Needless to say, this was the last song of Asha Bhonsle under O P Nayyar’s music direction.The lyrics of Asha Bhosle’s song “Chain Se Hamko Kabhi” convey the pain of separation from a loved one and the struggle to find peace amidst the turmoil of emotions.
O P Nayyar and Asha Bhonsle had forged a long professional relation for 15 years which had turned personal as well. The two had continued an affair that lasted just as long.
The two finally split in 1972. Prior to that, they had recorded this song “Chain se humko kabhi aapne jeene na diyaa”. From the voice, lyrics and the music, it is obvious that Asha Bhonsle, the lyricist S H Bihari (a close confidant of O P Nayyar) and O P Nayyar had given this song their best.
The records of this song became popular even before the movie was released. In fact, the song became so popular that the Filmfare magazine chose Asha Bhonsle as the Filmfare female playback singer of the year for their 1974 awards function.
O P Nayyar did not have too many friends left in the film industry. Now that he was estranged from Asha Bhonsle too, Asha Bhonsle used her clout with the makers of the movie to get this song deleted from the movie though the song was already picturised on Rekha and had got quite popular.
Asha did not attend the Filmfare awards ceremony, though O P Nayyar and S H Bihari did. OP Nayyar accepted the award on her behalf. While returning back from the award function with the lyricist S H Bihari, O P Nayyar tossed the award out of the car and heard it break.
Today, we present the lyrics to a soul-stirring melody composed by O.P. Nayyar and sung by Asha Bhonsle that has stood the test of time: Chain Se Humko Kabhi Aapne Jeene Na Diya.
चैन से हमको कभी आपने जीने ना दिया
चैन से हमको कभी आपने जीने ना दिया
ज़हर भी चाहा अगर, पीना तो पीने ना दिया
चैन से हमको कभी
चांद के रथ में रात की दुल्हन जब जब आएगी
याद हमारी आपके दिल को तरसा जाएगी
आपने जो है दिया, वो तो किसीने ना दिया
ज़हर भी चाहा अगर, पीना तो पीने ना दिया
चैन से …
आपका ग़म जो इस दिल में दिन–रात अगर होगा
सोचके ये दम घुटता है फिर कैसे गुज़र होगा
काश ना होती अपनी जुदाई मौत ही आ जाती
कोई बहाने चैन हमारी रूह तो पा जाती
इक पल हँसना कभी दिल की लगी ने ना दिया
ज़हर भी चाहा अगर, पीना तो पीने ना दिया
Chain se hamako kabhi aapane jine naa diya
Chain se hamako kabhi aapane jine naa diya
zahar bhi chaaha agar, pina to pine na diya
chain se hamako kabhi
chaand ke rath men raat ki dulhan jab jab aaegi
yaad hamaari aapake dil ko tarasa jaaegi
aapane jo hai diya, vo to kisine naa diya
zahar bhi chaaha agar, pinaa to pine naa diyaa
chain se …
aapaka Gham jo is dil men din-raat agar hoga
soch ke ye dam ghut ta hai phir kaise guzar hoga
kaash naa hoti apani judaai maut hi aa jaati
koi bahaane chain hamaarii ruuh to paa jaati
ik pal hansana kabhi dil ki lagi ne naa diyaa
zahar bhii chaahaa agar, piinaa to piine naa diyaa
The singer laments that despite her desire for tranquility, she was never given the chance to live without anguish. She asserts that even if she wanted to drink poison to end her suffering, she was denied that choice.
The refrain “Chain Se Hamko Kabhi” emphasizes the longing for peace that the singer yearns for.
The second verse talks about the memory of the loved one haunting her like the bride of the night riding on the chariot of the moon. The memory causes the heart to ache, making it difficult to move on.
The singer acknowledges that what she has endured cannot be erased, and no one has come forward to make things right. She reflects on the possibility of death offering relief from the hurt, but she also wishes that death would not be the only means to end her grief.
She concludes that even though she never got to experience joy without pain, she still longs to laugh once more, and even if she wanted to drink poison, she can’t because she was never given that choice.
Although this song was supposed to be included in Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye (1974) directed by S. Ali Raza, it never made the final cut! In spite of its prominent absence from a movie, this memorable composition has been treasured by Hindi film music lovers for years ever since it was released.
While the profound beauty of this rare song never fails to earn universal appreciation, many fans may be surprised to learn about the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the the making and release of chain se ham ko kabhii.
When Asha Bhonsle was 16 years old, she eloped with her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar’s 31-year-old personal secretary Ganpatrao Bhonsle against the wishes of her family.
Over the course of an unhappy marriage, the allegedly abusive Ganpatrao grew suspicious of Asha’s faithfulness to their marriage and eventually cast her out of their home in 1960. Pregnant with her third child, Asha left the Bhonsle household permanently in order to secure a better future for her children.
A few years later, Asha and music director O.P. Nayyar began a nine-year romantic relationship in 1963 that quickly became the talk of the tabloids. Although both Asha and O.P. were married legally to their spouses, they lived together for many years in O.P.’s pent house flat at the Miramar building in Mumbai.
During this period, the duo churned out a series of memorable musical hits that fans of Hindi film music still hold dear to their hearts:
Diivaanaa huaa baadal from Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), yeh hai reshmii zulfon kaa andheraa from Mere Sanam (1965), zaraa haule haule chalo more saajnaa from Sawan Ki Ghata (1966), yehii woh jagah hai from Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi (1966), and aao huzuur tum ko from Kismat (1968), among many other gems.
Sadly, this musical power couple encountered a rough patch in their relationship around 1972. Whatever the reason may have been for their break-up, the couple had one last piece of unfinished business to deal with as they separated: the songs they had made together for the film Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye.
Recorded before the couple had decided to part ways, records of these songs had been released several months in advance of the film’s premiere in 1974. Following the tragic break-up, Asha used her clout in the industry to have “Chain Se Humko Kabhi Aapne Jeene Na Diya” deleted from the movie before it was released in theaters.
However, the song had gained such widespread acclaim on its own that it won Asha her sixth Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer in 1975. Since Asha refused to go to the ceremony to receive this award, O.P. Nayyar accepted the trophy on her behalf.
It is said that O.P. then tossed the trophy out the window on his car ride home, ending their relationship on a truly sour note.
Interestingly, in his old age, O.P. Nayyar overcame the bitterness of the duo’s break-up and admitted that Asha was “the best person I’ve ever met.”
By the time the song Chain Se Humko Kabhi was recorded sometime in 1972, it was apparent that the Asha Bhosle-OP Nayyar team was drifting apart, both professionally and personally.
The song was composed by OP Nayyar, written by SH Bihari and sung by Asha Bhosle for the Sunil Dutt-Rekha dacoit drama Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye (1974), directed by Ali Raza.
It is said to be the last song recorded by the singer-composer two some, bringing to an end one of the most brilliant combos ever in Hindi cinema.
Along with SD Burman, it was OP Nayyar who was instrumental in Asha Bhosle’s phenomenal rise to the top from 1957 onward.
The End
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