Reminiscing Past Love: Woh Shyam Kuch Ajeeb Thi

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Woh shyam kuch ajeeb thi will rank as one of the most romantic songs in Hindi film music thanks to Gulzar getting into the skin of the characters for its story adaptation and Waheeda’s understated acting. 

The lead characters moving back and forth in time reminiscing about their past love is beautifully portrayed and  masterfully rendered in the lyrics as well, Woh shaam kuchh ajeeb thi, yeh shaam bhi ajeeb hai.

There are deft cinematography touches as well where Rajesh Khanna as Arun reminisces of his rejected love with, Woh kal bhi paas paas thi, woh aaj bhi kareeb hai. He looks up at the Howrah bridge as the boat passes under, signifying crossing over to the present. 

What stood out was the B&W cinematography by Kamal Bose, who won the Filmfare award for the Best Cinematographer. You will notice he too moves back the camera, creating more width, as if to make way for the melody to expand.

Something about the music. Hemant Kumar’s Rabindra Sangeet influence cannot be missed in the beginning of the song. There is a hum of the chorus at the start which is almost choir-like in its pitch and cadence. He creates an impression of a high pitch number to merge with the backdrop that Hooghly  provides. Rather than melancholy, the song had to create a sense of longing and despair, which it does. Don’t miss the interlude where Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia plays a poignant piece from the flute just before the two antaras.

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