Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte – Star Pairs Through the Decades – Part III

‘Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte’ is a song from the 2008 Hindi film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (A Match Made By God). The song’s title means We Are Travelling The Love Lane (according to the subtitles). There Shahrukh Khan encompasses different movie stars of the decades with an ever-changing second-lead in the song to accompany him as the other half of the star pair of that particular decade.

Heads Up! I am making my own post by following the one from Wikipedia about the song, which sadly doesn’t add the songs there so I thought I would do this where I add the songs and tell my own opinion at the same time! It has probably been done before, but I want to make my own. 

 

 

Ah the 70s, by favourite decade in cinema history in both India and elsewhere, there was both dark and gritty stories to reflect the realism of the times, but there was also a hefty amount of light with the pastels and escapist and entertaining stories for the people to escape to. It was all in all a decade with very progressive stories in India in terms of content, doused with a hefty amount of stories that were so complicated yet so simple and worked like a dream on-screen.

THIS is the decade in which Indian film came in to its own! With the rise of the screen writing pair of Salim-Javed who created Zanjeer (1972) that was the first time Amitabh Bachchan collaborated with them, then came Deewar (1975) that made Amitabh a star and then came Sholay (1975) one of the most successful films in Indian film history, making history for running 5 years in a theatre, and a certified classic making all who starred in it a legend from the named stars to the side characters.

The masala favour of movies came in, with entertainment for 3 hours where your feelings could go like a rollercoaster only for a few rupees and you’d have your money’s worth. There would be action, romance, family fun, good heroes and bad villains all fabulous in their presentation, the songs were hits as well as the dialogues. Both were put in to cassettes and sold in the theatre for the moviegoers to pick up as they went home if either had made an impression on them and they couldn’t get enough of the film. Films like Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) with Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor was the type of film you wanted. Progressive, without hate, with great songs and great stars to see in a story so pure of any negativity other than the one from the villains, but still with a hefty amount of emotion to make you cry on cue. Entertaining you from start to finish.

Now in to this world of cinema in the early 70s came Rajesh Khanna who Shahrukh emulates in this. Rajesh Khanna won an All India Talent Contest in 1965, it was organised by United Producers and Filmfare magazine to look for new talent. His first movies were Aakhri Khat (1966) and Raaz (1967), they gained him notice, but it wasn’t until Aradhana (1969) that he gained superstardom and is indeed nicknamed rightly as ‘The First Superstar of India’. His handsome and somewhat boyish looks, his eyes, smile and charm won everyone over.

Amitabh Bachchan might have been the everyman, gritty and vengeful for the rights of the people, but alongside him was Rajesh Khanna who was the romantic star that overshadowed any others. His funeral in 2012 gathered A LOT of people. Think of the mania of Valentino’s death combined with the euphoric love that young Leonardo DiCaprio had in the 90s or a young George Clooney or even now with Tom Hiddleston. Yes, THAT much!

 

(So you know what all the fuss is about. SO HANDSOME!)

 

Then there is Sharmila Tagore whom Preity Zinta emulates with her bouffant and smile. She is related of Rabindranath Tagore, the Bengali author, musician and poet  who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for his work Gitanjali. Working in both Bengali and Hindi cinema she gained fame with being both an art house actress as well as a commercial actress, becoming a sex symbol for allowing herself to do a sensual photoshoot with a bikini. Unheard of any actress at the time.

Remember when I talked about progressive stories in the 70s? Well many movies with Sharmila in it are very progressive even now. In An Evening in Paris (1967) her character goes to Paris to find love since three of her love affairs in India have failed, it’s mentioned only in the beginning and no one judges her for it. She plays another character in the film, a cabaret dancer, but the dancer is not blamed for her situation and she is quite human. Then in Aradhana (1969) her character gets pregnant out-of-wedlock, their neighbours might disregard the family now, but her father is very helpful and understanding. PROGRESSIVE!

 

(Oh the black winged eyeliner on Sharmila is always on fleek!)

 

The two of them were in a lot of movies together and their chemistry was off the charts! The song below is from Aradhana and it is considered by many to be the sexiest rain song there is. It certainly is mine. Shot in a one long take while Kishore Kumar, Rajesh Khanna’s resident backup singer, sings this sensual song as the rain pours outside.

 

(SEXIEST SONG IN HINDI FILM HISTORY WITH OUR TWO STARS!)

 

And the song? The aesthetic is that of the song ‘Mere Sapno Ki Rani Kabob’s Aayegi Tu’ from Aradhana (1969) where Rajesh Khanna sings to Sharmila Tagore who is on a train reading. The book Preity is reading is that of Amar Prem (1972), are reference to the movie they both starred in. From the bright nature aesthetic as well as the music the whole sequence is referencing both ‘Mere Sapno Ki Rani Kabob’s Aayegi Tu’  as well as ‘Jai Jai Shiv Shankar’ from the movie Aap Ki Kasam (1974) with the dancing on hills. The music tune playing is that of the first song.

 

 

 

There can be heard a shout of ‘Babumoshai’, which is what Rajesh Khanna’s calls Amitabh Bachchan’s character in the film Anand (1971), the word is Bengali and is how one would address a man in Bengal, either calling him Babu, Moshai or combine the two to Babumoshai.

 

The lyrics are all alluding to songs or names of movies. Like the first highlighted one is from Aap Ki Kasam (1974), the second one is Mere Jeevan Saathi (1972), the third is of course from Aradhana, the fourth is Andaz (1971), then Amar Prem, before finally ending back in Mere Jeevan Saathi.

 

Hey Jai Jai Shiv Shankar

(Hail Lord Shiv Shanka)

Kaanta Lage Na Kankar

(Neither thorns nor stones can hurt us)

Chaahe Kuch Kar Le Zamaana

(Whatever the world may do)

Mere Jeevan Saathi, Mere Sapnon Ki Rani

(My lifepartner, the queen of my dreams)

Zindagi Safar Hai Suhana

(Life is a pleasent journey)

Kuch Toh Log Kahenge

(People will always talk)

Na Suna Kijiye

(Don’t listen to them)

Hey Chain Aaye Mere Dil Ko

(All I want is peace in my heart)

Dua Kijiye

(Pray that I get it)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next time is the last one! The 1980s with Rishi Kapoor! See you then!

 

Most of my information is from This blog (click Hindi 101 for Indian film history) which I read daily. Half of the things I know about Indian Cinema is because of this and it deserves a mention, because without it I wouldn’t have found a community as deep in the rabbit hole that is Indian Cinema. Highly recommend!