Faiz, Mehdi Hassan and Lollywood: GulouN meiN rang bharay

Posted on November 12, 2006
Filed Under >Adil Najam, Music, Poetry, TV, Movies & Theatre, Urdu
30 Comments
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Adil Najam

Readers of this blog know the reverence in which I hold Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The video tribute that I had done based on his hum daikhain gay was not only the very first post on this blog but serves at the ATP Credo – a symbol of our hopes, our aspirations and also our reality. Readers also know of how fond I am of Khansaheb Mehdi Hasan Khan, particularly his ghazals, and of my fascination with old Pakistani movie songs (here and here). This post is a way to pay homage to all three.

Mehdi Hasan, of course, was an icon of Pakistani film music – rivaled, possibly, only by Madam Noor Jahan. But what many people forget is that Faiz Sahib, too, was closely associated with the Pakistan film industry when it was at its zenith. Indeed, some of his most memorable works first became famous as film songs.

Nothing is as symbolic of this combination of Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Mehdi Hassan and Pakistani movie music as the ghazal gulouN mein rang bharay, baad-i-nou bahar chalay. It is widely considered to be amongst the most popular as well as the very best of Faiz Sahib’s ghazals. Indeed, as many would consider it to also be amongst the best of Mehdi Hasan’s ghazals.

There is a story that I have never been able to confirm (maybe Zaheer Kidvai can shed light on this) that suggests that Faiz Sahib liked Mehdi Hassan Sahibs rendition of the ghazal so much that he used to say that the ghazal no longer belonged to him (Faiz) but now belonged to Mehdi Hassan. Anwar Maqsood has joked that this may have been Faiz Sahib’s way of disowning the song rather than praising it. I prefer the original interpretation.

For me at least, this is one of the most beautiful of ghazal’s, most beautifully sung.

What is interesting is that this was a movie song (for the film Farangi). Yes, this is what Lollywood movie songs used to sound like once. Can you imagine today a song with such depth of meaning, such elegance of poetic craft, and sung with such musical mastery being a movie song!

Here is a video of the movie song. The video quality is not very good; nor, I must admit, is the picturization or the acting by Allauddin. It is, nonetheless, a rare and amazing treat. Enjoy!

For those who may be interested, here are the lyrics:

Guloun main rung bharaye, baad-e-naubahaar chalaye
Chalaye bhi aao kay gulshan ka karobaar chalaye

Qafas udas hai yaaro saba say kuch tou kaho
Kahain tou bah-re-khuda aaj zikr e yaar chalaye

Kabhi tou subah tere kunj-e-lub say ho aaghaaz
Kabhi tou shab sar e kaakul se mushk baar chalaye

kabhii to sub’h tere kunj-e-lab se ho aaGhaaz
kabhii to shab sar-e-kaakul se mushk-baar chalaye

Jo hum pay guzri so guzri mager shub-e-hijraun
Humaraye ashk teri aaqibat sanvaar chalaye

Maqaam faiz koii raah main jancha hi nahi
Jo kuh-e-yaar say niklay tou suu-e-daar chalaye

30 responses to “Faiz, Mehdi Hassan and Lollywood: GulouN meiN rang bharay

  1. Naveed Siraj says:

    zamanov, poor quality of recording is probably attributed to converion of LPs to CD. I actually enjoy it especially in tracks like the one in which noor jehan does her own rendition of “mujh say pehlee see mohabat” a kind of marsia style of singing…she clears her throat several times which i find adorable

  2. Samdani says:

    Thank you. I had always thought it was the aaqbat of the beloved that was being salvaged ;-)

  3. Pervaiz Munir Alvi says:

    Samdani: This couplet is addressed to ‘Shabe Hijraan’.
    The night or the period of separation from his beloved is torturous for the poet. His all night crying for his beloved and his ultimate demise has salvaged (the otherwise bad) name of ‘Shabe Hijran’ as after he is gone, she no longer will be able to torment him and he will not be there to bad mouth her or to complain about her wickedness.
    Such is the world of the lovers!!.

  4. Samdani says:

    There is a rather interesting and naughty couplet tucked in this ghazal that always makes me smile:

    jo hum pay guzri so guzri magar shabe hijraan
    humaray ask teri aaqbat sawar chaley

    Think about it. Is it me, Faiz, or both :-)

  5. Adil Najam says:

    Thanks Pervaiz Munir Alvi for confirming that the ghazal first became popular on radio and was then picked up by the film. I had thought so but was not sure.

    To others, my point remains that good poetry was something that you coudl once expect from movies in Paksitan.

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