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Hindi film songs

Mahendra Kapoor

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–A singer who made his mark amidst giants

9th January 1934 -27th September 2008

Before I begin , a big thanks to all those who have viewed my blogs -this year in just 9 months it has crossed 10,000 views!

One may wonder why such a long tag line in the title of this blog! When the Hindi film industry had legendary male playback singers Rafi, Talat, Kishore, Manna Dey and Mukesh , with each one having their unique voice and  style , we can imagine how difficult it might have been for Mahendra Kapoor to create a name for himself. He left behind some evergreen  songs like Chalo Ek Baar Phir Se ,  Neele Gagan Ke Tale, Aadha Hai Chandrama , Ankhon Mein Qayamat Ke Kajal , Hai Preet Jahan Ki Reet,  Mere Desh Ki Dharti etc.

If we look at the followers of male playback singers of the golden era of  Hindi film music ,  we find a majority of them either adoring  Rafi or  Kishore  , then to some extent a niche group who love Mukesh , Talat Mehmood. For Manna Dey and Mahendra Kapoor , although many like their songs , we do not see an intense , passionate fan-base. Between the two we may even find many who like Manna Da’s classicism , but finding an ardent fan for Mahendra Kapoor is relatively rare. This is not to generalize but at a glance this seems to be the reality. But , of course , there would definitely be many who like his songs and I am one of them! In fact I can say with humility that I like all these singers and …ooops I forgot one more name-Hemant Kumar-though for me his name comes first as a great composer . The most charming aspect of the golden era of HFM is that we had such a huge variety of singers , complemented with even more diverse  music composers and their equally competent lyricists. That is why I find it strange that even many learned music lovers and writers keep comparing these legends and come out with their own biased opinions, extolling some to a very great extent, and putting down others !

In my blogs , I like to celebrate the music of all! Sometimes even those , whom I may personally not be listening that much. For me music till the early 70’s was filled with so many gems to keep discovering and enjoying. In this blog , let us look at some of the great songs  Mahendra Kapoor(MK)  left behind for us. I had mentioned some time back in my blogs that pure coincidence makes me take up an artist for my blogs  and I find that I am writing about him or her close to their birth or death anniversary. As  I publish this , the 17th death anniversary of MK just passed by last week,  on 27th September.

Mahendra Kapoor was born in Amritsar on 9 January 1934 but was brought up in Mumbai ( then Bombay) , where his father had a business of garments. From an early age he always considered the great Mohammad Rafi as his inspiration . MK graduated from the  St Xaviers College, and his interest in music was evident from those days. His training on music started with  B.M. Vyas and Ustad Meharji. He also got trained in classical music from Pt Husnlal of the famous musical duo Husanlal Bhagatram , Ustad Niaz Ahmed Khan, Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan and Pt.Tulsi Das Sharma. Of course the great Mohammad  Rafi was always his idol and had even mentored him to some extent.

He started singing from the year 1953 with songs in films like Madmast,   Lalkaar (1956) , Diwali Ki Raat (1956), Heer (1956) etc. He was also part of the  qawwali Unhe dekh le to in the film Madhmast composed by V Balsara. However all these songs did not give any major break for him.  Fortune favoured him when he got selected as the best singer in Metro-Murphy All India Singing Competition, the judges being the topmost music directors: Anil Biswas, Naushad, C Ramchandra, Vasant Desai and Madan Mohan. The contest had a benefit for the winner that the judges were to offer a chance to sing in their composition. Naushad, honoured  that condition , and gave him his major break by offering the song Chand Chupa Aur Tare Toothe in the film Sohni Mahiwal (1958).  It so happened that this song got released earlier although as per MK’s own interview in Vividh Bharati , the song Aadha Hai Chandrama Raat Aadhi was recorded earlier ( composed by C Ramchandra for the film Navrang)  but was released after the Sohni Mahiwal film song. CR also gave a major  boost to his career in Navrang with other songs like  Shyamal Shyamal Baran & Yeh Maathi Sabhi Ki Kahani Kahegi that  made MK a singer to be noticed.

MK started getting more success in BR Chopra’s films , with the music director Ravi giving him his all-time hits like Chalo Ek Baar , Neele Gagan Ke Tale, Kisi Pathar Ki Moorat Se and many more . Other music directors like N Dutta, O.P Nayyar , Kalyanji Anandji also composed some of the best songs for MK. One of the main strengths for MK was the effortless ease  he used to reach the high notes and stay there for some time! The song Na Mooh Chupake Jiyo is one such example. Despite having a strong and deep voice , he could render a soft ghazal . And when it comes to patriotic songs , he was at the top. Peppy numbers like Aankhon Mein Qayamat Ke Kajal or Lakhon Hai Yahan Dilwale were also a cake-walk for him.

He had sung many popular songs in Marathi and of course in his native Punjabi , apart from many other languages like Gujarati, Bhojpuri etc. He also had the unique distinction of collaborating with the famous band Boney-M to render some of their famous songs with Hindi lyrics for an album M-3 that had Mahendra Kapoor singing with singer Mussarat. MK’s best output was in the 60’s and 70’s ; however even in 80’s he rendered some great songs . In the year 1988 , B R Chopra’s TV adaptation of the epic Mahabharat became a very popular program and every Sunday people across the country were able to listen to the stirring rendition of MK’s title song for this TV series.

The government of our country recognized his contribution by conferring the Padma Shri award in the year 1972 ; he had also won the National award for best playback singing for his iconic Mere Desh Ki Dharti in the film Upkaar -1968. He also got the  Filmfare Award thrice -in 1964 for Chalo Ek Baar Phir Se from the film Gumrah; in 1968 for Neele Gagan Ke Tale from the film Humraaz and in 1975 for the song Aur Nahin Bas Aur Nahin in Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. He was also honoured with other awards like the Mian Tansen award, Life Time Achievement award by the Maharashtra state government and Lata Mangeshkar award by the Madhya Pradesh state government.

He passed away on 27th September , 2008 due to cardiac arrest, leaving behind his wife, children, and grandchildren. His son Rohan Kapoor is also an actor and play back singer.

I have selected around 33 songs here , organized them into his great works with the music directors Ravi & O.P Nayyar who had given him the best songs of his career and then another category that has songs composed by many other music directors. I have selected 11 songs for each category , with an aim to cover the  variety in  MK’s singing and tried to include different music directors in the last category. I have also tried to put together a list that has many popular songs and some rare, not-heard-much ones.

As I am completing the blog, I realise , maybe in future one more blog may be required to do a proper justice to MK’s songs with few other music composers and duets with other singers. I have mentioned the song/film/year/ lyricist and any co-singers in that order.

Songs composed by Ravi Shankar Sharma ( Ravi)

If there are two music directors who were instrumental in giving a major boost to MK’s career , it is Ravi & O P Nayyar. For  Ravi , Rafi was always the first choice, but in most of the B R Chopra films, it was mostly MK. Like many of the anecdotes that go around in the film world, they say B R Chopra had some rift with Rafi and that is how MK got many opportunities, but I find that Rafi has also sung in many of the B R Chopra films! Whatever it is , we are more interested in the music than these stories! The team of Ravi-MK-Sahir created some of the best ever songs of HFM . I have tried to list some of them here, though some of them are from non B R Chopra films.

  1. Chalo Ek Baar Ajnabee-Gumraah-1963-Sahir Ludhianvi

Any talk about MK’s songs has to start from this masterpiece. MK was lucky to lend his vocals to one of the most famous lines written for a Hindi film song by the great Sahir Ludhianvi-Woh afsana jise anjaam tak laana nah o mumkin, Use ek khubsurat mod dekar chodne achha!

2. Aap Aaye To Khayal-E-Dil-E-Nashaad-Gumrah-1963- Sahir Ludhianvi

Starting off with a slow pace and in low notes, MK travels to the higher octaves with his typical ease in the antara.

3. Yeh hawa yeh fiza- Gumraah-1963-Sahir Ludhianvi

Ravi composes a superb song with guitar providing the main rhythm and a nice mandolin , flute taking us through the cool hills and MK rendering a soulful number .

4. Husn aur ishq ke takraae ki raat ayi hai -Sagaai-1966- Rajendra Krishna

Relatively a rare song for a non-B R Chopra film, this song shows the softer vocal skills of MK. A melodious one that appears a bit different from Ravi’s usual style.

5. Neele Gagan Tale-Hamraaz-1967-Sahir Ludhianvi

After Gumraah, it was Hamraaz that had MK’s career best songs. This one will remain eternal-whenever we listen to this we are taken to a beautiful, scenic place under the blue sky -somehow many of MK’s songs were picturized with beautiful hills or such similar scenery around. That is why his songs caresses us like a gentle breeze.

6. Kisi Pathar Ki Moorat- Hamraaz-1967-Sahir Ludhianvi

Once again the intense Urdu lyrics of Sahir come to life with MK’s mellifluous singing. Those days , a piano song is bound to be a super hit. Ravi’s trademark dholak, banjos elevate the song to a different level. MK has sung this with the right intonations, just like his idol, Mohammad Rafi. And who can forget the words of Sahir-Har ek beja takalluf se bhagawat ka irada hai?

7. Na mooh chupa ke Jiyo- Hamraaz-1967-Sahir Ludhianvi

Many singers of the golden era could reach the higher notes with ease, but MK had the unique ability to not only reach those high notes , but could “stay” there for a while with enormous lung power. The sheer force of this song is simply mind boggling and this remains one of my all-time favourites. Once again the exceptional lyrics of Sahir and the thundering dholak of Ravi , alongwith the vocals of MK create an evergreen song.

8. Tum agar saath dene ka- Hamraaz-1967-Sahir Ludhianvi

God only knows what  chemistry Ravi, Sahir and MK had when they worked for Gumrah and Hamraaz films-looks like whatever they touched turned gold ‘a la Midas’!

9. Ae Jan-E-Chaman Tera Gora Badan-Anmol Moti-1969-Rajendra Krishan

One may not be too impressed with the picturization of this song , but the tune and MK’s rendition make this a good one.

10. Sansaar Ki Har Shay Ka-Dhund-1973– Sahir Ludhianvi

The film , Dhund was based on Agatha Christie’s story ‘The unexpected Guest’ and is one of the good films in Hindi. This title song is rendered by MK in his inimitable style.

11. Beete huye lamhon ki kasak saath -Nikaah-1982- Hasan Kamaal

Music director Ravi was well known for his melodies and when the music tastes started becoming different, he had almost withdrawn from Hindi films and instead made a very good name for himself in the Malayalam film industry. After a long gap , when B R Chopra signed him for this film , he proved that he still had those creative juices flowing. MK had this soulful ghazal along with few other memorable songs like Dil Ki Yeh Aarzoo thi koi -a duet with Salma Agha. MK’s voice had the same texture that he had when he sang those great songs for Ravi 16-17 years ago in Gumrah and Hamraaz.

Songs composed by O. P Nayyar

After Ravi, it was in O P Nayyar’s music that MK could some out with his best songs. Once again there was the infamous spat between OPN and Rafi in 1968  who till then had worked so well together , and were also very close friends. I would not like to ponder much about these stories as no one knows exactly what happened! The result was that MK got great opportunity to sing for OPN and that is how we got all those superb songs. Ultimately Rafi being the supreme gentleman that he always was , patched up with OPN by taking the initiative solely from his side , and they did work together , but by that time OPN ‘s creativity had come down and he was not able to create the magic like before. O P Nayyar’s music till the time he was at the top , guaranteed success even for those films that did not have anything much to talk about except for the music. His name used to be prominently displayed in the film  posters and that was enough to draw the audience! His foot-tapping rhythm , superb tunes and orchestration are loved even today.

  1. Mera Pyar Woh Hai -Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi-1965-S.H Bihari

One of the early songs of MK with OPN much before the OPN-Rafi rift. Many of the golden era music directors had a great team work with their favourite lyricists. Just like Ravi & Sahir , OPN & S H Bihari created some of the great songs that were rendered by MK. In fact in this blogsite I had written in detail about many such teams.

2. Badal Jaaye Agar Maali-Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi-1966-Kaifi Azmi

A classic guitar-based OPN’s rhythm , this is the only song by MK in the film.

3. Badi Mushkil Se Kaboo-Humsaya-1968-Hasrat Jaipuri-Duet with Asha Bhosle

It is said that this was the film during which OPN stopped working with Rafi . Though all the songs are great, somehow the film flopped commercially.

4. Aankhon mein Qayamat Ke Kajal-Kismat-1968-S.H Bihari

Quintessential OPN songs in this film are this one and the next I have listed. These two are my personal favourites also. Whenever we think of MK’s song with OPN this comes to our mind first. Superb rendition by MK and of course who can forget those guitars ?! The way in which MK had rendered both the songs of this film showcase the pop-singer in him.

5. Lakhon Hai Yahan Dilwale- Kismat-1968-S.H Bihari

Though this one might seem to be similar to Ankhon Mein Qayamat song the way MK comes out with those modulations makes this one of his career-best!

6. Kamar Pathli Nazar Bijli-Kahin Din Kahin Raat-1968-S.H Bihari

One of the rarer songs from the team of OPN-S H Bihari and MK. The antara is unusual and not the typical style of OPN-MK had pulled it off so well.

7. Yaaron Ki Tamanna Hai- Kahin Din Kahin Raat-1968-Aziz Kashmiri

It is indeed very rare to see any other singer apart from Rafi singing for the noted actor-comedian Johnny Walker. The typical horse-hoof beat of OPN is in full play and adds to the charm of the song.

8. Haath Aaya Hai Jab Se -Dil Aur Mohobbat-1968-Shewan Rizvi- Duet with Asha Bhosle

The lyricist Shewan Rizvi mostly wrote for O P Nayyar and this song could be one of the best by him. I always liked this song mainly for these lines:

Ungaliyaan jab zamaana ki mujh par uthhe

Kho na jaana kahin aisi haalaat main

Roshani zindagi men mohabbat se hai

Warana rakha hai kya chaandani raat main

Although the song has Asha singing a major part, MK does make his mark with the lone antara that he gets to sing.

9. Kahan Se Layee Oh Jan-E-Man-Dil Aur Mohobbat-1969-S.H Bihari-Duet with Asha Bhosle

MK does a superb ‘ harkat’ while singing the line in the first antara, especially in the line “yahi wo chehra hai poojte hain”:

yahi wo aankhe hai jinke moti

chamak rahe hai samundro me

yahi wo chehra hai pujte hai

OPN used to refer to his favourite lyricist S H Bihari as Shayar-E-Azam meaning the great among the lyricists. Asha does a superb humming throughout the song; not to forget the superb santoor that OPN uses in the orchestration.

10. Andhere Mein Jo Baithe Hain-Sambandh-1969-Kavi Pradeep

The two songs from Sambandh would rate among the top 10 songs of MK . He has breathed life into these two songs, with the song Jo Diya Tha Tum Ne having the unique feature of Hemant da singing in an OPN composition.

11. Jo Diya Tha Tum Ne-Sambandh-1969-Kavi Pradeep-Duet with Hemant Kumar

Songs composed by Other music directors

Among the other music directors in whose compositions, MK had his best songs were C Ramachandra, N Dutta, Kalyanji Anandji . I have included some of his best songs from these 3 composers and also five others like Naushad who gave his first hit song -Chand Chupa Aur Tare Toote, Pt Ravi Shankar-a rare duet with Geeta Dutt , two songs from Madan Mohan , one from my eternal favourite composers-Shankar Jaikishan, and one from Lakshmikant Pyarelal’s Roti Kapda Aur Makan that fetched MK one more Filmfare award. All these songs give a glimpse of the variety in MK’s singing and hope those who listen to these would like them.

  1. Chand Chupa Aur Tare-Sohni Mahiwal-1958-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

The songs that made MK famous after years of struggling. Wish Naushad had given few more songs to him!

2. Aadha hai chandrama-Navrang-1959-C Ramachandra-Bharat Vyas-Duet with Asha Bhosle

Whenever we think of top songs composed in the raag Malkauns, this would be on the top of the mind-a superb by the great C Ramachandra-Navrang had some of his fabulous songs and MK had totally 4 songs in this film.

3. Shyamal Shyamal Baran- Navrang-1959-C Ramachandra-Bharat Vyas

CR innovates orchestration by using musical instruments for mimicking everyday sounds in a household! Note the richness in MK’s voice texture in this song.

4. Aaj ki raat nahi shikwa shikayat ke liye -Dharmaputra -1961- N Datta -Sahir Ludhiyanavi

I had not listened to this song for decades and was delighted to discover this while researching for the blog. Just like Ravi & Sahir, N Dutta and Sahir had a great chemistry and had given numerous masterpieces. This one shows the softer side of MK’s singing.

5. Kho Gaya Hai Mera Pyar-Hariyali Aur Rasta-1962-Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri

The film Hariyali Aur Raasta had great songs by SJ , that were msostly rendered by Mukesh and Lata; this solo by MK is one of the rare ones that SJ had composed for him and is quite a popular one.

6. Dhoonde Nazar Nazar-Dilli Ka Dada-1962-N Dutta-Jan Nissar Akhtar- Duet Asha Bhosle

A nice melody by N Dutta , rendered beautifully by  MK & Asha.

7. O Bedardi Kyon Tadpaaye-Godaan-1963-Pt Ravi Shankar-Anjaan-Duet with Geeta Dutt

The veteran classical Sitar maestro Pt Ravi Shankar composed a handful of songs for few films , but all were simply outstanding. This rare duet of MK & Geeta must have been forgotten by many. Note the use of predominantly Indian classical instruments by the maestro in the orchestration.

8. Chodkar Tere Pyar Ka Daman-Woh Kaun Thi-1964-Madan Mohan-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan-Duet with Lata Mangeshkar

When Rafi & Lata did not sing together for few years, MK got the opportunity to sing some duets with her. One of the typical sweet romantic melodies by the ghazal king Madan Mohan.

9. Dil Laga Kar Hum Yeh Samjhe-Zindagi Aur Maut-1965-C Ramachandra-Shakeel Badyuni

A rare association of CR with Shakeel Badayuni, that tabla pattern is  vintage CR!. One of MK’s great songs …

10. Ari Oh Shok Kaliyon Muskura -Jab Yaad Kisi Ki Aati Hain-1967- Madan Mohan- Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

When I heard this song after a long time , I could not guess the music director correctly as it had shades of SJ in the first prelude and also reminded me of OPN -it was only after listening to that distinct string arrangement that I guessed correctly it was Madan Mohan. A superb ghazal by MK.

11. Hai Preet Jahan Ki Reet Sada-Purab Aur Paschim-1970-Kalyanji Anandji-Indeevar

Readers may find it strange that I have  included this and not  the most popular song of MK -Mere desh ki dharti! It is just because everyone must have listened to that ‘n’ number of times in all our National days. This is rare and personally I like this song for MK’s superb rendition , K-A superb orchestration, and the powerful lyrics of Indeevar. I could not get the original video link embedded here due to technical issues and so this is from a live performance of MK. I am providing a link to the original song as a hyperlink< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdmUuRELfWI&list=RDTdmUuRELfWI&start_radio=1>

12.Aur Nahi Bas Aur Nahin-Roti Kapda Aur Makaan-1974-Laxmikant Pyarelal-Santosh Anand

I conclude the blog with this pathos by MK that may not be that popular , but is a complex tune that was composed by L-P with MK getting his third & last  Filmfare award.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

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

  1. You Tube
  2. Wikipedia

The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the  original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

Hindi film songs

S N Tripathi- a composer who deserved more

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14th March 1913-28th March  1988

Whenever we look at the list of the most popular and well-remembered music directors of the Hindi film golden era, the name of Shri Nath Tripathi will mostly be an after-thought! Even I am guilty of this omission as I am writing about him after having covered around 14 other music directors earlier.

Known more for his devotional and classical-raag based songs , he did not have any distinct style of orchestration like many others that made it relatively difficult to recognize his composition immediately after listening to few strains of his songs. However he had the uniqueness of coming out with intensely melodious songs and extracted the maximum from a raag or a tune that he composed. He is definitely one among the music directors who were recognized for their strong rooting in classical raaga-based compositions, like  Naushad, Vasant Desai and to some extent C Ramachandra.

S. N. Tripathi, was born in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, to one Pt. Damodar Dutt Thakur, was a school principal. He obtained his BSc degree from Allahabad, and  got his training in classical music from the famous Morris College of Music in Lucknow founded by the Pandit V. N. Bhatkhande, later known as Bhatkhande Music Institute. Like numerous other artists, he also moved to Bombay , as it was known then, in 1935 and worked as a violinist for the veteran music director Saraswati Devi.

He got his first opportunity to work as an independent music composer for the film Chandan in 1941. After having composed for many films either mythological or historical ones, he ultimately achieved for the superb compositions in films like Janam Janam Ke Phere(1957), Rani Roopmati (1957), Lal Qila ( 1960) and  Sangeet Samrat Tansen ( 1962) .

A lesser-known facet of this talented composer was that he had acted in many films ( roughly at least 50 odd films!) and was also a film director , having directed approximately 15 films. His role as Hanuman in the film Ram Bhakt Hanuman ( 1948) brought him many such assignments, mainly in mythological films. He had a well-built physique that suited the role of Hanuman in many films. He also directed few successful Bhojpuri films , with Bidesiya ( 1963) being the most popular.

While gathering details of some of his best songs, I was pleasantly surprised to listen to  two songs that appear in the film one after the other in the film Rani Roopmati -Ud Jaa Bhanwar Maya Kamal Ka by Manna Dey and Aaja Aaja Bhanwar by Lata. These two songs alone are enough to place him among the topmost composers of the golden era. More about these two songs in my song listing below. His two compositions in the film Lal Quila  are without any orchestration and rely only on the pristine vocals and the singing skills  of the legend Mohammad Rafi. One of these songs is quite famous-Na Kisiki Aankh Ka Noor Hoon, but the other one is very rarely heard- Lagta Nahin Hai Dil Mera Ujde Dayaar Mein.

I should definitely mention a word about the great lyricist Bharat Vyas ( who ( about whom I shall dedicate a blog in the near future) who had a great association with  S. N Tripathi ( for brevity I shall refer as SNT in this article) . In this selection of 22 songs , 10 of them were written by him. Shows what a great team they were. Bharat Vyas was well-renowned for writing mostly in chaste Hindi as compared to many of his contemporaries who used lot of Urdu shayari.

As a humble tribute to this multi-faceted music composer who was also an  actor and  director , I have selected 22 songs that showcase his immense composing skills. The songs are listed in chronological order of the year in which the film was released . The song-film-year-singer(s) and lyricist are mentioned in that order.

  1. Jhumti Hai Nazar, Jhumta Hai Pyar-Hatimtai-1956-Mohammad Rafi & Asha-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

It was a sheer pleasure for me to listen to this song , literally after decades. I do not know why this song is never played in radio now-a-days ; I remember few years ago at least once in a while we used to hear this. A delightful duet and that is not in the typical classical style of SNT, but one with a westernized touch.

2 Parwar Digar-E-Aalam-Hatimtai-1956-Mohammad Rafi-Akhtar Romani

One of the famous devotional songs of Rafi, he has given his heart to this song. SNT’s skill in composing songs that have a historical/mythological/religious flavour was unmatched. One should not forget to compliment the excellent lyrics of Akhtar Romani , more famous  for his ghazals .

3 . Aa Laut Ke Aaja Mere Meet-Rani Roopmati-1957-Mukesh-Bharat Vyas

One of the most popular songs from the film Rani Roopmati, and also one can say one of the top songs of Mukesh that he sung for music directors other than Shankar-Jaikishan, Roshan  and Kalyanji-Anandji who are usually associated with his best songs.

4. Baat Chalat Nahin Chunri Rang Dal- Rani Roopmati-1957- Mohammad Rafi  & Krishnarao Chonkar-( Credited to Bharat Vyas but this is a traditional classical bandish)

The film Rani Roopmati was based on the legendary love between Rani Roopmati of Mandavgarh ( Mandu) and the ruler of Malwa kingdom , Baaz Bahadur ( Baazid Khan). The film was also directed by SNT and was one of his major works in terms of music , along with Sangeet Samrat Tansen.

5. Ud Jaa Bhanwar-Rani Roopmati-1957-Manna Dey-Bharat Vyas

The two songs Ud Jaa Bhanwar and Aaja Aaja Bhanwar appear in the film one after the other and are the superb examples of SNT’s mastery in the classical genre. The first one is based on Raag Darbari Kanada and the second , Brindavani Sarang ; I have not watched the film , but understand from the visuals that in the first song , Manna Dey renders an outstanding Darbari Kanada and the ‘bhanwar’           ( bee) flies away , having been trapped inside a flower. Then comes the nightingale , Lata , who also gives out a superfluous song , that makes the bee come inside and settle itself inside the flower! Both songs have a philosophical connotation-escaping from the world of illusion and getting attracted towards it .

It is really sad to note that these two songs are not heard popularly in radio/any playlist . These are as good , if not , even better than many other songs that are usually considered among the best film songs based  on classical raagas.

6. Aaja Aaja Bhanwar- Rani Roopmati-1957-Lata -Bharat Vyas

7.  Jhanan Jhan Jhan Baaje Payaliya- Rani Roopmati-1957-Mohammad Rafi & Lata -Bharat Vyas

One more song that is strangely ignored by the popular media -it is really incomprehensible why SNT’s many such masterpieces have slowly become totally forgotten. A super duet by Rafi & Lata, both show their prowess in rendering a classical gem. The frenetic pace towards the end of the song is an icing on the cake!

8. Janam Janam Ke Phere- Janam Janam Ke Phere-1957-Mohammad Rafi -Bharat Vyas

Rafi had rendered so many title songs , that are usually picturised during various stages of the film’s story. SNT was known for his purity in the compositions, avoiding any extra-ordinary ornamentation in orchestration and let the tune speak for itself. This song takes us through the various stages in the film’s story.

9. Zara Saamne To Aao Chaliye- Janam Janam Ke Phere-1957-Mohammad Rafi & Lata-Bharat Vyas

One of the most popular songs composed by SNT, the usage of Shehnai is something that SNT mastered in most of his songs.

10. Un Par Kaun Kare Vishwas-Kavi Kalidas-1959-Mohammad Rafi & Lata-Bharat Vyas

    My observation after listening to  many songs of SNT that he got stereotyped into composing only for mythological/historical films and so the style must have got restricted. Branding an artist into a strict stereotype has always been the bane of our film producers and directors , thereby depriving of a variety of music that we could have otherwise enjoyed. As usual Lata & Rafi both render this high-pitches emotional song in their usual style.

    11. Lagta Nahin Hai Dil Mera Ujde Dayaar Mein-Lal Quila-1961-Mohammad Rafi-Bahadur Shah Zafar

      When it comes to experimentation, SNT was equally adept. The film Lal Quila has two songs that are , what is called in musical term, Senza Misura – It indicates that a piece of music, or a section within a piece, should be performed without a strict tempo or time signature. Essentially, it signifies free rhythm or tempo. Both the songs Lagta Nahin Hai Dil Mera ( surprisingly not heard much) and Na Kisiki Aankh Ka Noor Hoon( more popular) are truly masterpieces by SNT, ably helped by Rafi, who always elevated such songs to a level that maybe even the composer would not have imagined.

      Lagta Nahin Hai Dil Mera ends with the poignant line:

      कितना है बद-नसीब ‘ज़फ़र’ दफ़्न के लिए

      दो गज़ ज़मीन भी न मिली कू-ए-यार में

      12. Na Kisiki Aankh Ka Noor Hoon- Lal Quila-1961-Mohammad Rafi-Bahadur Shah Zafar/Muztar Khairatabadi? ( there is a controversy as to who had actually written this-Muztar Khairatabadi ‘s son is Jan Nissar Akhtar and grandson Javed Akhtar)

        13. Nigahon mein tum ho-Jadoo Nagari-1961-Lata-Hasrat Jaipuri

          It is really sad to note that many such gems of SNT got relegated to films that were relatively obscure , with no major actors to give them a boost. He very rarely worked for the top heroes or banners and thus his music remained unsung. Normally Lata is always associated with songs that are set in higher octaves, which is one her major strengths , but this is one of those rare ones  in which she sounds very sweet in lower notes. Also a rare teaming up of SNT with Hasrat Jaipuri.

          14. O Pawan veg se udne wale ghode-Jai Chittaud-1961-Lata-Bharat Vyas

            The historical-mythological theme keeps running for SNT. This song however is one of the more popular ones and the horse-hoof rhythm is not a sober trot but a fast one befitting the legendary Chetak that was the horse in which the great warrior Maharana Pratap rode.

            15. Man ki gagariya mein tu chamka-Piya Milan Ki Aas-1961-Mohammad Rafi & Lata-Bharat Vyas

              At last we see a prominent hero -Manoj Kumar in one of SNT’s films! This is again a sober melody by his , with Lata and Rafi rendering it with perfection. Note the variation in the tempo of the song as it progresses.

              16. Badli Badli Duniya Hai Meri-Sangeet Samrat Tansen-1962-Lata & Mahendra Kapooor-Shailendra

                I have selected 6 songs from this career-best work of SNT. The film has totally 13 major songs and is definitely the best ever work by SNT. I could have included few more songs like the Raag Deepak Deepak Jalao, Jyoti Jagao by Rafi , but due to brevity sake , restricted myself to just 6 songs . Badli Badli Duniya is a delightful duet by Lata & Mahendra Kapoor.

                17. Jhoomti Chali Hawa- Sangeet Samrat Tansen-1962-Mukesh-Shailendra

                  In a film that was dominated by Manna Dey , Rafi and Mahendra Kapoor, Mukesh , like in many other instances, steals the show with just one song and turns it into one of the most popular one. SNT must have selected Mukesh for this song as it has some low octaves  which was definitely  Mukesh’s forte. Shehnai is mostly very prominent in SNT’s compositions and this song is one of the classic examples.

                  18. Sapt Suran Teen Gram- Sangeet Samrat Tansen-1962-Manna Dey-Swami Haridas

                  19. Raag Bhairav Pratham Shant Ras Jake- Sangeet Samrat Tansen-1962-Manna Dey -Swami Haridas

                    Sapt Suran Teen Gram and Raag Bhairav Shant Ras are true gems that have been very sadly ignored by the mainstream media and the radio stations , including good old Vividh Bharati who have never played these songs to the best of my knowledge.

                    Raag Bhairav Pratham Shant Ras Jake is a raagamalika with many major raag like Bhairav, Malkauns, Hindola, Deepak, Megh Malhaar, mentioned with their main characteristics in terms of swar in aaroh and avaroh. Truly a masterpiece rendered by Manna Dey along with a chorus that is equally adept , classically.

                    20. Sudh Bisar Gayi Aaj- Sangeet Samrat Tansen-1962-Manna Dey & Mohammad Rafi-Shailendra

                    A superb duet rendered by two legends-Rafi & Manna Dey .  Note the part when Rafi starts off with a masterly low octave, matching step by step with Manna Dey-one can almost hear him sing like Manna Dey-the scene depicts Swami Haridas and Tansen singing together

                    21. Hey Natraj Gangadhar Shambu Sangeet Samrat Tansen-1962-Kamal Barot & Mahendra Kapoor-Traditional bhajan

                    Kamal Barot had a very distinct voice and SNT seems to have utilised her vocals so well that this song always comes to one’s mind whenever we think of her best songs. This superb bhajan in high octaves is tailor-made for Kamal Barot and Mahendra Kapoor. The link provided below has the full audio version .

                    22. Mohammad Shah Rangeele – Nadir Shah -1968-Rafi & Suman Kalyanpur – Majrooh Sultanpuri

                    I end the blog with an absolutely stunning composition by SNT that was sung by Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur ( in the film version it was Suman and the audio record had Lata !) .  What a complex composition that shifts between different tempo !

                    Mohammad Shah was among the last Moghuls and was called “ rangeela” due to his penchant for the arts -music and dance -rather than the duties of governance! Thanks to YouTube , I could listen to this song that was never heard in radio-reasons known only to them and God! I have given the links to both the versions-first one has Suman and second Lata-once can never tell the difference at first-only discerning music lovers would be able to differentiate their voices.

                    Although he was active in his career as a music director and director of films till the late 70’s , his memorable musical works was till the  late 60’s .  He passed away on 28th March 1988, at the age of 75 in Mumbai . His trusted  assistant Chitragupta branched off as an independent music composer and was known for his very sweet melodies that must have been imbibed into him by the veteran S N Tripathi .

                    Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

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

                    1. You Tube
                    2. Wikipedia

                    The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the  original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

                    Hindi film songs

                    Few songs of Rafi where he takes the lyrics to a next level !

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                    24th December 1924-31st July 1980

                    Just like the way in which Rafi could elaborate a particular word or phrase in multiple ways  in a song, we can write about his songs by looking at them from different aspects. That is why  there cannot be any limitation to blogs on Rafi. I keep writing about various artists throughout the year but when it comes to 24th December and 31st July, it always has to be about Rafi.

                    On his 45th death anniversary , I thought of looking at some of his songs that are written beautifully and  with his exceptional singing he elevates  these songs to an even higher  level . Rafi sahab must have sung around  5000+ songs and the number of music directors who had composed these  runs into hundreds  with equally  hundreds of lyricists who wrote them. Among the most prolific lyricists who wrote the songs of Rafi are : Majrooh Sultanpuri, Anand Bakshi, Rajendra Krishan, Hasrat Jaipuri and Shakeel Badyuni. One day I may write a blog taking up the best songs from these and few other lyricists. Even for some obscure lyricists , he had made their songs immortal by his exceptional singing ! For this blog, I am not applying any criteria and just selected ten songs that came to my mind due to their inherent lyrical beauty and Rafi rendering them in a brilliant manner.

                    Rafi’s uniqueness was in his dedication to give his best to each song , irrespective of whether they were for big banners or lesser-known banners. Also, his diction was always superb , with no difficulty for us in understanding the words of the songs. Crystal clear pronunciation of Hindi and Urdu words was his strong point. Added to the clarity, he used to add his special touch , emphasizing few words, singing the same phrase in different ways in different stanzas , even rendering the entire song in a tone that suits the emotion of the song.

                    This blog is specifically about those songs , in which  Rafi sahab enhances the beauty of the song  by the way he picks up few words and phrases and  embellishes them in his inimitable style. I have restricted myself just to ten such songs that are purely my personal favourites. Of course in all these songs one common factor is that the lyrics are also  outstanding.

                    The songs listed her are mainly  my personal likes; I am sure any other Rafi fan would have an entirely different list ! One more important note that I would like to add is that many of his top songs that became epics for having some of the best lyrics ever written , like Jinhe Naaz Hai Hind Par and  Yeh Mehlon Yeh Takhton ( Sahir Ludhianvi for Pyasa), Bichde Sabhi Bhari Bhari( Kaifi Azmi for Kagaz Ke Phool) , Caarvan Guzar Gaya ( Neeraj for  Nayee Umar Ki Nayee Fasal) etc were already covered by me in an earlier blog “ Few extraordinary songs of Rafi sahab” . Those were songs,  which if anyone else had sung would not have made any impact . Since I had covered those songs elaborately in that blog , I am not including them here.

                    The songs are listed in chronological order of their film’s release with details of song viz, Lyricist -song title-film-year- music director  mentioned in that order. Giving the entire lyrics for each song would make the blog too lengthy and so I have tried to highlight the best part of the song or the best part where Rafi sahab had enhanced the lyrical value of the song to the best of my ability.

                    Many songs in YouTube that have visuals sometimes have an issue of not enabled for playing in an embedded form and so in such cases, I have linked only the audio version of the song.

                    1. Kaifi Azmi-Jane Kya Dhoondti Rehti Hai Yeh Aankhen-Shola Aur Shabnam-1961-Khayyam

                    Kaifi Azmi wrote some of the most memorable songs , immortalized by the sheer singing power of Rafi sahab. In his early days, Khayyam composed some of his best songs with the help of Rafi .

                    Aarzu jurm, wafa jurm, tamanna hai gunaah

                    Ye wo duniya hai yahaan pyaar nahin ho sakata

                    Kaise baazaar ka dastur tumhe samajhaaun

                    Bik gaya jo wo kharidaar nahin ho sakata

                    Starting off with a leisurely pace , Rafi goes to the high notes at the end , conveying the softness of the lyrics in the beginning and the frustration towards the end. How superbly he breathes life to the hard-hitting lines of Kaifi Azmi with “bikh gaya jo wo khareedar nahin ho sakta ”in a way that only he can do.  

                    2. Raja Mehdi Ali Khan-Mein Nigahen Tere Chehre Se Hataoon-Aap Ki Parchhaiyan-1964-Madan Mohan

                    Madan Mohan & Raja Mehdi Ali Khan were a great team. And if we add a romantic song , rendered by the master in that genre , then what else do we need! RMAK wrote many such beautiful ghazals for Madan Mohan.

                    Just that one word ‘ tauba tauba…tauba taubaaa’ is enough to make this song immortal. And in the line “tujhse nibh jaayegi, mein inse nibhaoon kaise” , one can sense the helplessness in his tone.

                    3. Sahir Ludhianvi-Mehfil Se Uth Jaane Walo-Dooj Ka Chand-1964-Roshan

                    Sahir is the superstar among lyricists and it is very difficult to choose one song written by this genius. As I had mentioned in my introduction, I have already covered his landmark songs. Mehfil se uth jaane walon  is a hidden gem, not heard much and is one of the best by Rafi among the hundreds of songs that he had rendered in an ‘ intoxicated’ manner ( figuratively – everyone knows he was an absolute teetotaller , but rendered the best songs for an on-screen sharabi!!). Watch out for that ‘Mere Sathi’ each time he sings – it is sheer delight to listen . Also the hollow laughter after “ achha khasa khel raha” , which he repeats again in the last stanza. Rafi’s mastery lies in adding these special touches with a razor-sharp precision: a more-than-required  exaggeration will make it over-powering and anything less would not make any impact. He knew exactly how to do those ‘ harkats’!!

                    Do din tumne pyaar jataya , do din tum se mel raha

                    Achha khasa waqt kata aur achha khasa khel raha

                    Ab us khel ka zikr hi kaisa, waqt kata aur khel tamaam

                    4. Shailendra-Aaj Kal Mein Dhal Gaya-Beti Bete-1964-Shankar Jaikishan

                    Long back, I had written about this song for a different blogsite dedicated to Rafi sahab and that was my very first blog! One of the best lullabies ever sung by a male playback singer, Shailendra’s mastery was in conveying profound philosophy in simple words that even a common man could understand.

                    Shankar- Jaikishan create a soulful melody and Shailendra’s imagination is at its height:

                    So gaya chaman-chaman, so gayee kali-kali

                    So gaye hain sab nagar, so gayee gali-gali

                    Nind kah rahi hai chal meri baahen thaam

                    Note how Rafi brings his voice almost to a whisper in the line ‘So gaye hain sab nagar, so gaye gali-gali’

                    Again, in the last stanza, the sorrow in these lines is so beautifully brought out by Rafi in a way that only he can.

                    Kaun ayega idhar, kiski raah dekhe ham

                    Jinaki ahaten suni, jaane kisake the kadam

                    5. Hasrat Jaipuri-Yeh mera prem patra padhkar  -Sangam-1964-Shankar Jaikishan-last few lines by Vyjanthimala

                    Hasrat Jaipuri wrote some of the best romantic songs in Hindi film music and this could arguably be his best ever. The very beginning of the song shows the class of Hasrat:

                    Mehrbaan likhoon, Haseena likhoon, Ya Dilruba likhoon?

                    Hairan hoon ke aapko is khat mein kya likhoon?

                    Rafi’s special touch:  In the very first line,  he comes out with a softer ‘  ya dilruba likhoon ‘ , and  at the end ‘ is khat mein kyaa likhoon ,  he perfectly conveys the dilemma of the hero as to what he should write to his lover!  In many songs Rafi did almost 90% of the job of the on-screen actor!

                    Watch out how he goes to a high note till the word ‘bhatkegi’  in the line Agar mar jaaun ruh bhatkegi tere intezaaar main and then rapidly glides down in a silky tone with ‘ tere intezaar mein ’.

                    6. Majoor Sultanpuri-Janewalon Zara Mudke Dekho Mujhe-Dosti-1964-Laxmikant Pyarelal

                    The film Dosti had unknown actors, but had one of the best ever scores by Laxmikant Pyarelal for whom this was a major springboard to fame. What great songs Rafi had rendered-wish I could include all of them here! Majrooh weaved magic with his immortal compositions in all the songs.

                    Can there be any other better way of conveying the emotions of a differently-abled person than these lines?

                    Is anokhe jagat ki main taqdeer hoon ,

                    Main widhaata ke haathon ki tasveer hun, ek tasveer hun

                    Is jahaan ke liye, dharti maa ke liye

                    Shiv ka waradaan hun, main tumhaari tarah

                    Throughout the song one can hear how Rafi conveys the earnest plea of a differently- abled person asking the society to consider him as one among them only and not different from them. And his  special touch comes with  those subtle variations every time he sings “ mein tumhari tarah”

                    7. Gopaldas Neeraj-Aaj Ki Raat Badi Shok Badi Natkhat -Nayee Umar Ki Nayee Fasal-1966-Roshan

                    Gopaldas Neeraj was a well-known Hindi poet long before he entered the film world. Roshan immortalized him in the hall of fame with his masterpiece Swapn Jhare Phool Se Meet Chube shool se. I rate this as one of the best ever lyrical composition in Hindi film music. However as I had already covered this song in an earlier blog, I have picked up one more hidden gem from the same film. Dripping with romance , Neeraj’s sublime description of the hero’s lover is brought to life with Rafi’s vocals that seem to be drenched in honey. Though the entire song is a masterpiece in poetry, the last stanza is something magical! Note how Rafi renders the “ aur bezaaar” and also that special tone he lends to  the line “ Ho…aisi rangeen ghazal raat na phir gaayegi”.

                    The last stanza lyrics goes like this:

                    Raat rani ki yeh bheeni si nasheeli khushboo

                    Aa rahee hai ke jo chan chan ke ghani dhalon se

                    Aisa lagta hai kisi dheet jhakore* se lipat

                    Khel aayee hai tere uljhe hue baalon se

                    Aur bezaar….aur bezaar na kar mere tadapte dil ko

                    Aisi rangeen..ho aisi rangeen ghazal raat na phir gaayegi

                    Aaj to tere bina neend nahin aayegi

                    Dheet jhakore meaning-a stray or wanton gust of wind

                    8. Shakeel Badayuni-Kal Raat Zindagi Se Mulakat Ho gayee-Palki-1967-Naushad

                    Naushad and Shakeel Badayuni are inseparable. While there are many articles about  the great lyrics of Sahir, Shailendra, Kaifi ( absolutely no doubt they richly deserve that and I am myself a great fan of their lyrics ) but Shakeel is somehow is not talked about much. He has written some of the best Urdu shayari that were  immortalized by the venerable Naushad and when Rafi teams up with them , it is sheer magic.

                    The tune is simple and more so the orchestration is minimal like most of Naushad’s songs. At around 6 minutes, this song is quite an unusually long song with just three stanzas only. Each stanza is lengthy and note how Rafi breathes life into each and every word, emphasizing few here and there. The basic idea of my blog is to showcase such songs, which sound so great due to the sheer power of the lyrics and how Rafi renders them to a perfection.

                    9. Prem Dhawan-Allah Hi Allah Kar Pyare Bhai-Pavitra Papi-1970-Prem Dhawan

                    Everyone must be aware of the anecdote about the young Rafi , who as a child used to be enthralled by a fakir’s singing in his village and he used to just follow him . It is my own imagination that he might have remembered this fakir when he sang this song and one can get the feel as if a fakir is singing it.

                    Prem Dhawan is one the rare artists who could compose music , lyrics and he was also a choreographer-truly multi-faceted artist. The song appears in the film at various situations and Rafi has sung this in a totally different tone.

                    This particular stanza seems to have been written for the farishta Rafi who has given us so much pleasure through his immortal songs :

                    Kabhi kabhi is duniya mein yaro

                    Aise farishte bhi aate hai

                    Kisi ko apna sab kuch deke

                    Khali hath chale jate hai

                    Jaise sukh ki chhaya deke

                    Jaise sukh ki chhaya deke

                    Badal jaye bikhar pyare

                    Bhai allah hi allah

                    Allah hi allah kar pyare bhai

                    10. Anand Bakshi-Mehbooba Teri Tasveer-Ishq Par Zor Nahin-1970- S D Burman

                    The song that is most popular from this film Ishq Par Zor Nahin, is Yeh Dil Deewana Hai . But in this song , Anand Bakshi, well known for his romantic songs, comes out with superb poetry to describe the hero’s mehbooba      ( lover) and her beauty.

                      Observe how Rafi plays with the words “ Kis tharah” , and an ‘extended’ “tasveer” and that special touch to that “ suna hai” in the line tere jaisa koi kahin dekha na suna hai.

                      Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

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

                      1. You Tube
                      2. Wikipedia

                      The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the  original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

                      Hindi film songs

                      Ghulam Mohammad -A great composer

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                      …If only fate had been more kind to him…

                      ?? 1903 -17th Mar 1968  

                      “है और भी दुनिया में सुखनवार बहुत अच्छे

                      कहते हैं कि ग़ालीब का है अंदाज़-ए-बयाँ और”….

                      There are many good poets in this world

                      But they say the style of Ghalib is unique

                      Can we not borrow these lines from the famous poet Mirza Ghalib and take the liberty of saying this about the legendary  music composer Ghulam Mohammad himself who had tuned these lines so beautifully for the film Mirza Ghalib . Not only this song, all  the songs from this 1954 film were composed so exquisitely by the composer , who , as luck  would have it, remained on the sidelines and his name is never remembered by most of us , except those who are seriously into the golden era of Hindi film music. It is a small consolation that when our government first decided to include the award for best film music at National level, Ghulam Mohammad was the first recipient and he got it for this film.

                      If we look at the music of just  two of his films, Mirza Ghalib and Pakeezah, they can be counted among the best in  Hindi films, that was in the league of the top composers. But, sadly the man remained one among the many such music composers who were  unsung and  forgotten . Fate was so cruel to him that it snatched him away around four years before his  magnum opus Pakeezah got released. He could not see the adulation its music had received at that time and continues to be appreciated  even today.

                      Ghulam Mohammed’s exact date  of birth is not known , but the year was 1903. Born in a village , Naal, Bikaner, Rajasthan, into a family of musicians, his father, Nabi Baksh, was an accomplished tabla player. He learnt the dholak and tabla from his father in childhood. He got further training in the tabla, dholak and pakhavaj from Hyderabad’s Ghulam Rasool Khan. At the young age of six , he was paid a salary of Rs 25 per month in  Lahore’s New Albert Theatre Company and Bikaner’s JB Company. In 1924, his father took  him to Bombay, where after a struggle of eight years, in 1932 he got the chance of playing tabla in Saroj Movietone’s Productions’ “Raja Bharthari”. Thereafter, he assisted  Anil Biswas, and later  Naushad, with whom he had a long association , from 1943 (Sanjog) to 1952 (Aan). Ironically , Naushad was around sixteen years junior to him!

                      Like few other music assistants and arrangers like Dattaram for Shankar -Jaikishan, G.S Kohli for O.P Nayyar , Ghulam Mohammad also composed music independently even while assisting Naushad. However, unlike others,  Ghulam Mohammad’s music had a distinct style , much different from that of Naushad. It is said he had composed independently for around  30 films. There is some  confusion as to what was his first film that he composed independently . Some  mention Mera Khwab (1943) as his first film, while  Doli (1947) and Tiger Queen (1947) are also attributed as his first films. Making a debut as an independent composer at the age of 40 is quite late in film industry. However GM ( as I will refer to him henceforth for the sake of brevity) pursued diligently and with the film Amber made in 1952 , his songs  started getting good attention. One of the songs from this film, Hum Tum Yeh Bahaar -a duet by Rafi & Lata sounds so fresh today as it was around 73 years ago!

                      This was followed by great songs in films like Dil-E-Nadaan (1953), Laila Majnu ( 1953), Rail Ka Dibba (1953-maybe the first rap song of Hindi films?) etc. In 1954 , he established his name among the great stalwarts of Hindi film music by his evergreen compositions for the film Mirza Ghalib that were based on Ghalib’s ghazals. Almost all the songs from this movie are masterpieces. He even won the 1955 National Film Award ( it was known as State Award then) for Best Music Direction for this film.

                      But inexplicably , he did not get the opportunities despite the excellent music in Mirza Ghalib; few films like Do Gunde in 1959 & Shama in 1961 had good songs , but Ghulam Mohammad continued to be on the sidelines .

                      The noted film maker Kamal Amrohi signed him up for his magnum opus, Pakeezah , a film that was started in 1956 and ultimately released in 1972! There were many reasons for the delay, primarily the separation of the film maker Kamal Amrohi and his wife , the well-known actress Meena Kumari and her deteriorating health because of her unfortunate  addiction to alcohol. During its release the film was initially having a lukewarm response but the demise of Meena Kumari a month after the release made the film a box office hit. Not to deny the most important fact that its music is considered one among the best scores in Hindi films.

                      As luck would have it, Ghulam Mohammad had left this world in 1968, four years before the film’s release and could not experience the great accolades for his compositions. Naushad, had completed the back ground score and it is said , few songs also. In all there were some 15 songs originally composed by Ghulam Mohammad for the film but only six were retained in the film. Later , HMV released an album Pakeezah Rang Barang that had rest nine songs.

                      If we have to describe Ghulam Mohammad’s music, it was an eclectic mix of tunes based on  classical raagas, a deep understanding and importance to the lyrics that were tuned in perfectly as evident from his songs based on Ghalib’s ghazals,  excellent percussion arrangements (as he himself was a master of many percussion instruments) , an orchestration  that used mostly Indian instruments like Sitar , Sarangi , Shehnai , but at the same time integrated  beautifully  western instruments like different types of guitars, piano etc.

                      I have tried to compile his best songs and grouped them film-wise as in  some of his films  almost all the songs are great compositions. They are arranged chronologically , with the song name, singer(s) and lyricist mentioned.

                      Amber (1952)

                      1. Hum Tum Yeh Bahaar Dekho-Rafi & Lata-Shakeel Badayuni

                      A lilting , romantic melody that has a fast-paced rhythm and when it is sung by the eternal pair of Rafi & Lata , then it is bound to be pleasing to the ears. One of the earlier hits of Ghulam Mohammad. Also a rare occasion when Rafi sang for Raj Kapoor!

                      Dil-E-Nadaan (1953)

                      2. Zindagi Denewale Sunn, Teri Dunya Se Dil Bhar Gaya-Talat Mehmood-Shakeel Badayuni

                      One of the best songs of Talat , for whom Ghulam Mohammad had composed so many great songs. The opening notes with a guitar strumming sets the tone and then the velvet vocals of Talat, the sublime lyrics of Shakeel and  intoxicating melody of the tune take you into a different world.

                      3. Jo Khushi Se Chot Khaye, Woh Jigar  Kahan Se Laaun- Talat Mehmood-Shakeel Badayuni

                      Instead of guitar , it is the sarangi that sets the sober mood for this ghazal. The velvet vocals of Talat were extensively used by Ghulam Mohammad in his various songs. Like many songs of GM, the importance to lyrics is paramount and Shakeel Badayuni was a solid support to him in many such songs.

                      Laila Majnu (1953)

                      4. Chal Diya Caarvaan – Talat Mehmood-Shakeel Badayuni

                      The ‘caarvaan’  of GM with Talat & Shakeel continues in this 1953 version of Laila Majnu, with one of the career best songs of Talat. Observe how GM used a typical waltz -like rhythm for a ghazal. The violins are simply haunting and tug at your heart.

                      5. Aasmaan Wale Tere Duniya Se -Talat & Lata- Shakeel Badayuni

                      Lata joins the ‘caarvan’ in this song and GM keeps the orchestration to bare minimum as the  raag Bhimpalasi on which it he had composed it conveys the mood of the song so effectively.

                      Rail Ka Dibba (1953)

                      6. La De More Baalma Aasmani Chidiyan-Rafi & Shamshad- Shakeel Badayuni

                      If someone thinks GM was mostly composing very sober , serious songs , here is a delightful , absolutely rocking number.

                      Can we say this was the first ever rap song in Hindi films?!!

                      And when those yesteryear masters compose even a rap song , observe how melodious and delightful it sounds. Not the terrible ear shattering modern versions! The lung power of Shamshad is  even greater than that of Rafi and she simply shines through the song. Just watch out from 1.45 mins in this clip-for 15 seconds she sings breathless!

                      Mirza Ghalib (1954)-All Lyrics by Mirza Ghalib

                      We now come to a masterpiece of an album by GM and I had mentioned in the beginning of my article, songs from just these two films- Mirza Ghalib and Pakeezah are enough to record the contribution of GM to Hindi film music in golden letters. Each song that I have listed here is a gem . GM had composed for  Talat and Suraiyya some of their career-best  songs. Ghalib’s best ghazals have been brought to life by the excellent tunes of GM ; there may be some other composers also who might have set these ghazals to tune but GM ‘s compositions stand out. Those who are going through this blog are requested to listen to all these songs in the links provided below -someone has been kind enough to provide English translation for the immortal poetry of Ghalib .

                      Among the songs that I have listed here, Aah Ko Chahiye Ek Umr is truly mesmerizing with a fast-paced tune and do I have to say anything about the great Ghalib’s lines-“ Khaak ho jaayenge hum , tumko khabar hone tak”! ( I will not be there by the time you realize my love). And Rafi, as usual gets just one song that is  picturized on a fakir and in that , he leaves his inedible mark! The opening lines of this blog are from this. Suraiyya renders three solo gems- Aah Ko Chahiye , Nukta Cheen Hai   & Yeh Na Thi Hamari-the last one is absolutely stunning with the high notes at the end . Talat’s intensely emotional Phir Mujhe Deeda-E-Tar and Ishq Mujhko Na Sahi show us why he was called the King of Ghazals.

                      Each song mentioned here is a gem to be listened to again and again and I am sure listeners will agree with me when I say GM is no less a composer than the stalwarts who got their fame in Hindi film music.

                      7. Dil-E Naadan Tujhe Hua Kya Hai-Talat and Suraiyya

                      8. Phir Mujhe Deeda-E-Tar- Talat

                      9. Aah Ko Chahiye Ek Umr-Suraiyya

                      10. Hai Bas Ke Har Ek Unke-Rafi

                      11. Nukta Cheen Hai Gam-E-Dil-Suraiyya

                      12. Ishq Mujhko na Sahi Vehshat hi Sahi- Talat

                      13. Yeh Na Thi Hamari Qismat- Suraiyya

                      Kundan (1955)

                      14. Aao Hamare Hotel Mein-S.D. Batish & Sudha Malhotra-Shakeel Badayuni

                      Similar to the peppy song from Rail Ka Dibba , enjoy a lighter mood with GM ‘s song. These songs show GM’s skill in composing a variety of genres.

                      Maalik (1958)

                      15. Man Dheere Dheere Gaye Re-Talat Mehmood & Suraiyya-Shakeel Badayuni

                      One more example of how GM could bring out the best from both Talat & Suraiyya. A romantic song with that typical understated melody that has been the hallmark of GM’s style.

                      Do Gunde (1959)

                      16. Bheegi Palken Utha-Rafi & Lata-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                      GM creates the same magic with another eternal pair- this time with Rafi & Lata.  An intensely moving song , with superb sitar and sarangi that can easily be considered as good as having been composed by any of the stalwart composers who are considered as  the “top ten”.

                      Shama (1961)

                      Apart from Mirza Ghalib and Pakeezah , if there was another film in which all the songs were too good, it was Shama. It had excellent songs rendered by Suraiyya ( who had acted along with Nimmi ) ,  Suman Kalyanpur & Rafi. Suraiyya’s Dhadkte Dil Ki Tamanna can be considered as one of the best from  GM ,  a rare but intensely emotional Dil Gam Se Jal Raha by Suman , a lively romantic solo by Rafi-Who Saadgi Kahe Ise and once again Suraiyya surprises us with Mast Ankhon Mein Shararat.

                      Dhadakte Dil Ki Tamanna has a superb combination of Sitar , Sarangi & Guitar , with that brief pause in the last line of each anatara. One should not forget the superb lyrics by Kaifi Azmi—woh gam haseen hai jis gam ke zimmedaar ho tum!

                      Note how GM had used Suman Kalyanpur to traverse the high notes  in Dil gam se jal raha . Note how GM had structured of the antaras in “Mast ankhon mein shararat”  with a sudden shift in notes from a high to low, executed superbly by Suraiyya.

                      17. Dhadakte Dil Ki tamanna-Suraiyya-Kaifi Azmi

                      18. Aap Se Pyaar Hua Jata Hai- Suraiyya-Kaifi Azmi

                      19. Dil Gam Se Jal Raha-Suman Kalyanpur- Kaifi Azmi

                      20. Wo Saadgi Kahen Ise Deewangi-Rafi- Kaifi Azmi

                      21. Mast Ankhon Mein Shararat- Suraiyya – Kaifi Azmi

                      Pakeezah (1972)

                      I come to the last but the most important work of Ghulam Mohammad. Each song from Pakeezah will continue to enthral the generations to come. There are very few films in which we see each song a classic masterpiece . When we listen to a particular one , we would like to say this is the best among all, then we tend to think the same about the next one we listen ..and the next one….

                      The percussion in Chalte Chalte is something simply out of the world and personally , I like this song so much that I can listen to this multiple times on a loop! Apart from being a treat for the ears, just observe the camera work in Inhi Logon Ne Li Le-one can see the dancers in buildings far away, at multiple locations-so meticulous picturization. A word about the principal photographer Josef Wirsching who was a German but settled and worked in India for around 20 films, with Mahal( 1949), Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayee( 1960) being other famous films apart from Pakeezah. Unfortunately, like GM, he also passed away before the release of Pakeezah, in 1967.

                      The intensely classical Thade Rahiyo, the complex percussion arrangement in Aaj Hum Apni Duaon ka , the cool-as-a-breeze Chalo Dildar Chalo are  songs that can be made only once in a decade!

                      The raagamalika in Mausam Hai Aashiqana has one of the best orchestration by GM with each antara is set in different raag. It is difficult to describe the songs of Pakeezah in one or two paragraphs-maybe one day I will try to write an exclusive blog on them.

                      Among the unreleased songs, I have included just one here-a solo by Rafi .

                      22. Chalte Chalte Yuhin Koi Mil Gaya -Lata-Kaifi Azmi

                      23. Inhi Logon Ne Le Li Na Dupatta-Lata-Traditional

                      24. Thade Rahiyo Oh Baanke Yaar- Lata-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                      25. Aaj Hum apne duaon ka-Lata-Kaif Bhopali

                      26. Chalo Dildar Chalo-Rafi & Lata- Kaif Bhopali

                      27. Mausam Hai Aashiqana-Lata- Kamal Amrohi

                      Not included in film :

                      28. Yeh Kiski Aankhon Ka-Rafi-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                      There are conflicting versions about exactly how many songs were totally recorded for Pakeezah film -some say 15 , some 20! Also there is a controversy whether Naushad completed only the back ground score or even composed 3-4 songs that were not included in the film. I am not an authority on these and would like to avoid getting into controversies. For me the music of Pakeezah is something that I can keep listening multiple times . As a token of good faith to the composer, Kamal Amrohi compiled the tracks  that were not included in the film and had them released by His Master’s Voice as ‘Pakeezah Rang Barang’.

                      Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

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

                      1. You Tube
                      2. Wikipedia

                      The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the  original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

                      Hindi film songs

                      The very “ Life ” of Hindi film music-Zindagi!  

                      Leave a comment

                      After having covered many legendary music composers, lyricists, and singers in my blogs , both in Hindi & Tamil films, I thought of  breaking the monotony of organizing my blogs artists-wise and start a separate section on  “ theme” based songs. Of course , I have a huge list of artists yet to be covered , but I thought it is good to do something different .

                      And when we think of one theme or word that has been the most common one  in many songs  in Hindi films , right from the vintage era to  the present  times, it is Zindagi-literally meaning  life .  

                      If one starts listing out songs that have Zindagi as the core theme , it will run into hundreds or maybe thousands! I will try  using some filter to work out a list that may help in fine tuning the selection of songs. Initially I thought of selecting one song that had Zindagi in the mukhda of the song , from each of the prominent male and female playback singers. But on second thoughts , I felt selecting them  lyricist-wise might be a better way. So here we go with 20 selected songs that are primarily about Zindagi. I have covered almost all the major lyricists and few  relatively less-known.  

                      The word Zindagi is basically derived from the Persian language and has been extensively used in Urdu and Hindi. The Hindi equivalent is Jeevan. Many decades ago , when I was  staying in hostel during my graduation , in a small town deep south in Tamil Nadu, I was one of the very few guys to listen to Hindi songs. Many of my friends were not familiar with Hindi and they used to comment “ most of the Hindi songs have Zindagi or Duniya”! True to some extent, but when I started searching for songs composed by each lyricist that has Zindagi in the mukhda, I could not find any popular song by some of the lyricists!  For example , despite extensive searching, I could not find any popular song by the lyricist Gopaldas Neeraj who had written some of the most philosophical songs! Maybe my own poor  top-of-the-mind recall and research could have resulted in leaving out some of the lyricists or even some of the popular songs!

                      Zindagi  is a word that was used by our lyricists to denote  many things. Sometimes it is literally life, sometimes it may refer to one’s love or lover, in other situations it can even refer to the struggles one undergoes in life etc. I am not an expert on poetry/literature/etymology etc and so will restrict myself to how I enjoy listening to these film songs and briefly touch upon the salient part of the lyrics to the best of ability.

                      Since I have gone by the rule of one song per lyricist, the music directors and singers covered may not be extensive, but to my own surprise , I find many of the major ones covered. Of course repetitions are bound to be there. Also I have selected those songs that have the word Zindagi in the mukhda of the song. Mostly it appears in the first line itself , some starting with that word , but in very few songs  it appears in the second line of the mukhda. Also the entire song need not be as such describing Zindagi. With that disclaimer , let me take you through 20 songs that I could list out .

                      These are arranged in the chronological order of the year of the film, with the lyricist name mentioned first, followed by , in that order-song, film, year, singer(s) and music director. Also some of the songs  may be relatively  unknown -I have selected their song purely for the excellent lyrics that talks about Zindagi. As I always mention , my selection may not be everyone’s selection. Readers can enrich the blog by mentioning their own favourites in the comments section !

                      1. Shakeel Badayuni :  Yeh Zindagi ke mele-Mela-1948-Rafi-Naushad

                      Shakeel Badayuni’s name is known mostly to those who love the songs of golden era. Although he is identified  as Naushad’s trusted shayar, he had written many memorable songs for Hemant Kumar and Ravi also .  In this song look at the way in which he condenses the philosophy of life in so simple words:

                      ye zindagi ke mele,ye zindagi ke mele,

                      duniya me kam na hoge, afsos hum na honge

                      duniya hai mauj-e-dariya, katre ki zindagi kya

                      paani me mil ke paani, anjaam ye ke faani

                      and further…

                      Ek din padegaa jaana, kya waqt kya zamana

                      Koi Na saath dega,sab kuch yahin rahega

                      Jayenge hum akele , yeh Zindagi ke mele

                      Naushad’s simple orchestration is carried through by the exquisite poetry of Shakeel Badayuni and Rafi’s evocative singing.

                      2 Rajendra Krishan-Yeh Zindagi Usiki Hai-Anarkali-1953-Lata-C Ramachandra

                      If Shakeel painted a sad reality and ephemeral nature of life , Rajendra Krishan captures Anarkali’s ode to love by stating that Zindagi is for that person who falls in love. He goes on to say Zindagi hai bewafa …Loot pyaar ka maaza

                      This song also has a sad version , when Anarkali’s love is not accepted by Jahangir’s father , Emperor Akbar,  and she is supposed to be buried alive…note how Rajendra Krishan comes out with these superb lines:

                      jo dil yahan na mil sake

                      milenge us jahan me

                      khilenge hasrato ke phool

                      ja ke aasman me

                      ye zindagi chali gayi

                      jo pyar me toh kya hua

                      ye zindagi usi ki hai

                      jo kisi ka ho gaya

                      And he ends the song with these touching lines…

                      ai zindagi ki sham aa

                      tujhe gale lagaoon mein

                      tujhi me doob jaun mai

                      jahan ko bhul jau mai

                      bas ek nazar mere sanam

                      alvida alvida…..

                      3. Shailendra-Zindagi Khwab Hai-Jagte Raho-1956-Mukesh-Salil Chowdhury

                      Shailendra, one of the greatest poet-lyricists , had the knack of conveying profound philosophy in absolutely minimum words. Taking off with the popular doha from Kabir, he compares life to a dream…where there is  no difference between truth or false .

                      Rangi ko naarngi kahe, bane dudh ko khoya

                      Chalati ko gaadi kahe, dekh kabira roya

                      Zindagi khwaab hai

                      Khwaab men jhuthha akya aura bhala sach hai kya

                      Sab sach hai

                      Dil ne ham se jo kaha, ham ne waisa hi kiya

                      Fir kabhi furasat se sochenge, bura tha ya bhala

                      Ek katara maya aka jab patthar ke honthon par pada

                      Us ke sine men bhi dil dhadka, ye us ne bhi kaha

                      The last stanza is the best one…

                      Ek pyaali bhar ke mainne gam ke maare dil ko di

                      Zahar ne maara Zahar to murde men fir jaan aa gayi

                      4. Qamar Jalalabadi-Aye Meri Zindagi Tujhe dhoondhoon kahan-Adil-E-Jahangir-1956-Talat -Husnlal Bhagatram

                      In this Qamar Jalalabadi’s song , Zindagi  refers to the hero’s lover who has been separated from him. This song also has a female version sung by Lata , with different anatara. I came to know about the Urdu word ‘ mehmil’ -literally means a camel’s saddle and figuratively ‘ that by which anything is supported.

                      Qamar sahab has used it so beautifully in these lines:

                      Ae meri zindagi tujhe dhoondhoon kahaan

                      naa to mil ke gaye naa hi chhodaa nishaan

                      Naa wo laila rahi naa wo mehmil rahaa

                      paas manzil pe aake lutaa kaarwaan

                      ho lutaa kaarwaan

                      ae meri zindagi tujhe dhoondhoon kahaan

                      5. Jan Nisar Akhtar-Mere Zindagi Ke Humsafar-Shrimati 420-Geeta Dutt-O P Nayyar

                      While selecting the major lyricists for this blog, I almost forgot this great lyricist who had penned some of the most  memorable songs. Also , while my focus was mainly on the lyricists, somehow my listing included all the main singers , excluding Geeta Dutt, till I discovered this song. Here the word Zindagi is used in close association with a partner who travels with one’s life . Jan Nisar Akhtar had a great collaboration with O P Nayyar and this is a rarely heard song . In the early years, OPN had used Shamshad Begum and Geeta till he discovered Asha .

                      meri jindagi ke humsafar

                      dekhna yaha bhin ek najar

                      tera mera raz kya

                      is kadar bhi naz kya

                      thoda thoda pyar kar le

                      kal ki kuch nahi khabar

                      6. S H Bihari-Yeh Hansta Hua Carvan Zindagi Ka-Ek Jhalak-1957-Hemant & Asha-Hemant Kumar

                      I discovered this song while searching for songs to be included in this blog and what delightful discovery it turned out to be! As one may observe while going through these 20 songs, many of  them are pathos , but some like this one is a delightful , happy one. S. H Behari has written it so well.

                      ye hansta huaa karavaa zindagi kaa

                      naa puchho chalaa hai kidhar

                      tamannaa hai saath chalate rahe ham

                      naa bite kabhi ye safar

                      zami se sitaaro ki duniya me jaaye, haan haan
                      wahan bhi yahi geet ulfat ke gaaye…

                      Asha only keeps responding with one or two words in between, but the way Hemant da has composed this song , it is truly delightful. It was truly a pleasant surprise for me to know that this song has a cover version sung by Mukesh…I think Mukesh must have sung very few songs in Hemant da’s composition and both these versions have their own unique charm. I am giving the link to both of them here.

                      7. Asad Bhopali & Prem Dhawan-Zindagi bhar gham judaiyee ka -Miss Bombay-1957-Rafi-Hansraj Behl

                      I could not find any reason why there were two lyricists for a song-it is absolutely rare in film songs. Set in Malkauns raag by Hansraj Behl and sung superbly by Rafi this is a very rare song and is made immortal by Rafi’s emotional  singing.

                      Badlaa to aise badlaa hai kuchh rang-e-gulsitaan

                      ik phuul pe bahaar hai ik phuul pe Kizaan

                      zindagii bhar gam judaai ka mujhe tadpaayegaa

                      har nayaa mausam puraanii yaad lekar aayegaa

                      From the lyrics it appears to be picturized on a lover conveying his pangs of separation . The line ‘har nayaa mausam puraanii yaad lekar aayegaa ‘ sums up the essence of the song-even as time flows with changing seasons, he is still haunted by the old  memories of his love.

                      8. Kavi  Pradeep -Gaa Rahi hai Zindagi-Anchal-1960-Mahendra Kapoor & Asha Bhonsle-C Ramchandra

                      For every song that talks about the struggles in life or  separation brought into one’s life by failure in  love life , there is an equally   cheerful one also.

                      Here Kavi Pradeep says  life is a song that seems to blossom like spring after the hero and heroine fall in love.

                      Ga rahi hai zindagi har taraf bahar me kis liye

                      char chad lag gaye hai tere mere pyar me

                      is liye

                      zindagi bhar ke liye tu baanh meri tham le

                      jab talak ye sans hai har sans tera nam le

                      ek nayi duniya khadi apane itezar me kis liye

                      char chad lag gaye hai tere mere pyar me

                      is liye

                      9. Prem Dhawan-Mujhe Pyar Ki Zindagi denewale-Pyar Ka Sagar- 1961-Rafi & Asha-Ravi

                      Prem Dhawan was a lyricist, music director and a choreographer and even acted in two films. Mostly known for his soul stirring patriotic songs , in this song  he gets into a romantic mood . Although the hero is happy that he got his life through the love from his lover , he has lot of apprehensions whether it will last, whether she will turn away from him in future and even if the world may conspire to separate them! However she assures him that  she has totally surrendered herself to his love and even asks him to test her!

                      Mujhe Pyar Ki Zindagi denewale

                      Kabhi gam na dena Khushi denewale

                      Mohabbat ke waade bhula to na doge

                      Kahin mujhase daaman chhuda to na loge

                      Mere dil ki duniya hai tere hawaale

                      Mujhe pyaar ki jindagi denewaale

                      10. Shiv Kumar Saroj -Khamosh Zindagi Ko awaaz de rahe ho-Naag Mandir-1966-Rafi-Lakshmikant Pyarelal

                      Very few might have heard this rare song from an obscure film called Naag Mandir, written by an unknown lyricist Shiv Kumar Saroj. He was an announcer in the famous Radio Ceylon and written a handful of film songs. When there is Rafi to sing, even such obscure songs become eternal melodies.

                      khamosh zindgi ko aawaj de rahe ho

                      tute huye haatho mein kyu saaz de rahe ho

                      benur meri aankhe aur dur kaa safar hai

                      uthate hain paanv lekin gir jane ka bhi dar hai

                      gir jane ka bhi dar hai

                      par kaat ke kisi ke paravaj de rahe ho

                      11. Majrooh Sultanpuri-Hui shaam unka khayal aa gaya wohi Zindagi ka sawaal aa gaya-Mere Hum Dum Mere Dost-1968-Rafi-Lakshmikant Pyarelal

                      While searching for popular songs written by Majrooh one of the most prolific lyricists, I could not find any song that immediately came to my mind .I could only dig out this song, that is no doubt very popular but has the word Zindagi appearing in only  the second line of the mukhda!

                      Hui shaam un ka khyaal a gaya

                      Wahi zindagi ka sawaal a gaya

                      12. Kaifi Azmi -Zindagi Hai Kya Bolo Zindagi Hai Kya -Satyakam-1969-Kishore Kumar, Mukesh & Mahendra Kapoor-Lakshmikant Pyarelal

                      My search for one more famous lyricist , Kaifi Azmi also turned out to be almost futile like that of Majrooh , till I came across the film Satyakam. The film is considered as one  that had a career best performance of Dharmendra in the role of a person who tried to tread the path of truth in his life despite numerous hurdles. There are two songs in this film that talk about Zindagi and both are superb ones; however I selected this one for the excellent lyrics that not only talks about Zindagi but  ‘ aadmi’, ‘ dosti’  and that too in a very interesting manner. The three singers , Mukesh , Kishore and Mahendra Kapoor singing together is one more rarity! Kishore and Mahendra Kapoor give comical interpretations for Zindagi, Aadmi, Dosti etc whereas Mukesh comes out with a sober meaning for the same. Superbly composed , written and sung.

                      The other song from the same film is Do din ki Zindagi Kaisi Hai Zindagi, by Lata which is also too good.

                      13. Sahir Ludhianvi-Zindagi Ke Rang Kayee Re-Aadmi Aur Insaan-1969-Asha-Ravi

                      When one thinks of Sahir’s songs with ‘Zindagi’ the top of the mind recall will always be Mein Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata from Hum Dono and Zindagi bhar nahin bhoolegi woh barsaat ki raat . However I had covered these two songs in detail in my earlier blogs and so I have selected a less popular but no doubt a masterpiece by the great combination of Ravi & Asha -who gave so many good songs that were unfortunately never acknowledged by the singer herself.

                      Zindagi ke rang ki re, saathi re

                      Zindagi ke rang ki re

                      Zindagi dilon ko kabhi jodati bhi hai

                      Zindagi dilon ko kabhi todati bhi hai

                      Zindagi ke rng ki re

                      Zindagi ki raah men khushi ke phul bhi

                      Zindagi ki raah men gamon ke dhul bhi

                      Zindagi ke rang ki re

                      Zindagi kabhi yakin, kabhi gumaan hai

                      Har qadam pe tera mera imtihaan hai

                      Zindagi ke rang ki re

                      14. Indeevar -Zindagi Ka Safar Hai Kaisa  -Safar-1970-Kishore-Kalyanji Anandji

                      Indeevar pleads his inability to comprehend life-he goes on to say no one has understood it nor known it well. The film Safar has the hero struck with a terminal illness and so the song captures his mood .

                      Zindagi ka safr, hai ye kaisa safr

                      Koi samajha nahin, koi jaana nahin

                      Hai ye kaisi dagar, chalate hain sab magar

                      Koi samajha nahin, koi jaana nahin

                      Zindagi ko bahut pyaar hamane diya

                      Maut se bhi mohabbat nibhaayenge ham

                      Rote-rote zamaane men aye magar

                      Hnsate-hnsate zamaane se jaayenge ham

                      Jaayenge par kidhar, hai kise ye khabar

                      Koi samajha nahin, koi jaana nahin

                      15. Hasrat  Jaipuri -Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana-Andaaz-1971-Kishore-Shankar Jaikishan

                      One of Kishore Kumar’s iconic songs, and also my eternal favourite for the superb lines written by Hasrat Jaipuri , the out-of-the world yodelling by Kishore da and a peppy rhythm and orchestration by …who else…the great Shankar Jaikishan. Though Hasrat shares Indeevar’s thoughts partly-that is , he also agrees no one  knows what will happen in our life tomorrow, but paints a brighter, optimistic  picture .

                      Many-a-times we tend to dismiss film songs as not class, but it is  to the credit of lyricists and poets like Hasrat who convey profound philosophy in a language that anyone can  understand.

                      Zindagi ek safar hai suhaana

                      Yahaan kal kya ho kisane jaana

                      Chaand-taaron se chalana hai age

                      Asamaanon se badhna hai age

                      Pichhe rah jaaega ye zamaana

                      Hansate gaate jahaan se guzar

                      Duniya ki tu parwa n kar

                      Muskuraate hue din bitaana

                      Maut ani hai aegi ek din

                      Jaan jaani hai jaaegi ek din

                      Aisi baaton se kya ghabaraana

                      16. Yogesh -Zindagi Kaisi hai paheli-Anand-1971-Manna Dey-Salil Chowdhury

                      Yogesh wrote excellent songs for Salil da in addition to few other composers. The film Anand had two songs by him -Zindagi Kaisi hai paheli and Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye.

                      Yogesh  talks about life as a riddle that sometimes makes you laugh and sometimes cry. And unwillingly we get caught in the race to run behind our dreams and ultimately a day comes when we go beyond our dreams into the other world.

                      Zindagi kaisi hai paheli haae

                      Kabhi to hnsaae, kabhi ye rulaae

                      Kabhi dekho man nahin jaage

                      Pichhe pichhe sapanon ke bhaage

                      Ek din sapanon ka raahi

                      Chala jaaye sapanon se age kahaan

                      Jinhon ne sajaaye yahaan mele

                      Sukh-duhkh sng-sng jhele

                      Wahi chunakar khaamoshi

                      Yun chale jaaen akele kahaan

                      17. Anand Bakshi -Zindagi Ae Zindagi Tere Hai Do Roop-1972-S D Burman-S D Burman

                      A very rare and almost forgotten song, I had not known earlier that Burman Da got the National award for best music for this film. Anand Bakshi is more  known for his lively , romantic songs rather than  philosophical songs . But in this song he has gone all out and written a masterpiece. Not only Zindagi, but he goes on to say Chandini, Aadmi and Dillagi-all have two sides to them.

                      Burman da used to sing the title song for some of his films and must have sung just a dozen odd songs in his entire career in Hindi films , but whenever he sings with his unique voice that had an earthy feel, it becomes a masterpiece. The flute used throughout the song is simply out-of-the world ( though I have not researched , could have been Hariprasad Chaurasia as he had played for many of Burman da’s songs-purely my guess)

                      zindagi aye zindagi zindagi, tere hai do rup

                      biti hui raato ki bato ki tu chhaya

                      chhaya vo jo banegi dhup

                      kabhi tere kinare thi thandi thandi hay re

                      ab tu hi mere ji me aag lagaye

                      chandani aye chandani chandani, tere hai do rup

                      tute hue sapno ki apno ki tu chhaya

                      chhaya vo jo banegi dhup

                      aate jate pal kya hai samay ke ye jhule hai

                      bichade sathi kabhi yad aaye kabhi bhule hai

                      adami aye adami adami, tere hai do rup

                      dukh sukh ke jhulo ki phulo ki tu chhaya

                      chhaya vo jo banegi dhup

                      koi bhuli hui bat mujhe yad aai hai

                      khushi bhi tu layi thi aur ansu bhi tu layi hai

                      dilagi aye dilagi dilagi, tere hai do rup

                      kaise kaise vado ki yado ki tu chhaya

                      chhaya vo jo banegi dhup

                      18. Gulzar-Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi Shikwa-Aandhi-1975-Kishore Kumar & Lata-R D Burman

                      Aandhi film had some of the best songs from the team of Gulzar and R D Burman. I think for a majority of Hindi film music lovers, Gulzar is a favourite lyricist-personally I am not a big fan , though I do like most of his early  songs and selected few from his later years  like this one. Composed superbly by Pancham da and sung brilliantly by Kishore and Lata, this one can count among their best duets ever. Gulzar captures the emotions of the couple who are unable to spend time together with the immortal lines:

                      Tere bina Zindagi se koi shikwa toh nahi, shikwa nahi, shikwa nahi

                      Tere bina Zindagi bhi lekin , Zindagi toh nahi, Zindagi nahin, Zindagi nahin , Zindagi nahin

                      19. Sudharshan Fakir-Zindagi Zindagi mere ghar aana- Dooriyan-1979-Bhupendra & Anuradha-Jaidev.

                      Sudharshan Fakir was a Urdu poet and lyricist and is well known for his ghazals , many that were popularised by Begum Akhtar and Jagjit Singh.

                      Note the excellent poetry in the lyrics-I think there is no need to explain anything-the various stages in life – from falling in love , getting married and having a child (princess-“ shehzaadi” !) are all captured so beautifully by Sudharshan Fakir.

                      Zindagi, zindagi, mere ghar ana, ana zindagi

                      Zindagi o zindagi mere ghar ana, ana zindagi

                      Mere ghar ka sidha sa itana pata hai

                      Ye ghar jo hai chaaron taraf se khula hai

                      Na dastak zaruri na awaaz dena

                      Mere ghar ka darawaaja koi nahin hai

                      Hain diwaaren gum aur chhat bhi nahin hai

                      Badi dhup hai dost, kadi dhup hai dost

                      Tere anchal ka saaya churaake jina hai jina, jina zindagi

                      Mere ghar ka sidha sa itana pata hai

                      Mere ghar ke age mohabbat likha hai

                      Na dastak zaruri na awaaz dena

                      Main saanson ki raftaar se jaan lungi

                      Hawaaon ki khushbu se pahachaan lungi

                      Tera ful hun dost, teri dhul hun dost

                      Tere haathon men chehara chhupa ke jina hai jina, jina zindagi

                      Magar ab jo ana to dhire se ana

                      Yahaan ek shahajaadi soyi hui hai

                      Ye pariyon ke sapanon men khoyi hui hai

                      Badi khub hai ye, tera rup hai ye

                      Tere angan men, tere daaman men

                      Teri ankhon pe, teri palakon pe

                      Tere qadamon men isako bithhaake jina hai jina, jina zindagi

                      20. Raja Mehdi Ali Khan-  Kaise kategi Zindagi tere bagair- Tere Bagair Album-2009-Private Album-Rafi-Madan Mohan

                      I was surprised to note that Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, who wrote many superb ghazals for Madan Mohan did not have any popular one with the Zindagi word. Then I discovered  this -a relatively new song in the sense that it was initially recorded for a film that was never released and much later , in 2009, Madan Mohan’s son Sanjeev Kohli released many such hidden gems of Madan Mohan through an album titled Tere Bagair. Now how Madan Mohan’s music was far ahead of his times-a superb ghazal , written so well and above all rendered with a passion that can be done only the great singer – Rafi sahab.

                      kaise kategi jindagi tere bagair, tere bagair

                      paayunga har shay mein kami tere bagair, tere bagair

                      kaise kategi jindagi tere bagair, tere bagair

                      phule khilein tu yun lage, phul nahi yeh daag hai

                      taare falak pe yun lage jaise bujhe chiraag hai

                      aag lagaaye chaandani tere bagair, tere bagair

                      chaand ghata mein chhup gaya, saara jahaan udaas hai

                      kehati hai dil ki dhadkane tu kahi aaspaas hai

                      aake tadap raha hai ji tere bagair, tere bagair

                      kaise kategi jindagi tere bagair, tere bagair….

                      Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

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

                      1. You Tube
                      2. Wikipedia

                      The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the  original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

                      Hindi film songs

                      Rafi and his different “ on screen” occupations!

                      2 Comments

                      24th December 1924-31st July 1980

                      We all know that Mohammad Rafi was one of the most versatile singers , who could sing any genre of song . There is one more unique aspect that many would be aware at the back of their mind but might not have given much thought about it. This blog is an attempt to showcase that .

                      Whenever I used to listen to his songs like ‘Mein rickshawalla’ , Mein hoon albela tangewala’ or Sar jo tera chakraye , I used to wonder for how many ‘ occupations ’ or one can say street vendors  he might have lent his impeccable vocals ?! I was pleasantly surprised to note there are quite a few  songs that I could dig out! The sheer variety is simply amazing. From selling ice cream, insurance, chaat, paan, massage service, driving a rikshaw , a tonga, even offering marriage brokerage service, he has not left out any occupation!

                      These songs may not be the best in terms of musical quality , but I would say that they are still quite enjoyable. It must have been his innate humility to sing for any actor on screen, any music director , any banner /producer with the lowest budget that must have  resulted in such a huge variety of songs.

                      Readers may find an overwhelming number of articles on Rafi in my blogsite. I have so far covered many artists from Hindi & Tamil films and would continue to cover hundreds of them in future , but Rafi would always be appearing in between as he is always closest to my heart!

                      There is one more topic that is in my mind-we find many cities appearing in Rafi’s songs. One day I may publish that also , though I may have to do some digging to check how many cities have been covered! With Rafi there is no dearth of topics!

                      So here we go! My selection of 20 songs arranged in chronological order based on year of the film. I have mentioned the  commodity or service  that is being sold or offered  in the song and then the song , film, year, music director and lyricist.

                      1. Toy seller: Tera khilona toota balak-Anmol Gadi-1946-Naushad-Tanveer Naqvi

                      Although Rafi was singing from 1944 and must have sung around 40 songs till 1946,  it was this song from Anmol Gadi that made everyone notice a new singer on the horizon. That film was totally dominated by songs from other legends like Noor Jehan, Shamshad Begum , Suraiya etc , with Rafi getting only this single song. Singing for a toy seller , Rafi slowly but firmly started his ascent to the great heights in his career . Note the antara that is unique and sung almost breathless with primitive recording techniques prevalent during 40’s.

                      2. Fruit Seller Main Mali Ka Chhokra Mera Bagh Hai Jamuna Paar-Sarkar-1951-Pt Gobind Ram-Qamar Jalalabadi-Duet with Shamshad Begum

                      I could not get any link that has the visuals but from the audio it appears Rafi is selling fruits and Shamshad Begum , vegetables! Pt Gobind Ram was a popular and successful composer in the 1940’s . It is interesting to note that in 1951 , one could get Kashmir Apples -4 for one rupee!!

                      3. Balloon seller: Le lo gubare humare pyare pyare-Bandish-1955-Hemant Kumar-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

                      In this 1955 film also Rafi had just this song, picturised on the noted comedian Bhagwan selling balloons. Hearing Rafi in a Hemant Kumar composition is quite rare. Notice the difference in the singing style of Rafi from the 1946 ‘Tere Khilona’ to this in 1955. He is more confident and does the all the variations in his typical style. I found a strange thing-all the videos that have the visuals are just around 1.5 minutes! And so I have posted two links-one to just to show the visual selling of balloons and one that has only audio but the complete song.

                      4. Barber: Mera naam phataphat mera kaam jhataphat-Shahzada-1955-S Mohinder-Tanveer Naqvi

                      Unfortunately I could not get any video that has the visuals but the lyrics proves it is picturized on a person assuring he shall give a good and fast haircut! This film had two music directors-Nashad and S Mohinder with almost 3 songs composed by each.  S Mohinder had composed some very good songs in Hindi films but went on to focus more on Punjabi films and became immensely popular there.

                      5. Perfume seller : Jungle ghooma basti ghooma ( Le le mera ittar)-Badshah Salamat-1956-Bulo C Rani-Shafiq Kanpuri

                      This is an absolutely hidden gem , with Rafi going all out and creating the typical intonations ( note in how many variants to that Le Le!)  that a street seller normally does while selling his wares. Once again I failed to get a video link that has the visuals and only we can imagine how it would have been on screen! A word about the  music director of this song: Bulo C Rani , many may erroneously  think it is a name of a lady but he was a male music director ,  born, Bulo Chandiram Ramchandani and was a  popular composer in the vintage era but later on faded out , not able to withstand the competition from many stalwarts of the golden era and it is sadder to note that at the age of 73 he was supposed to have committed suicide .

                      6. Masseur (Tel Maalish): Sar jo tera chakraye-Pyaasa-1957-S.D Burman-Sahir Ludhianvi

                      Among the many songs that Rafi sang for different “ on screen” occupations this  one must the most popular. In an otherwise serious film that had Rafi’s epic Yeh Mehlon Yeh Takhton and Jinhe Naaz Hai Hind Par Who Khan Hai,  we can only admire the great singer’s versatility . The way he sings this , it sounds exactly as if Johnny Walker singing for a road-side oil masseur.

                      7. Panwala: Aana O bhai jaan khilaoon pan lagake chuna -Taxi Stand-1958-Chitragupt-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                      It is sad that we do not get visuals of most of the songs . There is no limit to the variety in Rafi’s singing. Just note the change in tone -he sings one line in straight manner and immediately in  the next line he changes it to that of a typical panwalla!

                      8. Vegetable seller (Sabziwala): Muliram aur bhindiwala ka nikala-Dulhan-1958-Ravi-S.H. Bihari

                      Ravi seems to have scored maximum number of songs for Rafi in this particular niche genre. There are 6 songs composed by Ravi out of   20 songs I have listed here ! When we hear this song we can understand why Rafi seems to have been the favourite of almost all music directors for such songs. I do not think any other singer would be able to demonstrate so much of variations.

                      9. Chatwala: Baaman ho ya jaat -Kaarigar-1958-C Ramachandra-Bharat Vyas-Duet with Chitalkar

                      Composed by C Ramachandra superbly with a  Bhangra and Lavani  style , this is one more hidden gem I discovered. When you hear this , you will definitely get a feel having a great chaat on the famous Chowpati beach in Mumbai! This song is also a foodie’ s delight as the three stanzas cover the most popular chaats: Ragda , Bhel puri and Paani Puri!! Chitalkar ( C Ramachandra) &  Rafi singing together is one more rarity to be enjoyed.

                      10. Photographer: Dilbar pe ho na kaboo photo kheenchalo Babu-Pehli Raat-1959-Ravi-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                      There was a time when Johnny Walker always had one song picturized on him in every film , with Rafi singing for him. In this he is providing his professional touch for getting a nice photo and even enacts how to pose for a pic!

                      11. Rickshawallah:Mein Rickshawala, Mein Rickshawala-Chhoti Bahen-1959-Shankar Jaikishan-Shailendra

                      One of the most popular songs in this genre, picturized on another comedian, Mehmood, for whom Rafi has sung so many hit songs. The great lyricist Shailendra was truly a genius -he could write simple lines to convey great philosophy even in a song like this. The last antara is typical of Shailendra…

                      Raat din har ghadi ek sawaal, ek sawaal

                      Rotiya kam hain kyun, kyun hai akaal, kyun hai akaal

                      Kyun duniya me kami hai ye chori kisne ki hai

                      Kahan hai sara maal, kaha hai sara maal

                      12. Bangle seller:Le Lo chudiyan-Ghar Ki Laaj-1960-Ravi-Rajendra Krishan

                      Once again we have Johnny Walker , this time selling bangles on street. Observe the way Rafi says “ Chudi….chudiwala” ..he sounds exactly like a street seller! That was his exceptional skill!

                      13. Insurance agent: Babu insurance kara lo-Kala Admi-1960-Dattaram-Hasrat Jaipuri

                      Today we have a bombardment of sales pitch from various insurance companies in all media, social media , through pesky calls on our mobile phones ! We are totally frustrated with the unsolicited  calls we get on our mobile phones. Wish someone can make a pitch in a funny way  like how Rafi does in this song!

                      14. Cucumber seller (Kakadi) : Laila ki ungliyan-Ghar Ki Laaj-1960-Ravi-Rajendar Krishan

                      In the song Muliram aur Bhindimaal ka nikala diwala he was selling all types of vegetables; this one is a specialization ! He goes on to extoll the virtues of the humble cucumber and compares it with  a lady’s finger!

                      15. Ice cream seller: Zindagi hai kya sun meri jaan-Maya-1961-Salil Chowdhury-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                      Salil da was inspired from the legend Charlie Chaplin’s composition called Terry’s Theme which was the theme music of his film Limelight. It fetched Chaplin his only competitive Oscar for Original dramatic score well after two decades ( the film was made in 1952 but was released fully in the USA only 1972 as his film was banned earlier in that country due to his “ supposedly communist leanings”).

                      Salil da , whenever he takes some excellent tunes from western music creates wonders and full justice to the composition. One of the most melodious songs in this list, Rafi’s vocals match Dev Anand so well . One melts like an ice cream while listening to the line ‘ zaban mein meethi karoon aa yahan.’

                      16. Tin Plating of Utensils (Bartan kalai):Bartan kalai kara Lo-Girls’ Hostel-1963-Ravi-S.H Bihari

                      Today many would not even know what is ‘ tinning of brass and copper  utensil.’ This is something unique to our country as we cook many acidic or alkaline food that may react adversely with brass and copper and may be harmful for the body. So a thin coat of tin is applied inside the utensil so that it provides a safe barrier. Rafi has not left out even this relatively obscure occupation. The mukhda starts off with  a parody of the famous song Hum Bekhudi Mein Tumko Pukare Chale Gaye that was also sung by Rafi , composed by S.D Burman for the film Kala Pani.

                      17. Tangewala: Goda Pishori mera , tonga Lahori mera (Mein Hoon Albela Tangewala)-Pyar Ka Bandhan-1963-Ravi-Sahir Ludhianvi

                      Although O P Nayyar might have composed most of the songs that had that typical horse-hoof beat rhythm, I could not find any song that  suited this theme. So we have a relatively leisurely-paced horse driven by Raj Kumar that is typical of Ravi’s rhythm pattern  . One more very popular song in this category , and Rafi does a superb job of singing for a tangewala played on screen by Raj Kumar!

                      18. Home guard: Mein albela Home guard-Johar in Kashmir-1966-Kalyanji-Anandji-Indeevar

                      Who could have ever imagined a song with a theme of Home guard! I.S Johar was a sort of rebellious actor who mostly acted in comical roles in Hindi films but was one of the few Indian actors to have acted in internationally acclaimed films like Lawrence of Arabia and Death On The Nile . He produced & directed in a series of films that had his name in title like Johar Mehmood in Goa, Johar Mehmood in Hong Kong etc.

                      19. Street magician: Beta  jhamoore keh de duniya ko -Biradari-1966-Chitragupt-Prem Dhawan – Duet with Manna Dey

                      Although the premise for the song is that of a street magician , the song’s lyrics are more philosophical and written so well by Prem Dhawan. When two legends sing together , Rafi & Manna Dey then it has to be a superb song! Very rarely heard composition of Chitragupt.

                      20. Marriage broker :O dilwalo matwalo humse shaadi karwalo-Taqdeer-1967-Laxmikant Pyarelal-Anand Bakshi

                      Long before online matrimony sites , dating sites had come into our world there used to be a marriage broker who ‘ arranged’  marriages. Rafi has a song for them also! Picturised on a lesser-known comedian Johnny Fernandes , this film had very melodious & famous songs like Jab Jab Bahar Aaye , Aaiye Bahar Ko Hum Bant Le . Rafi’s excellent versatility is fully evident . Only he can do full justice to an  intensely emotional  Jab Jab Bahar Aaye  and in total  contrast,  this comical one for a marriage broker in the same film.

                      I will try to come out with such off-beat topics with Rafi’s songs in future. With Rafi, there can never be a dearth of theme!

                      Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

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

                      1. You Tube
                      2. Wikipedia

                      The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the  original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

                      Hindi film songs

                      Shamshad Begum – a powerful voice

                      2 Comments

                      14th April 1919- 23rd April 2013

                      In the year 2004, many newspapers published a report that Shamshad Begum, the noted playback singer had passed away , when she was very much alive and living with her daughter , son-in-law, and grandchildren, in Powai, Mumbai. No doubt it was sheer negligence by the media. It  was also  a reflection on the famous short-lived  public memory . To some extent, it was also due to her own decision to stay away from the film industry, having been disillusioned with the politics in film industry. Actually, it was another Shamshad Begum, a  lesser-known actress and  happened to be the grandmother of actress Saira Banu who had passed away ,  which the media reported wrongly! Surprisingly  this was much before the  social media and fake news dominated world in which we live today!

                      In the early decades of Hindi films, singers with a resonating, powerful voices ruled the music scene. Singers like Ameerbai Karnataki, Kanan Devi, Zohrabai Ambalewali, Noorjahan, Suraiyya, Khursheed and Shamshad Begum are some of the famous female playback singers from that era. Among them, few like Noorjahan and Khursheed  migrated to Pakistan after the partition of our country,  whereas  other singers  faded into oblivion with  Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt , Sudha Malhotra, Suman Kalyanpur , Asha Bhonsle gradually replacing them.

                      However, it was Shamshad Begum ( I will refer to her as SB for brevity) who  remained successful even till the 60’s despite many other new singers entering the industry. Her decision to stay away from limelight was partly due  to the  disillusionment with the politics in the industry and partly due to the sudden demise of her husband in a road accident in 1955. It is good to note that the government honoured with the Padma Bhushan award when many other legendary singers had to be content with lesser awards or no awards at all!

                      During her peak years, she commanded a price that was unbelievable for those times. In one of her interviews , she had stated that her father’s advice to her always kept her in good stead. “Do not be too sweet that people would take you for granted and at the same time do not be too bitter so that everyone would avoid you.” She maintained a dignified relationship with all her associates and simply focused on her singing alone.

                      Born in Lahore in the undivided India on 14th April 1919, to Mian Hussain Baksh and Ghulam Fatima , she was one among the eight children of her parents . She started singing at the age of 12 in weddings, social functions and  being from a  conservative family , her father did not allow her to be photographed , although he reluctantly agreed to her singing career. As she had promised to her father that her face would not appear in public , it is said that only , much later , in 1970’s people could see her photograph!

                      Right from her school days, she was recognized for the quality of  her voice and used to lead the school prayers. She had no formal training in music and though her parents were not much in favour of a career in singing , her uncle supported her and took her to a recording company Jenophone/Xenophone ( that was later taken over by HMV) . The well-known composer Ghulam Haider, who had given breaks for many legendary singers gave her a contract and it is said that she got around Rs 5000 for completing many songs for that recording company. Unfortunately those songs and many other songs that she would go on to sing live for All India Radio in Peshawar and Lahore are not available as they were never recorded but broadcast live. 

                      When she was around 15 years old , she  met Ganpat Lal Bhatto , a Hindu lawyer and married him , despite opposition from her family due to religious difference. They had a daughter   Usha Ratra who married an Army Colonel Yogesh Ratra and she spent her  last days with them and her grandchildren who were very much devoted to her. 

                      She got her musical skill honed by Hussain Bakshwale Saheb a sarangi maestro and also by Ghulam Haider himself. She was one of the highest paid singers in Hindi film industry, with a voice that some  compared to that of a temple bell , resonating , majestic , and flowing like a river effortlessly. She could sing  a western style or cabaret song , a folk song , a peppy romantic duet , a sad ‘ bidaiee’ song, a qawwali -all with equal fervour. The 1941 film Khazanchi was a landmark film for her as she sang all the eight songs in that movie with the film and songs becoming a great hit.

                      She was once that most favoured female playback singers for all the top music composers of the 1940’s and 50’s . During the vintage era she sang for  Ghulam Haider, Pt Govindram , Ghulam Mohammad followed by the legendary  Naushad, C Ramachandra , S.D Burman & O.P Nayyar. In the industry she was  a senior   to most of the later day legends like  Rafi, Talat, Kishore , Mukesh, Lata , Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhonsle etc . Even Naushad was junior to her and he had acknowledged publicly the fact that it was mainly due to Shamshad lending her vocals to many of his early hits, he got immense fame.

                      It is SB’s bad luck that all these four music directors, who worked with her in many hit songs, gradually shifted their focus to other female playback singers. C Ramachandra and Naushad started giving more songs  to Lata, S.D Burman to Geeta Dutt , Asha Bhonsle initially and later on to Lata. O.P Nayyar initially worked with SB &  Geeta Dutt but later on he shifted to  Asha till they had their bitter rift. Although I could not get any authentic information on exactly how many songs SB had sung, it is estimated to be around 2000. Not only in Hindi, she also sang in Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati and even 2-3 songs in Tamil! I have given the link to a rare Tamil song by her in dubbed version of the hit film Aan at the end of this blog.

                      It is really difficult to select few songs from her vast repertoire , especially when we see that most of her songs during the golden era were super hits!

                      I have tried to select a few to the best of my ability , trying to showcase the huge variety in her singing. Songs are arranged in the chronological order of the song, film ,year of film’s release, co-singer, music director and lyricist mentioned in that order.

                      < Though I have tried to embed almost all the songs that can be played here itself, there are two songs which are not allowed by the respective uploader in YouTube and so you may have to click and view it in YouTube seperately>

                      1. Sawan Ke Nazare Hain-Khazanchi-1941-Ghulam Haider-Ghulam Haider-Wali Khan

                      The film Khazanchi was adapted loosely from  a silent English film The Way of All Flesh made by Victor Fleming in 1927and it is considered to be one of the early blockbuster movies of Hindi cinema. It is to the credit of Shamshad Begum that she sung all the songs in this movie, mostly solos and one or two duets with Ghulam Haider himself.

                      2. Kahe Koyal Shor Machaye Re – Aag -1948-Ram Ganguly-Behzad Lucknowi

                      Whenever I listen to the songs of the film Aag, I always wonder why Ram Ganguly could not recreate the magic in later films. It is my personal observation that the music in this film was something far ahead of its times. Apart from this solo, Shamshad had a superb duet “ Solah baras ki bayee umariya” with Rafi , a funky Raat ko Jab Chamke Tare with Mukesh and another solo Dil Toot Gaya Ji  in this film.

                      3. Dharti Ko Aakash Pukare – Mela-1948-Mukesh-Naushad -Shakeel Badayuni

                      Mela had some of the excellent scores of Naushad from his early years. Mukesh had  his Gaye Jaa Geet Milan Ki, Rafi had  his Ye Zindagi Ke Mele but it was Shamshad who sang a whopping 9 songs in the film! Dharti Ko Aaksh Pukare, though a very brief song , tugs at your heart with the pathos rendered soulfully by SB.

                      4. Mein Bhanwara Tu Hai Phool- Mela-1948-Mukesh-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

                      A vintage Naushad composition , with a superb combination of Mukesh’s soft voice and SB’s powerful voice providing a unique melody!

                      5. Chandini Aayee Banke Pyaar O sajna-Dulari-1949-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

                      One more quintessential Naushad composition. However we can notice how Naushad changes track by giving Lata around 9 songs and only 2 for SB! Must be the effect of the immense success of Barsaat when Lata stormed the industry and slowly started replacing other singers.

                      6. Na Bol Pi Pi More Angna-Dulari-1949-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

                      With just two songs given to her in this film by Naushad as compared to the lion’s share to Lata,  SB makes the best  out of them with these two evergreensongs.

                      7. Mera Piya Gaye Rangoon-Patanga-1949-Chitalkar-C Ramachandra-Rajendra Krishan

                      One of the most famous songs by Chitalkar ( C Ramachandra) and Shamshad Begum, this is a duet that sounds as fresh as if it was composed yesterday. One of the TV channels I used to watch earlier and also our good old Vividh Bharati might have made an over-kill of playing this song almost every day and for a moment I thought if I should include any other CR ‘s composition instead of this, but on second thoughts, this is a great iconic song to be left out!

                      8. Woh Aayenge- Khel- 1950-Sajjad Hussain-Zia Sarhadi

                      I had included this song in my blog on the genius composer Sajjad Hussain and generally I try not to  repeat the songs. But I have to make an exception to my own ‘ unwritten’ rule! This song, though I heard it very recently is a hidden gem that I do not understand how it remained an obscure one till now. A fantastic composition that is typical of the maestro Sajjad, superbly rendered by SB.

                      9. Chod Babul Ka ghar – Babul-1950-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

                      One of the most famous “ bidayee” ( when the bride leaves for her husband’s house after marriage) , SB has once again given an immortal song with Naushad. It was Naushad’s firm belief in keeping the orchestration to the minimum in such songs and let the singer elevate the song to the height it deserves.

                      10. Milte Hi Aankhen Dil Hua- Babul-1950-With Talat Mehmood-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

                      I read somewhere that the newcomer Talat Mehmood was a bit nervous during the rehearsals for  this song and it was the veteran Shamshad who boosted his morale by encouraging him to shed his inhibitions and what an evergreen duet this turned out to be. Whenever the Begum sings a duet , her voice overpowers the male singer!

                      11.Sharmaye Kahe Ghabraye Kahe- Baazi-1951-S D Burman-Sahir Ludhianvi

                      Shamshad delivers a superb foot-tapping cabaret number in this SDB composition.

                      12. Saiyyan Dil Mein Aana Re -Bahaar-1951-S D Burman-Rajendra Kumar

                      A 32-year-old SB singing for an eighteen-year-old Vyjantimala! A peppy song by the great Burman da to suit her breezy style of singing. Though I hate the concept of remixing old classic gems ( and mostly spoiling them!) I see that many of SB’s songs are popular with the remixing guys!

                      13. Duniya Ka Maza Lelo – Bahaar -1951- S D Burman- Rajendra Krishna

                      SDB takes us through Arabia and  Hawaii with the fabulous interludes , superbly enacted on the screen by the great dancer Vyjanthimala and last but not least, a power-packed singing by the Begum!

                      14. Chaman Mein Reheke Veerana – Deedar -1951-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

                      I think the songs she sang for Naushad are of excellent quality. This is one of the  lesser heard songs of SB.

                      15. Door Koi Aaaye Dhun – Baiju Baawara 1952- Rafi & Lata- Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

                      Although this song is a triad, Rafi has only a small part humming “ O jee ho…” throughout the song  and Lata also has an equal stanza, somehow  SB, with her resonating voice,  dominates the  song.

                      16. Badi Mushkil Se Dil Ki Beqaraari- Naghma- 1953-Nashad-Nakshab Jaravachi

                      There is always confusion between the names Naushad and Nashad. I wonder why Shaukat Hussain Dehlvi/Shaukat Ali Hashmi called himself Nashad , which in Urdu signifies “ joyless,” “cheerless” . Maybe it was an intentional , antonym  to his bitter rival Naushad which means , cheerful, happy! Anyhow, leaving that aside, this is a complex , difficult composition which SB renders with effortless ease.

                      17. La De More Baalma Aasmani Chudiyan – Rail Ka Dibba -1953- Rafi-Ghulam Mohammad-Shakeel Badayuni

                      Long before terms like ‘ breathless singing’ , ‘rap songs’ became a rage, SB and Rafi gave this superb , peppy rap song. Both of them render a breathless antara , effortlessly!

                      18. Kabhi aar kabhi paar – Aar Paar-1954- O P Nayyar-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                      SB’s best songs in the early years were with the stalwarts like C.Ramachandra, Naushad , S.D.Burman , and later on , it was the turn of another great composer from the musical land of Punjab, O.P Nayyar with his foot-tapping rhythm and beats to give equally great songs for her.

                      19. Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re- C.I.D- 1956- O P Nayyar-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                      The film C.I.D had some of Shamshad’s most memorable songs like the solos Boojh Mere Kya Naam Re, Kahni Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana and the triad with Rafi & Asha that remains so popular till now, Leke Pehla Pyaar Bharke.

                      20. Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana – C.I.D-1956-O P Nayyar-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                      An iconic song that defines the singing style of Shamshad Begum. OPN ‘s interludes mostly get repeated throughout the song but one does not feel bored as he makes it so catchy!

                      21. Leke Pehla Pehla Pyaar -C.I.D-1956-Rafi & Asha-O P Nayyar-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                      I am now running short of words as I cannot keep thinking of synonyms to words like evergreen/immortal/fresh /masterpieces for all the songs of SB! This only shows a whopping  75-80 % of her songs have been super-duper hits!

                      22. Mere Neendon Mein Tum Naya Andaaz -1956- Kishore Kumar-O P Nayyar-Jaan Nissar Akhtar

                      One of the rare duets of SB with Kishore , the two voices match each other perfectly well. And what a mesmerizing tune by OPN! The song lingers in your mind long after you have stopped listening to it.

                      23. Gaadiwale Gaadi Dheere- Mother India-1957-Rafi-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

                      By mid-50’s , Shamshad had reduced her  singing due to the sudden demise of her husband in 1955 in a road accident.  It was mainly due to the persistence of the producer-director Mehboob Khan , who managed to convince  her to sing for this film after her brief hiatus.

                      24. Teri mehfil Mein kismat-Mughal-E-Aazam-1960-Lata-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

                      In the early years Lata and Shamshad had sung many songs together. This famous qawwali  from Mughal-E-Azam was the  last time they sung  together. When it comes to qawwali, Shamshad was way ahead of others , but to her credit, Lata has also sung this well , despite this genre not being one of her strong points.

                      25. Kajra Mohabbat wala Kismet-1968-Asha-O.P.Nayyar-S.H. Bihari

                      One may observe the huge gap between the years-from 1960, we now straight away come to 1968! It is to the credit of OPN that he gave the Begum a last memorable song. Technically this is not her last song as she sang for few films like  1970 Heer Ranjha ( Nache Ang Ve in Madan Mohan’s music with Jagjit Kaur) and I understand the song Main Papi Tum Bakshankar was her last recorded song.

                      As a bonus song, I am providing a link to her Tamil song ( Naan Raaniye Rajavin-Tamil dubbed version of Aan-Naushad-Kambadasan) . It is always a pleasure to listen to a legend from Hindi films rendering a song in my native language! This is from the dubbed version of the famous film Aan..the Hindi equivalent of this song  was Mein Rani Hoon Raja Ki

                      Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

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

                      1. You Tube
                      2. Wikipedia

                      The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the  original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

                      Hindi film songs

                      Jaidev Varma-The forgotten composer’s unforgettable music

                      3 Comments

                      3rd Aug 1918-6th Jan 1987

                      With three National awards for best music, four Sur Singaar Samsad awards, the Lata Mangeshkar award by Madhya Pradesh government, in  a repertoire of just around 40 films , if a music director died in a one-room paying guest accommodation , leaving behind materialistic possessions of a harmonium, few books and some personal effects, but a very rich legacy of songs that linger in our minds even now, it was Jaidev Varma.

                      My opening sentence may look a bit complicated and difficult-one can say Jaidev’s music was also like that. Very intricate tunes, with lyrics mostly taken from well-known poets that may not fit the regular film-style “easy on ears meter” -these were the strong points of his music.

                      There have been many artists who were so talented in their craft, but could not achieve much success , sometimes due to fate or in some other cases , due to their own mercurial temperament and inability to have inter-personal skills.  But Jaidev’s case is intriguing. He was a simple, unassuming man who had very good relations with all and yet could not get the commercial success in the tough Hindi film music world. That is something very sad.

                      In order to understand the genius in him , one has to just  look at the diverse types of songs he had composed that are popular till today -the  romantic  “ Abhi Na Jao Chodkar”  , one of the most popular  bhajans “Allah Tero Naam” ,  the  patriotic  “ Ab Koi Gulshan Na Ujde ”, the philosophic  “ Mein Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya”, a song that conveys the pain of someone from outside surviving in a city like Mumbai “ Seene Mein Jalan, Aaankhon Mein Toofan Sa Kyun Hai” or trying to find an accommodation in the same city “ Do Deewane Shehr Mein Raat Mein Ya Dopahar Mein”, and last but not least, on a positive side ,seeking strength from the  Almighty, there is “ Jaise Suraj Ki Garmi Se ”. The list can go on and on.

                      If we look at his style of compositions, it was a strong combination of melody based mostly on classical raagas and often blended with our folk music. He will compose a song like Abhi Na Jao Chodkar with a rhythm pattern that does not stop or change even for a second throughout the song and at the other extreme , could compose a song like Tu Chanda Mein Chandini , that has so many twists and turns in both the tune and rhythm pattern. Many songs had intricate mukhda-antara construction and were difficult to sing. He experimented a lot like having five  different male singers in one single film ( Kinare Kinare-1963), worked with many lyricists . Just to give a perspective on the numerous lyricists/poets whose songs he had composed, in my selection of around 27 songs, there are 14 lyricists in additional to two traditional compositions!  Shows what a genius composer he was to have tuned some very intricate lines with complex structure.

                      How much unlucky one can be in life is sadly seen in Jaidev’s career , wherein a huge number of  20 odd films never got released ! They were all either shelved in between or like in case of one of his films -Prem Parbhat- the  prints were destroyed in a fire and the film is not available anywhere! It had the superb Lata solos Yeh Dil Aur Unki Nigahon Ke Saye and Yeh Neer Kahan Se Barse.

                      Jaidev was born in Nairobi, Kenya on 3rd August 1918 . His father was an official in the railways in Kenya and his family was affluent and also musically inclined. He learnt initial music from his mother who used to sing folk songs and songs from Ramayan etc. Later his family shifted to India in 1927 and he continued his education and also kept learning music. Like many artists of  that era, he tried his hand in films by acting in few , but could not make any mark as an actor. He continued his journey of learning music with some veterans like Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, did some odd clerical jobs, got into a philosophical mode by staying at the ashram of Swami Sivananda and did a stint at the Lucknow All India Radio station by performing some light music. His visit to Jodhpur along with his guru Ustad Ali Akbar Khan gave him lot of insights on classical music .

                      Then in the year 1952, his Ustad got an assignment to compose music for the film Andhiyan and that is how he got into the role of an assistant music director. Unfortunately for Jaidev , that film and the subsequent Hum Safar made in 1953 , both flopped. He then joined S D Burman as assistant with the film Taxi Driver(1954).

                      He got his  first break as an independent composer with the Chetan Anand film Joru Ka Bhai in 1955. One can say its music was a moderate success.  The best was yet to come. His  major work was Hum Dono ,  made in 1961 although in between he composed music for films like Anjali, Arpan, Raat Ke Raahi, Ek Ke Baad Ek etc, the music of which was not that popular. 
                      Hum Dono had excellent music and we can even say one of his most commercially successful film apart from Mujhe Jeene Do. In fact it is said that with the success of that film Dev Anand had assured him that he would offer films to him and to S D Burman also. Sadly this promise was never fulfilled and that film remained the only one for the Navketan banner of Dev Anand. Like many other greatly talented composers of the golden era, Jaidev also had to be contented with low budget , lesser-known films that never had the “ big stars” . And so , in spite of coming out with path-breaking music, he remained in the side lines.

                      Having been  afflicted with asthma at an early age, he decided not to marry and remained a bachelor till his last day. His frugal life style is well-known in the industry and he lived his entire life in a one-room paying guest accommodation offered by one of his admirers. Towards the fag-end of his  life , the government provided him an accommodation but as always it was too late.

                      However these material aspects never bogged him down and he took special interest in grooming several singers , who turned out to be so successful in their careers like Hariharan, Suresh Wadkar, Bhupendar, Anuradha Podwal , Chaya Ganguli, Penaaz Masani etc, just to name a few.

                      I was a bit apprehensive to write about him despite being a great admirer of his songs , mainly due to the worry that whether I could do at least some justice to the great songs he has left behind. As I always mention in my blogs, I am not an expert on the technicalities of music and hence I can only write about how I experience these songs as a listener.

                      Till A.R Rehman beat his record , he was the only music composer to have been awarded thrice with our country’s National award for best music direction (1971- Reshma Aur Shera, 1978-Gaman and 1984-Ankahee) , that too with a repertoire of just around 40 films! Truly a great genius!

                      Let us now look at few of his best songs. I have sequenced them film-wise and in their chronological order based on year of release. Song / Singer(s)/ Lyricist are mentioned in that order.

                      Hum Dono (1961)

                      In an attempt to break the monotony of writing about each song, I am trying to sum up Jaidev’s songs , film-wise, wherever there are multiple songs from the same fil. Hum Do was , without any doubt the first major break for him and almost all songs in that film are masterpieces.

                      In this film Jaidev gave two solos and one duet to Rafi and all turned out to be pure gold. In Mein zindagi ka saath, Jaidev cleverly used the cigarette lighter’s jingle as the starting point of the song. Sahir’s allegorical lines,  tries to blow away the worries of life  rather than literal cigarette smoke! He even goes on to summarize a deep philosophy “ gam aur kushi mein farq na mehsoos ho jahan, mein dil ko us mukaam pe latha jala gaya,” conveying the idea how one needs to be unmoved either by joy or by sorrow.

                      Kabhi Khud Pe is a song that seems to be compose just for Rafi-no one else can render the pathos with such feeling and that special touch he can only add-“ Ronaaa aaaya.” And is there any need to write about Abhi Na Jao Chodkar? It has almost become an anthem for romance, sounding so fresh today  as it was when composed more than half a century ago. Lata’s Allah Tero Naam is the eternal devotional song that seems to have been tailor-made for her.

                      Mein Zindagi Ka Saath/Mohammad Rafi/Sahir Ludhianvi

                        Kabhi Khud Pe/ Mohammad Rafi/Sahir Ludhianvi

                        Abhi Na Jao Chodkar Mohammad Rafi& Asha Bhonsle/Sahir Ludhianvi

                        The link given below has both the popular duet version and the rarer Asha ‘s solo version also.

                        Allah Tero Naam/Lata Mangeshkar/ Sahir Ludhianvi

                        Kinare Kinare (1963)

                        This film had more than 10 songs! Jaidev did a fantastic work by giving four different male solo songs to four different singers-Manna Dey, Talat Mehmood , Mukesh and Rafi. All are truly great songs and only for making my blog short, I have to reluctantly include only three of them here. If Mukesh’s Jab Gam-E-Ishq had a very prominent flute right from the start of the song, it was the santoor giving fabulous company to Rafi in Teri Tasveer and in Talat’s Dekh Li Teri Khudayee, Jaidev just took a back seat after creating a superb tune and let Talat do the honors by his soulful singing.

                        Jab Gam-E-Ishq Sathata/Mukesh/Nyay Sharma

                        Teri Tasveer Bhi Tujh Jaise/ Mohd. Rafi/Nyay Sharma

                        Dekh Li Teri Khudai/Talat Mehmood/Nyay Sharma

                        Mujhe Jeene Do (1963)

                        If the songs that we have so far heard are starters, we now come to the main course and listen to the quintessential Jaidev. He was well-known for the most intricate tunes ( after maybe Sajjad Hussain) and that was his specialty. Sometimes one wonders if creating such difficult songs turned out in a way to be a hurdle in not becoming popular among the masses. Very few can sing these songs and so they remain un-remembered in singing shows. Anyway that does not take away the great respect he has from the connoisseurs. The song Raat Bhi Hai Kuch Bheegi Bheegi is one such example. Only a Lata could do full justice to this intricate composition. Just listen to that out-of-the -world alaap in the middle of the song!  

                        Rafi has sung so many patriotic songs and ‘Ab Koi Gulshan Na Ujde’ remains one of his best ever. Just listen to the part “ Mandiron Mein Shank Baaje Masjidon Mein Ho Azaan”-Rafi takes us to a different world with his exquisite singing.

                        Raat Bhi Hai kuch bheegi/Lata/Sahir Ludhianvi

                        Ab Koi Gulshan Na Ujde/Mohd. Rafi/ Sahir Ludhianvi

                        Ek Bulbula Pani Ka ( 1970)

                        I had never heard this song and only while researching for this blog I came across this rare gem. The film was not released .  The song somehow tugs at your heart, with the typical soulful rendering by Rafi  and from Rafi’s voice texture, it looks to be even older than 1970 that is mentioned as the year of the film.

                         Teen taal par naach jawani bachpan aur budhape ka/Rafi/Kaifi Azmi

                        Reshma Aur Shera (1971)

                        No wonder Jaidev got his first National award for this film’s score. Tu Chanda Mein Chandini is a song that will remain , I think , for centuries in music lovers’ hearts. One has to get oneself immersed into this song to understand and appreciate how he takes the song through with different raagas, taal …and what a superb use of that santoor, flute and those stunning silent pauses in between. Ek Mithi Si Chuban is one more gem from this film that is a sheer sweet melody. Both these songs also bring to the fore Lata’s exceptional singing skills.

                        Tu Chanda Mein Chandini/ Lata/Balkavi Bairagi

                        Ek Meethi Si Chuban/Lata/Uddhav Kumar

                        Maan Jaiye (1972)

                        Like many other films for which Jaidev scored music , this was an obscure movie that may have not be remembered by many, but this rare song of Jaidev for Kishore Kumar is a hidden gem. I always felt that Kishore da sounds superb in offbeat songs like this.

                          Yeh Wohi Geet Hai Jisko Maine/Kishore Kumar/Naqsh Lyallpuri

                        Prem Parbat (1973)

                        Prem Parbat is one of those “ lost” films-the prints of the films were destroyed in a fire accident and so this film is lost forever! And what great songs Jaidev composed for this film. The two songs that I have included here are , once again from the golden combination of Lata & Jaidev. The first one is quite popular , with Jaidev using the santoor, flute and the unique percussion instrument “ ghatam” that is popular in Carnatic classical music. Padma Sachdev was a famous poetess in the Dogri language that is prevalent in Jammu region and had been awarded with Sahitya Academy award and Padma Shri. She had written a handful of songs for films . Note how Jaidev creates a superb melody based on the exquisitely written poetry of Padma Sachdev “ Yeh Neer Kahan Se Barse.”

                        Yeh Dil Aur Unki Nigahon Ke Saye/Lata/Jan Nissar Akhtar

                        Yeh Neer Kahan Se/Lata/Padma Sachdev

                        Parinay (1974)

                        When it comes to composing the best devotional songs in films,  Jaidev was a master, non-pareil. Like other films, this one also for Jaidev , remained an obscure film long forgotten , but  the song is still remembered .

                        Jaise Suraj Ki Garmi se/Sharma Bandhu/Ramanand Sharma

                        Laila Majnu (1976)

                        The film Lalia Majnu had Madan Mohan as the music director and most of the songs were composed by him and were great hits. The songs gave a major boos to the career of Rafi in the mid 70’s when many music directors had started moving away from him. Madan Mohan was steadfast in his choice of Rafi for a young Rishi Kapoor and this film gave a great boost to Rishi Kapoor’s career also due to the fabulous songs like Mein Tere Dar Pe Aaaya Hoon, Barbaad-E-Mohabbat Ki Dua, Hoke Mayoos Tere Dar Se etc.

                        However Madan Mohan , unfortunately passed before the completion of the film and it was his very close friend Jaidev who completed few remaining songs( one of which I have listed here) and also the background score.

                        Kehna Ek Deewana Teri Yaad Mein/ Likhkar Tera Naam Zameen Par-Rafi & Lata -Sahir

                        Alaap (1977)

                        In this film , the ‘angry young man’ Amitabh Bachchan had a totally  offbeat role, but the film unfortunately flopped. But Jaidev composed one of the many memorable songs for Dasettan as K J Yesudas is known in Kerala. The deep , but at the same time melodious voice of KJY was used so well by Jaidev in composing this song that was written by the well-known poet Dr Harivanshrai Bachchan. The same film had a superb bhajan also that was sung by both KJY and Lata in separate versions-Mata Saraswati Sharada-once again proving that when it comes to composing devotional songs, Jaidev was without any competition.

                        Koi Gaata Mein So Jata/ K J Yesudas/Dr Harivanshrai Bachchan

                        Gharonda (1977)

                        One more great qualities of Jaidev was to introduce and nurture many new voices in HFM. Runa Laila, from Bangladesh, had her major hit with this song Tumhen Ho Na Ho although she had sung Ek Se Badkar Ek for Kalyanji-Anandji in the previous year.  Bhupendar’s most famous solo song Ek Akela Is Shehr Main and the duet with Runa Laila -Do deewane shehr mein are popular to this day, thanks to Jaidev’s superb tune and orchestration. When we listen to the songs of Gharonda , we can appreciate how Jaidev adapted himself to the changing times of late 70’s -he still retained his core melody strength , while coming out with modern-sounding tunes that had great orchestration.

                        Tumhen Hi Na Ho/Runa Laila/ Naqsh Lyallpuri

                        Do Deewane Shehr Mein/Bhupendra & Runa Laila/Gulzar

                        Doooriyan (1978)

                        I have never heard Anuradha Paudwal’s voice so melodious and with so much of depth in any other song. Definitely Jaidev had a magic wand that could bring out the best from many of the upcoming singers. Once again , observe the orchestration that sounds so modern, without in anyway compromising the melody factor. The use of saxophone is relatively rare in Jaidev’s compositions, but in this song, it is very prominent, along with violin, piano , sitar etc. Not to forget one very important factor in Jaidev’s repertoire is his association with numerous lyricists and the fact that he gave prime importance to songs with excellent lyrical & poetical content.  

                        Zindagi Mein Jab Tumhare Gum/ Bhupendra & Anuradha Paudwal/Sudarshan Fakir

                        Gaman (1978)

                        After Reshma Aur Shera, Jaidev got his second National award for best music for this film , Gaman. We got to hear many new voices that later on went to become so famous and successful , while Jaidev remained the greatest mentor in HFM. Suresh Wadkar, Chaya Ganguly ( who was working in All India Radio as broadcasting programmer) and Hariharan -all got their major break with this single film. Chaya Ganguly also got her National award for best female playback singer for the song Aap Ki Yaad Aati Rahi. Personally , I consider  Suresh Wadkar’s Seene Mein Jalan as one of his career best songs. In Hariharan’s Ajab Saneha Mujh Par Guzar Gaya we can relive the earlier masterpiece of Jaidev that he created with Rafi-Kabhi Khud Pe Kabhi Halat Pe song from Hum Dono. Gaman remains one of the topmost album of Jaidev.

                        Seene Mein Jalan/ Suresh Wadkar/ Shahryar

                        Aap Ki Yaad Aati Rahee/ Chaya Ganguli/ Makhdoom Mohiuddin

                        Ajab Saneha Mujh Par Guzar/ Hariharan/ Shahryar

                        Ankahee (1984)

                        Jaidev created a record of hattrick by getting his third National award for best music with Ankahee that was later on broken by A.R Rehman . It was after many decades , maybe after Basant Bahar’s Ketaki Gulab Juhi song that we could hear Pandit Bhimsen Joshi in a film song and what a surprise that he goes on to win a National award as best male playback singer for the song Thumak Thumak Pag Dumak! How many singers have got their awards in Jaidev’s music?!!

                        Tumak Tumak Pag Dumak/Pt Bhimsen Joshi/Traditional

                        Chand Grahan (1997)

                        I had never heard about this film that was never unreleased and neither heard the two Mukesh gems that I have listed here. Only while searching for some rare songs of Jaidev, I happened to come across these two forgotten gems. I understand Jaidev earlier recorded these two Mukesh solos and one or two songs by Lata also , but the producer unfortunately passed away and may years later , his son had released only the audio of those songs. Mukesh is simply scintillating in these two songs that are typical of Jaidev-so intricate and unconventional!.

                        Tujh Ko Yun Dekha Hai /Mukesh|Kaifi Azmi

                        Tum Hi Ne Dil Ko Dil /Mukesh|Kaifi Azmi

                        Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

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

                        1. You Tube
                        2. Wikipedia
                        3. https://mohannadkarni.org/hello-world/
                        4. http://www.songofyore.com

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

                        Hindi film songs

                        Rafi’s Birth Centenary Special: His journey with his  top music directors

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                        24th Dec 1924 to 31st Jult 1980

                        When I was racking my brain for a suitable theme to pay my humble tribute to the great singer Mohammad Rafi on his birth centenary that falls on  24th December 2024, I remembered an old interview of the great man. In his lifetime he had spoken so little that one can condense them in a single page , whereas if we have to write about the invaluable treasure of songs that he left behind , even a lifetime would not be enough! In that interview he had very modestly credited  whatever he sang to his gurus and the  music directors! No doubt the music directors explain the tune and situation to the singers to bring out the right effect, but it is a well-known fact that Rafi sahab always  used to check on which actor the song was to be picturized, understand the mood of the song , rehearse thoroughly ,  and then render  the song to a perfection that no one has come close to till this day. Also, he always used to point to the sky, referring to the Almighty whenever someone praised his singing , indicating that it was all God’s will. That was Rafi sahab-ever humble and down to earth.

                        Now , coming to the theme of this blog, since he very modestly  credited his music directors ,  I thought why not look at  the number of songs he sang for the music directors with whom he had worked in the 37 years of his career. I did that and selected   those music directors with whom he had sung at least 20 songs and above. My count was 36 music directors, surprisingly very close to  the number of years of his fabulous career in playback singing.

                        For this blog I have focused only on his solo songs, and maybe on some other occasion in future will try to write about his duets. For some of the music directors for  whom Rafi had sung a huge percentage of excellent songs, I have selected two songs and for the rest only one . This is with an idea to keep the blog shorter ( even then it runs into 45 songs in all!). But I am sure Rafi fans will never tire of listening to his songs ; moreover, being a blog to commemorate his  birth centenary, it definitely has to cover a wide range of songs. 

                        Before I get into the song listing , some more statistics. The 36 music directors whom I have included here were the major ones for whom he sang 20 or more songs. But there are around 257 other music directors for whom he had collectively sung around 1030 songs! That only shows how he never bothered about money, big names/banners/heroes etc.

                        The listing is sequenced in descending order of total number of songs Rafi had sung for each music director, with the approximate number of songs he had totally sung mentioned in brackets. These are only rough numbers as per some  data available with me. Even I was surprised to note the numbers against some of the music directors-for some it is surprisingly lower than what we usually perceive, like Naushad or surprisingly higher , like R.D Burman!   Also, one may find some music directors like Vinod, Avinash Vyas, A.R Quereshi , S. Mohindar, Jamal Sen etc who could not make it to the top and remained relatively obscure , but some of the songs Rafi had sung for such music directors are top class, even though  they are never heard much.

                        Against each song , I have mentioned the film, year, and the lyricist. The choice of the song for each music director is purely my own personal choice and will never match any other person’s choice. It is absolutely impossible to select one or two from hundreds of top-class songs he had sung for these music directors. Also, I would have written about some of the greatest songs of Rafi with these music directors elsewhere in my blogsite and so to avoid repetition, I have consciously selected some other song. With that caveat , let me start!

                        Laxmikant-Pyarelal(389)

                        For Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Rafi was always their most preferred male singer. Despite starting off only towards the late sixties and the fact that Rafi passed away in 1980, they scored the maximum number of songs for him. Although some of the songs towards the late 70’s may not count much in terms of quality, they gave so many hits for him. L-P’s tunes had great orchestration and percussion arrangements and most of their peppy numbers suited Rafi’s breezy style of singing.

                        • Huyi Shaam Unka-Mere Humdum Mere Dost-1968-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                        I have selected a soft and less-boisterous song of L-P that Rafi takes it to great heights with his typical nuances.

                        • Khilona Jaankar Tum to-Khilona-1970-Anand Bakshi

                        When the maestro sings, he gets into the soul of the song so much that it really tucks at your heart. There are many phrases that are sung with extra stretch in the antara…only Rafi could pull it so well. One of the most under-rated but superb actors of Hindi films, Sanjeev Kumar enacts this so well on screen.

                        Shankar-Jaikishan (378)

                        If only Jaikishan had not passed away so early , the duo of Shankar-Jaikishan would have scored the maximum songs for Rafi. I had to simply do a random pick of two of their songs as Rafi had given the most memorable hits with this golden duo -the emperors among music directors  of the golden era.

                        • Ae Gulbadan Ae Gulbadan-Professor-1962-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        The distinct S-J style of orchestration and power-packed tunes were rendered by Rafi with equal energy, making them a formidable team.

                        • Mein Gaoon Tum So Jao-Bramhachari-1968-Shailendra

                        Generally, lullabies are associated with female singers, but Rafi can sing even a lullaby better than others.

                        Chitragupt( 261)

                        The very talented  Chitragupta,  remained in the shadows of the top stalwarts mainly  due to the fact that he  got only low budget films and not the big banners  starring the top heroes. Rafi remained his main male playback singer.

                        • Akhiyan Sang Akhiyan-Bada Aadmi-1961-Prem Dhawan

                        This could be among the top ten classical raag based film songs of Hindi film songs, but less talked about. Rafi is simply scintillating in this. As the picturization of the song is not matching the superb quality of singing, I have posted a link that has only audio, with good quality and also a bonus -the song repeats once more ! Get yourself immersed in this out-of-the world Malkauns raag based classic.

                        • Sonwa Ke Pinjara Mein-Ganga Maiya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo (Bhojpuri Film Song)-Shailendra

                        How can a singer bring so much of emotion in a 3-minute film song? Hailing from Punjab, observe the way he has rendered this song written in  Bhojpuri dialect by Shailendra. Chitragupta has kept the orchestration to the bare minimum , with Rafi pulling your heartstrings  . Even a stone listening to this song will melt.

                        Ravi (251)

                        Chitragupta and Ravi had much in common in the sense that  melody always  dominated their compositions and so Rafi was the most-preferred choice for both. Only difference was Ravi could get better commercial success . Rafi rendered some of his greatest ghazals and romantic melodies for Ravi.

                        • Jaane Bahar Husn Tera-Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya-1963-Shakeel Badayuni

                        Typical laid-back style composition of Ravi, that mostly had poetry at its heart , with Rafi rendering each and every syllable with so much of passion. That “Are wallah kamaal hai haaye”…it is such special touches that only Rafi brought into playback singing , making him the University for Playback Singing!

                        • Choo Lene Do Nazuk Honton Ko

                        On screen, actor Raj Kumar is singing , intoxicated, but the teetotaller Rafi is rendering it as if he is even more intoxicated and making us intoxicated with his rendering.

                        O.P Nayyar (206)

                        Unlike  most of the yester-year music directors who gave more  soft, melodious , sober tunes, O.P Nayyar was different with his pulsating percussion arrangements. He brought in so much of high energy in the tunes  like S-J and gave Rafi a much-needed break from getting bracketed with more of sad or soft melodious numbers. I have selected two songs that show cases the peppy side of Rafi’s singing as well as a soft romantic side that OPN composed.

                        • Hai Duniya Usiki Zamaana-Kahmir Ki Kali-1964-S.H.Bihari

                        I could have selected a more fast , typical tonga-style song of OPN  but this is too good to be left out. A masterpiece of composition and singing.

                        • Subhan Allah haye haseen chehra

                        This is the typical OPN-Rafi combo that is full of joie de vivre and the hallmark of OPN-Rafi.

                        Kalyanji-Anandji (174)

                        To many it would be a surprise to note that K-A having composed 174 songs for Rafi. Their music is mostly associated with Mukesh in their earlier years and latter  with Kishore Kumar. But Rafi had given some fantastic songs with K-A .

                        • Yahan Mein ajnabee hoon-Jab Jab Phool Khile-1965-Anand Bakshi

                        Sung with a subdued undercurrent of pathos, with  Rafi’s vocals fitting to a tee  the actor on screen , Shashi Kapoor.

                        • Dil Bekaraar Sa Hai-Ishaara-1964-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                        The manner in which Rafi always balanced those little nuances in his singing ( example..mausam nashe mein choor hai, kuch peeke aayee hai ghata), without overdoing the same is something many singers were not able to emulate.

                        Naushad (171)

                        After the initial few years when the legendary Naushad used other male singers like Mukesh and Talat Mehmood, he almost completely switched to Rafi for the rest of his musical journey. The number of songs is lesser only due to the fact  that he took very few assignments. Sometimes he used to take 6 to 8 months to complete a film.  Most of Rafi’s songs with Naushad are masterpieces and it is indeed a futile exercise for me to select two from them!

                        • Man Tarpat Hari Darshan-Baiju Baawara-1952-Shakeel Badayuni

                        One of the most memorable bhajans ever composed in Hindi films, no one can ever write anything about this song as it is enough to just immerse oneself into the same with closed eyes…Rafi brings Hari’s darshan to us with his singing.

                        • Kal Raat Zindagi Se-Palki-1967-Shakeel Badayuni

                        This could be one of the songs that has a very long antara. Only the three legends-Rafi, Naushad and Shakeel can create such a masterpiece. The way Rafi elaborates each and every line of the antara is something out of the world.

                        Madan Mohan (168)

                        The Ghazal king Madan Mohan had a special chemistry with Rafi-he used to always ask him if he had sung any of those peppy, fast songs in the recent past and only after ensuring a ‘no’ from Rafi , he used to go for his recordings. MM’s music was known for its melody  and Rafi rendered many immortal ghazals for him. With Rafi , MM had even experimented with a song that was far ahead of its time-Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho-that was one of the most complex songs in HFM. I had already written about that song in my earlier blog and so here , I have listed  two gems-one a famous ghazal and other one a very soft , romantic number that caresses you as you listen like a gentle breeze.

                        • Rang Aur Noor Ki baraat-Ghazal-1964-Sahir Ludhianvi

                        Signature composing style of MM, with those fabulous violins and Rafi coming up with those evocative singing for which he was famous.

                        • Ek Haseen Shaam Ko-Dulhan Ek Raat Ki-1966-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

                        Like many of MM’s compositions , this is as fresh as it was composed yesterday! Whenever Rafi sings in lower octaves and in a softer tone , they become timeless! While listening , please do not miss that extra sweetness in “ shaaam ko” that only the master can render.

                        R.D Burman (130)

                        Although one would not immediately associate RDB with Rafi, like many music directors, who had depended on Rafi in their debut film, RDB was not an exception. His debut film Chote Nawab( 1961)  and many other subsequent films till 1970 had predominantly Rafi as the main male singer. In fact, the film Teesri Manzil( 1966)  had six songs by Rafi and all were super hits and gave the major boost to  RDB’s career. Kati Patang in 1970 marked a significant shift to Kishore, but RDB continued with Rafi even till 1980 , when Rafi breathed his last. Late 70’s had many top hits for Rafi with RDB, even , ironically fetching him the lone National award for best male playback singer with the song   Kya Hua Tera Vada.

                        • Tumne Mujhe Dekha-Teesri Manzil-1966-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                        A superb romantic song from this musical bonanza film, with trend-setting music by Pancham da.

                        Usha Khanna(115)

                        The only female music composer to have a long and successful career in the male-dominated field , Usha Khanna had great respect and admiration for Rafi and had given him a much-needed boost in the somewhat lean period for Rafi during the early 70’s, with her Teri Galiyon Mein Na Rakhenge song.

                        • Maine Rakha Hai Mohabbat-Shabnam-1964-Javed Anwar

                        This typical Arabian music  influenced composition is one of Usha Khanna’s top songs with Rafi. Written by her father Manohar Khanna under the pseudonym Javed Anwar.

                        Sonik Omi (114)

                        Manohar Lal Sonik and his nephew Om Prakash Sonik started their career as music arrangers and instrumentalists. They got their first film Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya as independent composers and its music is remembered even till today. In spite of giving many hits songs , they were relegated to low budget films and could not come to the top. Rafi had given some memorable hits for them, with Donon Ne Kiya , Tha Pyaar Magar being the most famous.

                        • Kaliyon Ne Ghoonghat Khole-Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya-1966-G.L.Rawal

                        The nephew, Omi was once an arranger for the legendary music director Roshan and one can get a feel of the same arrangement in this song. An evergreen Rafi romantic song.

                        N. Dutta (112)

                        Hailing from a small village in Goa, Dutta Naik, credited as  N. Dutta in films, was an unlucky genius. Despite scoring some great masterpieces and that too for big banners like B.R Chopra’s BR Films, somehow he could not get the recognition he richly deserved. He started as an assistant to the veteran composer S.D. Burman and had a great association with lyricist Sahir and together they gave immortal songs . Rafi was always N. Dutta’s favourite singer and the one I have included is an iconic song from the formidable trio of N. Dutta-Rafi-Sahir.

                        • Maine Chand Aur Sitaron Ki-Chandrakanta-1956-Sahir Ludhianvi

                        The use of two sitars  is a special feature of  this evergreen song remembered for Rafi’s superlative singing, Sahir’s exquisite poetry and Dutta’s eternal composition.

                        Hansraj Behl (110)

                        Master Ji, as he was referred to in the industry ( the only one after the legendary Ghulam Haider) , Hansraj Behl is one more example of a forgotten or unlucky genius. Everyone would have heard his famous Rafi song  Jahan Daal Daal Par Sone Ki Chidiya in our National days, without knowing the composer who created it! Starting from the Vintage era and going on to the Golden Era , he composed many melodious songs. His Mohabbat Zinda Rehti Hai for Rafi is also a very popular song.

                        • Zindagi Bhar Gham Judaai Ka Mujhe-Miss Bombay-1957-Prem Dhawan & Asad Bhopali

                        Now-a-days even the good old Vividh Bharati channel of All India Radio seems to have forgotten such songs. A very beautiful composition sung by Rafi in his inimitable style. I do not know why two lyricists are associated with this song!

                        S.D Burman(103)

                        The veteran composer, Sachin Dev Burman, had a late start to his own career, almost at the age of 40, when he really took off. That , plus the fact that he was the only mainstream composer who even in his early years alternated between Rafi and Kishore , might have resulted in relatively lesser number of songs for Rafi. However, if we look at the quality of those songs, they must rank the highest. Many black & white films of Dev Anand had Rafi’s best songs. I have listed two of them here.

                        • Tu Kahan Yeh Bata-Tere Ghar Ke Saamne-1963-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        The highlights of this song are the ‘out-of-the-world’ humming by Rafi at the beginning of each antara and the special echo effect that Burman da gave to the song.

                        • Din Dhal Jaaye-Guide-1965-Shailendra

                        An entire blog can be written about this song! Guide was SDB’s magnum opus. All the songs are evergreen and this one has Rafi singing out his soul. The manner in which he expresses the  words “ pareeshaaan” and “kkaaunn” are enough to prove he is without any comparison.

                        Husanlal-Bhagatram(101)

                        The first successful musical duo , Husanlal & Bhagatram were brothers of a noted music composer of the vintage era, Pt Amarnath. They dominated the 40’s but inexplicably faded into oblivion in later years. Solo songs of Rafi were relatively lesser as their duets for him were more popular.

                        • Ek Dil Ke Tukde Hazar Huve-Pyaar Ki Jeet-1948-Qamar Jalalabadi

                        When one hears this song , we can realize how even at that young age of 24 , Rafi sang with so much of maturity and feel. By this time Rafi was slowly but surely reaching the top, not to look back till 1980!

                        Roshan(97)

                         Roshan ( full name Roshan Lal Nagarath) is known for his scintillating tunes with lilting melody and many twists and turns , with a trademark pause in the song that would elevate the composition to great heights. Flute was an integral part of his music. And similar to how Madan Mohan was considered king of ghazals, he was the king of Qawwalis. With Rafi, even though his number of songs were below hundred , but if we look at their quality, it must be the highest ever by any composer!

                        • Man Re Tu Kahe Na Dheer -Chitralekha-1964-Sahir Ludhianvi

                        Considered as one of the best ever songs composed in Hindi films by many artists, this song, with a profound philosophical tone written by the veteran Sahir, remains one of Rafi’s career best.

                        • Maine Shayad Tumhe-Barsat Ki Raat-1960-Sahir Ludhianvi

                        Barsat Ki Raat was one of Roshan’s best ever album. Who can forget the  most famous qawwali of HFM , Na To Carvan Ki Talash Hai? The same film had some superb solos of Rafi like the one I listed here and Zindagi bhar nahi bhoolegi who barsaat ki raat.

                        S.N Tripathi(91)

                        Known for having composed the music for many films that had mythology or history as the main theme, Shri Nath Tripathi,  apart from being a successful music director,  was also an actor, singer , writer, and director of films. As Rafi was well-known for singing devotional songs, he was a natural choice for SNT for his various mythological films. The song I have selected is repeated from my earlier blogs , but could not ignore the same as it is a one-of-a-kind , that has only Rafi’s vocals , with no orchestration. Pure bliss!

                        • Na Kisiki aankh ka noor hoon-Lal Quila-1960-Bahadur Shah Zafar(Muztar Khairabadi?)

                        There is always some ambiguity about who really wrote this song-whether the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar or Iftikhar Hussain Akhtar who was the grandfather of lyricist Javed Akhtar and father of another great lyricist Jan Nissar Akhtar. But there is no ambiguity in stating that this is one of Rafi’s topmost songs which only he can render!

                        C Ramachandra(83)

                        Although in his initial days, C Ramachandra composed many songs with Rafi, in the later years he had drifted away from him. There is a reason , but as it is controversial, I will skip that. One apparent reason could be that he himself was a good singer and so in later years he sang many of his compositions. Presenting a famous song of CR with Rafi from the film Nausherwan-E-Adil.

                        • Ye Hasrat Thi Ki Is Duniya Mein-Nausherwan-E-Adil-1957-Parvez Shamsi

                        Apart from this superb solo, the same film had two very famous duets of Rafi with Lata: Taron Ki zubaan par hai mohabbat & Bhool Jayen Saare Gam.

                        Iqbal Qureshi(82)

                        With a height of 6’ 4” , Iqbal Quereshi was quite an impressive personality in the film industry. Like many other music directors, he is another example of an immensely talented composer but  now relegated to obscurity.  His film Cha Cha Cha had many popular and great songs.

                        • Woh Hum Na The-Cha Cha Cha-1964-Neeraj

                        The  film Cha Cha Cha was a forgettable one but all the  songs are masterpieces. 

                        S. Mohindar (76)

                        One of the last composers from the Vintage Era & Golden Era to have survived till 2020, his one song , Guzra Hua Zamaana , Aaata Nahin Dubaara , sung by Lata is just enough to keep his name immortal. Although he could not achieve much fame in Hindi films, he was a very prominent composer in Punjabi films.

                        • Gussa Fizul Hai -Reporter Raju-1962-Anand Bakshi

                        One should credit S. Mohindar for giving Rafi a rare yodelling song. Yodelling is usually associated with Kishore and no one would have thought  Rafi had ventured into that. But yes, he had done that also!

                        Khayyam(65)

                        After starting off his career in the mid 50’s with some of Rafi’s greatest songs like Hai Kali Kali Ke Lab Par, Jane Kya dhoondti rehati hai yeh ankhen, it appears that Khayyam forgot Rafi for a long ten years. Subsequently it was in 1977 , in the Kamal Amrohi film Shankar Hussain that Rafi sang for Khayyam and that one song is considered a masterpiece-Kahin Ek Masoom Nazuk Si Ladki. However, Khayyam and Rafi worked together in an few non film albums dedicated to bhajans and ghazals that showcase Rafi’s immense talent in the non-film genre also.

                        • Aur Kuch Der Tehr-Aakhri Khat-1966-Kaifi Azmi

                        Observe how Rafi brings out the pleading of the character asking his love to be with him for some more time with that “ tehar.”

                        Ghulam Mohammad(62)

                        Apart from  being Naushad’s right hand by taking care of his percussion arrangements , Ghulam Mohammad was  a  great independent music composer . Like many others talented , but unlucky composers of his time,  he also remained in the shadows of the other stalwarts who could get commercial success. His last film Pakeezah, is an epic in terms of musical quality, but unfortunately the great composer could not live to see the immense appreciation the film’s music received. As that film was almost  a decade in making, some of the songs were not included in the film. I have presented one such unheard song here.

                        Yeh Kiski Aankhon Ka Noor Ho tum-Pakeezah -1972 ( Not included in the film) -Majrooh Sultanpuri

                        The film had only Rafi song-the duet Chalo Dildar Chalo, with Rafi repeating only the first line Chalo Dildar Chalo Chand Ke Paar Chalo and that fabulous alaap in the interlude. This unreleased solo is truly a hidden gem.

                        Ravindra Jain(58)

                        By the time Ravindra Jain had debuted , it was almost mid 70’s . Yet they worked together for around 60 songs and this one is supposed to be the very first song composed by Ravindra Jain. Once again we see how Rafi had been associated with many upcoming music composers and giving them the boost to their careers with his songs. Truly an institution!

                        • Nazar Aati Nahin Manzil-Kanch Aur Heera-1972-Ravindra Jain

                        Rajesh Roshan(47)

                        Son of the  legendary music director of the golden era  Roshan Lal Nagrath ,  Rajesh Roshan started his career with Kunwara Baap in 1974 and followed it with a successful film Julie that made him famous. Although Rafi had relatively lesser songs with him compared to other singers, he gave his best to all composers. One such from an obscure film is included here.

                        • Dil Ki Kali Yun Hi -Inkaar-1977-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                        Sardar Malik(47)

                        There are many examples in HFM where the father remained unlucky and did not get the recognition he rightly deserved , but the next generation got immense fame. Sardar Malik and Anu Malik represent this . Mukesh had relatively more famous songs with Sardar Malik. Presenting a sweet melody from Sardar Malik & Rafi .

                        • Mujhe Tum Se Mohabbat Hai-Bachpan-1963-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        Vinod(41)

                        Born Eric Roberts in the undivided Punjab, he adopted the screen name Vinod. Starting off with the vintage era he, went on to compose music till the late 50’s when he passed away at a young age of 37 due to some illness. His La Ra Lappa La Ra Lappa Layee Rakhda from the film Ek Thi Ladki sung by Lata is popular to this day. He is one among the many pioneers who introduced western music arrangements in HFM.

                        • Puchiye Na Haal Ji Palle Nahin Maal Ji-Mukhda-1951-Aziz Kashmiri

                        I do not know what was the situation for this song-from the lyrics it appears that Rafi is singing for someone whose business has not gone well! Just listen to that “ hai”…by Rafi! I now realise that my criteria of travelling through Rafi’s journey with his music composers really turned out to be a right one. What an immense variety of songs we get to hear!

                        Avinash Vyas(38)

                        The Hindi film music world  might not have given much chances to this composer, nor remembered him , but in the Gujarati film world he was a top-notch music composer. Rafi has also sung some Gujarati film songs under his music direction.

                        • Bol Bol Bol Sach Sach Bol-Laxmi-1957-Qamar Jalalabadi

                        It was  really a very pleasant surprise for me to listen to this song for the first time. What a rocking , laugh riot this song is! There are no words to describe this song. The lyrics are absolutely fantastic, the music is typical rock & roll style and in such peppy songs Rafi simply excels .

                        Vasant Desai(36)

                        Vasant Desai is one the leading composers from the vintage era to the golden era, who was known for his intricate classical music-based compositions. I have covered his major songs in my blog in this blogsite. He had famously said that  Rafi  was a ‘shapit gandharva’ , meaning a celestial singer who was sent to earth!

                        • Kehdo Koi Na Kare Yahan Pyar-Goonj Uthi Shehnai-1957-Bharat Vyas

                        When someone hears this song immediately after listening to the Bol Bol Sach Bol I posted just above, it would be impossible to believe that the same singer has rendered both! What a versatility!

                        Hemant Kumar(30)

                        Hemant da, being a good singer himself, had used other singers sparingly and Rafi even lesser.

                        • Hum Laaye Hai Toofan Se-Jaagriti-1954-Rajendra Krishan

                        Among the many patriotic songs that we hear during our National days, this one is somehow forgotten. A nice composition with Rafi’s usual fervour.

                        A.R. Qureshi(27)

                        Many would not know this famous table maestro , more popular by the name Allah Rakha, composed music for many films under the name A.R. Quereshi.

                        • Ram Ki Mahima Nyari Re Manwa-Khandaan-1955- Sarshaar Sailani

                        A nice bhajan by Rafi , with that typical ease with which he sails through the high notes so effortlessly.

                        Jamaal Sen(27)

                        One of the forefathers of music composer Jamaal Sen, Kesar Sen was disciple of  the legendary Tansen who was the Royal musician in Akbar’s court! Like many of the unlucky but talented composers in HFM , he never got his dues despite giving some memorable songs. However, his son and grandson Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen became quite popular in recent years.

                        • Sun Sun Meri Kahani-Rangeela-1953-S.H. Bihari

                        One more quirky song by Rafi, that he has sung so much of variety and tricky , elaborate alaaps . I am sure you would like to listen to this twice or thrice to get a feel of the uniqueness of the tune and rendition.

                        Dattaram Gaikwad(26)

                        Just like how Ghulam Mohammad was the percussion expert for Naushad, Dattaram Gaikwad was for Shankar-Jaikishan. The similarity extends to both being independent music directors also. Ab Dilli Door Nahin was his debut film as independent music composer with the song that I have listed here becoming very popular. His songs from Parvarish were also well received.

                        • Chun Chun Karti Aaaye chidiya-Ab Dilli Door Nahin-1957-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        Salil Chowdhary(26)

                        If there were two music directors in HFM who apparently did not have much fascination for Rafi , they were Anil Biswas and Salil Chowdhary. I do not have anything to write about the former, as he had hardly worked with Rafi. But Salil Chowdhary did work with Rafi for few songs and most of them were really great songs. The major rift happened during the recording of the song Tasvir Teri Dil Mein for the film Maya. But I do observe there were one or two songs that Salil Da composed for Rafi many years after Maya. Controversies apart, Salil da the composer is one of my all-time favourites and  I do not let his apathy towards Rafi come in the way of appreciating his great music. He was a true genius.

                        • Koi Sone Ke Dilwala -Maya-1961-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                        Maya had some of Rafi’s best songs with Salil da , despite the infamous spat! This is a typical Salil da composition with Rafi’s honey-laced vocals.

                        Bappi Lahiri (24)

                        Even I was surprised to note Rafi singing around 24 songs for Bappi Lahiri! In his early years Bappi da gave some great compositions , even classical based ones. Even though he might have worked with Rafi towards the fag end  of Rafi’s career, he always held Rafi in great respect.

                        • Bheegi Bheegi Rut Hai -Taqdeer Ka Badshah-1982-Nandi Khanna

                        This song must have been recorded before or in 1980 and the film released in 1982. When we listen to Rafi’s voice even in 1980 it sounds so young!

                        Jaidev(22)

                        Jaidev, a long-time assistant to the senior Burman, got his fame with the film Hum Dono which had three Rafi songs that are eternal. The one I have selected here and Kabhi Khud Pe & Abhi Na Jao Chodkar. Jaidev did not have any “ favourite “ singers and experimented with many. We would have loved to had more of Rafi singing for  him.

                        • Mein Zindagi Ka Saat-Hum Dono-1961

                        Iconic song from the Hum Dono..Sahir’s philosophical lines with Rafi singing with a drawl…duen mein udaaaaa….

                        Shyamji Ganshyamji (22)

                        Contrary to popular perception this is not a duo composer team but a single individual! Having changed his name from Ghanshyam to Shyam and then finally Shyamji Ghanshyamji, he achieved fame with this one song from Thokar.

                        • Apni Aankhon Mein Basakar-Thokar-1974-Sajan Dehlavi

                        Like many of the olden day songs, there are two versions of this song-one with two antaraa is more commonly heard but the one with the third antaraa is too good with Rafi in his usual elements.

                        Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

                        I sincerely thank the publishers of following blogsites & Internet sources  for the information that I could gather for this article. The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been mentioned  & embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

                        1. You Tube
                        2. Wikipedia
                        3. www.geetmanjusha.com

                        Hindi film songs

                        The golden duo-Shankar-Jaikishan-Part 2

                        2 Comments

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

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

                        When  I started writing   my blog on the golden duo, Shankar-Jaikishan , I initially thought I would be able to cover a representative list of their  songs in two parts. I published Part 1 on 1st November 2024 that had 25 songs selected from the years  1949 to 1960 . When I started listing out the songs from year 1960 onwards, I found that I may not be able to do full justice to their work in just 2 parts and it has to go to part 3! That shows how prolific the golden duo S-J were. Added to the huge number of hits in the 60’s , some of the films in this decade had multiple super hits, leaving me in dilemma as to which one I should include in my blog. So, there will  soon be Part 3 also and to everyone’s surprise there would be many songs that Shankar composed after Jaikishan’s untimely death in 1971 ; most of the authors of books and blogs on HFM summarily dismiss the songs Shankar composed in 70’s as not worthy but I would completely disagree . We will come to that in Part 3!

                        As I had written about S-J ‘s journey and the highlights of their style in my first part , let me straight away start with the song list. This blog , i.e. Part 2 covers their songs from 1961 to 1966. It is a well-known fact that  the decade of 60’s was the peak of SJ’s career. Every film  had so many hit songs and at least 2-3 were super hits  and that is why I had to stop this part with year 1966 and continue the rest of the songs in next blog.

                        This decade saw a major change in the overall style of music and more so in S-J’s own style. The influence of western music became stronger, Rafi was also at his peak  and also the years 1963-67 were marred by the  infamous spat between Lata & Rafi during which they did not sing any duet together. This resulted in many new duet combinations with most of the music directors signing up mainly  Suman Kalyanpur &  Asha Bhonsle  along with many other female singers to sing with Rafi. Rafi was not at all the loser and it was more of an issue for  Lata, whose total number of songs got reduced , especially the duets. It is interesting to note that it was Jaikishan , who took lot of efforts to bring the two legends together -unfortunately the film for which Lata & Rafi started singing together once again was shelved and so the honour went to S.D Burman’s Jewel Thief with the song Dil Pukare Aaa Re Aaa Re . I will not go into the details of that rift as there are many versions going around and as per my own unwritten rules, I steer clear of controversies!

                        Let us focus and enjoy S-J ‘s immortal compositions in their super-golden era!

                        1. Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujh Par-Junglee-1961-Rafi-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        I intentionally left out the most popular Yahoo! Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe and instead selected this soulful romantic number mainly to emphasize that S-J were equally capable of composing very soft , melodious numbers as much as they were experts with a boisterous “ Yahoo!”  I could not find in YouTube the sole Rafi version; this link has both Rafi & Lata solo versions. You can understand Rafi’s superb singing with Lata failing a bit at the high octaves!

                        • Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko-Sasural-1961-Rafi- Hasrat Jaipuri

                        It is said that the first lines of this song were thought about by Hasrat when his son was born. Later he must have composed this into a song for the film .The last stanza in the link provided below  is a bonus, that appears only in the film version.  Usually  in radio we hear only the first two stanzas. One of Rafi’s most famous songs that is always remembered even till today.

                        • Dheere Chal Dheer Chal-Boy Friend-1961-Rafi- Hasrat Jaipuri

                        Now-a-days in the name of  rap we hear absolute cacophony! This song can be defined as a melodious rap! An oxymoron as how can rap be melodious?! Yes , if we have S-J & Rafi it can be! The frenzied pace in which S-J composed this , ably assisted by his trusted lieutenants Sebastian and Dattaram and of course Rafi, is something unbelievable. The percussion & guitar  use is mind boggling. Pity such songs are totally ignored in media.  There are two other absolutely fabulous songs in the same film: Mujhe Apna Yaar Bana Lo- a Rafi solo  and a very rare duet of Rafi with Aarti Mukherjee -Aiga Aiga Aiga Yeh Kya Hogaya. Check these two songs out in the Net and you will be bowled over!

                        • Mehtab Tera Chehra-Aashiq-1962-Mukesh & Lata-Shailendra

                        Sometimes S-J take a slight pause, sit back, and compose some masterpieces  with a leisurely pace. Such songs seem to have been tailor-made for Mukesh. Sitar, sarangi, and the favourite accordion  of S-J are prominent . Sebastian deserves all praise for being the sheet anchor for S-J with extraordinary orchestration. The song ends with a superb alaap by  Lata that  is simply out of the world.

                        • Tera Mera Pyaar Amar-Asli Naqli-1962-Lata-Shailendra

                        How can someone describe this song?! Grand -this one word is enough ! S-J ‘s typical orchestration with the 1st & 3rd interludes being the  same and  2nd one different. With the mandolin giving a counter melody, Lata’s scintillating singing and the ethereal beauty of Sadhana on screen , all these make this song a visual delight as well. I can keep listening to such songs of S-J a thousand times without ever getting bored!

                        • Dil Tera Deewana Hai Sanam- Dil Tera Deewana-1962-Rafi & Lata-Shailendra

                        Bijli Girake Aap Khud Bijli Se Dar Gaye

                        Hum Saadgi Pe Aapki Lillaah Mar Gaye

                        The way  Rafi sings that Lillaah sets the tone for what we are about to hear in the next  5 minutes. When Rafi & Lata roam around in the stratosphere of octaves, there are the ubiquitous 30-40 violins , guitars , saxophone all creating a harmony that is “ never-dull-a-moment”. In most of S-J ‘s songs we hear so much happening that one gets lost in the song totally. That was their secret of success and reigning at the top for more than twenty years!

                        • Mujhe Kitna Pyaar Tumse- Dil Tera Deewana-1962-Rafi & Lata-Shailendra

                        Classic  example of how  S-J could give multiple super hits in the same film. This is a slightly sober song version as compared to the earlier one . With violins, piano, mandolin and  guitar giving excellent company to  Rafi & Lata , this is truly another gem from S-J.

                        • Masoom Chehra Yeh Kaatil Adayen- Dil Tera Deewana-1962-Rafi & Lata-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        Hidden in between the above two super hit songs, this is a sweet romantic number, mostly forgotten now . Starts off with the mouth organ -rarely heard in a S-J song . Flute plays in between in short phrases.  Also notice the tabla takes a brief pause  in the antara . Must definitely be Dattaram’s touch!

                        • Bol Mere Taqdeer Mein Kya Hai-Hariyali Aur Raasta-Mukesh & Lata-Shailendra

                        Sometimes I feel the interludes of S-J alone deserve so many awards! The song deceptively starts off with a relatively slow pace with only the bongos accompanying the singers . Then comes the  first interlude ,  with flutes  imitating  the movement  of a train and then the  tempo builds up ,  with the accordion, reaches the height with mandolins , guitars and finally hands over the baton to the majestic violins of S-J that ends with a flourish.  Mukesh has his own charm in such duets.

                        1. Ae Gulbadan Ae Gulbadan-Professor-1962-Rafi-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        It is unimaginable that they could come out with super hits after super hits with so much of regularity. Really sad that they are not being celebrated the way they should have been. When Rafi starts off with the lines ‘kya haseen mod par aa gayee zindagani , that string arrangement takes the song to heavenly heights.

                        1. Mein Chali Mein Chali- Professor-1962-Rafi& Lata-Shailendra

                        Whenever  Rafi & Lata  sang together , the palpable romance in the song was sheer bliss to hear! One can take an analogy of how a great building is built starting with a strong foundation-the way S-J begin the song with the prelude is something similar! Apart from Rafi & Lata , the violins  and guitars are also in a conversation. Not only the prelude and interludes, just observe the postlude also  in this song. I simply cannot stop wondering at the amazing orchestration in S-J ‘s songs.

                        1. Chotisi Duniya Pehchane Raaste-Rangoli-1962-Kishore Kumar-Shailendra

                        In the 60’s Kishore had few songs with S-J that were mostly in the films in which he also acted as the hero. It is said that after Barsaat brought together S-J , Shailendra & Hasrat together, S-J had promised Shailendra that they would recommend him to few producers. But apparently S-J had forgotten this promise and Shailendra wrote a small note to them “ Chotisi Yeh Duniya Pehchane Raaste Hain , Tum Kahin Toh Miloge , Kabhi Toh Miloge Toh Poochenge Haal,’ which they later used in this song. I do not know how far this is true as I find a long and continuous association of S-J with these two lyricists. In fact , only in few films that were remade from Tamil,  Rajendra Krishan wrote for them as he used to write the dialogues also as he knew the language. Later on, after Shailendra’s untimely , tragic demise, other lyricists started writing for S-J like, Neeraj. Film world is full of such stories and we do not know the real facts!

                        1. Yaad Na Jaye Beete Dinon Ki-Dil Ek Mandir-1963-Rafi-Shailendra

                        S-J who could make a song full of pathos sound so soulful and at the same time have such  intricate orchestrations. Who should get the credit? S-J for such a soulful composition , Rafi for rendering it from his heart or Shailendra for the immortal lines? !  Talat Mehmood had natural vibrato in his voice , but Rafi brings that out effortlessly with his skill. When we listen  it may appear  to be effortless, but he must have sat in a corner and gone through those famous self-improvisations  for which he was well-known!

                        1. Tum Hi Tum Ho Mere Jeevan Mein -Ek Dil Aur Sau Afsane -1963-Rafi & Lata-Shailendra

                        A somewhat rare song that we used to listen quite a lot earlier, but now has faded away from memory. All other male songs were rendered by Mukesh except for this one. Due to some reason Mukesh was not available and since the filming was due , they recorded with Rafi and thought afterwards they can replace with Mukesh’s voice. But it is said that when Mukesh heard this , he said let it remain in Rafi’s voice! One more anecdote for you!

                        1. Kuch Sher Sunatha Hoon Mein -Ek Dil Aur Sau Afsane-1963-Mukesh-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        Mukesh goes all out in rendering this -what a tune and what superb poetry by Hasrat Jaipuri. Makhmal pe tum chalo to chile paaon gulbadan! S-J , apart from Kalyanji-Anandji and Roshan always brought out the best in Mukesh’s voice. Observe how beautifully S-J utilized the Sarangi in this song. The antara is structured like a wave we see in shores, slowly building up and then crashing on to the shore, taking a brief pause when the music completely stops and it is the sonorous voice of Mukesh that dominates! Wow!!

                        1. Mujhko Apne Gale Laga Lo-Humrahi-1963-Rafi & Mubarak Begum-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        One of the most memorable songs of Mubarak Begum. Unfortunately, her talents were not utilized properly due to HFM ‘s monopolistic issues. The complete cessation of background music towards the end of the antara takes this song to a different level. The film version of the song has three antaras but I found most of the uploads in YouTube with poor audio quality and hence this link that has only two but of good quality.

                        1.   Aaj Kal Mein Dhal Gaya-Beti Bete-1964-Rafi-Shailendra

                        Long before I started my own blogsite, I had written an article about this song. One of the best lullabies ever composed in HFM . Sadly, we do not hear this often and as usual most of the popular media channels never air this , reasons best known only to them!. An excellent composition, with superb lyrics, soulful singing by Rafi and an under-played but grand orchestration by the masters S-J.

                        1. Tumne Pukara Aur-Rajkumar-1964-Rafi & Suman Kalyanpur-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        During the Rafi-Lata rift years, many music directors could not afford not to have Rafi in their duets as he was at the peak of his singing career. It was Lata who missed the opportunities and so we had some of the fabulous duets of Rafi with Suman Kalyanpur & Asha. The interlude is a harmony between saxophone, guitar, and the ubiquitous violins of SJ. The slow pace of the antara that is almost like a recitation , contrasts so well with the mukhda.

                        1. Ajhoon Na Aaye Baalma-Sanjh Aur Savera-1964-Rafi & Suman-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        Though I am not an expert on raagas, I understand this is based on Raag Madhuvanti. I intentionally posted the audio only as the picturization spoils the sanctity of the song rendered so beautifully by Rafi & Suman. S-J did a yeoman service to HFM by having many songs based on classical raagas in a simple format that would appeal to the masses.

                        • Dost Dost Na Raha-Sangam-1964-Mukesh-Shailendra

                        Sangam and Mera Naam Joker were major works of SJ for Raj Kapoor , the former a super hit and the latter a flop ; but I would still say the music of Mera Naam Joker was equally good like  Sangam. This song can be described as quintessential S-J :  grand orchestration, piano simply out of the world, interludes that are still etched in our memory.

                        • Yeh Mera Prem Patra- Sangam-1964-Rafi-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        One of the best Rafi songs in a RK movie that over shadowed to some extent the equally good ones Mukesh sung in the same film. They say one of the reasons a rift happened between Shankar & Jaikishan was this song. They had an unwritten agreement that neither will reveal which song was composed by whom and Jaikishan apparently broke this by revealing it was his composition in some interview to a magazine. Shankar had however denied this story. Let us forget that and listen to this masterpiece and get ourselves lost in the beauty of the song.

                        • Bedardi Baalma Tujhko-Arzoo-1965-Lata-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        Saxophone and violins take centre stage with those typical high octaves of Lata & S-J! Apparently Lata once asked S-J why they set such high pitch and their response was to match those fabulous violins that were an integral part of their orchestration. One more example of a  song that an undercurrent of pathos  , but presented in a catchy style Only SJ could do it.

                        • Jaan Pehchaan Ho-Gumnaam-1965-Rafi-Shailendra

                        I had written about this song in my blogs earlier under different themes but would always like to repeat as this is the most shocking under-appreciated song in our country , whereas it has a cult-following in western countries! It was the opening song shown in the titles of a 2001 Hollywood film Ghost World title, in a German  beer brand  advertisement , and also many pop artists abroad recreated this. Something similar to the “  awara hoon”  craze. SJ & Rafi showed they were the real kings of jazz.  Unfortunately all the video versions of this song cannot be embedded as they do not play in other sites and so I had to upload only the audio version. Those interested please do check out the video in YouTube as the dance in the song is simply out of the world-Laxmi Chhaya , choreographed by Herman Benjamin who has also sung this on screen.

                        • Tumhe Yaad Karte Karte-Amrapali-1966-Lata-Shailendra

                        All the songs of Amrapali were sung by Lata except for one “ Nacho Gaao Nacho Dhoom Machao – a rare one that had only chorus singing the song. Apart from this the other songs , viz, Jao Re Jogi Tum , Neel Gagan Ke Chaaon Mein , Tadap Yeh Din Raat ki are all top class and  deserve to be included  but due to brevity , I am restricting to one. We can say “Tumhein yaad karte karte”  is one of Lata’s top songs with a restrained orchestration by SJ and a very soft singing by Lata.

                        When we see the simple personality of Rafi and then hear him sing songs like Jaan Pehchan Ho and Aaja Re Aa Zaraa  , it is simply unbelievable how he sings such westernized tunes so authentically. They say when he starts singing in front of the mic , he transforms into a different person. Remember this was in 1966 , and observe that  stylish singing. He did not have any role model in HFM  for taking inspiration for such a style . It is truly amusing when we  hear the popular media taking only  one popular music director’s name to have brought western style music in HFM , ignoring the likes of  S-J, C Ramachandra, Salil Choudhury and many others. I do not have anything against  that music director, i.e. R D Burman but to ignore all others and talk only about him is so biased.  The main purpose of my blogsite is to cover all the artists , rather than getting fixated with one or two artists only. Coming to this song, the use of piano, violin and guitar is exemplary and so is Rafi’s singing with that vibrato that he does so effortlessly.

                        • Baharon Phool Barsao-Suraj-1966-Rafi-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        In addition to the song Teri Pyari Pyari Surat Ko , this one made Rafi a household name. Rafi used this tune to sing few songs composed in Dutch and English also , in his concerts abroad , as the tune was so popular.

                        • Titli Udi Udi Jo Chali- Suraj-1966-Sharada-Shailendra

                        Even I was surprised to include this song as Sharada is not a favourite singer for me , personally. Plus, it is a general talk , again no one knows how far true , that one of the reasons for S-J’s decline was Shankar’s promotion of Sharada as an alternative singer to Lata. As usual I will stay clear of the controversies! But this song made a great change in the Filmfare awards. Till then the award for best playback had only one category irrespective of whether male or female playback singer. Since this song was tied with Rafi’s Baharon Phool Barsao, a separate category for female playback singer was introduced from the next year. The tune , lyrics and orchestration in this song are good and could be said to be one of the few songs of Sharada that I like. She had serious accent issues and those days , it truly mattered. Today anything passes off as music!

                        If one can ignore the accent issues of Sharada , she did sing few  good songs . I was also shocked to know only now, when researching for this blog that she had passed away in June 2023 and I do not remember seeing that news prominent in any media!

                        • Duniya Bananewale-Teesri Kasam-1966-Mukesh-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        Whenever I write about the songs from this movie Teesri Kasam it is always with a feeling of sadness. Shailendra  venturing into film production with this film despite many of his well-wishers advising him not to do that mistake completely devastated him financially and ultimately the dejection took him  away from us at the early age of 43! It is even more tragic to note that the film that bombed at the box office on its release is now considered a cult classic. S-J had poured their heart into this film’s music. Each and every song is a masterpiece. Ideally I should be including all the songs from this film but restricting myself to just two.

                        • Aa Aaabhi Jaa Teesri Kasam-1966-Lata-Shailendra

                        Personally, I rate this song much better than the more popular Paan Khaye Saiyyan by Asha. SJ could have kept the rhythm simple but they added a slight variation in the beats , making this a great song.

                        • Raat Ke Humsafar-An Evening In Paris-1967-Rafi & Asha-Shailendra

                        One of the most famous duets of Rafi & Asha and no doubt a great song. That was a time when films getting shot in foreign locales were becoming popular and most of them  had music composed by S-J. Who else to give that grand orchestration that suited a European setting?!

                        • Taron Se Pyaare-Diwana-1967-Mukesh-Hasrat Jaipuri

                        A classic example of how a mediocre film can have such fabulous music. Apart from this song, few others like Deewana Mujhko Log Kahe , Ham To Jate Apne Gaon , Ae Sanam Jisne Tujhe , Tumhari Bhi Jai Jai  etc were all great hits. The Shehnai played in Taron Se Pyaare sounds like a bagpiper! S-J  knew exactly how to bring out the best from Mukesh.

                        We are still 3 years away from the end of the 60’s decade  and I have completed my Part 2! Shows how S-J had dominated the 60’s with the most memorable songs of HFM. I will continue this musical journey with S-J in part 3 , showcasing their songs from 1968 till 1979, with Shankar plodding along bravely  from the year 1971 , with his friend &  partner Jaikishan departing in 1971. Most of his associates ditched him , including his mentor Raj Kapoor! To re-phrase  the famous quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar-That was the most unkindest cut of all…….

                        Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

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

                        1. You Tube
                        2. Wikipedia

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