All posts by Sivanandam Palamadai

Tamil Film Songs

T M Soundararajan—A look at few of his evergreen songs

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If there was one singer who played a major role in the Tamil film playback singing in the 50’s to early 70’s it was definitely Thoguluva Meenatchi Iyengar Soundararajan, always popularly referred to as TMS. For a person who used to make fun of this singer’s nasal tone in childhood, I myself feel so bad what a great blunder I had made in under-estimating this legend…and so the first blog that I am writing about on Tamil film songs has to be on TMS as an atonement! Similar to our food taste that takes a drastic turn from childhood to the time we reach our 40’s and 50’s, it is my personal experience that our music taste also changes as we age. 

The ever so perfect diction of his Tamil, the extra-ordinary pitch, the masterly play of emotions in the singing (I can only compare him with another legend in the manner of “emoting” a song to perfection-Mohammad Rafi) and last but not least the versatility …. all these make TMS the legend that he is.

In addition to the above, his ability to adapt his singing to the actor on whom the song is picturized was extra-ordinary. I will give an example of this that actually happened few days back when I was thinking of writing this article and so was listening to many of his songs. I was having my morning walk and was listening to “Ullathin kadavugal kangalada, inge uravukku karanam pengalada” (only audio). I could make out that it was definitely not for MGR or Sivaji but someone else. Then I visualized on whom it might have been picturized and then guessed it could be Jaishankar…and then when I searched the video of the song I was absolutely right!

That is TMS’s adaptability!!!

When someone wants to select the top 10 or 20 or even 50 or 100 songs of a legend who must have sung thousands of songs through many decades, it is really a difficult task. My choice may definitely not be the same as yours and hence there is always bound to be discussions or even arguments as to why some song/songs were left out. So, it is with a clear disclaimer I am going to write that the 20 songs in this blog are purely from my personal choice. Also hoping that at least most of them would be the popular choice also. One more clarification is that this blog is only about his film songs; his devotional /non film songs may need a separate blog as those are a class apart. Few examples of his non film songs like Karpagavalli Nin Porpathangal , Ullam Urugudayya etc may be heard even hundred years from now.

#1 Muthai tharu pathi thiru nagai  Film –Arunagirinathar, Music-T R Pappa, Lyrics-Saint Arunagirinathar.

The milestone song of TMS, which even in very recent time many singers have rendered nicely but the version by TMS remains eternal and is outstanding example of his Tamil mastery. When I was collecting information to write this blog, I learnt that he just took a day to rehearse this and completed the recording in a single take!!! Not only the ease with which he had sung this great composition of Saint Arunagirinathar, his skilful rendition at his trademark high pitch adds to the charm. For those who may not be aware, he has also acted in the titular role in this film. After many years, when he would have been more than 70 years of age , in an interview he had sung this without any accompanying music with the same energy.

#2 Agara muthala ezhutellam ariya vaithai devi-Film -Saraswathi sapatham; Music -K V Mahadevan, Lyrics -Kannadasan.

A very unique composition that has all the Tamil “Uyir ezhutukkal”, i.e., alphabets a, aa, e, ee etc as the starting letters of the Pallavi of the song. And who else to do full justice to this language but TMS?

The genius of Kannadasan is reflected in the way he had composed this song with each of the line starting off with Tamil “Uyir ezuthu” alphabets like “Agaramuthala ezhuthellam ariyavaithai devi, Aadhi bhagawan mudhalendre unaravaithai devi, Iyal isai nadaga deepam yetri vaithai, Eendravar nenjai kulira vaithai….and then ends with Omkaara Isai thandhu
Uyara veiththaai devi. This was composed by  another genius -K V Mahadevan who excelled in such classical compositions.

TMS had not only rendered this with perfect diction, but modulated his voice wherever required like “oomayin vai thirandu pesavaithai amma”. note how he adds that subtle emotion when he says “amma”.

But the highlight of the song starts when TMS ‘mastery over Tamil literally flows like a river “Pottraveithu pugazh saatraveithu….and goes to astronomical heights with “Utraar suttram uravinar maandhar
Yaaani senai padaiyudai veendhar”.

# 3 Vasantha Mullai pole vandhu asaindhu aadum: Film Sarangadhara; Music G Ramanathan; Lyrics A. Maruthakasi. Composed in the Charu kesi raagam by the legend G Ramanathan, this is one of the best classical songs of TMS. That “Indira vil neeye. chandira oli neeye” is vintage TMS pitch. In the lines “eedilla unaye yennnnnn manam nadude” the beauty in yennnnn adds so much charm to the song.

# 4 Yerikkarain mele poravale pen mayile : Film: Mudalali; Music -K V Mahadevan Lyrics- Ka Mu Sharif

Composed in the Aarabhi raagam this is a typical KVM song that has a beautiful blend of the classical and folk flavours. The way TMS brings out the beauty of the word “mayile” with different styles, the alapanai after “thennai mara cholayile chittu pola “, his pleading tone with “nillu konjam naanum varen” -all these marks the highlights of this song.

A special mention must be made on the lyrics and the lyricist Ka Mu Sharif—note the similes on birds and animals- “annam pola nadai nadandhu sendridum mayile, thennai mara cholayile chittu pola pore penne, kobam konda maanai pole odalamo …. etc.

And not to forget the beautiful use of morsing throughout the song by KV Mahadevan that lends a special charm.

# 5 Vantha naal muthal; Film- Paava Mannippu; Music Vishwanathan & Ramamoorthy; Lyrics -Kannadasan

This is a superb melody composed by the Mellisai mannargal Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy with absolutely minimum orchestration, and only the voice of TMS having prominence. An iconic song that talks about how mankind has created divisions in the society with the lyrics remaining as relevant today as it was when composed in 1961 by the great Kannadasan. It starts off with a beautiful whistling and has only 3-4 instruments like a guitar, a violin before the 2nd charanam and the trademark bongos. The usage of bongos by MSV itself may merit a separate article! 

# 6 Satti suttadada, kai vittadhada; Film Aalayamani; Music Vishwanathan & Ramamoorthy; Lyrics – Kannadasan

It is very difficult to choose between the trio of “Satti suttadhada”/ Ponaal pogattum poda/ Veedu varia uravu as all these three songs are excellent and almost with same under lying theme about  human frailties. When TMS renders these lines, you can clearly feel the various emotions like : repentance in the lines “budhi kettadhada, nenjai thottadhada; peace in “amaidhi deivam muzhu manathil koyil kondadhada; futility in “erumbu tholai urithu parka yaanai vandadhada.

#7 Paatum naane bhavamum naane: Film-Thiruvilayadal; Music – K V Mahadevan; Lyrics-Kannadasan

An iconic classical song that remains as popular today as it was more than 50 years ago when it was composed. TMS’ mastery in the classical genre is in full flow. The ease with which he goes to the heights of octave with “edhilam iyangum iyakkamum naane, yen isai nindraal adangum olage…e…e…e…e is just amazing. I happened to watch a live performance of this song in You Tube which happened in 80’s at Singapore. At the age of 60+ he had sung with same energy.

Hats off!!

#8 Malarndum malaraadha paadhi malar pola: Film-Pasa Malar; Music – Vishwanathan & Ramamoorthy; Lyrics-Kannadasan

I am sure every Tamilian must be knowing this song -needs no introduction at all. Till today there are various renditions of this song, many with lots of technical mastery in terms of orchestration, recording and even the artist’s own improvisations. With due respect to all, the feel that the original song rendered so soulfully by TMS and P Susheela can never be matched. Even a rock will melt listening to this song. What a powerful combination of lyrics, composition & singing! When you listen to the lines: Athai magalai manamkondu, Ilamai vazhikandu, vaazha pirandaiyada. The pathos in TMS’ voice is so intense. And equally matched by P Susheela in her lines also: Maman thangai magalana mangai unakkaga ulagai vilai pesuvaar. The lullaby that TMS sings after the lines: Uravai pirika mudiyaathada…is ultimate. Whenever I listen to this song, eyes become moist. Probably it was some divine power that entered the minds of MSV-TKR, TMS-PS, Kannadasan when they composed and created this evergreen melody.

#9 Yenge Nimmadhi, yenge nimmadhi: Film: Pudiya Paravai; Music – Vishwanathan & Ramamoorthy; Lyrics-Kannadasan.

Always considered THE BEST ever by TMS, this song doesn’t need any introduction at all! There has been n number of blogs/videos on the making of this epic by the MSV-TKR-Kannadasan-TMS team with some hundreds of musicians in the orchestra -an unheard-of event for that time. Any write up on the orchestration part of this song may need a separate blog and so I restrict myself to the topic of this blog, which is TMS. The song begins with the anguish of the thespian Sivaji Ganesan’s character in the movie, to the stress on the word ‘anggey’ in the lines “anggggey yenakkor idam vendum, the lament in the word ‘ohhhhhh’ in “iraivan kodiyavane ohhhhhhh”. TMS literally provides an encyclopaedia for play back signing.  At the end, “indru mattum amaidhi thanthaal uranguven thaaye…uranguven thaaye” …TMS’ voice almost breaks down with pathos. No write-up can do justice to this song. One has to just listen and get into the soul of the song.

While researching for this song, I came to know that this song was finally recorded after some 17 takes, with some 200 + musicians!! Imagine what an effort would have gone into the making with all involved in this?!!

#10 Neeye unakku endrum (popular as “Mama-Mapillai” song); Film -Bale Pandiya; Music -Vishwanathan & Ramamoorthy; Lyrics- KannadasanWhen I first heard this song, I was completely floored by this!

With only percussion instruments -may be mridangam and ghatam as accompanying instruments this is a very unique song with no other orchestration at all. Set in Suddha Dhanyasi raagam this song is not only a treat to listen to but also to watch with superb expressions by the legends Sivaji Ganesan and M R Radha, with Balaji also lending equal support with his on-screen ghatam. I am not very sure about the person who had lent the voice for M R Radha (what a great versatility by that person!) but from search in Internet I understand it is one M Raju. After starting off with pure classical tone, towards the end TMS brings about so much humour in the song with his modulations, equally matched by Sivaji with his acting. Incidentally this song is very popular in the singing talent shows in TV. I can only compare TMS’ beautiful mixture of a humorous song in a pure classical style with some of the songs in similar combinations in Hindi films done by Manna Dey.

#11 Yaar andha nilavu, yen indha kanavu; Film -Shanthi; Music -Vishwanathan & Ramamoorthy; Lyrics- Kannadasan

From the classical to  pathos, from the humorous to  jazz  in “Yaar andha nilavu”. What a versatility in TMS’ singing repertoire!! This is an epic song that has been discussed in various blogs and vlogs. One can hear a completely different TMS in this song with a westernized tone. Special touches at “ingu naaaaaan vandha varavu”, “koil deepam maariyadai neeeeee arivayo” make the song more enjoyable. How can we ignore the innovative use of the instrument Sarangi in the prelude and also before the first charanam? I read in many blogs that Sivaji took few days to think how to enact this song on screen after having complimented TMS, MSV-TKR and Kannadasan on creating this immortal song.

#12 Enna than nadakkum nadakattume; Film -Panathottam; Music -Vishwanathan & Ramamoorthy; Lyrics- Kannadasan.

Now we come to another style of TMS -yes you guessed it -who else but Puratchi Thalaivar M G Ramachandran. In this song that “HA” summarizes the style of MGR and also TMS! It is a well-known fact that TMS had completely different styles for Sivaji and MGR, with most of the songs also written and composed in different ways for both these leading actors. In his own words he had said that for Sivaji he used to sing from deep within and for MGR more from the throat.

When TMS sings “thannale velivarum tayangadhe, oru thalaivan irukkiran mayangadhe” we can very well visualize MGR waving his hand in his trademark style.

The philosophical songs (Thattuva padalgal in Tamil) of MGR and Sivaji that TMS had sung with equal fervour can be a separate article in its own merit. The list is endless.

#13 Oru pennai paarthu nilavai paarthen: Film-Deiva Thai; Music -Vishwanathan & Ramamoorthy; Lyrics- Vaali

After the different genres that we have discussed so far, we now come to romance genre. For any playback singer to be successful for decades, versatility is one of the main reasons. And what other song than this to start off the topic? Right from the beginning, the foot tapping drums and bongos set the tone for the song. Note the seamless “avalillamal naan illai, naan illamal avalillai” sung without any break. Also, the question at the end of each charanam “naalai yen seivalo???”

#14  Pavalakodiyile muthukkal poothal punnagai endre: Film: Panam Padaithavan; Music – Vishwanathan & Ramamoorthy; Lyrics-Vaali

A haunting duet with excellent humming by L R Eshwari, brilliantly composed by MSV-TKR with an Arabian style melody. The way TMS stretches each word on the pallavi is simply great.

#15 Tharai mel pirakka vaithan: Film: Padagotti; Music – Vishwanathan & Ramamoorthy; Lyrics- Vaali

A sad song generally doesn’t have a catchy rhythm pattern, but this is one amazing composition by MSV-TKR that has such a beautifully rhythm and orchestration, but with an underlying pathos, that is brought out in TMS’ voice.

Vaali’s lyrics are a perfect reflection of the plight of fishermen’s life; with Padgotti film Vaali became a force to reckon with in Tamil film industry, breaking the near monopoly of Kannadasan.

The charanam ascends gradually with each line and reaches a peak to come to a brief pause with a beautiful flute piece taking over. A special mention on the excellent use of Shehnai; MSV -TKR were masters in using this predominantly North Indian instrument.

#16 Kan pone pokkile kaal pogalama: Film: Panam Padaithavan; Music – Vishwanathan & Ramamoorthy; Lyrics-Vaali

Another MSV-TKR+Vaali+TMS+ MGR combination that is an evergreen melody.

Set to a waltz rhythm so beautifully by the mellisai mannargal MSV-TKR duo with an excellent piano-violins-accordion-flute orchestra arrangement and also an added chorus to give a total westernized feel, this song is really a class apart.

When TMS says “manidhan pona padaiyai marandhu pogalamaaaa?”, the question is already conveyed in his singing. This remains a personal favourite for me forever.

#17 Naan aanaittal adhu nadanduvittal: Film: Enga Veetu Pillai; Music – Vishwanathan & Ramamoorthy; Lyrics- Vaali

A peppy number, conveying the political message of MGR in his inimitable style.

Starting off in the trademark pitch, TMS matches with the energy of MGR’s performance of the song on screen.

#18 Or aayiram paarvaiyile un paarvaiyai naan ariven: Film: Vallavanukku Vallavan; Music – Vedha; Lyrics- Kannadasan

Although this song was the Tamil version of the original Hindi “Sau baar janam lenge” composed by Ravi and sung by Rafi, TMS had rendered this with equal, if not even more emotions.

# 19 Andha naal gnyabagam nenjile: Film: Uyarntha Manithan; Music – M S Vishwanathan; Lyrics-Vaali.  A one-of-a-kind song that swings between dialogue and song a, this is indeed a masterpiece in singing by TMS. The situation of the song is when two men from different social strata meet – the character played by Sivaji Ganesan is a rich man, who talks about his childhood days with his friend, who is now his driver (played by Major Sundararajan).

The ease with which TMS shifts from a happy tone at the beginning of the song to pathos is truly remarkable. Also, when we watch the song the seamless merging of Sivaji’s acting and TMS ‘voice is a classic example of play back singing. Vaali’s lyrics are on the best ever from him for a Sivaji film. Towards the last charanam, the song goes into almost prose form: ‘periyavan siriyavan, nallavan kettavan…and then “Thavarugal seidhavan evanume azhugiran”. If anyone else other than TMS had sung, it would have just sounded like a dialogue and not a song.

One can convincingly say that this song was not “sung” by TMS but “enacted” off screen by him, complimenting the legend Sivaji’s on screen acting to the tee.

# 20 Ennadi rakamma pallaku nelippu: Film: Panam Padaithavan; Music – M S Vishwanathan; Lyrics- Kannadasan. A cult classic now, if the word “viral” would have been applicable in the year 1972, it would have been very apt. Those days there might not have been a day in which this song was played in radio or in some function or the other. A rocking, folksy, peppy number from TMS that completes his repertoire in this blog.

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.

Hindi film songs

Few extra-ordinary songs of Rafi saheb

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I am passionate about the old Hindi film songs especially from the golden era. I listen to and appreciate all singers, music directors and lyricists mostly from the 50’s to 70’s not only from Hindi films but also from my mother tongue, Tamil.

However, like many, I do have my personal favourites and from the title of this article one can understand who it is! However I also appreciate the rich baritone of Kishore, the velvety soft tone of Talat, the intense pathos in Mukesh, the classical mastery of Manna Dey, the extraordinary pitch of Mahendra Kapoor, the divine voice of Lata, the melodious voice of actress-singer Suraiya, the earthy Shamshad Begum, the versatile Geeta Dutt, the ever-youthful voice of Suman Kalyanpur , the husky voice of Asha etc…the list is endless . But Rafi is someone I cannot live without…he is sheer oxygen and a lifeline!.

Music is highly personal and so this article is about how I perceive some songs of Rafi that are somewhat out of the ordinary and this is the main theme of this article. I feel privileged to launch this blog and this article on the birth anniversary of the legend Mohammad Rafi saheb.

If you ask me what is extraordinary or out of the ordinary in the songs that I am going to write about, it is again difficult to exactly define. Music is not a science to get bound by definitions/formulae. We can safely consider these as not of the regular, conventional Hindi film song style.

One common feature I can say is that they are mostly with very less emphasis on orchestration and it is Rafi and Rafi all through the song. Typical to Rafi’s style they are intensely emotional and he takes these songs to great heights with his rendition. A majority of these songs are quite long in terms of duration (more than the typical 3 minute for an average film song). Of course, two songs in the list are even just shorter than the  average 3 minute duration , and so , can qualify to be out of the ordinary!!

Let us see what these songs are:                                 

#1 Jinhe naaz hai hind par who kahan hai. Film –Pyasaa, Music-S D Burman, Lyrics-Sahir.

A very hard hitting song to the extent that many will get put off with the whip lashes on society made by Sahir through his words. But for an ardent lover of Hindi film music this is a masterpiece in playback singing where the singer goes totally into the soul of the song. Right from the starting yeh kuche…hmm ghar dilkashi ke, to the end where he keeps asking “ kahan hai” the pathos and angst of the protagonist is made alive by Rafi. Throughout the song he keeps asking “ kahan hai , kahan hai”….sometimes with curiosity, sometimes with desperation.

The modulation in each and every line can only be appreciated when you listen to the song alone, preferably in the dead of the night. There is almost nil orchestration with some strings, an occasional tabla, few violins towards the end. Rafi was known for the hatasha ki hansi ( laugh of despair) and in between, he makes this in the lines, yahan peer bhi aa chuke , jawan bhi, tan-o-mand bete bhi abba miya bhi. Sometimes I wonder-is Rafi an actor??? A person whom we have very rarely heard talking and if at all he talks, he talks in a whisper, transforms into a different personality before the microphone.

#2 Yeh mehlon, yeh thakhton, yeh tajon ki duniya.  Film –Pyasaa, Music-S D Burman, Lyrics-Sahir.

Same film, and almost similar theme, hitting hard at the selfish society, but this is sung in the film at the time when the hero realises his own friends have usurped his poetry and are conducting a memorial thinking he is dead. He starts off with melancholy, rather in a drowsy manner with the first lines , and then starts “waking up” with yeh daulat ke bhooke , riwazon ki duniya. All through  the song , if one listens keenly, we can feel the frustration of the hero when he keeps asking “ to kya hai”. A very subtle variation that Rafi brings out is at the end of the song when he emphasizes   the word ‘ agar’ in the line “ yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai” whereas   in the entire song earlier the agar would be coupled with the last syllable ‘ya’ in duniya and made into duniya-agar as a joint word. These small nuances make Rafi the master in playback singing.

#3 Mein yeah sochkar uske dar se utha tha….  Film –Haqeeqat, Music-Madan Mohan, Lyrics-Kaifi Aazmi.

Unlike the first two songs mentioned before, this is a very short one-just about 3 minutes and a unique composition by the master of melody Madan Mohan. There is no typical mukhda-antara with interludes ..it is just a seamless duet between Rafi and the violin (anecdotes say it was played by Pyarelal, but I am not an authority on this). The shift from the soft beginning to the last “ magar usne roka , na usne manaya” shows the amazing modulation in the velvety voice of Rafi.

#4 Mere Mehboob Tujhe , meri mohabbat ki kasam…Film –Mere Mehbob, Music –Naushad, Lyrics-Shakeel Badayuni.

A full 7 minute song with six antaraas and just around 5 instruments only !! But what a romantic epic song?! A quintessential Naushad composition with only a very brief interlude of santoor ( Naushad used to say that in majority of his songs the interlude is just to enable the singer to take some breath!!). People in those times may not have known about catch phrases like Keep It Simple Stupid… but Naushad followed it to perfection while composing this song. Though Rafi was adept in almost all genres of playback singing, when it comes to romance, it is sheer nectar all along.

If you can keenly hear the “tiredness” in thak gaye hain mere majboor tamanna ke kadam, that typical way of Rafi’s Nigahon ka in do gadi apni nigahon ka sahara, “ trouble” in teri furqat ne pareshaan kiya hai  , you can appreciate why Rafi was considered as an “ actor”, acting out the song , sometimes even better than the actor on screen!!

#5 Carvaan guzar gaya , gubaar dekhte rahe…Film-Nayee Umar ki nayee fasal, Music-Roshan, Lyrics –Gopal Das Neeraj.

Epic is the only word that can describe this great poetry by Neeraj—a poem written by him that was later on taken for the film. Knowing the immense power of the poetry, Roshan kept the orchestration and tune to the bare minimum and Rafi infused so much of life into each and every word. There are four stanzas with some 290 words in the entire song. This could be one of the most voluminous songs in Hindi films. Rafi must have been eager to bring in his typical style and so at the end of the song, he does that  “ caaraaavaan ” in his typical nonchalant manner. This is one of the few songs where the lyrics can be mentioned as the essence of the song…who can forget the last lines of each of the four antaraas:

”  Umr ke chadaw ka, uthaar dekhte rahe”

“ Saans ki sharaab ka, khumaar dekhte rahe”

“Odhkar kafan padhe , majaar dekhte rahe”

“Paalki liye hue , kahaar dekhte rahe

#6 Dekhi zamane ki yaari, Bichde sabhi baari baari..Film: Kagaz Ke Phool, Music S D Burman, Lyrics-Kafi Aazmi

If the combination of Guru Dutt-SDB-Sahir-Rafi created the angst-ridden two songs of Pyasaa already mentioned in the beginning of this article, this one is has all the three players, with Kaifi Aazmi replacing Sahir. This an almost 8 minute song, picturized splendidly by the combination of Guru Dutt & cameraman V K Murthy over different stages in the film. And what a soulful rendition by Rafi- with a bare minimum orchestra and a superb use of chorus in the interludes. He starts with just a whisper with the lines “dekhi zamane ki yaari, then goes on to bring out the anguish at the end “ ud jaa ud jaa pyase bhanware” . In between, what a superb stretch in the word…’saaaaari’ in the line pal bhar ki khushiyaan hai saari. I find it so difficult to explain/ write about the way in which Rafi sahib had rendered this song so beautifully. One has to just close the eyes and get immersed in the song to appreciate.

#7. Saawan ke mahine mein ek aag si seene mein..Film: Sharaabi (Year 1964), Music –Madan Mohan, Lyrics: Rajendra Krishan

The song meanders at a leisurely pace, giving ample scope for Rafi to soak into the song with the intoxication he excels (isn’t it an irony that the teetotaller Rafi must have sung the maximum number of ‘sharabhi’ songs!!). The song starts off with the following lines with whistling sound of wind and sets the tone :

Chand ki chaal bhi hai behaki hui

Raat ki ankh bhi sharaabhi hai

Saari khudrat nashe mein hai jab choor

Are maine pi li to kya kharaabi hai

If you watch the scene it is just as if Dev Anand himself is singing –Rafi moulds his voice so perfectly and adds that intoxication in right mixture. The three antaraas that follow are quite peppy and contrasting in pace to the beginning of the song… a very unconventional composition by Madan Mohan.

#. 8 Teri tasveer bhi tujh jaise haseen hai lekin..Film: Kinare Kinare, Music –Jaidev, Lyrics: Nyay Sharma

This film, directed by Chetan Anand and also starring him, along with Dev Anand & Meenakumari had many songs but is noteworthy for Jaidev using four leading male playback singers in four different solos. Manna Dey’s –Chale jaa rahen hai, mohabbat ke maare kinare kinare; Talat-Dekhi Lee teri khudayee, bas mera dil bhar gaya; Mukesh-Jab gam-e-ishq satata hai tu hans le ta hoon & Rafi-Teri tasveer bhi tujh jaise haseen. All four are great songs. However, coming to our topic, this is again a masterpiece of Jaidev where he uses just a flute and santoor as main instruments with a violin going hand-in-hand with Rafi.   Almost nil interlude music, a complete cessation of music in the last lines:

Kya mere dil ki tadap ka tujhe ahsas bhi hai
kya mere dil ki tadap ka tujhe ahsas bhi hai
warna fir meri hi wahshat me sula de mujhko

Rafi brings so much of velvety softness in the rendition keeping in mind the scene that is picturized –the character looking at his lover’s photo and singing. To the best of my knowledge, after Hum Dono’s great songs with Rafi, Jaidev had this as his next one. I couldn’t think of any major songs he had composed for Rafi after this. But sometimes quality compensates to a very great extent on the quantity!!

#. 9 Na kisi ki aankh ka noor hoon, na kisi ke dil ka karaar hoon..Film: Lal Quila , Music –S.N Tripathi, Lyrics: (Bahadur Shah Zafar? /Muztar Khairabadi?)

First, before talking about the song, a disclaimer—reason why I have mentioned two names against lyricist is that there remains some controversy whether it was written by the last Mughal emperor or another poet Muztar Khairabadi—his son was Jan Nissar Akhtar-another famous shayar in Hindi films. As I am not an authority at all on this, let us leave it at that and come to the song.

This is quite a famous song and used to be played in Vividh Bharati earlier but now-a-days not heard much. Expressing the anguish and helplessness of the last Mughal emperor this is a unique song with no orchestration at all, with just a flute and one instrument that I am unable to recognize (sorry for this!!) . It is just Rafi and Rafi all along. How poignantly he brings out the feeling in each and every word, phrase with the just about required expressions. No extra harkats or any of the typical punch that Rafi gives –just his golden voice…that should sum up this song. S.N Tripathi was known more for his compositions in mythological and historical movies with a strong classical base. This was an out of the ordinary composition by him that perfectly fitted the poetry.

#. 10 Sadqe heer tujhpe hum fakir sadqe .Film: Mear Nam Joker ( Deleted in the movie) , Music –Shankar-Jaikishan , Lyrics: Prem Dhawan

A hidden gem mainly because it was deleted in the movie (no idea why…may be the film was as such quite long  but what would  just a two and a half minute epic song add to the length??). I heard this song for the first time around ten years back only, thanks to You Tube. A very rare combination of Prem Dhawan writing in a S-J composition. This could be the only one. And what a defining heer. Unlike a typical S-J composition , this is without any prelude , interlude orchestration etc. Just before the last lines, the signature violins and piano of S-J come to life just to give that lift to Rafi’s high notes.

de de dil hamaara hamein waapas
jogi le kar yehi pukaar aaye
aur maangen jo kuchh to maut maangen
ae ae ae ae
ter dar pe hain aakhri baaar aaye
jogi le kar yehi pukaaar aaye

That ‘aakhri baaaaar aaye” is the apt climax to this great song with Rafi adding so much of desperation to that “baaaaar”.

Before Mera Naam Joker, in all songs of the RK banner  right from Barsaat to Sangam there used to be at least one Rafi song. Just on a sombre, purely personal guess I end this article …may be because this superb song was just like that deleted, Rafi   aakhri baar aaye …in a RK film. I don’t think Rafi ever sang in a RK film subsequently to the best of my knowledge.

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