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Hindi film songs

Hansraj Behl-A composer who strode along with the giants

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19 November 1916 – 20 May 1984

Whenever we take a closer look at the music composers who enriched the golden era of Hindi films, we find many such forgotten composers who, despite coming out with superb melodies, mostly remained in the shadows of the other famous legends. One main reason was that such music composers were mostly ignored by the big banners and stars of those times and hence , although their music was of high quality, the films for which they worked were not equally great and so their work, unfortunately, did not get the recognition they deserved.

Even those not very familiar with his name , will know the songs Jahan daal daal par sone ki chidiya, Mohabbat zinda rehti hai , Nain dwar se man mein who aake , Bheega bheega pyaar ka sama etc. This blog is a small tribute to the music composer Hanraj Behl, who had composed these and many more hidden gems like these.

As always I randomly pick up an artist for my blog and it so happens that when I check his birth date or anniversary , it is close to the time of my blog! By the time I finish this blog it would be close to the 109th birth anniversary of Hansraj Behl!

Born on 19 November 1916 in Sheikhupura, near Rawalpindi then in British Punjab , now in Punjab, Pakistan, Hansraj received his early education in music from Pandit Chunnilal and later from Pandit Acharay Chiranjivilal ‘Jigyasu’. His father, Nihal Chand Behl,  was a zamindar  in his area.

After composing some non-film songs and starting his own music school in Lahore , like many other artists , he landed in Bombay as Mumbai was known at that time in the year 1944. His brother Gulshan Behl and friend Varma Malik also joined him . He got a break with the film Pujari (1946) directed by Ardesher Irani .

For any music director in the late 40’s and 50’s  there was always a tough competition from stalwarts like Naushad, C Ramachandra, Shankar Jiakishan, O P Nayyar , S D Burman in the late 40’s and 50’s , continued by others like Madan Mohan, Roshan , Chitragupta, Ravi, Sajjad Hussain, Vasant Desai, S.N TRipathi etc who were all greatly talented. So , for Hansraj Behl, it was mostly lesser-known banners and within that constraint, he came out with some exceptional songs in films like Raat Ki Raani ( 1949-Jin Raaton Mein Neend Ud Jaati Hai by Rafi),  Chengez Khan (  1957-Mohabbat Zinda Rehti Hai by Rafi) , Milan ( 1958-Haye Jiya Roye by Lata) , Sikandar-E-Azam( 1965- Jahan Daal Daal Par Sone Ki by Rafi) just to name a few. He is credited with introducing Asha Bhonsle in Hindi films , with the song Sawan Aaaya Re that she sang alongwith Geeta Dutt & Zohrabai Ambalewali for the 1948 film Chunariya. He was also instrumental in giving the lyricists Varma Malik & Naqsh Lyallpuri their first film songs in the film Jaggu ( 1953).

Totally , Hansraj Behl might have composed around 500+ songs in around 65-70 films.  He had experimented with some unique concepts like  having no interludes in the song “ Us Chand Se Pyaare Chand ho tum” in the film Raat Ki Raani or take the song ” Nain Dwar Se Man mein woh aake” in which Mukesh sings at lower notes in a slow pace whereas Lata starts off at very high octaves and at a faster pace. He used the similar technique in the Talat & Lata duet Bhool Ja Sapne Suhane Bhool Ja in the 1956 film Rajdhani .

It is purely my own personal view that music directors like Hansraj Behl could not maintain a consistency in their music and if you take a single film , one or two  songs would have been outstanding but rest of them may not have been that good and that aspect differentiated the stalwarts who were more consistent in their quality and an entire film would be embellished with gems. However this , in no way , takes away their talent , and maybe if big banners had supported them and extracted their best talent, they also might have become quite successful.

Hansraj Behl ‘s best was for the film  Sikandar-E-Azam in 1965 with the song Jahan Daal Daal Par Sone ki becoming a sort of an anthem and played in all the Republic day and Independence day celebrations . Though he remained active till the end 60’s in Hindi films and even till 80’s in Punjabi films , his best was mostly in the 50’s and 60’s.

He passed away due to  liver cancer on 20 May 1984.

Since I am not very familiar with the music of 40’s , I am listing out few memorable songs of HB ( Hansraj Behl) mainly from the 50’s and 60’s. These are , as per my usual practice , sequenced in chronological order with the song, film , year , lyricist, and singer(s) mentioned in that order.

  1. Jin raaton mein  neend ud jaati hai-Raat Ki Rani-1949-Arzoo Lucknowi-Mohammad Rafi

One of the early songs of HB and also for Rafi , that was quite popular those days and even  now among Rafi fans searching for his rare songs. This is well-remembered even now, almost 75 years later! With minimum orchestration , this ghazal is so simple but the tune by HB is captivating.

2. Us Chand Se Pyaare Chand ho tum-Raat Ki Raani-1949-Darbari Lal-Rafi & Lata

HB does an innovative technique in this song , with no properly defined interludes, and depends only on  very brief instrumental bits separating the lines sung so sweetly by young Rafi and Lata.

3. Haye Chanda Gaye Pardes Chakori Yahan-Chakori-1949-Mulkraj Bhakri-Lata

It seems Lata placed this song among her favourites , with HB coming out with an intricate tune . As was the norms in the 40’s the interludes and orchestration were minimal and the strength of the song was in its intricate tune.

4. Raste pe hum khade hain dil-e-beqaraar lekar -Rajput-1951-Kaif Irfani-Suraiya

Suraiya may not have sung many songs for HB ,but as usual she renders a melodious song with her sweet voice . This song is in no way lesser in its melody quotient and orchestration as compared to to those composed by stalwarts of those years like Naushad or Khemchand Prakash or Husanlal Bhagatram .

5. Aye zamane bata do dilon ki khata-Dost-1954-Asad Bhopali-Talat & Madhubala Jhaveri

I knew about the singer Madhubala Jhaveri only while working on my blogs-strangely the good old  Vividh Bharati had never played her songs much and so she remained an unknown entity for me. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that it was HB who gave her maximum number of songs. This is a pleasing duet of Talat and Madhubala Jhaveri. Once again HB relies purely on the strength of his tune and uses minimal orchestration.

6. Bhool Jaa Sapne Suhane Bhool Jaa-Rajdhani-1956-Qamar Jalalabadi-Talat Mehmood and Lata Mangeshkar

One of the excellent compositions of HB , just observe how he comes out with an outstanding beginning in low notes by Talat , followed by higher notes by Lata. The interludes and orchestration are also exceptional, in league with any stalwart music director of the golden era. That is why I used the tag line “ A composer who strode along with the giants”!

7. Mohabbat zinda rehti hai-Changez Khan-1957- Qamar Jalalabadi-Mohammad Rafi

Now we come to that one song that almost every music lover would have definitely heard , but many might not have known this was composed by HB! A masterpiece that can be rendered only by Rafi!

Rafi had that magical power to give a great boost to the careers of many actors and even to many music composers by pouring his heart into the songs. The way he ends the song with the lines “ Chalee Aaa…Chalee Aaa…”  would send goosepimples! The link below provides the complete song that must have appeared in many situations in the film and is a bonus which we usually do not hear in the radio version.

8. Jab raat Nahin kat-ti-Chengez Khan–1957- Qamar Jalalabadi-Lata

This song must have been overshadowed by the more popular Rafi’s Mohabbat Zinda Rehti Hai, and I must have heard this Lata’s solo very rarely in the past. HB somehow seems to brought out the best from Lata and it is a surprise to note that his name is never taken when we think of best songs of Lata!

9. Zindagi bhar gam judai ka mujhe-Miss Bombay-1957-Asad Bhopali & Prem Dhawan-Rafi

Normally I avoid repeating the same song in multiple blogs -I had included this in my blog about “ Zindagi”. But I am making an exception as this is too good a song to miss out in a blog on HB. Rafi once again at  his best! I am not very familiar with classical raagas , but I think this could be based on Raag Malkauns and is this song in  anyway lesser than the more famous Malkauns based-Aadha Hai Chandrama Raat Aadhi?

10. Le chala jidhar ye dil nikal pade-Miss Bombay-1957-Prem Dhawan-Rafi

    From the same film Miss Bombay, HB comes out with a lilting light-hearted song

    11. Din ho ya raat, hum rahein tere saath- Miss Bombay-1957-  Prem Dhawan-Rafi & Suman Kalyanpur

      This is one of the most popular songs of HB , that is played in radio even today. This film and many such films were produced by HB along with his brother under the N C Films banner. Miss Bombay was a musical film with many songs becoming famous.  Observe how HB has constructed this song at such high notes and a superb pace.

      12. Haaye Jiya Roye-Milan -1957-Prem Dhawan-Lata

        Now we come to one of HB’s masterpieces that can definitely be placed among the best songs of Lata! What a great song, full of pathos and rendered exceptionally well by the one and only Lata! I understand this is based on Raag Darbari, though may not be in strict classical norms( which is understood for film songs) and can be considered as good as  the top Darbari raag based songs composed by other maestros of the golden era . The string arrangements , sarangi , flute used by HB are top-notch!

        ( The uploader in YouTube has wrongly put a banner of the 1967 Milan instead of the 1957 Milan!)

        13. Nain dwar se man mein woh aake-Sawan-1959-Prem Dhawan-Mukesh and Lata

          Personally I consider this as one of the best songs of  HB and also a very unique song. Mukesh starts off at the lowest notes and a slow pace ( in which he is a true master) and Lata bursts off at highest octaves with a frenetic pace! What an imaginative composition by Masterji HB( in Hindi film world only two composers were called Masterji-HB and Ghulam Haider!).

          14. Bheega bheega pyar ka -Saawan-1959- Prem Dhawan-  Rafi and Shamshad Begum

            It is my view that most songs that have a horse-hoof beat become great hits-maybe something to do with the rhythm of nature! And when we have Rafi & Shamshad to come out with full-throated singing , we get an evergreen duet. HB proves he is no less than the ‘ master of horse-hoof beat rhythm’ O P Nayyar!

            15. Meri pasand hai ke mujhko-Ek Din Ek Badshah-1964-Prem Warbartani-Rafi

              The films for which HB composed may have been mostly obscure ones , but he scored superb songs for them. This is a rare Rafi gem, with a tune & lyrics intricate , and an equally obscure lyricist!

              16. Jahan daal daal par sone-Sikandar-E-Azam-1965-Rajendra Krishan-Mohammad Rafi

                I conclude this blog with a song that almost all Indians would have heard in their lifetime, with a majority not knowing who composed this! Just as the patriotic songs like Kar Chale Hum Fida, Apni Azaadi Ko Hum, Mere Desh Ki Dharti , Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon , this one is played on all Independence and Republic day celebrations .Personally I consider the top among the best patiotic songs ever composed in Hindi films, with Rafi starting with a chaste Sanskrit shlok and then puring out his heart into the song that he always does.

                A superb composition by the Master Ji and in all probability this was his last major hit song. Though he continued to compose for few years , the power of this song alone would etch his name in the annals of Hindi film music. Not to forget Rajendra Krishan for his immensely powerful lyrics.

                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

                Mahendra Kapoor

                2 Comments

                –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

                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