The World Cup mania: A song to cricket
When the entire country is caught in the frenzy of the One-day Cricket World Cup, I get to hear today a fun song on cricket from the film Love Marriage (1959). It is surprising I had not heard this song before. Had Vividh Bharti kept it on hold to play before the final match between India and Sri Lanka at Mumbai on April 2, 2011?
Dev Anand is the debonair cricketer on the field. Among the spectators is Mala Sinha who is surprised to see him as the star player of the opposite team. Dev Anand bugged her no end as she was persuaded into taking him as her flat mate when she was looking for a female house mate to share her rent. And as you could have guessed he rains fours and sixes taking his team to victory, and in the process winning the heart of the hostile heroine. In the after-match dancing and singing of this song amidst his admiring cronies and a giggling gang of girls, including by-now-bowled-over Mala Sinha, seeking his autographs, he proclaims with unconcealed glee क्रिकेट में तो जीत गए पर हारे प्यार का मैच.
‘She’ ne khela ‘he’ se aaj cricket match
Ek nazar mein dil bechara ho gaya LBW
Ek nazar mein dil bechara ho gaya LBW
Aye jo hum field mein tad tad baaji taali
Are mukhde par haseenon ke aa gayi phir se laali
San san karti ball se khud ko to bachaya
Par dil batuye mein le gayi ik champe ki laali
Dil ke versus dil ka haar gaye ham match
Ek nazar mein dil bechaara ho gaya LBW
‘She’ ne khela ‘he’ se…
Are mukhde par haseenon ke aa gayi phir se laali
San san karti ball se khud ko to bachaya
Par dil batuye mein le gayi ik champe ki laali
Dil ke versus dil ka haar gaye ham match
Ek nazar mein dil bechaara ho gaya LBW
‘She’ ne khela ‘he’ se…
Humne jab ghumaya pyar ka ye balla
Are Lailaaon ke tent me mach gaya phir to halla
Jo bhi gend aayi to chauka hi fatkara
Par hosh hamaara le gaya ik saadi ka palla
Un zulfon ke taar ne daale sau sau pench
Ek nazar mein dil bechara ho gayaa LBW
‘She’ ne khela ‘he’ se….
Are Lailaaon ke tent me mach gaya phir to halla
Jo bhi gend aayi to chauka hi fatkara
Par hosh hamaara le gaya ik saadi ka palla
Un zulfon ke taar ne daale sau sau pench
Ek nazar mein dil bechara ho gayaa LBW
‘She’ ne khela ‘he’ se….
Usne phenka leg break to humne mara chhakka
Out karta kaun humein ham khiladi pakka
Armano ki tent se badh gaye hum aage
Aur unki chaal dekh kar rah gaye hakka bakkaa
Cricket mein to jeet gaye par haare pyar ka match
Ek match mein dil bechara ho gaya LBW
‘She’ ne khela ‘he’ se……
Out karta kaun humein ham khiladi pakka
Armano ki tent se badh gaye hum aage
Aur unki chaal dekh kar rah gaye hakka bakkaa
Cricket mein to jeet gaye par haare pyar ka match
Ek match mein dil bechara ho gaya LBW
‘She’ ne khela ‘he’ se……
All my posts so far have been quite involved, and entailed a good deal of research. I had no plans of writing on this. But since cricket makes everyone opportunistic in India, here is a quickie on the occasion of the World Cup
‘She’ ne khela ‘he’ se aaj cricket match by Rafi from Love Marriage(1959), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar Jaikishan
This set me thinking, are there any other cricket songs or for that matter on any sport in Hindi films? Lagaan was one long drawn cricket match but Baar baar haan is hardly a cricket song. I doubt if you can call Chak de India a hockey song. Similarly, Hip Hip Hurray (1984) starring Raj Kiran and Deepti Naval was a terrific football film, but I do not recall it had any football song. Dan Dana Dan Goal had a super hit song , but it would be difficult to describe it as a football song even if you stretch your imagination wildly and start imagining Jane Russel-esque metaphors.
Thus the above song from Love Marriage appears to be the only cricket- or a game-specific song from the golden era. Therefore, I have no option but to put the official world cup song for you to compare the two.
Official ICC World Cup 2011 song by Shankar Ehsan Loy