna
donon jagah ke dilbar
hain mast aur mauji
chibachi chibaba
chibachi chibaba
chibachi ba
chibachi ba
chibachi chibachibabiboobiba
Wo pyaara pyaara pyaara pyaara chanda
yeh gol gol gol dharti
wahaan ke log
wahaan ke log
wahaan ke log heere
yahaan ke log moti
chibachi chibaba
chibachi chibaba
chibachi ba
chibachi ba
chibachi chibachibabiboobiba
7 Responses to "Wo pyaara pyaara pyaara pyaara chanda"
August 8, 2016 at 6:27 pm
Raja ji,
An excellent write up on your ‘ sub titling ‘ activities. It made a very interesting read. Enjoyed. Thanks.
-AD
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August 8, 2016 at 9:35 pm
Yes, those were the days. I loved doing translations for Tom. At times I would get stuck on the most simple of words. How does one translate ‘Chunri’ or ‘Anchal’ It is so hard to convey the whole sense of this in one word. Then one had to listen to a line over and over again. Often, because of repeated listening, I was able to get the meanings of the lyrics even more clearly.
While using the subtitling software, I had to keep fine-tuning the timing and it was a very laborious work. Yet, when it was done, it was VERY rewarding.
Right now I am hooked to Korean Series and I would not have understood even a WORD without subtitling. Often some episodes are ruined for me because of poorly timed, or poorly translated subtitles. So I am able to appreciate how good subtitling is able to bring the world together, where we can appreciate the art and culture of another country even better.
This song was such fun to do. Johnny Walker us a very good dancer, he was able to match steps with Laxmi Chhaya so well.
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August 8, 2016 at 11:47 pm
Dear Shri Raja,
Absolutely loved your post.
I too never missed N. A. Ansari’s films.
I realize that the subtitling work is back-breaking work requiring very long hours and lots of patience.
Kudos to all aficionados like Memsaab, Tom, Ava, Thandapani, you and others of your ilk.
Best wishes,
Avadh Lal
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
August 8, 2016 at 4:18 pm
a very good nostalgic trip down memory lane Rajaji.
a small doubt how does one have multiple lunches or were they multiple helpingS? 😉
what is a translation software?
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August 8, 2016 at 5:45 pm
No, this was not translation software. I think there might be automated tools out there which generate translations nowadays but I did it line by line.
The software I am talking about is subtitling software. The one I used was a simple one called Sub Station Alpha. Was free, I just downloaded it from the internet.
As for multiple lunches, it is more like, having lunch at 12.30. Then forgetting one has had lunch and having another “lunch” at 1.30. Then forgetting one has had lunch and having ANOTHER “lunch” at 2.30. 🙂 That’s how bad my memory is. 🙂
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August 8, 2016 at 5:50 pm
Awwww! That bad!!!!
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