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.

I started my blog site  “ Music Unrestricted” on 24^th  December 2021 coinciding with the birth anniversary of Rafi sahib and then later on added two more blogs -one on the legendary Tamil play back singer T M Soundarararajan and then next one on Kishore Kumar. I was planning to write a series of blogs on Lata Mangeshkar after some time  as it would have been a stupendous task to select from  her thousands of songs. But her  departure on 6^th Feb ’22 has hastened this and so as an immediate tribute to one of the greatest female playback singers of India , I would like to talk about few of her unforgettable songs. Needless to add this is my personal listing and may differ from others’ preference.

For me personally , just like Rafi , Lata is part of  daily life. Not a single day goes without listening to her songs. It is very difficult to explain the feeling that I get whenever I listen to either Rafi or Lata. Though I do listen to many other singers and enjoy their songs ,  but when it comes to Rafi and Lata their voice has that special effect which is impossible to describe. These two voices are pure therapy…they can motivate, soothe, console, energise, make us laugh, cry. And so on!

Selecting 25 top songs of Lata can be termed as a futile effort…but I am restricting myself to this number as otherwise it would be a too long article to hold anyone’s attention. I have tried to list one song each from 25 different music directors and have also given the year in which the film was released so that one can appreciate the time span in which she sang and also the variety of music composers for whom she sang. The music directors covered in this are combination of the well-known stalwarts ( with the exception of O P Nayyar for whom she didn’t sing even a single song) and some lesser known but immensely talented composers. The years covered are from 1949 to 1991, a span of 42 years!.

#1 Aayegaa Aayegaa Aannewala

Year: 1949, Film: Mahal, Music: Khemchand Prakash, Lyrics: Nakshab

Lata started off her singing career in Marathi and also had some minor acting roles and songs in few Hindi films from 1942 to 1948, but it was Master Ghulam Haider who gave her the major breakthrough in the 1948 film Majboor. However, she became more famous with this immortal song from Mahal, composed by Khemchand Prakash. With an orchestration that was way ahead of its times, this remains the first song that comes to our mind if we think of the early singing career of Lata. It was really unfortunate that the composer Khemchand Prakash didn’t live to see this song becoming a super hit and sadly he died in penury.

#2 Chup Chup Khade Ho Zaroor Koi Baat Hai

Year: 1949, Film: Badi Behan, Music: Husanlal- Bhagatram, Lyrics: Rajindra Krishan

The brothers Husanlal & Bhagatram could have been be the  first duo in Hindi Film music and  gave fantastic songs to both Suraiya and Lata and had shaped their early careers. This one is a peppy song with that typical rhythm pattern that became a trademark of H-B. We can hear a very young , fresh voice of Lata in this song.

#3 Yeh Zindagi Usi Ki Hai, Jo Kisika Ho Gaya

Year: 1953, Film: Anarkali, Music: C Ramachandra, Lyrics: Rajindra Krishan

Many music connoisseurs consider the music of Anarkali composed by Chitalkar Ramachandra to be equal in quality, if not greater than Naushad’s Mughal-E-Azam. Although songs of Mughal-E-Azam became more popular, Anarkali was not in any way inferior. This song reveals the first signs of the classical mastery that Lata would go on to showcase in the coming years. Not only the classical touch but the subtle nuances of play back singing come to life with the lines” Kisiki aarzoo mein apne dil ko bekaraar kar “. The way she adds a subtle drag in “bekaraar” is an example.

There are two versions of this song-happy and sad-both are absolutely great.

#4 Manmohana Badhe Jhoote , Haarke Haar Nahin Maane

Year: 1955, Film: Seema, Music: Shankar- Jaikishan, Lyrics: Shailendra

If Yeh Zindagi Usi Ki Hai from Anarkali was a “starter” on classical mastery of Lata , this song is “main course”! Whenever Shankar -Jaikishan composed a pure classical number, it was just out of the world. And what a great rendition  by Lata , especially towards the end!! Set in the raag Jaijaiwanti , this is one of the best among the many classical songs she had sung.

#5 Aurat Ne Janam Diya Mardon Ko, Mardone Usey Baazar Diya

Year: 1958, Film: Sadhna, Music: N Dutta (Dutta Naik), Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi

Sahir is known for his  hard-hitting poetry that lashes  out at the ills of the society. This song is about the exploitation of women by men and Lata had made this into a song that could otherwise been just a recitation of verse. Though I am definitely not one among them , for many there is a misconception  that Lata doesn’t bring much emotions into her songs…this song  is  a fitting response to them as she had sung this with so much of feeling & pathos.

#6 Tere Sur Aur Mere Geet, Donon Milkar Banegi Preet

Year: 1959, Film: Goonj Uthi Shehnai, Music: Vasant Desai, Lyrics: Bharat Vyas

Although Vasant Desai’s immortal bhajan from the film “ Do Ankhen Bara Haath”  , Ae Malik Tere Bandhe Hum is more popular, I have selected  this one  mainly for the absolute honey-laced  melody in Lata’s voice. I understand that the great Shehani maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan had played the instrument for this film , but not sure if the shehnai we listen in this song was also played by him. Anyone knowledgeable can confirm this. Throughout the song , the shehnai plays along with the soulful voice of Lata, making this a true masterpiece.

#7 Beqas Pe Karam Keejiye Sarkar-E-Madina

Year: 1960, Film: Mughal-E-Aazam, Music: Naushad, Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni

A movie of a lifetime, Mughal-E-Azam had great songs and selecting one is absolutely impossible. But this is a personal favourite , with Lata’s impeccable Urdu diction doing full justice to the exquisite poetry of Shakeel , composed in Raag Kedar by the legend Naushad Ali. Naushad was well known for his pure classical songs with minimum orchestration and great lyrics by his long-time associate Shakeel Badayuni.

#8 Rang Dil Ki Dhadkan Bhi Laati to Hogi

Year: 1960, Film: Patang, Music: Chitragupt, Lyrics: Rajindra Krishan

Chitragupt  and Lata were a terrific combination for the ever-so sweet style of composition that the former was well known. This is a  lilting melody with an extra sweetness in her voice that Lata used to bring out many -a times . Written by a very successful and great lyricist Rajendra Krishan the simple , romantic lines are brought to life by Lata.

#9 Saanware,  Kahe Mohse karo Jora jori

Year: 1960, Film: Anuradha, Music: Pt Ravi Shankar, Lyrics: Shailendra

Pandit Ravishankar composed for very few films ; the film Anuradha  had excellent songs. A title song , this is based on Raag Bhairavi and the taans in this are a treat to listen to. Very rarely played in radio/ anywhere else I don’t know why this song remains  not so popular .Lata had rendered this at a breath-taking speed! Such a fast paced classical number! That famous quote by none less than Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan comes to mind: “Kambakht kabhi besuri nahin hoti, kya Allah ki den hai [she never goes out of scale, what a gift of God]!”

#10 Ae Dilruba Nazren Mila, Kuch to Mile

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

Lata herself rates this as one of the most difficult songs she had sung. This one must be one of those rare songs that has absolute minimum words. Just two lines as mukhda ( Ae Dilruba Nazren Mila, Kuchh to mile gam ka silaa) and four lines in antara ( Ashkon ka ek dariya bahaa,Pyaasa tha dil pyasa raha,nazren mila,  nazren mila, rehna na de koi gila) . Composed  by the most original and unconventional maverick composer in Hindi Film music Sajjad Hussain  and equally matching the composition’s quality is Lata’s complex rendition. Major part of the song is just Lata’s vocals that can be termed as sheer gymnastics!

Based on the tragedy of Rustam and Sohrab ,  part of the 10th-century Persian epic Shahnameh by the Persian poet Ferdowsi, this film had absolutely great songs with most of them having an Arabian touch.

#11 Pankh Hote to  Ud Aati Re, Rasiya O zaalima

Year: 1963 , Film: Sehra , Music: Ramlal, Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri

Among the many ‘very much talented-but totally neglected composers’ , Ramlal Chaudhary is one for whom I always feel so bad that the film industry didn’t give him the recognition and commercial success he rightly deserved. With just two of his major works, Sehra and Geet Gaye Patharone,  Ramlal had composed some of the best songs that can be counted amongst those by other stalwarts of the industry.

This masterpiece from Lata which starts with a unique , superb alaap can easily be listed even among her ten career best songs. One of the rare film songs that has the unique instrument Jalatarang so beautifully played and integrated into the song.

#12 More Naina Sawan Bhaadon, Tori Reh Yaad Sataye

Year: 1964 , Film: Vidyapati, Music: V Balsara, Lyrics: Prahlad Sharma ( In Maithili Dialect)

V Balsara ( Vistas Ardeshir Balsara)  was a well-trained musician with expertise in piano, and many other wind & string instruments. He had worked in the orchestra of well-known stalwarts like Khemchand Prakash, Naushad, Shankar-Jaikishan, Madan Mohan etc. There is an interesting anecdote behind this  song which  he  composed independently for the Maithili film Vidyapathi. Being a low budget film,  the producer , though wishing for Lata to sing a song , was hesitant to approach her as her fees might not have been affordable. However, when V Balsara spoke to her , due to the immense respect Balsara had in the industry as an Orchestra Director for HMV , Lata agreed to sing without any fees. And what an immortal song! A haunting melody , superbly rendered by Lata  that remains largely ignored in the mainstream media. Incidentally this song also inspired the more famous song with similar lines that was for the 1976 film Mehbooba sung by both Lata and Kishore  independently  ( composed by R D Burman) but in my own very personal opinion this song  by Balsara is way ahead in terms of orchestration  and melody.

#13 Jhoom Jhoom Dhalti Raat , Leke Chali Mujhe Apne Saath

Year: 1964 Film: Kohra , Music: Hemant Kumar , Lyrics: Kaifi Azmi

Most of the songs that  Hemant Kumar composed for Lata were sheer magical ones. This one from Kohra is one of my favorites. The film Kohra was adapted from  the English novel Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. There were totally four solo songs- two each by Hemant Kumar & Lata . Yeh Nain Dare Dare & Rah Bani Khud Manzil by Hemant da are two of his best songs and one more Lata solo O beqaraar dil ho chuka hai mujhko aansoan se pyaar is also equally good. However, the reason for choosing Jhoom Jhoom  is that the voice modulation by Lata is simply out-of-the world. Matching with the theme of this film which was a  thriller-horror , this one has the typical haunting mood that was characteristic of Hemant’s compositions.

#14 Kaanton Se Kheench Ke Yeh Aanchal ( Aaj Fir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai)

Year: 1965, Film: Guide, Music: S D Burman, Lyrics: Shailendra

When it comes to selecting even top 25 songs from the batons of the stalwarts like S D Burman, Naushad, Shankar-Jaikishan, Madan Mohan, Roshan it is an impossible task as each one of their compositions with Lata  were masterpieces. So, selecting one is just futile…but as I mentioned in the beginning to keep this blog short and sweet, I have to select one. The film Guide was a landmark film in many ways and all the songs remain  masterpieces. The way Lata starts off in this song , picturized superbly by Vijay Anand on Waheeda Rehman,  conveys the extra-ordinary energy in this song. A scintillating  orchestration by Burman da, words sculpted by the master-blaster with words, Shailendra and photographed splendidly by the famous Fali Mistry , this is an epic  song. Whenever we listen to this ,  we wish to re-iterate the famous lines “ Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai”.

#15 Rehte the Kabhi Jin Ke Dil Mein Hum Aaj Gunehgaaron Ki Tarah

Year: 1966, Film: Mamta, Music: Roshan, Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

With Roshan Lal Nagrath , Lata had outstanding songs from the films Mamta, Aarti, Bahu Begum, Taj Mahal etc just to name a few . Again, a difficult task to choose one , but Rehte The Kabhi Jin Ke Dil Mein has some excellent poetry by Majrooh Sultanpuri that is beautifully conveyed with the right emotions by Lata. If I do not mention the following lines , it would be a great injustice to this song:

Tapte Hue Dil Ke Zakhmo Par

Barse bhi toh angaaron ki tarah

Thokar Na Lagaana Hum Khud Hai

Girthi Hui Deewaron Ki Tarah

#16 Gairon Pe Karam , Apnon Pe Sitam , Ae Jaanewafa Yeh Zulm Na kar

Year: 1968, Film: Aankhen , Music: Ravi, Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi

As compared to other major composers, Lata had relatively fewer song with Ravi but almost all were hits. Although Tumhi Meri Mandir , Tumhi Meri Pooja from the film Khandan is very popular, this  song from Aankhen is more intricate. Just at the beginning of the song , there is a humming which Lata does it so beautifully, bringing out each note with the surgical precision that she is known for.

#17 Chod de saari duinya kisike liye , Yeh Munasib Nahin Aadmi Ke Liye

Year: 1968 , Film: Saraswatichandra , Music: Kalyanji -Anandji, Lyrics: Indeevar

Kalyanji -Anandji had two different styles in their compositions. Their songs till late 60’s was more classical based but later on in 70’s and 80’s they went with the tide and changed into more catchy, fast tunes. This one from Saraswatichandra has a very mesmerizing effect and coupled with Indeevar’s excellent lyrics makes it an evergreen song. The ease with which Lata travels to her trademark high pitch , retaining the melody intact is something very unique to her.

#18 Bhaiyan Na Daro Ho Balma , Na Karo Mose Raar

Year: 1970 , Film: Dastak, Music: Madan Mohan, Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

Madan Bhaiyya , as Lata used to call him was THE MOST successful pair with her in terms of quality. Almost all her songs with Madan Mohan are legendary and as I keep repeating , it is impossible to select one song.

This film gave Madan Mohan a long-awaited recognition in terms of National Award for best music. Dastak had three epic solo songs of Lata , viz Bhaiyan Na Dharo, Mai Ri Mein Kase Kahoon Peer and Hum Hain Mata-E-Koocha-O- Baazar and also one masterpiece of a solo , almost sung in a whisper,  by Rafi: Tumse Kahoon Ek Baat Paron Ki, Halki. In the 70’s , when music had gradually started getting more westernized,  jazzy and fast paced, Madan Mohan stood his ground & composed the songs of Dastak with strong classical base. Bhaiyan Na Dharo was set in raag Charukesi and Lata , in her typical style renders this so majestically.

#19 Jaane Kyun Log Mohabbat Kiya Karte Hain

Year: 1971 , Film: Mehboob Ki Mehandi , Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

With Laxmikant -Pyarelal , Lata had sung the maximum number of songs ,and  she was also instrumental in introducing them to the industry. The typical prominence of percussion that has been the hallmark of L-P’s compositions comes to the fore in this song. With great interludes , ups and downs , pauses this is one among many such songs that were huge hits from the combination of L-P & Lata.

#20 Raina Beeti Jaaye Sham Na Aaye

Year: 1971, Film: Amar Prem, Music: R D Burman , Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

R D Burman changed the entire tone of Hindi Film music in the 70’s. Whenever he composed songs with a classical base, they  were invariably too good. This one from Amar Prem is a classical masterpiece . Amar Prem , Kati Patang & Aandhi  are three greatest musicals  composed by him in my personal view and all had great songs of Lata.

#21 Raton Ke Saaye Jab Bhoj Dil Par Bane

Year: 1972 , Film: Annadata , Music: Salil Chowdhary, Lyrics: Yogesh

Among her personal favourites, Lata always had the songs she had sung for Salil da on top. Among the O Sajana Barkha Bahaar Ayee, Aaja Re Pardesi, Rajinigandha Phool Tunhare, Na Jaane Kyon Hota Hai Yeh zindagi ke saath, Naa Jiya Laagena and many more such fabulous songs, I like the less heard  Raaton Ke Saye Ghane due to a very complex structure of the song which Lata had sung exceedingly well.

#22 Chalte Yuhin Koi Mil Gaya Tha

Year: 1972, Film: Pakeezah, Music: Ghulam Mohammad, Lyrics: Kaifi Aazmi

As it is well known, Pakeezah took almost more than a decade to complete and the great , but lesser-known composer Ghulam Mohammad ( who was assistant to the maestro Naushad for a long time) passed away before the release of the film and couldn’t see the appreciation the film’s music got. All the songs of this film are masterpieces but this one with a haunting melody and in my opinion one of the best ever percussion in Hindi film music is an eternal song. Lata’s Urdu diction was at its best ever in the songs of Pakeezah. The longer version of the song that we can listen to in the film is truly stunning in orchestration and picturization.

#23 Tu Chanda Mein Chandini , Tu Tarvar Mein Shaak Re

Year: 1972, Film: Reshma Aur Shera, Music: Jaidev Lyrics: Balkavi Bairagi

Jaidev got three national awards for best music among just 50 odd films that he composed in his entire career!! Proves what a great artist he was. And as it happened with many unsung geniuses , he breathed his last living in a one room rented apartment with almost nil personal belongings!!

To choose one song of Lata from the various gems like Allah Tero Naam, Ishwar tero naam, Raat Bhi Hai Kuch Bheegi, Yeh Dil Aur Unki Nigahon Ke Saye , Tunhein Dekhti Hoon to Lagta Hai Jaise etc is an arduos task. The song Tu Chanda Mein Chandini is one of the very long duration songs-almost 9 minutes. The way he had composed this with so many twists and turns, changes in the rhythm pattern , pauses in between etc makes this a class apart. Who else can do full justice to such a composition than Lata?!!

#24 Ae Dil-E-Nadaan… Aarzoo Kya Hai Justaju Kya Hai

Year: 1983 , Film: Razia Sultan , Music: Khayyam, Lyrics: Jan Nissar Akhtar

After 1972 , we straight away come to 1983!! Khayyam had been composing right from the year 1948 , but his songs with Lata were very few in the beginning years. His milestone films like Phir Subah Hogi, Shola Aur Shabnam and Shagoon had almost nil or at the most one or two duets of Lata. His major hit with Lata was in 1966 film Aakhri Khat that had “ Baharon Mera Jeevan Bhi Sanwaro”. However, the song Ae Dil-E-Nadaan from Razia Sultan is known for bringing back the melody in Lata’s singing back after a long gap. With one the best ever use of Santoor in film music , this is a one-of-a kind composition . Khayyam had used Santoor, Violin & Sarangi so beautifully. This song can well be termed as “duet  “ of Lata with Santoor. Through out the song , it plays along adding charm to the still sweet voice of Lata ( at around 54 years!!). Highlight of the song is that complete cessation of music after the lines “ Yeh Zameen Chup Hai, Aasman Chup Hai” ….and then how it starts with Phir Yeh Dhadkan Si Chaar-Su kya hai

#25 Yaara Sili Birah Ke Raat Ka Jalna

Year: 1991 , Film: Lekin  , Music: Pt Hridayanath Mangeshkar , Lyrics: Gulzar

The last song in this blog  should naturally end with a master composition by Lata’s brother Pt Hridayanath Mangeshkar. At the age of 62 what a melody in her voice, winning  the National Award as  best female playback singer for this song. Hridayanath is well known for his very complex compositions and Lata’s abhang and devotional songs in Marathi under his music direction can be an altogether separate blog. This folk- based song from Lekin shows the immense command Lata had over singing especially towards the end with the lines…yaaara….dolaaa…yaaara…dolaa.

 I feel this is just the right song to conclude this small tribute of mine. I shall try to take up each genres of Lata and discuss the same and also the fabulous duets she had sung in future blogs.

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 Pre-‘Aaradhana’ Kishore Kumar

Intriguing title, isn’t it? Why pre-Aradhana? Kishore Kumar started singing when he was just 19 years old, in the year 1948 with the song “Marne ki duayen kyun maangoon” that was composed by the legendary music director Khemchand Prakash. Aradhana happened in the year 1969 and so it was at the age of 40 when he ultimately got tremendous success that he rightly deserved. Does that imply his songs before 1969 were not good or popular? No way. This blog is not getting into controversies as to who was a better singer/ the reasons why some music directors might have erred in not giving the chance  that Kishore deserved. There are enough articles and blogs that have discussed this to the point of bitter arguments and fights.

This blog is titled Music Unrestricted and so true to the essence of this blog, let us talk about only good things, leaving aside all controversies. Personally, I am a great fan of Rafi, but I always feel, if Rafi wasn’t there, then I would have listened to Kishore more often. And the reason for writing about the pre-Aradhana songs of Kishore is to highlight the fact that in this period, I always felt his voice & singing was as good as it was post 1969, may be a shade even better, I would venture to say. Since most of the songs that he had sung after 1969 are so popular and very well documented and talked about in the popular media/blogs/forums etc, I thought it could be a better idea to focus first on the pre-1969 era. This is not to deny the excellent quality of songs that Kishore had sung post Aaradhana.  There will be a sequel to this in near future that will talk about the post Aradhana Kishore. As a standard disclaimer the 21 songs listed here are  , my personal favourites which may not be the same as others’ choice. Readers can mention their favourite Kishore songs of this period under comments section.

{ I have intentionally not provided links to the songs as many a times , there are copyright issues and a particular song may get removed; since all the songs mentioned here are easily available on searching in the Internet, request interested readers to do their own discovery for listening pleasure!}

#1 Aa chal ke tujhe mein leke chaloon (1964); Film –Door Gagan Ke Chhaon Mein, Music-Kishore Kumar, Lyrics- Kishore Kumar.

Just before this song appears in the film “Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein “, Kishore, who produced, directed, wrote, acted and composed music (what a multi-talented artist he was!!), asks his son (played by his real son Amit Kumar), Mujhe Gaana kahan aatha hai?!!. What an understatement by the genius who was one of the most natural singers ever. When he sings, the music just flows like a river. He never had any formal training in music and so was unfettered by any boundaries and so his songs always sound so natural.

Though this film had other songs written by Shailendra, this particular one was even penned by him. So, you have a song that was composed, written, sung and enacted by Kishore and what an eternal melody, with minimum orchestra -just  flute, sitar as main instruments.

#2 Mein hoon jhum jhum jhum jhumroo (1961); Film –Jhumroo; Music-Kishore Kumar, Lyrics- Majrooh Sultanpuri

The film Jhumroo was a commercial success for Kishore as compared to Door Gagan Ki chhaon mein. It was a dilemma for me to choose between the title song “Mein hoon jhum jhum jhumroo “and “Koi Humdum Na Raha, Koi Sahara Na Raha” which is one the best ever by him. So, I have selected both the songs!! Mein hoon jhum jhum jhumroo listed first here is unique due to the excellent yodelling -one of the best ever by him.

Appearing as the title song of the film, this one is still a challenge for anyone to sing due to the extra-ordinary yodelling done by Kishore. A beautiful guitar used throughout the song enhances the charm.

#3 Koin Humdum Na Raha; (1961); Film –Jhumroo; Music-Kishore Kumar, Lyrics- Majrooh Sultanpuri

There is an interesting anecdote about the other song from the same film Jhumroo – “Koi Humdum Na Raha, Koi Sahara Na Raha”. This song was taken from the 1936 film Jeevan Naiya which had Kishore’s elder brother Ashok Kumar singing the song composed by the first female music director of Hindi Film Music, Saraswati Devi. Ashok Kumar himself had talked about how Kishore had first asked his permission to take this song for Jhumroo. When Ashok had told Kishore that it was a complex metre, Kishore’s classic response was” I don’t know anything about metre etc. but will sing it better than you”!! And he definitely did a better rendition of that song and immortalised it!! Whenever Kishore sings a sad song, he brings in a very subtle pathos into it, thereby giving a pleasing effect. That, in my opinion, could have been due to his very natural way of singing.

#4 Arre Bhai Nikal; Ke Aaa Ghar Se (1956); Film –Nai Dilli; Music-Shankar -Jaikishan, Lyrics- Shailendra

Those days, Kishore was more focussed on acting; in fact, other leading singers of that time also started off with acting like Talat Mehmood, Mukesh but later on switched to singing (thankfully!). Rafi had a very brief stint with two films and soon realised it was not his cup of tea at all. Kishore, however had a reasonably successful acting career also. Reason for mentioning this is that due to this he was the natural choice as singer to do playback for himself. So, we have Shankar -Jaikishan’s peppy number selected in this list.

Set in a typical Marathi folk style, Kishore does all the variations that he is capable of, and also does a superb dance on screen. Especially at the end of the song, the way he changes the pitch in the lines “Arre Bhai, Arre Bhai” is vintage Kishore.

 And not to forget the prophetic lines of Shailendra:

Pani ko tel ko choda, bijali ki rail ko choda,

Kal Chaand Taaron Mein Pahunchegaa Atomi Ghoda!!

Writing about reaching the moon in “atomi ghoda” in year 1956, when the first unmanned satellite Luna actually landed in 1966. What an imagination the poets had those days!!

#5 Choti Si Yeh Duniya Pehchane Raaste; (1962); Film –Rangoli; Music-Shankar -Jaikishan, Lyrics- Shailendra

One more gem from the combination of Shankar-Jaikishan and Kishore -very famous for the first lines that can be quoted whenever someone wants to say “dekh loonga”!!!

Anecdote says Shailendra wrote the first lines to remind Shankar-Jaikishan after they supposedly forgot their promise to him to take as lyricist in their team. I am not sure if that was true.  This one has that typical tempo and orchestration of S-J (with a superb accordion) and a breezy style of singing by Kishore. What more do we need? Interspersed with lines in Bengali and Marathi , anyone listening to this will feel like getting up and dancing.

#6 Mana Janaab Ne Pukara Nahin; (1957); Film –Paying Guest; Music-Sachin Dev Burman, Lyrics- Majrooh Sultanpuri.

All the 5 songs mentioned so far were picturized on Kishore himself. Now we come to the hero for whom Kishore sung the most before 1969, i.e., Dev Anand.

One can feel the modulation that Kishore had brought in this song as compared to those picturized on him. Later on, when he became the main voice of both Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna, the difference can be perceived  distinctly.

Aided by an excellent orchestration that was the trademark of Sachin Dev Burman, this is a pleasant romantic number

#7 Mere Neendon Mein Tum Mere Khwabon Mein Tum; (1956); Film –Naya Andaaz; Music-O. P Nayyar; Lyrics-Jaan Nissar Akhtar

A one-of-a-kind duet with unique combination of Kishore & Shamshad Begum. To the best of my knowledge this could be the only song they had sung together and hats off to O.P Nayyar to bring these two voices together. As most of the music fans know, Shamshad’s voice was known as that resembling “a temple bell” ( that was a compliment given by O P Nayyar) and paired with an equally deep voice of Kishore, this remains a great duet, but may be not very popular among the masses.

One typical orchestration style of OPN was to have the same interludes for all the antaras unlike other his contemporaries, but that single melody always used to be exceptional. This song is no exception with violins, accordion and flutes complementing each other in the interludes.  One can hear a very different Kishore in this song.

One more song that has Kishore as the on-screen actor with a beautiful Meena Kumari in one of her few happy roles. A word about the great shayar Jaan Nisaar Akhtar—may a times the next generation of an artist becomes more famous—same is the case here-his son Javed Akhtar is more popular . Jann Nissar had written written fabulous songs in the golden era.

#8 Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi; (1964); Film –Mr X in Bombay; Music-Laxmikant -Pyarelal; Lyrics- Anand Bakshi.

In 1963, with Paras Mani film, Laxmikant-Pyarelal stormed into the Hindi film music scene and got their major success with Dosti, made in 1964. Mr X In Bombay was also released in same year, 1964 and this song remains as fresh and popular even after 58 years!!

This remains one of the best ever soulful song from Kishore. The version that we hear normally in radio is different from the screen version .  There is a clear variation in the tone with which Kishore had sung the first part of the song where he is seen on screen and the second part where he is invisible. The reason why such old songs will remain immortal is due to such subtle modulations in voice without any electronic distortions that have crept in today’s songs.

#9 Aake Seedhi Lagi Jaise Dil Pe Katariya ; (1962); Film –Half Ticket; Music-Salil Chowdhury; Lyrics- Shailendra

Many years later, in 1971 when Salil Chowdhury composed the song “Koi Hota Jis Ko Apna” for the film Mere Apne, he had rued as to why he didn’t utilize Kishore earlier. As Salil da was known for his very intricate tunes that song remains one of my all-time favourite Kishore numbers. Coming back to this article, the film Half Ticket was an all-out comedy film starring Pran and Kishore. Originally this song was supposed to be a Kishore-Lata duet but due to non-availability of Lata Mangeshkar’s dates, Kishore suggested to Salil Da that he can sing the female part also. Initially Salil da dismissed this as a joke but when he heard Kishore sing both the versions was totally amazed and this turned out to be unique song. Not only the voice modulation, but the swift change between male and female voice (remember those days there was no technical gimmicks available to record separately) was something only Kishore could do so easily.

Adding charm to this song is the way he has danced to the song on screen…truly amazing.

#10 Arre Yaar Meri Tum Bhi Ho Gajab  ;  ( 1965); Film –Teen Deviyan    ;   Music-Sachin Dev Burman  ;  Lyrics- Majrooh Sultanpuri

One more evergreen combination of Dev Anand-Kishore-S D Burman-Majrooh. This film had totally 6 songs and all were great hits. This duet with Asha ( along with whom Kishore later on had hundreds of hit songs) is one of the best ever. The last part of the song where Kishore almost whispers the lines “ Arre Yaar Meri Tum Bhi Ho Gajab , ghoonghat to zara odho…” and then an endearment hmmm….hmmm is really a classic where we are unable to make out if it is Kishore or Dev saying those lines. Kishore had done that part so beautifully.

#11 Chhota Sa Ghar Hoga Badalon Ke Chhaon Mein  ;  ( 1954); Film –Naukri    ;   Music- Salil Chowdhury  ;  Lyrics- Shailendra

A typical exceedingly sweet melody from the melody king Salilda with simple but meaningful lyrics by the great Shailendra (his speciality was conveying great thoughts in simple language) and rendered even more sweetly by Kishore. At the end of the second antara , Kishore does his typical harkat with the intentional breaking of voice to convey a mock crying by his sister on screen. That breaking of voice is one thing no other singer could come anywhere near Kishore. And he used to carry it off  so nicely without creating a jarring note.

#12 Zaroorat Hai Zaroorat Hai   ;  ( 1962); Film –Manmauji  ;   Music- Madan Mohan  ;  Lyrics- Rajendra Krishan

Till this day , this song remains evergreen and has been even remixed ( though personally I don’t like anyone remixing the old classics at all!!) . That shows how popular this song is . A very rare combination of Madan Mohan with Kishore this song has a catchy rhythm , at the same time having  the melody intact. Kishore has given the extra punch with stress on the lines” to kya baat hai” at the end of each antara , making the song so lively. One more song picturized on him , with his typical dancing style.

#13 Eena Meena Deeka    ;  ( 1957); Film –Aasha ;   Music- C Ramachandra  ;  Lyrics- Rajendra Krishan

The most popular Rock and Roll number from Hindi film music, this song needs no introduction. While Chitalkar Ramachandra was very strong in his classical raag based compositions, he was equally adept in such peppy numbers. And who else to execute to perfection than Kishore. There is an anecdote behind the origin of this song : C Ramachandra heard some kids playing outside his studio  saying Eenie Meeni Miny Moe and that inspired him and his assistant John Gomes to improvise and compose the first lines. Rajendra Krishan did a great job by adding the rest of the song. What with Kishore’s electrifying dance on screen , we got a power packed song which will make anyone get up and dance with the song.

The vocal gymnastics by Kishore is in full play towards the end!!

#14 Dukhi Man Mere Sun Mera Kehna  ;  ( 1956); Film –Funtoosh ;   Music- Sachin Dev Burman  ;  Lyrics- Sahir Ludhianvi

From the boisterous Eeena Meena Deeka to the utterly sad Dukhi Man Mere Sun Mera Kehna—what a range Kishore had!! One of the starting points of the fabulous Dev-Sachin Da-Kishore Da combination that would continue to bring out hits after hits later on , this song showcases the pathos that Kishore can bring in his singing. Incidentally I read somewhere that Kishore himself had considered this  as his topmost favourite song.  Composed with minimum orchestration by Sachin Da and written  with seemingly simple lines  but conveying profound philosophy  by the great Sahir Ludhianvi , this is an eternal song.

#15 Panthi Hoon Mein Uss Path Ka  ; ( 1971); Film –Door Ka Rahi  ;   Music- Music-Kishore Kumar ;  Lyrics- Irshad

While selecting the songs for this article, I had tried to list out the songs of my choice that Kishore had sung in his earlier innings, i.e., pre-Aaradhana. At the time of listing the songs I selected them purely by my own gut feeling , without actually checking the year of the film. When I started checking out the actual year for each of the songs, I was surprised to note that Door Kar Rahi was a 1971 film. However, I am still retaining this song as it has a feel of a 60’s song with such a great pain in the melody and the way Kishore had sung this. So, this is the only exception in this list. Composed by himself and written by a relatively unknown composer credited as Irshad ( I tried my best to dig out information from the Net but couldn’t get to know anything much about this lyricist) .

This is a relatively rare song in the sense that the other song from the same film “ Bekaraar Dil Tu Gaaye Jaa “ is more popular. Though I like that song also , but Panthi Hoon Mein is definitely one of my personal favourites among Kishore’s sad songs. When we watch the scene before the start of this song, we can also realise what a sensitive actor Kishore was.

#16 Kashti Ka Khamosh Safar Hai   ; ( 1960); Film –Girl Friend  ;   Music- Hemant Kumar ;   Lyrics- Sahir Ludhianvi

From the intensely sad songs Dukhi Man Mere and Panthi Hoon Mein , let us look at some enchanting romantic songs of Kishore.

If I have to write about this song , where should I  start? Whether the majestic voice of Kishore , the exquisite poetry of Sahir ,  the haunting flute of Hemant da or the sweet voice of the much-ignored singer Sudha Malhotra?? In a song like this , music, singing & lyrics come together complementing each other so well that we are lost for words!

How can they imagine lines like these in those days? What beauty in the words?!!

Kashti ka khamosh safar hai, shaam bhi hai, tanhai bhi

Door Kinare par bajhti hai lehron ki shehnai bhi

Aaj mujhe kuch kehna hai, Aaj mujhe kuch kehna hai

It continues on similar lines and ends with:

Dil ne Dil ki baat samajh li, Abh Muh se kya kehna hai

Aaj nahin toh kal keh lenge, Abh toh saath hi rehna hai

Keh bhi chuko jo kehna hai

Chodo abh kya kehna hai

Just like how at the end Kishore says: Chodo Ab Kya Kehna Hai…it is better to listen to this masterpiece rather than me saying anything further about that!!

#17 Yeh Raatein Yeh Mausam Nadi Ka Kinara   ; ( 1958); Film –Dilli Ka Thug  ;   Music- Ravi Shankar Sharma ( Ravi)  ;   Lyrics- Shailendra

One more romantic number that brings to your eyes a moon lit night on the banks  of a river . Another rare combination of Ravi & Kishore. Ravi was well known for his very sweet melodies mostly with Rafi and then later on with some fabulous songs with Mahindra Kapoor. However, in this song Kishore excels himself with an ever-so sweet voice that perfectly fits in with the tone of the song.

With a lilting melody and a waltz rhythm to go with , picturised on Kishore and a ever-so beautiful Nutan, this duet with Asha remains popular even today.

#18 Woh Shaam Kuch ajeeb thi, yeh shaam bhi ajeeb hai  ; ( 1969); Film- Khamosh;   Music-Hemant Kumar , Lyrics- Gulzar

Released just around 5 months before Aaradhana, this haunting pathos from Hemant da remains one of the topmost songs of Kishore. Picturised on Rajesh Khanna in black & white  , with whom , later on Kishore would team up to  give hits after hits , this song brings out the many aspects of Kishore’s singing. With his natural deep voice alternating with a tender softness and at the same time conveying pathos  in a very subtle manner, we really wish Kishore had more such numbers.

#19 Machalti Hui Hawa Mein Cham Cham ; ( 1964); Film- Ganga Ki Lehren  ;   Music-Chitragupt , Lyrics- Majrooh Sultanpuri

The film Ganga Ki Lehren had both Dharmendra & Kishore as main actors; this title song is picturized on Kishore. Chitragupt was always known for his lilting melodies and any serious music buff will agree that though his compositions were mostly top class, he never got the recognition he deserved. The only Lata duet in this series of songs, this song is very much popular for the foot tapping rhythm and the breezy style in which both Kishore and Lata had rendered this.

#20 Ae Mere Topi Palat Ke Aa  ; ( 1956); Film- Fantoosh  ;   Music-Sachin Dev Burman  , Lyrics- Sahir Ludhianvi

The last two songs of this article come back to the genre that was always Kishore’s forte. Though officially credited to Sachin da, it is said that this song was actually composed by his illustrious son, Rahul and was the first ever tune composed by him at the age of 17. The team of RDB and Kishore would later go on to become one of the most successful in Hindi film music.

This one is a simple tune but the way Kishore plays upon the words “ Meri Topeee, Meri Topee “ is superb. If you compare this song with Dukhi Man Mere from the same film which was discussed in Song # 13 , the versatility of Kishore can be fully appreciated.

#21 Ek Chatur Naar Karke Singaar   ; ( 1968); Film- Padosan  ;   Music-Rahul  Dev Burman  , Lyrics- Rajendra Krishan.

Does anyone need any write up on this song?!! Iconic, boisterous, impromptu improvisations…the adjectives will go on.

The precursor to the wave that changed the Hindi film music scenario after Aaradhana, Padosan had other  fabulous songs , Kehana Hai  Kehana Hai  Aaj Tumse Yeh Pehlee Baar, Mere Saamnewali Khidki Mein & Mere Bhole Balam ( Meri Pyari Bindu) .

Ek Chatur Naar is a  favourite of music talent shows.Kishore was absolutely rocking in this ; it is said that many parts of the song were done by him impromptu, at the time of recording. With Manna Da and Mehmood providing perfect company , this remains one of the best comical songs ever.

Thereafter, in 1969 , Aaradhana happened and rest is history.

With that I come to the end of this article; hope you have enjoyed reading this.

Personally, I like only few selected songs of Kishore in the post Aaradhana era but as a blog creator, I will definitely write about them , setting aside my personal preferences!! So, wait for Kishore Season 1, Episode 2 (in present day style) in near future!!

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

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

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

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

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

Let us see what these songs are:                                 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

”  Umr ke chadaw ka, uthaar dekhte rahe”

“ Saans ki sharaab ka, khumaar dekhte rahe”

“Odhkar kafan padhe , majaar dekhte rahe”

“Paalki liye hue , kahaar dekhte rahe

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

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

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

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

Chand ki chaal bhi hai behaki hui

Raat ki ankh bhi sharaabhi hai

Saari khudrat nashe mein hai jab choor

Are maine pi li to kya kharaabi hai

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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