Shivangi Singh
Almost all love stories in India have their beginning and making in Bollywood ‘saawan’ songs. Every other Bunty-Babli, Raj-Simran, Guddu-Sweety fall in love against the backdrop of trickling rains and the ambience created by a sensuous rain song. Lovers bathe in the visual and musical impact of Hindi songs, in which the drenched, sexy heroine romances a muscle-flexing hero - while raindrops trickle down their bodies.
Bollywood songs on the rainy season have assisted many-a-love-story. But the recent love-story of the elusive and old-fashioned Mr Monsoon and the ‘bindaas’ Miss Rain is truly ‘chatpata’. Here is an eyewitness’ account:
The Love Story
When Mr Monsoon of the nearby ‘Seasons Apartment’, saw Miss Rain of ‘The Sky Building’ for the first time, he was awe-struck. After recovering, he couldn’t help voicing his emotions through:
Ek ladki bheegi bhagi si…
(The evergreen track from the film ‘Chalti Ka Naam Gadi (1958)’, starring Madhubala and Kishore Kumar, is hailed as a cult song. Madhubala looks ethereal in a drenched sari and Kishore Kumar is at his comic best.)
However, Miss Rain (who resembles Kareena according to love-smitten Mr Monsoon) was unaware of Mr Monsoon’s interest in her. She was frolicking in rain on top of ‘The Sky’, crooning:
Bhaage re mann…
(The song by Sunidhi Chauhan and composed by the lesser known Sandesh Sandilya from ‘Chameli’ (2003), is feisty and fun-filled. As Kareena Kapoor, who plays a prostitute dances with abundance, Rahul Bose looks on with interest.)
Mr Monsoon wanted lady-love to know the critical condition of his heart, so he penned a poem, which was of course not original and hugely borrowed from age-old love song:
Zindagi bhar nahi bhulegi wo barsaat ki raat…
(This song from ‘Barsaat Ki Raat’ (1960) by Mohammad Rafi is still remembered for its romance and melody. Its lyrics are by the veteran Sahir Ludhianvi and the song been filmed on Bharat Bhushan and Madhubala.)
Now, the question of a messenger confronted Mr Monsoon and he thought of ‘Bijli - the hot maid’ (no, mind you! He always has honourable intentions for maids unlike some film stars). He asked Bijli to be his messenger and hand over the love letter to Miss Rain. Now, Bijli was too eager to please the sweet Mr Monsoon, who never sought her out like others did. She readily agreed, more so, because she fancied a lad in ‘The Sky Building’. Swaying her body like the hot babes of cinema, she started towards the building, singing the hot number:
Tip tip barsa paani…
(This is a typical Bollywood rain song from ‘Mohra’ (1994) in which Raveena Tandon donning a diaphanous saree tries to seduce the impassive Akshay Kumar. Sung by Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan and composed by Viju Shah, this song continues to top memory charts for its ‘latkas and jhatkas’).
Bijli handed over the letter to Miss Rain, who showed her indignation by tearing it and throwing it on her face. Bijli made faces at her before saying that she shouldn’t be so vain and she will never get such a gentlemanly admirer like Mr Monsoon. Miss Rains closed the door on her face. Meanwhile, Mr Monsoon was listening to the romantic number:
Rimjhim gire saawan…
(Composed by R D Burman, this song was beautifully rendered by Kishore Kumar and Lata in ‘Manzil’ (1977). The song has been brilliantly picturised on Amitabh and Moushmi strolling the streets of Mumbai.)
When Bijli returned and pressed the doorbell, Mr Monsoon ran to the door in anticipation. But seeing her crestfallen face, he guessed Miss Rain’s reply. His heart gave a strange lurch, (he thought it was breaking) and he sunk to the ground. Bijli wailed and the neighbours came in and put him on the bed. Mr Monsoon fell love-sick. At that moment, RJ Sangeeta was playing a beautiful number on FM, which worsened Mr Monsoon’s condition:
Pyar hua ikraar hua hai…
(This classic from ‘Shri 420’ (1955) is the first song that comes to our mind when we think of a rain number in Bollywood. Composed by Shankar Jaikishan, and sung by Lata Mangeshkar-Manna Dey jodi, it is picturised on the legendary onscreen couple – Raj Kapoor and Nargis.)
On the other hand, Miss Rain couldn’t contain her curiosity; she wanted to read the love letter. So, she assembled the torn bits and read the emotional outburst. The love-letter touched her heart, she got distracted, and so she switched on the TV to get over the uneasiness. On TV, they were showing:
Ye saazish hai boondon ki…
(The romantic number from ‘Fanaa’ (2006), is a turning point in the film, where Kajol plays a blind girl and Aamir Khan, a terrorist. Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan have rendered the song.)
Miss Rain now wanted to catch a glimpse of her admirer, who sounded so devoted to her. So, she went atop her building again to see what Mr Monsoon looked like. The moment Mr Monsoon saw her there, shyly glancing towards him, he couldn’t help jumping out of bed and dancing to the tunes of:
Dum dum diga diga…
(This popular Kalyanji-Anandji song from ‘Chhaliya’ (1960) has been rendered by Mukesh and picturised skillfully on Raj Kapoor.)
The moment their eyes met, it started raining. Miss Rain, who immensely liked the first look of the handsome Mr Monsoon, smiled merrily at him and sang with delight:
Barso re megha megha…
(Picturised on Aishwarya in the film ‘Guru’ (2007) the song by Shreya Ghoshal captures the euphoria rain creates.)
Mr Monsoon waved back. Bijli, who was seeing the entire episode, asked Mr Monsoon to scribble date and time on a chart-paper and show it to Miss Rain. Miss Rain saw it and went in without a word. On D-day, Mr Monsoon sat in a park on a bench, singing:
Aakhir tumhe aana hai…
(A typical rain-song from the film ‘Yulgaar’ (1992). Rendered by Kumar Sanu and filmed on Nagma and Sanjay Dutt, this song was on the lips of every dandy in town.)
Miss Rain came and the weather changed. It started raining, flowers bloomed, birds chirped and trees danced with delight. There was fragrance and love in the air as the two met. From afar, someone was playing:
Rimjhim rimjhim, rumjhum rumjhum…
(This beautiful song by Kumar Sanu and Kavita Krishnamurthy from the film ‘1942 A Love Story’ (1943), is known for its romantic and amazing picturisation. Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala looked striking in the song.)
So, this was how Mr Monsoon and Miss Rain fell madly in love. Their love is still growing strong, inspite of stiff opposition from the ‘polluted’ world and its people… but this doesn’t stop the duo from dancing and singing on popular rain songs of Bollywood at every given opportunity:
Ghode jaisi chal (Dil to paagal hai)…Ghanan ghanan(Lagaan)…Saawan barse (Dahek) and so on…
Their message to all - Keep drizzling with love!