Beautiful Duet Series
I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 23 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.
Last time, I gave you Beautiful Duet #17 – Gum hai kisi ke pyar mein. So here, then, is the next one:
Song #18
Kajra mohabbat wala…
The Mastery of Omkar Prasad Nayyar
Some of the Hindi movies’ best duets and other songs were composed by him. His songs always ensured the success of movies such as Kashmir Ki Kali and Phir Wohi Dil Laaya Hoon and Phagun.
He made the kind of songs that were on everyone’s lips whether Ek pardesi mera dil le gaya or Aao huzoor tumako sitaron mein le chalun or Aayiye meharbaan baithiye jaan-e-jaan.
Of course he delved in Raaga based songs too and these too are among the best in Hindi movies. His favourite was Raag Peelu; eg, Jayiye aap kahan jayenge from Mere Sanam.
When it came to Comedy and Farce, he excelled there too.
This song, a duet between Asha Bhosle (Op Nayyar’s favourite singer) and Shamshad Begum (another favourite with OPN) is downright comical. Biswajeet and Babita are running away from the goons and there is, luckily for them, a nautanki going on. He become the female part of the duet and Babita as the male part. The name of the movie was Kismet; a Manmohan Desai movie before Desai laughed all the way to the bank by making movies on lost brothers: if it is two, it is Dharam Veer, if it is three it is Amar Akbar Antony.
Asha Bhosle sang for Babita and Shamshad Begum sang for Biswajeet.
SH Bihari’s lyrics are just too good.
My Own Poetry
Here is another comical poem:
Haay Yeh Hai Kaisi Majboori?
अब तो पाबंदी लग गई है छूने पे और मिलने पे,
पर तुम तो पहले भी रहती थी मुझसे ऐसे ही दूर।
करोना को क्यूं दें हम इल्ज़ाम ए मुहब्बत,
उस से पहले भी हम रहे हैं ऐसे ही मजबूर।
यही लॉकडाउन यही अकेलापन यही तन्हाई थी,
तुम वहां अपने आप में, मैं यहां अपने ही संग।
तुमने कहां कभी वह चिलमन गिराई थी?
कभी देखा ना था मुलाकात का कोई रंग।
हम तो मरने के लिए भी बैठे थे तैयार,
एक बार मिलने की हसरत गर हो जाती पूरी।
सांस फूल जाती, चड़ जाता तुम्हारा ही बुखार,
वेंटिलेटर पे हमें रख लेना हो जाता ज़रूरी।
चलो किस्मत वाले हैं वह जिनके हो तुम करीब,
हमसे तो रखती हो गजब का सोशल डिस्टेंस।
हम भी उन लोगों की तरह हैं गरीब,
खुशी का जिनकी ज़िन्दगी में नहीं कोई इंस्टेंस।
Please enjoy: Kajra mohabbat Wala…
कजरा मुहब्बत वाला
अँखियों में ऐसा डाला
कजरे ने ले ली मेरी जान
हाय रे मैं तेरे क़ुरबान
दुनिया है मेरे पीछे,
लेकिन मैं तेरे पीछे
अपना बना ले मेरी जान
हाय रे मैं तेरे क़ुरबान
कजरा मुहब्बत वाला
अँखियों में ऐसा डाला
कजरे ने ले ली मेरी जान
हाय रे मैं तेरे क़ुरबान
आई हो कहाँ से गोरी
आँखों में प्यार ले के
आई हो कहाँ से गोरी
आँखों में प्यार ले के
चढ़ती जवानी की ये
पहली बहार ले के
दिल्ली शहर का सारा
मीना बाज़ार ले के
दिल्ली शहर का सारा
मीना बाज़ार ले के
झुमका बरेली वाला,
कानों में ऐसा डाला
झुमके ने ले ली मेरी जान,
हाय रे मैं तेरे
दुनिया है मेरे पीछे,
लेकिन मैं तेरे पीछे
अपना बना ले मेरी जान
हाय रे मैं तेरे क़ुरबान
मोटर न बंगला माँगूँ,
झुमका न हार माँगूँ
मोटर न बंगला माँगूँ,
झुमका न हार माँगूँ
दिल को जलाने वाले,
दिल का क़रार माँगूँ
सैय्याँ बेदर्दी मेरे,
थोड़ा सा प्यार माँगूँ
सैय्याँ बेदर्दी मेरे,
थोड़ा सा प्यार माँगूँ
किस्मत बना दे मेरी,
दुनिया बसा दे मेरी
कर ले सगाई मेरी जान,
हाय रे मैं तेरे
कजरा मुहब्बत वाला
अँखियों में ऐसा डाला
कजरे ने ले ली मेरी जान
हाय रे मैं तेरे क़ुरबान
जब से है देखा तुझको,
हो गए गुलाम तेरे
जब से है देखा तुझको,
हो गए गुलाम तेरे
अपना बना ले गोरी,
आएंगे काम तेरे
अपना ये जीवन सारा
लिख देंगे नाम तेरे
अपना ये जीवन सारा
लिख देंगे नाम तेरे
कुर्ता ये जाली वाला,
उसपर मोतियन की माला
कुर्ते ने ले ली मेरी जान,
हाय रे मैं तेरे
I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #18.
Please await Beautiful Duet #19- O raat ke musaffir chanda.

So, lets take the case of Shahjehan who erected Taj Mahal for Mumtaz. In 1607 he was engaged to Anjuman Banu Begum who was later to become Mumtaz Mahal (Chosen one of the Palace). They were only 14 years old when they got engaged and waited five years to get married. So, during this wait Shahjehan married Khandari Begum and got his first daughter through her. Before Mumtaz died, Shajehan married another eight women. So, it was nowhere near single minded devotion depicted poetically.
The song is from the 1965 Kalidas movie Bheegi Raat (Imagine having the theme-word in the title itself), which was a remake of the Hollywood movie An Affair To Remember.
Majrooh was the reluctant lyricist (he never wanted to become one until Jigar Moradabadi coaxed him to). However, in his very first movie Shahenshah, in which AR Kardar and Naushad gave him a break, he came up with such memorable songs that the hero KL Saigal wanted one of these to be sung on his funeral (Jab dil hi toot gaya). No wonder that he became the first lyricist to be conferred with the highest award: Dadasaheb Phalke Award. He became a natural lyricist.
Here he is with RD Burman, the genius music director who gave us some memorable songs in various genre’s including Qawwali in Raag Kalawati in Hum Kisise Kam Nahin, serious songs in Aandhi, and pop songs that he mastered. This duet owes to him to come up with a tune that is still on everyone’s lips nearly five decades after the movie.
This was overwhelmingly voted as the Best Children’s Song in a poll in 2015. To imagine that the song occurred in the 1961 movie Gunga Jumna! Fifty four years later, it was still voted as the best! That says a lot about this song.

On one hand, Rajhath was all about Shams Lucknowi’s interesting story. On the other hand, in order to carry the story forward, Shankar Jaikishan composed some really memorable songs. The two songs that I mentioned are the best of the movie.
Here, Mukesh and Lata both have sung it well and have proved that they were great duet singers. Chand as a witness was a common theme for lovers and they confided in Chand whilst talking about their Love.


What is it about Shankar Jaikishan that doesn’t let a day go by when we don’t think of their remarkably beautiful music? The fact is that we can go on and on and still not do full justice to their mastery.


This movie, the 1961 movie Dharmaputra (based on the novel of the same name by Acharya Chatursen), was the debut movie of Shashi Kapoor as adult actor: he plays Dilip Rai. He sings this song to Indrani Mukherjee as Meena but is finally called upon to make peace with Mala Sinha as Husn Bano.
We all want newness and hence, after having enjoyed Lata – Rafi duets during our entire life, we want to sound novel by liking other singers. However, we know that some of the best duets in Hindi movies were sung by them. Somewhere, in the layers of our memory these are lying dormant until someone like me re-evokes them. I had given you, on 07 Sep, for example, their Teri duniya se door chale hoke majboor and most of you agreed that that was a classic.
Vijay Bhatt did it once for the 1952 movie Baiju Bawra whose songs are still fondly remembered. He did it again in this movie that had the Bharat Ratna Bismillah Khan playing the Shehnai all throughout in the movie. The 1962 movie Himalaya Ki God Mein and 1965 movie Hariyali Aur Raasta are some other popular movies of his.
Goonj Uthi Shehnai’s story revolved around Rajendra Kumar as Kishan having learnt Shehnai on his own until Ulhas as Raghunath Maharaj hones his talent by taking him as a disciple when he was a boy. Raghunath’s daughter Ramkali (played by Anita Guha) adores him and dreams of becoming his wife. However, Kishan is so deeply in love with his childhood friend Gopi (played by Ameeta) that Rami (Ramkali) soon takes up the role of Kishan’s mother/sister to facilitate their love. Postman IS Johar as Kanhaiya is the fly in their ointment and gradually succeeds in separating the couple. In the end they die and only their souls meet.
This duo of Lyricist – Music Director have given us some memorable songs; eg, Aye malik tere bande hum in V Shantaram’s classic Do Aankhen Barha Haath. Certainly, some of those cherished songs are in this movie:
The melodious resolve by the lovers to live, love and die together has been brought out beautifully in the lyrics of Bharat Vyas and extraordinarily beautiful composition by Vasant Desai.

If Shailendra did magic in the Awaara song that I had put up on 16th: Dam bhar jo udhar moonh phere, Hasrat Jaipuri wrote this stunningly beautiful song for Chori Chori. Here is the natural succession: Raat leads to Chand, Chand leads to Love and Longing and Love and Longing lead to Hasrat Jaipuri.
The other day when I was attending a programme by Shankar Jaikishan Foundation, Ahmedabad, a dear friend remarked that my comments were about the singing prowess of the two female singers and nothing about Shankar Jaikishan. I was shocked. I promptly wrote: Sab kuchh unhin ka to hai!
They sang for Nargis and Raj Kapoor respectively and became part of the enchantment; the tune is easy and catchy and doesn’t require changing scales or pitches as you would find in, for example, Aji rooth kar ab kahan jayiyega.