16^th June 1920 to 26^th Sep 1989

Among the top music directors of the golden era of Hindi film music, there was one who was not only a very talented music director but an accomplished play back singer also. His contribution to the Hindi film music  may be less in terms of number of songs , but he is considered a colossus in the Bengali film music , especially Rabindra Sangeet. It is my lack of exposure to the Bengali music that I must restrict this blog to his immortal melodies in Hindi film music. I am referring to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, also known as Hemanta Mukherjee or simply Hemant Kumar.

Born on 16^th June 1920, in Varanasi at his maternal grandfather’s house. He grew up in his paternal family at Kolkata and completed his schooling there. He started doing a diploma course in engineering at Bengal Technical Institute that was later known as Jadhavpur University . However due to some health issues and his passion towards music , he did not complete the course.

He was interested in literature apart from music and even published a short story in Bengali. From the late 30’s and through  40’s he started working in Bengali films and scored music for many films. It was in the year 1947 when , along with his contemporary  and another great music composer Salil Chowdhury, he got immense success with the non-film song Ganyer badhu that depicts the rural peasant’s life ravaged by famine and poverty. It was composed  after the Bengal famine. Sung by Hemant da , written and composed by Salil da, the song was unconventional in its structure that was the hallmark of Salil da. Later Salil da & Hemant da went on to work together for many popular Bengali songs.

In 1952, director Hemen Gupta gave the first opportunity for Hemant da to work for his  Hindi film – Anand Math. Two songs from this film are popular to this day -the soul stirring Vande Mataram rendered by Lata Mangeshkar and the Geeta Dutt-Hemant da bhajan Jai Jagdish Hare . In fact there have been many tunes for the National song Vande Mataram written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay , but the one composed by Hemant da for this film remains the most popular. Few films after Anand Math went mostly unnoticed and Hemant da had thought  of returning to Kolkata for good. However  the famous producer S Mukherjee  insisted that Hemant da should try his best before that and gave him an opportunity to score the music for Nagin in 1954. The famous “ been” ( the instrument used by snake charmers) sound created by him with the help of Kalyanji Veerji Shah who played the Clavioline and Ravi , who played the harmonium became a rage and brought him the much-needed success as a music composer in Hindi films. Kalyanji , with his younger brother Anandji went to chart his own path as a leading composer-duo and Ravi Shankar Sharma also carved out a path for himself as a successful music director.

From then, till the early 70’s he scored exceptional music as a composer and rendered evergreen songs as a playback singer in his own compositions and for many of his contemporary music directors . His baritone had a distinct  vocal texture  as compared to other leading singers of that era like Rafi, Talat , Mukesh , Kishore , Manna Dey etc. His duets with the legendary Geeta Dutt and Lata Mangeshkar are a class apart.

In this blog, I have tried to touch upon some of his exceptional songs as a composer and as a singer. As I had mentioned in the beginning , I am writing about his Hindi film songs only ; his Bengali repertoire is so great and my exposure to them is almost non-existent . The first part of this blog consists of his songs as a composer and second one as a singer. The songs are listed in chronological order of the year of their release, with following details mentioned : Song/Film/Year/Lyricist / Singer(s)

Part 1: Hemant Kumar’s haunting melodies as a music director

1. Man dole mera tan dole- Nagin-1954-Rajendra Krishan-Lata

We start off with that iconic  song that brought the snake-charming ‘ been’ sound so popular and  brought immense fame to Hemant da.  Kalyanji Veerji Shah  with his clavioline  , along with Ravi playing the  harmonium in tandem created that mesmerizing ‘ been’ sound.

2. Jaadugar saiyyan chodo mori baiyyan-Nagin-1954-Rajendra Krishan-Lata

In Hemant da’s compositions, Lata had some of her best songs and the film Nagin was a precursor in many ways. The superb mandolin , flute and a catchy fast -paced rhythm come together to create a lilting melody.

3. Na yeh chand hoga-Shart-1954- S. H. Bihari-Geeta Dutt

While Lata  was melody personified , Geeta Dutt had a unique voice and she could sing a song of pathos, a bhajan, a cabaret number and a romantic song -all with equal  fervor. It was tragic that she had a very early death and passed away when she was just 42 years old. This song was sung by her and also by Hemant da as a separate solo. I have have provided link to Geeta Dutt version only here . Geeta must have been just 24 years when she rendered this , but note the depth in her singing.

4. Piya aiso jiya mein- Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam-1962-Shakeel Badayuni-Geeta

Dutt

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam was a turning point in Hemant da’s career , with all the songs remaining  so popular to this day. Geeta had three songs in this film-Koi Door Se Aawaz De Chale Ao, Piya Aiso jiya mein and Na jaao saiyyan -all three can be counted among her career best songs. Hemant da used the traditional Dhol , famous in Bengali folk music ,  the sitar and flute so beautifully in this song.

5. Na jaao saiyyan-Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam-1962-Shakeel Badayuni-Geeta Dutt

Once again the sitar takes center-stage and Geeta had given her best in this -what a superb emotion she conveys with an understated , intoxicated tone that conveys the pain in the character’s feelings.

6. Saaqiya aaj mujhe neend- Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam-1962-Shakeel Badayuni-Asha Bhosle

If the earlier two songs were with subdued elegance, in this dance number  Hemant da goes all out with a grand orchestration . Asha must have rendered very few songs for Hemant da ; in this film there were only two singers Geeta and Asha. And what a scintillating performance Asha has given! The tabla and harmonium play a very important role in the orchestration along with violins and sarangi.

Shakeel Badayuni, usually associated with Naushad has written excellent songs in this film.

7. Kahin deep jale kahin dil-Bees Saal Baad-1962-Shakeel Badyuni-Lata

Now we come to the song that inspired the title of my blog. Whenever I think of Hemant da’s music , I always consider them as haunting melodies. Being an avid reader of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , I find it amusing how his novel featuring the fictional detective  Sherlock  Holmes in “ The Hound of Baskervilles”  can have a situation for songs ! Having said that if there are no songs in our films , there is no raison d’etre for this blog!. The film is known for this haunting number. Lata’s “ oh oh hoooo” alaap sets the spooky theme of the song , coupled with the Hemant da’s excellent tune and orchestration.

8. Jhoom jhoom dhalti-Kohra-1964-Kaifi Azmi-Lata

If we look at Lata’s amazing repertoire, with each of the legendary music directors, she has left behind a legacy of so many  songs of different genres. With Hemant da, we can hear the intensely emotional and haunting melodies of Lata. Hemant da’s orchestration really gives you the goosebumps!

9. Pyasi hirni ban ban dhaye-Do Dil-1965-Kaifi Azmi-Lata

This is a very rarely-heard song , picturized among the mountains. Apt to the setting, Hemant da creates a magical tune that reverberates with Lata’s exquisite vocals that appear to echo from the mountains. A unique tune with equally unique interludes.

10. Dheere Dheere machal-Anupama-1966-Kaifi Azmi-Lata

Anupama film had some of the best compositions of Hemant da. If we must list out the top ten Hindi film songs that has piano prominent in the orchestration , this must be at the top . I have included 3 songs from this movie in my selection and that itself shows how much I like the songs of the film.

11. Kuch dil ne kaha- Anupama-1966-Kaifi Azmi-Lata

Sometimes I feel it is a futile task to describe or write about a song as one can never do any justice to masterpieces like this immortal Lata song. The string arrangement, flutes, and rhythm  only through the base guitars-what a magic Hemanta has created! And how can one describe the way Lata sings “ Aise bhi baatein” and “ kuch bhi nahin”…one must simply immerse oneself into the melody.  

12. Hawaon pe likh do-Do Duni Chaar-1968-Gulzar-Kishore Kumar

One of my favorite Kishore da’s songs , sung by him in his inimitable style, complimented so nicely by Hemant da’s lilting melody.

13. Wo shaam kuch- Khamoshi-1969-Gulzar-Kishore  Kumar

Again a superb song by Kishore da, in fact one can easily consider this among his top ten songs. Just like Anupama, the film Khamoshi , which Hemant da composed towards the fag end of his career , had some of his best songs.

14. Humne dekhi hai un aankhon- Khamoshi-1969-Gulzar-Lata

Whenever Lata and Hemant da collaborated, they just created evergreen melodies. Gulzar describes love in this song  as ‘ sirf ehsaas hai, rooh se mehsoos karo.’ I  am borrowing these lines to describe Hemant da’s compositions. They just  have to be experienced.

Part 2 :Hemant Kumar’s exceptional songs  as a singer

We now look at some of Hemant da’s exceptional songs in which he played the role as a playback singer , mostly in the compositions of other music directors and a few which he had composed himself. His baritone was  distinctive  and set him apart from many other contemporary singers. Of course , his voice was more suited for selective genres and one can arguably say that he was not a full-fledged main stream playback singer. But whatever he sang , was simply outstanding and remains haunting us long after we listened to them.

1. Yeh raat yeh chaandni- Jaal-1952-S.D. Burman-Sahir Ludhianvi

In my opinion this masterpiece from the team  of S .D Burman and Hemant da was far ahead of its times. What an orchestration by Burman da! Even today the song sounds so fresh and youthful. There are two versions -solo by Hemant da and his duet with Lata. I have provided the link to the Hemant da solo version only.

2. Yaad kiya dil ne- Patita-1953-Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri-Duet with Lata

The early fifties were literally a goldmine for music lovers, with each legend creating a unique style in composition and orchestration. SJ’s Patita had some of their top songs. In the initial years, Dev Anand had Hemant da and Talat Mehmood doing the playback for him before he shifted to Rafi and Kishore.

3. Jaag Dard-E-Ishq Jaag-Anarkali-1953-C Ramachandra-Rajendra Krishan-Due with Lata

If songs # 1& 2 were from the legends  S D Burman and Shankar-Jaikishan, would another giant C Ramachandra be left behind! Anarkali was CR’s magnum opus and he  gave Hemant da this lilting romantic song , a solo -Zindagi Pyar Ki do chaar gadi and the title song Ae Baad-E-Saba Aahista Chal, Yahan Soii Hui Hai Anarkali sung in Heer style.

4. Aa neele gagan tale-Badshah-1954-Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri- Duet with Lata

In their early years , Shankar-Jaikishan composed out-of-the-world compositions with bare minimum orchestration ( personally , I consider them the best among best) and this is one such song. The sweet vocals of Lata , contrasted with the rich baritone of Hemant da makes this a superb duet.

5. Rulakar chal diye- Badshah-1954-Shankar Jaikishan -Shailendra

From the same film , Badshah, one more memorable song of Hemant da. His tone perfectly matches the mood of the song . At the lower notes, just like Mukesh , Hemant da’s voice sounds so nice.

6. Teri duniya mein jeene se-House No. 44-1955-S.D. Burman-Sahir Ludhianvi

Before the infamous spat between them after the great success of Pyasa film, Sahir and S D Burman gave so many evergreen melodies. The baritone of Hemant da is in full flow in this song. With very simple orchestration , Burman da takes you into a different world.

7. Mujhko tum jo mile-Detective -1958-Mukul Roy-Shailendra-Duet with  Geeta Dutt

If Hemant da & Lata had given so many excellent duets, with Geeta Dutt also he has rendered many such gems. Composed by the relatively unknown Mukul Roy who is the brother of Geeta Dutt, this is a sweet duet that lingers in your mind even  hours after you listen to it.

8. Neend na mujhko aaye-Post Box No. 999-1958-Kalyanji Veerji Shah-P.L Santoshi-Duet with  Lata

Hemant da never had any qualms about singing in compositions created by his many assistants and juniors. This is one of the very early hits of Kalyanji-Anandji.

Set at high pitch, both the legends breeze through the song with ease. In the beginning Kalyanji composed music alone and was credited as Kalyanji Veerji Shah before his brother Anandji joined him.

9. Tumhein yaad hoga-Satta Bazaar-1959-Kalyanji Veerji Shah-Gulshan Bawara- Duet with  Lata

This is a great song during the early days of K-A duo , with a superb saxophone in the interludes, piano in the orchestration. As usual the heavy tones of Hemant da contrast so beautifully with the sweet notes from Lata.

10. Lehron pe leher-Chhabili-1960-Snehal Bhatkar -S Ratan

Although the song is inspired from Dean Martin’s “The Man Who Plays The Mandolino” -1947, Snehal Bhatkar improvised the interludes and antara and created a masterpiece. Hemant da’s voice perfectly fits in for songs like these.

11. Ganga aaye kahan se-Kabuliwala-1961-Salil Chowdhary-Gulzar

In her Shraddanjali album , Lata had commented that when we listen to Hemant da, it is like listening to a hermit sitting on the banks of river or in a temple and singing in a divine voice. She must have had this song in mind. As they say the greatest things in this world are always most simple. Except for an “ Ektara” and a simple percussion , Salil da has not used any musical instrument, but what a soul-stirring composition he has created!

In the last antara , after the line “ Naam koi Boli Koi Laakhon Roop Aur Chehre” , the alaap that Hemant da does is something out of the world. 

12. Yeh nain dare dare- Kohra-1964-Kaifi Azmi

Should I write about Hemant da the composer or the singer? What a scintillating composition with the strings and flute going in sync with the rich baritones of Hemant da. Truly an intoxicating song!

13. Chupa lo yun dil mein-Mamta-1966-Roshan-Majrooh Sultanpuri-Duet with  Lata

The masters of the golden era could create countless melodies like this with bare minimum orchestration. Roshan depends solely on the vocals of Hemant da and Lata with only a flute being the  prominent instrument used in orchestration.

14. Ya dil ki suno duniya- Anupama-1966-Kaifi Azmi

I observe that in many of Hemant da’s compositions, percussions instruments do not have any job. He depends mainly on excellent string arrangements and base guitars to do the magic. Once again that mesmerizing flute takes you into the heaven. The same dilemma remains-who is better ? Hemant da -the master composer or singer?

Kaifi Azmi’s evocative poetry should never be ignored and he has been a close associate of Hemant da in many of his evergreen songs.

15. Tum pukar lo-Khamoshi-1969-Gulzar

What other song than this to conclude this blog! For me this is one of the best  by Hemant da. The tune is so mesmerizing and so is his intense singing. There is absolutely no percussion instrument -only the exquisite strings , a  piano and a flute. Truly a masterpiece!

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

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

1. You Tube
2. Wikipedia

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been mentioned and embedded 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.