Magical Melodies of Glorious Geeta Dutt

 

Selecting just seven songs of Geeta Dutt is not easy so I looked for a hook by which I could narrow this down to a lesser-known array of her songs. The hook was easy to find and I decided to focus on seven different music directors who she has sung for. The difficult part was the decision to not add S D Burman, O P Nayyar or Hemant Kumar to the list of MDs. It may feel like sacrilege to most as she has sung so many beautiful songs for them. Any reference of Geeta Dutt and our mind moves to ‘Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam’ or ‘Babuji Dheere chalna’ or ‘Piya aiso jiya mein samaye gayo re’. However, today we will take a look at her somewhat lesser talked about gems for other famous music directors. 

1. Music Director: Bulo C Rani

Ghoonghat ke pat khol re Jogan 1950

The film Jogan had 15 songs, out of which 12 songs were sung by Geeta Dutt. Jogan is a beautiful showcase of true gems in Geeta Dutt’s voice. Ten out of the twelve songs are her solos. The film is based on a complex love story where an atheist falls in love with a jogan, and most of these songs are bhajans by Kabir and Meerabai. The music was so popular that it was said that Jogan had three major stars: Dilip Kumar, Nargis and the songs of the film. Ghoonghat ke pat khol is the one most likely to be known to all as is Mat ja mat ja jogi. Nargis has listed this film as among her best, similarly Geeta Dutt counts Mat ja jogi from this film as one of her ten best songs.  Bulo C Rani’s (Bulo C Rani’s real name was Bulochand Chandiramani) association with Geeta Dutt lasted over 10 years from late forties to late fifties and it gave us nearly 70 beautiful songs with their combination. 

Trivia: Jogan was actor Rajendra Kumar’s debut film where he plays the role of Dilip Kumar’s friend. 

2. Music director: Roshan

Khayalon mein kisike 1950 Bawre Nain

Sung by Geeta Dutt and Mukesh, this song was a part of this successful film which was the second Kedar Sharma film that Roshan composed for. This film established Roshan as a thriving music director. All the songs for the heroine of this film were sung by Rajkumari Dubey but this one song for the second lead Vijayalakshmi was given to Geeta Dutt. This song now has pride of place in every Geeta Dutt compilation CD.

3. Music director: Chitragupt  

Naachti jhoomti muskurati aa gayee pyar ki raat  Miss Mala 1954

Unknown to most, Geeta Dutt has sung close to 100 songs for Chitragupt. This duet with Kishore Kumar is a rare occasion where Geeta Dutt provides playback for Vyjayantimala who stars with Kishore Kumar in this film. This film also has a very sweet lullaby sung by Geeta Dutt ‘Nanhe so ja re’. 

Trivia: From all her duets, Geeta Dutt has sung maximum songs with Mohd. Rafi. Out of around 155 duets of Geeta Dutt and Rafi, Chitragupt has composed around 30 of them!

4. Music director: Vasant Desai

Meri aan Bhagwan Toofan aur diya 1956

V Shantaram's Toofan aur Diya had three songs of Geeta Dutt. She gave the playback to Nanda’s kid brother played by Satish Vyas. "Meri aan bhagwan kan kan se ladi hain to tum se bhi aaj ladegi, meri baat tumhein rakhni padegi” is a song with some of the most powerful lyrics by Bharat Vyas and has been sung by Geeta Dutt with such elan and emotion. 

5. Madan mohan

“Aye dil mujhe bata de tu kis pe aa gaya hain" Bhai Bhai 1956 

This is a delightful solo picturised on Shyama. The lyrics written by Rajinder Kishen are playful and laced with mischief, “Ae dil mujhe bata de tu kis pe aa gaya hai, Woh kaun hai jo aakar khwabon pe chaa gaya hai”. Madan Mohan composed this delightful tune which Geeta Dutt sang in her distinct style.

6. Salil Choudhury   

Aankhon mein tum Half Ticket 1962

Geeta Dutt has sung only seven songs for Salil Choudhury in his 19 year career in Hindi films. These were three solos and four duets, where the duets were one each with Mohd. Rafi, Hemant Kumar, Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar. Aankhon mein tum is a chirpy duet filmed on Madhubala and Kishore Kumar, written by Shailendra in his classic style.

7. Kanu Roy

Koi chupke se aake Anubhav 1971

Many are mistaken that Kanu Roy was her brother. (Her brother was actually Mukul Roy who was a music composer and producer, her famous ‘Do chamakti aankhon mein’ was sung for his film Detective.) Geeta Dutt has sung just four songs in total for Kanu Roy but these songs are always part of everybody’s list while thinking of their favourite top ten songs of this singer. Anubhav was the quintessential swan song of this erstwhile singer as she passed away in 1972. The velvety smooth tones of her dulcet voice in the songs of Anubhav show us how much she still had to offer even at the fag end of her days.

Born as Geeta Ghosh Roy Chowdhuri in a zamindar’s family in Faridpur, East Bengal in 1930, and going on to be known as Geeta Roy, then Geeta Dutt, her voice and music has remained timeless for all of us to treasure forever. 

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse at Geeta Dutt’s songs with seven composers over the years. Do write in the comments below with your favourite Geeta Dutt song!

SEVEN ICONIC 70’s SONGS OF ARUNA IRANI

The seventies was a very melodious decade and a constant thread through all those years was an actress who never got the lead role in the films that we will mention in this post but made a lasting impression with her roles and songs in those films. The theme for this post is the 70s songs of Aruna Irani. I have cherry picked seven songs of this versatile and beautiful actress, keeping in mind how she made each of these songs memorable with her charismatic performance.

1. Dilbar dil se pyaare Caravan (1971)

A dulcet Lata solo, written by Majrooh Sultanpuri and music by R D Burman, this is an iconic Aruna Irani song and ranks among the favourites of all her fans. This was an apt song to start the list with although it fits into the chronological order, too. In a recent interview, Aruna Irani acknowledges this as one of her favourite songs and has shown gratitude to Lata Mangeshkar for giving her the biggest song of her career. 

This song is a melodious blend of serpentine Arab music and Romani folk music boosted by the classic guitar refrain and lifted by Majrooh Sultanpuri’s lyrics. Aruna Irani plays the role of Nisha, who is a knife thrower in a band of banjaras and is desperately in love with Mohan (Jeetendra) who drives the van of the caravan. Dilber dilse pyaare is a lovelorn tribute from a woman in love which almost celebrates Nisha’s unrequited passion, revelling in the joy it gives her. 

Trivia: Aruna Irani made her debut in the film Gunga Jumna (1961) playing Azra's childhood character. 

2. Choron ko saare nazar aate Naya Zamana (1971)

Composed by S D Burman and written by Anand Bakshi, this solo by Lata Mangeshkar is a lesser known song of Naya Zamana. Aruna Irani plays the role of Rekha, Dharmendra’s sister, who is accused of stealing in a party. Feeling awkward that the gift she brought may not be good enough for such rich hosts, she takes it back from the table on which all the gifts are kept. The host’s wife (Indrani Mukherjee) thinks that she is stealing one of the gifts. The humiliation she faces feels very unjust to her and what could have been a typical situation with a party song is lifted to a memorable cinema moment by Aruna Irani. This is probably the only party song that Aruna Irani would have done where she didn’t need to dance and she herself was the focus of the song for her expressions. This song underlines the fact that she wasn’t given her due in films and that she was a very able actress.

3. Ae phasa Bobby (1973)

Aruna Irani plays the role of Neema, who turns into a friend and guide for Raju in the film Bobby. The song is placed at the climax of the film, a classic rich boy-poor girl tale, where on realising that Raju (Rishi Kapoor) is being forced to leave Bobby (Dimple Kapadia) and marry a girl who isn’t his choice, Neema hints to Raju that maybe the only way out of this desperate situation is to elope with Bobby. Aruna Irani also appears in another song in this film ‘Main shayar toh nahin’. 

Trivia : Bobby was a trend setting films and was a major box office success as it got the second highest collection of all 70s Hindi films (No prizes for guessing that Sholay was the highest earner in that decade!). Also, the film was remade in Persian as Parvaz dar Ghafas in 1980.

4. Sapna mera toot gaya    Khel Khel Mein (1973)

When one has shared one’s dreams with someone and that person is gone, those dreams feel hollow and one feels shattered. Aruna Irani nails these emotions as she reminisces about Rakesh Roshan in this song. The song switches between memories in the antaras and back to reality with the mukhda. The slight pause before the mukhda as one is jerked back to the present works to emphasise the despair of broken dreams and the utter emptiness that takes their place. Aruna Irani’s eyes speak volumes in these pauses as she does full justice to the total starkness and despair in this song. 

Trivia: Aruna Irani holds the record for the most nominations in the category of Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. 

5. Panditji mere marne ke baad Roti Kapda aur Makaan (1974)

Composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal, this song is a gem in an album where every song is a treasure. This song has slipped past many people’s notice, and I was very keen to include it in this list because of that.  A classic diversion song where Aruna Irani diverts the attention of Manmohan to help Manoj Kumar flee. The lyrics are unusual with the intro lines leading up to the mukhda to make it a very catchy beginning. Lata Mangeshkar sings this Verma Mallik song with the right mystery and pathos as the song leads up to the character Poonam played by Aruna Irani dying at the end of the song while helping Manoj Kumar escape.

5. Rang le aayenge Bhanwar (1976)

A song full of passive aggressive asides by Randhir Kapoor, ably aided by Aruna Irani towards a hapless Parveen Babi who cannot say the truth and has to bear the onslaught of their accusations. A classic party scene where the hero has a lot of angst against the heroine, and she has no option but to listen amidst a room full of curious party goers. This is a brilliant creation by R D Burman, written by Anand Bakshi and sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosale, with underlined pathos by the heart wrenching sarangee. Although the song’s focus is on Randhir Kapoor and Parveen Babi, Aruna Irani steals the show with the sharp sarcasm in her expressions and the inner intention to create a rift between the couple. 

Trivia: I have come across some articles that claim that Aruna Irani and actress Bindu are first cousins. However, there has been no way of confirming this, so I leave it to my readers to comment below if they know this as true!

Note: A helpful reader has since confirmed that Aruna Irani and Bindu are indeed cousins with this link from The Kapil Sharma Show. 

7. One two cha cha cha Shalimar (1978)

This is a very catchy song that helps to starts off a very unusual film on a brilliant pace. Written by Anand Bakshi and music by R. D. Burman, this song is sung by Usha Uthup. Aruna Irani has a guest appearance in this film for this song. She plays the role of a dance teacher, and the song is filmed in a dance school where she is shown teaching the steps for the Cuban dance form Cha Cha Cha. This is one of her briefest appearances on screen in a film, but she makes an indelible mark on the minds of the audience. Shalimar, for many of us, is Aruna Irani’s One two cha cha cha. 

It was very difficult to narrow down my favourite Aruna Irani songs to a mere seven. I have had to leave out many of my favourites like Kya gazab karte ho ji (Love story), Sham-e-furqat ka dhal gaya saya re (Sanyasi) Humein tumse pyar kitna (Kudrat) because they were not from the 70s, except for Sanyasi! Do comment below with your favourite Aruna Irani songs, no matter which decade you select them from! 

LIFE LESSONS WITH MANNA DEY

Whenever a voice was needed to show sincerity, pathos, emotions and intensity, Prabodh Chandra Dey, who we all know as Manna Dey, was the one most music directors would turn to. Having to leave a career as wrestler because of weak eyesight, Manna Dey became the wrestling world’s loss and the musical world’s tremendous gain. A career that began in pre-independence India and spanned the years to the start of the 21^st century, Manna Dey is a precious jewel of Hindi film music.

Although Manna Dey is mostly referred to for his brilliant classical songs, here is a look at his songs which teach us about life. Here we go with Life lessons with Manna Dey.

 

1.    Nirbal se ladaai balwan ki                Toofan aur diya    1956

Fighting for survival against all odds can be exhausting, particularly if one has to do it without hope. This song relates an arduous struggle of a young boy against the most harrowing circumstances, and yet manages to be one of the most redeeming examples of hope. It uses the metaphor of an earthen clay lamp struggling to stay alight in the face of a relentless storm. I remember writing down these lines as a child and thinking that these could well fit into a treasured book of poetry. Sung by Manna Dey and chorus, and composed by Vasant Desai, this song defines everything that is special about Bharat Vyas, an exceptionally talented poet. To read more about Kavi Bharat Vyas on this blog, click HERE . 

Kahin door thaa toofan

Diye se thaa balavaan

Saare jag ko masalane machal rahaa

Jhaad ho yaa pahaad, de vo pal me ukhaad

Soch-soch ke zameen pe thaa uchhal rahaa

Ek nanhaa-saa diyaa, usane hamalaa kiyaa …

Ab dekho leelaa vidhi ke vidhaan ki

Ye kahaani hai diye ki aur toofan ki

 

2.    Kasme wade pyar wafa                     Upkaar          1967

A cynical look at life which expresses a lot of hard-hitting life truths. Composed by Kalyanji Anandji and written by Indeevar, Manna Dey infuses the deepest of emotions into this song, a song which is believed to have reduced Lata Mangeshkar to tears the first time she heard it.

Sukh mein tere saath chalenge
Dukh mein sab mukh modenge
Duniyaa wale tere bankar
Tera hi dil todenge
Dete hain bhagwaan ko dhokha
Insaan ko kyaa chhodenge

 

 

3.    Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo               Mera Naam Joker 1970

Some of the most painful life truths are woven into this song from Mera Naam Joker by Kavi Neeraj. Manna Dey’s voice gives this song the sincerity it needs to drive the truth home even stronger. The occasional alt voice for Raj Kapoor, Manna Dey songs in RK films are usually the strong light of learning and life lessons. Dil ka haal sune dilwala from Shree 420 is another song that comes to mind. Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo is seemingly sung for a circus artiste who bumps into Raj Kapoor at the start of the song. The song uses that metaphor all through to tell us to tread carefully in life as it is a precarious place which can be cruel and unsympathetic to people who are struggling. There is a pause after the first two lines when the same circus artiste shoots out of a cannon onto the trapeze net and the line ‘Tu jahan aaya hai’ continues the song. This song is one of Manna Dey’s most wonderful renditions.

Girne se darta hai kyon
Marne se darta hai kyon
Thokar tu jab na khayega
Paas kisi gham ko na jab tak bulayega
Zindagi hai cheez kya nahin jaan paayegaa
Rotaa huaa aaya hai
Rotaa chalaa jaaegaa
Aye bhai ….

 

4.    Phir kahin koi phool khila     Anubhav       1971

Sometimes we come across songs that do not have a clear-cut single meaning, they are open to interpretation. Phir kahin koi phool khila is among those songs which have many layers. Every time I hear it, depending on where I am in life, it offers me answers. The picturisation of this song is my favourite among all Sanjeev Kumar songs as this goes closest to what one would imagine him to be like in real life. In fact, the entire film shows Sanjeev Kumar as someone we would know in real life. The song shows slice of life shots on a day where Sanjeev has stayed home from work because of a mild fever. The day-to-day routine in a household when the husband is home and the wife’s housework has a certain happy spark of his unexpected company at home. Tanuja chopping vegetables in the room, Sanjeev removing specs and falling asleep, a certain closeness and indulgence of an unexpected break from routine… all of these are beautifully shown on screen by Basu Bhattacharya. Composed by Kanu Roy and written by Kapil Kumar, Manna Dey renders this song in a very calming and introspective manner.  

Mann kaa samundar pyasa hua
Kyun kisi se mange duva
Leharon kaa laga jo mela
Toofaan naa kaho usko
Phir kahi koi phool khila
Chaahat naa kaho usko
Phir kahi….

 

 

5.    Dekhiye to kya ajeeb haal hai                     Kal Aaj Aur Kal        1971

To my great surprise, I have seen that this song is relatively unknown to many Manna Dey fans. That’s grave injustice. This song is an ignored masterpiece and deserves to be right in front whenever any discussion on Manna Dey songs comes up. Filmed in the background on Raj Kapoor, this is one of the only two songs on Raj Kapoor in the film, the other song being Tik tik tik tik which is sung by Mukesh.

Dekhiye to kya ajeeb haal hai
sochiye to kya ajeeb baat hai
ek paav chal raha alag alag dusra kisi ke sath sath hai

Neeraj uses interesting analogies to describe Raj Kapoor’s state of mind as he is torn between his father and his son, as he tries to keep peace between them. Such an unusual pace for the tune. Perfectly reflects the turmoil in RK's mind as he is exhausted balancing the demands of his father and his son. Sometimes, life brings up situations where we realise that trying to agree with everyone just to keep peace does not bring the desired results and we end up being the target of their anger instead.

ek hawa chali ke khil utha chaman
ek hawa chali ke sab ujad gaya
ek kadam uthake raah mil gayi
ek kadam uthake path bichad gaya…

Shankar Jaikishan wielded the musical baton for the last time for RK banner in this film. A swan song for what turned out to be the end of a long partnership, with the sad demise of Jaikishan.

 

6.    Zindagi kaisi hai paheli                      Anand           1971

The starting notes of the song as Rajesh Khanna releases the balloons and watches them as they rise in the air creates an iconic moment in cinema. Written by Yogesh and composed by Salil Choudhary, the magic of Manna Dey’s voice further transcends this song to sheer magic. The balloons sway upwards into near oblivion and the camera shifts to Rajesh Khanna whose eyes express wonder, curiosity, sadness and awe at the thought of his impending end and what lies beyond. We do not know why a person leaves this world abruptly nor do we know where he goes after that. Deep questions treated with a classic light sensitive touch by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

Jinhone sajaaye yahaan mele
sukh-dukh sang-sang jhele
wahi chunkar khaamoshi
yoon chale jaaye akele kahaan…

 

7.    Tum besahara ho to               Anurodh        1977

This song has two versions, labelled happy and sad in the album but I find both of them equally inspiring. Ashok Kumar sings this to school children as an anthem. The sad version begins with Vinod Mehra thinking of ending his life and halting as he hears the beginning refrain of this song. He turns out to be the poet of these lyrics and his own creation pulls him back from the brink of giving up on life.

Jeevan toh ek jaisa hotaa hai

Koi hasta koi rotaa hai

Sabr se jeena aasan hotaa hai

Fikr se jeena mushkil hotaa hai.

 

Simple truth of life stated in a very clear manner.

 

Having limited myself to listing only seven songs, I have not managed to include my favourite Raat gayee phir din aata hai from Boot Polish (You can read about it on my blog post Musical Journey with Boot Polish )

Hope you enjoyed reading about life lessons with Manna Dey. Do comment with any additions that you can think of to this list!

Seven sparkling songs of Rati Agnihotri

 

Two posters adorned the walls of my room in my schooldays. One was of Kumar Gaurav and the other was of Rati Agnihotri. They remain my ‘popstars’ of my teens. 

Seeing Rati Agnihotri films now has made me realise that her films always had great songs, most of them by Laxmikant Pyarelal and R D Burman. She was one of the few actresses of her time to have music director Ravi compose music for one of her films (Tawaif).  Here’s following her journey with some of her best melodies.

 1. Solah baras ki baali umar                        Ek Dujjhe ke liye               1981

Ek Dujjhe Ke Liye was directed by K. Balachander. It was a remake of his Tamil film Maro Charitra. Rati’s first Hindi film and definitely among her best. This film was a super hit in its time and has made a place in Indian films history as one of the lasting love stories. Vasu-Sapna became legendary at that time and rewatching this film tells us why. The magic is intact in this film with the chemistry between Kamal Hassan and Rati, no matter how many times we watch it. It was tough to choose just one song from this film as Rati Agnihotri shines brilliantly in all of them. Based on Raag Ahir Bhairav, Solah baras ki touches very poignant chords as Sapna visits various places to relive moments that she spent there with Vasu.  Written by Anand Bakshi and music composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal, this song is rendered beautifully by Lata Mangeshkar.

Trivia: The tune of Solah baras ki can be spotted in the background score composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal for Raj Kapoor’s film Bobby during the scene where Bobby ( Dimple Kapadia) leaves for Kashmir.

2. Chalo haseen geet ek banayein                        Shaukeen     1982

Rati plays the role of Anita as a singer at a local club in Goa. This film was a huge hit and was the among the highest grossing movies of 1982. The music of this film was by R D Burman and the song Chalo haseen geet is sung by Ashok Kumar and Chirashree Bhattacharya and written by Yogesh. A fresh and breezy song which is timeless and can get our feet tapping every time we hear it.

Trivia: Shaukeen is based on Samaresh Basu’s novel. Gulzar’s Kitaab and Namkeen are also based on this author’s novels.

 3. Aisa to socha na tha         Pasand apni apni               1983

Pasand Apni Apni was a Basu Chatterjee film and the song Aisa toh socha na tha is filmed in the classic Basu Chatterjee style. Local train of Bombay, heroine in a simple cotton saree with situations and emotions that the common man can relate to. It is interesting to note how Rati Agnihotri readily took on a deglamourised role in this film. She plays the role of a struggling actress whose life path crosses with a millionaire (Mithun Chakraborty) and events unfold in a light yet engrossing tale. Aisa toh socha na tha is sung by Asha Bhosale with music composed by Bappi Lahiri and lyrics by Yogesh.

      4. Boom Boom            Star                            1983

Right after the Nazia Hassan wave in India with Qurbani, Nazia Hassan and her brother Zoheb Hassan made a couple of private albums with Biddu, following which Biddu produced Kumar Gaurav -Rati Agnihotri film Star. Rati Agnihotri was the only screen persona to get the playback of Nazia Hassan on screen besides Zeenat Aman. Star had a very successful soundtrack and Boom Boom remains mint fresh every time we see it. She played the role of Maya who works at a nightclub.

As my opening paragraph will tell you, knowing that Rati Agnihotri and Kumar Gaurav were coming together in a film had made my schoolfriends and me nearly delirious with expectations. It was a bit of a setback to see that they were not paired together in the actual sense ( I will avoid spoilers here in case someone sees the film now!) It was also a disappointment that the film didn’t click at the box office.

    5. Sajna sun sun          Rishta Kagaz Ka                  1983

The first thing you will realise when you see this song is that the whole situation looks very familiar.  Aarti, played by Rati Agnihotri, is trying to woo and distract Arun , played by Raj Babbar , from his work. It feels like this song was made as a tribute to Bindiya chamkegi from Do Raaste. The tribute is complete with Rati wearing an orange saree with a clear accolade and salute to Mumtaz in this song.  This is purely my conjecture and, despite searching on the net, I have managed to find no reference to this. However, I am totally convinced that this song was filmed keeping Bindiya chamkegi in mind. It just seems too much of a coincidence to have so many unintended similar points in a song (I have this same conjecture for another song in this list and you will come across that soon!)

    6. Mujhe tum yaad karna    Mashaal                    1984

The lyrics of this song caught my fancy the first time I heard them. All songs in hindi films that precede any parting between lovers talk of parting as an anguish of love and say things like ‘Bhoolne waale yaad na aa’ or ‘tum yaad na aaya karo’. This song instead asks to make sure they remember each other.  

Mujhe tum yaad karna aur

Mujhko yaad aana tum

Even the stanzas are out of the box with the boy telling the girl to meet people and stay busy and smiling, while she tells him to smile and be friendly with every approaching girl. Which is very different from the standard parting duet where the boy and girl concentrate on telling each other to keep on remembering them!

Sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar to the music composed by Hridaynath Mangeshkar, this song is written by Javed Akhtar. Rati Agnihotri plays the role of Geeta who is a press reporter and comes across Raja (Anil Kapoor) who decides to turn over a new leaf under the mentoring of the editor Vinod Kumar (Dilip kumar) who she works for.

     7. Bhool ho gayee jaane de   Zabardast 1985

The conjecture I mentioned for another song is for this one! This song also feels like a clear tribute to Shammi Kapoor- Asha Parekh song O mere Sona re from Teesri Manzil. Here, there is a distinct connection as both are Nasir Hussain films. The heroine wooing the hero, the female solo with lyrics laced in mischievous pleading, the broken handbag strap of the hero halfway through the song…well, this was elementary, my dear Watson! This is an Asha Bhosale solo composed by R D Burman and written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. O mere sona re also had the exact same creators. If you see both these songs one after the other, you will realise the joie de vivre is the same in both, a lot of which is a credit to the actors Rati Agnihotri and Rajeev Kapoor as Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh were a tough act to follow. People who just do remixes should observe these songs to understand what a real tribute is. The entire creation is new, there is a lot of hard work and the team brings together something that is a masterpiece even when seen after the original.

6. 

We see that Rati’s films have very little stereotyping if we follow her career graph. From a career-oriented journalist in Mashaal to a housewife in Rishta Kagaz ka to a tawaif in the film Tawaif, she took on a wide range of roles and made a mark even though the films in those days mostly centered on the hero. Hope you enjoyed following Rati Agnihotri’s musical journey in Bollywood. Comment with your favourite Rati Agnihotri song!

Melodies of Rajesh Khanna with Laxmikant Pyarelal

Rajesh Khanna films have always been synonymous with good music. While a lot has been written about the magical combo of Pancham with Rajesh Khanna, not enough is written about the fact that this superstar had nearly equal number of hits with Laxmikant Pyarelal. Starting with Do Raaste in 1969, this team continued giving melodious songs up to Nazrana in 1987. Rajesh Khanna and Laxmikant Pyarelal had 26 films together.

Interesting Trivia: The combination of Rajesh Khanna and Laxmikant Pyarelal had 21 songs featured in Binaca Geetmala.

Mere naseeb mein ae dost                     Do Raaste     1969

The first film in LP- Rajesh Khanna combination was Raj Khosla’s Do Raaste which became a super hit in 1969. Based on the raag Yaman Kalyan, Mere naseeb mein ae dost was the only song sung by Kishore Kumar for Rajesh Khanna in this film. Mohammed Rafi gave playback for the other two songs (Yeh reshmi zulfein and Chhup gaye saare nazare). A moving melody that gave the classic poor boy -rich girl scenario a deft emotional touch with lyrics written by Anand Bakshi .

Gareeb kaise mohabbat kare ameeron se
Bichhad gae hain kaee raanjhe apanee heeron se
Kisee ko apane muqaddar pe ikhtiyaar nahin…
Mere naseeb mein e dost tera pyaar nahin

Dilbar jaani chali hawa mastaani         Haathi Mere Saathi           1971

Apart from being one of the most melodious songs, Dilbar jaani is definitely among the most unusual duets on the Hindi film screen because of two reasons. Firstly, it is a romantic duet which is also a lullaby.  Secondly, it is sung not only in the presence of elephants and other animals, but the second stanza of it is sung to the animals! Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar light up this song with the mesmerising lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The start of the song with the whistle and the softening of Kishore’s voice for Saare soye tu kyon jaage saathi kya hai baat are just some of the magic moments in this song.

Interesting trivia: This was the first film written by Salim Javed.

Waada tera waada           Dushman      1972

This song would definitely get top rating by almost every Rajesh Khanna fan. It is said that the audience threw coins at the screen when this song appeared. Rajesh Khanna defied his hero image by taking on this role of Surjeet Singh, a truck driver who is almost an anti-hero in the beginning of the film and is accused of drunk driving and homicide. He went on to win the Filmfare award for best actor for this role.

Sachchaai chup nahin sakti banaawaT ke asulon se
ki kushboo aa nahin sakti kabhi kaagaz ke phoolon se!
Main intezaar karoon
yeh dil nisaar karoon
main tujhse pyaar karoon
O magar kaise aitbaar karoon?
jhootha hai tera waada…

 

Mere dil mein aaj kya hai           Daag              1973

Sung by Kishore Kumar and lyrics by Sahir, this song is sheer magic. Rajesh Khanna played the complex character of Sunil in the film Daag with a lot of finesse. The implausible script seems believable because of the earnestness that Rajesh Khanna gave to the role. Daag was filmed when Rajesh Khanna was at the peak of his popularity. The chartbuster score by Laxmikant Pyarelal contributed in equal measure to the thundering success of this film. Strangely, expecting a lukewarm response, Daag was released in a low-profile manner. Within six days of the release, the number of prints had to be tripled.

Interesting trivia: Daag was Yash Chopra’s first film as an independent producer.

Yeh jo public hai yeh sab jaanti hai     Roti    1974

Roti was a home production of Rajesh Khanna. It was actually the first film of Manmohan Desai which had music composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.  LP and Manmohan Desai went on to have a very long and fruitful association after this film. The songs of this film gained a lot of popularity and the phrase Yeh jo public hai remains relevant for every phase we live in. Sung by Kishore Kumar and worded by Anand Bakshi, the first line of this song has become a catch phrase for expressing the angst of the common man over the years. The song is filmed around the gorgeous locales of Kashmir. Rajesh Khanna discovers the hoarded grains in Jeevan’s store and the song pinpoints the effect that corruption has on the common man. Roti remains one of Manmohan Desai’s underrated films.

Interesting trivia: Jeetendra does a cameo appearance in this song!

Heere-moti tumne chhupaaye kuchh hum log na bole
Ab aataa-chaawal bhi chhupaa to bhookhon ne munh khole
Are bheekh na maange, are karz na maange,

Bheekh na maange karz na maange
Ye apnaa haq maangti hai
Public hai ye sab jaanti hai

Phool ahista phenko                     Prem Kahani           1975

Every time Mukesh sang for Rajesh Khanna, it made people sit up as they were used to hearing Kishore or Rafi as his playback. This Mukesh- Lata duet worded by Anand Bakshi ranks among the best of Rajesh Khanna-Mumtaz songs. There is so much crackling chemistry and palpable anguish between the two in this song. Our heart goes out to Shashi Kapoor who, for some reason, seems totally unaware of it despite the clear underlining by the lyrics! The song is filmed with all the three actors seated and camera is focused on their faces for the entire song. With understated expressions which speak volumes, the three actors have nailed this complicated story situation in the film. This song begins with a back-and-forth poetry recital by Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz which finally culminates into this song. These were the days when songs were not used to just fill up space, they had a lot to say and add to the story.

Kaha aapka ye dagaa hi sahi
Ke hum beqadar bewafa hi sahi
Bade shaukh se jaaiye chhod kar
Magar sehane gulshan se yun tod kar
Phool aahistaa phenko
Phool bade naazuk hote hain
Waise bhi to ye badd-kismat
Nok pe kaanton ki sote hain….

Aate jaate khubsoorat                  Anurodh       1977

This song is among the few that have been filmed in a radio station, where the main character is a singer. Sung by Kishore Kumar and worded by Anand Bakshi, the singer reminisces about meeting a girl in the middle of the night in a car garage. The situation that the song describes is uncannily similar to Kishore Kumar and Madhubala in Chalti ka naam gaadi (Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si). Anurodh was a very melodious album in 1977 as the 70s hurriedly added precious gems to our collection before the desolate 80s swept in. This film has many Kishore solos for Rajesh Khanna (Aap ke anurodh pe, Mere dil ne tadap ke, Jab dard nahin tha seene mein) each of which deserves a place in this list, ideally.

An interesting aspect of Laxmikant Pyarelal- Rajesh Khanna combination is that LP used Rafi as well as Kishore Kumar nearly on equal basis for his playback.

Limiting the list to seven, as always, has made me miss out on some beautiful songs from this team. It was tough to omit Mehboob ki mehndi, Aan milo sajana, Palkon ki chhaon mein… to name just a few! Do write in with your favourites in the comments below!

SEVEN SCINTILLATING SONGS OF SHABANA AZMI

 

When we talk of Shabana Azmi, we usually refer to her acting prowess which has, of course, been brilliant over the years. She has nailed every role she has acted in. However, here we are going to talk about her songs that have made a mark in our minds and remain etched forever with the roles she played, each song thus has a distinct identity because she has always immersed herself completely in the roles she has portrayed. Shabana Azmi began her career in 1974 with films like Ankur and Parinay. I start my list with Kadambari. The list follows a chronological order (as all my lists on this blog do)!

1.    Ambar ki ik paak suraahi    Kadambari  1975

 The song Ambar ki ik paak surahi from her film Kadambari is written by Amrita Pritam, the film is based on her novel as well. Chetna (her role in Kadambari) talks of the purity of her love for Amit (played by Vijay Arora) in the film. The lyrics compare what others may call sin to the chasteness of moonlight. Asha Bhosale sings this beautiful song, composed by Ustad Vilayat Khan, the eminent sitarist. This song is a precious gem with maestros like Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia playing the flute, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma playing the santoor (don’t miss the beautiful strains of the santoor at the beginning of this song), Shujat Singh with the composer himself playing the sitar and Bhupinder Singh with the guitar. This is a rare, rare song, to be savoured in peace.

2.    Pal bhar mein yeh kya ho gaya  Swami  1977

If I had to select one song that embodied the feeling of falling in love, it would be this. Swami was the first Basu Chatterjee film for which Rajesh Roshan held the baton of music director. (Read more on this here HERE  )

Amit Khanna penned this beautiful rain drenched solo of Lata Mangeshkar. The whirl of emotions of Saudamini (played by Shabana Azmi with such passion) as she blissfully gets drenched in the rain while welcoming the joy of being in love with Narendra (played by Vikram) makes this song magic on celluloid.

 

3.    Main toh kaare badarwa se haari    Devta   1978

A beautiful Lata solo composed by R D Burman and written by Gulzar, this again is a lesser-known song of Shabana Azmi and deserves much greater recognition. A very lilting tune. Shabana Ami costarred with Sanjeev Kumar in this film, although this song is picturised on Benjamin Gilani.

4.    O shaam aayi rangon mein    Jeena Yahan  1979

This is a lesser heard song and I absolutely had to place it in this list. This is one of the sweetest Lata Mangeshkar solos of the 70s composed by Salil Chowdhury and penned by Yogesh. Very few know about it as this film slipped by the radar for many of us.  Even though this song is lip synched by Kiran Vairale in the film, the focus is entirely on Shabana Azmi. An everyday song situation where Shabana Azmi is visiting her husband’s family and they have gone for boating as a day out, this song blends into the mood perfectly. Shabana Azmi plays these natural scenes with such normalcy that we forget we are watching a film; it becomes as if we are watching a scene from someone’s personal life.

5.    Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho    Arth   1982

If I had to select one Shabana Azmi song that is my favourite, it would be this one. I don’t think any actress in the world could have portrayed the emotions the way she has in this song. The vulnerability, extreme sadness, and helplessness of Pooja when she is handed her divorce papers on her birthday, and yet having to try and smile as her friend Raj wishes her a happy birthday are magical cinema moments on screen. Sung and composed by Jagjit Singh and written by her father Kaifi azmi, this song is definitely among the most touching songs of Shabana Azmi.

 

6.    Phir se aaiyo badraa bidesi     Namkeen    1982

Written by Gulzar, sung by Asha Bhosale and composed by R D Burman, Phir se aaiyo is filmed with a lot of nostalgia and pathos in the valleys of Himachal Pradesh. Mitthu, who is an intelligent girl, is held back in life by difficult circumstances of her family which are further deepened by her inability to talk. The notes of the song ring with haunting intensity and Shabana Azmi enhances the poignancy by her understated and brilliant portrayal of Mitthu.

Tere jaane ki rut main jaanti hoon ,

Mud ki aane ki reet hai ke nahin?

 

7.    Do naina aur ek kahaani    Masoom       1983

The dilemma that Indu faces after being confronted with the reality by her husband and the conflict in being unable to reach out to innocent Rahul as, every time she sees him, the anguish of her husband’s betrayal becomes fresh for her all over again. Shabana Azmi’s eyes speak volumes in this song. This is more than just the lullaby she sings to her two daughters; it is her exhausted mind that is wondering if things will ever be the same again. Sometimes sorrow knocks on the door and stays back as a more-or-less constant factor in life. The way we handle it is what decides the quality of the rest of our life. Gulzar and R D Burman once again, the song is sung by Aarti Mukherjee.

Hope you enjoyed being on this musical journey of Shabana Azmi songs. As I limit my listicles to seven, I am sure I have missed out mentioning many melodious songs here. Do write in with more of your favourite songs of this incredible actress!

 

Seven songs with poetic imagery of Bharat Vyas

 

Bharat Vyas began writing in 1943 and we know most of his famous lines from songs composed by Vasant Desai, Khemchand Prakash and S N Tripathi. He tried his hand in film direction in 1949 where he directed a film called Rangila Rajasthan. He reverted to writing lyrics after that. His greatest hits were in the 50s. He combined the world of Hindi film lyrics and literary poetry which blended together blissfully in his songs.  Although the beginning phase of his career had him writing in a mix of Hindi and Urdu, Bharat Vyas went on to write in chaste Hindi for his later songs in his career.

1.    Nirbal se ladaai balwan ki                Toofan aur diya    1956

Fighting for survival against all odds can be exhausting, particularly if one has to do it without hope. This song relates an arduous struggle of a young boy against the most harrowing circumstances and yet manages to be one of the most redeeming examples of hope. It uses the metaphor of an earthen clay lamp struggling to stay alight in the face of a relentless storm. I remember writing down these lines as a child and thinking that these could well fit into a treasured book of poetry. Sung by Manna Dey and chorus, and composed by Vasant Desai, this song defines everything that is special about this exceptionally talented poet.

Kahin door thaa toofan

Diye se thaa balavaan

Saare jag ko masalane machal rahaa

Jhaad ho yaa pahaad, de vo pal me ukhaad

Soch-soch ke zameen pe thaa uchhal rahaa

Ek nanhaa-saa diyaa, usane hamalaa kiyaa …

Ab dekho leelaa vidhi ke vidhaan ki

Ye kahaani hai diye ki aur toofan ki

 

 

2.    Ae maalik tere bande hum                           Do Aankhen barah haath  1957

The sublime feel of this song in this V Shantaram film has elevated it to a prayer over the years. Talking to a higher being and appealing to that power to help us become better versions of ourselves, there is perhaps no better boon that one could ask for from the almighty. Lata Mangeshkar has sung it in a way that has added to the divine feel of this prayer composed by Vasant Desai. An interesting trivia for this song: Bharat Vyas’ brother Brij Mohan Vyas has played an important character in this film. Another interesting trivia related to this film is that noted painter G. Kamble was hired by V Shantaram to paint the movie posters for this film. Kamble produced a 350-ft banner at Opera house theatre in Mumbai in 1957.

Bada kamzor hai aadmi
Ab bhi lakhon hain ismein kami
Par tu jo khada hai dayaalu bada

Teri kirpa se dharti thami
Diya tune hamein jab janam
Tu hi jhelega hum sab ke gham
Neki par chalein aur badi se talein
Taaki hanste huye nikle dam
Aye malik tere bande hum…

 

It was difficult to choose just one song from this film for this list. Umad ghumad kar aayi re ghata was a close contender as I love the choice of words used to depict gushing rain and thunder in an open field. The lyrics have the most beautiful use of literary devices like similes, metaphors and onomatopoeia ever used in a song. (Kare kare badarava ki jhanan jhanan jhan jhanjhari bajati aayi hai dekho bhaai barkha dulhaniya)

 

3.    Kavi Raja Kavita Ke Ab na kaan marodo              Song | Navrang(1959) 

 

Bharat Vyas was known for writing about social issues and life philosophy in simple words, in a way that would connect to the masses. Composed by C Ramchandra and sung by Bharat Vyas himself for this V Shantaram film, this song ranks among poetry of the highest order. A fact of life is that following one’s passion is fine, but one needs to finally earn money in life to remain alive. This point is put across in a hilarious and yet hard-hitting manner by the poet himself as he tells the character, who is also a poet, that he needs to make a living now. 

Kaviraja kavita ke mat ab kaan marodo
dhande ki kuchh baat karo kuchh paise jodo
sher shairi kaviraja na kaam aayegi
kavita ki pothi ko deemak khaa jaayegi
bhaav chad rahe anaaj ho raha mehngaa din din
bhookhe maroge raat kategi taare gin gin
is liye kehtaa hoon bhaiyyaa ye sab chhodo
dhande ki kuchh baat karo kuchh paise jodo…

 

4.    Aa laut ke aaja mere meet   Rani Roopmati  1959

Sung by Mukesh, and composed by S N Tripathi, this song is basically the first thing most people remember about this film. This song is picturised on Bharat Bhushan who had an excellent run in 1950s with most of his films having the most melodious music. This song has also been sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

Ek pal hai hasna ek pal hai rona kaisa hai jeevan ka khela
Ek pal hai milna ek pal bichhadna duniya hai do din ka mela
Ye ghadi na jaye beet

Tujhe mere geet bulaate hai

Aa laut ke aaja mere meet

 

5.    Saranga teri yaad mein         Saranga   1961

Sung by Mukesh and music composed by Sardar Malik, this song is one of the most popular romantic solos written by Bharat Vyas. As he is mostly remembered as the poet for serious issues, this song absolutely needed to be in this list to show his range. The pathos of a broken heart has been so effectively captured that hearing this song always adds a sombre note to one’s day. There is no bitterness in this song, it is just filled with sweet memories of his beloved and the days they spent together.

sang tumhare do ghadi, beet gaye jo pal
jal bhar ke mere nain me, aaj huye ojhal
sukh leke dukh de gayi do akhiya chanchal,
saaranga teri yaad mein nain huye bechain
madhur tumhare milan bina, din katate nahi rain,

saaranga teri yaad mein…

6.    Yeh kaun chitrakar hai                       Boond jo ban gayee moti  1967

Sometimes, one feels speechless while looking at the glory of a sunset or a deep valley enveloped in low lying clouds. The only words to describe the spiritual feeling at such moments of being surrounded by the beauty of nature can be found in the lyrics of this song. Sung by Mukesh and composed by Satish Bhatia, this song is a wonderful ode to the creator of this universe. This V Shantaram film explored the theme of education in a very thought-provoking manner.

The scene preceding this song has remained etched in my memory. SatyaPrakash, the schoolteacher, played by Jeetendra, opens a textbook to start reading this poem to a classroom full of students.  As he reads the first two lines, the pauses are filled with the creaking of the overhead fans. He realises this is the wrong way to introduce such a beautiful poem to the class.  He stops reading and decides to take the children to the beautiful outdoors to really know the essence of this poem.

Kudrat kee iss pavitrata ko tum nihar lo

Iss ke guno ko apne mann me tum utaar lo

Chamakalo aaj lalima, apne lalat kee

Kan kan se jhankatee tumhe chhabee virat kee

Apnee toh aankh ek hai uss kee hajar hai

Yeh kaun chitrakar hai.........

 

7.    Jyot se jyot jalaate chalo                 Sant Gyaneshwar   1981

This song played at number three in Binaca Geetmala and it is astonishing that this was the only song written by Bharat Vyas that got the Filmfare award nomination for him. This song has two versions, one by Mukesh and the other by Lata Mangeshkar. Composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal, this was among the last few films he wrote for as he passed away in 1982.

aashaa tooti mamtaa roothi chhoot gayaa hai kinaaraa
band karo mat dwaar dayaa kaa de do kuchh to sahaaraa
deep dayaa kaa jalaate chalo, prem ki gangaa bahaate chalo
prem ki gangaa bahaate chalo….

 

Hope you enjoyed this journey with Bharat Vyas’ songs! Do write in with your favourite Bharat Vyas song in the comments below, in case I have missed out mentioning any of your favourite songs from his treasure chest!