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Hindi film songs

Rafi and his different “ on screen” occupations!

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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

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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.