Pakeezah – “Nazariya ki Maari…”

This is a snippet of a song from Pakeezah, probably played in the background in one of the ‘kothas’. I recently came across a discussion about the interpretation of this song on an online forum and realized that the participants had totally missed the essence. Nazariya ki maari is one of those ethereal Hindi movie songs in which it is essential to figure out who is the speaker and about whom he or she is commenting. If you get this wrong, your interpretation will be confused. The other problem is the use of metaphorical and colloquial language that defies literal translation. I address both in my Bollywood translation. But, first the song.

Haan Haan

Nazar ka vaar tha, dil ki tadap ne chhol di
Chali thi barachhi kisi par, kisi ko aan lagi


Ho nazariya ki maari
Haye
Nazariya ki maari mari mori guyiyaan (x7)

Koyi jaraa ja ke baidh bulaayo (x7)
Aa ke dhare more naari
Haye raam aa ke dhare mori naari (x2)

Nazariya Ki Maari Mari Mori Guyiyaan (x7)

The singer is a third person narrating the condition of her friend who has been smitten by the seductive glances from a flirt, glances that were meant for someone else. The song was sung by Rajkumari, a popular Bollywood playback singer of the 1940s, before Lata Mangeshkar cornered the market. Some words and phrases need to be explained before you read my translation.

Nazar ka vaar: literally attacking glances, but here seductive glances is more suited

Baracchi: literally spear, but here dart is more suited

Chhol: scab from a wound

Nazariya ki maari: smitten by seductive glances

Guyiyaan: female friend probably from gudiyaan which means doll

Naari: pulse from naadi

The Translation

Oh Yes!

The glances were inviting, and revealed the wounds of her tormented heart

The flirtation was for some other, but she became its victim

 

Oh! Smitten by seductive glances

Alas!

Smitten by the seductive glances, my friend has succumbed (x7)

 

Someone, please fetch the doctor

Oh God! Let him calm me down (x2)

Smitten by the seductive glances, my friend has succumbed (x7)

My other Pakeezah translations are here.

Listen to a rendering of this thumri by Simrat Chhabra

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has used a truncated version of Nazariya Ki Maari in his Netflix series Heeramandi.