I started my blog ‘musicunrestricted’ in Dec 2021, with an intention to keep writing about music , randomly, without following any structured pattern. So , after writing few articles on the great legendary singers ( so far I have written about Rafi, Kishore, Lata & Talat among the Hindi film singers and T M Soundararajan in Tamil film music) I thought it may be a good idea to look at some of the fabulous “teams” in Hindi film music . I will continue on the singers  after this break  -there are so many  singers to be covered!! And also the great music composers..

Like any other music lover, I always wonder at the fabulous teams or pairs of music composer & lyricists in the Hindi Film Music( HFM) ‘s golden era. Though they were not as such a formal team or pair, it is well known that when a particular combination of composer & lyricist worked together , it was sheer magic. Naushad-Shakeel, Shankar-Jaikishan with Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra , Madan Mohan & Raja Mehdi Ali khan are some of the examples one would recollect immediately. In series of articles I shall try to explore such combinations that I feel were simply superb.

It is also my endeavour to talk more about the great lyricists as invariably they are the least recognised and talked about among the three pillars of a film song: Music Composer, Singer and Lyricist.

As always,  my usual disclaimer: these are my own personal favourites-in some cases , in terms of statistics the teams mentioned might not have given the maximum number of songs. When the subject is music, quality over rides quantity. To begin with I am planning a series of ten such teams, starting with the most loyal team of Naushad Ali and Shakeel Badayuni.

# 1: Naushad Ali and Shakeel Badayuni

Naushad Ali-Birth:25^th Dec 1919, Death: 5^th May 2006

Shakeel Badyuni-Birth: 3^rd Aug 1916, Death: 20^th Apr 1970

They could create a song glorifying love so much that it challenged a king with the lines:

Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya , Jab Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya

Pyar Kiya Koi Chori Nahi Ki Chup Aahen Bharna Kya

( Film : Mughal-E-Azam; Singer: Lata)

And at the other end of the spectrum , went on to create this utterly cynical and bitter  song for a depressed lover :

Hum Who Nahi Jo Pyaar Mein Rokar Guzarde,

Parchayeean Bhi Ho Teri Toh Thokar Pe Mar Den

Waqif Hain Hum Bhi Khoob Har Ek Inteqaam Se…

(Guzre Hain Aaj Ishq Mein Hum Us Maqaam Se,

Nafrat Si Ho Gayi Hai Mohabbat Ke Naam Se…Film : Dil Diya Dard Liya; Singer: Rafi) 

Talking about the first song, it is said that  these two gentlemen sat through the night , without food and any sense of time at all , till the break of dawn just to get the last line of the song right ( Parda Nahin Jab Koi Khuda Se, Bandon Se Parda Karna Kya…Jab Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya), we can understand their passion towards  their craft.

Those were the days of total dedication to music and Naushad, the  ‘perfectionist’  music composer and Shakeel , the master wordsmith created hundreds of such masterpieces.

Among all the “ made for each other composer-lyricist pairs”, the team of Naushad & Shakeel  can arguably be  considered as the most fiercely loyal. May be the quartet of Shankar -Jaikishan-Hasrat -Shailendra can be a close second in terms of loyalty.

Shakeel Badayuni was three years elder to Naushad , born in 1916 in Badayun , Uttar Pradesh and Naushad, born in Lucknow, in the year 1919. For his initial films Naushad worked with lyricists  like D.N. Madhok, Khumar Barabankvi, Tanveer Naqvi , Majrooh Sultanpuri but after he discovered Shakeel Badayuni in one of the mushairas, there was no looking back . With the very first film that Shakeel wrote for Naushad, Dard ( 1947) , he became famous with the song Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon (sung by Uma Devi who later on opted for  an acting career as the comedienne Tun Tun)  . Their association would go on for almost 23 years till the death of Shakeel in 1970. When Naushad first met Shakeel and had asked him to write few lines, Shakeel wrote: Hum Dard Ka Afsana Duniya Ko Suna Denge, Har Dil Main Mohabbat Ki Ek Aag Laga Dengey.

True to these lines, unlike many of his   contemporary lyricists (like Sahir Ludhianvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kaifi Azmi, Shailendra etc who were all having socialist/leftist leanings),  Shakeel stayed  away from politics and mostly wrote more about beauty , romance, pain and pleasures of life.

Some of the great films that Naushad and Shakeel worked together were : Dard( 1947), Mela ( 1948), Dillagi ( 1949) , Dulari( 1949) , Babul( 1950), Aan( 1952) , Baiju Bawara( 1952) , Amar( 1954), Uran Khatola( 1955), Mother India( 1957), Kohinoor( 1960), Mughal-E-Azam( 1960), Ganga Jamuna( 1961), Mere Mehboob ( 1963), Leader( 1964) , Dil Diya Dard Liya( 1966) , Ram Aur Shyam( 1967) and Aadmi( 1968).

When you listen to the songs from this team , you can appreciate how well the poetry of Shakeel and the music of Naushad went hand-in-hand . Few masterpieces are given here :

1. The philosophy  of life summed up in “Yeh Zindagi ke mele , yeh zindagi ke mele ,Duniya mein kam na honge, afsos hum na honge” from the Film -Mela, Singer-Rafi.
2. The ultimate appeal to the Almighty in: Oh Duniya Ke Rakhwale Sun Dard Bhare Mere Naale from the Film-Baiju Bawara, Singer-Rafi.
3. Oozing with romance in: Tere Husn Ki Kya Tareef Karoon   from the Film-Leader, Singers-Rafi & Lata.
4. Challenging the authority in Pyaar Kiya tho darna kya from the film Mughal-E-Azam , Singer-Lata.
5. The pangs of separation so poignantly  conveyed in Do Hanson Ka Joda Bichad Gayo Re from the film: Ganga Jamuna, Singer-Lata.
6. The epic  ode to the lover written in six stanzas by Shakeel but composed so elegantly  with just five instruments by Naushad!! –Mere Mehboob Tujhe Meri Mohabbat Ki Kasam from the film: Mere Mehboob, Singer : Rafi & Lata  solo versions. Lata’s version has just 3 stanzas.
7. The patriotic Apni Azaadi Ko Hum Hargiz Mitha sakthe nahin from the film: Leader, Singer-Rafi.
8. The pathos ridden Koi Sagar Dil Ko Behlata Nahin from the film Dil Diya Dard Liya, rendered so intoxicatingly by Rafi.
9. The classic bhajan on Hari  written, composed and sung by the pious Shakeel, Naushad & Rafi  respectively  Man Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj from the film Baiju Baawara.
10. A unique duet with the velvety  voice of Talat Mehmood and the majestic , resonating voice of Shamshad Begum, Milte Hi Aankhen Dil Hua Deewana Kisi Ka from the film Babul, Singers-Talat Mehmood and Shamshad Begum.
11. The difficult classical raag Hamir composed so elegantly that even a layman can appreciate and hum along-Madhuban Mein Radhika Nache Re from the film Kohinoor , Singer -Rafi.
12. The intensely pleading in chaste Urdu-Beqas Pe Karam Kijiye Sarkar-E-Madina from the film Mughal-E-Azam  , Singer-Lata.
13. One of the rare all female qawwali  by Lata & Shamshad Begum-Teri Mehfil Mein Kismat Aazmakar Hum Bhi Dekhenge from the film Mughal-E-Azam.
14. One more rare song – the soulful male duet by Rafi & Talat in the film Aadmi-Kaise Haseen Aaj  Baharon Ki Raat hai, Ek Chand Aasman Pe Hai , Ek Mere Saath Hai ( In the film it was sung by Rafi & Mahindra Kapoor due to the insistence  of Manoj Kumar who wanted Talat to be replaced with Mahindra Kapoor-whatever one may think about star powers-this turned out to be the only song that Rafi & Mahindra Kapoor sung together!!)
15. The folk based  song written in Purbi ( Bhojpuri) dialect of Eastern Uttar Pradesh-Nain Lad Jai Hain to Manvama Kasak Hoibe kari from the film Ganga Jamuna, singer-Rafi

The above 15 songs are just a few from the hundreds of songs  both Naushad and Shakeel had created together. To keep the blog concise I haven’t expanded the list.

Although we associate Shakeel mostly  with Naushad, it would not be out of place to mention his great work with other composers as well.

Shakeel and composed many gems for other composers like Ravi (Ravi Shankar Sharma) , Hemant Kumar, Ghulam Mohammad (Naushad’s assistant and a very much unrecognized individual composer also), C Ramachandra & Khemchand Prakash. In case of  Naushad, after his initial association with lyricists  like D.N. Madhok, Khumar Barabankvi, Tanveer Naqvi , Majrooh Sultanpuri he worked mostly  with  Shakeel till the latter’s death in 1970.

An exception being the 1968 Saathi ( remake of Tamil film Paalum Pazhamum) for which he worked with the  lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, who happens to be his Samdhi ( Naushad’s son Raju is married to Majrooh’s daughter Sabha). An interesting trivia about this film is that Mukesh also sang for Naushad after a long gap and this could be a rare film that didn’t have any Rafi’s song in a Naushad film. Even more interesting trivia is that Naushad initially refused to compose for this film after listening to the songs in the original Tamil film composed by the veteran  Tamil music composer duo M.S Viswanathan-T.K Ramamoorthy,   stating that he can’t replace the great compositions in the Tamil film.  Both Naushad and MSV were great admirers of each other’s works and  it was only after MSV himself persuaded Naushad , the latter agreed to work in Saathi.

I am digressing….. coming back to the duo being discussed in this blog, I will like to conclude with the following lines, that Shakeel wrote about himself.

Main Shakeel Dil Ka Hoon Tarjuman*

Keh Mohabbaton Ka Hoon Raazdaan**

Mujhe Fakhr Hai Meri Shayari

Meri Zindagi Se Juda Nahin

(*Tarjuman—Representative)

(**Raazdaan-Confidant( secret keeper)

How well he summed up his own writing!! May be that was the reason why Shakeel remains one of the most “ quotable” lyricists. I leave you with some of the lines from his various songs…of course all set to memorable tunes by the maestro Naushad sahab.

1. Jab raat hai aisi matwali, phir subah ka aalam kya hoga…..
2. Duniya Hai Mauj Dariya, Katre Ki zindagi kya,…..
3. Mehal Udaas Aur Galiyan Suni, Chu Chup Hai Deeware, Dil Kya Ujda Duniya Ujdi Rooth Gayee Hai Baharen
4. Zindagi Ke Aayine Ko Tod Do..Isme ab kuch bhi nazar aata nahin
5. Jiwan Badla Duniya Badli , Man Ko Anokha Gyaan Mila

Aaj Mujhe Apne Hi Dil Mein Ek Naya Insaan Mila

Pahuncha Hoon Wahan, Nahi Door Jahan, Bhagwan Bhi Meri Nigahon Se

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

1. Mr Manek Premchand’s book: Yesterday’s Melodies, Today’s Memories.
2. You Tube
3. Wikipedia

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been mentioned here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.