Madan Mohan ( 25^th June 1924 to 14^th July 1975 )

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan (23^rd Sep 1915/1928?? to 29^th July 1966)

<Departing from my usual format , where I used to start with the brief biographies of the artists, I thought it would be better to first focus more on their work and give their profiles at the end. Hope it would be more interesting!>

Melody king, Ghazal king-these are some of the synonyms for Madan Mohan(MM). There is an anecdote that MM used to ask Rafi before going for the final recording of any soulful or sad song whether he had sung any “ Yahoo” type of boisterous song in the previous few days. If it was so, then he would wait for few days for that effect to wear off!! The perfectionist that MM was , he did not want even a very feeble impact of such ‘jazzy’ songs  in Rafi’s voice when he wanted the right impact . That could be the reason why Rafi, Lata, Talat , Manna Dey all sounded  their best in his compositions.

It is tragic that such a genius languished without much commercial success in his lifetime and got his fame and recognition  more after his untimely departure at the age of 51 years. One can  keep listening to his “Aap ki nazaron ne samjha” or “Lag ja gale” thousand times without getting bored. Though he was more known for his ghazals -a genre  he had mastered , he was equally adept in composing some tunes that were experimental and  far ahead of its time. Few examples are:

• Rafi’s Mein yeh soch kar us ke dar se utha tha  in Haqeekat that  doesn’t have any clearly separated antara. The entire song appears to be a long mukhda!
• Tum jo mil gaye ho in Hanste Zakhm  that is soulfully slow in the main melody but goes into  totally westernized fast interludes. It is so modern in its feel  even today and must have been difficult to sing even for the great Rafi.
• Tum se kahoon ek baat paron se halki  in Dastak and  Meri duniya  mein tum aayee from Heer Ranjha -both these songs sung almost in a  whisper by Rafi/ Rafi-Lata.
• Bhor aayee gaya andhiyara-multiple singers -from film Bawarchi that has a superb combination of the classic, folk and jazz all combined seamlessly by Madan Mohan.

Although Lata had sung great songs for almost all the legendary composers, with Madan bhaiyya ( as she used to call him), she always gave that extra sweetness in her renditions. Similarly, MM composed some of  the best ghazals for Talat and both were acknowledged as masters in that genre. Not to leave behind,  Rafi had some of his career best songs  with MM in an association that went on for almost 25 years. Even the singers whom MM used sparingly like Geeta Dutt ( Ai dil mujhe bata de) ,Kishore Kumar ( Zaroorat hai zaroorat hai ek shrimati ki, Simthi si sharmayee si ), Manna Dey ( Kaun aaya mere man ked ware, Bhairan ho gayee rain) had their best songs in his compositions.

Madan Mohan always believed in giving utmost importance to the lyrics and  had fabulous team work with many lyricists like Rajendra Krishan, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Sahir Ludhianvi, Kaifi Azmi, Hasrat Jaipuri , Indeevar, Prem Dhawan , Naqsh Lyallpuri etc. However, his songs with Raja Mehdi Ali Khan   are the topic for this blog as their association was limited in quantity but unlimited in quality and hence stand out for their brilliance . I am planning a separate blog on Madan Mohan songs with other lyricists as they need a separate focus.

If we look at the team of MM with Raja Mehdi Ali Khan ( RMAK) , there is an interesting pattern. Although RMAK wrote for him in the very beginning (early 1950’s) in the films “ Aankhen” “ Madhosh” and “ Ada” , somehow it appears they forgot about each other for  almost 10 years before teaming up once again in the 60’s to come out with timeless classics.

Let us look at some of the best songs that are not only the best from this team , but are in the memory of all those who love old Hindi film songs and will continue to live on for eons.

#1. Aankhen /1950/Preet laga ke maine ye phal paya/ Mukesh 

With the 1950 film Aankhen, Madan Mohan made his debut as an independent music composer. The film had 8 songs , with certain unique compositions like Meena Kapoor ( wife of famous music director Anil Biswas) singing Mori athariya pe kaaga bole, the famous director Raj Khosla ( with whom MM would team up in films Woh Kaun Thi and Mera Saya for some immortal music) doing his play back singing with the song Rail mein jiya mora, the Shamshad Begum-Mukesh duet Humse nain milana B.A pass karke and even Madan Mohan himself singing a duet with Shamshad Humse Na Dil Ko lagana.

However,  if one song stands out as an evergreen number , it is  Mukesh’s  Preet lagake meine yeh phal paaya, sudh budh khoyee, chain ganvaya. The guitar and piano combination at the end of every line in the antara shows the early signs of  MM’s individual style. Somehow, after the initial few songs MM didn’t compose much with Mukesh and he had Rafi and Talat as his main singers.

#2. Madhosh/1951 / Meri yaad mein tum na aansoo bahana/ Talat Mehmood

In the early years, MM composed songs more for Talat rather than his later-to-be the main male playback singer Rafi. One of the early hits from the team of MM-RMAK with Talat is this beautiful ghazal in the film Madhosh. The interludes with sitar that became a constant accompaniment for many years (only in the last few years MM completely stopped using this instrument in his orchestration) add charm to this song.

#3. Anpadh /1962 / Aap ki nazaron ne samjha/ Lata

As I had mentioned earlier after a long gap of almost 10 years, MM teamed up with RMAK in the 60’s and what a great reunion it turned out to be. Selecting one or two songs from the films they worked during this period is an impossible task. They say this song was composed in just 15 minutes! One can go on and on listening to this song . Somehow this has a mesmerizing effect and the tune and orchestration is simply outstanding, not to forget the way the nightingale Lata rendering it so beautifully. The song literally flows like a river with graceful twists and turns with the violins playing a major role in elevating this song to its great heights.

#4. Anpadh /1962/ Hai isi mein pyaar ki aabroo/ Lata

If Aap ki nazaron ne samjha oozed with romance, this one sung by Lata with so much of pathos , is another unforgettable gem. Raja sahab’s mastery in words comes to the fore with these poignant lines:

Mujhe gam bhi unka azeez hai, keh unhi ki dee hui cheez hai

Yehi gam hai ab meri zindagi, ise kaise dil se juda karoon

Jo na ban sake mein woh baat hoon, jo na khatm ho mein woh raat hoon

Yehi likha hai mere naseeb mein , yuhin shamma banke jala karoon

Na kisi ke dil ki hoon aarzoo, na kisi nazar ki hoon justaju

Mein woh phool hoon ho udaas ho, na bahaar aaye to kya karoon

I am writing these lines on 28th Sep, the birth anniversary of the one and only Lata and what better tribute can one write about her. God was so generous in blessing her with the golden voice and in the early years Lata’s voice had that  sadness which is very difficult to describe. It is one thing to be gifted with a good voice , but the way  she had meticulously honed her in born talent to the great  levels is what makes her so special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j7hBs_FlY8

#5. Woh Kaun Thi /1964/ Lag jaa gale se/ Lata

I was glad to see this song has some quarter billion views in You Tube even after around 60 years after it was composed. Wish Madan Mohan  & Raja sahab were alive to see this. Another work of art from the three-Madan Mohan, Raja sahab and Lata. A sweet melody , that has very subdued but excellent orchestration and  brings out the romance with  full emphasis on the lyrics and singing. That knife -edge balance was Madan Mohan’s greatest strength.It would be a grave injustice if I do not mention the excellent way in which Sadhana had enacted this song on screen. She was one of the few actresses who did full justice to a song in emoting the same on screen.

#6. Woh Kaun Thi /1964/ Jo humne dastan apni sunayee/ Lata

Woh kaun thi was a real blockbuster in terms of music-with almost all the songs becoming popular. Raja sahab builds up on the “aansoo & rona”  theme like a sculptor chiselling away with each stroke. He ends it with the lines that imagine a deluge of tears that would drown even the moon and stars! What a visualization!

“ hum apne aansuon mein chand taaron ko dubo denge, phanah ho jaayegi saari khudayee, aap kyon roye?

#7. Woh Kaun Thi /1964/ Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim/ Lata

If one can select one of the best ever haunting melodies composed in Hindi films , this one must be at the very top. The way Lata ends each antara seamlessly with the lines Naina barse makes this composition eternal.  There is version of Madan Mohan himself singing this song. The story goes that there was some delay in getting Lata’s version recorded but the scenes had to be shot and so it must have been a strange sight to see Sadhana lip synching for the song in Madan ji’s voice when this was picturized!!

#8. Woh Kaun Thi /1964/ Shok nazar ki bijiliyan / Asha

Whenever one thinks of a singer mostly associated with Madan Mohan it is always Lata. No doubt they were an immortal pair, but this song is tailor-made for Asha. Especially the  humming at the beginning is something Asha is too good at. The usually sober & melodious Madan Mohan comes out with a rocking, funky interlude music with violins, saxophone, flute etc .

#9. Aap Ki Parchaaiyan /1964/ Agar mujhse mohabbat hai/Lata

If one checks the picturization of this great song, we can understand why Madan Mohan, despite composing such great masterpieces remained commercially unsuccessful. The picturization of such a great song is a big let-down. Most of the immortal songs of Madan Mohan were for such unimaginative picturizations in films that had poor production values.

Anyhow let us ignore that and get ourselves drenched in the melody of Lata’s superlative singing, Raja sahab’s excellent poetry and Madan Mohan’s simple but so soulful tune.

#10. Aap Ki Parchaaiyan /1964/ Main nigahein tere chehre se hataaun kaise /Rafi

Yet another masterpiece from Rafi- he elaborates the lines ‘tauba tauba…taauuuuba tauba with his typical style that is something out of the world. The way Madan Mohan used the violins in the interludes are simply superb.

#11. Mera Saya / 1966/ Nainon mein badra chhaye/ Lata

Mera Saya had some of the best songs from this great pair of Madan & Raja sahab. Nainon mein badra chhaye starts off with a prelude of santoor and sitar, that sets the tone  for this classic song set in raag Bhimpalasi. The sitar was played by  Ustad Rais Khan with whom he had a great association. The way he had recorded the start and end of the song with an echo effect with primitive recording technology is truly commendable. The use of santoor, sitar and violins in the interludes match so well with the song and synchronize so nicely with the picturesque Jal Mahaal location at Udaipur. For once we have a very beautifully picturized song that does full justice to the tune.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU8pYP9Udws

#12. Mera Saya/ 1966/ Tu jahan chalega mera saya / Lata

The title song of this movie defines the Madan-Lata-Raja combination…a melody that keeps haunting you through out the film. Raja sahab must have had a special affinity to the word “ aansoo” -there are so many songs with this theme and he keeps using them in so many ways.

#13. Mera Saya/ 1966/ Aapke pahaloo mein aakar ro diye / Rafi

As much as Madan Mohan gave great songs to Lata, he had also composed some of Rafi’s career best songs. This one exemplifies what good playback singing is all about. The way Rafi brings the emotion to the song is something no one can ever attempt. That very subtle ‘harkat’ on the word ‘shaam’ in the line “ shaam jab aansoo bahati aa gayee” is Rafi’s master stroke.

#14. Mera Saya/ 1966/ Jhumka gira re /Asha
As Lata, Rafi gave their soulful hits in this film that were mostly sad, Asha, with this one song provided the much-needed pep with  a lilting, joyful song . Although majority of  Madan Mohan’s compositions were mostly sober , whenever he composed a peppy number like Jhumka gira re, it was always a great hit.

#15. Dulhan Ek Raat Ki /1967/ Ek haseen sham ko dil mera kho gaya /Rafi

No doubt Madan Mohan created magic with sitar and violins in his orchestration.  Not to be left behind, he has created even better magic with the flute in this song. This song is an answer to what he can do with the flute! The trio of Madan-Raja -Rafi sahab just did not create a song. They created an emotion. Just close your eyes and listen -you will be transported into a sunset evening with the twilight shining through trees, the birds chirping away sweetly.  Rafi’s stress on the word ‘shaam’ in four different ways defines what play back singing is all about.

These were some 15 songs from approximately 75 songs that Raja saheb wrote for Madan Mohan. It is not feasible to include all in a short blog, but hopefully I have captured the essence of their music.

Biography:

Madan Mohan was born in Baghdad, Iraq when his father, Rai Bahadur Chunnilal Kohli  was posted there as an Accountant General with the Iraqi Police forces. When he was eight years old his family shifted to their home town , Chakwal in Jhelum district of Punjab in the undivided India. His father had gone to Bombay ( as it was known then) for business and was under the care of his grandfather , studying at Lahore. There he learnt the basics of classical music from one Kartar Singh , but did not proceed much further. It was amazing that his music was predominantly classical , without any great formal training! That is how such genius are made. Few years later his family moved to Bombay and he completed his  Senior Cambridge from the St. Mary’s school in Byculla. At the young age of 11 he started performing in All India Radio and by the time he was 17 , had completed his education at Col Brown Cambridge school at Dehradun.

In 1943 , he joined the Army as a second lieutenant and served there for two years till the end of the second World War. Music was beckoning him and he joined the All India Radio , Lucknow and there he came into contact with various other artists like Ustad Faiyaz Khan , Ustad Ali Akhbar Khan , Begum Akhtar , and Talat Mehmood . In 1947, he was transferred to All India Radio, Delhi where he worked for a short period. He was very fond of singing, and so in 1947 he got his first chance to record two ghazals penned by Behzad Lucknawi, Aane Laga Hai Koi Nazar Jalwa Gar Mujhe and Is Raaz Ko Duniya Jaanti Hai. Soon after, in 1948 he recorded two more private ghazas penned by Deewan Sharar, Wo Aaye To Mahfil Mein Ithlaate Huye Aaye and Duniya Mujhe Kahti Hai Ke Main Tujhko Bhoolaa Doon. In 1948, he got his first opportunity to sing a film duet Pinjare Mein Bulbul Bole and Mera Chhotasa Dil Dole with Lata  under composer Ghulam Haider  for the film Shaheed, though these songs were never released or used in the film. Between 1946 and 1948, he assisted music composers SD Burman  for Do Bhai, and Shyam Sundar in Actress.

In the year 1950, with the film Aankhen, Madan Mohan got his big break as an independent music director. In the next 25 years, he scored for around 95 films that were released and a quite high number of 12 unreleased films . If we see the number of songs , he must have composed for approximately 680 songs but one can easily imagine what a great composer he was since he is considered among the five topmost music composers of Hindi Film Music with such a small output in terms of numbers.

Apart from being a genius composer, one interesting talent that he had was that he was very much fond of cooking and whenever he composed some great tunes, he would invite the persons involved and treat them to a great feast at his home. Also, it is very rare feat that after almost 30 years , his tunes were used for the songs in the film Veer Zara made in 2004 .

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan’s birth date is surprisingly a mystery-some sites put it as 23^rd Sept , 1915 and some sources just mention the year 1928. A huge variance of 13 years! His place of birth was  Karmabad, district Jhelum in British India. He belonged to Janjua family of Darpur in Jhelum District of the former Punjab state of British India. His father Raja Mehdi Ghalib Khan was the Chief Minister of Bahawalpur State, now part of Pakistan. His mother Heba Saheba was a well-known Urdu poet. His father passed away when he was just four years old. With the help of his mother and uncle Moulana Zafar Ali Khan, a well-known journalist, a good education but could not complete his  graduation. He was proficient in the  Urdu language and had written for notable Urdu magazines “Phool” and “Tehzeeb-i-Niswaan”, published from Lahore. He was inspired by the writings of noted scholar Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal. He befriended a short story writer of note, Saadat Hasat Manto at All India Radio, Delhi. After Manto moved  to Bombay to work in the film industry, he called his friend Raja also to join him at  Bombay. Raja arrived there in 1946 and got a break  in film line as an actor and dialogue writer in the film – Aath Din – of Ashok Kumar, thanks to Manto. However, he  had no inclination for acting and his passion  was in song writing. He started writing poems and  articles for Urdu magazines like  Khilona, Shama Bano, Beeswin Sadi. 

Luck smiled upon him and he got to write all the nine songs for the film ‘Do Bhai’ in 1947 (produced by Filmistan and music composed by S D Burman) after his good friend Manto had recommended him to the producer, Sashadhar Mukherjee.

After the partition of India in 1947, Raja’s friend Manto left for Pakistan but  Raja and his wife Tahira remained in India. In the film ‘Shaheed’ (1948) Raja had written some great patriotic songs like Watan ki raah mein watan ki naujawan shaheed ho. Though he worked with many stalwarts like  Ghulam Haider, S D Burman, O P Nayyar , C Ramachandra , S N Tripathi, Hemant Kumar etc. his most memorable songs were with Madan Mohan. In a career of around 19 years till illness took him away very early in 1966, he had written great songs for some 110 + films. 

Raja had a very special  bonding with Madan Mohan and this duo had some of the most iconic songs together . Apart from writing songs  for films , he was prolific in composing lot of   poems that were humorous and full of wit. His short stories  were published in magazines like ‘Beeswin Sadi’, ‘Shama Bano’ and ‘Khilona’.  His association with MM started in 1950  with the film Ankhen  ( the Mukesh song Preet Lagake meine yeh phal paaya  is quite famous), and they worked together for two more films Madhosh ( Talat’s Meri yaad mein tum ne aansoon bahana is a well-known song) and Ada.  However, inexplicably they didn’t work much subsequently and it was only in the 60’s with a string of top-class music from the films Anpadh (1962), Woh Kaun Thi (1964) ,Aap ki parchayian( 1964), Neela Aakash(1965), Mera Saya (1966) , Dulhan Ek Raat Ki (1967) they teamed up together to give timeless classics.

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

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

1. You Tube
2. Wikipedia
3. Yesterday’s Melodies Today’s Memories book by Mr. Manek Premchand
4. www.Songsyore.com music  blog
5. http://www.madanmohan.in

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

The Golden Quartet of Shankar -Jaikishan, Shailendra & Hasrat Jaipuri

Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi (15^th October 1922 to 26^th Apr 1987)

Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal (4^th Nov 1929 to 12^th Sep 1971)

Shailendra(Shankardas Kesarilal) (30^th   Aug 1923 to 14^th   Dec 1966)

Hasrat Jaipuri (Iqbal Hussain) (15^th Apr 1922 to 17^th  Sep 1999)

A Punjabi, born in Madhya Pradesh and brought up in Andhra Pradesh masters the tabla and kathak dance but doesn’t have any conventional education. Moves to Bombay (as known earlier) in search of work, mainly driven with a passion for music and lands up as a musician in the Prithvi theatre and also as an assistant to the music composer duo Husanlal-Bhagatram.

His future partner, younger by 7 years, born in Bansda, Gujarat , also does not have any proper education but learns and becomes an expert in playing the accordion and harmonium. Later, fate would bring these two wizards of music at the office of a Gujarati director, Chandravadan Bhatt.

The third in the quartet, born in Rawalpindi in the undivided India, moves to Mathura, loses his mother at a very young age, and goes through a difficult childhood . The harsh realities of life would make him write about life in simple words that would connect with the masses so easily. Somehow, he completes his Diploma in Electrical & Mechanical engineering and lands up with a job in the Indian Railways as a welder- Grade B mechanic. But fate is planning something grand for him as one of the greatest poet and lyricist Hindi film music industry had ever seen.

 To complete this quartet, the last player, born in Jaipur, Rajasthan in a family that had a famous poet (his maternal grandfather), would turn out to be an incorrigible romantic at heart, to the extent that after landing up a job as a bus conductor with the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking( BEST) would lose the job for having allowed pretty girls to travel without ticket!!

These four disparate personalities, Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi, Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal, Shankardas Kesarilal and Iqbal Hussain would one day come together as Shankar-Jaikishan-Shailendra-Hasrat Jaipuri for a Raj Kapoor film Barsaat in 1949 and start their ‘barsaat’(rain) of  thousands of immortal golden melodies for the next 17 years till  the cruel hands of fate would snatch Shailendra  in 1966 and Jaikishan  in 1971 at the peak of their creative lives. Shankar would slog along as a bitter man after all his close associates ditching him permanently (even the person whom he though would help him till the end but didn’t-  Raj Kapoor) and still compose music for another 16 years, retaining his partner’s name, and would die almost unknown to the industry. That leaves only one among the four, Hasrat to survive till the age of 77 years and compared to the other three lead a happy and longer life.

Their story, like their music was painted on a large canvas. Their meteoric rise and the tragic end could even be a theme for a film. What great music they gave during those fabulous years of 1950’s and 60’s. In all they composed approximately 1300 + songs for 180 odd films, of which a majority are hits to this day.  They were the most successful team of music directors and lyricists and films became silver, golden & platinum jubilee hits mainly on the strength of their music & lyrics. Of course, the legendary singers Rafi, Lata, Manna Dey and Mukesh were also an integral & constant feature of their music.

Many dismiss Shankar’s music after the passing away of Jaikishan as mediocre, but personally I always felt it was more due to the films for which he composed were so mediocre. The old spark did show up in many gems like “ Geet gata hoon mein”, Tumhare bin guzare hain, Chal Sanyasi mandir mein, Chalo bhool jayen Jahan ko yahan, Tumhein mein agar apna saathi bana loon ,etc. . With most of the producers cutting down on cost and not allowing him the usual 60+ orchestra, Shankar’s music lost the old charm. His intense introvert very outspoken nature might have added to his isolation.

To compress their phenomenal twenty years of reign as the undisputed emperors of Hindi film music in few pages is something next to impossible. Let me see how far I succeed in this!!

If we have to understand why this quartet was able to bring out hits after hits with no dilution in the quality, we can only credit it to the way in which they could understand the pulse of the common man who always would like to hear a good melody with brilliant orchestration and at the same time with simple lyrics  that they can  easily comprehend and sing along . Among the two lyricists, Shailendra was a master in writing about even complex life philosophies in very simple language and Hasrat was always a romantic at heart and his romantic songs would give the audience their escape into a dreamy world. Though we do not know for sure, it is generally believed that Shankar worked more with Shailendra and Jaikishan with Hasrat but again there were many exceptions to this, as far as I could gather from some articles.  Their working style was divided almost 50:50 to composing tunes first and then write the lyrics and vice-versa.  Generally, it was Jaikishan who composed the back ground score while Shankar’s forte was composing songs that had strong dance element & intense orchestration. One more specialization of Shankar was that the title songs of films made by Raj Kapoor under the RK films banner were always composed by him.

Shankar Jaikishan’s (for simplicity called as SJ) USP was their very attractive tunes, embellished with superb interludes, preludes, counter melodies and rhythm patterns. They could compose even a sad song with a fast tempo and induce beautiful counter melodies and it would never sound odd (examples: Tera jana dil ke armaanon ka from the film Anari or O Basanti pawan paagal na jaa re na jaa from the film Jish desh mein ganga behti hai). They had great assistants Dattaram for the percussions and Sebastian for orchestration arrangement and these two were also major contributors to the success of their music. They were one of the pioneers in HFM to use counter melody (example: Ae mere dil kahin aur chal from the film Daag). The violins, accordions, pianos were integral part of their orchestra and even the simple harmonium would have a fresh burst of life in their hands. That does not mean the Indian classical instruments were left behind. They used the sarod, sitar, sarangi etc. and even many rare instruments like the bagpipe. Their music embraced many genres like the   classical, jazz, rock & roll, folk music, dance numbers, ghazals and even few qawwalis. Bhairavi was their very favorite raag and in spite of composing some 40+ songs in that raag, each one had a different flavor.

Shankar Singh was basically from Punjab but spent his early years in Hyderabad. Having learnt tabla and kathak dance (most of the excellent dance predominant songs were composed by him), he became an assistant to the veteran duo composers Husanlal-Bhagatram. He was also interested in wrestling and had a good physique and unlike Jai was a non-drinker and strict disciplinarian, more introvert and some say a bit short tempered (maybe that’s why Jai remained the more affable, social  face of the duo and producers & directors interacted with him more). In the later years his introvert nature would go against him. Despite having ruled the music industry for two decades he remains one of the least understood persons. It is so tragic to note that his[s1]  death was not known till the next day even to the person who had worked so closely with him-Raj Kapoor. No one from the film industry attended his funeral! The same producers and directors who were ready to pay the highest ever fees in their heydays and used to wait for months to get their time, ditched him  after Jaikishan’s death, with that unkindest cut coming from the person for whom they had given the best. Yes, even Raj Kapoor ditched Shankar when he needed him the most.

Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal belonged to a family of musicians in Gujarat and was initially trained by his mother in classical music. He came to Mumbai to pursue his musical interest and happened to meet Shankar in the office of a Gujarati director, Chandravadan Bhat. After having learnt that Jai could play the harmonium, Shankar recommended him to Prithvi raj Kapoor and then both started their journey as musicians in the Prithvi theatre. Soon they met Raj Kapoor and when the latter wanted to make a movie independently, they became assistants to the music director Ram Ganguly for the film Aag. Later on, when Raj Kapoor was making his next film Barsaat, it is said he had some issues with Ram Ganguly and this gave the great opportunity  for SJ to work as independent music directors. As the cliché goes, rest is history. Barsaat film was not just a barsaat (rain) of music but a tsunami that changed the music scene for the entire Hindi film industry and can be loosely said to be a turning point from the vintage era to the golden era. It brought in another legend into the forefront, called Lata Mangeshkar. This film also marked the coming together of the great lyricists -Hasrat & Shailendra and together with SJ can be called as the golden quartet.

There was no looking back for these four till the untimely death of Shailendra in 1966   and then Jaikishan in 1971.What magical compositions they had created!  It is said that there were times when the film poster would prominently mention only the names of Shankar-Jaikishan and that was enough to make the film a silver or golden jubilee hit.  Film financiers used to blindly give their consent if they are shown a letter stating that SJ would be the composers. O P Nayyar was the only other music director who could make even a C grade film successful just because of the music.

It is impossible to select say 20 or 25 songs from the thousands as in case of SJ almost all were good and hit songs. But let me try to list out some outstanding among them. Since the number of songs selected for this blog from this great team are much higher than the usual, I shall provide a very brief description about each-in some cases I have included multiple songs from a single film as it is too difficult to ignore them!

The sequence of the details mentioned are: Film/Year of release/Song/Lyricist/Singer(s) and are listed without any particular logic. I have listed out as I remembered the songs.

1. Barsaat/1949/Chod gaya baalam/Hasrat/Lata & Mukesh- Barsaat was their debut and what a grand entry! They stormed into the Hindi film music with a big bang! Among the many super hits in this film, this song stands out for the scintillating counter-melodies, simple but intricate orchestration and superb singing by Mukesh and a very young Lata.
2. Patita/1953/Andhe Jahan ke andhe raaste/Shailendra/Talat Mehmood

Kisine apna banake mujhko/Shailendra/Lata.

Talat’s song is a very popular one with one of the most memorable interludes with Shailendra’s immortal lines like:

Jeene ki chahat nahin, marke bhi raahat nahin

Is paar aansoo, us paar aahen, dil mere bezubaan

Humko na koi bulaye, na koi palkne bichhaye

Ae gham ke maaron manzil wahin hai, dum yeh toote Jahan.

Aagaz ke din tera anjaam taih ho chuka

Jalte rahen hai jalte rahenge yeh zameen aasmaan….

The other song, Kisi ne apna banake mujhko, is one of Lata’s masterpieces . The solo violin in the first interlude is something out of the world and what an energy burst out from the dholak of SJ’s assistant Dattaram!

3. Aah/1953/Raja ki aayegi baraat/Shailendra/Lata

One of the unique and unconventional aspect of SJ’s music was that even in a very sad song filled with pathos, the tempo of the song used to be so fast. It seems totally contrasting, but when you hear those songs, it will never be jarring. That could be their secret to rule the music scene like emperors for two decades.

4. Boot Polish/1954/Lapak jhapak tu aaye badaravaa/Shailendra/Manna Dey

Manna Dey got his career best songs with SJ, especially Shankar supporting him to the core. This song is not that popular with the mass but what a great composition. Also, the way the great character actor David enacted this on screen is something even the top heroes couldn’t have done. Orchestration is almost nil except for some tabla & dholak. Shailendra’s witty lines like this gives a humorous touch to the prisoner’s plight in jail:

Ban mein koel kook uthi hai

Sab ki man mein bhook uthi hai….

5. Daag/1952/Ae mere dil kahin aur chal/Shailendra/Talat

One more immortal Talat song with SJ. The interlude has one of the best counter melodies with the accordion, harmonium, mandolin playing at an intricate level along with Talat’s voice and elevates this song. The veteran V Balsara had played the harmonium so brilliantly in this and there is a video in YouTube in which he had demonstrated this so nicely.

6.Seema/1959/Tu pyaar ka sagar hai-Shailendra/Manna Dey/

Kahaan ja raha hai-Shailendra/Rafi/

Suno choti si Gudiya ki lambi kahani/Hasrat/Lata

Seema had some fabulous music by SJ and I really cannot pick one song from that.

Manna da’s Tu pyar ka sagar hai is an eternal song that may survive even centuries! Shailendra’s profound lyrics are evergreen:

Ghayal man ka paagal panchi

Udhne ko beqaraar, udne ko beqaraar

Pankh hai komal, aankh hai dhundhli,

Jaana hai sagar paar, jaana hai sagar paar

Rafi’s kahan jaa raha hai is another one that has Rafi’s pathos at the peak. In the line “ Jo baandhe thei bandhan , who kyun tod daale” he literally breaks his voice in the word “ tod”.

If Manna da & Rafi could deliver their best, will Lata remain behind? She renders one more gem of a song with Suno chotisi Gudiya ki lambi kahani..with two versions sad and a short happy one. It is said that Amjad Ali khan played the sarod for this song and it remains one of the best examples of use of Sarod in any film song.

7. Basant Bahar/1956/Sur na saje kya gaaon mein/Shailendra/Manna Dey

Duniya Na bhaye mohen/Shailendra/Rafi

With Basant Bahar, SJ silenced those sceptics who felt that they cannot compose for a film based on classical music and proved their caliber beyond any doubts. Ideally one should mention all the songs from this film! However, I have selected the classic Manna Dey song Sur Na saje and  Rafi’s soulful Duniya na bhaye mohe ab to bhula le.

One of Manna Dey’s best songs-Sur na saje , loosely based on raag Pilu, shows what great music SJ created in this film. Shailendra captures the character’s pain in just few lines:

Donon Jahan mujhse roothe

Tere bina yeh geet bhi jhoote

Jalte gaya Jeevan mere

Is raat ka na hogaa saveraa

Sangeet man ko pankh lagake

Geeton se rimjhim ras barsaye

Swar ki sadhana parameshwar ki….

What more tribute can one give to music other than saying, swar ki sadhana parmeshwar ki…one attains salvation by practicing music. Conveying profound philosophy in simple words that a lay man can understand was the greatness  of Shailendra.

Rafi had only two songs out of the total nine songs in this film. But he steals the show with just those two -Badi der bhayee and Duniya na bhaye mohen. In all the songs of Basant Bahar, we can hear a totally different style of SJ, with strong classical base and less of their usual orchestration.  

8.Shree 420/1955/Ramayaa vastavaya/Shailendra/Rafi, Mukesh, Lata

 Pyaar hua ekrar hua hai/Shailendra/Lata & Manna

Shree 420 , like any other RK films of those times had fabulous music and the Ramayya Vastavayya song is still popular not only in the northern part of India but even in the South. Triad of Rafi, Lata & Mukesh with a strong folk-based tune and starting with  Telugu words ( Shankar’s contribution!!) and Shailendra’s evergreen lines and not to forget the evocative singing by all the three legends-what more is needed?

Pyaar hua ekraar hua hai always comes at the top of any old romantic song album. It is really Shankar’s genius to have made Manna Dey sing an eternal romantic duet, usually stereotyped for singing only classical raag based songs.

The swift violins that play after the humming of Manna Dey & Lata, the interludes with accordion, violins, flutes are vintage SJ style.

9. Aawara/1951/ Aawara hoon/Shailendra/Mukesh

Ghar aaya mera pardesi /Shailendra/Lata

If we talked about Ramayya Vastavayya being a pan-India song, Awaraa hoon is an international song, even finding a mention in the novel “ Cancer Ward” written by the Nobel laurate Alexander Solzhenitsyn and is popular  in Russia, Middle East etc. Once, in an interview the famous Pyarelal of Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo commented that we can define SJ’s music by that small harmonium piece that plays immediately after Mukesh singing ‘Awara hoon’. Without that piece one cannot imagine that song! That is the quintessential SJ. The title music of this film that has this song played instrumentally is a sheer delight to listen to.

Ghar aaya mera pardesi is a mandolin-dholak delight and what a great orchestration at the later part of the song!

10. Halaku/1956/ Aaja ke intezaar mein/ Shailendra/ Lata & Rafi

 Dil ka na karna aetbaar koi/Shailendra/Lata & Rafi

In films like Halaku, SJ proved that even outside the RK banner and even for lesser-known banners/actors, they can produce the same magic. In fact, I would go one step further and say some of their non RK film songs were even better!! The two duets from this film are text book songs for someone studying film music orchestration. The dholak beats and mandolin in the song Dil ka na karna aitbaar would make even a stone come to life and start dancing!!! Sebastian D’ Souza and Dattaram must be equally complimented along with SJ.

11. Kathputli/1957/Bol ri kathputli dori/Shailendra/Lata/

 Manzil wahi hai pyaar ke/Shailendra/ Subir Sen

One of my very favorite SJ-Lata songs is ‘Bol ri kathputli dori’. A very simple tune but what a great magic they weaved within that and fabulous singing by Lata and even more fabulous dancing by Vyjantimala. Normally I always like to listen to the songs and very rarely like to watch them,  but this one song is a treat to watch just for the simplicity of picturization and great dancing.

SJ are to be credited for bringing to Hindi film music, the singer Subir Sen from Bengal. Many would think this song , Manzil wahi hai pyaar ki rahi badal gaye was sung by Hemant Kumar as he sounds so similar to him. As usual, the orchestration with great piano interludes of SJ make this a sweet song.

12. Love Marriage/1959/Dheere Dheere chal chand gagan/Hasrat/Lata & Rafi. Only the magicians SJ can think of composing such a fast number with the words “ Dheere Dheere chal”. Though the hero is asking the moon to travel slowly across the sky , there is nothing slow in this song. The super-fast, bullet train speed of this song makes it an eternal romantic number. With the great legends Rafi and Lata going hand in hand, we can only close our eyes and enjoy this.

13. Chori Chori/1956/Yeh raat bheegi bheegi/Shailendra/Manna & Lata/

Aaja sanam Madhur chandini /Hasrat/Manna & Lata/

Jahan mein jaati hoon/Shailendra/Manna & Lata

Rasik balma/Hasrat/Lata

It is impossible to select one or even 2-3 songs from  the blockbuster musical  film,Chori chori . If Shankar & Shailendra gave Yeh raat bheegi, Jaikishan and Hasrat gave Aaja Sanam madhur chandini. Every song is so fresh to listen to even today.

Apart from the three evergreen duets, Rasik balmaa is a raag Shudh Kalyan based classic number from SJ , with Lata singing it in her own exquisite style. Sitar & violins complement the song so well in the interludes.

14.Junglee/1961/Chahe koi mujhe jungle kahe/Shailendra/Rafi

Ehsaan tera hoga mujh par/Hasrat/Rafi

The song that gave both Shammi Kapoor and Rafi a jazzy style. The last line in the song “ Mein yahan se wahan, jaise yeh aasman” could be attributed to SJ, Shailendra and Rafi as during the 60’s they were simply ruling the musical world.

From a boisterous ‘yahoo’ to a sober Ehsaan tera hogaa mujh par…what a range SJ  had composed. Oozing with romance, Hasrat ‘s mastery in these types of songs  is in full flow.

Chahe bana do, chahe mitha do

Mar bhi gaye toh , denge duaen

Ud ud ke kahegi khaak sanam

Yeh dard-e-mohabbat sehne do

Mujhe tumse mohabbat ho gayee hai

Mujhe palkon ki chhaon mein rehne do

15. Love in Tokyo /1966/Aaja Re Aaa Zara, Leharake aa zara/Hasrat/Rafi

A somewhat difficult song and a rare example of Rafi singing almost with a false voice and in a vibrato. The piano and violins are amazing in this.  SJ were really pioneers in composing tunes with a western touch.

16. Jish Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai/1960/Aa ab laut chalen/Shailendra/Mukesh & Lata

 O basanti pawan paagal/Shailendra/Lata

The song Aa ab laut chalen is said to have been recorded with one of the largest ever orchestra for that time, with some 60 violins, 12 cellos, 4 double bass, 2 mandolins, 12 rhythm instruments, 2 sitars, 10 brass trumpets, etc and with a huge chorus of 60 odd singers!! SJ were truly  had a grand style.

The way Lata takes the high pitched—aaa jaaa re…is phenomenal.

If Aa ab laut chalen was a power packed song, the next one that I can mention in this list is the evergreen O basanti pawan paagal na jaa re na jaa. Set in the Basant Mukhari raag , the Tabla rhythm  in rupak taal makes this a classic one, with Lata again reaching the high octaves in the lines “ roko koi….”

17. Sangam/1964/Yeh Mera Prem Patra padkar/Hasrat/Rafi & Lata

Rafi mostly used to get one song in all the earlier RK films  and in Sangam that one song turned out to be a masterpiece. Though other songs like Dost dost na raha , Bol radha bol sangam, Oh Mehbooba are also good songs, but Yeh mera prem patra turned out to be a real masterpiece. Most of us might have listened to this thousand times but one can  never get bored. A magical composition but at the same time, tragically , became a bitter issue between Shankar & Jaikishan when Jai, by revealing he had composed it , broke their long unwritten pact not to reveal who composed which song.

18. Raat Aur Din/1967/Aawara ai mere dil jaane/Shailendra/Lata

Very rarely we get to listen to Lata singing a song of this type and whenever she does, she does it with style. A fast-paced jazzy club dance song and Lata excels in elaborating the word ‘Awaara’ in many ways. There are two versions of this song: fast and slow with same lyrics. The main character in this movie ( Nargis playing her last film and also getting a national award for best acting) has a split personality syndrome and the way SJ had composed both these version shows their immense talent. The sad version uses the chorus so nicely and the fast one the typical orchestration of SJ.

Raat aur Din had many other great songs and as with most of the SJ’s films, it is impossible to select one or two songs:  Raat aur din diya jale ( sung by Mukesh and Lata separately) , Duet of Manna Dey & Lata-Dil ki girah khol do, Rafi’s only song Phool sa chehra , chaand si rangat, Lata’s other solos like Na chedo kal ke afsaane,Jeena Humko raas na aaya. Also, a very rare , may be the only one, Bhupinder singing for SJ –Jagat mein koi na tera mera is a totally forgotten song. I came across this only while researching for this blog. Only SJ could make even Bhupinder sing at such a high pitch!

19. Gumnaam/1965/Jaan pehchan ho/Shailendra/Rafi

This Hindi film song became so popular in  western countries but  strangely remained neglected in our own country. This was taken for the Hollywood film Ghost World in the titles, a commercial ad for the beer brand Heineken and was also performed by many other music bands in US & Europe. SJ-Shailendra-Rafi became international but it was all after these three legends had long departed from this world, never to see their great creation becoming so popular. The sheer pace of this song is so contagious that one would feel like getting up and dancing to the tune. Choreographed and picturized on the famous choreographer Herman Benjamin and brilliantly danced by Laxmi Chhaya, this is a song that one can never get bored of. SJ’s name will remain etched in golden letters with this one song. I really wish the radio; TV channels come out of their ignorant slumber and play this song. Till this day, I have never heard this song in any radio or TV shows and could watch it only in YouTube.

20. Mera Naam Joker/1970/Jaane kahan gaye who din/Hasrat/Mukesh

Everyone must be aware that Raj Kapoor’s magnum opus Mera Naam Joker flopped commercially at the time of release but personally for me the music of Mera Naam Joker was one of best from SJ, especially the back ground music. I do not know how far this is true but it is said that at the time of MNJ , SJ were not in the best of their friendship and composed the songs totally independently, but let us ignore that and look at the songs they composed-most of them were superb. As such the film was so lengthy that few songs like Rafi’s best heer, Sadque heer tujhpe hum fakeer were cut out from the film. As this film took almost 6 years in the making, Shailendra passed away in 1966 having written only the few lines  of Jeena yahan , marna yahan leaving the rest of the task to his son Shaili Shailendra to complete the same. What prophetic lines that he wrote for his father-

Kal khel mein hum ho na ho

Gardish mein tare rahenge sada

Bhooluge tum, bhoolenge who

Par hum tumhare rahenge sada…

Rahengi yahin apni Nishan

Iske siva jaana kahaan….

Two songs from this film were written by Neeraj-Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo and Kehta hai joker sara zamana and one-Sadqe heer tujhpe was written by Prem Dhawan Rest of all the songs  were  written by Shailendra and Hasrat.

Set in the raag Mishr Shivaranjani, Jaane kahan gaye who din is one of the most poignant songs from the team of SJ & Mukesh. The violins in the song are so much in synchronization with the mood of the song. Usually, one would associate Shailendra with such philosophical songs  but surprisingly  it was written by Hasrat. One of the most difficult tasks for any music buff is to identify  whether it is a Shailendra/ Hasrat song  just by listening to the song and not referring any source. Many a times we will fail!

21. Asli Naqli/1962/Kal ki Daulat/Shailendra/Rafi

Tera mera pyaar amar/Shailendra/Lata

Both the songs from the film Asli Naqli mentioned  are outstanding. The breathtaking speed of the interlude music in “Kal ki Daulat, aaj ki khushiyan” and the very soothing waltz rhythm synchronized so beautifully with the counter melody in the “Tera Mera pyaar amar “ are special touches of SJ.

22. Amrapaali/1966/Tumhen yaad karte karte/Shailendra/Lata

Somewhat like Basant Bahar, the music of Amrapali was more classical based. Except for the song “Nach gaao nacho” for which SJ did a unique experiment of using no lead singer and only the chorus, all the songs of this movie were sung by Lata. Tadap yeh din raat ki, Jaao Re Jogi tum jaao re, Neel gagan ki chhaon mein and the last Tumhe yaad karte all were great songs. Unlike many of SJ’s songs, the Tumhen yaad karte song has minimum orchestration and Lata had sung it with so much of sensual softness.

The predicament of guessing the lyricist continues; one would normally think these romantic lines would be Hasrat’s, but they are written by Shailendra!

Biraha ki is chita se tum hi mujhe nikaalo

Jo tum na aa sako to mujhe swapn mein bula lo

Mujhe aise mat jalaao, meri preet hai kunwaari

Tum le gayo apne sang neend bhi hamaari

23. Andaaz/1971/Zindagi ek safar hai suhana/Hasrat/Kishore

After the demise of Jaikishan, Shankar individually composed many good songs for Kishore but if one has to pick the best, it would be without any doubt this super-duper hit from Andaaz. The yodeling done by Kishore in this song of SJ became a sort of definition of Kishore’s style of singing and to this day remains as popular as ever. The prelude of the song is also amazing.

24. Ek Dil Aur Sau Afsane/1963/Kuch sher sunata hoon mein/Hasrat/Mukesh

In some of the songs, Mukesh excels so well that one can just keep listening again and again. Kuch sher sunata hoon is one such a song, which seems to be a composition just tailor-made for Mukesh. The way he starts off from his trademark low octave , being one of the very few singers who were adept in handling the lower octaves, and goes on to the higher notes  is simply excellent.

Only an incorrigible romantic at heart , Hasrat , can think of lines like “ makhmal pe tum chalo toh chile paaon gulbadan”.

25. Teesri Kasam/1966/All songs listed below

Whenever I listen to the songs of the film Teesri Kasam, there is always a mixed emotion. The music of this film remains one of SJ’s best, but then it is so sad to know that Shailendra’s decision to produce  this film ruined him financially  and ultimately made him so depressed that he departed from us at such a young age.

Rather than selecting one or two songs, I am mentioning all the songs of the film-that could be the best tribute to this great poet and also the other three of this great quartet.

Of the nine songs, Duniya bananewale and Mare gaye gulfaam were written by Hasrat and rest all by Shailendra.

Aa Aa Bhi Jaa/Shailendra/Lata

Chalat Musafir/Shailendra/Manna Dey

Duniya Bananewale/Hasrat/Mukesh

Haye Ghazab Kahin Tara Toota/Shailendra/Asha

Maare Gaye Gulfaam/Hasrat/Lata

Paan Khaaye Saiyaan Hamaaro/Shailendra/Asha

Sajanwa Bairi Ho Gaye Hamaar/Shailendra/Mukesh

Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo/Shailendra/Mukesh

Lali Doliya Mein Lali Re/Shailendra/Asha

Each one of the above songs are a testimony to the great talent these four had and I think the best way to conclude is with this immortal album.

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

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

1. You Tube
2. Wikipedia
3. www.shankarjaikishan.org
4. Yesterday’s Melodies Today’s Memories book by Mr. Manek Premchand

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.

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It is almost 98 years since he was born and 42 years since he left us. A man who spoke very rarely and let only his art  speak for himself. You have to struggle to hear him whenever he spoke ( he gave just 2-3 interviews in his lifetime and that too so reluctantly!) but when he was in front of the microphone , he was a totally different person.  He would roar, whisper, elaborate the same  word or phrase in so many ways within a song, mould his voice according to the person on screen and the emotion of the song…one can go on describing  him. The very fact even after 42 years since he left us ,   he is still  remembered,  loved by millions across the globe and hundreds of programs are conducted across the country every 24^th Dec and 31^st July shows what a great legend he is . The one and only Mohammad Rafi-the man who defined play back singing & created such a unique space for himself in the Hindi film music world  which  no one could ever fill in since his departure .

If we have to write about him and his songs, there are so many topics and it is really difficult to choose as to what should be the best way to pay a tribute to him on his 42^nd anniversary. There are hundreds of articles or blogs about him in today’s Internet savvy world. Although it looks to be a difficult task to write something new about Rafi, the great legacy  that he has left behind  , always helps us to write something new as a tribute to him.

I started this blog on  his birth anniversary of Rafi on 24^th Dec 2021, writing about some of the extra-ordinary songs of Rafi . For this tribute on 31^st July, 2022 let me just recall few random  songs that come to my mind. Few of them might be very popular but most of them would be less-heard ones. This is just a spontaneous selection of whatever song came to my mind , without any particular theme.

1. Jab bhi yeh dil udaas hota hai ; Film- Seema(1971) ; Music- Shankar Jaikishan; Lyrics-Gulzar.

Gulzar and Shankar-Jaikishan—a very rare combination indeed…might be their only song together. But the lines seem so apt to start this blog . It is as if written for the Rafi fans to remember him and sing…

Jab bhi yeh dil udaas hota hai..

Jaane kaun aas paas hota hai….

Yes Rafi sahab-you are always so close to us! A melodious  tune by the evergreen  S-J with their typical orchestration.

2. Unke khayal aaye to aate chale gaye; Film-Lal Pathhar(1971); Music- Shankar Jaikishan ; Lyrics-Hasrat Jaipuri

Somehow this  lesser known song of Rafi always comes to my mind whenever I think of some of his exceptional songs. The way he has carried this song is simply superb, with only two main instruments to accompany– sarangi & tabla played so nicely. A lesser known trivia is that it is picturized on the yesteryear singer G M Durrani , who inspired to some extent on Rafi’s early singing  ( he charted his own path by not following K L Saigal’s style unlike many of his contemporaries). What a great tribute that he could play back for his own idol . It is said that Durrani sahab was in  difficult days financially and the producer of the film gave him this small role to help him.

3. Poch kar ashq apni aankhon se, muskurao to koi baat bane( 1970); Film-Naya Rasta ; Music-N Dutta; Lyrics-Sahir Ludhianvi

This is another rarely heard song . What meaningful lyrics by the great Sahir:
Rang aur nazl, zaat aur mazhab

Jo bhi ho aadmi se kam tar hai

Jo bhi ho aadmi se kam tar hai

Is haqeeqat ko tum bhi meri tarah

Maan jaao toh koi baat bane

Sar jhukaane se kuch nahin hota

Sar uthao , toh koi baat bane

N Dutta and Sahir were a fabulous team with Rafi giving full life to the immortal lines of Sahir.

4. Mujhe ishq hai tujhi se , meri jaan zindagani; Film-Ummeed (1971); Music- Ravi; Lyrics- Shakeel Badyuni

Ravi & Rafi-–just a letter different in the way their names are spelt-maybe that made them so close to each other and whenever they gave a song together , it was just sheer magic. A scintillating composition by Ravi and Rafi sings it in his inimitable style.

Tere husn ne dikhaayee

Mujhe bekhudi ki raahen

Yeh haseen lab nasheele

Yeh jhuki nigahen

The way he adds his special touch  in the word  “bekhudi”, and in the phrase  “haseen lab nasheele”…no one can match that. Sheer delight for Rafi fans.

5. Dil ka soona saaz tarana dhoondega; Film- Ek Nari Do Roop( 1973)            Music-Ganesh- Lyrics-Asad Bhopali

Ganesh , the talented but unrecognized & under-utilized younger brother of Pyarelal Sharma ( of the famous duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal) ,  composed some  evergreen melodies and this is surely one of them.

We should also thank the lyricist Asad Bhopali for the prophetic lines that seem to be  perfectly written  for Rafi sahab.

“ Mujhko mere baad, zamaana dhoondegaa”

“ Waqt mere geeton ka Khazana dhoondegaa”

One interesting point I observed is that the first 5 songs I had randomly selected are all from the post 1969 period which many say was Rafi’s lean time but personally I never subscribe to that theory. It is a fact that he had lesser number of songs after the Aradhana wave but the quality of his songs never ever went down. It is a well-known fact that he had a grand come-back ( very few artists had ever made such a comeback after having taken a dip in their career) and in the year,  he passed away – 1980, he was the busiest singer once again!

6. Apni to har aah ek toofan hai;  Film-Kala Bazaar ( 1960); Music-S D Burman; Lyrics-Shailendra

With a simple tune and just a guitar , saxophone & flute to accompany, Rafi takes this song to a different level with his masterly rendition. Shailendra gives that tongue-in-cheek twist with the lines “ Uparwaala jaankar , anjaan hai” conveying a literal and a figurative interpretation for the “uparwaala” ( the scene has the heroine Waheeda Rehman in the upper berth of train coach and Dev Anand sitting below and singing). In his typical style , Rafi elaborates the word “ uparwaala” so beautifully to convey this double interpretation. At the end , Rafi makes the hearts of millions of his admirers happy by that added punch in “ jaaaankar”. Even if you just close your eyes and listen to this song, it will sound as if Dev Anand himself is singing.

7. Tu bemisaal hai teri tareef kya karoon; Film -Bramhachari ( 1968)-deleted in the film ; Music -Shankar Jaikishan; Lyrics-Hasrat Jaipuri

Till the time of writing this blog, even a hard-core Rafi  & Shankar Jaikishan fan like me never knew this song was deleted from the film Bramhachari, although I had listened to this many times in radio. Couldn’t understand why this gem of a song was deleted from the movie! It has all the essential elements of a typical Shammi-Rafi-SJ-Hasrat combination.

8. Yeh mera prem patra padkar ; Film-Sangam ( 1964); Music-Shankar Jaikishan-Lyrics-Hasrat Jaipuri

This song will always be in any listing of top 10 songs of Rafi. The song unfortunately became a bone of contention between Shankar & Jaikishan when the latter unwittingly revealed that it was his composition and thus breaking their unwritten pact of years that they will never say which song was composed by whom. But let us forget that and keep enjoying this song a million times ; we will never get bored. The way Rafi does a breathtaking “ agar mar jaaaon rooh bhatkegi tere intezaar mein..intezaar mein is something every play back singer can only dream of.

9. Yaad na jaaye beete dinon ki; Film-Dil Ek Mandir (1963); Music-Shankar Jaikishan; Lyrics-Shailendra

One more masterpiece from the team of Rafi-SJ-Shailendra. Each and every line of this song sounds so good . One can understand why Rafi’s songs are so liked and listened to again and again from songs like this. They touch your  soul directly . Note the way he finishes the line” Dil kyun bulaye”.

10. Mein kab gaata , mere swar mein pyaar kisi ka gaata hai; Non-Film Song; Music- Shyam Sundar/ Shyam Sagar(??) ; Lyrics-???

I don’t think there can be any other song more apt than this simple , lesser-known , non- film song to end this blog. As the cliché goes, the greatest things in this world are the simplest. An obscure composer, an unknown lyricist ( I tried my best to search for the lyricist but couldn’t) but what a simple but great song! And then we have Rafi rendering this song which can be said to be a thumb-nail autobiographical sketch. I am giving the entire lyrics and I am sure everyone would agree why I say this song explains Rafi’s life as best as it can-especially the second antara.

Main kab gata
Mere swar mein
Pyaar kisi ka, gaata hai..
Pyaar kisi ka, gaata hai
Yaad kisi ki jab aati ek
Naya geet ban, jata hai..
Pyaar kisi ka gaata hai


Jab le thandi, saansen koi
Ye purwayya lehraye
Antar se jab, dhuaan uthe to
Ambar par Baadal chhaye
Aansoo ki boondon me koi
Chhand, naye barsata hai..
Pyar kisi ka gaata hai

Mere pass, nahi kuchh apna
Jo hai sabhi paraya hai
Mera tann mann
Mera jeevan
Kisi aur ki chhaya hai
Main to hoon ek taar, chhed Kar
Koi mujhe, bajaata hai..
Pyar kisi ka, gaata hai
Yaad kisi ki, jab aati ek
Nayaa geet ban, jata hai..
Pyaar kisi ka, gaata hai

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.

Roshan Lal Nagarath    : Birth-14^th July 1917 , Death-16^th Nov 1967

Sahir Ludhianvi   : Birth-8^th Mar 1921 , Death-25^th Oct 1980

You may  wonder how a music director-lyricist duo  that had worked for just around seven films together can be considered in this series of blogs on ‘  made for each other’ composer-lyricist combinations. But that is the speciality of Roshan & Sahir! They said so much with so little! Once you read about their songs, I am sure you will agree.

It was only in the 60’s ,  almost 11-12 years of beginning their respective careers in Hindi Film Music ( HFM) , these two giants, Roshan Lal Nagarath & Sahir Ludhianvi ( born as Abdul Hayee )  started working together. Among all the legendary music directors of the golden era , only Roshan had a successful next generation in the film industry. His son Rakesh Roshan-actor, producer, director  & Rajesh Roshan -another successful music director  followed by  grandson Hrithik Roshan ( needs no introduction to current generation!) are all quite famous. But  Roshan Lal Nagarath  remained mostly unknown outside the serious music lovers group.

Roshan Lal Nagarath:

Born on 14th July, 1917 in Gujranwala, Punjab Province, British India, Roshan Lal Nagarath got trained in Sarod  at a young age under the guidance of Allauddin Khan, the renowned sarod player from Maihar. In 1940, Khawaja Khurshid Anwar, programme producer/music, All India Radio Delhi, hired Roshan as staff artist for esraj, a string instrument he used to play. He gave up this job in 1948 to seek fame and fortune in Bombay. It was the famous producer-director-lyricist Kidar Sharma who gave Roshan his first break as an independent composer with the film Neki Aur Badi ( 1949). That film flopped , but Kidar Sharma didn’t lose heart and gave him one more chance with Banware Nain in 1950, which became a musical hit. The songs Sun bairi balam , sach bol re, Khayalon mein kisi ke isi tarah aaya from this film are popular to this day.

In a career spanning just around 18 years, till a heart attack snatched him away , he had composed music for around 55 films numbering approximately 450 songs. The initial eleven years , with around 35 films were by and large not very successful and it was only in the decade of  1960’s  his music became well known . Big banners with big stars  were still a rarity for him but the music he gave during this period was simply outstanding. May be a coincidence or should I say a cause & effect, it was during this period two other legends got associated with him : Lyricist -Sahir Ludhianvi  and singer- Rafi.  The years  1960-68 remains his most creative period ,  till his last film Anokhi Raat in 1968 that was released posthumously. The songs that I have selected  in this blog are just 15 , but each one of them is a class apart. Of course his other successful collaboration with Kidar Sharma, Majrooh Sultanpuri , Anand Bakshi  , Indeevar also gave us so many memorable songs. Both Anand Bakshi & Indeevar owe their initial success to Roshan’s compositions and later on went to become very prolific and successful lyricists.

His style of composition  was a combination of  Hindustani classical music and folk music. One greatest achievement for him was being known as the undisputed              “ King of Qawwalis” in HFM. The qawwalis composed by him are truly masterpieces. No one could beat him in this genre . Brilliant change of tempo in the midst of a song, lilting flute interludes, the “pause & start” during the song are some of the signature styles of Roshan’s composition. Raag Yaman Kalyan was his most favourite and in spite of so many of his songs based on it, each one sounds different!. He was one of the few composers who could understand the lyrical depth of a  song and hence composed the tune in such a way that the music never over-powered the lyrics , but instead enhanced the beauty of the song to the maximum. One more unique quality of Roshan was that he was by and large a “ singer-neutral” composer, i.e. unlike many of his contemporaries who had their own “ favourite” singers, he worked with many singers like Mukesh, Talat, Rafi, Manna Dey, Lata , Asha and even relatively lesser known singers like Suman Kalyanpur, Sudha Malhotra, Rajkumari etc. And gave them their career best songs. Roshan got his sole Filmfare award for best music direction in 1964 for the film Taj Mahal, although he deserved much more.

Sahir Ludhianvi:

Whenever we take names of the topmost lyricists of HFM , Sahir’s name will always be at the top, sort of a superstar among lyricists. He was the person who made All India Radio announce the lyricist of a song in their programs and also insisted that he may be paid Re 1 more than Lata Mangeshkar just to prove a point that a lyricist is more valuable for  a good song. Of course his rebellious nature had been his drawback also like it happens with many such great artists. His serious differences with Sachin Dev Burman after the immense success of Pyasa broke their long & very fruitful partnership of more than a decade ( supposedly on who should take the credit for the success).

Born as Abdul Hayee in Ludhiana in a wealthy , landlord family , he had a troubled childhood with his father leaving his mother and marrying another woman. His mother had to fight for keeping the custody of the young Sahir with herself . Somehow she could manage that and Sahir completed his education at the Khalsa High School and Government College, Ludhiana. Later on, after settling down at Lahore he published his first work titled “ Talkhiyaan”( meaning: Bitterness), in the year 1945. After the partition of India he came to Mumbai and got to compose lyrics for a 1949 film called Azaadi Ki Raah Par which went without a whimper. His association with SD Burman started with the film Naujawan and Baazi, with the Guru Dutt film Baazi gaining the much desired and deserved popularity. Their association would then go on to give many successful films till Pyaasa which was their last one. Sahir also worked a lot with other composers like Ravi, Roshan, N Dutta , Khayyam and even  with later day composers like Laxmikant -Pyarelal and R D Burman.

Sahir, like his other contemporaries  Shailendra, Kaifi Azmi, Majrooh belonged to that group of poets who can be called as ‘revolutionary’ and always showed a mirror to the society about its ills and injustices. Romance was not that much of a priority for him but of course , whenever he wrote on romance it was again the best. Incidentally ,  Sahir also got his first film-fare award for best lyrics for “Taj Mahal” film and also later on  for “Kabhie Kabhie”  in 1977 ( music was by Khyyam).

Let us now look at some of the fabulous songs created by these two genius artists. As the 15 songs in the listing are from  just 7 films, I have organised them film-wise. Singer/ singers are mentioned in brackets.

Film #1 -Babar-1960

1. Tum Ek Baar Mohabbat Ka Imtihaan To Lo  ( Rafi)

This was the  first collaboration of Roshan and Sahir. Supposed to be a love letter from the Mughal emperor Babar to his lover,  Sahir makes the hero plead to the heroine for testing his love. So melodiously tuned by Roshan and soulfully rendered by Rafi . Roshan was always known for using mostly Indian instruments only in his songs and in this song there is an excellent  use of sarangi, sitar & jalatarang . Very rarely we see extensive western style orchestration in his songs. My very limited knowledge of Urdu always made me search for the meaning whenever I listen to Sahir’s songs. A glimpse of his exquisite mastery over that language:

Salaam-E-Shauq pe ranjish bhara payyam na do

Mere Khloos ko Hirs-o-hawas ka naam na do

Mere wafa ki haqeeqat ka imtihaan to lo

Tum Ek baar mohobbat ka imtihaan to lo

Don’t treat my salutation of desire as a grievance

Don’t call  my sincere love  as imitation and lust

At least test my loyalty and my sincerity

For once , at least test my love…

2. Salaam-E-Hasrat Qabool Kar Loo  ( Sudha Malhotra)

One of Sudha Malhotra’s best songs, for whom it is said that Sahir had composed many beautiful songs . With Roshan as ever  giving importance to the lyrics’ beauty and  keeping the orchestration embellishment to the bare minimum, we can only hear the soulful voice of Sudha Malhotra and a faint sarangi and tabla to keep the rhythm.  Sample of few lines from the pen of Sahir given here will give you a fair idea of the beauty of the song’s lyrics:

Udaas nazren tadap kar
tumhaare jalwon ko dhoondhti hain
jo khwaab ki tarah kho gaye
un haseen lamhon ko dhoondhti hain

agar na ho naa gawaar tumko
to ye shiqaayat qabool kar lo
salaam-e-hasrat qabool kar lo

Film #2 -Barsat Ki Raat-1960

3. Maine Shayad Tumhe Pehle Bhi   (Rafi)

 Barsat Ki Raat was the magnum-opus of Roshan-Sahir duo. Totally there are nine  songs in this film and I have selected just four  from them. Maine shayad tumhe is a sweet, romantic melody , and in this song also the orchestration , interludes are minimal. The sweetness  of Sahir’s lines and Rafi’s magical singing are enough. It must have been with great magnanimity that Sahir says ” Mere sheron se bhi tum, mujhko haseen lagti ho”!!!

4. Na Toh Caarvan Ki Talash Hai/Yeh Ishq Ishq Hai  -in 2 parts ( Manna Dey, SD Batish, Asha Bhosle and Sudha Malhotra & Rafi)

This is the “mother”  or as some even call “grandmother” of all qawwalis. When Roshan returned home after a marathon session of around 24 hours at a stretch for recording this song, he said to his wife that he is returning after having composed a 12 minute qawwali. His wife’s reaction was apparently, ‘who is going to listen to such a long song?’.  She was very much mistaken and even if we listen to it hundred times, one cannot have enough.  In fact one can write a separate blog on this song alone. The film Barsat Ki Raat is about two lovers Shabnam ( played by Madhubala) and Amaan Hyderabadi ( played by Bharat Bhushan) with qawwali competitions centred around their story.

There are totally three qawwali based songs in this film, the other two being:

“Ji Chahta Hai Chum Loon Teri Nazar Ko Main”

“Nigah-e-Naaz Ke Maaron Ka Haal Kya Hoga”

It is with this marathon qawwali  “ Na to caravan ki talash hai “ and Yeh Ishq hai ishq ish” that are picturized in sequence ,  the film culminates with the reunion of the hero and heroine after a long and painful separation.

Starting off as a usual qawwali that talks  about human longing for love  , Sahir then proceeds in a philosophical mode about love , deriving many tales from the ancient Indian epics and ends with a Sufi’s yearning for the Divine love . And at each milestone change in the mood and tone of the lyrics, Roshan’s exceptional music sense , the great singing by Manna Dey, S D Batish, Asha , Sudha Malhotra and the inimitable Rafi take us through an unforgettable journey.

At the beginning there is almost a 50 second prelude music with sarangi , sitar , dholak, harmonium , followed by a Manna da’s alaap setting the tone:

Na to kaarwan ki talaash hai
Na to humsafar ki talaash hai
Mere shauq-e-khaana kharaab ko
Teri rehguzar ki talaash hai

After a two and a half minute elaboration  by Manna da, Asha starts off with “ Mere na-muraad junoon ka hai ilaaj koi to maut hai
Jo davaa ke naam pe zeher de ussi chaaragar ki talaash hai”

Well into three and a half minutes, there is a  rejoinder by Manna Da & S D Batish that gradually changes the tempo of the song with a new mukhda or sthayee ( a line that keeps coming again and again in a song):

Tera ishq hai meri aarzoo, Tera Ishq hai meri aabroo

Dil Ishq hai, jism ishq hai, aur jaan ishq hai

Imaan ki jo pocho to imaan ishq hai

Tera Ishq hai meri aabroo

Tera ishq main kaise chod doon, meri umr bhar ki talaash hai

Tera ishq mein kaise….ishq ishq….ishq…

Now the  tempo of the song increases  , and the next part  starts with the chorus continuing the ‘sthayee’ yeh ishq hai , ishq, yeh ishq..

And then Rafi makes his grand entry with his alaap in a mesmerizing way that it appears as if everyone else becomes silent. In fact, I remember having heard once in an interview Manna da himself saying that during the recording, after listening to Rafi’s voice , he forgot his own lines !

Vehshat-e-dil rasn-o-daar se roki na gayi
Kisi khanjar, kisi talvaar se roki na gayi
Ishq Majnu ki woh aawaz hai jiske aage
Koi Laila kisi deewaar se roki na gayi,

Now comes the special Sahir’s touch. At the beginning  remember he wrote:

“Dil Ishq hai, jism ishq hai, aur jaan ishq hai ,  imaan ki jo pocho to imaan ishq hai”

whereas now he says:

Woh hans ke agar maangen to hum jaan bhi de

Yeh jaan to kya cheez hai, imaan bhi de

Kyonki yeh ishq hai…

Thus placing Ishq , i.e. love as even higher than faith.

Rafi keeps up the tempo with some superlative play of words by Sahir :

Naaz-o-andaaz se kehten hai ke jeena hoga

Zehar bhi deten hai to kehte hai ke peena hoga

Jab mein peeta hun to kehte hain ke marta bhi nahin

Jab mein marte hoon to kehte hain ke jeena hoga

Like how a painter or sculptor keeps adding touches of brush or chisels away, Sahir & Roshan keep improvising the words and also the tune with further description of Ishq:

Mazhab-E-Ishq ki har rasm kadi hoti hai

Har kadam par koi deewar kadi hoti hai

Ishq azad hai, Hindu Na Musalman hai ishq,
Aap hi dharm hai aur aap hi imaan hai ishq
Jis se aaga nahi shaikh-o-barhaman dono,
Us haqeeqat ka garajtaa hua ailaan hai ishq

Note the variations in the way Roshan had composed  the above lines and Rafi giving that punch  on “ garjataaaaa hua”…

Sahir now adds  another dimension to the song…he switches to Punjabi with  Sudha Malhotra singing these with so much of fervor:

Ishq n puchhe ,din dharam nu , ishq n puchhe jataan

Ishq da hathhon garam lahu wich dubayeen lakh baraatan

(Meaning: Love does not ask your religion or creed, love does not ask your social class or caste,

Love has drowned thousands of wedding revellers in its fiery blood)

From now the journey that the fabulous team of Roshan and Sahir take us through the “ bahut kathin dagar panghat ki”…how difficult the journey of life is..playing upon this theme with the words “dagar panghat ki ” and also later on “ laaj raakho more ghoonghat pat ki…”

And now is  the final part of the song in which Sahir derives inspiration from the struggles of the women characters in Indian epics & folk tales – – from Laila-Majnu to Radha, King Janak’s daughter  Sita and Meera, all strong women who  stood up for their own  rules and dharam . Before handing over the baton to Rafi, Manna Da does an intricate alaap here.

Each and every word in the final part of the song is a masterpiece that no one can ever match in the film history-Never in the past nor in future:

Jab jab Krishn ki bansi baaji,
Nikali Raadhaa saj ke

Jaan ajaan ka dhyaan bhulaa ke,

Lok laaj ko taj ke
Haaye ban ban Doli Janak dulaari,
Pehenke prem ki maalaa
Darshan jal ki pyaasi Meera
Pii gayii vishh ka pyaalaa aur phir araj kari
Ke laaj raakho raakho raakho, laaj raakho dekho dekho,
Yeh ishq ishq hai, ishq ishq, yeh ishq ishq hai, ishq ishq

Allah rasool ka farmaan ishq hai
Yaanii Hadith ishq hai, Quraan ishq hai
Gautam kaa aur Maseehaa kaa armaan ishq hai
Yeh kaayanaat jism hai aur jaan ishq hai
Ishq sarmad, ishq hii mansoor hai
Ishq Moosa, ishq Koh-e-Toor hai
Khaaq ko but, aur but ko devtaa karta hai ishq
Intahaa yeh hai ke bande ko khuda karta hai ishq
Haan yeh ishq ishq hai, ishq ishq, yeh ishq ishq hai, ishq ishq

Whenever  Krishna played his flute, Radha emerged, dressed up
Forgetting all that she was taught, she left the honour of society
The darling child of King Janak , i.e. Sita travelled in the forest, wearing the garland of love( i.e. devotion to Rama)

Meera yearning for  a glimpse of her Lord, drank a glass of poison and then pleaded
Protect my honour, protect my honour, protect my honour
This is love, this is love, this is love

The commands of God and Mohammed are love
The teachings of Mohammed are love, the Quraan is love
The wishes of Buddha and Christ are love
This material existence and this life are love
Love is everlasting, love alone is victorious
Love is Moses, love is Mt. Sinai
Love turns clay into idols, and idols into Gods
The ultimate  is that love has the power to turn a man into a revered God

Yes, this is love, this is love, this is love

After listening to this song, one should ideally close the eyes and sit in trance for some time to soak in the beauty….

{I don’t know if I could do even a minuscule justice in writing about this song! }

5. Zindagi Bhar Nahin Bhoolegi Who Barsaat Ki Raat  ( Rafi solo and also duet with Lata)

Continuing with the same film , this is one of the most romantic songs of the Roshan-Sahir-Rafi combination, composed in Roshan’s favourite Yaman Kalyan raag. There are two versions: one solo of Rafi that has four stanzas and a duet of Lata & Rafi that is with just three stanzas.

The solo version starts off with a very subtle humming by Rafi . As he starts singing , there is no other instrument except a faint sarangi ,tanpura,  and tabla to accompany.  In the interludes , Roshan uses a very pleasing sitar , sarangi , with a  jaltarang that plays just after the line “ haye woh reshmi zulfun se barasata paani” that literally gives you a feeling of water dripping from the locks of Madhubala. As much as Sahir was well known for his  very hard hitting , bitter, philosophical poetry, in this song we can see his romantic side as well. The water that dropped from the ‘zulf’ are thirsting to stop at the flower-like neck! ‘phool se gaaalon pe rukne ko tarsta paani ’.

The similes about that “raat “ at the end of each line are too good.

Dil mein toofan uthate huve jazbaat ki raat!

Kabhi dekhi na suni aisi tilismaat (magical) raat

Aag paani mein lagate hue halaat ki raat

And then finally

Aasmanon se utar ayee thee jo raat ki raat ( the night of nights!!)

The duet version starts off with a very beautiful saxophone that replaces the humming of Rafi and with a completely different lyrics , but all describing the ‘raat’ in the heroine’s perspective.

The first two stanzas are by Lata , which she renders in her divine voice with her typical pitch , not losing the melody even a bit.

haay jis raat mere dil ne dhadakna seekha
shokh jazbaat ne seene mein bhadakna seekha
meri taqdeer se nikli wahi ee
meri taqdeer se nikli wahi sadmaat ki raat

dil ne jab pyaar ke rangeen fasaane chhede
aankhon mein wafaaon ke taraane chhede
sog mein doob gayee aaj wo o
sog mein doob gayee aaj wo naghmaat ki raat

Rafi makes his usual grand entry with the third stanza and here after he says ‘ roothnewali’ , there is that ‘signature’ pause of Roshan. Finally concluding with an assurance to the agitated Madhubala that ‘khatm hogi na kabhi tere mere saat ki raat’.

roothne waali meri baat se maayoos na ho
behke se khayaalat se maayoos na ho
khatm hogi na kabhi tere mere ae
khatam hogi na kabhi tere mere saath ki raat.

Golden combination of singing, music and writing.

6. Garjat Barsat Sawan Aayo Re ( Suman Kalyanpur  & Kamal Barot)

The fourth and last song from this movie for this blog. Title song that is based on Roshan’s own earlier composition “ Garjat Barsat Bheejat Aayilo” from the 1951 film Malhar which also , incidentally was a title song.

Composed in Gaud-Malhar raag , this title song sets the tone of the film , for the musical feast that Barsat Ki Raat was. One of Suman’s classic masterpieces , ably assisted by another under recognized singer -Kamal Barot. One interesting piece of information about this song is that the prelude from this , with superb sarod, sarangi & jaltarang was the signature tune of the popular Sangeet Sarita program that used to be aired earlier in Vividh Bharati channel of All India Radio till few years ago.

Film #3 -Dil Hi To Hai-1963

7. Laga Chunri Mein Daag Chupaoon Kaise ( Manna Dey)

The greatness of  Manna Dey was, in spite of getting limited number of songs as compared to the more popular Rafi & Kishore, he used to render immortal songs of such high quality that those songs become a milestone. Even today, in any of the popular musical TV reality shows or even any musical performance on stage , this song is sung as a testimony to the skill of the artist who performs. What a classical mastery by Manna da, with an equally powerful lyrics and composition by the team of Sahir & Roshan who set it in the Raag Bhairavi.

Sahir took  inspiration from Sant Kabir’s poem and composed this great song that has profound philosophical meaning:

Meri Chunri Mein Parrigayo Daag Piya

Paanch Tattv Ki Bani Chunariya

Comparing our birth as a journey from ‘Babul’-God’s creation to ‘ Sasuraal’-the world in which we are born, with a spotless soul ( kori chunariya , aatma mori)  the song uses so many metaphors to convey how we do many wrong deeds ( mail hai mayajaal) and have to wonder how we can face our Creator when we go back to His world ( Babul se nazren milaoon kaise..ghar jaaon kaise).

The last part of the song has one of the best ever semi-classical alaap of Hindi film music , that is an absolute tongue twister, with Manna da singing it so effortlessly . Though many artists  keep trying to sing this in various shows , the original by the legend remains immortal. Roshan had used only Indian classical instruments in the orchestration like Sitar , Sarangi , Jalatarang etc. The crescendo of at the end of the song is something that one can’t’ write about—you just have to listen and get drowned in the magical composition.

I don’t know how many would agree to this-my personal observation is that the picturization of the song is a big let-down. Like many of the Manna Dey’s classical masterpieces getting diluted in a comical picturization , this is one song that is better to listen than to watch.

8. Raaz Ki Baat Hai..Nigahen Milane Ko Jee Chahta Hai  (Asha Bhonsale)

One of Asha’s best ever song in her career , the way she carried this qawwali through is something no one can match. If there was one genre that her more illustrious elder sister couldn’t match , that was qawwali. One more feather in the cap of Roshan-Sahir combo , and unlike the heavy Urdu-laden “ Na to caravan ki talash “ , this one is much easy to understand with Sahir going easy with words.

9. Tum Agar Mujhko Na Chaho To Koi Baat Nahin ( Mukesh)

Though Mukesh & Roshan had very great songs , the former having played a major role in bringing Roshan to the industry, most of those songs were written by other lyricists and hence unfortunately I cannot include in this list. If we see the career of Roshan, the first decade had mostly Mukesh and Talat singing for him. Rafi came very late , almost coinciding with the entry of Sahir into the Roshan camp. As Dil Hi To Hai was a Raj Kapoor starrer, obviously the singer had to be Mukesh , with the exception of Laga Chunri Mein Daag. This film had four  Mukesh solos and two duets. Tuma agar mujhko na chaho to koi baat nahin is a pleasing melody with Mukesh’s typical style of singing for Raj Kapoor. Sahir brings out the character’s possessiveness so beautifully with lines like:

Mere Dil Ko Na Saraho To Koi Baat Nahi

Gair Ke Dil Ko Sarahogi To Mushkil Hogi

Mere Gam Mein Na Karaho  To Koi Baat Nahin

Aur Ke Gam Mein Karaho To Mushkil Hogi

Tum Jo Mujhse Na Nibaho To Koi Baat Nahin

Kisi Dushman Se Nibahogi To Mushkil Hogi

Film #4 -Taj Mahal-1963

10..Jo Baat Tujh Mein Hai Teri Tasveer   ( Rafi)

The film Taj Mahal, at last brought both Roshan & Sahir  a filmfare award. 

Normally Sarangi is an instrument that sounds morose , but to use it so beautifully in a romantic song is the work of a genius. The way Sarangi is played , one can sense that it is almost says in words an affirmation to  Rafi’s Jo Baat Tujh mein hai , teri tasveer mein nahin. What an imaginative use of the instrument.  Classic example of Roshan’s lilting melody , this song always comes among the top for any romantic number.

11. Jurm-E-Ulfat Pe Hume Log Saza  ( Lata)

In my opinion, this is one among  Lata’s topmost songs , and  her Urdu diction is so flawless . With a bare minimum orchestration and few seconds of interlude , Roshan proves that for a great song hundreds of instruments are not needed.  Sahir’s poetry talks about how being in  love is punished and how naïve the society is as they are unwittingly only adding fuel to the fire.

Jurm-e-ulfat pe hamen log sazaa dete hain
kaise naadaan hain, sholon ko havaa dete hain

hamse diivaane kahiin tark-e-vafaa karte hain
jaan jaaye ke rahe, baat nibhaa dete hain

aap daulat ke taraazuu men dilon ko tolen
ham muhabbat se muhabbat ka silaa dete hain

takht kya chiiz hai aur laal-o-javaahar kya hai?
ishqvaale to khudaayii bhii luutaa dete hain

hamne dil de bhii diyaa,  ahad-e-vafaa le bhii liyaa
aap ab shauq se de len jo sazaa dete hain

jurm-e-ulfat pe hamen log sazaa dete hain

Film #5 -Dooj Ka Chand-1964

12. Mehfil Se Uth Jaane Walon Tum Logon Par Kya Ilzam  ( Rafi)

A jilted lover’s drunken lament—who else than Rafi to render it  so soulfully that the actor on screen doesn’t need to emote at all. With that sarcastic laugh that Rafi had made it as his speciality , the lines of Sahir come to life:

Do din tum ne pyaar jataya
Do din tum se mel raha
Achha khasa waqt kata
Aur achha khasa khel raha
Ab us khel ka jikr hi kaisa
Wakt kata aur khel tamam
Mere sathi mere sathi
Mere sathi khali jaam

Film #6 -Chitralekha-1964

13. Man Re Tu Kahe Na Dheer Dhare  ( Rafi)

In an opinion poll conducted by a magazine in 2006 among leading music directors, lyricists and singers , this song was rated #1. A classic masterpiece that was sadly ignored by the masses at the time of the film’s release, was at least recognized after some 42 years!

This one is a  perfect match between music-poetry-singing. Sahir, as usual brings life’s philosophies in just few lines.

Mann Re Tu Kaahe Na Dheer Dhare
O Nirmohi Moh Na Jaane Jinka Moh Kare
Man Re Tu Kaahe Na Dheer Dhare

Have patience and control yourself

Do you really understand your desires that you are trying to  seek?

Iss Jeevan Ki Chadhti Dhalti
Dhoop Ko Kiss Ne Baandha
Rang Pe Kiss Ne Pehre Daale
Roop Ko Kiss Ne Baandha
Kaahe Yeh Jatan Kare

Why do you put so much effort and waste your time & energy in understanding the ups and downs of worldly things? Who has been able to bind the Nature, Who has been able to control the beauty of His creations? Everything happens with Gods will,  O my dear have control over yourself.

Utna Hi Upkaar Samajh Koi
Jitna Saath Nibhaa De
Janam Maran Ka Mel Hai Sapna
Yeh Sapna Bisraa De
Koi Na Sang Mare

Take this life as a favour since everything is temporary- our friends, relatives and near & dear ones.

The journey of life from birth to death  is like a dream, where nothing is permanent.

We come alone and leave this world alone; no one comes along with us.

In other words the song indirectly gives a message “Only God is true, who is always there with us at every instant of life, even before our birth and after our death. We should detach ourselves from the worldly desires and praise the Almighty”.

It is really difficult to believe that Sahir was considered to be a  non- believer, after listening to this song!!

In the divine voice of Rafi, who had sung this so soulfully and Roshan to have composed it with equal divinity , using just Sarod and his favourite flute , we can really call this a divine creation.

14. Sansaar Se Bhaage Phirte Ho ( Lata)

It is indeed amazing to observe the variety of ideas put forth in the songs of the yesteryears . From exploring the ephemeral nature of life in  ‘Man re tu kahe na dheer dhare’ , the song “ Sansaar se bhaage phirte ho” song has a somewhat hedonistic ( seeking pleasure) tone.  For a change in this film , Sahir didn’t use  chaste Urdu and wrote mostly in pure Hindi  :

Yeh paap hai kya, yeh  punya hai kya

Sab reeton par dharm ki mohren hai

Har yug mein badalte dharmon ko

Kaise Aadarsh Banaaoge

Yeh bhog bhi ek tapasya hai

Tum tyaag ke maare kya jaano

Apmaan rachayita ka hoga

Rachna ko agar thukraaoge

( It would be an insult to the Creator if you forsake the act of creation )

Unfortunately two great songs of this film were wasted due to the poor execution of the film Chitralekha that would have been completely forgotten if not for the great music & poetry the duo of Roshan and Sahir brought together.

Film #7 -Bahu Begam-1967

15. Hum Intezaar Karenge Tera Qayamat Tak  ( Rafi & Asha)

After all the heavy stuff about life’s philosophies , let me end this very long blog about a great pair with a light romantic number. There are two versions -a Rafi solo and duet with Asha . Lilting flute that so magically glides along with Rafi & Asha ‘s  vocals , making this one more romantic evergreen song from this fabulous duo.

Hum bhi intezaar karenge..qayamat tak…for such a pair  to be reborn again sometime in the future.

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

1. http://www.mr&mrs55.com
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. I would also like to thank various blogs/articles published in the Internet from which I had obtained many information while writing this.

The king of melody : Mellisai Mannar- M.S.Viswanathan

If anyone wants an example to understand how illogical and biased the so-called national awards given for artists towards their contribution in the film industry  are , they  just have to  look at the gross injustice meted out to one of the greatest music composers in Indian film industry: Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan (24 June 1928 – 14 July 2015), popularly known as MSV and more by the affectionate title conferred on him –“ Mellisai Mannar”-king of light music.

In spite of being one of the most successful, adored  and versatile  music composers in the Tamil film industry ( and also for few other languages like Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films), he didn’t get even a single national award for best music direction and none of the Padma awards. Many of his tunes fetched best playback singer awards for those who lent their vocals to his great melodies like  P Susheela for the song “ Naalai Indha Velai Paarthu Odi Va Nila” ( Year :1968 film : Uyarntha Manithan), Vani  Jayaram for various songs of the 1975 film Aboorva Ragangal , which no doubt they well deserved. But somehow MSV was always  ignored. However, he has been awarded by the people who love his music to this day and have permanently kept him in their hearts. In You Tube there are many channels dedicated to his music and I have learnt about the interesting stories behind many of his creations.

Born on 24 June 1928 to Manayangath Subramanian and Narayaniammal in Elappully village in Palakkad, Kerala, India (erstwhile  Malabar district, Madras province, British India). His childhood was spent in abject poverty as his father died when he was just four years old. His mother had decided to end their miseries and was about to commit suicide along with him but was  rescued by his grandfather , Krishnan Nair just in time .  As a young boy , he was more interested in music rather than studies. But as the family couldn’t afford any formal training in music, he used to  secretly  listen to a music teacher Shri Neelakanda Bhagawathar who used to conduct music classes . One day the teacher found out how well the boy could grasp the nuances of Bhairavi raagam as compared to his regular students and took the young MSV into his fold. He even organized a concert for the young MSV at Kannur, Kerala. Later on, MSV gave his stage performance in Thiruvananthapuram at the age of 13.

To survive , he started selling refreshments at cinema theatres and this would enable him to listen to the music of the films . He started working as an office boy for Jupiter pictures at a salary of Rs 3 per month! The childhood spent in such difficult conditions would make MSV  a benevolent man in his later years and he took care of his guru S M Subbiah Naidu -a well-known composer and  the comedian-singer J P Chandrababu when they were in difficult days.

MSV like many in those days , wanted to be an actor and singer, but was not successful. He had a few small roles in stage dramas in the 1940s. The composer and violinist T. R. Papa met Viswanathan, took a liking to him and arranged a job for him as an errand boy for S. V. Venkatraman’s musical troupe in 1942. In that company of musicians, Viswanathan realized that he had the inclination and the potential for composing music. He thereafter joined the composer S. M. Subbaiah Naidu and at times assisted him. Later on, he then joined another composer C. R. Subburaman‘s musical troupe as a harmonium player. Here, he met T. K. Ramamoorthy and T. G. Lingappa, the two leading violinists at that time.  T. G. Lingappa also became a renowned music composer on his own in the 1950s.

In the year 1952 , when the music composer  C R Subburaman passed away suddenly , MSV & T K Ramamoorthy came together and completed the background music for the unfinished films. Also, MSV independently composed music along with two other music composers M S Gnanamani & T S Kalyanam for the 1953 film Genoa that had MG Ramachandran as hero. Later on, the association of MGR & MSV went on to be a great success till the time the former quit films completely.

As the musical journey of MSV started with his partner, T K Ramamoorthy, it would be an injustice if I  do not mention about the equally illustrious TKR. For the first twelve years , i.e., till 1964 they composed music as duo Viswanathan-Ramamurthy ( as per MSV’s own proposal to TKR in their initial days to join together as a team similar to the very successful duo of Shankar-Jaikishan of Hindi film music ).  Tiruchirapalli Krishnaswamy Ramamoorthy was born in a family of musicians with both his grandfather Govindaswamy and father Krishnaswamy being well known violinists. TKR was very proficient with the violin and it is said that many-a-times he would play out the notes in his violin complementing MSV’s ideas. Also, most of the solo violins played in the duo’s compositions were played by TKR.

Although TKR was senior to MSV in age by 6 years, it was the legendary comedian N S Krishnan’s suggestion that Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy sounds better than Ramamoorthy-Vishwanathan. MSV was naturally talented , dynamic and the public face of the duo , whereas TKR was more of an introvert, classically well versed and avoided being in limelight. But he had an immense talent of picking up even a small error of a player in their orchestra.

This team went on to give hits after hits for around 100 films till 1964, when they had some differences and the musical super hit film Ayirathil Oruvan turned out to be their last work together. Many years later, in 1995,  they did join together in a film called “ Engirindo Vandaan” but the old magic had vanished and the music of this film was just about average .

Unlike the duo music composers of Hindi films like Shankar-Jaikishan, Laxmikant -Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji , when people talk about MSV-TKR, it is more about MSV than TKR. Reason could be that all the Hindi film pairs always worked together. Even in the case of  Shankar-Jaikishan, although they  had major differences in later years  , but till the  untimely death of Jaikishan, the official credits were always as a duo , whereas in case of MSV-TKR , after the split MSV did the work alone. And one very important point to note that even after the split, MSV went on to become a very successful music composer and so in this blog I am focusing more on MSV , with all due respects to his equally illustrious senior partner.  Before I bid goodbye to TKR, I would like to mention about few popular songs he had composed individually like “ Sattai Kaiyil Kondu ” song from the 1970 film Kadhal Jothi ( a very unusual song by Seerkazhi Govindarajan), “ Ammano Samiyo “  & “Vandhal ennodu inge vaa” ( inspired by the English Come September tune) songs from the  1967 film  “ Naan”  etc. For around 20 films TKR  battled alone , but MSV became the more popular composer with his  brilliant tunes  and his adaptability  to changing music tastes. Even after tough competition from Ilayaraja ( the tsunami in Tamil music scene that swept in 1976) , MSV gave a musical bumper hit in 1979 with his “Ninathale Inikkum” with  a total change-over in his style.

One great personality cannot be left out whenever we talk about MSV and that is his great partner & friend Kannadasan -the lyricist without any parallel. One of these days, I will try to gather enough information  to write about him and also another great contemporary , Vaali , together with whom MSV had given us so many priceless songs to cherish. But for now, this blog cannot be complete without me saying that it was the exquisite poetry that these two complemented  , that made  1950’s,  60’s & early 70’s the golden era of Tamil film music.

The perennial dilemma of a music blog writer is to choose few songs from the vast repertoire  artists like MSV had created. I had  to very reluctantly leave out some songs in order to stick to a readable 25 top songs. I have tried  my best to include almost all the main  singers, genres in this list and also bring out the subtle nuances of MSV’s genius. These also include songs that were composed along with TKR .  Also, some of the great songs that were composed for TMS as solos / duets are skipped here as those were discussed in my blog on TMS to avoid repetition . I am mentioning those as a footnote at the end of the blog so that readers don’t get the idea that I have missed certain iconic songs of MSV like Malarnadum malaradha or Yenge Nimmadhi etc.

Top 25 songs listing in alphabetical order of the year of film with following sequence: Song/Film/Year/Lyricist/Singer(s)

1. Yennai yaar endru yenni: Paalum Pazhamum/1961/Kannadasan/ T M Soundararajan & P Susheela. Eight evergreen songs in this movie so beautifully composed by MSV-TKR that even the great Naushad felt he wouldn’t be able to do justice in the Hindi version  ‘Saathi’ . In my personal opinion the best use of the predominantly north Indian instrument Shehnai was done  by MSV and this song is a classic example of that. Morsing & flute in the interludes are complemented with a unique rhythm pattern.
2. Sonnathu Neethana: Nenjil Or Aalayam/1962/Kannadasan/ P Susheela. This one song is enough to say that MSV was a genius music composer . Set in the Hindustani raag Jaunpuri ,with masterly use of sarangi, sitar and tabla, and with the other two great players -Kannadasan & Susheela giving out their best, makes this song one of the greatest ever in Tamil film music. We can only  say that as long as the earth exists , this song will be there. There is a line in this song : oru kodiyil oru murai than malarum malar allava. Artists  like MSV, Kannadasan , Susheela are also born only once in centuries.
3. Kallellam manikka kal aaguma : Aalayamani/ 1962/ Kannadasan/TMS, L R Eshwari. The songs of Aalyamani are outstanding like Satti Suttadha, Ponnai Virumbum bhoomiyile etc. It is very rare to listen to a song in which humming is used so beautifully . This is a classic example of usage of humming …by L R Eshwari throughout the song . The expressive singing with  flawless Tamil diction  by TMS is what he is so good at. TMS is known for emoting a song so well that even by just listening , one can feel the song’s soul.
4. Ponnenben Sirupoovenben : Policekaran Magal/1962/Kannadasan/ P B Sreenivas & S Janaki. Set in the Darbari Kanada ragam this is a classic example of the many excellent duets by the combination of PBS and S Janaki. The way MSV had arranged the simultaneous singing and humming by PBS & SJ,  with the characteristic low notes of PBS  contrasting the high notes of S Janaki is something only he could visualize.
5. Ninjam marapathillai: Ninjam marapathillai /1963/Kannadasan/P B Sreenivas & P Susheela. A masterly composition by MSV , with a haunting tune that syncs with  the theme of the  film that is about re-birth. The title song exists in four different versions: a male version, a female version, and two duet versions – one happy and one sad.  It is said that it  took five months to compose the song. This is also one of P Susheela’s best ever songs. In my very personal opinion, there are only two female playback singers who, even at the higher octaves , maintain the melody and emotion of the song-Lata & Susheela.
6. Ullathil Nalla ullam urangathenbadhu : Karnan/ 1964/Kannadasan/Seerkazhi Govindarajan. One can say this is  Seerkazhi Govindarajan’s career best film song, set in the  Carnatic Chakravaham raagam ( Hindustani equivalent-Ahir Bhairav). The way Seerkazhi elaborates the alaap in “Karnaaaaaa” is really the touch of his genius. MSV’s orchestration is minimal , that just conveys the pathos of the scene where Bhagwan Krishna is singing this to the fatally wounded Karnan.
7. Siruppu varudhu siruppu varudhu: Aandavan Kattalai/1964/Kannadasan/J P Chandrababu). The singer-comedian J P Chandrababu was well known for a strange combination of out and out comical songs and also sad/philosophical ones. And like  , Kishore Kumar , he was too good in  yodeling.  This song has all the elements of a typical Chandrababu song with life’s philosophy conveyed in a breezy style. The way MSV merges the laughter of J P Chandrababu into the tune of the song is amazing.
8. Nilave yennidam nerungathe : Ramu/1966/Kannadasan/P B Sreenivas. The one instrument that defines this song is the shehnai…arguably the best ever use of this instrument in any film song, it is also one among the career best songs of P B Sreenivas’, the singer with a velvet voice.
9. Rajavin Paarvai Raniyin pakkam: Anbe Vaa/ 1966/Vaali/TMS & P Susheela

Whenever a song is set on the horse beat rhythm pattern it is invariably a super hit. May be something to do with it being nature’s sound!! We have many  such evergreen melodies in Hindi film songs with O P Nayyar being a master in this . In Tamil , I may be limited by my own knowledge , but the numbers could be lesser, but this one song can sweep across many! If it MSV even the horse has a majestic , thundering beat! and what a great composition! From the very popular MGR film Anbe Vaa which was an exquisite  musical feast, with  TMS and PS taking  this song to an even  greater  height.1

10.Poomalaiyil or malligai : Ooty varai oravu/ 1967/Kannadasan/ TMS & P Susheela. If MSV himself had not revealed that he got inspired from a small flute interlude in the Hindi song  “ Tu mera chand , mein teri chandini ” by Naushad ( incidentally Naushad & MSV   admired each other’s  music)  no one would have found this out. That was the greatness and humility of MSV. That special burst of the rhythm after TMS croons the line ‘poomalayil’ has always been a very prominent MSV signature that makes his songs so charming .

11.Nalai indha velai paarthu/Paal Polave: Uyarntha Manithan/1968/Vaali/P Susheela. The song that fetched a well-deserved national award for P Susheela but not for the maestro who composed. Set in the  pitch only P Susheela can sing so effortlessly . This has the  trademark percussion of MSV, the beautifully placed flute at the end of each charanam. Each charanam ascends so steeply aided by the remarkable pitch at which PS sings , maintaining the sweetness so nicely and then descends at the end of the charanam with that flute chipping in. The orchestration and arrangement can give the Burmans & Shankar -Jaikishans a run for their money!

12.Pattathu raani paarkum paarvai: Sivantha Mann/1969/Kannadasan/LR Eshwari. One of L R Eshwaris’ best song ever, with not even the combination of  Lata Mangeshkar  & Shankar-Jaikishan being unable to do justice in the Hindi version -Dharti. Composed in an Arabian-Persian style , with the sound of whip lash blending in so beautifully with the tune, MSV ‘s orchestration & L R Eshwari’s singing were at their peak.

13.Sollathan Ninaikiren : Sollathan Ninaikiren/ 1973/ Vaali/  MSV & S Janaki.

When MSV himself lends his unique vocals to the songs composed by him, it becomes “ vera level” as the popular catch phrase in TN goes…!! A tune that is  so modern & far ahead of its times , that even if we keep listening to it continuously , we will not get bored. There is some ‘unexplained ‘ tinge of pain in this song…maybe that’s why this song , that talks about the inability to express one’s love ( vayirindum solvardarku vaarthai indri thavikkiren!) always touches a raw nerve inside you. Although MSV had relatively lesser songs for S Janaki , but whatever she sang for him were simply superb. Guitar, Violin, flute and at the end of the second charanam and  the whistle all goes in  making the song so melodious.

14.Malligai yen mannan mayangum : Deerga Sumangali/1974/ Vaali/Vani Jayaram. If Vasant Desai introduced Vani Jayaram to the Hindi Film Music through his Bole Re Papihara and made her an overnight sensation, it was MSV ‘s turn to give a break through song in Tamil for her with this very unique melody. While researching for  this blog, I came across a very well-studied article in another blog “ www.msvtimes.com” where one gentleman had analyzed this song so beautifully. MSV had composed it so brilliantly with a combination of karaharapriya raagam and some westernized chords , with a masterly rendition by Vani Jayaram. Seems many classical artists were wondering how MSV could compose such a song that  sounds deceptively   based on a classical raagam, but couldn’t exactly place it!

15.Athisaya raagam , anandha raagam: Aboorva Ragangal/1975/K J Yesudas.

The song that set KJ Yesudas into the big league in Tamil film music with his classical rendition in full flow. When  MSV wanted a raagam that was very rare as the  theme of the film was  about rare relationships, he took the noted classical singer M Balamuralikrishna’s inputs. The song starts off with the Mahati ragam   and ends with Bhairavi in the last charanam ‘Oru puram paarthal mithilayin maithili’.

16.Ezhu swarangalukkul : Aboorva Ragangal/1975/ Kannadasan /Vani Jayaram.

 Aboorva Ragangal was a musical treat for us, with the K J Yesudas number as mentioned earlier , and two of Vani Jayaram’s career best songs-Ezhu Swarangalukkul and Kelviyin Nayagane ( with B S Shashirekha). It is said that Kannadasan dashed off an astounding 18-20 charanam and asked the director K Balachandar and MSV to choose from them. What great lyrics in this song and what a masterly composition and rendition!! This song is set in four different raagam:  Panthuvarali, Kambhoji, Sindhu Bhairavi and Ranjani.

Again, Vani Jayaram got the well-deserved National Award for best female playback singer , but the great maestro who composed this , MSV, was just  like that ignored!! God only knows  what goes into the minds of those deciding these awards.

17.Yenakkoru kadali irukkinral :Muthana Muthallavo/ 1976/Vaali/MSV & S P Balasubrahmanyam.

Is this a duet song of MSV & SPB or between piano & violin? One of the very rare male duets of MSV and SPB . Not much is known about this film , but this difficult composition has been sung so nicely by both MSV & SPB. The way SPB renders  the extended alaap in the word “Thamizhosai” is something that he does so effortlessly and went on to be his trademark in thousands of of his songs. Till Ilayaraja made SPB the top most singer in Tamil films , he got lesser chances with MSV but , again  like S Janaki , whatever he sang for MSV were too good.

18.Vasantha kaala nadigalile: Moondru Mudichu/1976/Kannadasan/P Jayachandran,Vani Jayarm, MSV.

Kannadasan composed this in “anthathi ”style with the  ending word of each verse becoming the first word of the next verse. Masterly composed by MSV, sung equally well by Jayachandran & Vani Jayaram, this is a song that will remain in one’s mind hours after listening to. Picturized on Rajinikanth  , Kamal Hassan and Sreedevi , with Rajini emoting his villainy so well in the scene . MSV comes in at that point with a menacing voice that perfectly matches the expressions in Rajini’s face. The composition that starts with a pleasing mouth organ note and ends with a dramatic orchestration. Classic!

19.Vaan Nila Alla: Pattina Pravesam/1977/Kannadasan/ SPB. Ideally one should include the violin also a co-singer!! This is a delightful  duet of  SPB and violin. Kannadasan just  freaks out with all his lines ending in “la” . It is when we hear such songs the beauty of Tamil language is understood even by a common man. Like I mentioned earlier whenever MSV &  SPB joined together , the songs were epic. And what to say about the violin!! Words fail….

20.Kaatrukku enna veli : Avargal/1977/Kannadasan/ S Janaki

One of the best ever songs of S Janaki, composed by MSV with a fast-paced orchestration complemented by the unique sound of mridangam. Personally, I like this song so much among all Janaki’s songs mainly because the effortless way she brings out the exact mood of the heroine’s mind that wants to break free from all shackles…”mangai nenjam pongumbodhu , vilangugal yedhu”…Note the way in which MSV had composed this song that really gives the feel of ebullience or exuberance.

21. Kamban Yemanthan Nizhal Nijamagirathu / 1978/ Kannadasan/SPB. SPB became a force to reckon with in the south Indian music scene after initial years of struggle . Having become popular after his “ Ayiram Nilave Vaa” composed by KV Mahadevan that was released in 1969, it was MSV with whom he first debuted , the song being Iyarkai ennum ilaya kanni in the film Shanti Nilayam. Due to delayed release of Shanti Nilayam, Aayiram Nialave vaa became his first popular song. Kamban yemanthan has all the special touches for which SPB came to be known-the  way he gives out a very  subtle laugh “Ada”  Naanum Yemanthen that is typical SPB  style.

22. Sambho shivasambho : Ninaithale Inikkum/1979/ MSV. Iconic, funky, jazzy, far ahead of its time…these are some of the adjectives that come to my mind about this song. When he had sung this, MSV would have been 51 years old…can anyone believe this? What an energy…that was the time when Ilayaraja had stormed into the Tamil music scene like a hurricane and was creating great waves. But MSV , the old war horse took up the challenge of composing the musical film ‘Ninaithale Inikkum’ and all the  14 songs remain evergreen to this day.

23. Kandathai sollugiren: Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidargal/1979/ Jayakantan/ MSV. Not a famous or much talked about song, but among the many songs for which  MSV lent his voice , this is one of my  favorites. Breaking the myth that MSV’s songs get famous  only due to the lyrics of Kannadasan, this one , written by the novelist Jayakantan has a feel of modern -ness with the rustic voice of MSV making it sound even better.

24. Nee varuvai yena naan irunthen :Sujatha/ 1980/ Kalyani Menon & P Jayachandran. Many wouldn’t have listened to this song or might have forgotten. This is a rare gem that MSV composed in an altogether different style. By 1980 , Ilayaraja had firmly established himself as the leading music director , but MSV’s spark had  still not died and he gave this outstanding number that has a modern feel even when you listen to this in 2022.  

25. Kannana poomagane kannurangu : Thanneer Thanneer/ 1981/ Vairamuthu /P Susheela. I discovered this song after ages while surfing through the Net for this blog. One can really understand and appreciate the genius of MSV in this song that proves he was equally adept with later day lyricists like Varimuthu and not only Kannadasan or Vaali . The entire song is composed with only a ghatam ( percussion instrument) accompanying. P Susheela must have been around 48 years when she sang this and like few things in the world, she is ageless! It is said that when Vairamuthu pointed out that at the end of the song, there is a comma after the word ‘Kanneer” , MSV said then in that case the tune also should have it.When you listen to that you can hear that “ comma” in the pause that Susheela takes. That was the class of MSV !!

“ Veettu Vilakkerivadharku kanneeer, ……

Yennai Illaiyada”

Note: Songs composed by  MSV as solo / duet for  TMS already discussed in my blog on TMS and hence not repeated here though they are all classics:

1. Vantha naal muthal; Film- Paava Mannippu;  Lyrics -Kannadasan
2. Satti suttadada, kai vittadhada; Film Aalayamani;  Lyrics – Kannadasan
3. Malarndum malaraadha paadhi malar pola: Film-Pasa Malar; Lyrics-Kannadasan
4. Yenge Nimmadhi, yenge nimmadhi: Film: Pudiya Paravai;  Lyrics-Kannadasan.
5. Neeye unakku endrum (popular as “Mama-Mapillai” song); Film -Bale Pandiya;  Lyrics- Kannadasan
6. Yaar andha nilavu, yen indha kanavu; Film -Shanthi; Lyrics- Kannadasan
7. Enna than nadakkum nadakattume; Film -Panathottam;  Lyrics- Kannadasan.
8. Oru pennai paarthu nilavai paarthen: Film-Deiva Thai;  Lyrics- Vaali
9. Pavalakodiyile muthukkal poothal punnagai endre: Film: Panam Padaithavan;  Lyrics-Vaali
10. Tharai mel pirakka vaithan: Film: Padagotti; Lyrics- Vaali
11. Kan pone pokkile kaal pogalama: Film: Panam Padaithavan;  Lyrics-Vaali
12. Naan aanaittal adhu nadanduvittal: Film: Enga Veetu Pillai; Lyrics- Vaali
13. Andha naal gnyabagam nenjile: Film: Uyarntha Manithan;  Lyrics-Vaali.
14. Ennadi rakamma pallaku nelippu: Film: Pattikada Pataanama?  Lyrics- Kannadasan.

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

1. http://www.msvtimes.com
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. I would also like to thank various blogs/articles published in the Internet from which I had obtained many information while writing this.

Sachin Dev Burman  :1^st Oct 1906, Death: 31^st Oct 1975

Majrooh Sultanpuri ( Actual name: Asrar ul Hassan Khan)  -Birth: 1^st Oct 1919, Death: 24^th May 2000

Two legends born on the same day , but 13 years apart.

One of them ,  Sachin Dev Burman , a  music maestro born in the royal family of Tripura , who got to score his first Bengali film when he was around 31 years and his major hit Hindi film at the age of 41 years.  At an age when many of his contemporaries had peaked their creative output and were almost calling it a day, Sachin da had just kicked in!!.  His  heady cocktail of classical , folk and westernized orchestration mesmerized the Hindi film music world for around three decades. He perfectly knew which singer had to sing a particular song and that’s why he could bring out the best in both Rafi &  Kishore . At the time when most of the composers had not considered Kishore for their music, it was Sachin da who gave some wonderful songs for him. Again , he could bring out the best from both  Lata & Asha , with the latter getting some of her career best songs during the period in which there was a  rift between Lata and Sachin da . Not to forget some evergreen songs for other singers as well that would turn out to be their landmark songs . Like Jalte hain jiske liye for Talat, O jaanewale ho sake toh laut ke aana  for Mukesh, Yeh raat yeh chandni phir kahan for Hemant, Poocho na kaise maine rain bitayee for Manna Dey.

The other , Majrooh Sultanpuri ,born  Asrar ul Hassan Khan, in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, was one of the most prolific lyricists (around 2000 songs for 350 films), having written for  music composers right from the  veteran Naushad Ali ( in 1946) to the new generation Jatin -Lalit in late 90’s , spanning more than five decades of artistic career. He was also the first lyricist to be honoured with the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award. Majrooh’s words were sung by  the legends of the golden era starting from the great K L Saigal, Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Talat Mehmood, Lata , Asha etc  to the present day Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu etc. From “ Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya” to “ Raja Ko Rani Se Pyaar Ho Gaya”. I don’t think any other lyricist had such a long innings!

When these two great artists come together , what do you expect? Not much in terms of quantity but without any doubt ,  some of the best iconic & great  songs of the 50’s and 60’s .

Majrooh , in his own words had described his journey with  his couplet:

Mein akela hi chala tha jaanib-e-manzil magar,

Log saath aate gaye aur caravan banta gaya

(“When I started towards my destination, I was all alone in my efforts
but as I  went on , others joined  me and we became a force to reckon with”)

 Majrooh got introduced to Hindi films as a lyricist by Naushad in the film Shah Jahan (1946)  and the song “Jab dil hi toot gaya , hum jeeke kya karenge” sung so beautifully by K L Saigal became very famous. Majrooh wrote for so many other  composers like Anil Biswas, O P Nayyar, Naushad, Roshan, Madan Mohan, Salil Chowdhury, Chitragupt, N Dutta , Ravi, Laxmikant -Pyarelal , R D Burman etc. However in this blog we are going to look at his association with Sachin Dev  Burman.

Muzroo, as Sachin da  would address Majrooh , came late into his fold in  the year 1957 for the film Paying Guest. After the immensely successful musical score in the Guru Dutt film Pyaasa , there was a rift between the great shayar Sahir Ludhianvi and Sachin Dev Burman ( reportedly on who was instrumental for the success -the lyricist or the composer!-for us , listeners, everything was magical about that film’s music). This  paved the way for Majrooh’s association with Sachin da  . As such S D Burman had composed music for around 92 Hindi films only in a career spanning  30 years or so. The number of films S D Burman and Majrooh worked together must be around less than 20 ( purely my guess!) but let us not look at the quantity , but the quality. What amazing songs both the legends created , more so when joined by another legend, the  charismatic actor Dev Anand . For the Dev Anand’s Navketan films, this duo created many eternal melodies. Majrooh had the ability to mostly write for the tunes (unlike many of his contemporaries who preferred to have their own lyrics set to music ) and that complemented Sachin da’s music so well.

Sachin da had fabulous association with other lyricists like Shailendra, Sahir, Neeraj, Anand Bakshi and similarly Majrooh also wrote many unforgettable melodies  for other composers already mentioned in this blog.

Let us now list out some of the magical songs from the pen & baton of Majrooh & Sachin da set in alphabetical order with the film and singer(s) in brackets. Also I have attempted to highlight the finer points  in the music and the lines in  some of the songs.

1. Achha ji mein hari chalo maan jaao na (Kaala Pani, Rafi & Asha)- the evergreen roothna-manana song with great interludes; Majrooh squeezed in a little bit of philosophy even in such a light hearted song with: Jeevan ke yeh raaste lambe hain sanam, kaatenge yeh zindagi thokar khake hum!!
2. Aankhon mein kya ji , rupahala baadal  ( Nau Do Gyarah, Kishore & Asha) –if it was Rafi & Asha in the earlier song, it is now Kishore & Asha..with excellent flute and guitar synchronized beautifully with Asha’s humming. Every antaraa ending with the catchy line “Dekhne mein bhole ho par ho bade chanchal” .
3. Aisa To Na Dekho , Ke humko nasha ho jaaye (  Teen Devian, Rafi) ..what a subtle  line “ khoobsurat si koi humse khata ho jaaye” ..added to that, the honey laced voice of Rafi with so much of expression and the magnificent orchestration of Sachin da make this and eternal melody.
4. Arre yaar meri tum bhi ( Teen Devian , Kishore & Asha)…as I had mentioned in the beginning, Sachin da knew  exactly what he wanted and so in the same film for Dev Anand he used both Rafi and Kishore so beautifully. Right from the brief bird-like chirping flute after the line Ghoongat to zara udho, going on to the  ever- changing interlude music, Sachin da had composed this so well. The resonating  voice of Kishore , Asha at one of her best ever performance and at the end of the song, Kishore in his typical style spicing it up a bit with ‘hmmm hmmm’ after ‘ Ghoongat to zara udho’ ….all these serve up to us a dish that is being relished for ages!
5. Chal ri sajni ab kya soche,kajra na beha jaaye rote ( Bambai Ka Babu , Mukesh) -Mukesh had very few songs with Sachin da but whatever he sang for him  were masterpieces. This one is a “made for Mukesh “ song and with Majrooh’s lines Babul pachtaye haathon ko malke, kahe diya pardes tukde ko dil ke, aansoo liye soch raha door khada re, will make anyone’s eyes moist.
6. Deewana mastana hua dil jaane kahan hoke bahaar aayi ( Bambai ka babu, Rafi  & Asha) ..Asha take off with her exquisite humming and then renders the first two antaraas so nicely …but wait…Rafi makes his typical late entry with the third antaraa and takes the song to an even higher level. Sheer magical composition  & singing.
7. Haal kaisa hai janab ka, kya khayal hai aapka ( Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi,  Kishore Kumar & Asha) . Need one say anything about this song… everyone must have heard this so many times.. Kishore and Asha go hand in hand with the trademark yodelling by Kishore. If one can observe keenly the song is almost conversational but look at how the quartet of Sachin da, Majrooh, Kishore and Asha made this into an iconic song!
8. Hai apna dil to awara , Na jaane kis pe aayega ( Solva Saal, Hemant Kumar)-Hemant da , being an ace composer himself , sang some excellent songs for Sachin da and other composers as well. Whenever anyone thinks of the very unique instrument morsing ( or morchang) this song will definitely come to mind.
9. Honthon mein aisi baat mein dabake chali aayi ( Jewel Thief, Lata & Bhupinder) An epic composition for which it is said that Sachin da waited for few months to get a particular percussion instrument. An entire article can be written about this song that has a magnificent orchestration, choreography ( what a great dance by Vyjantimala!)  and superlative singing by Lata, not to forget the lines of Majrooh.
10. Hum Bekhudi mein tumko pukare chale gaye  ( Kaala Pani, Rafi) ..if Honton pe aisi baat had a plethora of instruments, this one has just a simple tabla and some violins and a sarangi with only Rafi’s masterly singing taking the full song through to great heights. “ Utara jo nasha to humne yeh jaana , saare zindagi ke sahare chale gaye”….what lines by Majrooh!!
11. Jalte hain jiske liye, teri aankhon ke diye ( Sujata, Talat Mehmood) the song that fetched Talat his first and only Filmfare award. I had already written about this song in my blog on Talat Mehmood…the following lines are worth repeating:

Dil mein rakh lena ise haathon se yeh chhoote na kahin

Geet Nazuk Hai Mera , Sheeshe Se Bhi

Toothe Na Kahin

Gungunaaoonga Yuhin , Geet Mein Tere Liye

12. Kahin bekhayal hokar, yuhin chuliya kisine (Teen Devian Rafi) -This is the third song in this list from the same film Teen Devian.  

Mere dil mein kaun hai tu, ke hua jahan andhera, 

Wahin sau diye jalaye, tere rukh ke chandini ne

What an imagination by Majrooh !..adding charm to these lines are the lilting melody with flutes & sitar  in interludes and inimitable singing by Rafi.

13. Pawan Diwani Na Mane , Dr Vidya , Lata-Set in raag Bhageshri , this dance number is very rarely heard. When it is picturized on one of the best dancers ever in Hindi films, viz Vyjantimala , then what can we expect? Perfect match to the excellent tune, lyrics and singing.

14..Saathi na koi manzil, diya hain a koi mehfil (Bambai Ka Babu , Rafi)-In some songs , there is no need of any orchestration. The tune, the singer and the words are enough. In this song there is  just a percussion to give the taal, and a guitar and flute …when there is Rafi to elevate such songs to a different level, what more is required?

There is a subtle change in the tempo of the song at the last antara and Majrooh completes the song with that antara:

Pathar ke aashna mile, Pathar ke dewata mile

Sheeshe ka dill iye , jaaun kahaaan

15. Tere Naina Talash kare jise wo hai tujhi mein kahin deewane (Talash, Manna Dey) The best way to complete this list is with this rare gem. Although Manna Da’s Poocho na kaise meine rain bitayee composed by Sachin da is an all time masterpiece, that was written by Shailendra. But this song is no less than that, with one of the unique combinations of Tabla and Mridangam (which is a prominent percussion instrument in Carnatic classical music).

Special Acknowledgements:  I sincerely thank the publishers of various blogsites & Internet sources  for the information that I could gather for this article. Also a special thanks to Mr Manek Premchand for the invaluable insights in his book : Yesterday’s Melodies, Today’s Memories.

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.

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.

Talat Mahmood -The Ghazal King with a velvet voice

Raaste men ruk ke dam loon, ye meri aadat nahin
Laut kar vaapas chala jaoon meri fitarat nahin
Aur koi ham-nava mil jaayen yeh qismat nahin
Ai gham-e-dil kya karoon, Ai vahashat-e-dil kya karoon
kya karoon, kya karoon,
Ai gham-e-dil kya karoon…..

When you listen to the above beautiful lines of the poet Majaz Lakhnavi in the unique voice of Talat Mahmood sahib , you can understand why the Almighty created a voice that was just made for Ghazals & Nazms .The sweetness of Urdu poetry comes to life fully with Talat sahib’s perfect diction.

Among the legendary male playback singers of Hindi Film Music (HFM), if there is one singer who might have sung  very limited  film songs but scored very high on the  excellent  quality of  songs it is the velvety-voiced  Talat Mahmood. I am a bit late to publish this on 26^th Feb-missed Talat Saheb’s birth anniversary on 24^th Feb!

Born on 24^th Feb 1924, he had his first recording in the year 1941 with a non-film song Sab Din Ek Saman Nahin Tha and his first film song Jago Musafir Jago for the film Rajlaxmi in 1945. The song Sab Din Ek Saman Nahin Tha had very prophetic lines ( Composed by Subal  Das Gupta and written by Fayyaz Hashmi)

Sab Din Ek Saman Nahin Tha

Ban Jaaoonga Kya Se Kya Mein

Iska toh kuch dhyaan nahin tha

What a great way to start off his career!!

In  the 30’s & 40’s Non-Film Song Albums were quite popular and so with the 1944 hit  ghazal “Tasveer teri dil mera behela na sakegi” ( composed by Kamal Das Gupta and written by Fayyaz Hashmi)  Talat became a sensation.

 In the initial years he was keen to become an actor ( having acted in 13 films) and definitely his photographs in his younger days  show he could have been one of  the most handsome of the playback singers. However, destiny had something better in store for him ( and for  us!) and he went on to become a most-sought after playback singer , especially for ghazals.

With only around 450+ films songs and some 200+  odd non film songs, Talat leads in terms of the very high-quality songs that he had sung. The sobriquet “ A perfect gentleman” given to him reflects very much in his songs -always caressing you with his velvety voice.

 My heart would like to list out a hundred songs  but as per my own set rule of limiting the count to 20 or 25 songs ,  I have tried my best to list out his best among the best with a variety of music composers. I have also arranged these in chronological order so that you get a perspective of the nearly two decades of his prime career.

#1 Ae Dil Mujhe Aisi Jagah Le Chal Jahan Koi Na Ho

Year: 1950 , Film: Arzoo, Music: Anil Biswas , Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

This was his first  song in Hindi films and was composed by his mentor Anil Biswas who could recognize the natural vibrato in Talat’s voice and utilized him in some 14 songs. Talat went on to be the leading voice for Dilip Kumar and even for the early few films of Dev Anand & Raj Kapoor . The inherent pathos in Talat’s voice creates a right mood for this song that has a very simple orchestration.

#2 Husnwalon Ko Na Dil Do Yeh Mita Dete Hain

Year:1950 , Film: Babul  , Music: Naushad , Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni

With very few accompanying instruments –  harmonium and a tabla, which is the trademark of the ‘simplicity-personified’  Naushad’s style, this song comes to life with  the excellent rendition of Talat . The film Babul had six songs of Talat : two duets with Shamshad Begum that are famous-Milte Hi Aankhen Dil Hua Deewana & Duniya Badal Gayee, Meri Duniya Badal Gayee , one triad of  Talat , Rafi & Shamshad and three solo songs of Talat  .

#3 Dil Mein Sama Gaye Sajan, Phool Khile Chaman ( Duet with Lata Mangeshkar)

Year:1952 , Film: Sangdil , Music: Sajjad Hussain , Lyrics: Rajendra Krishan

The only duet in this selection , this is a typical Sajjad composition that may sound simple while listening but like most of Sajjad’s tunes , very difficult to sing. Talat’s natural style helps him in singing this with so much of ease and is pleasing to hear, of course with Lata equally matching him . An evergreen song that is always on top of the list when Talat & Lata duets are talked about.

#4 Mohabbat Hi Na Jo Samjhe, Who Zalim Pyaar Kya Jaane 

Year: 1952 , Film: Parchaiyan, Music: C Ramachandra ,  Lyrics: Noor Lakhnavi

Chitalkar Ramachandra, whose own voice sometimes resembled Talat’s , utilized the latter for some 27 songs that are the highest by any music composer amongst Talat’s film songs. Like almost all Talat’s songs this one also has fantastic lyrics by Noor Lakhnavi. Urdu is a language that is meant for poetry…if we translate the first lines into English, it may not give the exact feeling. For example, Mohabbat and Pyaar may both signify love but the poet might have placed “pyaar” a bit higher than “ Mohabbat”! When you listen to this song with the silken touch of Talat’s voice , it just feels like a cool breeze caressing your face.

#5 Main Dil Hoon Ek Armaan Bharaa, Tu Aake Mujhe Pehchaan Zara

Year:1952  , Film: Anhonee , Music: Roshan , Lyrics: Satyendra

This song is a “duet” with a piano!! What a beautiful composition by Roshan, integrating the piano throughout the song!

Though Roshan had very limited songs with Talat, this one really deserves to be in the list for the sheer lilting melody and for the fact that this is one of those rare occasions where Raj Kapoor had Talat singing for him. While researching for this blog I observed one interesting fact. In the early 50’s , Talat had been the leading play back  voice for all the top heroes  at that time-Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor & Dev Anand . Later on, they changed over to Rafi, Mukesh & Rafi-Kishore respectively!!

#6 Ae Mere Dil Kahin Aur Chal 

Year:1952 , Film: Daag, Music: Shankar-Jaikishan, Lyrics: Shailendra

It could be only the emperors of HFM , Shankar -Jaikishan who could make Talat sing a fast number like this. A classic example of the use of counter melody in HFM , the song starts with a burst of violins, harmonium, mandolin and has an excellent counter melody harmonium piece in the antaraas. To make it an immortal song, Shailendra , in his typical style of conveying profound philosophy with minimum and simple words that anyone can understand , ends with the lines:

Chaar Aansoo Koi Ro Diya

Pher Ke Munh Koi Chal Diya

Lut Raha Tha Kisi Ka Jahan

Dekhti Reh Gayee Ye Zameen

Chup Raha Bereham Aasmaan

#7 Zindagi Denewale Sun, Teri Duniya Se Dil Bhar Gaya

Year: 1953, Film: Dil-E-Nadaan, Music: Ghulam Mohammad, Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni

Ghulam Mohammad, who spent most of his career as assistant to the legendary composer Naushad Ali , was a great composer by himself. Who can forget his timeless masterpieces from Pakeezah!. With Talat he had a great chemistry and the songs from Mirza Ghalib are a testament to this. However, I have selected this classic sad song from Dil-E-Nadaan picturized on Talat himself on screen. Like almost all the songs of Talat, lyrics play a very important role, with minimum requirement of orchestration. The manner in which he brings the sadness into the lines really touches one’s heart:

Be-khata tune mujhse Khushi cheen li

Zinda rakha magar, zindagi cheen li

Kar diya dil ka khoon, chup kahan tak rahoon

Saaf kyun na kahoon, tu khushi se meri dar gaya

#8 Shaam-E-Gam Ki Kasam Aaj Gamgin Hain Hum

Year: 1953, Film: Footpath, Music: Khayyam , Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

In the beginning Khayyam’s compositions were too good , but unfortunately, he got recognition more in the 80’s. Individual tastes may vary but for me the quality of his compositions in the 50’s was far ahead of the later ones. This particular Talat song is an example of how with minimum orchestration , those days the composers created evergreen melodies , mainly with the tremendous support they got from legendary singers like Talat and lyricists like Majrooh.

In our classical music , each raag conveys certain moods. Likewise, there are certain voices that really touch your soul and convey the emotions so beautifully. When you listen to this song, you can visualize yourself sitting on the banks of a river on a sunset evening with a gentle breeze caressing you …That is the power of Talat’s songs.

#9 Andhe Jahan Ke Andhe Raaste Jaayen to Jaayen Kahan 

Year:1953 , Film: Patita  , Music: Shankar-Jaikishan , Lyrics: Shailendra

One more S-J & Talat masterpiece , again with a fast-paced tune -it is really amazing how S-J can think of composing a song with pathos with their typical rhythm and orchestration , without destroying the mood of the song.

Talat gives life to the superb lines of Shailendra:

Jeene Ki Chahat Nahin, Marke Bhi Raahat Nahin

Is paar aansoo us paar aahen, dil mera bezubaan

Hamko Na Koi Bulaye, na koi palken bichhaye

Ae gam ke maaron, manzil wahin hai dam ye toote Jahan

Aagaz ke din tera , anjaam tay ho chuka

Jalte rahen hain, jalte rahenge yeh zamin aasmaan

#10 Ae Gham-E-Dil Kya Karoon

Year:1953  , Film: Thokar , Music: Sardar Malik , Lyrics: Majaz Lakhnavi

I started this blog with the lines from this Nazm written by the poet Majaz Lakhnavi , who like many of the poets in those days had a troubled life. I came to know that the original nazm written by him had 14 stanzas and only two were used in this film song. Like many unfortunate music composers of those days, Sardar Malik never got the fame and recognition he deserved ( which his son Anu Malik got plenty in 90’s!!) . A simple but very melodious tune that brings out the powerful words of the poet .

#11 Jayen to Jayen Kahan

Year: 1954 , Film: Taxi Driver , Music: Sachin Dev Burman , Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi

Sachin da composed very few songs with Talat but got him the only Film fare award with “ Jalte Hain Jiske Liye “ from Sujata ( Refer Song# 17 below). This one from Taxi Driver , picturised on Dev Anand is very popular. There is a female version of this song by Lata also but Talat’s version is more popular and brings out the intense pathos in the song. Before their rift with Pyaasa film, Sachin da & Sahir were a fantastic combination.

#12 Bechain Nazar Betaab Jigar

Year: 1955    Film: Yasmin, Music: C Ramachandra, Lyrics: Jan Nissar Akhtar

One more song from the “made for each other” combination of C Ramachandra & Talat. This one has that typical beat for which CR was well known. The Tabla-Dholak-Mandolin used in this song proves that , those days they didn’t require any electronic / technical gadgets to create pure magic. One interesting feature that I have observed in Talat’s voice is that  he conveys both pathos and happiness with equal ease in  the natural vibrato in his voice.

#13 Tasveer Banata Hoon , Tasveer Nahin Banthi

Year:1955 , Film: Baradari , Music: Shaukat Ali Hashmi (Nashaad) , Lyrics: Khumar Barahbankvi

For a long time, I was under the wrong impression that this song was composed by Naushad -even now in some places you may find this mistake. It was beautifully composed by Nashaad whose real name was Shaukat Ali Hashmi who later on settled down in Pakistan. The special charm of this song is the way the sitar ( I hope I am correct to identify this) “ responds” with a sound similar to “ kyoon” after the line Tasveer Banata Hoon , Tasveer Nahi Banti.

#14 Humse Aaya Na Gaya Tumse Bulaya Na Gaya

Year:1957 , Film: Dekh Kabira Roya , Music: Madan Mohan, Lyrics: Rajendra Krishan

When the topic is Talat and Ghazals , how can the other King of Ghazals be left out…here comes Madan Mohan. One of the very popular film songs composed  in Raag Bageshri, Madan Mohan teams up with his very successful lyricist Rajendra Krishan and Talat to give an immortal classic. As such , when it comes to discussions on HFM , lyricists take a back seat and Rajendra Krishan is a highly under-recognized but in my personal opinion a fantastic lyricist.

This song is picturised on Anoop Kumar, brother of the  more famous Ashok & Kishore. In many of the songs from the golden era, the power of music , lyrics and singing was so great that many such lesser-known actors were fortunate to get immortal songs  picturized on them.  Talat , with his superb singing and diction takes  this song to a different level altogether. 

The last stanza of this song is just a bliss to hear:

Yaad Reh Jaati Hai Aur Waqt Guzar Jaata Hai

Phool Khilta Bhi  Hai Aur Khilke Bikhar Jaata Hai

Sab Chale Jaate Hain, Kab Dard-E-Jigar Jaata Hai

Daag Jo Tune Diya Dilse Mitaya Na Gaya

#15 Raat Ne Kya Kya Khwaab Dikhaye

Year:1957  , Film: Ek Gaon Ki Kahani  , Music: Salil Chowdhury , Lyrics: Shailendra

Salil da and Talat were one more superb combination with so many songs like Aaha Rimjhim Ke Yeh Pyaare Geet Liye, Itna Na  Mujhse Tu Pyaar Badha( the Mozart inspired song) , Aansoo Samajh Kar Kyoon Mujhe Aankh se tune gira diya, Ankhon Mein Masti Sharab Ki etc etc.. However, the reason for choosing this one is  the poignant lyrics and the way in which Talat sings this with a feathery touch.

Raat Ne Kya Kya Khwaab Dikhaye

Rang Bhare Sau Jaal Bichaye

Aankhen Khuli To Sapne Toote

Reh Gaye Gam Ke Kale Saaye….

No words needed to write further!!!

#16 Sab Kuch Luta Ke Hosh Mein Aaye Toh Kya Kiya

Year: 1957, Film: Ek Saal , Music: Ravi, Lyrics: Prem Dhawan

When I was trying to list out Talat’s top songs , this one was definitely in my mind. After checking how many songs he had sung for the composer Ravi I was surprised to know that there were only two!! The other song is  not a famous one , but Ravi being a master in composing melodious ghazals scores with just this number.

I don’t know what is the situation of this song in the film but I guess it must be the character’s repentance getting reflected in these  concluding lines that Talat so nicely brings out:

Le Leke Haar Phulon Ki , Aai To Thi Bahaar

Nazren Uththa Ke Ham Ne Hi , Dekha Na Ek Baar

Ankhon Se Ab Ye Parda  Hataye To Kya Kiya

#17 Jalte Hain Jiske Liye , Teri Aankhon Ke Diye

Year:1959  Film: Sujata  , Music: Sachin Dev Burman  , Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

The song for which Talat got his only Filmfare award ( though personally I never understood the logic behind these awards !) ; in fact, he deserved  much more than just one award. However, this song can be considered one of the best ever by him. There are contradicting anecdotes about this song being originally meant for Rafi to sing but it was either the producer Bimal Roy or  Jaidev -SD Burman’s assistant who insisted on the song being finally given to Talat. Even Manna Da was initially considered, it seems. I am not an authority on these stories and so let’s leave it at that . On a lighter vein, this song could be the first one to have been heard on a phone  ( on screen Sunil Dutt sings the entire song over phone to Nutan-though for some reason most of the time she is not placing the receiver on her ears!!) . Lot of foresight those days—today we listen so many songs mostly through our mobile phones!

Whosoever decided that Talat should sing this song was 100% right-this can never be imagined in anyone else’s voice. He nicely sums up this with the line:

Geet Nazuk Hai Mera , Sheeshe Se Bhi

Toothe Na Kahin

Gungunaaoonga Yuhin , Geet Mein Tere Liye

My song is more fragile than glass, Let it not break,

I will keep singing like this for you….

Talat Saheb’s songs are really precious and we will not allow it to break….

#18 Mazandaraan, Mazandraan;  Mere Watan Mere Jahan

Year: 1963 , Film: Rustom Aur Sohrab  , Music: Sajjad Hussain , Lyrics: Jan Nissar Akhtar

Almost never talked about , but in my opinion, this is  a top most  song of Talat . If there is a phrase to describe this song , it is “ just out of the world”. Fully doing justice to the mild tremor in Talat’s voice , Sajjad Hussain takes  an Arabic musical canvas and with  his intricate painting strokes , literally creates a great work of art. One can call this song as an “acquired taste” as I find this not being mentioned even in some of the very knowledgeable circles. I find the rhythm pattern and the orchestration so unique. The violins  play literally in a wave like motion, piano & flute that follow Talat’s voice …simply spell binding music.  

The film is about  the tragedy of Rustam and Sohrab ,  part of the 10th-century Persian epic Shahnameh by the Persian poet Ferdowsi and each  song from  this film will remain evergreen. Mazandaran is a province in Persia  (modern  day Iran) and the prince  in this song talks about his land, Mazandaran.  

#19 Teri Aankh Ke Aansoo Pee Jaaon

Year: 1964 , Film: Jahan Ara , Music: Madan Mohan , Lyrics: Rajendra Krishan

#20 Phir Wohi Shaam Wohi Gham Wohi Tanhayee

Year: 1964 , Film: Jahan Ara , Music: Madan Mohan , Lyrics: Rajendra Krishan

I conclude this blog with two timeless classic ghazals from the inimitable team of Madan Mohan, Talat & Rajendra Krishan from the film Jahan Ara which can be considered as almost the fag end of Talat’s film career. Though he did sing few songs even as late as 1971, but we would like to remember the gentle , velvety voiced Talat Saheb with these two songs. Madan Mohan was known for his preference to Rafi but in Jahan Ara , there were totally three Talat solos ( apart from the two mentioned here, the other one was Mein Teri Nazar Ka Suroor Hoon)  and one duet with Lata-Ae Sanam Aaj Yeh kasam khayen.

“Teri ankh ke aansoo pee jaaon“  had Talat rendering a scintillating performance. The antaraa of the song raises in steps with Talat’s voice touching a raw nerve in you and ends with that typical flourish of violins of Madan Mohan.

Whenever we think of Talat sahib, we would also like to say:

Phir Wohi Shaam, Wohi Gam, Wohi Tanhayee Hai

Dil Ko samjhane , Teri Yaad Chalee Aaayee Hai…..

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

1. Talatmahmood.net-Blogsite by Talat’s son Mr. Khalid Mahmood
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. I would also like to thank various blogs/articles published in the Internet from which I had obtained many information while writing this.