Aishwarya Rai in Devdas
You may be wondering, dear reader, of the source of my admiration for Aishwarya Rai, formerly Miss World, now Mrs Bachchan.
It is one of those things that is better seen than described. Below the cut is the film clip of the first scene I ever saw of a Bollywood movie.
Now, to put yourself in the state of mind I was in, go watch all the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movies ever made, romantic, fair to the eye, graceful, musical, lyrical. Then wait ten years, meanwhile watching the ugliest and loudest MTV style quick-cut videos ever made, preferably starring Madonna flaunting her unimpressive bosom, so that you are convinced that grace and beauty have disappeared from the Earth forever.
Then come across the following by accident.
I thought I was watching the elf-queen dance by candlelight and rain, and I thought I saw dancing as it should be, where the gestures and poses of the dance mean something, as when the hands of the dancer flicker like flame when she sings of flame, and so on.
In this song, the young lover sings of her long-parted beau, and she has lit a candle and vowed that it should not go out so long as she loves him. By magic, the lamp has burned for ten years, the oil never exhausted. When her friends mock and try to blow out the lamp, love keeps it lit, nor will rain extinguish it.
It did not hurt that the pretty young actress has long dark hair like my beautiful wife, and a smile that is much the same.
For those of you who are curious, here are the lyrics:
SILSILA YE CHAAHAT KA
| mausam ne lii a.ngaDaa’ii aa’ii aa’ii | The weather stretches its limbs |
| laharaake barkha phir chaa’ii chaa’ii | Rain ripples and spreads |
| jho.nka hawaa ka aa’ega aur yeh diya bujh jaa’ega | A gust of wind will come and this light will be extinguished. |
| silsilaa yeh chaahat ka na mai.n ne bujhne diyaa… | I haven’t let (the lamp of) our love be extinguished. |
| o piya yeh diyaa na bujhaa hai na bujhegaa | O beloved, this lamp hasn’t been put out, nor will it be. |
| merii chaahat ka diyaa | The lamp of my desire! |
| mere piyaa ab aa jaa re mere piyaa… | My beloved, come to me now, my love… |
| is diye sa.ng jal rahaa mera rom rom rom aur jiyaa | With this lamp, every inch of my body is burning |
| ab aa jaa re mere piyaa | Come to me now, lover; |
| o mere piyaa ab aa jaa re mere piyaa | O my love, come to me now, beloved! |
| faasala thaa duurii thii | There was distance (between us), a remoteness… |
| faasala thaa duurii thii thaa judaa’ii ka aalam | There was distance (between us), a remoteness, a world of separation; |
| i.ntazaar me.n nazare.n thii.n | my eyes were fixed in wait for you. |
| aur tum vahaa.n the tum vahaa.n the tum vahaa.n the | And you were there… |
| jhilmilaate jagmagaate khushiyo.n me.n jhuumkar | shining, sparkling, swaying in happiness, |
| aur yahaa.n jal rahe the ham… | and here I was, burning for you… |
| phir se baadal garjaa hai | The clouds have thundered again; |
| garaj garajke barsaa hai | with a great rumble the rains have fallen. |
| ghuumke tuufaan aaya hai | A wandering storm has arrived, |
| par tujhko bujhaa nahii.n paaya hai | but it hasn’t managed to quench you, |
| o piya yeh diyaa chaahe jitna sataa’e tujhe | O my love, this light [hasn’t been quenched], however much they torment it — |
| yeh saawan yeh havaa aur ye bijliyaa.n | the rain, the wind, the lightning! |
| mere piya ab aa jaa re mere piya | My love, come to me now, my love |
| o mere piya ab aa jaa re mere piya | O my love, come to me now, beloved |
| dekho yeh paglii diiwaanii | Look at this crazy girl! |
| duniyaa se hai yeh anjaanii | She knows nothing of the world. |
| jho.nka hawaa ka aa’ega | A gust of wind will pass through, |
| aur iska piya sa.ng laa’ega | and bring with it her lover. |
| o piya ab aa jaa re mere piya | My love, come to me now, my love |
| silsila yeh chaahat ka na dil se bujhne diyaa | With all my heart, I didn’t let this (lamp of) love be extinguished |
| o piya yeh diyaa | O love, this light |
| silsila yeh chaahat ka na dil se bujhne diyaa | With all my heart I didn’t let this (lamp of) love be extinguished |
| o piya yeh diyaa | O love, this light |
| ae piya piya piya | O beloved, beloved, beloved |
My second glimpse of this mesmerizing beauty was a song from the same film.
The beauty sharing the duet is named Madhuri
Dixit. I have been told that it is a matter of heated debate among audiences in India as to which is the fairest, similar to a debate here between stout partisans of Elizabeth Tailor versus Marylin Monroe.
In this scene, the one woman is a harlot and the other bound by arranged marriage to a wealthy husband of high caste. The two women, of highest and lowest rank in society, discovering themselves to be in love with the same man, who can wed neither of them, at first hate, but then are reconciled out of compassion to each other.
The dance is a traditional celebration where the two are allowed to meet without scandal, and Aishwarya’s character takes the opportunity to tell Madhuri’s character to wed the disputed man — which explains the look of astonishment on her face at that moment. But in the next line Madhuri (truthfully) says the man loves no one other than her.
About John C Wright
John C. Wright is a practicing philosopher, a retired attorney, newspaperman, and newspaper editor, and a published author of science fiction. Once a Houyhnhnm, he was expelled from the august ranks of purely rational beings when he fell in love; but retains an honorary title.
