Dichotomy of Irony: Saathiya—Of Zulf Ke Neeche Gardan Pe, and Finding Abr

Sun Saathiya from ABCD 2 is my current favorite song. The lyrics and the picturization of the song are lovely. However, this post is not about that song but another saathiya song from Saathiya. It is one of my favorite movies and is one of those movies when Rani Mukerji was at her peak and was a superstar. I miss Rani in films. Nevertheless, I want to write about the title song Saathiya from the movie. I have already written about two songs—Satrangi Re (link) from Dil Se, and Tumhi Dekho Na (link) from Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna how these two songs have a theme of the rainbow in them. Everything in these songs is related to the seven colors. It seems that I have a particular fascination for spotting rainbows. In Saathiya, too, we see the trend of rainbows. Like the other two songs, this song is also as beautifully choreographed and has splendid lyrics.

The song begins when Suhani (Rani Mukherji) smiles at Adi (Vivek Oberoi), as he is thrilled at her reciprocity. He had been chasing her, and finally, she spoke to him, and he felt uncontrollable joy. The song shows his exhilaration by showing the motley colors of the rainbow. In addition, the imagery of the surrounding landscape varies throughout the song. He is singing the song for his Saathiya, his friend, his lover, and in it, he is comparing her to various elements of nature. The color of the dresses that she wears depicts this comparison. Many times, he is also dressed in the same color as her.

He says, "Hasti rahe tu hasti rahe, haya ki laali khilti rahe." He wants her to be always laughing and smiling and the lipstick of shyness be always blooming. She is dressed in red to signify the redness of her lips. All around him are beautiful white flowers in full bloom, indicating that this is the spring season. Then, he says, "Zulf ke neeche gardan pe subah-o-shaam milti rahe." This is the signature Gulazar imagery. I think it is a naughty line where the lover says he wants to meet her at her neck, beneath her tresses. In other words, he wants to caress her and make love to her.

Red

Then, it is probably summertime, and they are in the fields. He says, "Peeli dhoop pehen ke tum dekho baag me mat jaana, bhanware tum ko sab chhedenge phoolon me mat jaana." He is telling her to not wear the yellow-colored sunlight and to not go into the gardens near the flowers, as the bees might tease her. In this, she is dressed in different shades of yellow to signify the sunlight. They are surrounded by rocks.

Yellow

Then, he says, "Taaza gire patte ki tarah, sabz lawn par lete hue. Saat rang hai bahaaron ke, ek ada me lapete hue. Saawan bhaadon saare tum se." He is comparing her to a freshly fallen leaf, which indicates it might be the fall season; thus, she is dressed in green and lying on the ground. Further, he talks about the seven colors of the rainbow, which is why the entire song is based on its vividity. He says that the rain is due to her. We see a river flowing besides him.

Green

Further, he says, "Kabhi neele aasmaan pe, chalo ghumne chale hum, koi abr mil gaya toh, zameen pe baras le hum." He is telling her to come on a walk with him in the blue sky, and if they meet a cloud, then they will rain back onto the earth. It is a lovely, lovely comparison. Since they are talking about the blue sky, she is dressed in a blue saree. We see them surrounded by snow-clad mountains and trees.

Blue

He says, "Kabhi shab chamak uthi hai, kabhi shaam khil gayi hai." Somewhere, the night is shining with the light of the stars; somewhere, the evening is blooming. In this, we see her dressed in a shimmering costume in the shade similar to indigo.

Indigo

Further, he adds, "Tere baalon ki panah me, is siyah raat guzare; teri kaali kaali aankhen, koi ujali baat utare." He wants to spend the dark nights in the comforting refuge of her hair, and, through her black eyes, a beautiful thought passes by. She is dressed in black to signify her black hair and black eyes.

Black

Finally, after all the seasons, we see the winter season, and he is playing in the snow. He says, "Barf giri ho vaadi me, unn me lipti simti hui, baat kare dhuaan nikle." He wishes that there is snowfall in the valley, and she is covered in woolen clothes, and when she speaks, smoke comes out of her mouth. She is dressed in violet and white costume. I don't remember the last time I heard the word unn after kindergarten when a ball of wool was used to teach a word with bade u ki matra.

Violet

White

We see the vibgyor—violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, and red—and black and white in the song with the only exception of orange. In addition, we see the various seasons, such as spring, fall, summer, and winter, and the different landscapes, too. Gulzar's lyrics, A.R. Rahman's music, Sonu Nigam's voice, and Geeta Kapoor's and Remo's choreography combine to create a mesmerizing song.

Saathiya, directed by Shaad Ali, is the official remake of Mani Ratnam's Alaipayuthey. Not surprisingly, I sensed a similarity between Saathiya Saathiya with Satrangi Re from another Mani Ratnam film Dil Se. Both the songs have the theme of rainbows. Both the songs have been sung by Sonu Nigam with music by A.R. Rahman and lyrics by Gulzar. In fact, at one point, there is a similar step in how Rani and Manisha play around with their costumes. Though I must add the song Saathiya is much brighter and more cheerful than Satrangi Re.

I saw on YouTube that Pachai Nirame song from Alaipayuthey also has the seven colors of the rainbow. I loved the video; somehow, Pachai Nirame brings this theme more beautifully. It is a gorgeous song, and Madhavan is fantastic in it. The images and colors used in this song are one of the best I have ever seen, and I am addicted to watching it, even if I don't understand the lyrics. As I say, sometimes, the beauty of a scene can make one feel overwhelmed.

Someday, I want to meet these people and learn from them.

More on Saathiya later, but I just realized that in Saathiya, Rani's friend is Shanoo Sharma, the casting director of Yashraj Films, who is credited with finding Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor and is now hot property for any youngster wanting to get a break in films.