Aan Milo Aan Milo

Aan Milo Aan Milo Shyam Savare- Geeta Dutt,Manna Dey- Film Devdas 1955- Lyrics Sahir Ludhianvi- Music S.D.Burman.

Devdas, released in 1955, was a film by producer Director Bimal Roy, depicting a tragic story of love triangle involving self destructive upper cast Bramhin Devdas, his childhood love Paro and a reformed prostitute Chandramukhi. The movie was based on Saratchandra Chattejee's famous novel of the same name.

The story has since become one of the milestones of popular Indian cinema.  The first widely influential version was directed simultaneously in Hindi and Bengali in 1935 for New Theatres by P.C. (Pramathesh Chandra) Barua. Barua cast himself as Devdas in the (recently rediscovered) Bengali version, and the legendary pre-playback singing star K. L. (Kundun Lal) Saigal (who has a cameo role singing two songs in the Bengali film) starred in the extremely popular Hindi version.

The basic plot of Devdas has remained fairly the same in both versions.The rich brahmin zamindar’s devilish son Devdas and the middle-class Parvati (affectionately called Paro) are childhood playmates who declare their love just before Devdas is sent away to Calcutta for his education. After the young couple are reunited , Parvati’s family attempts to arrange her marriage to Devdas, but the latter’s father rejects the union as  Paro’s family are lower social status. The girl’s insulted family responds by quickly arranging her marriage to a wealthy widower with three grown children. Though promised to another, Parvati, risks her reputation by coming to Devdas in the night and asking him to save her from a loveless marriage; the weak-willed Devdas hesitates, and decides that he cannot challenge his family and tradition. He is, however, distraught in his decision and, back in Calcutta, seeks to drown  himself in alcohol, when his worldly colleague Chunnilal introduces him to a dancing prostitute Chandramukhi, who  falls  in love with the gloomy young man, not reciprocating her love. 

As he sinks into greater oblivion despite Chandramukhi’s affection for him , Devdas takes a last, aimless train ride across India. Finally, as he had promised (“If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll come to you”) to paro, Devdas drags himself to the entrance of Parvati’s home – to which she has been restricted — where he dies just before she is alerted to the presence of a stranger’s body just beyond the massive gates that shut her inside as she runs to him. The end.

Devdas is the archetype of “the genre of the self-destructive urban hero” in Indian cinema.Although he has become the very model of the ardent lover whose passion is never consummated, Devdas has nevertheless spawned a school full of sad children throughout the history of Indian cinema.

This song comes in the film, when Devdas's childhood love Paro in lost in the memories of Devdas, when he is away to Kolkata . A street Singer (Nana Palshikar) and his wife (Dulari) happen to go by. Paro requests them to sing, 

आन मिलो आन मिलो श्याम सांवरे आन मिलो

आन मिलो आन मिलो श्याम सांवरे

ब्रज में अकेली राधे खोई-खोई फिरे

ओ राधे खोई-खोई फिरे, ओ कान्हा आन मिलो

आन मिलो आन मिलो श्याम सांवरे आन मिलो

वृंदावन की गलियन में तुम बिन

जियरा ना लागे ओ जियरा ना लागे

निस दिन तुम्हारी बाट निहारे

व्याकुल नैन अभागे व्याकुल नैन अभागे

अब ही ऐसी दशा है मन की

का होइहै फिर आगे रे

ब्रज मे अकेली राधे खोई-खोई फिरे

ओ राधे खोई-खोई फिरे, ओ कान्हा आन मिलो

आन मिलो आन मिलो श्याम सांवरे आन मिलो

अजहूँ जो न भेजी मोहन तैने कोई खबरिया

ओ तैने कोई खबरिया

अजहूँ जो न भेजी मोहन तैने कोई खबरिया

ओ तैने कोई खबरिया

हो जैहै इक ब्रज की बाला रो रो कर बावरिया

रो-रो कर बावरिया

धीर बंधा जा धीर बंधा जा

मुख दिखला जा नट नागर सांवरिया रे

ब्रज मे अकेली राधे खोई-खोई फिरे

ओ राधे खोई-खोई फिरे ओ कान्हा आन मिलो

आन मिलो आन मिलो श्याम सांवरे आन मिलो

The song describes the desolateness of Radha in absence of her beloved Kanha. She rues that if this is her hopeless state of mind now, then what will be her plight in coming days. Alone and gloomy Radha wonders in the deserted alleys of Vrindavan in the quest of Kanha. She repeatedly requests him to come and rescue her from her dismal and depressing state of mind. There is no news of his whereabouts and her patience is running out fast. Relentless crying has made her life miserable. Only his affectionate and warm company can offer some respite from this unending despondency.

Although the lyrics depicts the state of lonely Radha, it applies equally to Paro, who is melancholic in the absence of Devdas.  S.D.Burman's music superbly blends with the profound lyrics of Sahir. 

Devdas 1955

Star Cast: Dilip Kumar, Vyjayantimala, Suchitra Sen, Motilal, Dulari, Nana Palshikar, Johny Walker, Pran.

Screen Play: Nabendu Ghosh.

Cinematography:  Kamal Bose.

Lyrics : Sahir Ludhianvi.

Music: S.D.Burman.

Produced and Directed by Bimal Roy.

A Bimal Roy Production film.