This is arguably the love song of the year, and perhaps the most complete overall song too. The melody is haunting and at times grand (with bass atypical of its genre), and is included as an instrumental track (six of six in the album). I really like the emphasis on the piano and sitaar. The lyrics by Prasoon Joshi are phenomenal. If the words in Latoo (translated here) were simple, here they are sophisticated and beautifully juxtaposed to imply perhaps more than a translation can justifiably capture. Honorable mention to the word 'Malhaar' (merry song sung during the rains, often as a prayer for rain), which stood out in the song Ghanan Ghanan from the greatest film ever made! :)

On to the song, which you can listen to here. Thoughts? Here are the lyrics and my translation. The sentiments are beautifully expressed, challenging to convey, and a fun, truly sensational experience to translate! If there were an example of a song easy to get lost in, this is it!
Disclaimer: Copyrights to this song review and translation are owned by the blogger. Any reproduction or reuse without the expressed written consent of theBollywoodFan is strictly prohibited. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent permissible by law. Please feel free to link to this post.
59 comments:
Sorry, Benny.
But, its Shreya Again. Her 'Aalaap' is still keeps haunting in my mind. Even in Instrumental track, she's just wow.
Lovely song. With fresh lyrics. See, in past, when 'hero log' praise their beloved, they would probably say 'uparwaale ne tumhe fursat se banaya hoga'.
Prasoon had put 'Main to sochta tha ke aaj kal uparwale ko fursat nahi...' read that para. Innovative.
Other best para is, 'Zindgi sitar ho gayee..Rim jhim Malhaar ho gayee'. I want to correct one thing. To my knowledge, Malhaar Raga was sang in past, 'to bring down the rains' not 'during' the rains. So i think you should put Malhaar in English translation too, and put note same as Sitaar. And give sum details.
Hey, when are you touching 'Bachchuu..'. Its my most favorite track. just pure 'Dhamaal'.
Hi..
I'm in love with this particular song
Amazing translation..
can I copy it to aamirkhan.org along with the other translations ????????????
of course will credit you..
with all love..
'mere haath mein'-Fanaa
'meelon ka jaise'-Lovestory 2050
'kaise mujhe'-Ghajini
Listen all. Especially the Beats.
Sounds familier?
Its the vocals that makes this different. We can mix all three without DJ.
Hi Darshit: Both Benny and Shreya are great! Agree on the lyrics, I really like the use of the word 'tarannum' -- fine stuff.
My understanding of the word 'malhaar' was that it had multiple meanings, 'song of rain' being generic enough to accomodate both. But you're right, and I'll add the footnote below with my next update. Thanks!
The crescendo in each of the songs you mention is somewhat similar ('Mere Haath Mein' had lyrics by Prasoon Joshi too), but there are several songs of the genre that are similar. I still think the music in this is unlike the rest, more authentic in the diversity of instruments used. And yes, it's always fun to mix music! :)
Hi Mere Dil at AamirKhan.org: Thanks! Please only provide a link to the translations, I would greatly appreciate that. Go Aamir and Aamirians! :)
Cheers!
Kaise Mujhe is a typical rahman song that takes time to grow on you,i'd say the best of this album,benny n shreya hav sung it beautifully,shreya particularly,n i din know shreya had it in her to sing a song like latoo.!
Awsome,rahman is not a musician he is a magician,brings out the best from his singers.!! :)
Nothing to say except that it's another one rahmantic!
Hats off to both of you :Rahman for the music and Thebollywoodfand for translating :)
Asha
Hi Shahid: Agreed on the song being the best from the album. It has all the elements of an excellent song, and the result is beautiful. A magician is right!
Hi Asha: Thank you. Absolutely 'rahmantic' is correct. And hats off indeed to Rahman and lyricist Prasoon Joshi! Translating is the easy bit :)
Cheers!
Does Bollywoodfan hav a name.?? ;) Curiosity :D
Hi Shahid: Indeed, my friend, indeed! ;)
What is it thn.??
N Oh That Gq Cover Is Awsomeee,Blew My Mind :d
That should be an interesting interview, Shahid. :)
Best thing about AR songs are they grow on you. Its like a blanket which just keeps getting warmer and cosier.
I love this song... I woke up with the tune going on in my head today.
Wonderful lyrics... the emphasis on natural force stirs deep emotions!
Thanks for translation.
I had planned to join A.r.r's Km Music Conservatory,Bt somehow things din workout this year,may b nxt year.!!
Just for the record i wanna be a composer too,i hav tuned some songs written by me....
One of which is based on terrorism,if ur(Bollywoodfan) interested thn i can show it to you :)
I feel as a big bolly fan u might judge it well,n wish me luck for ma future,hopefully someday i'd see u reveiwing my music Insha-allah :)
Hi CH. Thanks for stopping by and for your comment! Completely agree on A. R.'s music, it's so magical. At the very beginning, I remember not liking one of his soundtracks the first time I listened. Then, I came back to it a few days later and thought to myself, 'what was I thinking?'! =)
Hi Shahid: That is awesome, my friend. Many good wishes and prayers your way, and inshaAllah you will get there soon! Of course, I'd review your music, just promise me you'll give me an exclusive interview each time you work on something for Aamir! ;) Do you have a link to song(s) you have composed/are they (legally) okay to be shared already?
Cheers!
Hey thnx for the wishes,bt i said i hav tuned ma songs,not composed.!
composing is still a far thing for me,coz i still hav to complete ma audio engineering course,thn i can compose :)
I can giv ya the lyrics of ma song.!!
N insha-allah if i work wid aamir tht would b a dream come true.!!
Thnx a lot.!~! :)
Hi Shahid: Ah, I see. I'll be patient and wait for the complete song with music...that'll be great, and I'm really excited for the course you're taking, good luck! Oh, and Eid Mubarak to you buddy!
Cheers.
Hi
Thanks for the translation, since I can't understand the meaning. I am Indonesian anyway. I love hindi music especially AR Rahman, Salim-Sulaiman, SELoy. They are maestro in the music. and I think this music "kaise mujhe" is the best of the very best music by AR Rahman, so original, so peacefull. I was surprise rahman used shreya voices for the vocal and it's perfectly beautiful and incredibly heart touching, I thought he's gonna used madhushree's voice since she was rahman's favourite.
Hi Adhie: Thank you so much for visiting and commenting! The artists you mention are all really good and I like their emphasis on originality of content, as you say.
'Kaise Mujhe' just keeps getting better! I hope they use it in its entirety in the film. It'll be very interesting.
Do visit again. :)
Thnx For The Eid Wishes.!!
N 2 Weeks from now i wld hav seen ghajini :)
wowww,how i'm waiting for tht movie.!!
Btw rab ne released today in India,i don know if i'm going to watch it,i'm sure it'l be typical srk flick wid some drama,emotions,humour.~!!
Kinda boring.!!!
I'l chck out the reviews n thn go :D
Shahid: Sure, hope you had a good one! Yeah, I cannot wait for the next couple of weeks to zoom by :) Rab Ne should be interesting, you're right about it sounding like a typical SRK flick (we've had tons of those), but when done right, they can be pretty entertaining. My local theater isn't showing it this weekend, so I might just catch it in a week or so when it does...
Cheers!
Hey by the way Aamir is marketing ghajini wid a brilliant idea.!
All the official's in most of mumbai's multiplexe's r seen sporting ghajini's hairstyle,i mean from the manager to the popcorn vendor to the ticket seller everyone :)
Now tht's Aamir Khan Style i say,n the news people wr saying,people r going to watch rab ne,bt wil come back wid ghajini's thoughts :D
Way to go aamir :)
Thanks for the information, Shahid. That's interesting, although pretty unbelievable. There's got to be a news story on that?!
All right, it's next week!!! :)
Well thr is actually,al the news channels(Indian) wr covering tht story.!
N i saw a 15 min documentary on how Aamir achieved that fab body,it was amazing.!!
I searched the video on youtube bt its still not available,i saw it on headlines today :)
That's interesting. I haven't seen that documentary on Aamir's physique and all, but I have heard him say (and know, as many of us do) it's a painful process, and that makes his new look all the more interesting, no?! Cheers.
Got it Shahid, here's the link. It seems voluntary, but seriously, 100! =)
Thnx :) Asin Has Done A gr8 Job In The tamil Version,N One Can Only Expect A better One Here.!
Asin is looking excellent in everything she's appeared in so far related to Ghajini, and I've run out of adjectives for her look and styling, really. Sure sounds like she can act, so it's great her next film -- London Dreams -- is opposite Salman! Trust she'll be around for a while if she can get a good start!
I think 'How did we unite' means 'kaise hum dono mil gaye', which is different from 'kaise mujhe tum mil gaye'. Am I right? Please let me know what is it (as I am poor in English). Thank you.
The literal translation is slightly different, yes. But I think the line immediately following is more direct at implying who is thankful, so translation-wise, not a concern in my opinion. Words and implications are always open to interpretation, there's never one 'absolutely' correct translation, that's my approach, at least :)
@darshit..
man, BENNY is toooo gud in dis song.. notice d way he puts those variations (sandhadis) in d lines "phir bhi tumhe bannaake woh" , its expert singing dude.. :) shreya is good as well but i feel its benny who gives life to d song.. i believe he`s gotta GR8888 future, cuz i`ve never seen any other south indian pronounce HINDI wit such ease.. and not to forget the GENIUS behind dis beauty, AR :) as chickhawk said dis`s a perfect example of a rahman song dat grows on us as v keep listening to it..
@thebollywoodfan
superb review and thanks for d translation.. :) keep up d good work buddy:)
Thank you for your comment and welcome, Butty! I really enjoyed Benny in this song. His bits are more technically difficult to sing, and he's brilliantly executed them. Yes, he will have a great future, and I think will lead the next generation of singers. Have you seen the film? We're discussing it here. Cheers.
very beautiful lyrics! thanks a ton for the translation. Very touching song. Out of all the songs, this caught all of my attention in the movie. very touching song which fits in proper context!
Great ,Work...........
It is so nice.......
Continue.....your great work.
Thanks so much.
With regards
Seranjeeve.
Hi Vani: We absolutely agree on the merits of the song! You're very welcome, thank *you* for your comment.
Seranjeeve: Thank you for your kind words. Really appreciate it.
Hope you both find the content interesting and keep visiting. Cheers!
Hi,
I really appreciate your translations. One question: Doesn't "jheel" also mean lake, and isn't that its primary definition? I've heard the word used frequently in bollywood songs mostly to describe the eyes, e.g. jheel si ankhain hai teri, doobh jaaney de mujhe. I did not know it also meant swamp/abyss as you say, but to me it makes more sense as simply "lake" in most songs. For example, in the above line, the male is asking to sink himself in her "jheel si ankhain" and I think jheel makes more sense as simply a body of water like "lake" than as a swamp or abyss. Likewise, that is how I interpreted it in Kaise Mujhe.
I really do love your work and I hope you will keep translating more songs.
Hi Anonymous, and thank you for your kind words. It's always great to know the translations provided some value!
'Jheel' is very often indeed associated with a lake, absolutely. And your interpretation is as valid as any other. The thought process behind the inclusion of 'abyss' was that the character singing the song almost implies that his life was lonely and lifeless before she stepped in, and that the woman he sings of or for was a blessing for him, akin to light in darkness. Him thanking his destiny in the first lines played a big role in influencing what followed.
Having said that, I certainly should have paid more attention when I saw the film, to be certain of what the poet intended to get across. A discussion like this which only validates how well both variations would work, only increases our appreciation for it all!
Once again, thank you for your comment. And I'll hope to keep up. Cheers!
Hi.. I just chanced upon this site while looking for english translations of the song. I think your translation is awesome.. I really love the song, and the movie. thanks for your help.. it makes listening to the song a more wonderful experience....
Thank you for your comment, Bindiya! Welcome to the blog (I hope you find the other discussions interesting). Truly appreciate your kind words. It's a great song, and I'm glad you found the translation useful. :)
Cheers!
Hi... I was just surfing through net for translation of this song and this is great piece of work by you in translating. This is wonderful tune of A.R and ur help made me to listen to the song with the same feel. I really appreciate your work and continue the good thing... Thanks again for the wonderfful translation.
Hi Kumar: Thank you for your visit and comment, and welcome to the blog! Thank you also for your kind words. It's a great song, my favorite from the album, and it is Prasoon Joshi who deserves all the credit. Really glad the translation was useful to you. Do stop by again. Cheers!
Can u repost this lyrics for Kaise Mujhe ... pls ..i cant view it !!
TQ...
Hi Anonymous, you can click on the image in the post to enlarge it. If that doesn't work, click here. Thanks for your visit.
The music may not be Rahman’s best, but does have touches of the master musician. The best track of the film is undoubtedly Kaise Mujhe Tum which has a soulful haunting track. The music will take a while to get onto you. But once it does, you won’t stop listening to it. Its one of the heart touching song... so much that you might wake up in the morning with that song at the back of your mind.
Thanks for stopping by Naved. I agree about the song. I actually like Ghajini's soundtrack -- it's a shame it's compared to Rahman's more traditional soundtracks because it belongs to an entirely different genre. For one with a dance/pop feel, I think it holds its own well!
Thanks, I really like the song, now that I know what the lyrics mean, I ike it more!
Thanks :D
Hi AdiLah, and thank you for your comment! I really appreciate it, glad you're enjoying the song! It's beautiful. Welcome to the blog, and hope you find the rest of the content interesting. Cheers.
Where are the english translated lyrics to kaise mujhe?
Anonymous: Please click on the image with text (with the white background) in the post. If that doesn't work, please click here.
Thank you so much for your translations. They are so helpful. Best wishes to you.
Thank you Anonymous, and you're very welcome. Best wishes to you too!
From Waleed / Afghanistan
This is a such a brilent, Nice and Emotional Song of the Movie. If you are in Love you will know that how it react on your life ! And also BEHKAis nice too.
I LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for making like this songs
Thank you for your comment, Waleed! It's a great song, yes. Although I can relate much, much better to 'Behka' =) All the thanks go to the makers of the song, absolutely agreed!
Dear BollywoodFan,
Thank you for an excellent website.
I hereby kindly request permission to email your English translation of the Lyrics for Kaise Mujhe from the movie Ghajini to my dear friend. She is getting married soon, and has asked me to send her the lyrics on email, which she accesses on her phone (as she does not have a fixed Internet connection).
Thanking you
Sincerely,
Sana Ebrahim
Hi Sana, and welcome to the blog! Thanks for your kind words. If your friend can't access this link from the phone, by all means, please feel free to send it to her over e-mail, no worries there. Thanks for asking. Wish her the best of luck for married life! :) Cheers.
kaise mujhe
the best hindi song i ever heard!!!
though i'm not an indian..i truly in luv with this song.. :)
You know, Anonymous, I didn't realize at the time the Ghajini soundtrack was released that the brilliance of this song would only exceed with time. It's fantastic, and I'm inclined to place it among the best of the decade already. Thanks for your visit and comment. :)
oh i love this song very much.. even old song ..but really like it..i dont know meaning of whole song coz im not Indian..this song really touched heart ..remind me to whome i love so but i could never met him...very difficult to meet him...just like this song.
Hi Shinta, and thanks for your visit and comment. Good luck with your quest, but please always remember to keep your expectations realistic. ;)
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