Guzarish (Ghajni)

bas ek haan ki Guzarish

I’m kinda going all over the place when it comes to the chronology of these songs.

Back to early 2000s! Ahh, how I’ve missed this decade. It was the decade when Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan acted in blockbuster movies. The song for this blog is Guzarish, a romantic song (jeez I’ve mainly been reviewing love songs).

TL;DR: 13/15

Songs Similar to Guzarish:

• Dil Tu Hi Baata (Krrish 3)
• Suraj Hua Madham (K3G)

Music: 5/5

I don’t know why but the characteristic hums and shrills of the early 2000s (think: Ek Ladki) always hit home. The producers knew how to catch the listener’s attention, and they employed it in the first few seconds.

The chords played after the humming places my imagination in a desert (and remarkably enough, the video is in a desert!). I think that there’s just enough fluctuation in pitch for it to be a pleasant song you can fall asleep too, or listen casually on your chair. Through the rest of the song, the music becomes a mixture of beats and humming. It’s soothing enough to make a nice complement to the song!

And one last thing: there is a nice progression of the intensity of the background music. It’s not like Zingaat where the music is just all over the place and always hyped. You can feel yourself go up-and-down to the progression of Guzarish and that’s why I give the song such a high rating.

Lyrics: 3 / 5

Man, it feels so nice to hear a song with meaningful lyrics. The purpose of the song is to to simply express want.

And I know what you might be thanking. This is not lust or some superficial sex craze. Aamir (the protagonist) is getting hit with the feeling of unreciprocated love and all he wants is to be loved by his crush. What particularly stood out was:

bas ek haan ki guzarish

All I’m asking for is some affirmation

In order to really understand this lyric, you have to understand the difference between affirmation and confirmation. Unlike Salman Khan in O Jaana (stay tuned!), Aamir Khan isn’t trying to force anything. He simply wants the girl to talk to him, pamper him, basically be his friend.

However, there is an issue. The lyrics become repetitive after a while. Once you start to decipher the lyrics, the whole song doesn’t go beyond saying sappy metaphors and the typical “You’re so amazing omg!” routine. I feel that perhaps the addition of a duet would spice things up. Asin (the female protagonist) could perhaps be humming too or sing:

Hai Guzarish!

It’s my request!

Other than that, the song was well versed.

Video: 5/5

The cinematography is definitely something else, especially for its time. It reminds me of an infant version of Dil Tu Hi Baata, where you get the same kind of landscape shots but the landscape itself doesn’t vary. Aamir Khan perfectly played the role of a lover, with his hand gestures and soul-searching stares (Think: Tharki Chokro).

Asin can naturally portray a shy but curious girl. In the movie where the song is from (Ghajini), the song plays right after a secondary character discovers Aamir’s diary, where he describes his coy interest in Asin. I also find the timing of this song perfect in the context of the film.

So… What?

(I indirectly do this in every post so far but basically this is a formal section where I describe what I’ve gained from this song and what the bigger picture is. Hopefully this helps you in understanding the benefit of listening to a given Hindi song. Bollywood has so many hidden gems that can truly change your world as long as you take the time to explore.)

What Guzarish teaches me is that relationships don’t have to be sexual. They can be purely wholesome, romantic, and helpful. Someone’s life can completely change if you take a few minutes of your day to spend time with them. They might not show that they want to hang out, but there’s a chance that they’re just shy. So take the first step. Talk to that person. You never know what you might’ve changed in that person’s life.