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Hindi film songs

Rare combinations , but fabulous songs-Male Singers

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Part 2-Some  male solo songs of rare combinations

In continuation of my earlier blog on few fabulous songs by female singers in the music direction of certain composers with whom they worked very rarely, I am now listing out few songs with the same logic by male playback singers.

My off the cuff recall for male singers seems to be much higher! Among male singers, Rafi had not only sung for almost all the top music composers of the golden era , he had sung almost 50% of his songs spread over a huge number of what we call obscure or lesser-known music composers. There were three music directors who used Rafi sparingly-Anil Biswas, Salil Chowdhury and Chitalkar Ramachandra. Among these, C Ramachandra had utilised his vocal extensively in his early career and only later on started singing the songs himself or used Talat Mehmood whose voice closely resembled that of Chitalkar himself.

Mukesh, Manna Dey, and Talat Mehmood had some fabulous rare associations . We shall look at some of these in this second part. There is no particular order and I have arranged them randomly, with the song, film, year and lyricists mentioned in that sequence.

Some of the songs may not be popular  or truly ‘fabulous’ but I have included them as they are good to hear , especially for their rare combination.

  1. Mukesh and Madan Mohan

Preet Laga Ke Maine Yeh Phal Paaya-Aankhen-1950-    Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

One of the very early songs of Madan Mohan and I find the style somewhat similar to Naushad . Mukesh , as we will see in this blog further, had that uncanny ability to come out great songs even in the compositions of those music directors who had given him very limited songs.

Bhooli Hui Yaadon Mujhe Itna Na Sataao-Sanjog-1961-Rajendra Krishan

One of the most famous songs of Mukesh and this is vintage Madan Mohan. Mukesh, in his inimitable style brings out the pathos so well. The same film had one fabulous duet of Mukesh with Lata-Ek Manzil Rahi Do Phir Pyar Na Kaise ho.

2. Mukesh  and O P Nayyar

Chal Akela Chal Akela -Sambandh-1969- Kavi Pradeep

After that infamous episode of O P Nayyar banning Rafi for few years as he “ supposedly’ come late for a recording , he started using the vocals of Mahendra Kapoor, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar. This song is among the top songs of Mukesh and had a rare association of Kavi Pradeep and O P Nayyar.

3. Mukesh and C Ramachandra

Jap Jap Jap Jap Japre-Sharada-1957-Rajendra Krishan

Not only Mukesh singing in C Ramachandra’s composition was a rarity, this film had an unusual Raj-Kapoor and Meena Kumari acting together.

4. Mukesh and Sachin Dev Burman

For Sachin Dev Burman, Kishore Kumar and Rafi were the most preferred singers and only for few songs he had utilized Manna Dey, Mukesh and Talat Mehmood. However, as I mentioned earlier these two songs of Mukesh are so great and can be easily counted among Mukesh’s top twenty songs.

Oh Jaanewale Ho Sake To Laut Ke Aaana-Bandini-1963-Shailendra

Chal Ri Sajni Ab Kya Soche-Bambai Ka Babu-1960-Majrooh Sultanpuri

5. Mukesh and Ravi

Like many other music directors , for Ravi also , Mukesh seems to have been a less-preferred singer. He had always worked more with Rafi and Mahendra Kapoor. These two solos from the same film are the best from this rare combination.

Sada Khush Rahe Tu-Pyar Ka Sagar-1961-Prem Dhawan

Wafa Jisne Ki Bewafa Ho Gaye- Pyar Ka Sagar-1961-Prem Dhawan

6. Manna Dey and Naushad

Among all the rare combinations, Manna Dey and Naushad is one of the most glaring omissions as both were masters of the classical genre. Despite being an ardent fan of Rafi, I myself sometimes feel Naushad did not do justice to the great talent of Manna Dey. This is the only ‘ judgemental’ comment made by me in this blog!

There are only a handful of solos for Manna Dey by Naushad and two of them are listed here. Of them only the Mother India song is somewhat known-the other song , I found out only while searching for this blog!

Bhagat Ke Bas Mein Hai Bhagwan-Shabaab-1954-Shakeel Badayuni

Chundariya Katati Jaaye Re, Umariya Ghatati Jaaye Re-Mother India -1957-Shakeel Badayuni

7. Manna Dey and Sachin Dev Burman

Both S D Burman and Manna Dey learnt music from Manna Dey’s uncle K C Dey among other gurus. That makes it a bit surprising that despite this bonding , they worked for relatively few songs. However I should not be strictly categorizing this as a rare combination as they had given some  memorable songs like Upar Gagag Vishal, Tere Naina Talash Kare Jise Who Hai and of course the most famous Poocho Na Kaise Maine Rain Bitaayee.

Many-a-times the compulsions of commercial aspects of films create a situation where only certain voices are preferred. Manna Dey , unfortunately was not preferred much to playback for leading heroes- with the exception of Shankar Jaikishan who proved his voice  was equally good for Raj Kapoor. The most unfortunate aspect in our film industry was to use very good classical based songs, that Manna Dey was capable of , on comic situations and on comedians like Mehmood!

Poocho Na Kaisa Maine Rain Bitaaye-Meri Surat Teri Aankhen-1963

Tere Naina Talash Kare Jise Woh Hai-Talash-1969-Majrooh Sultanpuri

8. Mohammad Rafi and Anil Biswas

In the entire Hindi film music industry of there was a music director who specifically avoided the greatest playback singer-Mohammad Rafi, it was Anil Biswas. C Ramachandra also used him sparingly in later years , but in the mid 40’s and early 50’s CR had composed many duets and solos . Salil Chowdhury also used Rafi sparingly, just around 20 songs only but many of them became evergreen , including the famous Tasveer Teri Dil Mein song , with an ‘infamous’ episode attached to that song.

In case of Anil Biswas , he has been quoted as saying that for his , soft , emotional style of songs , Rafi’s ‘open-thorated , Punjabi style of singing’ was not suitable and so he preferred Talat Mehmood , Mukesh more.

However , when it came to the songs of the film Heer -1956, he did utilize the vocals of Rafi and Mohammad Rafi-the gentlest soul to have worked in the music world , never bothered about what any music director said or felt and always gave his best!

Le Ja Uski Duayein Ho Jo Tera Ho Na Saka-Heer-1956-Majrooh Sultanpuri

Allah Teri Khair Kare- Heer-1956-Rajendra Krishan

9. Mohammad Rafi and Salil Chowdhury

Salil da preferred Talat Mehmood, Mukesh mostly and some times Manna Dey also , and towards his later years even Kishore Kumar for some of the excellent songs in KK’s career like Koi Hota Jisko Apna and Guzar Jaye Din Din . However for some specific songs Salil da utilized Rafi’s vocals , especially when it was for typical Bhangra  style songs like Oh Aiven Duniya Deve Duhayee in Jagte Raho or a Persian/Arabic flavour in O Ya Qurbaan song in Kabuliwala-1961 film.

Zindagi Hai Kya Sun Meri Jaan-Maya-1961-Majrooh Sultanpuri

The famous theme music from Charlie Chaplin for the film Limelight , that won the only Oscar award for Charlie Chaplin, was used in many Hindi and Tamil film songs. But among all “ Zindagi Hai Kya” by Salil da-Rafi combination was the best. I am giving a link to Charlie’s composition also.

Limelight-Chaplin film theme music

Toote Hue Khwabon Ne Humko Yeh-Madhumati-1958-Shailendra

This poignant song from Madhumati remains one of the best ever by this rare combination. Rafi shows his versatility in the same film by singing this immensely sad song and then an out and out comical Jangal Mein Moar Nacha Kisine Na Dekha for Johnny Walker!

10. Mahendra Kapoor and Shankar Jaikishan

Kho Gaya Hai Mera Pyaar-Hariyali Aur Raasta-1962-Hasrat Jaipuri

For Shankar Jakishan, Rafi was the most preferred singer except for the Raj Kapoor songs in which Mukesh was their obvious choice along with few for Manna Dey. In their early years they used Talat Mehmood and in those films where Kishore Kumar was the hero, they had composed some songs for him also . As a result , they never had much opportunities for Mahendra Kapoor. Apart from duets and triad songs , this one seems to be the only solo song for Mahendra Kapoor ,  but definitely became a popular song.

11. Mahendra Kapoor and O P Nayyar

The story about how Rafi got late for O P Nayyar’s recording and hence got “ banished” from his recording room ( only to patch up after 3-4 years , with Rafi taking the initiative to meet OPN ) is well-known. I would not go much into the merit of the story as some points are not logical in that. Anyhow the fact was that for that period, many other male singers like Mahendra Kapoor , Mukesh and Kishore Kumar got the chance to sing for OPN and those were mostly fabulous songs.

Mahendra Kapoor had a voice and style similar to Rafi ( incidentally he always considered him as his guru ) and so there were quite a few songs of OPN & MK that became quite popular. Two of them are listed here, from the same film-Kismet.

Aankhon Mein Qayamat Ke Kajal-Kismet-1968-S H Bihari

Lakhon Hai Yahan Dilwale- Kismet-1968-S H Bihari

12. Mahendra Kapoor and Lakshmikant Pyarelal

Mahendra Kapoor had sung many duets and triads for L-P but solos were relatively very rare. This is a powerful rendition by MK for the famous film Roti Kapda Aur Makan.

Aur Nahi Bas Aur Nahi-Roti Kapda Aur Makaan-1974- Santosh Anand

13. Kishore Kumar and O P Nayyar

As mentioned earlier , that brief separation between Rafi and OPN gave many songs for MK, KK & Mukesh. Both the songs I have listed here are good ones from this rare association.

Savera Ka Suraj Tumhare Liye-Ek Baar Muskurado-1972-Indeevar

Roop Tera Aisa Darpan Mein – Ek Baar Muskurado-1972-Indeevar

14. Kishore Kumar and Madan Mohan

Madan Mohan’s soft & emotional ghazals made him turn to Rafi & Talat most often and few rare classical ones for Manna Dey. Kishore , whenever he got an opportunity , made the best of it and these two songs are popular even  with later generations , with even re-mixes made out of them.

Zaroorat Hai Zaroorat Hai-Man Mauji-1962-Rajendra Krishan

Simti Si Sharmayee Si-Parwana-1971-Kaifi Azmi

15. Kishore Kumar and Roshan

Till the time I could do some serious digging in the Internet, I was under the impression that KK did not sing much for Roshan senior, though for his son, Rajesh he had sung hundreds of songs!

Dil Ho Gaya Shanty Flat-Shisham-1952-Nazim Panipati

16. Talat Mehmood and Ravi

One more surprising rarity was Ravi & Talat as the latter’s vocals perfectly suited Ravi’s style of music. Maybe his strong preference for Rafi resulted in very few songs for Talat. As such Talat sang just around 600 songs only , but whatever he sang were of the highest quality. I conclude my humble attempt to showcase some of the rarest combinations with this superb ghazal by the Ghazal king for the melody king.

Sab Kuch Lutake Hosh Mein -Ek Saal-1957-Prem Dhawan

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

Rare combinations , but fabulous songs-Female Singers

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The golden era of Hindi film music gave us an immense  variety of songs composed by many music directors, singers and lyricists. The decades of 1950’s and 60’s were truly fantastic with all the legendary artists at their peak of their creativity. Most of the music composers started off without having any specific attachment to a particular singer in their very early years. However , gradually many started having some affinity for a particular singer or some selected singers. Except for very few , like the infamous O P Nayyar’s total exclusion of Lata Mangeshkar in his songs or Anil Biswas’ aversion to Mohammad Rafi , many did not openly display a particular like or dislike for a singer. But one could always make out their preferences or if you want a stronger word, bias towards or against a singer.

Now I have always maintained a policy of not getting into the controversies or politics of music. This blog is just an attempt by me to look into those rare combinations of certain music directors and singers, who worked only in few songs together and this particular blog is only about the solo songs. I shall not be discussing why some singer was preferred or not preferred as that would lead to many controversies.

This idea came after recently listening to some songs of Talat Mehmood under the music direction of  Shankar Jaikishan, Mohammad Rafi  for Anil Biswas and Salil Chowdhury, Mukesh for Madan Mohan and S D Burman, Kishore Kumar for Shankar Jaikishan, Manna Dey for Naushad etc.

Before I proceed further, the usual caveat-the basis premises of this blog is purely my own personal view based on how I define the ‘ popular’ combinations and ‘ not-so-popular’ combinations. This is not based on some vigorous statistics .

When I have a huge list of artists still not covered in my blogs,  taking up a theme that does not focus on a particular artist , may appear a bit odd , but I am sure anyone going through this blog further may agree with me that this is an interesting way of looking at some of the music composer-singer combinations in a new way.

In the golden era of Hindi films, there were so many great music composers, lyricists  and singers who had a strong association between them. For example , if you take Naushad, after his initial years he worked mostly with Lata, Rafi and Shakeel Badayuni. Similarly Shankar Jaikishan worked with Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri among lyricists and Rafi, Mukesh and Lata among singers. S D Burman was instrumental in giving Kishore Kumar his great songs around 20 years prior to Aradhana when he took off in a very big way with his second and more prolific innings. O P Nayyar, after initial association with Shamshad Begum and Geeta Dutt, switched over completely to Asha Bhosale, till the time they parted ways. Mukesh had some of his excellent songs with Shankar Jaikishan and Kalyanji-Anandji. For Madan Mohan, Lata & Rafi were almost inseparable.

I can give many such examples but it would be boring and also make this blog quite long. Hope one gets the drift of what I am trying to explain. It is not that the combinations mentioned were the only ones and the music directors did not work with others. There are only few exceptions like one can never find a Lata song in O P Nayyar’s music as they never worked together or  a lone  , mediocre composition was the only one  Naushad could offer Kishore Kumar in his entire career! Anil Biswas never preferred Rafi except for a few songs that one can count in single digits ( maybe!) or Salil Chowdhury, despite coming out with superb songs with Rafi , totally had around less than 20 songs for him.

Once again, I am not going into the merits of these preferences or bias as they all are legendary artists and might have had their own reasons. Who are we, mere listeners, to question their choices?! My theme for this blog is only to highlight just one or two songs from these rare combinations, which are truly good songs. It is to the credit of the singers and music directors, that despite their very limited number of songs together, they could come out with fabulous songs.

I will  make it more clear by giving an example. Shankar and Jaikishan were known for their peppy, fast-paced, jazzy numbers and one could think of only one solo song they composed for Shamshad Begum- Ek Do Teen Aaja Mausam Hai Rangeen(Film :Aawara). It would have been great if they could have come out with more songs like this. Similarly Mukesh sang very few songs for Madan Mohan -Bhooli Hui Yaadon Mujhe Itna Na Sataao (Film :Sanjog) but it is an evergreen song and one can only say “ wish we had more”  as both were known for their melodious songs.

Few criteria that I have applied while selecting the rare combinations:

  1. These are combinations of singer-music director and not lyricist-music director or a singer-lyricist as those combinations may be a separate theme altogether.
  2. I have tried to take only prolific singers and music directors as if we venture into lesser-known artists on both categories, once again the list will be huge.
  3. Some of the singer-music directors may have worked relatively in few songs only , but at some point of time they had given many hits-for example Talat Mehmood and Shankar Jaikishan worked together in the early years but had given many memorable songs and so I have not considered them as strictly ‘ rare combination’.
  4.  I have mostly focused on solo songs only and not duets. One song is an exceptional duet  that has one singer doing only an alaap.
  5. Some of the combinations and their songs I have selected may not be truly ‘ fabulous’ as I have titled this blog, but it is my own purely personal opinion that they are good to hear and will make one wonder “ why this combination did not give more songs” ?

I am listing out the songs in two parts- Part 1 for female playback singers and Part 2 for male playback singers. I will be posting Part1 first followed by Part 2.

The songs are listed in no particular order and are just random , instead of the usual chronological order. The song, film , year  and lyricist are mentioned in that sequence.

These are not the only rare combinations and only songs from such rare combinations. One can keep discovering many such songs and would be glad if readers mention them in the comments section.

Also after seeing these combinations, one may wonder why the most famous female playback singer is not aapearing-Lata Mangeshkar . Reason is simple-with the exception of O P Nayyar who did not compose even one song for her, among the top , prolific music directors, she had so many songs that it is difficult to term anyone combination as ‘ rare’!!

Part 1-Some  female solo songs of rare combinations

  1. Shamshad Begum and Shankar Jaikishan

Although Shamshad Begum sang a handful duets , to the best of my knowledge there was only one solo she sang in S-J ‘s music direction. Despite that the song remains popular to this day. I always wonder how they created a background noise of a club where so many people are talking throughout the song!

Ek Do Teen Aaja Mausam Hai Rangeen-Aawara-1951-Shailendra

2. Geeta Dutt and Madan Mohan

Madan Mohan , after discovering Lata and Rafi mostly stuck to these two singers with occasional songs for Asha Bhosle, Talat Mehmood and Manna Dey. But that one song of Geeta Dutt is played in every playlist and has become one among the top preferences of many playlists even today.

Ae Dil Mujhe Bata De Tu Kis Pe Aagaya Hai-Bhai Bhai-1956-Rajendra Krishan

3. Geeta Dutt and Shankar Jaikishan

Geeta Dutt was somehow ignored by Shankar-Jaikishan also like Madan Mohan In the film Love Marriage we have this solo and a duet Dil Se Dil Takraye that she sang with Rafi. There were just a handful duets and triad songs , maybe one can count within ten. Just like Shamshad Begum one wishes with the peppy style of Geeta Dutt and SJ , one can only wonder why they did not give many more memorable songs.

Kareeb Aao Na Tadpao-Love Marriage-1959-Shailendra

4. Asha Bhosle with Naushad

In case of Naushad, after his early works with the singers of the vintage era like Noorjehan, Suraiya, Shamshad Begum among others, he stuck to Lata Mangeshkar predominantly in the decades of 50’s and 60’s. It is very rare to hear an Asha song in his music , especially a solo. Even this song that I have listed is not strictly a solo-his favourite singer Rafi chips in between with those superb alaap.

Daiya Re Daiya Laaj -Leader-1964-Shakeel Badayuni

5. Asha Bhosle with Madan Mohan

In case of Madan Mohan, it is well known that he had a fabulous team work with Lata and their songs they came out are legendary. Only when a song required to be picturized in a peppy , fast-paced way, he turned to Asha and also one peculiarity was for many duets , he preferred Asha paired with Rafi. It was very rare to hear a Rafi -Lata duet in MM composition despite both being his top favourites for solo songs. The three solo songs of Asha I have listed are top class without any doubt. My personal favourites are Sabah Se Yeh Kehdo that is a very sober ghazal and the foot-tapping Shok Nazar Ki Bijliyan.

Saba Se Yeh Kehdo-Bank Manager-1959-Jalal Malihabadi

Shok Nazar Ki Bijliyan-Woh Kaun Thi-1964- Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

Jhumka Gira Re-Mera Saya-1966-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

Since the Youtube links are not getting embedded, I am providing a link which one can click and open in separate tab to listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UscktZOMGJY&list=RDUscktZOMGJY&start_radio=1

6. Asha Bhosle and Hemant Kumar

Like many music directors, Hemant da also preferred Lata mostly and the songs they created together are some of the top in Gindi films, especially those haunting melodies. In a Guru Dutt film , it is very rare to listen to Lata and so the film Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam had some the career best songs of Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle. I always prefer Meri Baat Rahi Mere Man Mein from this film and the other one Bhanwara Bada Nadaan Hai is also quite popular. The two songs of Anupama are all-time favourites for me.

Meri Baat Rahi Mere Man Mein-Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam

Bheegi Bheegi Fiza-Anupama

Kyun Mujhe Itni Khushi De -Anupama

7. Suman Kalyanpur and Naushad

To be frank, I had to search for a solo song of Suman Kalyanpur in Naushad ‘s music direction, and it was known to me earlier. As such Suman Kalyanpur was preferred by many music directors mainly during those four years of rift between Lata and Rafi when they did not sing together. Solo songs were a rarity for her.

Poonam Ki Raat Aayee-Saaz Aur Awaaz-1966-Khumar Barabankvi

8. Suman Kalyanpur and S D Burman

For S D Burman also solo songs for Suman were far less in numbers , but this tandem song ( the male version by Hemant Kumar is more popular).

Na Tum Hamen Jaano-Baat Ek Raat Ki-1962

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

Suraiya-one of the last singing superstars

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15th June  1929 – 31st January 2004

The Urdu/Arabic name Suraiya  primarily means the Pleiades, a star cluster in the constellation Taurus, symbolizing radiance, brightness, and beauty. Her parents, Aziz Jamal Sheikh and Mumtaz Sheikh must have had some foresight to name her “Suraiya” Jamal Sheikh when she was born on 15th June 1929 in Lahore. She would go on to become one of the most sought-after actress-singer in the 1940’s and 50’s. It is said that at her peak she was paid even more than the leading male actors of those times. It is indeed very rare to see a person endowed with a radiant beauty along with a wonderful voice.

For a long time I was thinking of writing about her , but was a bit apprehensive as my own exposure to the songs of the early era, i.e 30’s and 40’s is very limited . Even now I am not sure whether I would be doing a good job of writing about her great songs, but I am still going ahead as among all Suraiya is one of  my favourite singers. Critics might say there were many other talented singers with wider range , but for me music is mostly about how one artist’s singing connects personally.

When she was a year old, her family moved to Bombay as Mumbai was then known. Her family was deeply religious and her grandmother, Badshah Begum taught her religious texts in Persian. She was also fond of Urdu literature and did her education at St. Petit High School, in Fort, Bombay. She did not have any formal training in classical music. Her uncle , M Zahoor once took her to see the shooting of a film and there she got noticed and at the very young age of 12 she had her acting debut as a child artist in the 1941 film Mumtaz Mahal, which got released in 1942. Meanwhile her singing talent was  recognized by the veteran music director Naushad  ( as a child artist she had sung for All India Radio’s children’s program)  and gave her an opportunity to sing in the 1942 film Sharada.

Gradually she was groomed by Naushad, and later on she worked with most of the other leading music directors of those times like  Husanlal-Bhagatram, Anil Biswas , C Ramachandra, Ghulam Mohammad, Shyam Sundar , S D Burman and many others.

After the partition of India, the other leading singers of that era, Noor Jahan and Khursheed had migrated to Pakistan and so Suraiya became a much sought-after actor-singer. Those were the days when play back singing had not caught up in a big way . Only after Lata and Rafi entered the industry,  playback singing became the mainstay, with even singers like Talat Mehmood, Mukesh and Kishore initially trying to focus more on acting  and so Suraiya, with her bewitching beauty and equally good voice dominated in the late 40’s and early 50’s. A career that could have gone for more decades started faltering due to her own personal issues. The famous romance  between her and Dev Anand that was  completely discouraged  by her dominant grandmother is a well-known  fact and I would not like to write much about that. Although Dev Anand moved ahead with his life, Suraiya never married and remained single throughout her life.

The most striking aspect of her singing that appeals to me is that contrary to the popular style of those times, she did not have a strong nasal tone to her voice. She could sing a peppy song , an intensely pathos-ridden song , breezy romantic duets -all with equal ease. Maybe the pure classical genre was not her forte as obviously she was not a trained singer. But whatever she sang became super hits. Her swan song “ Yeh Kaisi Ajab Dastaan Ho Gayee Hai ( Film Rustom Sohrab-1963-Sajjad Hussain-Qamar Jalalabadi) or all her songs for the 1954 film Mirza Ghalib remain popular to this day. More about the songs of Mirza Ghalib in my song listing here!

In the words of Naushad “Suraiya had  an unsophisticated and charming voice and she sang effortless.” Hence one may not hear any intricate “alaap, “murkhi”  etc but simple , free-flowing songs by her that had an emotional connect and so  appealed to the masses. Her film Mirza Ghalib got the first President’s Gold Medal constituted by our government and it is said that in the award ceremony , then Prime Minister Pandit Nehru had said to her “ Mirza Ghalib ki rooh ko zinda kar diya’ (you have brought to life Mirza Ghalib’s soul)

I have tried my best to list some of her best duets and solo songs here. I sincerely request readers that this is from  my own limited knowledge about her songs -mainly those that I have listened through radio in so many years and in no way reflects the vast repertoire she has left behind.

She  decided to quit acting after the film Rustom Sohrab in 1963 , and so she stopped singing also as she mainly sang for herself.  Suraiya became more withdrawn from public life. At the peak of her popularity, there were frequent traffic jams outside her Marine Drive home in Mumbai due to her fans  wanting to have a glimpse of her! Towards the end she led a lonely life , but thankfully she did not face any financial difficulties unlike some of the other great artists of those times and owned many properties.

On 31st January, 2004 , at the age of 75 , Suraiya passed away due to multiple illnesses.

I have attempted to list out few great solo songs and duets , arranged chronologically, with the song, film, year, music composer, lyricist and so-singer mentioned in that order. Since some of the video links either do not allow embedding in other sites of have  very poor quality, I have embedded audio-only tracks for some of the songs.

Suraiya’s Solos…

  1. Man leta hai angadai – Anmol Ghadi -1946- Naushad -Tanveer Naqvi

A breezy tune by Naushad in his typical style , with Suraiya, still in her teens singing with so much of maturity.

2. Door Papiha Bola-Gajre-1948-Anil Biswas-G.S Nepali

A superb composition by one of the pioneers of Hindi film music-Anil Biswas that,  true to the lyrics , sounds as if some sweet bird is singing far away! Suraiya sounds extra-ordinarily sweet in this song.

3. O door jaanewale-Pyar Ki Jeet-1948-Husnlal Bhagatram-Qamar Jalalabadi

With the famous music composer duo Husnlal-Bhagatram , Suraiya had some of her most memorable songs . This song dripping with the feelings  of separation of a lover is rendered by Suraiya with the right amount of pathos.

4. Woh Paas Rahe Ya Door Rahe-Badi Behen-1949-Husnlal Bhagatram-Qamar Jalalabadi

The film Badi Behen had few other gems by Suraiya like Ho Likhnewale Likh Di, Bigdi Bananewale, Tum Mujhko Bhool Jao and also a very young Lata coming out with Chup Chup Khade Ho Zaroor Koi baat hai-this was one of H-B ‘s most popular tracks. Who Paas Rahe Ya Door Rahe has that lilting rhythm pattern that one can say was a signature of H-B. Suraiya singing sounds like the flow of a gentle stream.

5. Muraliwale murli baja – Dillagi -1949- Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

Naushad’s simple but interesting orchestration , Suraiya’s innocent dancing movements and her delightful singing make this a sweet song.

6. Tera khayal dil se bhulaya -Dillagi -1949-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

The film Dillagi had around six  solos songs and two duets by Suraiya. This solo is one the popular ones.

7. Koi dil mein samaya chupke chupke -Kamal Ke Phool-1950-Shyam Sundar- Rajendra Krishna

When I listened to this old gem after a very long time , I got so much hooked to this that I kept listening to this again and again. Not much is known about the composer Shyam Sundar who had worked along with the other stalwarts of the vintage and golden eras-he had a short career only and had some personal health issues. He was the composer who gave Rafi his first break in the Punjabi film Gul Baloch.The excellent string arrangement in this song is simply the work of a genius. And what an endearing rendition by Suraiya-especially the way she says “ chupke chupke”!

8. Manmor hua matwala – Afsar -1950-S.D Burman -Narendra Sharma

In this song, we hear a different Suraiya , the composition being that of the master S D Burman. With an orchestration that has a superb flute, sitar , S D Burman does many innovations like a change in the tempo in between and also makes Suraiya come out with many variations in her singing. This is definitely one of her best renditions.

9. Nain Deewane Ek Nahin Mane-Afsar-1950-S.D.Burman-Pt Narendra Sharma

In the same film Afsar, S D Burman come out with one more gem of a song for Suraiya. This film could be one of the rare associations of the lyricist Pt. Narendra Sharma with S D Burman.

10. Nainon Mein Preet Hai- Dastaan-1950-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

    Dastan was a famous musical bonanza from the veteran Naushad-in my list here there are two solos and two duets! There are totally nine songs of which six are Suraiya solos and three duets with Rafi.

    Like most of Naushad’s tunes , this one is simple but has a lingering melody.

    11. Ye mausam aur ye tanhaai-Daastan-1950- Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

      A typical “ Piano” song that was very popular in our films! In many such songs , the actor on screen keeps playing the piano without any notes from that in the actual song! But this one is a true piano song-Naushad intersperses that throughout the song with Suraiya rendering a soft melody.

      12. Raste pe hum khade hain- Rajput 1951- Hansraj Bahal-Kaif Irfani

        One of the under-rated music composers , Hansraj Behl gave us excellent songs. Suraiya’s voice always has a soothing effect on our ears-this song is an example of that.

        13. Kabhi Na bigde kisi ke motor-Moti Mahal-1952-Hansraj Behl-Prem Dhawan

          A very rare song-I included this to showcase Suraiya’s comic trait. She mostly sang romantic or sad songs-for a change here she is singing about a broken-down car and not a broken heart! Brilliantly written by Prem Dhawan and set to a simple tune by Hansraj Behl, Suraiya even does a small “ harkat” after the lyrics refers to the names of Suraiya and Madhubala:

          “ho wo Suraiyaa yaa Madhubaala

          bade-bade bhi ban jaayaa karte hain joker raste mein “

          That extra emphasis on Motorrrrrrr is delighful to hear.

          14. Parwanon se preet seekh le -Bilwamangal -1954- Bulo C Rani-D.N. Madhok

            One of the greatest songs of Suraiya, this is my personal favourite. Bulo Chandiram Ramchandani was a great composer who had to remain in the shadows of other veteran music composers of the vintage and golden era; for many years I was under the wrong impression that it was a lady as the name was shortened to Bulo C Rani. Written by the famous lyricist  of the vintage and golden era  D. N. Madhok , this is sung by Suraiya with a sweetness that lingers in our mind long after we listen to it.

            15. Aah Ko Chahiye Ek Umar- Mirza Ghalib-1954-Ghulam Mohammad- Mirza Ghalib

              Now I come to the masterpieces of Suraiya and Ghulam Mohammad who had brough to life the timeless ghazals of Mirza Ghalib. Though I had written about most of the songs from this film in my blog on Ghulam Mohammad, I cannot help repeating them here. Suraiya truly brough to life the wonderful words of the poet Mirza Ghalib.

              16. Nukta Cheen Hai- Mirza Ghalib-1954-Ghulam Mohammad- Mirza Ghalib

                Many singers have rendered this very famous ghazal of Ghalib and Suraiya’s rendition is definitely one of the best ever.

                17. Jahan Koi Na Ho– Mirza Ghalib-1954-Ghulam Mohammad- Mirza Ghalib

                  This is a somewhat under-rated song from the film , but is one of Suraiya’s best .

                  18. Yeh Na Thi Hamari Qismat– Mirza Ghalib-1954-Ghulam Mohammad- Mirza Ghalib

                    Suraiya shows her skills in gliding over the high octaves in this song , composed brilliantly by Ghulam Mohammad.

                    19. Mera dildar na milaya-Shama Parwana-1954-Husnlal Bhagatram-Majrooh Sultanpuri

                      This song also has a Rafi version that starts of with Tune Mere Yaar Na Milaya. I had not heard the one sung by Suraiya earlier and I find she has also sung this equally well.

                      20. Ye kaisi ajab dastan ho gayi hai -Rustam Sohrab-1963- Sajjad Hussain -Qamar Jalalabadi

                      This was the last song of Suraiya -truly a swan song-she had poured out all her feelings into this one , composed by none else than the great genius Sajjad Hussain.

                      Suraiya’s Duets…

                      21. Betaab hai dil – Dard -1947- Naushad -Shakeel Badayuni-Duet with Uma Devi

                      The film Dard had the very famous song of Uma Devi ( who later turned to be a comedienne with the screen name Tun Tun) Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon. This duet of Suraiya and Uma Devi is a unique one in which with the same tune Naushad creates a mood of pathos for the lines sung by Uma Devi , whereas Suraiya sings in a happier mood.

                      22. Tu Mera Chand Mein Teri Chandini-Dillagi-1949-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni-Due with Shyam

                      The recurring, mesmerizing flute portions of this song inspired the veteran music composer of south , M S Vishwanathan to create another masterpiece song “ Poo Maalaiyil Oar Malligai” years later.

                      The link provided here also has a very rare solo version of this song by Geeta Dutt!

                      23. Yeh Sawan Rut, Tum Aur Hum-Dastaan-1950-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni-Duet With Rafi

                      I had mentioned two solos from the film Dastan and here in the duet section , there are two more. It is rare to see Rafi used as voice of Raj Kapoor . Suraiya lends a whiff of fresh air to this song with an elegant rendition. The waltz rhythm makes this so sweet to hear.

                      24. Dil Ko Teri Tasveer Se – Dastaan-1950-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni-Duet with Rafi

                      A typical Naushad composition , sung so well by both Suraiya and Rafi.

                      25. Dil – E – Nadan Tujhe Hua Kya-Mirza Ghalib-1954-Ghulam Mohammad- Mirza Ghalib-Duet with Talat Mehmood

                      The film Mirza Ghalib not only had some the best solo  ghazals sung by Suraiya , but had this evergreen duet with Talat Mehmood-the ghazal king.

                      26. Beqarar hai koi ae mere dildar- Shama Parwana -1954- Husnlal-Bhagatram -Qamar Jalalabadi-Duet with Rafi

                      This is a strangely under-rated song that seems to have been forgotten by many. Has a  beautiful extended alaap by both the singers Rafi and Suraiya , composed so brilliantly by Husnlal-Bhagatram. Many would not recognize the actor on screen-the usually ever ebullient Shammi Kapoor in his very early career looking so sober and different!

                      27. Man Dheere Dheere gaye re-Maalik-1958-Ghulam Mohammad-Shakeel Badayuni-Duet with Talat Mehmood

                      Once again we have the velvety vocals of Talat paired with Suraiya to give this immortal duet. Ghulam Mohammad who remained as assistant of Naushad for a long time, composed independently to give so many excellent songs .

                      I conclude my humble attempt to showcase some of the best songs of Suraiya with a question taken from the last song-Maloom Nahin Kyoon…whenever I listen to the voice of Suraiya, there seems to be gentle , soothing touch..Maloom Nahin Kyoon!! There are only few singers whose voice creates a pleasing feel when we listen to—Suraiya is definitely one of them….

                      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.