Songs of Anger

Posted on Trivia – The Spice of Life on 22/01/2023

This is a post that is dedicated to the emotion of anger (krodh) – which all of us display – as espoused in film songs. Anger is considered to be one of the 6 enemies of man (षड्रिपु), the others being Kama (desire), lobha (greed), Mada (Sense of I), moha (Attachment), and matsarya (Partiality). Blessed are those who have learnt to control or manage their anger. While the focus of many songs has been on ruthna – manaana (रूठना- मनाना) which is a part of courtship, I decided I would focus on the words krodh (क्रोध)/ khafa (ख़फ़ा)/naaraaz(नाराज़)/gussa(ग़ुस्सा).

I must state here that roothna roughly translates as sulking in English. Though our songs consider roothna as something trivial and only as an attention seeking strategy, psychology considers sulking to be a form of anger, which is in fact as important to attend to as an out and out expression of resentment. While some in a state of anger shout, use intemperate language and occasionally even resort to violence, those who sulk stay silent and do not express themselves. When people sulk, they feel very sad and surprisingly, sometimes they don’t even realize that they are angry. “Sulking” is a defence mechanism, which may be chosen unconsciously. The “Sulker” chooses this mechanism to maintain calm/peace. Sulking therefore is not insignificant as it is usually made out to be.

The words khafa/naaraaz/gussa are used less frequently in songs and somehow the on-screen action seldom brings out the difference between a vocal outburst (which these words imply) and a sulking episode. The fireworks are generally missing. The person who is angry is still pretty much sulking like a child and is cajoled. Anger was perhaps more in the screenplay of the movie (rather than the songs), as the angry young man theme got popular in the 1970s. A film that needs to be mentioned is Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hain? where the eponymous Albert Pinto (Naseer), working as a mechanic in a garage in Bombay, slowly understands the complexity of social and economic differences and becomes extremely ill tempered.

With the tone set, here is my list of songs that feature the words krodh (क्रोध), khafa (ख़फ़ा)/naaraaz(नाराज़)/gussa(ग़ुस्सा) though the intensity of expression of anger is missing in many.

1) Krodh Na Karna Re Sansaari (Bansri Bala, 1957) Lyricist : Pandit Phani; Music Director : Kamal Mitra ; Playback Singer : Manna Dey. This is a didactic song sung by a composed man, who enlists the ill effects of anger and implores upon human beings not to consumed by it. This is a job easier said than done, though! This seems to be a mythological movie. Manna Dey specialised in this genre of songs.

Krodh na karna re sansari, krodh kiya to bhul ki bhari
sau sau ghar ek sath jalati, krodh ki choti si chingari

iske bas me bhai bhai ko dushman ban lalkare
baap ke muh par beta bole, patni ko pati mare
krodhi ka ghar narak ki jwala,
jalte nar aur nari re jalte nar aur nari

krodh me aakar lade padosi, desh ka ho batwara
apne pal me bane paraye, bikhre kunba sara
phul phul kaanta ban jaaye, phul phul kaanta ban jaaye
ujad jaaye phulwari re ujad jaaye phulwari

2) Tujhse Naaraaz Nahin Zindagi (Masoom, 1983) Lyricist: Gulzar; Music Director : R.D.Burman; Playback Singer : Anup Ghoshal. This is perhaps one of the best songs that the Gulzar- R.D.Burman duo ever came up with. This is also the most popular song of Anup Ghoshal in Hindi films though he was a popular singer in Bangla movies. There is a multitude of emotions brimming out of which anger (नाराज़) at the situation is definitely one, but is masked as bewilderment (हैरान). The helplessness of the situation coupled with the innocent questions of the child make the protagonist seethe in anger. There is a female version that is sung by Lata Mangeshkar which puts forth the perspective of an angry wife who feels wronged but at the same time cannot hide her maternal instincts.

3) Yeh Mera Prem Patra Padhkar (Sangam, 1964) Lyricist: Hasrat Jaipuri; Music Directors: Shankar Jaikishan; Playback Singer : Md.Rafi. The heroine’s name in the film is Radha. In real life, Hasrat Jaipuri was in love with a Hindu girl named Radha and had written his first love letter to her, with the lines of the mukhda of this song, as the opening lines of his famed letter. This incident was the inspiration for this song. The situation is indeed delicate. If the girl who is the intended recipient of the letter does not harbour similar feelings, then there is every chance that she would be livid (naaraaz). Thus, it is a pre-emptive step to assuage the girl.

4) Yun To Aapas Mein Bigadte Hain Khafa Hote Hain (Andaz, 1949) Lyricist: Hasrat Jaipuri; Music Directors: Shankar Jaikishan; Playback Singers : Md.Rafi & Lata Mangeshkar. This is one of the movies that I watched and felt let down. It appeared completely retrograde and unconvincing. Nevertheless, since the post is about songs of anger, this song fits here. Just before the song, Nargis is hurt and angry at Raj Kapoor who has hurled a veiled accusation of infidelity at her. They have fought bitterly. However, a cobra appears on the scene and Nargis saves Raj Kapoor. They both then patch up. It is then that they sing this duet, where Rafi sings for Raj Kapoor. The words used are bigadte and khafa hote hain which mean getting angry.

5) Chhodiye Gussa Huzur, Aisi Naaraazi Bhi Kya (Detective, 1958) Lyricist: Shailendra; Music Director: Mukul Roy; Playback Singer : Md.Rafi. I chose this song as it had both words – gussa and naaraazi. I tried to place the song in perspective but the video of the film is rather abridged. It unfortunately appears to be more of a typical roothna manana song. It is interesting to note that the music director Mukul Roy was the elder brother of Geeta Dutt. He had a very short career in Hindi films. The tune of this song is inspired by a Jim Reeves number.

6) Aise Gussa Na Kijiye Huzur (Do Dooni Chaar, 1968) Lyricist : Gulzar; Music Director: Hemant Kumar; Playback Singer : Ranu Mukherjee. Who else but Gulzar could have written this light hearted song describing perfectly how anger surges in the body? As Tanuja describes how anger takes hold of the body, Kishore Kumar who is at a loss to understand what she is describing asks – kyaa? (as in what are you talking about??)This movie was based on Shakespeare’s play ‘The Comedy of Errors’. Here the wife and husband angry with each other. The reason for the anger is not very clear from the song. They have given up on food and are cross. The sister-in-law (Tanuja) is trying to get them to declare truce. This is a very humorous but realistic take on what the effects of anger are. Sung by Ranu Mukherjee, the music director Hemant Kumar’s daughter, this song is really special and different.

boond baraabar bounaa saa bhannaa kar lapkaa pair ke angootthe se uchhlaa takhnon se ghutnon par utthaa, pet pe aayaa, naak pakad kar phoolaa, phailaa, fan phailaa kar sar pe chhad gayaa 
kyaa? gussaaa. . . 
aise gussa na kijiye huzoor
meetthe maathhe pe gussa taubaa taubaa

7) April Fool Banaaya To Unko Gussa Aaya (April Fool, 1964) Lyricist: Hasrat Jaipuri; Music Directors: Shankar Jaikishan; Playback Singer : Md.Rafi. This again looks more like a roothna manaana song with the heroine mouthing expletives, not one bit pleased at having been fooled. While the anger seems a little put on, I felt the song was different in that it perhaps puts forth a situation where the prank does not go well with the person at the receiving end, who gets offended instead of having a good laugh. There are many occasions where a prank is not taken in the right spirit by the other person, this perhaps being an example.

8) Mere Mehboob Shaayad Aaj Kucch Naaraaz Hain Mujhse (Kitne Paas Kitne Door, 1976) Lyricist: D S Sultaniya; Music Director : Chaand Pardesi; Playback Singer: Chandrani Mukherji. This is a forgotten gem from a lesser known movie. However, I remember having heard the song perhaps on Doordarshan. I do not know the context or the actors. However, I feel this song should find a place in my list. It talks of how two individuals can be proximate, yet distant. It is sung by Chandrani Mukherjee who also had some memorable songs in Griha Pravesh (1980).

Mere mehboob
 shaayad aaj kuchch
naaraaz hain mujhse..
main kitne paas hoon
phir bhi
woh kitne door hain mujhse

9) Tumhaari Nazar Kyun Khafa Ho Gayi – Sad Version (Do Kaliyan, 1968) Lyricist: Sahir Ludhianvi; Music Director: Ravi; Playback Singers : Lata Mangehkar & Md.Rafi. This is the sad version of the duet which is more intense and serious and fits the theme at hand better. Mala Sinha and Biswajeet have got separated because of the constant interference of her mother in their relationship. This song is sung as a distant duet as it were, where each is trying to analyse why the other got angry and why they parted ways, after all.

10) Kisi Baat Par Main Kisi Se Khafaa Hun (Bemisal, 1982) Lyricist: Anand Bakshi; Music Director: R.D.Burman; Playback Singer : Kishore Kumar. The whole song shot in a party setting is about how the protagonist is angry with everything – life, friends, relationships. The undercurrents are quite palpable. Contrast this song with the one from Masoom which says- tujhse naaraaz nahin zindagi! Bemisal is a very different Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie which mixes up several issues like medical negligence, avarice in medical practice, old scores to settle, a love triangle and much much more.

While film songs do not completely address the reasons why we lose our temper, this post has helped to analyse how anger has been depicted in film songs as distinct from the roothna – manaana that is commonplace.

Disclaimer

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