The 2010 Marathi film, “Mumbai Pune Mumbai”, has a beautiful song “kadhi tu..” sung by Hrishikesh Ranade and picturised on Swapnil Joshi and Mukta Barve. The lyrics are fit for a soaking wet love scene, but in the film the song is actually shot against a totally dry backdrop. Here are the lyrics:

कधी तू…रिमझिम झरणारी बरसात
कधी तू…चमचम करणारी चांदण्यात
कधी तू…कोसळत्या धारा थैमान वारा
बिजलीची नक्षी अंबरात
सळसळत्या लाटा भिजलेल्या वाटा
चिंब पावसाची ओली रात
कधी तू…रिमझिम झरणारी बरसात
कधी तू…चमचम करणारी चांदण्यात

The song promises intense downpours, streaks of lightning, fierce winds, a drenched night, but the scene shows nothing more than brown earth, rocky hills and a placid lake.

In fact, the entire film, Mumbai Pune Mumbai, is an extraordinary understatement of life. It is a love story without love-making. It has characters without names. It is a travelogue without a journey. It preaches without sermons.

And above all, it has a rain song without rain.