Seven Songs of Sapne

 

‘The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.’ This was said by Eleanor Roosevelt and our HFM has happily given life to this quote with its myriad songs on Sapne/ dreams. Be the dreams in any form, they fill our lives and provide some balance in good days and bad.

1. Mere sapne mein aana re

Film: Rajhat 1956

Singer: Lata Mangeshkar

Music Director: Shankar Jaikishan

Lyrics: Shailendra

Madhubala lights up the screen with the honeysweet rendition by Lata Mangeshkar. As she asks her beloved to appear in her dream, she imagines everything she probably wouldn’t dare to suggest when she actually met him. The shy hesitant personality which takes on a different bravado for her dreams sets an interesting contrast in this song.

Mere sapne mein aana re, sajnaa,

Mere sapne mein aana re,

Woh baat zaraa mere kaanon mein,

phir se keh jaana re...

 

 

2. Sapne mein sajan se do baatein

Film: Gateway of India 1957

Singer: Lata Mangeshkar

Lyrics: Rajinder Kishan

Music: Madan Mohan

Somehow one of the first songs to come to mind for Sapne is this song. That is surprising as I have never seen this song on video as it isn’t available. However, that has never stopped me from visualising Madhubala in this sweet melody composed by Madan Mohan. Lata Mangeshkar has sung this song with such emotions that our mind can bridge the gap for the visual and its almost as if we have seen the video with Madhubala’s dulcet smile. This is true for most old hindi film songs that have missing videos, our mind’s eye directs the visuals.

Ik raat milan ki aayee thi,
aur uske baad judaayi thi,
gham aur khushi ki do raaten
ik yaad rahi ik bhool gaye…
Sapne mein sajan se do baaten…

 

 

3. Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hai    1965

Film: Guide

Singer: Mohammed Rafi

Music director: S D Burman

Lyrics: Shailendra

A shattered Rosy slowly comes to life as Raju hands her the hope of shared dreams and a life together in this song. Each line is steeped in sincerity as the trio of Kaviraj Shailendra, S D Burman and Mohammed Rafi serve us magic on a platter. The pathos of the saxophone set against the early light of Udaipur with Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman is the ultimate magic that cinema has ever offered.

Lakh manaa le duniya,
Saath na yeh chhootega,
Aake mere haathon mein
Haath na yeh chhootega…
O mere jeevan saathi
Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hain..

 

 4. Sapnon ka Saudagar    1968

Film: Sapnon ka Saudagar

Singer: Mukesh

Lyrics: Shailendra

Music: Shankar Jaikishan

Life throws many curve balls and it can sometimes be difficult to keep our spirits up. At times like these, what helps is hope. No matter how difficult the circumstances, keeping hope and optimism alive helps one chart the troubled waters. With the words ‘Tumse kismet khel chuki, Tum kismet se khelo’, Shailendra has nailed the power of hope in his inimitable manner.

Ik chhaliya aas ke peechhe,
Daude to yahaan tak aaye,
Har shaam ko dhalta suraj
Jaate jaate keh jaaye…

Woh tay kar legaa manzil

Jo ik sapna apnaaye…’

 

 

 

 

5. Sapna mera toot gaya   1973

Film: Khel Khel Mein

Singer: Asha Bhosale and R D Burman

Music: R D Burman

Lyrics: Gulshan Bawra

 

When one has shared one’s dreams with someone and that person is gone, those dreams feel hollow, shattered. This song is filmed on Aruna Irani where she reminisces about Rakesh Roshan. However, this song, for me, will always be about Asha Bhosale and Pancham. That tug at the heartstrings will always be there when I hear this song as I think of both of them. The song switches between memories in the antaras and back to reality with the mukhda. The slight pause before the mukhda as one is jerked back to the present works to emphasise the despair of broken dreams. The utter emptiness that takes their place.

 

6. Ek din sapne mein dekha sapna

Film: Golmaal      1979

Singer: Kishore Kumar and Sapan Chakraborty

Music: R D Burman

Lyrics: Gulzar

A dream within a dream! As only Gulzar can visualise! This is a song on farfetched dreams. Something that has practically zero chance of materialsing and yet gives immense joy to the mind. My sapne mein sapna was always a wish to meet Dev Anand. Never happened but then that’s why it qualified to be my sapne mein sapna! Life gets colours of joy with such dreams. The song has Ramprasad (Amol Palekar in one of his finest roles) imagining himself in Amitabh Bachchan’s shoes and signing autographs while Big B looks on in dismay. Rekha begging him to stay back and Lata’s singing  being accompanied on the tabla are further sapnas, each of which bring a smile to our lips.

The sweetest line of this song is

‘Ik din sapne mein dekhi sapni,

Woh jo hai na Lata apni..’

7. Dekho maine dekha hai yeh ek sapna   

Film: Love Story   1981

Singers: Amit Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar

Music: R D Burman

Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

When dreams are ambitions as well as visions of life with one’s beloved, then this song fits the bill! The debut film of Kumar Gaurav who went on to be the heart throb of young girls at that time. This film also established Amit Kumar as the singing voice of Kumar Gaurav, a lot like Shailendra Singh’s voice getting associated with Rishi Kapoor at the beginning of his career. The song hints at the lead character Bunty’s inclination towards taking up the field of architecture, something that he had disagreed with his father for in the beginning of the film as he wanted to be a pilot. The lyrics follow each part of the house design blending in nicely with aspirations for different facets of his life.

 

I was limited by the number seven and could not list more of my favourite songs on sapne. Do write in with your favourite sapne songs in the comments!