“Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai”: Freedom in a Song

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Waheeda Rehman dancing on the ramparts of Chittorgarh Fort in the song from Guide
Freedom sometimes feels like being born again



You may have heard the famous song from the film Guide, with lyrics by Kaviraj Shailendra:

ओ-ओ, काँटों से खींच के ये आँचल
तोड़ के बंधन, बाँधी पायल
ओ-ओ, कोई ना रोके दिल की
उड़ान को दिल वो चला

आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है
आज फिर मरने का इरादा है

What is intriguing is the line “आज फिर मरने का इरादा है”, which appears to stand in direct contrast to the preceding line “आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है.”

Why would Shailendra place these two powerful yet seemingly contradictory lines together?

The answer perhaps lies in the opening lines themselves. They capture a woman’s exhilarating sense of freedom:

“काँटों से खींच के ये आँचल…”

In the film, Waheeda Rehman as Rosy has been pulled back from the brink of despair. Encouraged by Raju (Dev Anand), she buys herself a pair of payal from the village market. That small act becomes the spark that reignites the dancer within her, allowing her to break free from a stifling and oppressive domestic life.

The joy and sense of liberation she experiences is transformative — almost like being born again. It is a moment of rebirth. The feeling rises beyond ordinary notions of life and death.

In that exalted state of freedom, nothing seems capable of diminishing her joy, not even death itself. As she dances along the walls of Chittorgarh Fort, closely watched by Raju, she sings almost playfully:

“आज फिर मरने का इरादा है.”

It is not a literal wish for death, but the expression of a fearless freedom — a moment where the fullness of life makes even the idea of death lose its power.

Interestingly, this song also has an unusual structure. The antara appears before the mukhda, something rarely done in film songs. Shailendra used this device to dramatic effect.

His poetic imagination seems to be at its peak here. With remarkable sensitivity, he captures a woman reclaiming her independence and rediscovering her identity.

Another aspect worth noticing is the cinematography. Fali Mistry’s camera moves fluidly around Waheeda Rehman as Rosy, capturing both her renewed beauty and her dancing grace. The alternating high-angle and low-angle shots subtly mirror her shifting emotional states.

Waheeda carries herself with extraordinary elegance in the song. She is dressed head to toe in teal. Interestingly, when one recalls this song, the colour teal itself seems to linger in memory. Rarely has a colour been so beautifully associated with a character on screen.

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