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Rockstar: Did you know Kaga Re verse from Ranbir Kapoor’s song Nadaan Parinde are inspired by a true story?
Naadan Parinde is one of those songs from Imtiaz Ali's 2011 movie Rockstar that still holds a special place in our hearts. But do you know what inspired its iconic Kaga verse? Read on.
Imtiaz Ali’s 2011 movie Rockstar made everyone feel at home, vulnerable, accepted, and liberated. Starring Ranbir Kapoor in the lead alongside Nargis Fakhri and Aditi Rao Hydari, the romantic drama was tuned by the legendary musician A.R. Rahman in the lyrics of Irshad Kamil. This is the same duo that has worked with Imtiaz in some of his most successful movies.
Coming back to Rockstar, we previously decoded the song Katiya Karoon for our readers and we are back again to discuss the movie’s other hit track - Naadan Parinde.
What inspired Rockstar’s song Naadan Parinde?
Out of the entire breathtaking song, the two lines that got etched in everyone’s heart were surely this - “Kaaga re kaaga re mori itni araj tose, Chun chun khaaiyo maans… Arajiya re khaaiyo na tu naina more, Khaaiyon na tu naina mohe, Piya ke milan ki aas.” This part hits differently and you shouldn’t be surprised to know that it wasn't written by Irshad Kamil but was picked up from an existing Doha.
Written by Bābā Farīd, these two lines originally read, “Kaaga re, Kaaga re, Kaaga sab tan khaaiyo, mera chun chun khaaiyo maans.. Doee do naina mat khaaiyo, mohi piya milan ki aas”. Sounds very similar to the song no? Now, know who was Baba Farid and why he wrote these immortal lines.
Who was Baba Farid?
Baba Fariduddin Ganjshakar, commonly known as Baba Farid, was a 12th-century Sufi saint and poet from Punjab, India. Known for his piety and devotion, he played a revolutionary role in spreading Sufism. Baba Farid's teachings revolved around love, humility, and the importance of inner spiritual transformation. His poetry, written in Punjabi and Persian, reflected themes of divine love, unity, and the pursuit of truth.
Baba Farid is also credited for popularizing the devotional music form Qawwali. Some of his (shabad) words and (shlok) verses can also be found in the holy Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. But what made him write this Kaaga Doha?
It was said that Baba Farid used to hang himself upside down from a well often and used to do hard penance (tapasya) from Hath Yog. At the age of 93, when there was no energy and strength left in his body, many crows gathered around him. Baba Farid told those crows, ‘If you want, you can eat the entire flesh of my body but just leave my eyes because they are still in the hope of seeing their beloved.’
In Baba Farid’s case, that beloved was not earthly love or a person. It was the divine love, his beloved God and his Prophet. In the movie’s context, all of us know whose hope had made Ranbir Kapoor’s character sing this melody.
ALSO READ: Did you know Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar song Katiya Karoon has a hidden spiritual meaning to it?
When Irshad Kamil admitted that his songs are rooted in literature
From this Naadan Parinde to Sultan’s song Jag Ghoomeya, Kamil in an old interview with PTI had confessed how without literature crafting good songs was close to impossible for him. He shared, “I take involving poetry in Bollywood albums as a welcoming move. Vocabulary wise I experiment a lot. I feel, be it any writer, reading is a must, without reading good literature, you cannot write well. Be it Faiz, Ghalib, Bulle Shah… poetry only enriches the lyrics.”
Unlike most of Imtiaz Ali's movies, Rockstar opened to mixed reviews but eventually emerged as a cult classic.
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