The Duality of Gulzar

In Urdu script, Gulzar translates to a bed of roses. Sampooran Singh Kalra chose this to be his pen name. The world came to know him as Gulzar, a lyricist whose philosophical songs question the delicate intricacies of life (Tujhse Naraaz Nahin Zindagi). Contrastingly, he is also the man who holds the power to pull us back from our mundane daily routine and lets us indulge ourselves in the colourful train ride of Chaiyya Chaiyya.

If you, like us, are also a fan of this living legend, then it is inevitable for you to not notice this duality Gulzar loves to play with. Even if you are not a fan (why though?), the two songs we mentioned above (which we really suggest you check out) perfectly encapsulates his dual nature. A lesser-known fact about the lyricist is that he is also a poet and has written such heart-wrenching verses that could even make a stone weep in undying sorrow. To properly appreciate such an artist, one needs to understand and appreciate the duality or pehlu one can notice in him. Let us know in the comments if you can notice the merging of the two Gulzars in this blog 👀

To know the Bard, we need to know his court. Gulzar started his journey under the directions of Bimal Roy. Bimal Roy was more than just a director for Gulzar. Roy was also his mentor being known for his eyes that could spot talent. In his book Raavi Paar, Gulzar described a lot of anecdotes about Roy and the agony of creation. It is from here that we can try to start understanding Gulzar.

As a songwriter, Gulzar worked with legendary music directors, one of the more notable ones being Sachin Dev Burman for his movie, Bandini (1963). Gulzar also often collaborated with Burman’s son, Rahul Dev Burman. When it comes to songs, Gulzar has a plethora of them. With the two deathless euphonies (a shameless reference to our third blog, aye) we mentioned earlier, Gulzar also penned songs like, “Tere Bina” in collaboration with composer A R Rahman in the movie Guru and the enthusiastic, climatic song named Bismil from the movie, Haider. He was also the mind behind the ever-electrifying punk-rock melody “Dhan Te Nan” from the movie, Kaminey, and the Grammy-winning song “Jai Ho” from the movie, Slumdog Millionaire and many others.

Out of this anthology, it is difficult to pick a single song and discuss the mischievous playfulness and the light-hearted nature this man exhibits. Nevertheless, after multiple heated discussions, we settled on discussing “Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji” from the movie Ishqiya in this blog.

Here, the lyricist is clearly personifying the heart of a romantic. The romantic himself is aged and does not believe in the lure of love. In contrast to this belief, he possesses a heart full of innate mischievousness which playfully desires to experience and feel this novel sentiment of love, just like how a child shows curiosity about a flickering fire. He feels that this innocent behaviour is childish and naïve, for love is far scarier. Though a romantic, he is afraid to fall for this trap called love again. With Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s soulful voice to sing this melody, the song achieves its goal and the blame for such naivety is bestowed upon the heart.

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Now, we come to analysing Gulzar’s Nazms and Shayari. This is where we are left shocked. The content and the style of Gulzar as a poet is completely in contrast to the songs he has penned. In these nazms and shayaris, he is a disillusioned and defeated man. Even in his completely contrasting works, we can find beauty. Thus, we think his pen name as Gulzar is perfect for him. One cannot expect to rest upon a bed of roses and not be hurt by its thorns. Hence although Gulzar seems to be immune from the thorns of life in his songs, his writings are like a wake-up call to his readers and make them aware that even he, is not safe from the thorns life has to offer.

Ghazals are a collection of Urdu couplets showcasing a constant rhyme scheme. The ghazal below narrates the story of a man who is sitting on his porch at the end of his life. The tone of this ghazal expresses loneliness and disdain, a dominant genre in Urdu poetry.

Translation for couplet:

Every day is spent by someone

Like a debt being reimbursed by someone.

I cradle the sorrows of my heart,

Like precious jewellery sheltered by someone.

I saw my reflection in the mirror and was left satisfied,

With the knowledge that I am known in this house by someone.

A ripened fruit is ready to be plucked,

And a stone is thrown, again, by someone.

Silence takes time to echo,

And makes me feel like I am being called by someone.

It is almost impossible to guess without prior knowledge that both the quoted examples are written by the same man. Now, both we and you are aware of his duality. It is amazing to realise how such a contrast makes this man. It is his specialty, a fact known by a few. His songs and writings are always a contrast of good and bad, happiness and sadness, a naïve heart and a weathered one. He is that someone who will keep arising whenever Gulzar is mentioned.

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Were you aware of Gulzar’s identity as an Urdu poet before this blog? Let us know in the comments below. The innocent tone in his songs and the mature, melancholic tone visible in his poetry are contrasting, yet harmonious. This duality forms the man known as Gulzar, our beloved Bollywood lyricist, and Urdu couplets’ esteemed poet.

Content writers: Bilal Khan; Needhi Singh; Shamatmika Rathore.

Editor: Adithi M. Kashyap

Graphic design and Video Editing: Alwin Joe Varghese; Khushi Sharma