Because music is an integral part of the reason for Falling in Love with Bollywood, this series highlights a Bollywood music video and why it attracts my attention.
About the Music
Song: "Yeh Ishq Hai"
Film: Jab We Met (2007)
Composer: Pritam Chakraborty
Lyrics by: Irshad Kamil
Singer: Shreya Ghoshal
Picturized on: Kareena Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor
Length: 4:44
About the story of the film so far
Demoralized by his mother’s extramarital affair, the death of his father, and the marriage of the woman he loves to another man, Mumbai industrialist Aditya Kashyap (Shahid Kapoor) has become a mindless wanderer on the verge of suicide. He boards a train going anywhere. Onto this train and into his life walks (and talks) Geet Dhillon (Kareena Kapoor), an ebullient young woman who is heading home. Irritated with her constant blather, Aditya disembarks. In trying to be helpful and get him back on the train, Geet ends up missing it (twice) and finds herself stranded on a desolate station with no luggage or money. She confronts Aditya and tells him that he is now responsible for getting her safely to her house in Bhatinda. Aditya agrees and, in spending so much time with Geet, he begins to feel good about life again. When they arrive at Geet's home, her grandfather (Dara Singh) tells Aditya he must stay with the family for a week. When Geet's family tries to arrange her marriage to childhood friend Manjeet Khosla she and Anditya run away to Manali so Geet can elope with Anshuman (Tarun Arora) the man she loves. During this trip, Geet sings “Yeh Ishq Hai” to explain the love she feels for Anshuman.
Song settings
The song features two major locations on the trip from Bhatinda to Manali:
Leh-Manali Highway. The Leh-Manali Highway connects the towns of Leh (Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir state) and Manali (Himachal Pradesh state). It is open for only about four and a half months a year - opening in May or June, when the snow is cleared by the Border Roads Organisation of Indian army, and closing in mid-October when snowfall again blocks the high passes. Because of the year-round snowpack, the climate in this area is cold even in summer. On the blog "Legends of My Journeys" Ashish describes driving the Leah-Manali highway:
Both sides of the road now start to have a snow wall to drive within. At some points this pseudo wall encroaches so deep, that even a single vehicle cannot pass without crashing it slightly on the sides. It is this stretch of about 20 km which is the most avalanche prone and vulnerable one on Manali-Leh route. Majority of the times, the entire Manali-Leh road gets closed due to this single 20 km stretch. Most of the traffic jams you witness on the entire route will be on this stretch and the queues are painstakingly long. So long that most of the times people from either side have to return back at Keylong or Sarchu respectively to try their luck the next day. On a positive note this stretch has featured in many famous Bollywood movies, most famous scene being the one in the song "Yeh Ishq Hai" in the movie Jab We Met, where the jeep ferrying Shahid and Kareena maneuvers through this stretch.
When using Google Maps to map out the Bhatinda to Manali route, it appears that the Leh-Manali Highway begins after Manali. But the road makes for great scenery in the item number.
Hotel Naggar Castle. Located in Kullu district (Himachal Pradesh state), the Himachali-style stone and timber Naggar Castle was constructed during the reign of Sikh Raja Sidh Singh around 1460 A.D., when Naggar was the capital of Kullu. In 1978, it was turned over to the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation and converted into a heritage hotel. For the filming of "Yeh Ishq Hai", the castle grounds were transformed into the site of a huge Tibetan carnival in the span of about a week. According to Sharell Cook, About.com Guide:
This involved teams of artists working around the clock to handcraft and paint large sculptures and props. People from surrounding villages were organized to be extras, local shop keepers and balloon vendors hired to provide colorful displays of merchandise, and amusement rides were set up. The result was a vibrant singing and dancing extravaganza featuring traditional dancers, including Tibetan lion dancers, and costumes.
Cook has posted a great set of photos and descriptions from the set-up and filming of this item number at "Bollywood Behind the Scenes."
Lyrics
It seems no two translations of Hindi to English are exactly the same. So here is a translation based on the DVD subtitles as well as some online sources:
Yes, there is some reason that I am enjoying my life like this.
What is in the breeze that a slight intoxication has entered me?
Don’t ask what has happened to me coming in your path.
Don’t ask what I will get coming in your arms.
This love gives you a glimpse of heaven. O God!
This love gives you a glimpse of heaven.
I have broken all the bondages of the world. I won’t break my promise.
Half of my heart's story is you, beloved. I am the other half.
Look, what has happened to me. Lost in your memories.
Don’t ask what has happened to me living in your words.
This love gives you a glimpse of heaven. O God!
This love gives you a glimpse of heaven.
You must have found countless like me, beloved. But I found only you.
You are the blossoming smile on my lips. My complaint is you, too.
Look, what has happened to me - bringing you in my dreams.
Don’t ask what has happened to me - believing in your words.
This love gives you a glimpse of heaven. O God!
This love gives you a glimpse of heaven.
Yes, there should be a reason why the joys of life broke out.
What's in the atmosphere that allowed such petty magic to take over?
Won't you ask me what happened when I started walking your roads?
Won't you ask me what'll happen when I come into your embrace?
This love gives you a glimpse of heaven. O God!
This love gives you a glimpse of heaven.
This love gives you a glimpse of heaven. O God!
This love gives you a glimpse of heaven.
Why I love this item number
The combination of Kareena Kapoor's exuberant dancing and Shreya Ghoshal's lovely vocals make this the perfect song to highlight the experience of being in love. The syncopated three-note baseline that repeats throughout the song adds a compelling counterbalance to the lightness of the melody.
In the item number, the rustic set design and creative choreography takes the viewer along on an entertaining and memorable journey - while your ears are filled with delightful music, your eyes are treated to a festival of colorful dance.
Some critics say this song is a rehashing of "Mahiya" from the film Awarapaan. While I see some similarities, I can't completely agree. Besides providing a different melody line and infusing folk instruments with electronic, the spirit of the two songs is different. While both are joyful, "Ye Ishq Hai" has a tangible touch of innocence and unbridled enthusiasm missing from "Mahiya."
"Yeh Ishq Hai (Remix)" adds a strong disco beat and an echo effect to Shreya Ghoshal's vocals with additional vocals by Antara Mitra, making it a song suitable for club-level dancing. In this version, the beat takes center stage while the lyrics fade a bit into the background.
Here is the official video of "Yeh Ishq Hai" from the film Jab We Met.
If you liked this post, check out our other Music Monday posts.