In Yash Chopra's 2004 film Veer-Zaara, Zaara Hayat Khan (Preity Zinta) joins Veer Pratap Singh (Shah Rukh Khan) along with his family and community for a bonfire celebration.
The english subtitles translate this event and song as "Lodi". But the event picturized is the Lohri Festival. The word "Lohri" may have been translated as "Lodi" to try to better capture the phonetic pronunciation of the word. Here is some information about the Lohri festival of Punjab:
Lohri is celebrated every year on 13th of January. It is a fire festival celebrated with great pomp in North India. At this time Earth starts moving towards the sun marking the auspicious period of Uttarayan.
Lohri is more than just a festival, especially for the people of Punjab. Punjabis are described as a fun-loving, sturdy, robust, energetic, enthusiastic and jovial race, and Lohri is symbolic of their love for celebrations and light-hearted flirtations and exhibition of exuberance.
With the setting of the sun, huge bonfires are lit in the fields or yards of houses and people gather around the rising flames, circle around the bonfire and throw puffed rice, popcorn and other munchies into the fire, shouting "Aadar aye dilather jaye" (May honor come and poverty vanish!), and sing popular folk songs.
Bhangra dance by men begins after the offering to the bonfire. Dancing continues till late night with new groups joining in amid the beat of drums. Punjabi dance style offers different dance forms for male and female. While the males dance the Bhangra, Jhoomer, Luddi, Julli and Dankara, the females dance the Giddha and Kikli.
In the film, the bonfire is lit and everyone breaks into a song about Dullah Bhatti. Born into a Muslim rajput family in the 16th-century, Abdullah Khan Bhatti is remembered for his guerrilla warfare against the Mughal imperialism during Akbar's reign. Known as the "Robin Hood of the Punjab", Dullah Bhatti stole from imperial officers and rich landlords and redistributed the wealth to the poor tribal people of the region. He was attributed with arranging marriages for young poor girls (who would be spurned otherwise) and saving the honor of a young girl "whose modesty was outraged by a Mughal general." According to Happywink.org, there are many versions of this story:
Some traditions say that Dullah had adopted this girl as his daughter and arranged her marriage in the Jungles of Saandal Bar. As there was no priest nearby to chant the Vedic Hymns and solemnize the marriage Dullah had lit a bonfire and composed an impromptu song, "Sunder Mundriye Tera Kaun Vichara ! Dullah Bhatti Wala Ho! Dullaeh Di Teeh Viahi Ho! Ser Shakar Payi!" The bride and the groom were asked to take pheras of the bonfire as Dullah sang this hilarious song.
Yet another tradition says he had safely rescued a poor girl from the clutches of a Mughal general and later arranged her marriage. Later on people collectively composed this Lohri song in honor of his chivalrous deed.
The lyrics of the Dullah Bhatti song sung in Veer-Zaara can be translated as:
Beautiful one like a ringlet one!
Who will save you poor one?
Dullag Bhatti is here for you.
The Dullah married off his daughter.
He gave a measure of sugar!
The girl's shawl is torn.
Who will stitch her shawl?
The landlords ravished her.
Beautiful one like a ringlet one!
In the film, Veer's adopted father Choudhary Sumer Singh (Amitabh Bachchan) embraces the theme of support for young women by announcing that he is going to build a high school for girls in the village so they can continue their education. Because the idea was inspired by Zaara, he asks her to lay the first brick for the school.
After this announcement, the bonfire festival begins in earnest and soon everyone is embracing a newer tradition set up by Choudhary Sumer Singh - if a boy is in love with a girl he announces her name, confesses his love in front of everyone, and breaks a sugar cane. If the girl wants to refuse, she quietly throws a fistful of sesame seeds into the fire. If she wants to accept, she breaks a sugar cane. This is equivalent to acceptance of a marriage proposal and soon the two will be wed.
Choudhary Sumer Singh joins in this tradition by announcing his love for his wife Saraswati Kaur (Hema Malini). But she doesn't respond as everyone expects. Instead of breaking a sugar cane in support of their marriage, she tosses a fistful of sesame into the fire. The community goes wild and the "Lodi" song becomes an entertaining conversation about married life and keeping the promises you make on your wedding day.
One of the characteristics of Lohri songs is that phrases are often punctuated with the word "Hoi" - and so it is with this song. The lyrics of "Lodi" can be translated as follows:
Choudhary Sumer Singh:
I would sacrifice my life for you if only I could know what you want.
I would agree to everything my beautiful one!
I would sacrifice my life for you.Saraswati Kaur:
I know you very, very well.
If you want to be with me then you better fulfill what I ask of you
I know you very, very well.CHORUS
Community:
Hey, hey, hey, you are my life.
You are my beloved.Boys:
The festival of Lodi is here. Take your partners.
Hold the hand of your beloved and never let it go.
Never let it go.
Girls:
Don't tell lies.
Don't be guilty of blasphemy.
Every promise you made has been broken by you.
Been broken by you.END OF CHORUS
Saraswati Kaur:
As soon as the sun sets every evening, you drink with your cronies.
The sun goes down and you get drunk. What sort of life is this?
Choudhary Sumer Singh:
You're perfectly right and henceforth I shall keep it in mind.
Just let me drink today. From tomorrow I shall not touch a drop.
Veer Pratap Singh:
Yes, now, he will come straight home at sundown. Yes, yes, yes.
Choudhary Sumer Singh:
I would sacrifice my life for you.
Girls:
My dear one, my fair one, my handsome one, my beloved.
Boys:
My life, oh dear one. Oh, beautiful one.
Saraswati Kaur:
Everyday I see you playing cards.
More beloved than me are your fives, sixes and sevens. Why?
Choudhary Sumer Singh:
My card playing foolishness will end forever
Now there will be only two cards in my life, the king and the queen.
Saraswati Kaur:
My life will be yours if you give up these decks of cards.
I know you very, very well.CHORUS
Saraswati Kaur:
Whenever I ask you to bring something, you can never remember
I asked you for some ribbons for my hair and you bought sweets.
Choudhary Sumer Singh:
Now, I have this notebook in which I will write ...
so that I can bring exactly what you ask me to get.
Veer Pratap Singh:
Yes, slowly he will mend his ways completely. Yes, yes, yes?
Choudhary Sumer Singh:
I would sacrifice my life for you.
Boys:
My beautiful one, my innocent one, my life, my beloved.
Girls:
My dear one, my fair one, my handsome one, my beloved.
Saraswati Kaur:
Whether you change or you don't, you will always be mine.
I want that in every birth you should be mine.
Choudhary Sumer Singh:
Beloved, in every birth I'm your worshipper.
You were mine, you are mine, and you will always be mine.
Veer Pratap Singh:
Yes, without you he will be lost.
Choudhary Sumer Singh:
I would sacrifice my life for you.
Here is the song "Lodi" from the film Veer-Zaara sung by Gurdas Mann, Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan and picturized on Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Shah Rukh Khan, and Preity Zinta.