Yeh Mana Meri Jaan - an anarchic joy of subaltern energy dancing to romance | Hanste Zakhm (1973)
Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (Editor)
Document TypeIn-house Video
Date24 July 2026
Duration16 min 32 sec
FormatLong-form Video
Description
"Yeh Mana Meri Jaan" from Chetan Anand's Hanste Zakhm (1973), sung by Mohammed Rafi and Balbir, transforms the pain of love into playful flirtation, a qawwali that isn't a traditional qawwali at all, folding in bhangra energy and a Sufi tevar as street performers invade a high-society party. Beneath the charm sits the class conflict Chetan Anand first explored in Neecha Nagar (1941), and the song becomes the escape route where direct confrontation would have been impossible.
In this session from "Deconstructing the Film Song: A Musical Glue for Nation-Building," Ketan Anand, Ravikant, Pavan Jha and Neville Tuli explore the making and enduring appeal of the song, including the story of how Ketan Anand personally brokered the casting of Navin Nischol after his father’s refusal.
Starring Navin Nischol, Priya Rajvansh and Balraj Sahni, Hanste Zakhm is especially remembered for Madan Mohan's music and Kaifi Azmi's lyrics.
This video is from 'A Musical Glue for Nation-Building: Deconstructing the Film Song', presented by the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) at the 7th Self-Discovery via Rediscovering India Festival.
Chapters:
0:00 - Yeh Mana Meri Jaan — the song (Hanste Zakhm - 1973)
7:41 - The joy of falling in love — panel discussion begins
8:56 - Madan Mohan at his Best: Qawwali, Bhangra & a Sufi Tevar
9:59 - Balbir's voice and how Ketan Anand brokered Navin Nischol's casting
11:44 - Gulshan Nanda: The Writer who Left Space for Songs
12:22 - A song of Rebellion — The Neecha Nagar Connection
13:34 - "It was his soul pouring out" — Chetan Anand the Maverick
14:29 - Raaj Kumar and the 36 Retakes
15:27 - Priya Rajvansh: From Reluctance to Acceptance