Poetry in Film: Silsila

 It is often in the movies that are the most hated that there is the most poetic significance. Silsila revolves around an extra marital affair, that causes tremendous amounts of fear, pain, and suffering. These messages were too modern for a fairly conservative Indian audience at the time. However, the exploration of these themes of love, suffering and even betrayal to an extent meant that poetic excellence just streams out at those who decide to watch what, in my eyes, is a masterpiece in terms of poetry in music. 

'Mein aur meri tanhai, axar yeh baatein karti hai. Tum hoti toh kaisa hota? Tum yeh kehti, tum voh kehti. Tum uss baat mein heran hoti, tum uss baat mein kitni hasi. Tum hoti toh aisa hota, Tum hoti toh vaisa hota. Mein aur meri tanhai, axar yeh baatay kartain.'

'Me and my loneliness often converse. If you were here, how would it be? You would say this, you would say that. You would get angry at these words, and you would laugh so much at those words. If you were here, this would happen, if you were here, that would happen. Me an my loneliness often converse.'

If anything, this poem highlights the idea of love, and how strong relationships cause deep, physical and mental attachment to the other person. Strong love, especially in the context of an extra marital affair has dominated the rational thought of a person. Love overpowers everything else: all situations are associated with a lover, with another person.  

'Weham-o-gomaan se door door, yakeen ke had ke paas ke saath saath. Dil ko bharam yeh ho gaya, unko hum say pyaar hai'. 

'Far away from the realm of doubt, close to the limits of belief. The heart has a delusion, that she is in love with me. 

This poetic section shows the significance of love, and the prospect of happiness that may come from it. The idea of love has almost caused the speaker to have a devil-may-care attitude towards life: love has caused certainty to the point where the speaker is unwilling to think of the consequences of the decisions he has made. There is a strong sense of hyperbole associated with the language that it used, and it dramatises the realisation of love. 

'Joh guzre hum pe voh kum hai, tumhare gham ka mausam hai, Neela Aasman so gaya.'

'What I've gone through is just the beginning, It's the season of your sorrow, the blue sky has gone to sleep.'

The speaker of this section is now the woman in the relationship: she has also become dependent on love for security. This links quite closely to the nature and expectations of women in Indian society at the time. Although the speaker is portrayed as quite empowered, she is very willing to accept the hardships that may come with the relationship, happy to empathise with her lover's issues with loneliness and solitude. This indicates almost a desperate desire for security, where individuals are willing to risk everything for the prospect of love. 

'Do lafz hai, tanha, akele, lekin aik saath likh diye jaate toh aik duniya, aik kainaat, aik talash, aik lamha, aik khushi ban saktay hai.'

'Two words: isolation, loneliness, but if you write them together they can become one world, one universe, one quest, one moment, one happiness.'

This poem showcases the ability of love to heal. The loneliness that the speaker is referring to is a loneliness after he has realised that his love is an actuality. Just thinking of his love has allowed him to find solace within his own solitude, and has healed him from being a character that was a playboy, to one obsessed with the idea of commitment and long term security. 

Poetry is used extensively throughout the film, and it is something that can only be understood to a full extent if you watch the whole thing. Love and isolation is something that can be easily picked up on, as the symbolism and contrast between the two are quite clear.