Welcome to my Classics section. Every week, I revisit two Hindi songs… one from the Pre-90s era and one from the Post-90s.
Today, I look at the classic heartbreak of Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil and the deep loneliness of Awaarapan Banjaarapan. These two tracks take you from the classic era of the 70s to the moody feelings of the 2000s. While one talks about a world that feels useless without love, the other beautifully expresses the pain of just surviving instead of truly living.
Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil – Heer Raanjha (1970)
Singer: Mohammed Rafi
Music Director: Madan Mohan
Lyricist: Kaifi Azmi
A World Without Love
This is a song about deep heartbreak. The lyrics show how a person feels this world is useless and has no value to him without his love. It is a true classic sung by Mohd Rafi and composed by Madan Mohan. The video mainly features Raaj Kumar, with some shots of Priya Rajvansh near the end.
unko khuda mile hai khuda ki jinhe talaash,
mujhko bas ik jhalak mere dildar ki mile…
🎧 Want better audio? Listen to the Youtube (Lyrical) here.
Awaarapan Banjaarapan – Jism (2003)
Singer: Kay Kay (KK)
Music Director: M.M. Keeravani (M.M. Kreem)
Lyricist: Sayeed Quadri
Surviving, Not Living
This is not just my absolute favorite Kay Kay song, but it is also the track I play first whenever I am in the mood for extremely sad songs. Words fall short to describe how good Kay Kay is in this track. He perfectly brings out the feeling of loneliness and just surviving, instead of truly living. It is a gem of a composition by M.M. Kreem. Sayeed Quadri’s lyrics are so good that it is hard to pick just one favorite line.
jaane yeh kaisi aag lagi hai,
ismein dhuan na chingaari..
ho na ho iss baar kahin koi
khawaab jala hai seene mein…
If you watch the video link below, there is a short sad version that plays around the 6:50 mark. It is about a minute long and is sung by M.M. Kreem himself.
There is also a complete version of the song sung by M.M. Kreem, which is also very good and was a time when I used to listen to it more than the Kay Kay version. It has different lyrics that are very easy to relate to. Even though I prefer the Kay Kay version, I still keep coming back to listen to the M.M. Kreem version very often.
dil jis cheez ko haan kehta hai,
jehen ussi ko kehta hai naa,
ishq mein uff yeh khud hi se ladna,
ek saja hai seene mein…
🎧 Want better audio? Listen to the Youtube (Lyrical) here.
🎧 Listen to the Youtube (MM Kreem version) here.
Whether you want to feel the classic heartbreak of Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil or the deep loneliness of Awaarapan Banjaarapan, both tracks are timeless.
Missed the previous edition? Check out my review of Arre Yaar Meri and Mujhe Tumse Mohabbat Hai here.
