दम भर जो उधर मुँह फेरे
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If you turn your face away for just a moment
दम भर जो उधर मुँह फेरे , ओ चंदा
मैं उन से प्यार कर लूँगी ,
बातें हज़ार कर लूँगी
[ full stanza x2 ]
If you turn your face away for just a moment, oh moon,
I will fall in love with him,
I will whisper a thousand words to him
[full stanza x2]
दिल करता है प्यार के सज्दे , [ x2 ]
और मैं भी उन के साथ
चाँद को चंदा रोज़ ही देखें ,
मेरी पहली रात [ x2 ]
My heart bows in worship of love, [x2]
and I too, with him,
will gaze at the moon, my beloved, every night,
(as on) my first night... [x2]
बादल में अब छुप जा रे , ओ चंदा
मैं उन से प्यार कर लूँगी ,
बातें हज़ार कर लूँगी
Hide yourself now in the clouds, oh moon,
I will fall in love with him,
I will whisper a thousand words to him
दम भर जो इधर मुँह फेरे , [ x2 ] ओ चंदा
मैं उन से प्यार कर लूँगा ,
नज़रें तो चार कर लूँगा
If you glance this way just for a moment, [x2] oh moon,
I will fall in love with her,
and make our eyes meet (lit. "make four glances")
मैं चोर हूँ काम है चोरी , [ x2 ]
दुनिया में हूँ बदनाम
दिल को चुराता आया हूँ मैं ,
यही मेरा काम [ x2 ]
I'm a thief, stealing is my trade, [x2]
infamous across the world.
I've been stealing hearts,
that's my only craft [x2]
आना तू गवाही देने , ओ चंदा
मैं उन से प्यार कर लूँगा ,
नज़रें तो चार कर लूँगा
Come bear witness, oh moon!
I will fall in love with her,
and make our eyes meet
दिल को चुरा के खो मत जाना , [ x2 ]
राह न जाना भूल
इन क़दमों से कुचल न देना
मेरे दिल का फूल [ x2 ]
Don't vanish after stealing my heart, [x2]
don't forget the way,
don't trample underfoot
this flower of my heart [x2]
यह बात उन्हें समझा दे , ओ चंदा
मैं उन से प्यार कर लूँगी ,
बातें हज़ार कर लूँगी
Explain this to him, oh moon,
I will fall in love with him,
I will whisper a thousand words to him
About this song
- Singers
- Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh
- Lyrics
- Shailendra
- Music
- Shankar–Jaikishan
- On screen
- Nargis, Raj Kapoor
dam bhar jo udhar munh phere (Hindi: दम भर जो उधर मुँह फेरे, Urdu: دم بھر جو اُدھر مُنہ پھیرے) "If You Turn Your Face Away Just for a Moment" is a Bollywood romantic ballad from the 1951 film Awara, composed by Shankar–Jaikishan with lyrics by Shailendra.
Sung as a duet by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh, it gives voice to the star-crossed lovers Raj (Raj Kapoor), a street thief, and Rita (Nargis), a lawyer and daughter of the judge who prosecutes him.
The song unfolds during a moonlit boat ride, where their fragile love drifts like the unmoored boat, symbolizing societal divides. Raj’s confession "maiN chor huuN" ("I am a thief") carries poetic irony—while he admits to literal theft, his true "crime" is stealing hearts. The lyrics oscillate between asking the moon to turn away (for privacy) and to bear witness to their forbidden love, showcasing Shailendra’s mastery of metaphor.
The melody by Shankar-Jaikishan blends yearning and playfulness, mirroring the lovers’ tension. This scene became iconic, cementing Raj-Nargis’s chemistry and the film’s critique of class injustice.
