Zindagi Khwab Hai Khwab Mein Zoot Kya song lyrics with english translation
Song: Zindagi Khwab Hai Khwab Mein
Lyrics: Shailendra
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Salil Choudhury
Movie: Jagte Raho
Starring: Pradeep Kumar, Sumitra Devi, Smriti Biswas, Pahari Sanyal, Sulochana Chatterjee, Daisy Irani, Nemo, Motilal,Nana Palsikar, Iftekhar, Raj Kapoor, Nargis (cameo)
Directed: Sombhu Mitra, Amit Maitra
Produced: Raj Kapoor
Written: K. A. Abbas, Amit Maitra, Sombhu Mitra
Cinematography: Radhu Karmakar
Edited: G. G. Mayekar, Vasant Sule
Distributed by: R.K. Films Ltd.
Release date - 3 August 1956
Jagte Raho (1956) is one of Raj Kapoor’s most socially conscious films, inspired by a Bengali play and codirected by Shambhu Mitra and Amit Maitra.
It exposed the hypocrisy of urban middleclass life through a single night’s story, won international acclaim at Karlovy Vary in 1957, and is remembered for its experimental style and Nargis’s cameo in the final scene.
Story & Theme
The film follows a poor villager (Raj Kapoor) who comes to Calcutta in search of work.
Thirsty, he enters an apartment complex, but residents mistake him for a thief.
As he hides from flat to flat, he witnesses greed, corruption, infidelity, and hypocrisy among supposedly respectable citizens.
The climax shows him finally quenched by water offered by a woman (Nargis cameo), symbolizing purity and hope.
How the Film Was Made -
Origin: Based on the Bengali play Ek Din Raatrey by Shambhu Mitra and Amit Maitra.
They later adapted it into a Bengali film before collaborating with Raj Kapoor on the Hindi version.
Production:
Raj Kapoor produced it under R.K. Films, wanting to move beyond commercial melodrama into satirical social critique.
Screenplay:
Written by K.A. Abbas, a frequent Kapoor collaborator, known for socially conscious scripts.
Direction:
Codirected by Shambhu Mitra (renowned Bengali theatre personality) and Amit Maitra, bringing a strong stage influence.
Music:
Composed by Salil Chowdhury, with lyrics by Shailendra and Prem Dhawan.
Interesting Facts
The film was simultaneously made in Bengali (Ek Din Raatre) with Raj Kapoor and Nargis also appearing.
Nargis’s cameo at the end was symbolic she offers water to Kapoor’s character, representing compassion in a corrupt world.
The narrative unfolds entirely over one night, an unusual structure for Indian cinema at the time.
Critic Geoff Brown noted Kapoor’s pantomime style hiding in drums, sliding down pipes, chased by residents making it one of his most diverting performances.
the song Zindagi Khwab Hai from the 1956 Raj Kapoor movie Jagte Raho is deeply rooted in Sant Kabir's philosophy.
While the legendary lyricist Shailendra wrote the rest of the song, he took direct inspiration from Kabir's core teachings of existentialism, illusion (Maya), and the absurdity of human habits.
The track kicks off directly with Kabir’s original couplet ("Rangi ko naarangi kahe...") to set a philosophical premise.
Shailendra then expands on this concept by introducing a new existential paradox:
रंगी को नारंगी कहे, बने दूध को खोया" संत कबीर का एक प्रसिद्ध व्यंग्य है。
इसका अंग्रेजी अनुवाद और अर्थ नीचे दिया गया है
:English Translation:"Calling a colorful thing 'Orange' (naranji), and condensed milk 'Khoya' (lost).
"भावार्थ (Meaning):कबीरदास जी इस दोहे के माध्यम से दुनिया की समझ और विडंबनाओं पर कटाक्ष करते हैं。रंगी को नारंगी कहे: जो चीज़ रंगीन (रंगी) है, उसे दुनिया ने एक फल के नाम पर 'नारंगी' (Orange) कह दिया。बने दूध को खोया: जब दूध गाढ़ा होकर स्वादिष्ट 'खोया' बन जाता है, तो उसे 'खोया' (खोया हुआ) नाम दे दिया जाता है, जबकि असल में वह दूध का सबसे मूल्यवान और सार तत्व होता है。यह इस संसार के उल्टे रीति-रिवाजों और नामकरण की मूर्खता को दर्शाता है
This famous couplet is a classic example of Ulatbansi (upside-down poetry), a unique literary style used by Sant Kabir.
He uses deep wit, irony, and language paradoxes to mock human ignorance and highlight how human beings focus on superficial labels rather than absolute truths.
Word-by-Word Philosophical Analysis1.
"रंगी को नारंगी कहे" (Calling the Colorful, 'Colorless')Literal Irony: The orange fruit is vividly bright and colorful (Rangi). Yet, the Hindi word used for it is Na-rangi, which translates literally to "that which has no color" (Na = No, Rangi = Colorful).
Philosophical Meaning:
This highlights illusion (Maya) and flawed perception. Human beings look at the transient, ever-changing material world and label it as the ultimate truth.
Conversely, we completely ignore or mislabel the true spiritual essence of life.
We call things exactly opposite to what they truly are.
2. "बने दूध को खोया" (Calling the Condensed Essence, 'Lost')
Literal Irony: When milk is boiled down for hours, it condenses into its richest, most valuable, and delicious form: Mawa.
Yet, society calls this highly refined final product Khoya, which literally means "lost" in Hindi.
Philosophical Meaning:
This targets our distorted sense of value.
In life, when an individual undergoes intense spiritual discipline (like milk boiling down) and sheds their ego to achieve enlightenment, the ignorant world thinks they have "lost" their mind, their wealth, or their social standing.
The world sees a spiritually evolved soul as a loss, failing to realize they have actually attained the highest, purest essence of life.
3. "चलती को गाड़ी कहे" (Calling the Moving, 'Buried' or 'Stationary')
Literal Irony: A vehicle's entire purpose is to move, roll, and travel.
Yet, we call it a Gaadi. The root word Gaadna means to bury, anchor, or fix something deeply into the ground so it cannot move.
Philosophical Meaning:
This reflects the illusion of permanence.
Human life and time are constantly moving (chalti) toward death. Nothing stays still. Yet, we live with a rigid, stationary mindset (gaadi), deeply burying ourselves under attachment, ego, and materialistic desires, foolishly believing that our physical existence is permanent.
4. "देख कबीरा रोया" (Seeing this, Kabir Weeps)
Philosophical Meaning: Kabir does not weep out of physical sorrow; he weeps out of compassion for human ignorance.
He is deeply saddened to see how humanity gets trapped in the deceptive web of words, rituals, and superficial labels while completely missing out on the absolute, foundational reality of existence
Kabir wants us to break free from conditioned thinking.
We blindly accept words, social constructs, and worldly titles without questioning their true nature.
He urges us to stop looking at the superficial labels of the world and instead cultivate a clear vision to see the ultimate truth hidden right beneath the surface
Zindagi khwab hai, khwab mein jhooth hai kya, aur bhala sach hai kya?
Sab sach hai!"(Life is a dream. In a dream, what is a lie and what is the truth? Everything is true!)
This directly mirrors Kabir’s view on Maya (the great illusion)—teaching that the physical world is just a temporary dream state, making worldly labels of "true" or "false" completely meaningless.
Kabir always fiercely rejected rigid societal rules and hypocritical moral standards.
The song echoes this sentiment perfectly in the lines:"Dil ne hamse jo kaha, hamne waisa hi kiya. Phir kabhi fursat se sochenge bura tha ya bhala
."(I simply did what my heart told me to do. I will figure out later at leisure whether it was good or bad.)
This captures Kabir's philosophy of Sahaj living naturally and listening to one's inner conscience rather than blindly following the artificial judgments of society.
The Drunken Truth vs. Society's HypocrisyIn the film, the song is performed by a heavily intoxicated character (played brilliantly by actor Motilal) while a sober Raj Kapoor hides and observes him.
This setup is highly symbolic of Kabir's philosophy.
In literature, a "drunkard" is often used to represent an enlightened person who is "intoxicated" by divine love or universal truth.
To the sleeping, hypocritical world, this person looks mad or ruined.
Yet, in their altered state, they are the only ones speaking the absolute, raw truth about the illusions of life.
While Shailendra utilized modern metaphors (like wine and drinking) to fit the cinematic context of a 1950s film, the spiritual foundation of the entire song remains 100% faithful to Kabir.
It forces the listener to question reality, challenge social conditioning, and realize that the material life we cling to is nothing more than a passing dream.
Lyrics with translation of song Zindagi Khwab Hai Khwab Mein
रंगी को नारंगी कहे, बने दूध को खोया
Calling a colorful thing 'Orange' (naranji), and condensed milk 'Khoya' (lost).
"चलती को गाड़ी कहे, देख कबीरा रोया
He calls a moving thing "vehicle", seeing this Kabir cried
Calling the Moving, 'Buried' or 'Stationary Seeing this, Kabir Weeps
ज़िंदगी ख़्वाब है, ख़्वाब में झूठ क्या और भला सच है क्या
Life is a dream, in a dream what is a lie and what is truth?
ज़िंदगी ख़्वाब है, ख़्वाब में झूठ क्या और भला सच है क्या
Life is a dream, in a dream what is a lie and what is truth?
(मोतीलाल) सब सच है
(Motilal) Everything is true
ज़िन्दगी ख्वाब है
Life is a dream
दिल ने हमसे जो कहा, हमने वैसा ही किया
Whatever the heart told us, we did exactly that
दिल ने हमसे जो कहा, हमने वैसा ही किया
Whatever the heart told us, we did exactly that
फिर कभी फुरसत से सोचेंगे, बुरा था या भला
Later, in our free time, we will think whether it was bad or good
ज़िंदगी ख़्वाब है, ख़्वाब में झूठ क्या और भला सच है क्या
Life is a dream, in a dream what is a lie and what is truth?
ज़िन्दगी ख्वाब है
Life is a dream
एक कतरा मय का जब, पत्थर से होंठों पर पड़ा
When a drop of wine fell from a stone onto the lips
एक कतरा मय का जब, पत्थर से होंठों पर पड़ा
When a drop of wine fell from a stone onto the lips
उसके सीने में भी दिल धड़का ये उसने भी कहा
Even in its chest a heart beat, it also said
(मोतीलाल) क्या
(Motilal) What?
ज़िंदगी ख़्वाब है, ख़्वाब में झूठ क्या और भला सच है क्या
Life is a dream, in a dream what is a lie and what is truth?
ज़िन्दगी ख्वाब है
Life is a dream
एक प्याली भर के मैंने, ग़म के मारे दिल को दी
I filled one cup and gave it to my grief-stricken heart
एक प्याली भर के मैंने, ग़म के मारे दिल को दी
I filled one cup and gave it to my grief-stricken heart
ज़हर ने मारा ज़हर को, मुरदे में फिर जान आ गई
The poison killed the poison, life returned to the corpse again
ज़िंदगी ख़्वाब है, ख़्वाब में झूठ क्या और भला सच है क्या
Life is a dream, in a dream what is a lie and what is truth?
ज़िंदगी ख़्वाब है, ख़्वाब में झूठ क्या और भला सच है क्या
Life is a dream, in a dream what is a lie and what is truth?
Listen to song Zindagi Khwab Hai Khwab Mein zoot kya aur bhala sach kya hai
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