Jamuna Rani-a small tribute to this forgotten singer

August 16, 2026 Sivanandam Palamadai Leave a comment

17th May 1938-30^th July 2026

This year, from April we have been losing many veteran female playback singers starting from Asha Bhosle in April, Suman Kalyanpur in May , S Janaki and K Jamuna Rani in July . I feel bad to be writing about all these singers after they passed away , except S Janaki whom I covered in my blog written in April 2025.

Early Tamizh film music had many great female playback singers like M L Vasanthakumari, T A Rathnam, A P Komala, Jikki, P Leela, M S Rajeshwari and K Jamuna Rani before P Susheela and S Janaki became the leading singers. Later L R Eashwari and Vani Jayaram also made their niches with distinct styles and voices. Especially in the 50’s , before P Susheela became the most preferred singer , there was a variety of voices and styles that enriched film music . As I have mentioned many times in my blogs, my own personal experience in listening to the early golden era songs of Tamizh films was limited and only recently, after starting my blogs , I am listening to many of these great artists.

When I heard the news about K Jamuna Rani passing away on 30^th July, I thought of writing about her, but then I realised how little I knew about her songs. I started watching some interviews of her ( here I should thank the famous singer Mano for his excellent two-part interview in Jaya TV series Manthodu Mano ) and came to know about her experiences and also knew about many of her songs.

Like many other artists of yesteryears , there is almost no information about Jamuna Rani in Internet. Wikipedia , at least had some list of her songs and that is the main source for my song selection here , apart from the interview that I mentioned.

Born to K Varadarajulu and K Droupadi , she was interested in music from a very young age and had sung for the Telugu film Thyagayya when she was just seven years old. Her first break in Tamil films was in 1952 for the films Valayapathi & Kalyani. Soon she started singing in many south Indian languages like Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam and even Sinhala.

Among her early hits were the songs O Devdas from the 1953 film Devadas and Aasayum Nesamum in 1955 film Gul-E-Bakavali. Like it happens with many artists, if they are successful in a particular genre, they get stereotyped in that and after singing the Aasayum Nesamum -a song picturized on a character singing in an intoxicated way, Jamuna Rani also started getting many songs of similar type. Only after few years she could get the opportunity to sing songs of different flavours, including melody based ones.

Somehow her voice reminds me of Geeta Dutt, which she also mentioned in that interview I quoted in the beginning of this blog. Some of her duets are so popular that even today they are liked by many. Her solos were relatively few . MSV mostly preferred P Susheela and JR was brought in to sing only when there was a peppy song with a rock and roll style. Other music directors like K V Mahadevan , G Ramanathan, Vedha S M Subbiaha Naidu , R Sudarshanam composed some memorable songs for her.

One song that brough her good fame as a solo was in the very famous movie Pasa Malar, Pattondru Ketten Paravasamanen, composed by Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy. But strangely in the later years of the 60’s decade, she got very few chances and had almost stopped singing in 70’s and people had almost forgotten her. Much later , in 1987, Ilayaraja brought together, two yesteryear forgotten singers Jamuna Rani and M S Rajeshwari in the film Nayakan for the song Naan Sirithal Deepavali that became very famous.

Nothing much is known about Jamuna Rani’s family and to the best of my knowledge, based on available information, she remained unmarried. In her later years , she used to sing in live concerts and with P Susheela, she has performed outside India also.

For me , it was really an eye-opener to discover many songs of Jamuna Rani while researching for this blog and we get a feeling that Tamizh film music could have given her more songs that she rightly deserved.

I have tried to compile 20 songs of her that provides a glimpse of the rich variety in her singing. These are arranged chronologically with the song, film, year, music director, lyricist and co-singers mentioned in that order.

Oh Devadas …Oh Parvati-Devadas-1953-C R Subbaraman-Udumalai Narayana Kavi- Duet with Udutha Sarojini

A very young Jamuna Rani singing for child actors in the famous movie Devadas. C R Subbaraman passed away while working for this film as music composer and his assistants Vishwanathan -Ramamoorthy completed the music for rest of the film. I am not very sure , but I think Jamuna Rani must be singing for the Parvati character in this song.

2. Aasayum En Nesamaum-Gul-E-Bakavali-1955-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Thanjai Ramaiah Das

We can see the versatility in Jamuna Rani’s singing at a very early age . In her interview she explained how MSV told her to focus on singing and letting another singer, L R Eashwari who later on became a very famous singer to do those ‘ hiccups’ in the song.

3. Ilam Meesayulla Ambalainga-Aaravalli-1957-G Ramanathan-A Marudakasi-Duet with T V Rathnam

Sometimes I think the producers/directors may pressurise even veteran composers like G Ramanathan to use an inspired tune . I was surprised to note this song was exact version of Ude Jab Jab Zulfen Teri composed in Hindi by O P Nayyar for the film Naya Daur. GR did some changes in the interlude music . Jamuna Rani had more opportunities in duets rather than solos in her early career.

4. Mele Parakkum Rockettu-Anbu Engey-1958-Vedha- Thanjai Ramaiah Das

One more inspired song, this time by Vedha . This seems to be inspired by the very famous Geeta Dutt song Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo, again composed by O P Nayyar. Leaving that aspect aside, it is really amazing to note how Jamuna Rani has rendered this. Like it always happens in our films, once a singer becomes famous for a particular type of song, he/she gets stereotyped . This was one of the early hit songs of Jamuna Rani and even now whenever someone talks about her songs, this one comes at the top. Vedha, to his credit, did some innovations by adding a male voice do some vocal gimmicks in between instead of taking the original song as it is.

5. Athi Mathura Anurada-Engal Kudumbam Perusu-1958-T G Lingappa-K D Santhanam-Duet with A M Rajah

This was the dubbed version of the Kannada song Athi Mathura Anuraga for the film School Master and the Tamizh version must have been for the dubbed version of that film. The singers are also the same in Kannada. T G Lingappa was a veteran composer in Kannada films and I remember clearly the Tamizh version was popular even in the 70’s and I used to hear in Vividh Bharati those days. A superb composition that sounds fresh even today, 78 years later!!

6. Sentamizh Thenmozhiyal-Maalaiyitta Mangai-1958-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

Till the time of working on this blog, I knew only about the evergreen T R Mahalingam’s version of this very famous song. Never knew there was a female version by Jamuna Rani. She has sung it very well . She has sung many such melodious solos but somehow she was used more frequently for a particular genre as mentioned earlier. It was a pity that we could not get to hear more such melodies from her.

7. Thadukkadhe Ennai Thadukkadhe-Nadodi Mannan-1958-S M Subbaiah Naidu-M K Athmanathan-Duet with J P Chandrababu

While the top heroes and heroines of those days had TMS & PS singing for them, other singers had to be content with playback for the other actors and comedians. S M Subbaiah Naidu was known for his fast paced songs with superb percussion and when we have another versatile singer J P Chandrababu with Jamuna Rani , it is pure foot-tapping music. It is just my own imagination that this song could have been a precursor for MSV to come out with Aadaludan Padalai Kettu Rasippathilethan Sugam-just observe the rhythm pattern!

8. Yaradi Nee Mohini-Uthamaputhiran-1958-G Ramanathan-Ku Ma Balasubramaniam-With T M Soundararajan, A P Komala and Jikki

I had written in elaborate detail about this epic song composed by G Ramanathan in my blog about the great composer. Though I try not to repeat a song often, I cannot ignore this song as Jamuna Rani has also contributed equally to this along with other singers. Later , whenever I write about A P Komala also, I may repeat this!!

Songs like this are made once in a blue moon and will remain etched in our memories as long as our music is alive.

9. Akkalukku Valaikaappu-Kalyana Parisu-1959-A M Rajah-Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram-With P Susheela

Although P Susheela was senior to Jamuna Rani in age, the latter had debuted in films slightly earlier than the former! The 50’s were ruled by P Leela, Jikki, Jamuna Rani , P Susheela and also by others like M L Vasanthakumari, T A Rathnam, A P Komala , Bala Sawarswati . It is nice to hear the two legends JR & PS together in this song. Maybe due to other songs in Kalyana Parisu becoming more popular , this became less-known. It is really difficult to differentiate the two singers as JR also sounds equally melodious as PS.

10. Kungumapoove Konjum Purave-Maragatham-1959-S M Subbaiah Naidu-Ku Ma Balasubramaniam- With J P Chandrababu

Just few weeks back I wrote about J P Chandrababu and obviously this song also gets repeated here. Just observe that stylish rendition of Jamuna Rani-especially that stress in the line ‘ pokkiri raja , pothume taja’. That elevates the song to a different level.

11. Kaalai Manasu Kattana Siesu-Deivapiravi-1960-R Sudarshanam-Thanjai N Ramaiha Das

One more famous song of Jamuna Rani with which she is identified with. R Sudarshanam uses minimal orchestration but brings out the suspense in the scene so well through his tune and interludes. No wonder he is considered as a master by other composers like MSV and Ilayaraja. After listening to this song , we definitely feel like asking , ‘ why she did not get to sing more songs’? It is truly a beautiful , smooth rendition.

12. Thara Thara Vanthara-Deivapiravi-1960-R Sudarshanam-Udumalai Narayana Kavi

There is an innocence in Jamuna Rani’s voice in such songs and proves she was capable of singing such lilting melodies as much as she got bracketed into a particular genre of songs.

13. Nikkatuma Pogattuma-Irumbu Thirai-1960- S V Venkataraman-Kothamangalam Subbu-With Tiruchi Loganathan

From this film , Nenjil Kudiyirukkum anbarukku naan irukkum by TMS & P Leela became very popular. S V Venkataraman was one of the pioneers of Tamizh film music . This delightful duet by Tiruchi Loganathan and Jamuna Rani remained a hidden gem! Tiruchi Loganathan’s voice fits so well on K A Thangavelu!

14. Pakkithile Kanni Pen Irukku-Padikkatha Methai-1960-K V Mahadevan-A Maruthakasi-With A L Raghavan

Both A L Ragahvan and Jamuna Rani add so much charm to the song by their small voice modulations . A fast-paced joyful duet by KVM.

15. Mama Mama Mama Emma Emma Emma-Kumudam-1961-K V Mahadevan-With T M Soundararajan

It is very rare a song becomes so popular that it becomes a reason for a nick name for its composer! KVM was known as Mama in film circle after the immense popularity of this song. To a great extent the credit goes to the singers also , along with the composer. TMS & Jamuna Rani had nailed it perfectly, with Jamuna Rani even stealing the show a bit. One can listen to this song again and again without ever getting bored.

16. Paattondru Ketten Paravasamanen-Pasamalar-1961-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

Among her solos, this was the best by Jamuna Rani. Strangely , she did not get much songs even after singing this evergreen number. Of course, Malarnthum Malaratha from the same film became an epic and over-shadowed all other songs. Still she deserved more such songs. I remember very clearly, long back in Chennai Vividh Bharati , there was a program titled Paatondru Ketten and this eternal song in the voice of Jamuna Rani used to be the signature tune for that program.

17. Athikkai Kai Kai Aalangai Vennilave-Bale Pandiya-1962-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan-With TMS, Susheela, P B Sreenivas

Jamuna Rani might have been part of maximum triad or quad songs that had more than two singers . This is well-known for Kannadasan’s immortal lyrical style , where he apparently used many ‘kais’ -vegetable names but with most of them having another meaning in a way that only he can do. All the four singers made this an unforgettable song with their superb rendition.

18. Aadi Manithan Kaadalukku Pin- Bale Pandiya-1962-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan-With P B Sreenivas

As per the prevailing tradition, singers other than TMS & PS were used for the second rung actors and this song is no exception to that. A delightful duet by PBS & JR.

19. Enakkagava Naan Unakkagava-Selvam-1966-K V Mahadevan-Vaali-With Tharapuram Sundararajan

I do not know much about the singer Tharapuram Sundararajan and I think this could be his most popular song. Teaming up with JR , he has rendered an evergreen song . K V Mahadevan played a very important role in giving JR some of her best songs .

20. Naan Sirithaal Deepavali-Nayakan-1987-Ilayaraja-Pulamaipithan-With M S Rajeshwari

After mid and late 60’s , Jamuna Rani faded away from the film industry for more than two decades, till Ilayaraja remembered her and another forgotten, but top singer of her times-M S Rajeshwari for this 1987 song . This is what is called a ‘ mujra’ type song in Hindi and with the song setting being in one of the ‘ khotas’ of Mumbai in a time period earlier than the film’s release, he rightly selected two forgotten voices . Legends can become popular even after two decades of remaining in oblivion and this song is an excellent example .

I hope I have been able to do a small tribute to this legendary singer in these twenty songs.

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer

I sincerely thank the publishers of following blogsites & Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia

The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

Hindi film songs

Rafi’s ‘Zulf’ songs-A tribute to Rafi on his 46th death anniversary

July 29, 2026 Sivanandam Palamadai Leave a comment

24th December 1924-31st July 1980

It is once again that time of the year dedicated to my eternal favourite singer, Mohammad Rafi. The legendary singer’s 46th death anniversary falls on 31st July 2026. My blogsite has so far covered around 56 different singers, music directors and lyricist from the Tamizh and Hindi film music in 80 different blogs. Obviously there have been multiple blogs on few artists and among them , naturally, my favourite Rafi has been covered in nine different blogs. As I always say he has a very special place in my heart and I can keep listening to his songs repeatedly without ever getting bored. Apart from this reason , there is one more for writing so many articles on him: if we take any theme under the sun , I am sure we may find at least few songs sung by him. That was the immense variety of songs he left behind for us! Even today, I keep discovering a Rafi song that I have never heard before! Above all these reasons, Rafi had that unique ability to come out with so many modulations in his songs and due to that even if a line or phrase or word is repeated many times in a song , he would make it so interesting.

In the decades of 50’s and 60’s , Hindi film songs had many great lyricists who enriched the songs with excellent poetry. These songs covered many themes like patriotism, socialism, devotion, pathos and some were even rebellious. However , if there was a dominant theme , it was always romance. And when it came to romance, influence of Urdu was very strong and in few songs even Persian/Arabic and in rare cases, other language words were used. One word that is common in many songs is “ Zulf”.

The Urdu word Zulf generally refers to the tresses -they can refer to the hair hanging down upon the temple or over the ear, side-lock, curl, ringlet, lock, tress. In most of the songs, it is the hero describing his lover’s tresses; only in very few songs there has been reference to the hero’s tress by the heroine, for example the very famous, Uden Jab Jab Zulfen Teri, Kanwariyon Ka Dil Machle ( Naya Daur/O P Nayyar/ Rafi & Asha/ Sahir Ludhianvi).

When it comes to romantic songs, obviously Rafi leads ahead with a huge variety of songs. Of course, apart from Rafi, there were many other singers who had rendered memorable songs that had a ‘Zulf’ theme. Like ‘ Zulfon Ki Ghata Lekar Sawan Ki Pari aayee by Manna Dey and Asha, Chehra Hai Ya Chand Khila Hai Zulf Ghaneri Chhaon by Kishore Kumar, Kya Teri Zulfen Hai by Kishore Kumar, Bikhrake Zulfen Chaman Mein Na Jaana by Mukesh & Lata etc. But Rafi seems to have sung many famous songs with this word prominent in the mukhda of the song and made them evergreen with his inimitable style of rendition.

In this tribute to him on his 46^th anniversary , I have tried to list out 17 songs of Rafi , mainly solos , with very few duets also included, in which the word Zulf prominently appears in the mukhda of the song. I have excluded those in which the word appears in the antara. May be that can be a topic for a future blog?!

While doing this , I have tried to cover a variety of music directors and lyricists to ensure the listener gets different flavours.

Songs are arranged chronologically, with the song, film, year, music director , lyricist and co-singer mentioned in that order.

Das Na Jaaye Tujhko Zulfen-Malika-1947- AR Quereshi-Tanveer Naqvi

One of the earliest songs of Rafi having Zulf , written by Tanveer Naqvi and composed by A R Quereshi, more popular as Allah Rakha-the famous Tabla maestro -his son Zakhir Hussain became even more popular. Note the unique percussion arrangement in this song. Rafi had still not got into his trademark modulation in the early years and was slowly making his mark.

2. Zulf Ke Phande Phas Gayi Jaan-Mujrim-1958-O P Nayyar-Majrooh Sultanpuri

It could be mainly my lack of research as we straight away jump to year 1958 from 1947 to find a ‘Zulf’ song of Rafi. Here , Rafi sings for the comedian Johnny Walker and one could readily recognize the way he does those great modulations! In this song Zulf is not used to romanticize the heroine but appears to have landed Johnny Walker in jail ! Majrooh has added his own name ( Takhallus) in the last stanza:

“Ishq Ki Duniya Ajab Hai

Kahaa Tha Majrooh Ne Kal”…

3. Teri zulfon se judai to Nahin-Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai-1961-Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri

If Majrooh described the predicament of Johnny Walker landing up in jail due to ‘ Zulf’ , here Hasrat Jaipuri writes just the opposite! Dev Anand wants to remain ‘ locked up” ( Qaid) and does not want to be released (Rihai) from his lover’s Zulf!

4. Ho Gori Zulm Kare Zulf Ka Bikhar-Mein Aur Mera Bhai-1961-C Arjun-Jaan Nissar Akhtar

Many-a-times a lesser-known music composer comes out with a very popular and peppy song. C Arjun was an immensely talented music composer and had created some soulful and melodious songs. Though I have not linked the video of the song, from the overall feel this appears to be have been picturized on a comedian.

5. O Yaar Zulfon wale-Ek Musafir Ek Haseena-1962- O P Nayyar-Shewan Rizvi-Duet with Asha Bhosle

I had to search for the meaning of some strange words in this song. I came to know that these are Persian -Zuban-E-Yaar Man Turki, Wa Man Turki Nami Danam….Nami Danam..Nami Danam , originally written by Amir Khusro

Translates to “ My lover speaks Turkish language and that language I do not know!

O yaar zulfon waale
dildaar zulfon waale
zulfon ne mujh ko maara
khamdaar zulfon waale

(Khamdaar : Meaning curved, twisted, wavy, or curly)

The song has some excellent orchestration by O P Nayyar and a bonus is the superb enactment on screen by Sadhana who always elevates a song by her excellent dance and facial expressions.

6. Salle Allah Zulf Kaali Kaali-Kabli Khan-1963-Chitragupt-Majrooh Sultanpuri

Chitragupta has composed some of the most melodious songs and still remained an under-rated music director. Qawwalis were not his major forte but this rare song was discovered by me while searching for Rafi’s ‘ Zulf’ songs. Though a bit different from the typical songs of Chitragupt that were well-known for their melody , once we listen to this song few times we get to like it so much.

7. Tu Mere Samne Hai Teri Zulfen Hain Khuli-Suhagan-1964-Madan Mohan-Hasrat Jaipuri

This could definitely be, without any doubt, the best among Rafi’s romantic songs. Whenever Madan Mohan and Rafi joined together, it was sheer bliss for the listener. Especially the line ‘ Mein Bhala Hosh Mein Kaise Rahoon’ is sung with such an impact by Rafi that if at all there is a textbook made for playback singing in films, it could be included !

I was intrigued by the picturization of this song as I could not understand why the heroine and apparently her mother appear so disturbed in the scene. I seldom watch the old movies and prefer just listening to the songs only. After some digging about the story, I came to know that the hero played by Guru Dutt has a major accident and as per the doctor’s advice he is not supposed to get excited -even the physical relationship in a married life may harm him and so when he is so attracted to the zulf and says ‘ mein bhala hosh mein kaise rahoon, his wife is worried!. My personal opinion is that such a great song could have been used in a more pleasant situation! One more interesting thing about this song is the rare association of Madan Mohan and Hasrat Jaipuri.

8. Na Jhatko Zulf Se Pani-Shehnai-1964-Ravi- Rajendar Krishan

One more scintillating romantic number from Rafi, composed by the melody king Ravi and written by his trusted lyricist-Rajendra Krishan.

9. Yeh zulf agar khulke bikhar-Kajal-1965-Ravi-Sahir Ludhianvi

Sahir was not only known for his hard-hitting songs that show a mirror to the society, but equally for his great romantic ghazals. That “ achha” modulated in so many variations by Rafi is his uniqueness that makes him a legend unparalleled. A classic example of the variations Rafi ‘s rendition that makes the song so interesting.

10. Zulfon ko hata de chehre se-Sawan Ki Ghata-1966- O P Nayyar- S H Bihari

“Suraj ko zara sharminda kar, mooh raat ka kala hone de” is what S H Bihari describes about the effect of the heroine uncovering her face from the tresses that is hiding her beauty. Those days, the lyricists were taking their imagination to the greatest heights! And when we have our Rafi sahab creating wonders with the words, what more does one need?!

11. Teri Zulfen Pareshan Teri Nazaren Pasheman –Preet Naa Jaane Reet,-1966- Kalyanji-Anandji -Anand Bakshi

For Shammi Kapoor , Rafi has rendered maximum romantic songs and this rare combination with Kalyanji-Anandji has on screen the well-known actress from South -Saroja Devi. Anand Bakshi’s imagination is unique and he writes about how the innocent look and the open ‘ zulf’ of the heroine makes the hero apprehensive that he may fall in love due to her zulf!

In the antara , Rafi glides through those typical high notes with so much of ease!

12. Chehre Pe Giri Zulfen-Suraj-1966-Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri

The film Suraj had some excellent songs of SJ. One more example of the way Rafi comes out with so many versions of a phrase -this time “ Gustaki Maaf” ( roughly translates to ‘pardon my audacity’). The typical fast-paced rhythm of SJ and Hasrat’s trademark romanticism soaked lyrics all add equal charm to this evergreen ‘ zulf’ song.

13. Oh Haseena Zulfon wali Jaane Jahan-Teesri Manzil-1966-R D Burman-Majrooh Sultanpuri-Duet with Asha Bhosle

R D Burman, in his early years had to depend quite a lot on Rafi sahab and this film gave him his grand success that was eluding him for few years. And if we have on screen, Shammi Kapoor, then Rafi goes all out to render a rocking number.

14. Tumhare zulf ke saye-Naunihal-1967- Madan Mohan-Kaifi Azmi

Madan Mohan has composed some of the best ‘ Zulf’ songs for Rafi-this one from Naunihal has that silky melodious touch that was Madan Mohan’s greatest strength. Kaifi Azmi’s lyrics are equally romantic :

Tumhari Zulf Ke Saye Mein Shaam Kar Loonga,

Safar Ek Umr Ka Pal Mein Tamaam Kar Loonga..

15. Zulf bikhrati chali aayee ho- Ek Kali Muskaai-1968-Madan Mohan- Rajendar Krishan

One more from Madan Mohan , this time is more playful rather than a straight forward romantic melody. In the antaras, Rafi is at his best-ever playful and coming with so many modulations.

16. Yeh Reshmi Zulfen Yeh Sharbati Aankhen-Do Raaste-1969-Lakshmikant Pyarelal-Anand Bakshi

I always wonder why no one talks much about Rafi’s great songs for Rajesh Khanna. He had rendered some of the best songs for Rajesh Khanna in his early years and only later on the Kishore- Rajesh Khanna team became a super hit combination. In the success of many music directors and heroes , Rafi had played a very important role ; as he was a humble man, he never talked about this . And most of us also do not talk about this!!

17. Aap Ka Chehra Maasha Allah Zulf Ka Pehra-Rutha Na Karo-1970-C Ramachandra-Hasrat Jaipuri-Duet with Asha Bhosle.

By 1970, C Ramachandra was almost at the end of his career after having given his best in the earlier two decades. This one , however is a rarely heard song , but has a nice lilting rhythm and could have been one of his best from the later years. Rafi does that usual extraordinary effect to a song in the last antara by stretching the line “ In Bahon Ke Haar To Dalo, Apne Gale Se Mujhe Laga Lo”.

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer

I sincerely thank the publishers of following blogsites & Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia

Hindi film songs

The tragic life of a comedian and singer-J P Chandrababu

July 3, 2026 Sivanandam Palamadai Leave a comment

5^th August 1927 – 8^th March 1974

Once the playback trend started in our films, there were very few actors who could sing. Among this category was a comedian who was even considered as the first singer from South to do yodelling. His ascent in the film industry was phenomenal and sadly the downfall was so tragic. Some extremely talented artists get into the film production business that results in a financial collapse for them and in few other cases , due to their eccentric behaviour , they antagonise their colleagues , thereby affecting their career. The artist that I am going to write about in this blog did both these mistakes and so one can imagine what a mercurial artist he was.

J P Chandrababu ( born Joseph Panimayadas Rodriguez-no one exactly knows how the name Chandrababu stuck to him!) was a tragic case of being immensely talented as a comedian and singer , going on to command a fee that equalled the top heroes of his days, but ultimately passing away at the age of 47 , penniless.

Born on 5^th August 1927 to a wealthy Christian family in Thoothukidi ( Tuticorin) , he later moved to Sri Lanka as his father, J.P. Rodriguez who was a freedom fighter, got exiled after getting arrested for participating in the Satyagraha movement for India’s independence. Chandrababu was educated at St Joseph’s college and Aquinas College in Colombo . It was during his stay at Colombo that he got interested in western music as well as the ‘ Baila’ style of Sri Lankan music and he also had an in-born singing skill. He was also very much attracted towards acting and dancing.

After the family shifted back to Chennai ( Madras) in 1943 , he started looking for chances in films although his family was opposed to that. After few years, in 1947 he got his first chance to do a small role for the film Dhana Amaravathi and he even sang his first song in that film. Composed by K V Mahadevan , the song was Un azhagirku Inai Ennathai Solvathu , the link for which I am embedding here.

There are many anecdotes about him but I would not like to focus much on them as the purpose of my blog is to write about music only. He somehow got to act in a small role in a S S Vasan film , who was one of the leading film makers at that time. Slowly his fame spread and he started a career in acting and singing, with comedy being his forte. It is said that he commanded a fee of Rs one lakh at his peak , which was even higher than what some of the heroes of his time were getting.

Again , there are many stories about his erratic behaviour of antagonizing his directors, colleagues etc that led to a decline in his career. I would not like to dwell much into those as these are available in the Internet. There was no doubt about his immense talent in singing , dancing and acting and whatever he did remains memorable to this day. Some of his songs are as iconic as that of the legendary singers like TMS, PBS , Seerkazhi etc. For example, whenever something inexplicable happens, his song Unnume Puriyale Ulagithile comes to our mind. Same is the case of “Buddhiyulle Manitharellam Vetri Kanbathillai”-a song that has become an anthem to explain how some undeserving people rise to the top whereas those who are immensely talented, languish in life .

Unfortunately , for Chandrababu, apart from his outspoken behaviour , his marriage also turned out to be a disaster and his wife left him within a short period to marry someone she had loved . This broke his spirit and made him turn to alcohol. Ironically , the film he wanted to produce with the legendary MG Ramachandran, was titled “Maadi Veetu Ezhai” and ultimately resulted in his financial collapse and he never recovered from that loss. He made one more attempt to direct a film Thattungal Thirakkapadum , which was made in 1966 , but that film also flopped and so , after losing most of his wealth he passed away at the young age of 47, in the year 1974. His funeral expenses were taken care of by the veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.

There are only few artists, who, within a short span of life , leave behind a legacy that remains forever. Chandrababu’s unique voice, his yodelling , his comic acting and the way he popularized the unique “ Madras Bashai”-that typical Tamil dialect popular in Chennai, will remain in memory for a long time.

I have tried , with my limited knowledge, to showcase a dozen famous songs from this actor-singer-director-producer, who made us think and laugh ,with his unique voice , great dancing and acting.

Jolly Life Jolly Life- Kalyanam Panniyum Brahmachari-1954-T G Lingappa-K D Santhanam

Who would have imagined Chandrababu singing for thespian Sivaji Ganesan? What fabulous yodelling by him and equally superb acting by Sivaji on screen. A delightful song composed by T G Lingappa.

2. Kalyanam hahaha…Kalyanam ( Ullaasamaagave Ulagaththil Vaazhave” ) -Penn-1954-R Sudarshanam-Udumalai Narayana Kavi

Although I have heard this song many times , I never knew this was picturised on the veteran Veena vidwan and film maker-actor S Balachandar! One more example of Chandrababu’s yodelling and ability to sing in a female voice in between. The picturization is so enjoyable with S Balachandar enacting the song perfectly.

3. Unakkaga Ellam Unakkaga-Pudhayal-1957-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram

After two songs in which Chandrababu did only playback singing, I am now starting my list of songs in which he rendered the song on screen. One of his early hits that remains popular to this day. Once again , a fabulous yodelling towards the end of the song.

4. Pambara Kannale-Manamagan Thevai-1957- G Ramanathan-K D Santhanam

Unfortunately the link to this song in YouTube that has the visuals is with poor audio quality and that is why I have provided the audio only track also. One has to enjoy his excellent dancing as well as singing!

5. Kunguma Poove Konjum Purave-Maragatham-1959-Tune composed by T G Lingappa originally for another film and later orchestrated by S M Subbaiha Naidu for Maragatham-Ku Ma Balasubramaniam-With K Jamuna Rani

I think there cannot be anyone in Tamil Nadu who would not have heard and enjoyed this song. This is the song that defines Chandrababu’s style of singing perfectly. The song was originally composed by T G Lingappa for the film Sabash Meena but due to some reasons it was not included in that film. Later Chandrababu had conveyed this tune to the composer S M Subbaiha Naidu during the recording for the film Maragatham and SMS orchestrated the song. Now this fact was not known to SMS and only after many years , when he came to know about this , was so apologetic to TGL -those days the music composers were so humble that they did not make a great issue of this. I should acknowledge my thanks to Ms Subashree Thanikachalam for narrating this anecdote in in her QFR series.

6. Kavalai Illatha Manithan- Kavalai Illatha Manithan- 1960-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

Kannadasan ventured into film production many times and had to face lot of financial difficulties while doing so . He had joked that contrary to the title that means ‘ a man with no worries’ , he was always stressed while making this movie! Though another song Pirakkum Bothum Azhugindrai became more popular , this is one more example of Chandrababu’s typical philosophical song.

7. Pirakkum Bothum Azhukindrai- Kavalai Illatha Manithan- 1960-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

Most of the famous comedians always have a streak of tragedy running through their lives. Chandrababu conveys the pathos so well in this song that has become one of his iconic songs.

8. Onnume Puriyale Ulagathile-Kumara Raja-1961-T R Pappa-K D Santhanam

As much as he was identified with peppy songs like Kunguma Poove, Chandrababu is well-known for his sad songs. As I have mentioned in the introduction, the lyrics of this song are so apt for any situation one faces in life when we perplexed about what is happening around us! For Chandrababu , this song appears to be a mini autobiography!-“ Yennai Pole Yemali Yavarum Illai!

9. Buddhi Ulla Manithan Ellam-Annai-1962-R Sudarshanam-Kannadasan

I do not know what magic was there in Chandrababu’s songs that the lyrics of many have become immortal. Kannadasan, known for his mastery over words , creates a masterpiece . Each and every line in this songs rings so true. Once again , I have to refer to one of the QFR series episodes in which it was mentioned that this song was an eternal favourite of the well-known film producer A V M Saravanan.

10. Poranthalum Aaambalaya Porakka Kudathu-Policekaran Magal-1962- Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan-With L R Eashwari

That funny sound that Chandrababu makes in between is the highlight of this song! I can only compare him to Kishore Kumar for rendering songs like this.

11. Kaathal Enbathu Edu Varai-Paada Kaanikkai-1962-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan-With P B Sreenivas, P Susheela and L R Eashwari

A quartet song that has PBS, PS & LRE singing apart from Chandrababu, this is a light-hearted romantic song that gives equal weightage to all the four singers.

12. Siruppu Varudu Sirippu Vardu Sirikka Sirikka-Andavan Kattalai-1964-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

Only Kannadasan can come out with lyrics like this . Somehow it looks like the song describes the struggles Chandrababu faced in his life! Look at the way he does that superb laugh, in an almost hysterical way and then performs an excellent yodelling. Only naturally talented artists can sing like this.

13. Kanmani Paappa-Thattungal Thirakkapadum-1966-M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan

After his venture with MGR , Madi Veetu Ezhai did not take off, Chandrababu tried his directing skill in this movie, but unfortunately the movie flopped. Slowly he faded away from movies and ultimately passed away in penury. This song may not be as well-known as many of his earlier songs , but is still has the stamp of MSV, Kannadasan and Chandrababu.

I have tried to list out just more than a dozen songs of this great actor-singer, who made a mark for himself in a short span of life. I may have missed many other songs mainly due to my own lack of knowledge and readers may excuse me for that.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia
Ms Subashree Thanikachalam’s QFR series in You Tube

Hindi film songs

Suman Kalyanpur -A singer who deserved more-Part 2- Her Fabulous Duets

June 20, 2026 Sivanandam Palamadai Leave a comment

28th January 1937-31st May 2026

Continuing from Part 1 that had the excellent solo songs of Suman Kalyanpur, I am now writing about her fabulous duets that became even more popular than her solos. As I mentioned in Part 1, most of the duets she sang were due to Lata not singing with Rafi during 1963-67, but one should also note that she sang some evergreen duets with other male singers like Manna Dey, Mukesh , Talat Mehmood and even with Kishore Kumar & Mahendra Kapoor though they may be much lesser in numbers.

Apart from the duets with male playback singers , Suman has rendered very memorable duets with other female singers , including , yes …even with Lata Mangeshkar ( we are totally lost while listening to that song as it is almost impossible to make out the difference!-listed @ number 1 in Section B here). There have been quite a few ‘triad’ songs-in which there are three singers. Suman had been part of some memorable songs that had three singers. I have organized this article in two sections-one having duets with male singers and the other -duets with other female singers & triads.

Selecting few songs from so many evergreen duets of Suman is a difficult task-I am trying to give a representative list that provides a glimpse of the range that she covered in her songs.

In each section , the song-film-year-music director-lyricist and co-singer(s) are mentioned in that sequence. A note on the YouTube links embedded here-many-a-times the songs that have the video are not allowed to be played in other sites and in some cases the visuals are of poor video-audio quality and so in many songs I have embedded only the audio ones.

Section A -Duets with male playback singers

Na Jane Kahan Tum The – Zindagi Aur Khwab -1961-Dattaram-Kavi Pradeep- Manna Dey

The long-time assistant of Shankar Jaikishan, Dattaram Wadkar composed some outstanding songs as an independent music composer. This is one of Suman’s early duets and with Manna Dey also she has rendered some memorable songs.

2. Tum Jo Aao To Pyar Aa Jaye -Sakhi Robin-1962-Robin Banerjee- Yogesh -Manna Dey

Among the many lesser-known, but highly talented artists in Hindi film music world, Robin Banerjee composed some outstanding sweet melodies. This one , once again a duet Suman sang with Manna Dey can easily be believed to be the work of a top music director!

3. Dil Ek Mandir Hai -Dil Ek Mandir-1963-Shankar Jaikshan-Hasrat Jaipuri-Rafi

With the magical team of Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan , Suman had her career best songs. The period of 1963-67 , as known to all music lovers was the ‘rift’ period between Rafi & Lata and it was the most prolific time for Suman . Shankar & Jaikishan were at still at their peak and so you will find many songs from this golden team. Each one a gem and will linger in our memories for a long time.

4. Yeh Kisne Geet Cheda -Meri Surat Teri Ankhen-1963- S D Burman-Shailendra-Mukesh

In a film that had Manna Dey’s evergreen Poocho Na Kaise Maine Rain Bitaayee and Rafi’s soulful Tere Bin Soone Nain Hamare & his classic Nache Man Mora Magan, this delightful duet by Mukesh and Suman remains evergreen. Don’t miss those excellent saxophone, guitar and flute used so well by Burman da.

5. Chura Le Na Tumko Yeh Mausam Suhana-Dil Hi Toh Hai-1963-Roshan-Sahir Ludhianvi-Mukesh

As much as the duets of Suman with Rafi are great, in no lesser are those with Manna Dey and Mukesh. And when the music is composed by the great Roshan, then what more can we ask?!

The tune has that typical twists and turns that marks a typical Roshan composition.

6. Tujhe Pyar Karte Hain Karte Rahenge- April Fool-1964- Shankar Jaikshan-Hasrat Jaipuri-Rafi

April Fool film had , as usual , many hit songs that is typical of Shankar Jaikishan. This duet was so popular that it was even remade in Tamil as ‘ Naan Malorodu Thaniyaga Yen’ and it became such a super-hit song in Tamil also.

7. Agar Teri Jalwa Numayi Na Hoti-Beti Bete-1964-Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri-Rafi

One more delightful duet from the golden team of Rafi-Suman-SJ.

8. Tumne Pukara Aur Hum Chale Aaye- Rajkumar-1964- Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri-Rafi

The antara in this song has a slow pace that adds so much charm to the song. Suman gives a perfect counter to Rafi’s intricate alaap.

9. Ajhun Na Aaye Baalama Sawan Beeta-Sanjh Aur Savera-1964- Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri-Rafi

I never understood why in old Hindi films, many best classical raag based songs were picturised on comedians and even when they were picturised on heroes, the situation and antics were comical! I would always prefer only listening to such masterpieces and never would like to ‘ watch’ them. Superb singing by both Rafi & Suman. Like I always mention-I am not an expert in identifying the raag , but as per articles in the Net, I understand this is based on Raag Madhuvanti. SJ, when they composed songs with a classical base , combined elements of a film song , embellishing them with their typical orchestration and so most of the times , we get an evergreen song .

10. Parbaton Ke Pedhon Par-Shagoon-1964-Khayyam-Sahir Ludhianvi-Rafi

Khayyam, in his early days , composed outstanding songs but sadly he never got the recognition he got for comparatively ‘not- that-great’ compositions he did in his later years. Suman has a very sweet voice in this and like in many songs, when we hear her , even when she was singing in her late 30’s , the voice sounded like that of a teenager.

11. Baad Muddat Ke Yeh Ghadi Aaayi-Jahan Aara-1964-Madan Mohan-Rajendra Krishan-Rafi

For Madan Mohan, Lata was supreme. And so only during that golden period of Suman, we could get to hear her in a Madan Mohan composition -as such MM had a mastery in solo ghazals and duets were relatively lesser in numbers. This , however , compensates for that lacuna ; the leisurely pace of the song is like a piece of sweet that one would like to relish , enjoying every bite.

12. Wo Dekho Dekho Dekh Raha Tha Papiha-Fariyad-1964-Kidar Sharma-Mahendra Kapoor

How about a quirky , somewhat ‘rocking’ number from Suman? It has to be from that lesser-known genius Snehal Bhatkar, known for out-of-the-world compositions. Mahendra Kapoor seems to be the perfect choice for this peppy song.

13. Thehriye Hosh Mein Aaoon-Mohabbat Isko Kehte Hain-1965-Khayyam-Majrooh Sultanpuri-Rafi

One more masterpiece from Khayyam ‘s early days. That Hmmm…mmm rejoinder by both Rafi and Suman to the question ‘ tho chale jaayiyegaa? ’ enhances the beauty of the tune. Once again, we note how sweet Suman’s voice sounds in this.

14. Na Na Karte Pyaar Tumhi Se-Jab Jab Phool Khile-1965-Kalyanji Anandji-Anand Bakshi-Rafi

Whenever you select a playlist of Suman’s songs in YouTube this will always be there at the top. Though I have nothing against this , sometimes a song is played/heard so many times that it becomes a bit ‘over-killed’ at the cost of many other great songs of an artist. However I cannot definitely avoid this song in my list also-an iconic duet of Rafi and Suman!

15. Tumhe Dil Se Chaha-Chand Aur Suraj-1965-Salil Chowdhury-1965-Shailendra-Rafi

I was under the wrong impressions that Suman had not sung for Salil Chowdhury, until I came across this. There was also a myth that Rafi did not sing for Salil da after the infamous episode during the recording of Tasveer Teri Dil Mein from the film Maya in 1961.

Maybe a lesser-known song of Salil da , but it definitely has that lilting melody for which he was famous.

16. Itna Hai Tumse Pyaar Mujhe – Suraj -1966- Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri-Rafi

One of those songs in which it is very difficult to make out it is Suman and not Lata! The resemblance is so close in this song!

17. -1967-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni-Rafi

Veteran Naushad ‘s superb classical based song to Suman during the years when she was the natural alternative for Lata. The film Palkhi also had some of Naushad’s typical, slow-paced absolute gems for Rafi -Kal Raat Zindagi Se Mulakat and Chehre Se Apni Aaaj To . Suman proves how strong she is in rendering a classical number for the maestro Naushad.

18. Tujhe Dekha Tujhe Chaaha – Chhoti Si Mulaqat -1967 – Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri-Rafi

It is amazing how SJ could come up with hundreds of such brilliantly orchestrated songs. For admirers of SJ like me, each interlude in their songs are in memory! Whenever Rafi and Suman sang together, it was sheer magic.

19. Tumse Ho Haseena Kabhi Mohabbat-Farz-1967-Lakshmikant Pyarelal-Anand Bakshi-Rafi

A typical L-P song, that has all the catchy percussion and orchestration they were known for.

20. Mera Pyar Bhi Tu Hai-Saathi-1968-Naushad-Majrooh Sultanpuri-Mukesh

Normally one would expect Rafi to sing for Rajendra Kumar and that too when the composer is Naushad. This is a rare Mukesh-Suman duet and after decades, Majrooh writes for Naushad. For many years, we might have been thinking this was Lata and not Suman-so close is the resemblance. An evergreen melody , that has Kersi Lord doing the arrangement and that is why in Saathi, all the songs had a very different orchestration as compared to other songs of Naushad.

21. Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche – Brahmachari-1968- Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri-Rafi

Do we need to say anything about this immortal song? A rocking number from the great Shankar Jaikishan that has their stamp in each and every phrase of the song. Those slight vibratos in Suman’s voice adds a unique charm .

22. Jaan Chali Jaaye Jiya Nahin-Anjaana-1969-Lakshmikant Pyarelal-Anand Bakshi-Rafi

With beautiful lyrics by Anjaan, this is a melodious duet from L-P . The antara has a brief pause that takes the song to a different level.

23. Aaya Na Humko Pyar Jatana -Pehchan-1970- Shankar Jaikishan-Indeevar -Mukesh

The piano , string arrangements are superb in this song and like I had mentioned earlier, with Mukesh also Suman had rendered memorable duets.

24. Woh Bade Khushnaseeb Hote Hain -Saazish-1975- Shankar Jaikishan -Hasrat Jaipuri-Mahendra Kapoor

Many would not agree with me-I felt some of the ‘so-called’ mediocre songs of Shankar in his later years were definitely good. Look at how soft Mahendra Kapoor renders this-almost sounds like Rafi in many places.

Section B -Duets with female playback singers & Triads

Kabhi Aaj Kabhi Kal Kabhi Parson -Chand-1959- Hemant Kumar-Shailendra-Lata Mangeshkar

There are some interesting aspects in this song. First- it could be the only duet of Lata and Suman-one has to listen very keenly to make out the singer. The second aspect is the tune and even interludes are exactly the same as a famous Tamil song Neela Vanna Kannane Unathu Jalam that was composed by T R Papa in 1957 for a film Malika . It gets even more stranger to note that this film Malika was remade as Payal and Hemant Kumar composed the music for that also, with a similar tune ( but not exactly as the one in Chand). It is truly an interesting exercise to dig deep into the old songs for my blogs!

2. Garjat Barsat Sawan Aayo Re-Barsat Ki Raat-1960-Roshan-Sahir Ludhianvi-Kamal Barot

In 1951 , Roshan composed Garjat Barsat Bheejat Aayilo , sung by Lata , for the film Malhar that was produced by Mukesh. He film flopped but some of the songs in that movie like Bade Armanon Se Rakha Hai became popular. But this particular tune at that time did not make any impact and when Roshan used the same in 1960 , once again for the title song, it became very famous, and it was now a duet and not a solo . I remember clearly the superb prelude of this song was used by Vividh Bharati as the signature tune for their Sangeet Sarita program that featured songs based on classical raagas.

3. Hum Khoob Jaante Hain -Kya Dil Mein-Sajan Ki Galiyan-Incomplete film -made in early 60’s -Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri- Rafi & Geeta Dutt ( her part missing)

I keep discovery many trivia while writing my blogs! This partial song , was composed for a film Sajan Ki Galiyan and that film was left incomplete. Later , in 1983 , a film called Film Hi Film was made that was about a character trying to make a film with newcomers and the difficulties he faces in that-the lead actor was the famous villain-character actor Pran. This song appeared in this film also. It is a pity that I could not find the full song that might have had Geeta Dutt’s lines, but I think we can hear her singing along with Suman. That was the only reason I included this.

4. Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya- Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya-1966-Sonik Omi-G. L Rawal-Mukesh and Rafi

One of the most famous songs of Sonik Omi that also launched their career as independent composers. This is a superb composition that has all the three singers-Rafi , Suman and Mukesh giving their best.

5. Woh Pari Kahan Se Laaun-Pehchan-1970- Shankar Jaikishan -Varma Mallik- Mukesh & Sharda

A very catchy tune that has the typical SJ style all over, this may not endear to those who are not fans of SJ. The antara has a quirky feel , which is the uniqueness of this song. It was popular when it was released but slowly must have faded away from memory.

6. Yeh Duniya Ke Badaltey Rishtey- Badaltey Rishtey-1978-Lakshmikant Payrelal-Anjaan-Rafi & Kishore

This could be one the last memorable songs of Suman , before she finally stopped singing in Hindi films , although she was still active in Marathi film and Non film music. This film also had a Kishore-Suman duet ‘ Tum Chahe Humko Pasand Na Karo, Par Tum Humko Pasand Ho’ but I thought of including the triad Na Jaane Kaise as it is mostly a duet of Kishore & Suman and Rafi , as usual , making a late entry in end of the song.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia

Hindi film songs

Suman Kalyanpur -A singer who deserved more recognition

June 12, 2026 Sivanandam Palamadai 2 Comments

28th January 1937-31st May 2026

Part 1 Her solos

I feel very bad for not having written about Suman Kalyanpur much earlier. I have a huge list that contains the names of great artists yet to be covered in my blogs and I had even thought of writing about her on one or two occasions earlier. Somehow it could not happen and now , sadly, I have to write this as a tribute after she unfortunately left this world on 31^st May 2026 , at the age of 89 years.

Nature had given her a voice that had a remarkable resemblance to Lata Mageshkar and that turned out to be a blessing and, unfortunately , a curse also for her. In the early years , when most of the radio channels never announced the name of the singer while playing film songs, her voice was thought to be that of Lata. This resulted in her name not getting the popularity she deserved. Only after the credits were given to singers, people realised that some of the songs they thought was sung by Lata was actually that of Suman Kalyanpur . Fate played a role in giving her a great break between 1963 to 1967 , when Lata did not sing duets with Rafi over that infamous spat over royalty issue. Most of the music directors, who preferred Rafi as the male singer in a duet started offering songs to Suman as an alternative to Lata. Even discerning listeners , sometimes , cannot make out the difference between Lata and Suman in few songs. They were so similar in some songs. Once Lata and Rafi started singing together, although this combination became rare , some music composers thankfully gave Suman few songs now and then. Of course, she was always active in Marathi music-both film and non-film and had made a great name for herself in the Marathi music world.

Born at Kolkata , on 28^th January 1937 , to Shanker Rao Hemmady and Seeta Hemmady as the eldest among six children, she was three years old when the family shifted to Dhaka. Her father was working in a bank at a senior position. Later, in 1943 they shifted to Mumbai and Suman had her training in music and painting . She completed her studies at St. Columbia High School and pursued her interest in painting at the J J School of Arts. Her initial grooming in music was with her guru Pandit Keshav Rao Bhole-who was associated with the famous Prabhat Film Company of Pune. She also honed her music skills with two other gurus-Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan and Guruji Master Navrang.

Like most families those days, an active career in music was not encouraged , but when an opportunity came to her with All India Radio, in 1952, Suman could not refuse. At the same time , she sang for a Marathi film in 1953-Shukrachi Chandini . For the Hindi film Magnu, film maker Sheikh Mukhtar gave an opportunity to Suman , being impressed with her songs in Shukrachi Chandini. The original music director was Mohammad Shafi and due to some reasons, half-way through the film he was replaced with O P Nayyar. Out of the three songs she sang, only one -Koi Pukare Dheere Se Tujhe was retained in the film.

Despite singing some good songs for the prominent music directors in her early career, luck did not smile upon her . With other singers like Shamsahd Begum, Lata, Asha & Geeta Dutt going strong, it was a struggle for her in the Hindi film industry. Then that infamous rift over the royalty issue between Rafi sahab and Lata happened in 1963 and that turned out to be a blessing for Suman. Since Rafi & Lata did not sing any duets together during this period, music directors who were determined to have Rafi as the male playback singer, started using Suman for the duets.

The unbelievable resemblance of her voice to that of Lata was both a boon and a bane for her. Boon -because she got many memorable duets to sing with the great Rafi sahab and bane because in the days when singers’ name was not announced many times in radio, many wrongly thought it was Lata’s voice. And more sadly, in 1967, when Rafi & Lata started singing together, opportunities for Suman dwindled. However , few music directors like Shankar Jaikishan and Roshan gave her songs, even solos , after 1967 also and Suman had also made a great name for herself in Marathi films.

Even though the number of songs Suman had sung may not be as large as that of Lata or Asha, the percentage of hit songs were very high and so it is again going to be a difficult task for me to select few for this article. I shall break this into two parts-one on her solos and the other , on her more popular duets.

For a casual listener, it may be a bit difficult to make out the difference between her voice and that of Lata, but when we listen carefully , it is possible to make out the difference. At very high notes, Suman’s voice may not have that razor-sharp precision that Lata had. But that very fact endeared to Suman’s fans as that slight tremor in her voice had its own charm. Added to this , there was a child-like simplicity and sweetness in her voice , with a tinge of sadness. Of course, despite knowing all these factors, in few songs, I have been totally under the false impressions that it was Lata singing, when it was actually Suman. That was the closeness in some songs-God might have had two identical sets of vocal cords with him!!

Like many other artists , who, despite being immensely talented , remained unrecognized during their times, Suman never got any National award or Filmfare awards in her prime. It was only in 2023, just three years before she passed away, our government conferred the Padma Bhushan award. She was recognized earlier , 2017, by the Madhya Pradesh state government by honouring her with the Lata Mangeshkar Award.

Apart from Hindi and Marathi , she sang in other languages like Bengali, Odiya, Assamese , Gujarati , Kannada etc. Her close associate , Mangala Khadilkar , writer and compere, has written a biography on Suman Kalyanpur , titled Suman Sugandh in Marathi.

In this first part, I am listing twenty solo songs of Suman, in chronological order of the year of the film in which they featured and have given the song -film-year-music director and lyricist in that order. I shall come out with part 2 with her fabulous duets.

Koi Pukare Dheere Se-Mangu-1954-Mohammad Shafi-Saba Afghani

After singing in Marathi films, Suman got her first chance to sing in Hindi under the music direction of Mohammad Shafi for the 1954 film Mangu. Unfortunately , due to reasons not exactly known, after having recorded three songs in the voice of Suman, the music director was replaced with O P Nayyar and except for this one song-Koi Pukare Dheer Se , the others were discarded. Still Suman made her mark with this one song and it is a sweet , melodious song.

2. Dil gham se jal raha hai-Shama-1961-Ghulam Mohammad-Kaifi Azmi

I could not see many hit songs in her early years ( my own limited knowledge about her could also be a reason) , but it was only in 1961 , that she got a superb song , composed by the veteran Ghulam Mohammad that is remembered even today.

3. Beet hue din kuchh aise hi hain -First Love-1961-Dattaram Wadkar-Gulshan Bawra

In the same year , we have another gem of a song , by the long-time percussion assistant of Shankar Jaikishan-Dattaram Wadkar , who independently composed some great songs.

4. Na tum humein jano na hum tumhe jane-Baat Ek Raat Ki-1962-S D Burman-Majrooh Sultanpuri

The year 1962 gave one of Suman’s most famous songs and despite there being a male version sung by Hemant Kumar that was even more popular, Suman’s version also is well-remembered. I do not know if this version is so short-I could get only this in YouTube. As usual S D Burman’s compositions are always great.

5. Ab To Lagat Mora Solvwa Saal -Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadaibo-1962-Chitragupt-Shailendra

This film was the first ever Bhojpuri film made and had music by the melody master Chitragupt, with the greatest lyricist Shailendra penning some gems like Sonwa Ke Pinjara Mein sung by the one and only Mohammad Rafi . Suman shows her skill in rendering songs in other languages also.

6. Apne Piya Ki Main Tho Bani Re Joganiya-Kan Kan Mein Bhagwan-1963-Shivram-Bharat Vyas

This song was an eternal favourite of Vividh Bharati in good old days, but I never knew it was composed by a relatively lesser-known music director Shivram. A lilting melody , fast paced and having that unique charm of a sweet-sounding Suman.

7. Yun hi dil ne chaha tha-Dil Hi Toh Hai-1963-Roshan-Sahir Ludhianvi

I do not have any official statistics on Suman’s songs, but I think among the many music directors , Roshan and Shankar Jaikishan gave her truly great songs. This has that trademark twists and turns in the tune that Roshan is famous for, rendered brilliantly by Suman.

8. Juhi Ki Kali Meri Laadli – Dil Ek Mandir-1963-Shankar Jaikishan-Shailendra

In a film, otherwise dominated by Lata and Rafi, this song by Suman ( for a long time I was under the wrong impression this was sung by Lata-the usual mistake when it comes to Suman’s songs|!) could find its own place for its simple , but catchy tune of SJ.

9. Hal-E-Dil Unko Sunaya Tha-Fariyad-1964-Snehal Bhatkar-Kidar Sharma

Snehal Bhatkar composed some out-of-the-world compositions and that is why despite having very few songs in Hindi films, his name is still remembered by film music connoisseurs. This song remains one of Suman’s most identified songs. The way she has rendered this song , shows her strong training in classical music. She glides over the higher notes with an innate ease .

10. Bhuja Diye Hain Khud Apne Hathon-Shagoon-1964-Khayyam-Sahir Ludhianvi

It is my personal opinion that Khayyam’s songs in his early years were outstanding , but he never got much fame and after a decade long gap , in 70’s he got much fame , but those songs are not of the class he composed earlier. This one by Suman shows how she can convey the emotions so poignantly. One of my personal favourites.

11. Chand Kanwal Mere Chand Kanwal – Sanjh Aur Savera-1964-Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri

To be honest, despite being a great fan of Shankar Jaikishan, I had not heard this song -though other songs from this film are well-known. While selecting songs of Suman for this blog, I came across this and it is a pity that songs like this remained in obscurity.

12. Mere Sang Ga Gungunaa Koi Geet -Janwar-1965-Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri

One more classical gem from Suman and SJ combination. Contrary to the general view that SJ used Suman only for duets with Rafi (when Lata was not singing with him), I find many good solos for her composed by SJ.

13. Mere mehboob na ja-Noor Mahal-1965-Jane Babu Qawwal-Sabah Afghani

Although composed & written by relatively lesser-known composer & lyricist, this is one of Suman’s most famous songs. The film was not a great commercial success, and I have intentionally selected a ‘ remastered’ version ( normally I do not prefer them) as the sound quality is much better. Suman had excelled herself in this song by giving out her best in terms of emotions, traversing those high notes and that is why despite being a lengthy song , you feel like listening to it again and again. The haunting melody created by Jane Babu Qawwal and superb lyrics by Sabah Afghani also adds more charm.

14. Jo ham pe guzarti hai tanha kise samjhayen- Mohabbat Isko kahte hain-1965-Khayyam-Majrooh Sultanpuri

What I wrote about Khayyam’s early compositions get more validated by songs like this. As much as the tune is so soft and sublime, Suman’s velvety voice equally caresses you like a breeze.

15. Sharabi Sharabi Yeh Sawan Ka Mausam-Noor Jehan-1967-Roshan-Shakeel Badayuni

One more very popular song of Suman, that has Roshan’s mastery in full flow . Set in raag Kamod with shades of Gaud Malhar also combined so beautifully, at least this song should have fetched her an award. One more unique aspect of this song is the rare combination of Shakeel Badyuni writing for a Roshan composition. Truly a masterpiece that will remain etched in our memory for centuries.

16. Chale Ja Chale Ja Chale Ja – Jahan Pyar Mile-1969-Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri

Shankar Jaikishan might have composed the most ‘ tandem songs’ ( a term predominantly used mostly in context of our films songs)-i.e the ones which had at least two different singers singing the same song at two different situations in a film. There is a Rafi version of this song -both are too good , with that typical SJ style orchestration and melody combined.

17. Kamdev Jaise Teri Suratiya- Tum Haseen Main Jawan-1970- Shankar Jaikishan-Indeevar

If not for this blog, I might have never known about this song! I always keep writing about this aspect-most of the ‘experts’ on Hindi film music, who have a bias against some artists , dismiss the compositions of Shankar Jaikishan in their later years as not good ( they have even used more stronger words!) , but I personally differ from them. It was a myth that got propagated with everyone getting carried away. All the four songs being listed now are from that period of SJ and they break that myth and also one more myth that Shankar kept promoting only Sharada-he has used Suman also in many of his later compositions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUcvutAglV4&list=RDxUcvutAglV4&start_radio=118. Tose Najariya Ladaayi Jawani Haaye -Patanga-1971-Shankar Jaikishan-Neeraj

18. Tose Najariya Ladaayi Jawani Haaye -Patanga-1971-Shankar Jaikishan-Neeraj

This song is a hidden gem-just observe that way Suman renders this song with a superb alaap in each antara and glides through those high notes ( typical of SJ) so easily.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Q_-heuvj8&list=RD21Q_-heuvj8&start_radio=119 . Bezubaan Dil Shor Na Maacha – Door Nahin Manzil-1973-Anjaan

19. Bezubaan Dil Shor Na Maacha – Door Nahin Manzil-1973-Anjaan

It was a joyful discovery for me , searching for Suman’s solos for this blog-I could find so many rare songs that have completely vanished from our memory. Once again, remember this is from that ‘ so-called’ lean period of SJ-rather Shankar as in 1973 he was plodding along alone. There are two versions of this song-happy and sad- I have provided links to both.

Happy version:

Sad Version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kopv7M6GLlY&list=RDKopv7M6GLlY&start_radio=120. Behna Ne Bhai Ki Kalayi Se -Resham Ki Dori-1974-Shankar Jaikishan-Indeevar

20. Behna Ne Bhai Ki Kalayi Se -Resham Ki Dori-1974-Shankar Jaikishan-Indeevar

I am happy to conclude this short tribute of mine on Suman Kalyanpur’s solo songs with an evergreen song from the year 1974. This song is always played in radio on the Raksha Bandhan day. Proves Shankar ‘s creativity was still going strong contrary to the popular myth. This also shows Suman was singing even in mid 70’s and as per her own comment in an interview, she stopped singing in Hindi films due to some personal reasons that she did not reveal. However she continued to sing in Marathi -mainly for non film devotional and light music albums and carved out a great place for her in Marathi music .

I will continue this blog in next part with her fabulous duets .

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia

Hindi film songs

Tribute to the versatile Asha Bhosle-Part 2

May 23, 2026 Sivanandam Palamadai Leave a comment

Her songs with O P Nayyar, S D Burman, Ravi, N Dutta and R D Burman

8 September 1933 – 12 April 2026

In continuation of my tribute to the versatile Asha Bhosle, I am now writing about her great songs that she sung for those five music directors who were instrumental in shaping her career.

In Part 1, I listed her memorable songs for those music directors apart from O P Nayyar, S D Burman, Ravi, N Dutta and R D Burman. In this part I shall write about the songs she sang for these five music directors who are generally considered to be the most important in shaping her career.

O P Nayyar was the only music director who did not compose even a single song for her illustrious sister Lata but predominantly worked with Asha and in his early days , with Shamshad Begum and Geeta Dutt. S D Burman had a tiff with Lata for few years and during that period , composed many great songs for Asha . For N Dutta, Asha was always the preferred female playback singer. Unfortunately though he was very talented , he remained unlucky as far as major commercial success was considered, Similarly for Ravi also , Asha was more preferred female playback singer than Lata , but he did compose some great songs for Lata also. R D Burman and Asha is the most popular combination , well-known and well-documented.

The songs are arranged first music director-wise and then in chronological order of the year of the film, with song /film/year/music director/lyricist mentioned in that sequence.

Part 2 -Asha’s best for the her five main music directors

O P Nayyar

When it comes to Lata Mangeshkar’s songs, it is always a great dilemma as to rank in whose music direction she gave her best, but for Asha there cannot be any doubt. O P Nayyar truly gave her many masterpieces and although I have written about many of her songs with other music directors, the combination of OPN & Asha was unbeatable. They had a professional and personal relationship that ended in a bitter note ; this is also well-documented and I generally do not write about these aspects. O P Nayyar could extract the best out of Asha’s vocals and the solo songs and duets he composed for her are truly evergreen hits. I am giving here just a five representative sample . Numerically Asha might have sung 300 plus songs and almost more than 95% of them can be listed out!!

Jayiye Aap Kahan Jayenge-Mere Sanam-1965-Majrooh Sultanpuri

The intricate humming that Asha does in this song is something out of the world. For me this was Asha’s Mt Everest.

Huzurewala Jo Hogi Izazat-Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi-1965-Aziz Kashmiri –(with Minoo Purushottam)

That typical dholak rhythm and orchestration of OPN and Asha’s trademark elegant singing-superb combination.

Aaj Koi Pyar Se-Sawan Ki Ghata-1966-S H Bihari

In many songs, OPN just needed a dholak, table, a sitar/sarangi/ santoor/guitar/accordion or sometimes even a simple harmonium to create those magical tunes -of course with the vocals of Rafi among male singers and Asha among female singers taking the song to a different level

Aao Huzur Tumko-Kismat-1968-Noor Devasi

Arguably, this could be Asha’s best cabaret-style song ever. Only OPN can compose a song that is sung in a totally intoxicated state with a classical touch. The beginning of this song , those hiccups by Asha are something tailor-made for her ; no other singer can never even come close to her .

Chain Se Humko Kabhi-Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye-1973-S H Bihari

If only Asha got more songs like this, she would have become my personal favourite! What a superb composition and an equally soulful rendering by her. This was her last song for OPN and how apt the lyrics seem to be! Ironically this song was not included in the film version and we have only the audio. The link I have provided here says it is a live recording for Doordarshan ( I am not sure as the orchestration sound like the original) . One more well-known anecdote about this song is that Asha never came to receive the Filmfare award that was awarded for this and OPN took it on her behalf and people say he threw it away on the way home( not sure about the last part-some say he kept it for many years in his house) . Forget all these stories-the song is something that touches deep into your soul. I feel glad that once I started writing blogs, I have been able to set aside my personal prejudices and appreciate all the great artists who made our film music immemorable.

S D Burman

S D Burman initially worked a lot with Shamshad Begum and Geeta Dutt and Asha got to sing for him in the early 50’s. Like many other composers of those times, for SDB also Lata was a preferred singer. Towards the end of 50’s and till early 60’s , there was a mis-understanding between SDB and Lata and the two did not work together and it was during that period Asha got to sing some of her memorable songs for the senior Burman. Most of the songs Asha sang for SDB were outstanding , with a wide range of songs from the poignant Ab Ke Baras Bhej Bhaiyya Ko Babul to a typical cabaret style Raat Akeli Hai. I have given just a few samples here.

Oh Panchi Pyare-Bandini-1963-Shailendra

From the film Bandini, I have listed two songs here-what contrasting styles of singing by Asha in these two. While ‘Oh Panchi Pyare’ has Asha in her ebullient best, in ‘Ab Ke Baras Bhej Bhaiyya’ shows how she can excel equally in pathos.

Ab Ke Baras Bhej Bhaiyya Ko Babul- Bandini-1963-Shailendra

Dekhne Mein Bhola Hai-Bambai Ka Babu-1960-Majrooh Sultanpuri

Inspired from a Telugu folk song, SDB composed this popular song with a very catchy rhythm and Asha sang it in her usual style.

Kali Ghata Chaye Mora Jiya Tarsaye-Sujata-1959-Majrooh

An intricate composition that does full justice to the vocal skills of Asha.

Raat Akeli Hai-Jewel Thief-1967-Majrooh Sultanpuri

This could be an SDB tune , but the orchestration appears to be that of his son, R D Burman. Songs like these define Asha’s unique style.

Ravi Shankar Sharma ( Ravi)

Many music connoisseurs may not consider Ravi in the same league as the big five-Naushad, C Ramachandra, Shankar Jaikishan, S D Burman and O P Nayyar , but he definitely deserves to be considered among the top ten or fifteen music composers in Hindi films. His tunes had that great simplicity and were mostly sweet melodies. It is a pity that Asha never talked much about this simple music director, who gave her some of her career best songs.

Aage Bhi Jaane Na Tu-Waqt-1965-Sahir Ludhianvi

Although a very lengthy song (more than 5 minutes) , the powerful lyrics of Sahir, the mesmerizing tune of Ravi and evocative rendering by Asha will never bore you. All-time masterpiece of Asha.

Tora Man Darpan Khelaye-Kaajal-1965-Sahir Ludhianvi

One of the most popular bhajan in films, this song shows the versatility of Asha in the devotional genre.

Mere Bhaiyya Mere Chanda- Kaajal-1965-Sahir Ludhianvi

From the same film Kajal, this song about brother-sister bonding is an eternal favourite during the Raksha Bandhan festival.

Dil Ki Kahani Rang Layee Hai-Chaudvin Ka Chand-1960-Shakeel Badayuni

This has that typical Ravi’s dholak beats that is his signature style. Asha effortlessly renders the twists and turns in the song.

Uljhan Suljhe Na-Dhund-1973-Sahir Ludhianvi

Ravi came out with a unique combination of piano with that typical dholak -tabla rhythm pattern and that makes it a very catchy song. The piano accompanies Asha throughout the song.

Dutta Naik (N Dutta)

Dutta Naik was a very talented music director , but like many other music directors remained unlucky. Popularly known as N Dutta , he got to work in some of the BR films ( produced by B R Chopra) and that gave him some exposure to big banner films. For him, Asha was always the preferred female playback singer and he gave her many sober songs . Among the top music directors who shaped Asha’s career, he remained the most under-rated . I have listed just three songs here to provide a glimpse of his best compositions for Asha; his duets are even more popular.

Mein Jab Bhi Akeli Hoti-Dharmaputra-1961-Sahir Ludhianvi

This could be considered among the top ten songs of Asha- she has sung this in a very soft tone, adding those special emphasis in certain phrases , making this so nice to hear despite being a 6+ min long .

Tang Aa Chuke Hain-Light House-1958-Sahir Ludhianvi

It is very rare in films to hear the same lyrics taken for two different films. In the 1957 classic film Pyasa, we heard this first in the golden voice of Mohammad Rafi , set in a recital style composition by S D Burman. Rafi had that exceptional skill in elevating even a recital into a masterpiece. Later this was also set to tune by N Dutta for the film Light House , this time as a proper song and some lines different from the earlier version. Asha has also rendered this nicely.

Pyar Hi Mujhe Darkaar Hai-Didi-1958-Sahir Ludhianvi

A rare one, not heard much , but it has the typical N Dutta’s touch of class and equally Asha’s evocative singing.

R D Burman

After her earlier marriage with Ganpatrao Bhosle failed, Asha married the music composer Rahul Dev Burman in 1980, almost after 20 years.

Their professional association started much earlier and together they gave some of the most popular , peppy songs that is followed by a majority of music lovers . Personally I am not a big fan of the songs that a majority have hyped -as I said , music taste is highly personal. But , yes -some of the songs from this team were too good. I have given only a few here.

Piya Tu Ab To aaja-Caravan-1971-Majrooh Sultanpuri-with R D Burman

The quintessential Asha song that remains popular to this day , with RDB adding that special ‘panting humming’ . Orchestration by RDB is simply outstanding in this song.

Jab Tak Rahe Tan Mein Jiya-Samadhi-1972-Majrooh Sultanpuri

This may not be a very popular song, but the tune , orchestration and Asha’s singing are top class-personally I like songs like this from this pair instead of the much-hyped Mera Kuch Samaan Tumhare Paas!

Do Lafzon Ki Hai-The Great Gambler-1979-Anand Bakshi-With dialogues by Amitabh Bachhan, Sharad Kumar

Without any doubt this is the best song from this pair. Picturised in the canals of Venice , the way Asha has sung this , full of energy and emotions is truly great.

Katra Katra Milti Hai-Ijaazat-1987-Gulzar

RDB was well-known for his innovative music arrangements and recording techniques. Here he uses two tracks and super-imposes them to create a rippling effect. Ijaazat film had all four songs by Asha-the well known Mere Kuch Saaman ( somehow it is not my personal favourite as the lyrics were over hyped and even fetched a National award for Gulzar and Asha!) , Choti Si Kahani Se and Khali Haath Sham Aayi.

I do not know whether I could do some justice to the rich repertoire of Asha with her top music directors-maybe someone who is a hard-core fan might have done a better selection. I tried my best and hope to come back later on this topic with some of her great duets at a later date.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia

Hindi film songs

Tribute to the versatile Asha Bhosle-Part 1

May 11, 2026 Sivanandam Palamadai 2 Comments

8 September 1933 – 12 April 2026

Part 1 -Asha’s best for the ‘ other ‘ music directors

For me, Asha Bhosle, who , unfortunately passed away on 12th April , 2026 at the ripe age of 92 years is a singer who may not be among my top favourites, but I do like many of her exceptional songs. Music taste is highly individualistic and for me some singers have that quality to leave a great impact whereas some I admire only for their skill but may not be personally moved by their singing. Asha Bhosle , for me , belongs to the latter category. As a blogger, however, it is my duty is to record the contribution of all , irrespective of personal likes and dislikes.

The story of Asha Bhosle , second child of Deenanath Mangeshkar and Shevanti and the younger sister of the nightingale , Lata Mangeshkar is well chronicled and so I would not like to write about that. Media, Internet and most of the private radio stations have given excellent coverage on certain artists , conveniently forgetting numerous other deserving artists. So here I would focus on few of the songs Asha had rendered in an inimitable style that only she could do.

I will try to cover her landmark songs for not only the five main music directors for whom she gave her best ( O P Nayyar, S D Burman, Ravi, N Dutta and R D Burman) but also many others who are generally not talked about when it comes to Asha’s best songs. One more surprising aspect about her was that she herself very rarely acknowledged the contribution of all these music directors except her late husband -R D Burman.

As a singer Asha was without any doubt exceptional. She could sing a cabaret number, devotional song, qawwali, a romantic one, sad song all with equal finesse. When it came to the classical genre, sometimes she even outdid her more illustrious sister, Lata.

I will categorize her great songs in two parts-Part 1 shall have her songs for music directors other than the top five who shaped her career and Part 2 shall focus on her songs for those top five music directors. For now I shall list only her solo songs , except for few songs where there is a co-singer but on the whole it is predominantly her song. Maybe in the future I shall also write about her duets.

The songs are arranged first music director-wise ( for a change I am not doing this chronologically, but in alphabetical order of the music director name) with song /film/year/music director/lyricist mentioned in that sequence.

Hemant Kumar

Meri Baat Rahi Mere Man Mein-Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam -1962-Shakeel Badayuni

One of my very favourite songs of Asha , this has that typical haunting melody effect of a Hemant Kumar composition. The film had many gems from Geeta Dutt , but Asha rendered two masterpieces-this one and the next song I have listed here-Sakhiya Aaj Mujhe Neend Nahin.

Sakhiya Aaj Mujhe Neend Nahi- Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam -1962-Shakeel Badayuni

When compared to many mediocre songs that are talked about in a great manner by Asha’s fans, it is surprising why songs like this are almost forgotten . She has sung this with her typical flair and one more favourite of mine.

Jaidev Varma

Nadinare Na Jao Payyan Padoon-Mujhe Jeene Do -1963-Traditional

Jaidev was a genius composer who never had any ‘ favourite’ singers as such and could extract the best from all the singers he had worked with. This is an intricate composition in his inimitable style and who else but the versatile Asha to do the honours. She traverses through the ups and downs of the tune with an ease that is natural to her.

Kalyanji Anandji

Yeh mera dil pyar ka deewana-Don-1978-Indeevar

A quintessential Asha song , picturised on Helen for whom she must have sung hundreds of such songs, this remains one of the most popular one. Kalyanji Anandji , in their second innings had many popular hits though the quality of their songs in 60’s were much better.

Khayyam

Justaju Jiski Thi Usko Toh Na-Umrao Jaan-1981-Shahriyar

It is a well-documented fact that Khayyam made Asha sing at a slightly lower pitch than her usual and that elevated the songs of Umrao Jaan to a great level. Though Dil Cheez Kya Hai is more popular, my personal favourite is this one. Superb lyrics by Shahriyar.

Dil Cheez Kya Hai-Umrao Jaan-1981-Shahriyar

A true masterpiece by Asha, that needs no introduction or write up. One has to close the eyes and get immersed in its beauty.

Laxmikant Pyarelal

Koi Shehri Babu Dil-Loafer-1973-Anand Bakshi

A typical L-P composition that has their signature percussion arrangement, this is a high-energy song that Asha carries off with her usual flair.

Madan Mohan

Whenever we take the name of Madan Mohan , only Lata’s immortal songs come to one’s mind. But there were some great songs that he composed for Asha also . The most popular one that everyone may remember is of course Jhumka Gira Re Bareilly Ke Bazaar Mein from Mera Saaya -of course I have listed that , but my personal favourites are Shok Nazar Ki Bijiliyan and a very sober and rare Sabah Se Yeh Keh Do.

Shok Nazar Ki Bijliyan-Woh Kaun Thi?-1964-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

Madan Mohan was always ahead of his times when he composed some unique songs -this has a very , what one may call, a quirky interlude . In the midst of Lata’s eternal masterpieces like Lag Jaa Gale, Jo Humne Daastan Apni Sunayee and Naina Barse Rimjhim , this Asha number might have remain hidden , but it is a true hidden gem.

Saba Se Yeh Kehdo-Bank Manager-1959-Jalal Malihabadi

Madan Mohan was a master of melodies and Asha was fortunate to get such a sober and sweet song from him. The lyrics by a relatively lesser-known Jalal Malihabadi are equally good.

Juhumka Gira Re Bareilly Ke Bazaar-Mera Saaya-1966-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

Some songs do not need anything to be written about- a song that has been composed only for Asha-will remain one among her topmost songs.

Naushad

Daiya Re Daiya-Leader-1964-Shakeel Badayuni-With humming by Rafi

Naushad and Asha may be a very rare combination , but when it comes to classical based songs, both are masters-and with Rafi adding only those brief alaap pieces, this is a great song from Naushad for Asha.

Ramlal

Tere Khayalon Mein Hum-Geet Gaya Patharon Ne-1964-Hasrat Jaipuri

It is truly difficult to rank a particular song as ‘the best’ of an artist, but if you ask me , personally I would rate this as Asha’s lifetime top song. Composed by a brilliant composer who , unfortunately never got his fame, Ramlal had two great films -Sehra and Geet Gaya Patharon Ne and with just these two films he made his mark. The general public may not remember his name but serious music connoisseurs definitely recognize his talent. This Asha song is truly a haunting , excellent melody, composed brilliantly by Ramlal and sung with equal brilliance by Asha. I always do not understand why the so-called fans of Asha completely ignore masterpieces like this and keep glorifying many of her mediocre songs.

Ravindra Jain

Sajna Hai Mujhe-Saudagar-1973-Ravindra Jain

Ravindra Jain promoted many new singers , but whenever he composed songs for the sisters -Lata and Asha , they were great hits. The way Asha carries the song through with many twists and turns is amazing.

Roshan

Nigahen Milane Ko Jee Chahta Hai-Dil Hi To Hai-1963-Sahir Ludhianvi

If there has to be a slot for the topmost qawwali by a female playback singer , this could easily take the cake. It is songs like these that truly represent the great talent of Asha and not the more-often hyped about songs in the popular domain. I may keep repeating this thought , but that is how it is! Doing full justice to the excellent qawwali that Roshan was a master of , each every line sung by Asha is something no other singer can come close to.

Shankar Jaikishan

Pan Khaye Sayyan Hamaro-Teesri Kasam-1966-Shailendra

When it comes to Shankar Jaikishan ( my all time personal favourites and whom I considered as true emperors of Hindi film music) , Asha may not have been their first choice of female playback singer but whenever they composed for her , they were songs of high energy that was hallmark of SJ. This one from Teesri Kasam is typical of SJ & Asha!

Haye Gajab Kahin Tara Tootha-Teesri Kasam-1966-Shailendra

Teesri Kasam had SJ’s great compositions for Mukesh, Lata and Asha, not to forget a superb folksy Chalata Musafir for Manna Dey. SJ could come out with masterpieces even if they compose 8 to 10 songs for a film and that is the reason why they are the emperors. This song may not be as popular as Paan Khaye Sayyan but personally I like this even more.

Ustad Vilayat Khan

Ambar Ki Ek Paak Surahi-Kadambari-1975-Amrita Preetam

Ustad Vilayat Khan was a well-known classical Sitar maestro and ventured into composing for film music only for three films. This song of Asha must be very rare for most of the listeners but somehow I rate this among the best of Asha.

A bonus song from Tamil!

Ilayaraja-Shenbagame Shenbagame-Enga Ooru Paattukaran-

Gangai Amaran

Normally I do not mix up a different language song in my blogs, but occasionally do make exceptions. With this one song, Asha made a great impact on the discerning Tamizh audience and the song was a super-hit . For most of the singers from the North , getting the accent while singing Tamizh songs is a challenge , but Asha got this perfect . With a great tune by the maestro Ilayaraja , I thought this could be the right song to complete this blog on Asha’s best for music directors other than the top five, that I will cover in Part 2.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia

Hindi film songs

The evergreen duets of T M Soundararajan & P Susheela

April 27, 2026 Sivanandam Palamadai Leave a comment

Part 2 -B

Continuing my blog on the great duets of TMS with P Susheela from the earlier part, here I conclude the series with some of their memorable duets from the year 1966 onwards.

By this time, MSV had parted ways from his long time associate T K Ramamoorthy , but was ruling the charts in a very big way. Towards the early 70’s and onwards, many new music directors slowly made their mark and although TMS & PS may have sung relatively lesser songs for these new comers, still , whatever they sand turned out to be evergreen hits.

In this concluding part, I am listing out around 25 songs to the best of my ability. The usual caveat always stands good-no listing of songs by such legends can never be comprehensive and my selection may be totally different from any other music lover’s selection.

While looking at the songs , I came across a video of a live concert that was held in the year 2010 , when these two legends were well past their prime-TMS would have been 88 years old and PS, 75 years. They were singing their immortal duet-Malarnthum Malaratha Paathi Malar -one could notice the hands of TMS were shaking as he was holding the microphone , the voice had the age of 88 years and had slowed down a lot , but still the way he sang with that emotion that is his trademark , equally supported by PS , is truly remarkable! I have provided the link to this live performance at the end of this blog along with the original version they sung in 1961.

This particular song has been recreated by numerous singers in social media , but I personally feel no one can even come near the rendition of the evergreen pair of T M Soundararajan and P Susheela. As long as there is music in this world, the name of TMS & PS will always be remembered with reverence.

1.Rajaavin Paarvai-Anbe Vaa-1966-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

Let me begin with a blockbuster song! The orchestration of MSV is simply out of the world with strings, accordion & the chorus-all creating a masterpiece with majesty in TMS voice, complimented by PS’s sweet vocals.

2. Naan Parthathile Aval Oruthiyaithan-Anbe Vaa-1966-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

Anbe Vaa film was a musical bonanza and this is one more super hit song. The interludes have the typical stamp of MSV, with TMS taking the lead in the song, joined by PS towards the end in her inimitable style.

3. Kalyana Naal Paarkka-Parakkum Paavai-1966-M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan

A lilting waltz rhythm , with a superb brass section , MSV came out with a superb western dance number . Note how TMS has sung with a slightly different tone for MGR as compared to his usual style. Not to forget the way PS complements TMS in each line.

4. Innum Parthukondirunthal-Vallaval Oruvan-1966-Vedha-Kannadasan

Music director Vedha was capable of composing original tunes , but somehow the commercial compulsions of the producers confined him to songs inspired from the popular Hindi film songs of those times. But he would recreate them excellently in terms of orchestration . This song was inspired from the well-known music composers Shankar Jaikishan’s Mera Dil Ab Tera O sajna ( Film Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai-1960) , originally sung by Lata Mangeshkar as a solo song only. Vedha converted this as a duet superbly. TMS , whenever he sings for Jaishankar, always had a distinct tone.

5. Naan Malarodu Thaniyaga-Iru Vallavargal-1966-Vedha -Kannadasan

One more inspired song by Vedha . This is from the Shankar-Jaikishan’s super hit Tujhe Pyar Karte Hain song from the film April Fool that was sung by Rafi & Lata was recreated in Tamil by Vedha, and we have our own Rafi & Lata i.e TMS & PS making this equally popular in Tamizh . Note how Kannadasan does a superb job when writing for an already composed song with so meaningful lyrics, without spoiling the song .

6. Chandrodayam Oru Pen Aanatho-Chandrodayam-1966-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

This duet can easily rank among the top ten by this golden pair. A superb composition by MSV that has an extra-ordinarily long charanam. The way both TMS and PS sang this , is something to be cherished for years .

7. Iraivan Irukkindrana-Avan Pithana-1966-R Parthasarathi-Kannadasan

This may strictly not be a famous duet of TMS & PS. I remembered this rare song after seeing so much destruction in recent war that has only taken a pause-God only knows if peace will ever return permanently in this troubled world. Composed by a composer who has remained unsung-only while digging out songs for my blogs I came across the name of R Parthasarathi-I must admit this could be purely my ignorance -many music lovers must be definitely knowing more about him. Different sources cite the lyricist as Kannadasan/

8. Ninaithen Vanthai Nooru Vayadu-Kaavalkaran-1967-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

Starting off with an Arabian style tune and merging into a Punjabi bhangra so beautifully can only be done by that legend MSV! TMS & PS give that special touch to those phrases like Oh …ho…ho hoyyya so nicely, adding a unique charm to this evergreen song.

9. Muthakkalo Kangal-Nenjirukkum Varai-1967-M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan

Only the picturization is austere, as the director C V Sridhar wanted-the lead actors Sivaji Ganesan and K R Vijaya acted in this film without any make-up. The music , orchestration and singing were so rich! This song is one of the topmost among the evergreen duets of this golden pair.

10. Poomalaiyil Or Malligai-Ooty Varai Uravu-1967-M S Vishwanthan-Kannadasan

By this time most of the ardent music lovers would have heard the anecdote behind this song’s creation as narrated by the master MSV himself. Taking inspiration from a brief flute prelude that appeared in the Hindi song composed by MSV’s ‘manaseega guru’ Naushad -Tu Mera Chand Mein Teri Chandidni, if MSV had not revealed this fact himself, no one could have ever guessed. That is how genius composers are made! The banjos that start off the rhythm after the line ‘ poomalayil’ is pure MSV signature!

11. Antha Sivagami maganidam -Pattanathil Bootham-1967-R Govarthanam-Kannadasan

I have consciously avoided writing much about the lyrical beauty in all these songs because if I start writing about Kaviarasar, then the blog’s theme would totally shift ! Making a brief exception, in this song I have to mention this story. It seems Kannadasan wanted to convey a subtle message on his political activities and the famous CM of T amil Nadi Kamarajar’s mother’s name was Sivagami. Using the theme of the film song , he did a master stroke of starting the song with the line ‘ antha Sivagami maganidam seithi solladi, yennai serum naal parka solladi’. Subtle touches like these make the songs of yore so interesting . No doubt, in all the talk about the story behind the song, we cannot forget the way in which TMS & PS rendered this.

12. Kuyilaga Naan Irunthenna-Selva Magal-1967-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

Whenever TMS sang for the actor Jaishankar, he had a slightly different tone and most of the songs, like the ones he sang for the other top heroes-MGR & Sivaji- were also great hits. One more signature composition of the Mellisai Mannar, superbly rendered by TMS& PS.

13. Mannika Vendugiren Unthan Aasaiyai-Iru Malargal-1967-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

When TMS starts the charanam with his inimitable style ‘ thithikkum idai unakku, enedrendum athu yenakku’ , we are elevated to the seventh heaven. Not to be left behind, OS always provides the equal counter to his singing and that is why one never tires of listening to this golden pair.

14. Pothumo Intha Idam-Naan-1967- T K Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

After the immortal pair MSV & TKR parted their ways, MSV became a hugely successful independent composer. But unfortunately TK Ramamoorthy could get only few films , but he did compose some memorable songs-this one being one among them. Note the beautiful use of guitar and an innovative humming by both TMS & PS in the second charanam.

15. Vellikinnan Than Thanga Kaigalil-Uyarntha Manithan-1968-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

There are very few songs in which PS joins in with only a humming. And what a great humming in this-it is as good as a normal duet.

This is without any doubt one of the evergreen duets of TMS & PS.

16. En Kelvikkenna Badil-Uyarntha Manithan-1968-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

In the same film Uyarntha Manithan, if we had Vellikinnanthan picturised on the lead actors, this was on the second rung actors, but the song remains equally classic! TMS does more emoting than the actor on screen through his voice modulations!

17. Aadaludan Paadalai Kettu-Kudiyiruntha Kovil-1968-M S Vishwanathan-Alangudi Somu

With a terrific tempo , an unusual peppy style of singing by both the legends as compared to many of their very sober ones, this song proves that the veterans of those days can perform any genre. It was , in my personal opinion , their personal choice that they restricted themselves to a particular style.

18. Kannoru Pakkam Nenjoru Pakkam-Niraikudam-1969-V Kumar-Kannadasan

I have been guilty of bias towards MSV-TKR or independent MSV composed songs-no once can avoid that as they had given the maximum hits for TMS-PS. I have tried to include many other composers also-V Kumar is one highly under-rated but extraordinarily talented composer. I have already written about his exclusively in my blogs. The charanam is vintage V Kumar -intricate yet sounding so melodious.

19. Azhagiya Tamizh Magan Ivan-Rickshawkaran-1971-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

Normally our film songs are around 3-4 minutes , but this one is a 6 minute song. But one can never get bored due to the excellent orchestration, singing and picturization of the song. The chorus is vintage MSV. Not to forget the ease with which both TMS & PS traverse through the high octaves so effortlessly!

20. Mayakemenna Intha Mounam-Vasantha Maaligai-1972-K V Mahadevan-Kannadasan

A film that ran successfully for almost 2 years during the first release, also went on to be as successful in digitally re-mastered versions twice-in 2013 and 2019. All the songs from this film became super hits and Mayakemmenna is a classic that is liked even today by music lovers. One more 6 minute song, but due to the excellent tune and rendition by the great pair, one can never get bored of the length.

21. Unathu Vizhiyil Enathu Paarvai-Naan Yen Piranthen-1972-Shankar Ganesh-Pulamaipithan

Shankar -Ganesh had a lucky break when they got this assignment to work an MGR film. Everyone knows MGR had an excellent music sense and almost all the songs of his films were great hits. This is one of the pleasing melodies from Shankar-Ganesh.

22. Iravukkum Pagalukkum-Engal Thanga Raja-1973-K V Mahadevan-Kannadasan

A typical KVM composition , with a fast tempo and sung so nicely by the duo. KVM had that ability to use minimum orchestration but the tunes were always so catchy. TMS’s adds his typical style while singing the last line ‘ kavignar sonnathu konjam inimel kanapovathu manjam’

23. Madhanamaligayil Manthira Maalagalam-Rajapart Rangadurai-1973-M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan

One can never believe TMS was 51 years when this song was recorded. His voice had the same verve and energy of a singer in 20’s. The majestic way he starts off the song-the film was about a stage artist and so the style of the song was typical of the old stage songs. Equally youthful is a 40 year old P Susheela. Their voices never aged! Actually MSV had thought of two different tunes and ultimately merged them so beautifully based on the suggestion from an office boy supplying tea who happened to hear both the tunes! Genius at its best!

24. Aagaya Panthalile Ponnunjal-Ponnunjal-1973-M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan

MSV used a grand orchestration with many wind, string instruments , complemented so beautifully with that master wordsmith Kaviarasar Kannadasan and to top them all-what a rendition by the golden pair!

25.Neramithu Neramithi Nenjil -Rishimoolam-1980-Ilayaraja-Kannadasan

One really wished the Isaignani could have composed few more songs with this golden pair. However music style had a sea-change with his advent and that is a separate world with its own charm. From the very limited few songs that TMS & PS together rendered for this mastro, this is a memorable duet. This could have been one of the last hit songs of this immortal pair.

I conclude my blog on the evergreen singing pair- T M Soundararajan and P Susheela . I know there can be so many other songs that I have missed , but hope this was a representative sample , covered in two parts.

Coupled with the first part in which I covered the duets of TMS with other singers, I feel happy that I could write about so many gems of the ‘ simmha kural’ TMS ayya.

In the beginning of this blog I mentioned about a live performance of the song Malarnthum Malaratha sung by this pair at a very advanced age. Here I am providing links to that and the original one. As long as music lives in this earth, this song will continue to move us emotionally.

TMS @ 88 years and PS @ 75 years….

And this one when they were at their prime….

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia
Ragamalika TV-QFR series

Hindi film songs

The evergreen duets of T M Soundararajan & P Susheela

April 10, 2026 Sivanandam Palamadai Leave a comment

Part 2 A

Around two weeks back, I had posted my blog on the duets of the legend T M Soundararajan ( TMS) with singers other than P Susheela with a promise that I would follow up with my blog(or blogs!) on his evergreen duets with the nightingale P Susheela.

For any Tamizh music lover, this is a golden pair and there could not have been a single day , when at least few dozens of their duets would have been aired in radio during the 60’s, 70’s and even into the later decades, till music tastes changed completely in the present times. Now one has to seek for their duets in the Internet /any other media that is available .

Although I am not an expert on statistics on Tamizh film songs, it is generally believed that this golden pair might have sung around 700-800 songs together. This exceeds the numbers by two other famous pairs -not in Tamizh, but in Hindi films-Rafi and Lata might have sung around 400-450 duets and Rafi and Asha around 600+ duets.

When I started listing out the popular songs of T M Soundararajan & P Susheela ( for brevity, I will henceforth refer to them as TMS & PS), I was overwhelmed with the number of songs that I could list out. It is truly an impossible task to select few out them. Still I have tried my best to provide a comprehensive list that not only includes their great duets under the baton of the great composers Vishwanathan -Ramamoorthy , M S Vishwanathan as an independent composer , K V Mahadevan, G Ramanathan but also many other composers.

I tried to find out if both TMS & PS had talked in depth about their experience in singing so many duets, but unfortunately there is hardly any such interview available to the best of my knowledge. There were just one or two I could find but that was very brief and not done in a professional manner.

One of the main objectives for me to create this blogsite is to provide a single source for looking at all the legendary artists of the Tamizh and Hindi film music. To that extent I feel glad that I have been able to write about so many legendary artists, provide links to few of their great songs and do my tiny bit in preserving their memory.

The inherent depth in TMS’ voice, his ability to modulate according to the actor on screen combined with PS’ sweet-as-nectar voice and together, their perfect Tamizh diction ( despite PS’ mother tongue being Telugu and TMS of Saurashtra origin but settled for many generations in Tamil Nadu) , ability to traverse those high notes with perfect ease-all these factors must have contributed to their duets being immortal. Above all these factors, the way they got into the soul of a song-be it a happy one or a pathos is something that is very unique.

I will try to cover some of their duets in two parts as I feel one single blog will become too lengthy! Though it sounds too academic, I have named this blog as Part 2 A that lists few selected songs till the year 1965 ; Part 2 B shall be on songs for films made in 1966 and onwards.

Arranged in chronological order as per the film’s release and with the song-film-year-music director and lyricist mentioned in that order, here I list out some of their greatest duets.

Mullai Mele Moikkum Vandu-Uthama Puthiran-G Ramanathan-1958-A Maruthakasi

One of the earliest hits of this golden pair has to be composed by none less than that veteran -G Ramanathan-who else! Those were the days when both TMS and PS were establishing their name slowly and this Darbari Kanada/Kanada based composition should be the right song to start my list.

2. Naan Pesa Ninaipathellam-Paalum Pazhamum-1961- Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

Paalum Pazhamum’s music got the best appreciation by the legendary composer Naushad Ali, who after listening to the songs initially refused to work on the Hindi version of the film Saathi, stating that it would be better if Vishwanathan -Ramamoorthy themselves do the Hindi version also. But language was a barrier and ultimately he also created excellent songs in Saathi. I have selected two songs from this film-each one a masterpiece.

3. Ennai Yaar Endru-Paalum Pazhamum-1961- Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

4. Kaveri Karairukku-Thayai Kaatha Thanayan-1962-K V Mahadevan-Kannadasan

After three songs picturised on Sivaji Ganesan , here is one on MGR with KV Mahadevan coming out with a lilting tune for the golden pair!

5. Kodi Asainthathum-Paarthal Pasi Theerum-1962- Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

One can understand why the duets of TMS & PS are so charming by listening closely to the expressions they bring out in this song-especially the humming at the beginning of the song. That is how legends are made.

6. Pesuvathu Kiliya Illai-Panathottam-1963- Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

That “ hoi hoi hoi” phrase sung by both in different ways at different places of the song is enough to charm you. Banjos, accordion add even more charm to the song.

7. Andru Vanthathum Ithe Nila- Periya Idathu Penn-1963- Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

The good old team of Vishwanathan -Ramamoorthy+ Kannadasan+TMS+PS come out with a ball room dance , westernized song but at the same time maintaining the beauty of superb lyrics in our Tamizh . The vocal tones of TMS & PS are somewhat different from what they usually sing, in line with the type of song. That is why they are the legends!

8. Enathu Raja Sabaiyile Ore Sangeetham-Kalyaniyin Kanavan-1963-S M Subbiaha Naidu-Kannadasan

S M Subbiaha Naidu was a master in composing songs with a distinct rhythm pattern , using mostly Indian instruments only.

9. Poopola Poopola Sirikkum-Naanum Oru Penn-R Sudarsanam-1963-Panchu Arunachalam(?)

I am not very sure if this song was written by Panju Arunachalam-most of the Internet sources attribute to him. One of the most famous songs by the veteran R Sudarsanam that was also taken as it is in the Hindi version of the film -sung by P B Sreenivas and Lata Mangeshkar ( Mein Bhi Ladki Hoon film-song: Chanda Se Hoga Woh Pyara composed by Chitragupt )

10. Thoongada Kannendru Ondru-Kungumam-1963-K V Mahadevan-Kannadasan

KVM was known for his lilting melodies that he invariably composed after the lyrics were written. Perfectly apt for the situation , he comes out with a soft melody and both TMS & PS as usual take the song to a great height with their restrained singing.

11. Nerodum Vaigaiyile Nindradum Meene-Paar Magale Paar-1963-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

In the parts of the song where both sing together, it is absolutely a delight to listen to. Perfectly synchronized!

12. Javvadu Medaikatti-Panathottam-1963-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

One would normally never see MGR acting in a tipsy way. I have not seen this movie and so do not know what was the context-he might have been just play-acting as if he was tipsy. He was always very particular about his on screen persona. But our focus is more on the golden pair rendering this so perfectly-not their usual style but observe how they have performed this behind the microphone! Despite singing in a tipsy way , just observe how they maintained the clarity in diction and maintained the dignity in singing.

13. Thottal Poo Malarum-Padagotti-1964-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Vaali

If one can list the best ten duets of TMS & PS , this one will definitely be at the top of the list. What a composition by Mellisai mannargal and equally brilliant singing by the golden pair.

14. Paattukku Paateduthu-Padagotti-1964- Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Vaali

From the same film Padagotti, this song scores so high on the emotional content -it appears as if both are trying their best to outdo each other through their singing. Especially in those parts where it is just their vocals without any accompanying music, it is just heavenly. One of my personal favourites!

15. Vannakili Sonna Mozhi- Deiva Thai-1964-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Vaali

An out and out guitar song played by Phillips -VR’s best guitarist. A lilting melody that remains in our memory long after the song is over.

16. Amaithiyana Nadiyile Odam-Aandavan Kattalai-1964- Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

This is one evergreen duet of TMS & PS that needs no introduction. Music, lyrics, singing all at its best ever. When PS makes an entry with the lines “ Naanalile Kaal Eduthu” in the last stanza, after a counter melody alaapanai in the interlude, the song reaches its zenith !

17. Methuva Methuva Thodalama-Vettaikaran-1964-K V Mahadevan-Kannadasan

K V Mahadevan composed many hit songs for the film Vettaikaran ( most famous being Unnai Arinthaal Nee Unnai Arinthaal) and they were quite different from his usual style.

18. Naanamo Innum Naanamo-Aayarathil Oruvan-1965-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Vaali

The last film in which the mellisai mannargal worked together before parting ways was a landmark film musically. All the songs are still cherished by music lovers.

19. Ponnezhil Poothathu Puthathu-Kalagarai Vilakkam-1965-M S Vishwanathan-Panchu Arunachalam

I think this was the first film that MSV composed independently after the unfortunate parting of ways with his long-time associate T K Ramamoorthy. And what a grand start to another glorious innings as an independent composer! The evergreen pair of TMS and PS as always render a scintillating song with their typical flair. The high notes they travel through look so easy when we listen to but what a great effort must have gone into their work!

20. Anbulla Maanvizhiye-Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum-1965- M S Vishwanathan-Vaalidetecet

After MGR & Sivaji Ganesan, for other actors like Jaishankar also TMS rendered some of his best songs. One can detect a distinct tone that he used for other actors apart from MGR & Sivaji. When it comes to voice modulation, there was no one to beat TMS in Tamizh ffilm music. This is a delightful duet picturized on Jaishankar and yesteryear actress Jamuna. PS adds equal charm to the song.

21. Gnyayiru Enbathu Kannaga-Kaakkum Karangal-1965- K V Mahadevan-Vaali

Once again check out for the subtle variation in TMS’ singing for another actor- S S Rajendran. This is a rare association of KVM with Vaali-a delightful melody.

I have just touched upon a tiny fraction of this great singing pair’s evergreen duets-will come back soon with Part 2 B that will mention the songs they sang together 1966 onwards.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia
Ragamalika TV-QFR series

Hindi film songs

Duets of T M Soundararajan

March 26, 2026 Sivanandam Palamadai Leave a comment

Part 1-Some of his excellent duets with “other singers”

It was more than four years back , in Jan 2022 , as my second blog, I had written about one of the greatest male playback singers of our country, T.M Soundararajan. In the initial days, I was not sure of embedding songs in my blogs and so it was a simple write up about 20 greats songs of TMS , randomly picked up by me. I had also confessed in that blog about how from being a person who was never fascinated by his songs in my younger days, I got transformed into a great fan of TMS , now placing him among my most favourite singers!

The versatility, emotive content , his absolutely flawless Tamizh diction, ability to mould the voice according to the actor on whom the song is picturized-all make him a great playback singer and definitely I have to write many more blogs on him.

In this blog I will try to showcase some of his excellent duets as my earlier blog focused only on his solo songs ( with exception of only one duet-Malarndum Malarada with P Susheela). I will list out his duets covering all main female and male playback singers with whom TMS had sung . This blog will be in two parts as the duets that he rendered with P Susheela deserves a separate one. In fact it is impossible to cover his fabulous duets with PS in one blog as the pair of TMS & PS gave some of the evergreen songs in Tamil films. In fact Part 2 , his duets with P Susheela may have to be multiple blogs Part 2 -A, B ,C etc as their association gave the best songs of the golden era of Tamizh film music.

If there has been a pair of playback singers who might have sung the maximum number of duet songs in films, it must be TMS and P Susheela. Though I do not have any authentic statistics, it may run into some 700-800 songs . This could be followed by those he sang with L R Eashwari, P Leela, Jikki, K Jamuna Rani , S Janaki , and many other singers with whom the numbers may be less like M L Vasanthakumari, A.P Komala, Radha Jayalakshmi , Soolamangalam Jayalakshmi, Vani Jayaram etc.

Apart from female playback singers , TMS also rendered many memorable male duet songs with P B Sreenivas , Seerkazhi Govindarajan , K J Yesudas, S P Balasubrahmanyam and A L Raghavan.

Although the duets of TMS with singers other than P Susheela are relatively less in numbers and maybe not known to all , barring the few he rendered with L R Eashwari, when we dig deep, definitely there are many gems to be discovered.

I will try my best to provide a representative list covering some of his memorable songs with these singers , though including everyone may not be possible.

His duets with female playback singers other than P Susheela

M S Rajeshwari

Kanvizhi Pugunthu Karuthinil-Thooku Thooki-1954-G Ramanathan-A Maruthakasi

Before M S Rajeshwari got stereotyped into singing for child actors in films , she had sung for heroines . It was only in her later part of her career, somehow the film industry, that gets into a stereotyping mode most of the time, gave her only those songs that were to be sung in a child-like voice. This duet from the early career of TMS is a nice melody.

P Bhanumati

Masila Nilave Nam Kadalili Magizhvodu-Ambikapathy-1957-G Ramanathan-Kannadasan

In the early era most of the actors were good singers also and P Bhanumati was not only an actor-singer, but even produced and directed films. With a very unique and distinct voice she had rendered many great songs. This duet with TMS is one of her most popular ones. G Ramanathan was well-known for his epic songs that were ragamalikas and this is one of those great masterpieces from that genius composer, that has been created with different raagas but also a “ thalamalika” i.e with different rhythm patterns.

Jikki

Kannil Vandhu Minnal Pol-Nadodi Mannan-1958-S M Subbaiha Naidu-Suratha

Jikki was an accomplished singer , known for her crystal-clear voice and very versatile singing. Though her duets with TMS may have been few in numbers, this is a very well-known song from the famous film of MGR-Nadodi Mannan.

R Balasaraswathy

Eliyorai Thazhthi Valiyorai Vazthum-Thai Piranthal Vazhi Pirakkum-1958-K V Mahadevan-K S Krishnamoorthy

Very recently, i.e Oct 2025 , the unlucky singer R Balasaraswathy passed away at the age of 97. She started singing in late 30’s and went on to sing even till the 60’s , mainly in Tamil and Telugu films , but never got the recognition she deserved. Only while writing my blogs, I came across this forgotten singer-her most famous song was Neela Vanna Kanna Vada in the film Mangayar Thilagam( 1955) composed by S Dakshinamurthy. This rare duet with TMS is a soulful melody, sung with pathos equally well by both the singers.

P Leela

Thazhaiyaam Poo Mudichu-Baga Pirivanai-1959- Vishwanathan -Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

Composed brilliantly by the Mellisai Mannargal Vishwanathan and Ramamoorthy with a folk tune makes this song one of the greatest ever in that genre. As the cliché goes, the greatest things in this world are the simplest! With minimum orchestration , it is TMS & P Leela behind the screen and Sivaji Ganesan and Saroja Devi on screen who elevate this song to its lofty heights.

M L Vasanthakumari

Aadatha Manamum Undo -Mannathi Mannan-1960-Vishwanathan -Ramamoorthy-A Maruthakasi

One of the greatest classical duets composed in Tamil films, Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy used the classical Lalithangi raagam for this song. TMS , in his typical style breezes through the higher notes with the characteristic flair for which he was well-known. And paired with him, we have the legend from the Carnatic classical world-M L Vasanthakumari . When such giants sing together , the result is a song that will remain etched in our memories forever!

Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi

Ore Oru Oorile-Padikkatha Methai-1960-K V Mahadevan-Kannadasan

The Soolamangalam sisters-Rajalakshmi and Jayalakshmi were more renowned for their devotional songs and the most popular Kanda Shashti Kavacham-a hymn in praise of Lord Muruga. Both the sisters also performed many classical concerts. Their film songs were relatively lesser in numbers but many of them were hits. This duet from the film Padikkatha Methai is one of her most popular ones with TMS.

K Jamuna Rani

Mama Mama Mama-Kumudam-1961-K V Mahadevan- A Maruthakasi

If a single song could lead to a music director being accorded a nick name, this was it! The popularity of this song made everyone call K V Mahadevan as “ Mama” endearingly. An infectious tempo and rhythm make this an evergreen song, no doubt made even more memorable by the stunning rendition by TMS & Jamuna Rani. Jamuna Rani had sung in many languages like Tamil, Sinhala, Telugu , Kannada etc and was active during right from 40’s to 50’s . After a long hiatus , she rendered a song for Ilayaraja in the film Nayakan in 1987-Naan Sirithal Deepavali

L R Eashwari

1.Pavazhakodiyile Muthukkal Poothal-Panam Padaithavan-1965-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Vaali

After P Susheela, TMS must have sung the maximum number of duets with L R Eashwari. LRE was knows for her versatility, the natural vibrato in her voice made her unique. Film world generally typecasts a singer into a particular genre-she was preferred more for peppy , cabaret songs though she was equally good singing pathos, romantic and even devotional songs.

A song in which one singer only does humming may not be strictly called a duet , but I included this masterpiece by LR Eashwari not only for TMS’ brilliant rendition , but equally for the haunting humming by LRE. A superb Arabian style composition by mellisai mannargal.

2. Muthu Kulikka Vareegala Anubavi Raja Anubavi-1967-M S Vishwanthan -Kannadasan

MSV created a fusion of folk, a middle-eastern music and even some elements of a classical raagam in this very popular and peppy number. Written by the Kaviarasar in the regional dialect of Tirunelveli-Thoothukudi , this is an absolute gem of a song. TMS & LRE create the perfect vocals for the on-screen antics of the veterans Nagesh & Manorama.

Trivia:the catchy rhythm had even inspired the music director in North, R D Burman, himself a master of rhythms, to re-create this song for the Hindi film Do Phool in 1973 ( that was also a remake of the Tamil film Anubavi Raja Anubavi).

3. Thulluvatho Ilamai-Kudiyiruntha Kovil-1968-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

Personally , I would rate this as the best ever duet of TMS & LRE. Once again , MSV comes out with a scintillating composition and orchestration . The initial part of the song is fully dominated by LRE and then in the second charanam, TMS makes a grand entry . The energy in this song is unbeatable. Observe the way TMS adds an extra stress on the word “ Ilamai”-brilliant!

4. Naam Oruvarai Oruvar-Kumari Kottam-1971-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

One more popular duet of TMS & LRE-the vibrato that LRE is so famous for comes out so prominently at the end of each charanam.

S Janaki

Kathalin Pon Veediyil -Pookkari-1973-M S Vishwanathan-Panchu Arunachalam

Of course , the best duet of TMS with S Janaki was in an old film -Kungumam made in 1963-Chinnanchiriya Vanna Paravai composed by K V Mahadevan. Since I had mentioned in detail about this song in my blogs on K V Mahadevan and S Janaki, I had to skip that here.

The number duets that TMS had with S Janaki may be less but most of them are great songs. Both are well-known for the ease in which they travel the higher notes and so when they sing together it is sheer magic.

2. Anthapurathil Oru Maharaja-Deepam-1977-Ilayaraja-Pulamaipithan

Ilayaraja and TMS worked only during the former’s early days. Music taste had changed , the main actors for whom TMS sang-MGR & Sivaji were also acting in lesser films , with former entering into politics in a big way and becoming the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. It was the era of young singers SPB & KJY –TMS had started taking bow after 1980 after a long innings of around 25 years. In those 25 years , he had truly dominated the Tamil film music , like a colossus.

This memorable duet with S Janaki is definitely the best from Ilayaraja for TMS.

Vani Jayaram

Andavan Illa Ulagamethu-Oru Oothappoo Kanchimittugirathu-1976-V Dakshinamurthy-Ra Pazhanisami

With Vani Jayaram, TMS’ duets may be in single digits . Composed by the great music director V Dakshinamurthy , this was for an off-beat film and hence may not have topped the charts.

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His duets with other male playback singers

When it comes to male-male duets, these are as such rarer as compared to male-female duets and in case of TMS , many would remember only his duets with Seerkazhi Govindarajan and P B Sreenivas. To my surprise, I could discover some rare ones he sung with other male singers apart from these two and I have tried to list few songs here.

Tiruchi Loganathan

Maanamellam Pona Pin-Aaravalli-G Ramanathan-1957-A Maruthakasi

There must be only a handful of songs by TMS & Tiruchi Loganathan. In this film , Tiruchi Loganathan had around seven songs , with his Chinna kutii Nathana Sillaraya Mathina being a popular one. TMS had only one song in this film -those were the days when TMS was just making his career and Tiruchi Loganathan was already an established singer. The charm of the music from golden era lies in the fact that even obscure songs, rarely heard are so nice!

J P Chandrababu

Aathukku Palam Avasiyam-Pathini Deivam-1957-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Thanjai N Ramaiha Das

I had never heard this song earlier and never knew that TMS and Chandrababu had sung together. A rare song but a simple , delightful tune from the early days of Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy.

A L Raghavan

Kayame Idhu Poyyada-Kumudam-1961-K V Mahadevan

I could not believe TMS singing for M R Radha -what a superb voice modulation . In between the song there are few dialogues by M R Radha and then immediately TMS continues the song and everyone knows what a distinct voice M R Radha had-TMS modulates his voice so well. A playback singer’s main strength is to get into the actor’s tone and TMS was a true master in that. A L Raghavan sings for an actor A Rama Rao and both have done an extra-ordinary job. It is a pity that songs like this have completely faded away from the popular domain.

Seerkazhi Govindarajan

Kasikku Pogum Sanyasi-Chandrodayam-1966-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

I had written about the epic TMS-Seerkazhi duet “ Vendriduven Unnai Vendriduven “ from the film Agastiyar in two of my blogs earlier and hence did not want to repeat it here. There cannot be any doubt at all that it is one of the masterpieces by them. Here is a light-hearted one picturized on MGR and Nagesh.

P B Sreenivas

Pon Ondru Kanden-Padithal Mattum Pothuma-1962-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

To this day, this song is being recreated by many singers in various events / social media channels. The popularity of immortal songs like this can never fade away. Beautiful , meaningful lyrics, a pleasing , catchy tune with that typical shehnai of V-R , combined with a superb rendition by the two great legends-TMS & PBS-what more do we need?

2. Nallavan Enakku Naane Nallavan-Padithaal Mattum Pothuma-1962-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

From the same film , this is relatively less heard, maybe due to the immense popularity of “ Pon Ondru Kanden” song. Interspersed with a folksy touch in between ( I could not find out who had sung that portion), this song has a different flavour as compared to Pon Ondru Kanden.

3. Vazhndu Parkavendum-Shanti-1965-Vishwanathan Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan

The TMS solo song from the move Shanti-Yaar Antha Nilavu is a masterpiece . Here is a delightful duet by TMS & PBS from the same film that may be lesser-known but is nice to hear even after decades.

4. Kannan Vanthan Yengal-Ramu-1966- M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan

TMS makes an entry only towards the last charanam , but both the legendary singers , whenever they sing together, elevate the song to a different level.

5. Paadinal Oru Paatu-Oru Thai Makkal-1971- M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

Muthuraman had acted with MGR in very few films-this is one of them. Typical MSV’s orchestration , with the delightful contrast in voices of TMS & PBS.

S P Balasubrahmanyam

Naalai Namathe-Naalai Namathe-1975-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali

Whenever MSV had to re-create a song from a hit Hindi film , it is said that he used to feel a bit uncomfortable. But the greatness in him was that he never copied the tune and made his own innovations in a such manner that the overall feel was the same , but in a completely different tune. A true genius! This is the Tamil version of the famous Yaadon Ki Baraat Nikli Hai Aaj from the Hindi film Yaadon Ki Baraat .

SPB and K J Yesudas were gradually taking over the top position in Tamizh film music from the veteran TMS …but the spark in TMS was still alive and glowing as brilliantly as ever.

K J Yesudas

Imathotta Manivizhi Irandukkum-Unakkaga Naan-1976-M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan

Once again a remake film, this one from the Amitab Bachchan -Rajesh Khanna starrer Namak Haram. The Hindi film did not have any male-male duet song and this was an innovation in the Tamizh version-thankfully we got to hear TMS & KJY together -could be their only duet.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights

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