Piyaa toraa kaisa abhimaan
Posted on: September 24, 2023
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in other sites without the knowledge and consent of the web administrator of atulsongaday.me, then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
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‘Raincoat’ (2004) was produced by Shri Venkatesh Films and was directed by Rituparno Ghosh. Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were in the lead roles supported by Anu Kapoor, Mauli Ganguly, Pradip Adhikari, Kailash Koppikar, Surekha Sikri, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Kameshwar Mishra etc. The film was adapted from the story, ‘Gift of Magi’ (1906) by O Henry which has been acknowledged in the film’s credit titles. The shooting of this film was completed in 16 days in Kolkata.
The film is a poignant love story of two childhood friends, Ajay and Aishwarya Rai who get separated by destiny. Now both married with different spouses facing financial difficulties. They meet in Kolkata and their story starts. The gist of the story of the film has already been covered in the article by K Satish Shenoy. When I had watched the film for the first time, I had no idea as to how the film would end. But it turned out to be an unexpected one. Ajay Devgan pretends to be a successful TV Serial producer to Aishwarya Rai, while she in turn, pretends to be the wife of a wealthy husband with servants, drivers, etc. In reality, both have unhappy marriage and are in financial difficulties. Their reason for pretension is not because they want to show off to each other. Both have feelings for each other this pretension is out of concern to avoid the stress for each other. Hence, it is challenging for both the lead actors and the director to maintain a delicate balance between the light humour and the poignancy. This is one of the best films I have watched in the recent period. Both Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan have given excellent performances which are contrary to their images in the mainstream Hindi films.
The film had 8 songs including two songs with additional versions. All the songs were written by Rituparno Ghosh. One song has already appeared on the Blog. I am presenting the second song from the film ‘piya tora kaisa abhimaan’ to appear on the Blog. The song has two versions – one rendered by Shubha Mudgal and the second version is rendered by Hariharan. Both the songs written by Rituparno Ghosh have the shades of Brajabuli dialect. Shubha Mudgal version appears in two parts against the background of the Ajay – Aishwarya’s flashbacks as well as their meetings in Kolkata. Hariharan’s version appears on the screen partially.
In Shubha Mudgal version, Gulzar recites his poem in between two stanzas. Film’s music director, Debjyoti Mishra, in his interview which appeared in The Times of India, August 20, 2020, has revealed that Rituparno Ghosh gave Gulzar a Bangla poem written by Shakti Chattopadhyay and requested him to write a poem in Hindi incorporating the same feelings and emotions as is in the Bangla poem. Instead of translating the Bangla poem, Gulzar wrote a fresh Hindi poem, keeping the feelings and emotions in the Bangla poem. He recited the poem interspersed with the song with his specialty in using metaphors and imagery in this poem.
In this song, Rituparno Ghosh has equated the love between Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan with that of Radha-Krishna whose love for each other is eternal because their love did not result in their union. So, when Krishna married Rukmini, Radha’s love for Krishna remained the same. There are beautiful verses in the both the versions of the songs written by Rituparno Ghosh which I am discussing below:
saghan saawan laayi kadam bahaar
Mathura se doli laaye chaaron kahaar
nahin aaye kesariya balma hamaar
angana bada sunsaan
The heavy rains of saawan has made kadamba trees blossom.
Four kahaars (palanquin carriers) have brought palanquin from Mathura.
Alas, my kesariya balam (Krishna) did not come.
The ceremonial place is deserted.
Note: ‘Kahaar’ is a caste in North India who are water carriers, boatman, even fishermen. They are generally used for carrying palanquin.
apne nayan se neer bahaaye
apni Jamuna khud aap hi banaawe
lakh baar usmein hi nahaaye
poora na huyi asnaan
sookhe kesh rukhe besh manwa bejaan
I cried and shed tears from my own eyes.
I cried so much as if I bathed in the water of Jamuna River.
I bathed umpteen times, but I have not felt like completing my bath.
My hair and face have dried up. My heart has become lifeless.
bol sakhi kaahe kari saajo singaar
na pahinab aabhushana kaanchan haar
khali chandan laga ang maa hamaar
chandan garal samaan
Ae sakhi, why should I dress up to look nice?
I will not wear jewellery nor the gold pedant.
I will apply sandalwood paste all over my body.
Because sandalwood is like poison.
garal=poison
Note: Applying sandalwood paste is like becoming a saintly woman, who has renounced all worldly things. There is a saying ‘chandan garal samaan’ which means sandalwood is like a poison. According to a mythological belief, sandalwood trees are the abode of venomous snakes who encircle the sandalwood trees for shades but cannot poison the sandalwood trees. In this context, Rahim had said in one of his Dohas, ‘chandan vish vyaapat naahi, lipat rahat bhujang’.
And this article will not be complete if I do not discuss the unusual metaphors Gulzar Saab have used in his poems to bring out the pains of separation and longing.
aur seelan iss tarah bahati hai jaise
khushk rukhsaaron pe gile aansoo bahaten hain
The water from dampness (on the wall) is flowing like wet tears flowing on the dried cheeks. [Only Gulzar Saab can imagine ‘gile aansoo’ (wet tears). Probably, Gulzaar Saab is differentiating with those tears which do not come out in the open and flow].
ye baarish gungunati thhee isi chat ke munderon par
ye ghar ki khidkiyon ke kaanch par ungli se likh jaati thhee sandese
bilakhti rahti hai baithi huyi ab band roshandaanon ke peechhe
Rain used to give a humming sound on the terrace.
They would write messages over the glass frames of the windows.
Now, they sit behind the closed roshandaans, weeping.
Roshandaan: There seems to be no equivalent meaning in English for Roshandaan. The closest meaning would be a Ventilator with a glass frame which the old houses would generally have on the roof, high on the main walls of the house or above the windows for sunlight and breeze. During rains, roshandaan is kept closed.
dupharen aisi lagti hai bina moharon ke khaali khaane rakhen hain
na koi khelne waala hai baazi aur na koi chal chalta hai
The afternoons feel like an empty chess board with no chess pieces.
No one plays the game and no one makes a move.
Female version
Video Clip:
Male Version:
Video Clip (Partial):
Audio Clip:
Song-Piya toraa kaisa abhimaan (Raincoat)(2004) Singer-Shubha Mudgal/ Hariharan, Lyrics-Rituparno Ghosh, MD-Debjyoti Mishra
Lyrics
I. Female Version (Shubha Mudgal)
Lyrics (Based on Video Clip):Shubha Mudgal, Gulzar (poetry recitation)
piya tora kaisa abhimaan
piya tora…aa aa
kaisa
abhimaan
kisi mausam ka jhonka thhaa
(aa aa aa aa aa aaa)
jo iss deewaar par latki huyi tasweer tirchhi kar gaya hai
(aa aa aa aa aa aa aaa)
gaye saawan mein ye deewaaren youn seeli nahi thhee
(aa aa aa aa aa aa aaa)
na jaane iss dafa kyun inmein seelan aa gayi hai
(aa aa aa aa aa aa aaa)
daraaren pad gayin hain
(aa aa aa aa aa aa aaa)
aur seelan iss tarah bahati hai jaise
(aa aa aa aa aa aa aaa)
khushk rukhsaaron pe geele aansoo behte hain
(aa aa aa aa aa aa aaa)
saghan saawan laayi
kadam bahaar
Mathura se doli laaye
chaaron kahaar
nahin aaye…………ae
nahin aaye….ae ae
kesariya balmaa aa hamaar
angna bada sunsaan
ye baarish gungunaati thhee
isi chhat ke munderon par
ye baarish gungunaati thhee
isi chhat ke munderon par
ye ghar ki khidkiyon ke kaanch par
ungli se likh jaati thi sandese
bilakhti rahti hai baithhi huyi
ab band roshandaanon ke peechhe
apne nayan se neer bahaaye
apni Jamuna khud aap hi banaawe
apne nayan se neer bahaaye
apni Jamuna khud aap hi banaawe
aa aaaa aaaa aaaa
dupaharen aisi lagti hain
bina moharon ke khaali khaane rakhe hai
na koi khelane waala hai baazi
aur na koi chaal chalta hai
laakh baar usmein hi nahaaye……….
poora na huyi asnaa…….n
phir poora na huyi asnaa…..n
sookhe kes
rukhe bhes
manwa..aa bejaan
na din hota hai ab na raat hoti hai
sabhi kuchh ruk gaya hai
kisi mausam ka jhoka thhaa
jo iss deewaar par latki huyi tasweer tirchhi kar gaya
piya tora kaisa abhimaan
tora..aa aa aa
piya tora….
tora
tora…..aa
kaisa abhimaan
piya……aa
piya…….aa
piya……..aa
——————————–
II. Male Version (Hariharan)
——————————–
Lyrics:(based on Audio Clip)
piya tora kaisa abhimaan
piya tora…..aa aa aa
kaisa abhimaan
saghan saawan layi
kadam bahaar
Mathura se doli laaye
chaaron kahaar
saghan saawan laayi
kadam bahaar
Mathura se doli laaye
chaaron kahaar
nahin aaye……..ae ae ae
nahin aaye….ae
kesariya baalam hamaar
angna bada sunsaa…n
piya tora……..aaaaa
piya tora kaisa abhimaan
apne nayan se neer bahaaye
apni Jamuna khud aap hi banaawe
apne nayan se neer bahaaye
apni Jamuna khud aap hi banaawe
laakh baar usmein hi nahaaye ae
poora na hoyi asnaa…..n
poora na hoyi asnaa…..n
sookhe kes
rookhe bhes
manwa aa bejaan
piya tora aa…aa
piya tora
piya tora kaisa abhimaan
piya tora..aa kaisa abhimaan
bol sakhi kaahe kari saajo singaar
na pahin ab aabhusana kaanchan haar
bol sakhi kaahe kari saajo singaar
na pahin ab aabhusana kaanchan haar
khaali chandan laga ang maa hamaar
chandan garal samaan
piya tora…aa aa
piya tora kaisa abhimaan
piya tora…..aa aa kaisa abhimaan
abhimaan
kaisa abhimaan
5 Responses to "Piyaa toraa kaisa abhimaan"
September 25, 2023 at 6:45 pm
Sadanand ji,
Thanks for the well written post, taking me back to the film. As I have stated elsewhere in the blog, ‘Rain coat’ can be counted amongst the best of Hindi cinema. It left a lasting impact on me.
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September 26, 2023 at 9:20 am
Satish ji,
Ditto my view about this film.
I am sure, both Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan would be very much thankful to Rituparno Ghosh for being the part of ‘Raincoat’ (2004), when they look back to their filmy career.
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September 26, 2023 at 4:07 pm
I have only heard of this film, not seen it. Only heard the song today (the audio version) need to see it.
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September 26, 2023 at 7:32 pm
I strongly recommend to watch it. You will get to see a different Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – outstanding performances with minimum make-up.
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
September 24, 2023 at 5:32 pm
Sadanand ji Thanks for the informative post
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