Grab The Moment – Aage Bhi Jaane Na Tu – Waqt

Amongst all the things in the universe, mind must be the fastest traveller. It travels to past or future in no time at all. Sometimes it dwells on the memories of the past while other times it just fantasizes about the future, sometimes just making castles in the air. Our association with this past and future is important for upholding the instinctive tendency. It is natural to mull over the past and daydream about future. But majority of the times our lives seem to be dictated by these thoughts, to the extent that we forget that our place is ingrained the present actually. To stay Here, at This place becomes a rarity. Staying neutral and being aware of the time is what one needs to go ahead in life.
Swanand Kirkire has summed up this so beautifully in just 2 lines –

Humko kal ki fikr sataati
Wo bas aaj ka jashn manaata
Har lamhe ko khul ke jeeta
Tha wo….

The only moment that exists is present. Aaj ka jashn rightly said. You should bask in what the present offers to you. It will have both positive and negative moments. Live those. Every passing moment is precious. Time/ Waqt is invaluable. Don’t waste it, for once it is gone, it will never return.
An evergreen classic Waqt (1965) by Yash Chopra is all about time being important in life. Time is the mighty one, the savage. It can make and break things in a jiffy. The film itself has 2 title songs – one has Rafi crooning Sahir’s lyrics to the tunes of Ravi. It says –

Waqt se din aur raat
Waqt se kal aur aaj
Waqt ki har shai ghulam
Waqt ka har shai par raaj

It so easily explains the domination or the command of time on everything. One cannot beat time.
Meanwhile the other song rendered by the sizzling Asha Bhonsle is the opposite of this somewhat. A party song turned into philosophy of life by the amazing combination of Sahir – Ravi. To live in present, to make decisions about and in present is what the song says. Grab the moment. And you can only grab it by living in that moment. Jo bhi hai bas yahi ek pal hai!!! Ravi has brought in so much of elegance to these deep meaningful words.
He begins this party song with a seductive saxophone while the guitar makes you acquainted with the party atmosphere. We also have the subdued percussion in the background which can be counted as negligible (and yet it is a peppy party number). That is Ravi’s perfection as a music director. An eloquent Asha cautions the listeners.

Aage bhi jaane na tu
Pichhe bhi jaane na tu
Jo bhi hai bas yahi ek pal hai

You don’t know what future has in store for you, the past is already gone, left behind, whatever you have is this moment!!

The guitar and the violins make the air around romantic. Shashikala is mesmerised by the svelte Raaj Kumar. Sunil Dutt and Sadhana are the inseparable couple, Sharmila is all about her carefree attitude, in love with the innocent, charming Shashi Kapoor. All in their own world, still at the party while there’s also a kind of danger in the air. Asha Bhonsle at her tempting best when she sings the next stanza –

Anjaane saayon ka
Raahon mein dera hai
Andekhi baahon ne
Hum sabko ghera hai
Ye pal ujala hai, baaki andhera hai
Ye pal gavana na, ye pal hi tera hai
Jeenewaale soch le
Yahi waqt hai, kar le poori aarzoo

There’s a sojourn of unknown shadows all along the path you walk. While at times we are wrapped into some unknown arms. This particular moment, the present is all brilliant and bright, rest is darkness. Don’t lose this moment for this is all that is yours. For those whose souls are alive, this is the time to fulfill all your desires.

The saxophone returns again in this interlude. With some guitar chords searching for the time which is already passing by as Sharmila searches for Shashi Kapoor. The violins bringing out the distraught state of Shashi Kapoor and his ailing mother (Achala Sachdev) and Asha’s voice brings us to the present again.

Iss pal ke jalwon ne
Mehfil sanwari hai
Iss pal ki garmi ne
Dhadkan ubhari hai
Iss pal ke hone se duniya humaari hai
Ye pal jo dekho toh sadiyon pe bhaari hai
Jeenewaale soch le
Yahi waqt hai kar le poori aarzoo

The gathering (the evening party on screen) is all in its splendour because of this moment. The warmth of this moment has spurred the heartbeats. We live because of the existence of this particular moment. That one moment which is massive for the future years/centuries for its sheer magnificence. For those whose souls are alive, this is the time to fulfill all your desires.

With spotlight on Erica Lal, who lip syncs the song and the rest gathering in the darkness, Ravi spotlights Asha’s voice which dominates all the instruments with an easy going la la la lala lala lala. He highlights the sehejta, the saralta in her voice as she continues –

Iss pal ke saaye mein
Apna theekana hai
Iss pal ke aage hi
Har shay fasana hai
Kal kisne dekha hai, kal kisne jaana hai
Iss pal se paayega, jo tujhko paana hai
Jeenewaale soch le
Yahi waqt hai kar le poori aarzoo

Shadows often lead to destinations. All the things become a story, a legend, a fantasy after this moment is gone. Who has seen tomorrow, who knows what tomorrow will be like? For those whose souls are alive, this is the time to fulfill all your desires.

Sahir always has that philosophical bent in his lyrics. This time he does it with the help of time. His brilliant combination with Ravi extracts the flavour of the song with the help of Asha’s voice. The decoction with aroma of philosophy. The song which displays a gamut of a moment that exists. And what a gamut it is!! Svelte as Raaj Kumar, mesmerised as Shashikala, dipped in romance like Sadhana and Sunil Dutt, carefree yet poise as Sharmila, shy and innocent as Shashi Kapoor – all the aspects life offers to us. Not to sidline the salacious Madan Puri and the menacing Rehman. These 2 complete the aspect. They come with the package called life. That life which is a fiesta for all those who grab the moment and live in it!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijVaQoJDy5w