Love is not a game…
This week we come back to colour films finally. This is the title song from the movie ‘Pyar koi khel nahi‘ (Love is not a game), released in 1999. I like the music of the song although the movie is quite inconsequential and didn’t create any buzz on the box-office. With a meagre 3.3 out of 10 on IMDb (not surprised), I wouldn’t even recommend watching it and therefore won’t even share any YouTube link for the movie. It is just a mix of typical Sunny Deol action stuff with some romance strewn around, a tragedy, a love triangle, a beautiful show-piece female lead and some villains. And there you have it! Everything you need for a successful Bollywood movie (not all the time).
The star cast is not impressive. Apoorva Agnihotri was always too cute to be a full-blown hero in Bollywood (also, over-acting). Mahima Chaudhary is beautiful as always and Sunny is as tough as always. The story starts as a love triangle when two brothers are both in love with the same girl, she loves the younger one and finally marries him. But the younger brother dies in an accident (you know why) and the family motivates her to marry the older brother, coz otherwise how can you ever raise a kid on your own in this society (surprise, surprise)! So she marries the older brother, who was anyway not over her yet. And can you believe it! The younger one was alive all this time and he returns back. The elder one goes on to take revenge, for his brother, from the bad guys and dies in the process leaving the guy and girl to live happily ever after. That’s 90’s love for you. If you are the character in the movie whose love was unrequited all through the story, you should either die at the end (coz you can only love once) or if the story-writer is benevolent enough, he or she will provide you with an equally beautiful girl after the climax of the movie.
Coming back to the song, who doesn’t love the voice of Kumar Sanu! And the music of the song is pleasant, the tunes are catchy, the words are simple but lyrics are kind of negative when they describe love. According to this song, being in love is a very precarious situation and you shouldn’t jump into it just for fun. Think of this song as more like a warning, which also tells you at one point that to die in love is to be immortal. So even if you get annihilated in love, embrace this opportunity (ironic much!).
The song is from the perspective of Sunny Deol in love (actually just a strong crush) with Mahima Chaudhary, who works under him in his office. If you pay attention, you would think if the situation was anywhere close to reality, his character would be surely dragged into the #metoo movement, given his uncomfortable long stares towards Mahima, every time he sees her. And he does it unabashedly, without ever thinking that it might not be appropriate. But then that was Bollywood back then, romaticizing everything unromantic, right from eve teasing and staring to stalking. And this one is no different. Have a look at the video here, just enjoy the music and the lyrics.
Male: Jahaan mein koi pyaar ka
Deewana ho gaya jahan
Jeene marne ka hosh
Hai phir usse kahan
Pyaar koi khel nahin
Pyaar koi khel nahin
Jahaan mein koi pyaar ka, deewana ho gaya jahan
Jeene marne ka hosh, hai phir use kahan
Pyaar koi khel nahin, pyaar koi khel nahin
English: In this world, whenever somebody
becomes crazy for love
To die or to live,
In no way, he is left with that consciousness
Love is not a game
Love is not a game
In this world, whenever somebody becomes crazy for love
To die or to live, in no way, he is left with that consciousness
Love is not a game, love is not a game
Aashiqi woh rog hain
Ke lage jo ik baar
Dil se phir ye jaaye na
Kar ye jatan hazaar
Tere labon par bhi, pyaare
Rona hain ye hasee nahi
Jahaan mein koi pyaar ka, deewana ho gaya jahan
Jeene marne ka hosh, hain phir usse kahan
Pyaar koi khel nahin, pyaar koi khel nahin
English: Love is such a disease,
That if you catch it once,
From your heart, it will never leave,
Even if you make thousands of efforts
On your lips as well, darling
This is a cry, not a smile
In this world, whenever somebody becomes crazy for love
To die or to live, in no way, he is left with that consciousness
Love is not a game, love is not a game
Ishq mein koi bhi ho
Majnu ya Farhaad
Mit gaye shaahon ke naam
Par ye zinda hain aaj
Chaahat mein di jaan jisne
Woh kabhi marta nahi
Jahaan mein koi pyaar ka, deewana ho gaya jahan
Jeene marne ka hosh, hai phir use kahan
English: Whoever was ever in love,
Majnu or Farhaad
Names of kings have been erased,
But they are alive still today
Whoever gave (his or her) life in love,
He never dies
In this world, whenever somebody becomes crazy for love
To die or to live, in no way, he is left with that consciousness
Jahaan mein koi pyaar ka, deewana ho gaya jahan
Jeene marne ka hosh, hain phir usse kahan
Pyaar koi khel nahin, pyaar koi khel nahin
English: In this world, whenever somebody becomes crazy for love
To die or to live, in no way, he is left with that consciousness
Love is not a game, love is not a game
Glossary:
- Jahaan: World
- Jahan: Where
- Jeena: To live
- Marna: To die
- Kahan: Where
- Khel: Game or sport
- Aashiqi: Love
- Rog: Disease
- Ik: One
- Baar: Time or turn
- Jatan: Effort(s)
- Hazaar: Thousand(s)
- Lab: Lip(s)
- Pyaare: One who is lovable, darling
- Rona: To cry
- Hasee: Laughter or smile
- Ishq: Love
- Majnu: Layla-Majnun is a very famous story of Arabic origin based on the 7th Century Bedouin poet Qays ibn al-Muwallah and his lady love Layla bint Mahdi which became more popular when the Persian poet Nizam Gajnavi composed their tale in a poem. Famously regarded as Romeo and Juliet of the East, this story has been a favourite in the popular culture around the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
- Farhaad: Farhaad is the male protagonist of a famous tragic romance written by Nizam Gajnavi (1141-1209). The story is known originally as Khosrow and Shireen, which is an exaggerated fictional account of the love story of the Sassanian king Khosrow and an Armenian princess, Shireen. As the story travelled with Persians to the Indian subcontinent, it started to be known as the tale of ‘Shireen and Farhaad’ and is quite famous in the popular culture (such as Bollywood).
- Mitna: To be eliminated or erased
- Shaah: King or noble, mostly from Persia or middle East
- Zinda: Alive
- Aaj: Today
- Chaahat: Deep desire, mostly used as synonymous to love
- Jaan: Life
The Heritage Chutney 