Mohe Bhool Gaye sawariya....

Mohe Bhool Gaye Sawariyan-Lata Mangeshkar- Film Baiju Bawra 1952- Lyricist Shakeel Badayuni- Music Naushad

The story line of Baiju Bawra is based on the musical duel between Baiju, an unknown singer and Sangit Samrat Tansen. Tansen is known to be the greatest classical vocalist ever to have existed in India, and was one of the nine jewels (Navaratnas) of Emperor Akbar's court. Nobody could sing in the city unless he or she could sing better than Tansen. If this was not the case, he or she was executed. Baiju Bawra is the story of an unknown singer, Baiju, who is on a mission to defeat Tansen in a musical duel to avenge the death of his father.

Believing that his father's death is caused by Tansen , Baiju sets out to avenge the death and thus honour his promise to father. Baiju gets shelter from a village priest and while growing up, falls in love with Gauri, the daughter of a boatman. He continues his musical education on his own, but gets so enamoured by Gauri's love that he forgets the promise made to his father.

Later, a dacoit queen ( Kuldip Kaur), who abducts Baiju. While she narrates her own tale of injustice done to her and her determination to avenge it, Baiju suddenly remebers the promise of revenge given to his father.

In a fit of rage and revenge, Baiju sneaks into the Mughal palace, where Tansen is singing. He is dumbstruck by the way Tansen sings, and the sword that was supposed to cut the maestro's throat fell on the tanpura, saddening Tansen. He said he could only be killed by music, and the pain that accompanies it. "Dip your notes in melancholy and I'll die on my own," he said. Baiju accordingly leaves the palace to learn "real" music.

Baiju remembers that when his father was killed, he was taking Baiju to Swami Haridas. He goes to see the Swami himself and asks for his guidance, informing him of his plan to take revenge against Tansen. Haridas tells Baiju that one must be in love to be a true musician, and thus Baiju must rid himself of all the hatred in his heart, but still gives him a veena and accepts him as his disciple. Baiju again starts his musical training, spending all his time in a Shiva temple.

Meanwhile the Gauri, totally devastated by Baiju's sudden departure, decides to end her life. She is lonely and can't imagine life without Baiju. In this melancholic state, she sings the song, wandering   amid desolate place which also represent the sate of her life without Baiju.

जो मैं ऐसा जानती
के प्रीत किये दुख होय
ओ, नगर ढिंढोरा पीटती
के प्रीत न करियो कोय

मोहे भूल गए साँवरिया, भूल गए साँवरिया
आवन कह गये, अजहुं न आये
लीनी न मोरी खबरिया
मोहे भूल गए...

(दिल को दिए क्यों दुख बिरहा के
 तोड़ दिया क्यों महल बना के) 
आस दिला के ओ बेदर्दी
फेर ली काहे नजरिया
मोहे भूल गए...

नैन कहे रो-रो के सजना
देख चुके हम प्यार का सपना 
प्रीत है झूटी, प्रीतम झूटा 
झूटी है सारी नगरिया
मोहे भूल गए...

She expresses the feelings of dejected mind by saying that  Falling in Love only results into sorrow, disappointment and depression. Therefore she urges all, never to fall in love.

She says that her beloved had promised to come back and yet he has not, nor did he cared about her well being and the state in which she spends her life without him. He has totally forgotten her and foresaked her.

While he was with her, he had promised her the paradise of love. He had taken her in the dreamland and got aqquainted with happiness. However he has broken all the promises ...Why ? Why ?

Her eyes brimming full of tears, proclaim the unworthiness of love which is a dream now for her.She feels that the love, her beloved and for that matter this entire world is unworthy and not caring.

The sentiments of a desolateness are very well depicted by Meena Kumari on screen. She is fully capable of conveying the loneliness through her sad eyes and facial expressions. The setting of derilict landscape in background enhances the melancholic mood of the song.

The tune of Naushad is based on Ragg Bhairav ( plus traces of Kalingda).

At the time of recording the song, Lata was suffering from high fever. She was unable to even stand, yet she completed the recording, gave a stellar performance. After the completion of recording she collapsed. Such was the dedication towards job at that time.

There was another Lata song which also depicted her sad condition after Baiju's departure.

बचपन की मोहब्बत को दिल से न जुदा करना

जब याद मेरी आए मिलने की दुआ करना

दुनिया ऐ मुहब्बत की लूटे लिए जाते हो

घर मेरी उम्मीदों का सूना किए जाते हो

सावन में पपीहा का सँगीत सुनाऊँगी

जो ग़म दिए जाते हो उस ग़म की दुआ करना जब याद मेरी आए ...

जब याद मेरी आए ...

फ़रियाद तुझे अपनी गा-गा कर सुनाऊँगी आवाज़ मेरी सुन के दिल थाम लिया करना

Baiju Bawra 1952

Starcast: Bharat Bhushan, Meena Kumari, Suresh, Kuldip Kaur,Manmohan Krishna, Baby Tabassum etc.
Shakeel Badayuni (lyrics)
Music by Naushad
Screenplay by R. S. Choudhury
Story by Ramchandra Thakur
Written by Zia Sarhadi (dialogues)
Directed by Vijay Bhatt
Produced by Prakash Pictures