dam bhar jo udhar muNh phere
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dam bhar jo udhar muNh phere
If you turn your face away for just a moment
dam bhar jo udhar muNh phere , o chandaa
maiN un se pyaar kar luuNgii ,
baateN hazaar kar luuNgii
[ 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]
dil kartaa hai pyaar ke sajde , [ x2 ]
aur maiN bhii un ke saath
chaaNd ko chandaa roz hii dekheN ,
merii pɛhlii raat [ 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]
baadal meN ab chhup jaa re , o chandaa
maiN un se pyaar kar luuNgii ,
baateN hazaar kar luuNgii
Hide yourself now in the clouds, oh moon,
I will fall in love with him,
I will whisper a thousand words to him
dam bhar jo idhar muNh phere , [ x2 ] o chandaa
maiN un se pyaar kar luuNgaa ,
nazreN to chaar kar luuNgaa
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")
maiN chor huuN kaam hai chorii , [ x2 ]
duniyaa meN huuN badnaam
dil ko churaataa aayaa huuN maiN ,
yahii meraa kaam [ 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]
aanaa tuu gavaahii dene , o chandaa
maiN un se pyaar kar luuNgaa ,
nazreN to chaar kar luuNgaa
Come bear witness, oh moon!
I will fall in love with her,
and make our eyes meet
dil ko churaa ke kho mat jaanaa , [ x2 ]
raah na jaanaa bhuul
in qadmoN se kuchal na denaa
mere dil kaa phuul [ x2 ]
Don't vanish after stealing my heart, [x2]
don't forget the way,
don't trample underfoot
this flower of my heart [x2]
ye baat unheN samjhaa de , o chandaa
maiN un se pyaar kar luuNgii ,
baateN hazaar kar luuNgii
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.
