Aankhon Mein Sama Jao – Yasmin – A Silver-Sweet Ode to Love

“The supreme happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved” – there can’t be a better quote than this one by Leo Tolstoy to start this write up on the song “Aankhon mein samaa jao, is dil mein rahaa karnaa” from Yasmin (1955). Just imagine how you would feel when you fall in love with a person at first sight and the exchange of sights lights the other person’s fire at the same time. Love at first sight and that too mutual! Would you not be on cloud nine? This soft song brings these very feelings to life.

The movie revolves around the love story of Yasmin (Vyjayanti Mala), a gypsy girl and Ahmad (Suresh), a pampered brat of a powerful princely Sheikh. Ahmad, forcefully sent to collect taxes in a rural area by his father, falls in love with the dancer Yasmin, invited by Ahmad’s rich friend to entertain Ahmad. When they come across each other the next time, Yasmin also falls in love with him. Bas aankhon hi aankhon mein izhaar ho gaya… And then they decide to meet on the outskirts the same night. They meet as decided and after exchanging a few clichés about love, Yasmin starts expressing her feelings through the song.
The velvety composition with simple lyrics by Jaan Nisar Akhtar is studded with mesmerising music by C. Ramchandra and adorable rendition by none other than Lata Mangeshkar.
It starts spreading romance in the air right from the prelude that comprises feather-soft humming by Lata Mangeshkar and subtle piano notes that float around her voice like a butterfly fluttering from flower to flower. On the screen, Yasmin hums the prelude with her eyes closed, as though she is feeling the bliss.
Yasmin then starts thus expressing her feelings in Lata Mangeshkar’s saccharine voice –

Aankhon mein samaa jao, is dil mein rahaa karnaa
Taaron mein hansaa karnaa, phoolon mein khilaa karnaa

She is in intense love with him and does not now want him to be out of her sight, let alone being out of her mind. She wants to see his smile in the twinkling stars and his face in the blooming flowers.
After a short interlude consisting of violins and flute, she continues to speak her heart out –

Jabse tumhein dekhaa hai, jabse tumhein paayaa hai,
Kuchh hosh nahin mujhko, ik nashaa saa chhaayaa hai,
Ab baat jo kahni ho, nazron se adaa karna…

She is in a deep trance of first love. She wants to communicate with him just through the eyes – the language through which lovers speak all they want to, without uttering so much as a word.
Again a brief interlude with piece of flute and faint chords of guitar – as if she is unwilling to take long pauses in her expression – and she carries on –

Aye kaash dhadaktaa dil kuchh der theher jaaye
Ye raat muhabbat ki yun hi naa guzar jaaye
Baaki hai abhi tum par ye jaan fidaa karnaa…

She wants to bestow her life upon him. But her overwhelmed heart is pounding with excitement; and she is afraid that the lovely night will be gone by at once. Art is long and night is flitting!
After another short and sweet interlude containing flute and light chords of guitar, she says –

Kismat naa dikhaaye ab ghadiyaan humein furkat ki,
Har raat yun hi chamke taqdeer muhabbat ki
Aye chaand, sitaaron tum mil jul ke duaa karnaa

A windfall of sudden happiness is hard to believe for her and naturally makes her feel somewhat insecure. She wishes they could be together forever and also asks the moon and the stars to pray for the bright future of their love.
This soothing song is one of the best examples of Lata Mangeshkar – C. Ramchandra chemistry. C. Ramchandra, albeit well-known for his melodious tunes, would always come out with magical tunes such as this, when it came to Lata Mangeshkar. Though Lata Mangeshkar’s voice has always been an epitome of sweetness, her voice in C. Ramchandra’s songs would reciprocatively be often drenched in sugariness – just see how the saccharinity in her voice even in this song trickles down your mind!
Besides, Lata Mangeshkar’s alluring touches at a few places and sparse yet beautiful orchestration comprising flute, violin and guitar make this song a perfect dessert garnished with romance for your ears, to be enjoyed through earphones on a pleasant starry night. Subtle accompaniment of violins to Lata Mangeshkar’s singing just adds another pinch of sugar to the dessert.
Jaan Nisar Akhtar, known for his lyrics with a good poetic value, has quite aptly captured in simple words the feelings of an adolescent girl, who has fallen in love for the first time. The movie Yasmin is considered as the career breakthrough for Jaan Nisar Akhtar, though he was trying to find a foothold in Hindi cinema from the late ‘40s.
Last but not the least, Vyjayanti Mala’s innocent beauty and her expressive acting make this song a treat for eyes too. Her animated eyes which speak volumes themselves leave one wondering whether lip sync was even required! She had a wonderful confluence of beauty and talent.
Her silver beauty on the screen accompanied by Lata Mangeshkar’s sweet voice makes this song a silver-sweet ode to the first love; and you are inevitably reminded of Shakespeare’s quote in Romeo and Juliet –
How silver-sweet sound lovers’ tongues by night, like softest music to attending ears…