KADAMBARI SRIVASTAVA
NOSTALGIC NOTES
Mere Khwabon Mein - Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Young love and its dreams. To drench oneself in a fantasy yet
unexplored and then sing along the unspoken lyrics, looking
forward to an unseen dream. Add a melodious touch to it and
you have a Bollywood track that can be remembered for ages
to come. Probably that’s the reason why ‘Metre Khwabon
Mein’ from DDLJ is still the most loved song when it comes
to describing the fantasy that love is. A coy yet carefree Kajol
dancing to the tunes of Jatin-Lalit, with Shah Rukh Khan in
the foreshadowing sequences, and the eternal Yashraj stamp
— ‘Mere Khwabon Mein’ has been the stuff of dreams. But did
you know that it took immense efforts to pen this song which
is the ultimate anthem of love dreams?
Yes, according to the trivia, lyricist Anand Bakshi wrote not
one, not two, but 24 drafts of the song before director Aditya
Chopra finally liked the one that went to the recording studio.
The song was the first one to be recorded from the album, and
was ultimately sung by the nightingale of Bollywood, Lata
Mangeshkar. Surreal, isn’t it? After all, who would expect that
a seasoned lyricist such as Anand Bakshi would have to revisit
his own words 24 times at the behest of a young director.
However, he did that and his humble talent paid off. Anand
Bakshi went on to win a National Award for his memorable
words from the album, for the song ‘Tujhe Dekha To’, another
memorable track from the chartbuster album. Not only that
he also bagged the popular Screen Awards and the coveted
Filmfare trophy for the best lyricist.
DDLJ’s soundtrack went on to become the bestselling one of
the year, with officially 12 million units sold. Not only this, in
the year 2005, the album was chosen to be the best Hindi album
of all time by the voters, for BBC Asian Network.
History is created when the efforts are persistent. The 24 drafts
by Anand Bakshi surely were the tip of the lyrical iceberg
that he created, one that is unmatched even now. DDLJ is
considered one of the best Bollywood musical marvels of all
time, and a big chunk of the credit goes to the man who created
the words behind the music that rocked the charts and ruled
our hearts. His words will be known for beats to come, and
they will be infinite, much more than 24.