Category: Music and Cinema

Raat or Din Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

This is the Song #11 in the series. I hope you liked Song #10 – Haay re woh din kyun na aaye.

Song #11
Listen to the pouring rain…
Theme-word: Let it rain all night long; Let my love for you go strong. As long as we’re together, Who cares about the weather?

The Joy of Listening

Here is what Wordsworth had to write about it in ‘Three Years She Grew By’:

The stars of midnight shall be dear,
To her; and she shall lean her ear,
In many a secret place;
Where rivulets dance their wayward round,
And beauty born of murmuring sound,
Shall pass into her face.

It is really unfathomable. How much is it? We don’t know. However, one thing is certain: for those who discover it, the joy of listening is far more than that of talking.

Why ‘Listen to the pouring rain?

I knew that the song is by Jose Feliciano. I used to listen to it with great interest. Soon, it became almost similar to the devotion I had for Lyn and my song (by Bread) ‘Baby I’m a want you’.

However, much later than originally listening to the song I discovered why Jose Feliciano urged us to Listen and not See the pouring rain. He was born blind and is blind!

He was born on 10th Sep (yesterday) but in the year 1945 in Lares (Puerto Rico). By the age of three years he had picked up more than average interest in music. By the age of nine years he made his first public appearance.

“Feliciano’s knack for music became apparent when at 7, he taught himself to play the accordion. About two years later, when he was 9 years old, his father gave him his first guitar. He would play his guitar by himself in his room for up to 14 hours a day, and would learn by listening to 1950s rock and roll.”

Most of you would have heard his best-selling Christmas song: Feliz Navidad played around the world endlessly during the Holidays.

In the year 2011 he was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Eleven years before that he was inducted in International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

The Song – The Lyrics

Jose Feliciano wrote the lyrics. In 2013 he was inducted into Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame:

Listen to the pouring rain
Listen to it pour
And with every drop of rain
You know I love you more
Let it rain all night long
Let my love for you go strong
As long as we’re together
Who cares about the weather?
Listen to the falling rain
Listen to it fall
And with every drop of rain
I can hear you call
Call my name right out loud
I can here above the clouds
And I’m here among the puddles
You and I together huddle
Listen to the falling rain
Listen to it fall
It’s raining
It’s pouring
The old man is snoring
Went to bed
And bumped his head
He couldn’t get up in the morning
Listen to the falling rain
Listen to the rain

My Own Poetry

If Jose Feliciano displayed very high imagination in his Listen to the pouring rain, I want you to gauge the imagination in my:

Journey Of A Raindrop

It arose from the sea,
As vapour,
Still not fully formed as a drop.
There was unbound excitement
At being born, created
A separate entity
Proud to be by itself
Rather than mixed in the salt of the sea.
As it took shape,
Amongst millions others,
It was conscious,
As do all of us
That it would be carried
By forces beyond its control
To far places and people
To lose its identity again when it’d fall.

“Where would fate take me?”
It mused as winds carried it landwards,
“Will I fall on a tree and hang
On to the leaves for dear life?”
“Or will I fall in a pot hole on the road
To be cursed by drivers and walkers alike?”
“Or worse, on a heap of rubbish,
Carrying stench in the air?”

“If I am lucky,
I may fall on the Ganesha idol
In a procession
But then, I shall be quickly
Back into where I was born and arose:
The vastness of the sea.
My friends and I may also fall in the milkman’s pot
And he’d rejoice for increased sale.”
“I have no choice
But, I don’t want to be part of a gutter.

God, I am small and feeble,
Be kind to me,
Let me be valued,
By myself and not
As part of the gang
Together called ‘rain’.”

The cloud that carried him,
Deposited him
On the cheek of a small child,
Naked and hungry,
On a street in Mumbai;
Where it mingled with a single tear
That shot from her eye
On the death of her mother in a bomb attack.
“God”, it said,
Let a hundred drops fall
To wash the sin of
What man has done to man.
But, they should never
Forget that single tear from her eye.
I don’t want to be born again
And again, and again, and again.”

Please enjoy: Listen to the pouring rain..

I hope you liked my choice of Song #11 in Raat or Din series.

Please await Song #12 – Ye nayan dare dare.

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.

On 03 Feb 2021, I gave you Beautiful Duet #10 – Hum tum ek kamre mein band. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #11
Teri duniya se door, chale hoke majboor, hamen yaad rakhna

My Dedication to Manik Lakhkar Chava Behna

To start with, ladies and gentlemen, please pray for her to get better. She has a chest congestion and homeopathy hasn’t helped much. As I write, she is now with an allopathic doctor.

Today is her turn to post both the songs but she is unwell.

My sisters mean the world to me. There was an occasion when I wrote something sarcastic about one of her posts. She rang me up and asked a direct question, “Bhaiya, are you my bhaiya or not?” And that’s the time it occurred to me that it can’t be mere words.

And don’t get carried away about my being “Ladaku” with Surekha Saini. None of you understand her more than me. She has gone through very bad times concerning her immediate family; eg, she lost her sister Rekha. With such bad luck, won’t she want to spend as much time as possible with her family? There will never be time when I start loving her any less.

This Song

I have taken this song from the 1961 movie Zabak that was produced and directed by Homi Wadia. Mahipal (of the Parasmani song with Geetanjali: Woh jab yaad aaye bahut yaad aaye) and Shyama were the lead cast.

The song was penned by Prem Dhawan (Shaheed songs, for example) and composed by Chitragupt.

Today, I gave you a super Yaad song at the demise of S Mohinder; an all time favourite Raja Mehdi Ali Khan song: Phir teri yaad naye geet sunane aayi. As I mentioned, I opted for it at the expense of Guzra hua zamaana.

This song would then tell you that two of the best Yaad songs in Hindi movies were picturised on Mahipal: Woh jab yaad aaye and Hamewn yaad rakhna.

In this song, as in Parasmani song, Mohammad Rafi sang for Mahipal and Lata Mangeshkar sang for Shyama.

Why and When This Song?

“Hajji (Mahipal) is a carefree young man in love with the princess Zainab (Shyama). His father is a middle class man who runs a Hamam (Bath house). He is not happy with his son’s relationship with the princess because of their social inequality. The minister Qasim Beg has Hajji and his father arrested. The father’s hair is shaven off as punishment while Hajji is whipped. The father, out of shame for his situation, commits suicide. Hajji is thrown out of the city gates (this is where the song occurs), where he saves Saudagar (merchant) Usman Shah’s daughter from being kidnapped. Usman Shah (B. M. Vyas), though posing as a merchant, turns out to be a dacoit. Hajji, now Zabak joins the dacoits, albeit unwillingly. When Usman plans to attack and loot Zabak’s home town Isbahan, he goes along as he finds out that Qasim Beg will marry Zainab. During the dacoity, Zainab is abducted by one of Usman’s men. Qasim, who was in a fight with Zabak and left for dead, kills the Sultan and takes his place. Zabak goes through being misunderstood by his beloved and his mother, but with help from his friends he succeeds in righting all the wrongs committed by Qasim and marries the princess.”

My Own Poetry

KAUN SAMAJHA HAI ISE?

ज़िन्दगी में कोई न कोई बात रह जाती है,
दिन गुज़र जाता है तो रात रह जाती है ।

इश्क़ की गर्म ओ गर्मियां चार दिन की हैं,
फिर तो सिर्फ यादों की बरसात रह जाती है ।

तेरी हँसी के फवारे थे मुखतसर लम्हों के लिए,
उसके बाद ग़मों की बारात रह जाती है ।

हम ही हैं जो खुद को जहाँन समझते हैं,
हमारे चले जाने पे भी कायनात रह जाती है।

सारी जिंदगी छोटी नज़र आती है इसके मुक़ाबले,
जब ज़ेहन में छोटी सी मुलाक़ात रह जाती है।

बचपन और जवानी में कितनी हसीन लगती थी,
बुढापे में नाश – ए – हैय्यात रह जाती है।

एक एक पल हमने संवारा था खून ओ पसीने से,
आखिर में तो मजबूरी – ए – हालात रह जाती है।

कोई नहीं समझ पाया ज़िन्दगी के मायने, रवि,
गुज़र जाने पे भी तख्ती – ए – सवालात रह जाती है।

Please enjoy: Teri duniya se door, chale hoke majboor, hamen yaad rakhna…,

तेरी दुनिया से दूर, चले होके मजबूर, हमें याद रखना
जाओ कहीं भी सनम, तुम्हें इतनी क़सम, हमें याद रखना

१) आएंगी बहारें तो तेरे ही फ़साने सुनाएंगी हमें
होगी तन्हाई तो आके तेरी यादें रुलाएंगी हमें
रुलाएंगी हमें, तड़पाएंगी हमें
कभी देखी थी बहार, कभी हम से था प्यार
हमें याद रखना,
जाओ …

२) लेजा जानेवाले दुआएं मेरे दिल की किसी से क्या गिला
तेरी ही खता है ना मेरी ही खता है जो होना था हुआ
जो होना था हुआ, है किसी से क्या गिला
देखो रोए मेरा प्यार, कहे दिल की पुकार हमें याद रखना,
तेरी …

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #11.

Please await Beautiful Duet #12- Aapne yaad dilaya to mujhe.

Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

I hope you liked my choice for Song #9 – Aapke pehlu mein aake in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #10.

Song #10
Dil ye bechain ve, Taal se taal mila
Theme-word: Jindari behaal hai, Sur hai na taal hai

Happy Birthday Aishwarya Rai

She was born on this day in 1973. She was crowned Miss World 1994 in a pageant that crowned Sushmita Sen as Miss Universe.

She started acting first in Tamil movies; her debut was in 1997 movie Iruvar. She was moderately successful and she won two Filmfare Awards: for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (in 1999) and Devdas (in 2002).

She married Abhishek Bachchan in 2007.

Taal – 1999 Movie

It was produced and directed by Subhash Ghai and starred , in addition to her, Anil Kapoor, Akshay Khnaa, Amrish Puri and Alok Nath.

Alok Nath as Tara Babu was a spiritual singer and Aishwarya Rai was his daughter Mansi in Chamba (Himachal Pradsesh). That’s where Manav (Akshay Khanna) son of a wealthy father Jagmohan Mehta (Amrish Puri) arrived at and fell in love with Mansi.

Mansi gives Manav a shawl embroidered with combining their names as Manavsi since Jagmohan is against the match. Somehow, the whole thing falls apart and then Mansi meets Vikrant Kapoor (Anil Kapoor) and he falls in love with her. Meantime, Manav and Mansi patch up and on the day of Vikrant’s marriage to Mansi, Vikrant realises she still loves Manav and sacrifices his love for their happiness.

Anand Bakshi, AR Rahman, Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik

Anand Bakshi had been a very versatile Lyricist. He wrote for Laxmikant Pyarelal in 302 movies. However, he reinvented himself here for AR Rahman who quickly became the most awarded and most talented music director ever (including two Oscars).

Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan also emerged as very accomplished playback singers and covered themselves in glory in many a song.

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy, on the birthday of Aishwarya Rai one of the best songs picturised on her: Dil ye bechain ve, Taal se taal mila…

दिल ये बेचैन वे, रस्ते पे नैन वे
दिल ये बेचैन वे, रस्ते पे नैन वे
जिन्दरी बेहाल है, सुर है न ताल है
आजा साँवरिया, आ, आ, आ
ताल से ताल मिला, हो ताल से ताल मिला

सावन ने आज तो मुझ को भिगो दिया
हाय मेरी लाज ने, मुझ को डुबो दिया
सावन ने आज तो मुझ को भिगो दिया
हाय मेरी लाज ने, मुझ को डुबो दिया
ऐसी लगी चढ़ी सोचूँ मैं ये खड़ी
कुछ मैं ने खो दिया, क्या मैं ने खो दिया
चुप क्यों है बोल तू, संग मेरे डोल तू
मेरी चाल से चाल मिला, ताल से ताल मिला
ओ, ताल से ताल मिला ...

माना अंजान है तू मेरे वास्ते
माना अंजान हूँ मैं तेरे वास्ते
माना अंजान है तू मेरे वास्ते
माना अंजान हूँ मैं तेरे वास्ते
मैं तुझ को जान लूँ, तू मुझ को जान ले
आ दिल के पास आ, इस दिल के रास्ते
जो तेरा हाल है, वो मेरा हाल है
इस हाल से हाल मिला, ओ ताल से ताल मिला
ओ, ताल से ताल मिला

दिल ये बेचैन वे, रस्ते पे नैन वे
जिन्दरी बेहाल है, सुर है न ताल है
आजा साँवरिया, आ, आ, आ
ताल से ताल मिला, हो ताल से ताल मिला -३

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #10 in the series.

Please await Song #11 –  Woh jab yaad aaye bahut yaad aaye. 

Raat or Din Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

This is the Song #10 in the series. I hope you liked Song #9 – Awaz de kahan hai.

Song #10
Haay re woh din kyun na aaye

Anuradha – 1960 Movie

Five years ago, I wrote an essay about the treatment of women in Bengal based movies: ‘Bengal Based Hindi Movies From Anuradha To Piku‘. Generally, people don’t have the time to read such posts (we are quite happy with sharing the url of the song with about ten words telling the movie it is from and the singer (such is not the purpose of this group at all; if you specialise in such posts, you are in the wrong group. We don’t want to merely add numbers to the group). However, those of you who take time out from sharing your YouTube urls in umpteen groups (so that people swoon at the good taste in songs you have) and actually go through the post, you’d gain.

Anuradha was the first of the movies that I analysed in the post. It was produced and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and starred Balraj Sahni as Dr Nirmal Chaudhary, the idealist doctor wanting to do something to improve the medical conditions of people in a village. He was unmindful of the interests of his wife Anuradha Roy played by Leela Naidu. She had to give up her passion of music and singing (she was a singer on All India Radio) to accompany him to the village.

Pandit Ravi Shankar – The Composer

The Sitar maestro (unquestionably, the best in the world) composed five songs for this movie; the first mainstream Hindi movie for which he was the Music Director. Each one is a classic (and suitable for the Raat or Din theme):

1. “Jaane Kaise Sapno Main” – Lata Mangeshkar
2. “Sanware Sanware Kahe Mose” – Lata Mangeshkar
3. “Kaise Din Beete, Kaise Beeti Ratiyan” – Lata Mangeshkar
4. “Bahut Din Huye” – Mahendra Kapoor
5. “Hai Re Woh Din Kyon Na Aaye” – Lata Mangeshkar

This was composed by him in Raag Janasamohini (a raag meant to entrance people, literally; and it does here). The lyricist was Shailendra who often went deep into the lyrics:

हाय रे वो दिना क्यों न आये
ज ज के ऋतु
ज ज के ऋतु लौट आये
हाय रे वो दिना क्यों न आये

झिलमिल वो तारे कहाँ गये वो सारे
मन बाती जले बुझ जाये
हये रे वो दिना क्यों न आये

सूनी मेरी बीना संगीत बिना
सपनों की माला मुरझाये
हाय रे वो दिना क्यों न आये

Lata Mangeshkar

It has become fashionable for people to bring out that such and such female singer is better than Lata. I maintain that she always delivered to the expectations of her music directors, however difficult a composition may have been. I maintain that she is the best. If a singer has stayed with you for over six decades, naturally you may have some song or the other that proves your point!

My Own Poetry

Koi Lauta De Woh Din

मुझे याद आते हैं बचपन के वो पल,
लगता न था कभी आएगी कल,
मासूमियत में कह देते थे दोस्तों को:
मैं आता हूँ तेरे पीछे, तूँ चल।

एक एक करके होने लगे वो विदा,
जो रात को भी न होते थे जुदा,
हमारी फुसफ़साहट भी वो सुन लेते थे,
अब नहीं पहुंचती उन तक मेरी सदा।

आती हैं वो सब शरारतें याद,
पेड़ से तोड़े आम का अलग था स्वाद,
क्या लुत्फ था उन हरकतों का,
हालांकि बहुत मार खाई उनके बाद।

क्या अजब खेल था लुकन छिपाई।
कब दिन शुरू हुआ और कब रात आयी,
सब सांझेदारी में बराबर के हकदार थे,
न कोई चीज़ अपनी, न कोई चीज़ परायी।

लगता न था वो प्यारे दिन गुज़र जाएंगे,
तिनके तिनके से बनाये घरोंदे बिखर जाएंगे,
ज़िन्दगी की ऊंचाईयां चढ़ने की ख्वाइश में,
जहां चढ़े बैैठे थे वहीं से उतर जााएंगे।

काश रोक लेते वो दिलकश समां,
हम सब संग संग थे उस जगह जहां,
ढूंढते फिरते हैं उस बीते ज़माने को,
कोई तो बता दो वो बचपन गया है कहां।

Please enjoy: Haay re woh din kyun na aaye…

I hope you liked my choice of Song #10 in Raat or Din series.

Please await Song #11 – Listen to the pouring rain.

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.

On 03 Feb 2021, I gave you Beautiful Duet #9 – Tujhe jeevan ki dore se. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #10
Hum tum ek kamre mein band hon

Remembering Rishi Kapoor on His First Birth Anniversary After His Death on 30th April This Year

The Year 1973 saw two significant events. The first one took place in the month of my birthday, June, that is. I joined the Indian Navy. This, changed my life forever.

The next was on 28th Sep when a movie on young love titled Bobby was released. It changed many things. It actually changed the way we looked at movies. For once, the lead actors really looked of college going age rather than what we had to make do with so far, eg, Rajendra Kumar being a college boy in Dhool Ka Phool in his thirties (the duet being Tere pyar ka aasra chahta hoon). Of course, Mala Sinha was seven years younger but she always had that quality of not looking like a girl.

It changed the lives of lead actors Rishi Kapoor (in his first lead role) and Dimple Kapadia in her debut role.

Anand Bakshi and Laxmikant Pyarelal

Bobby changed the way songs were made. Songs became all about youth, freshness and adolescent imagination like this one.

Both Anand Bakshi and Laxmikant Pyarelal pioneered this movement.

Indeed, another young love song that made waves was the Ek Duje Ke Liye song: Solah baras ki baali umr ko salaam.

Lets face it. They had it in them to think young.

For this movie, I had to choose from as many as three songs. The first one: Mujhe kuchh kehna hai (their first time to say I Love You), the second one: Na maangun sona chandi (declaration of vows) and then this that takes one’s imagination to a new height.

Nowadays, it is common for duets to be made like this. However, Anand Bakshi and Laxmikant Pyarelal were the path breakers.

The Movie – Bobby

Raj Kapoor was always ahead of his times. Some of his movies that failed commercially were later regarded as classics.

However, in this case, it also became one of the top twenty grossing movies of all times in India.

He named his son (both Raj Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor insisted that the movie wasn’t made to launch him but that he wanted to make a young-love movie and couldn’t afford Rajesh Khanna) by his own name: Raj Nath (Nath was taken from the name of his brother-in-law, Prem Nath! She (Dimple Kapadia) was named Bobby Braganza daughter of Prem Nath and Durga Khote as Mr & Mrs Braganza. Their Goan fishermen background suited Pyarelal immensely as he learnt his favourite instrument violin from a Goan musician Anthony Gonsalves (I have already spoken about it elsewhere).

The Duet – The Lyrics

Hats off to Anand Bakshi for having thought of these. Shailendra Singh sang for Rishi Kapoor and Lata Mangeshkar sang for Dimple Kapadia:

बाहर से कोई अन्दर न आ सके
अन्दर से कोई बाहर न जा सके
सोचो कभी ऐसा हो तो क्या हो
सोचो कभी ऐसा हो तो क्या हो

हम तुम, इक कमरे में बन्द हों
और चाभी खो जाये
तेरे नैनों के भूल भुलैय्या में
बॅबी खो जाये
हम तुम   ...

आगे हो घनघोर अन्धेरा
    - बाबा मुझे डर लगता है
पीछे कोई डाकू लुटेरा
    - उँ, क्यों डरा रहे हो
आगे हो घनघोर अन्धेरा
पीछे कोई डाकू लुटेरा
उपर भी जाना हो मुशकिल
नीचे भी आना हो मुशकिल
सोचो कभी ऐसा हो तो क्या हो
सोचो कभी ऐसा हो तो क्या हो
हम तुम कहीं को जा रहे हों
और रस्ता भूल जाये
तेरे बैंय्या के झूले में सिंय्य्या
बॅबी झूल जाये
हम तुम   ...

बस्ती से दूर, परबत के पीछे
मस्ती में चूर घने पेड़ों के नीचे
अन्देखी अन्जानी सी जगह हो
बस एक हम हो और दूजी हवा हो
सोचो कभी ऐसा हो तो क्या हो
सोचो कभी ऐसा हो तो क्या हो
हम तुम एक जंगल से गुज़रे
और शेर आ जाये
शेर से कहूँ तुमको चोड़ के
मुझे खा जाये
हम तुम   ...

ऐसे क्यों खोये हुए हो
जागे हो कि सोये हुए हो
क्या होगा कल किसको खबर है
थोड़ा सा मेरे दिल में ये डर है
सोचो कभी ऐसा हो तो क्या हो
सोचो कभी ऐसा हो तो क्या हो
हम तुम, यूँ ही हँस खेल रहे हों
और आँख भर आये
तेरे सर की क़सम तेरे ग़म से
बॅबी मर जाये
हम तुम   ...

I love the second stanza most as she wears yellow in that (my favourite colour). Please do note that he always is in jacket and muffler etc appropriate for the chilly weather in the hills and she is always skimpily dressed as the heat of the Love keeps her adequately warm!

Please enjoy: Hum tum ek kamre mein band hon aur chaabi kho jaaye…

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #10.

Please await Beautiful Duet #11- Teri duniya se door chale hoke majboor.

Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

I hope you liked my choice for Song #8 – Mujhe tumase kuchh bhi na chahiye in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #8.

Song #9
Aapke pehlu mein aake ro diye
Theme-word: Zindagi ne kar diya jab bhi udaas, Aa gaye ghabra ke hum manzil ke paas.

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and Madan Mohan

After Shakeel Badayuni, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan happens to be my second most favourite Lyricist. After Shakeel, my blog has the second largest posts on him. The other day when I put up a song penned by him and composed by Madan Mohan: Lag jaa gale ke phir, and it came out that just one You Tube video of the song was seen by 17 Crores people, I commented that a time would come when it would perhaps be easier counting people who don’t like this song.

He is the one who is credited with introducing the word ‘Aap’ in his songs; eg, in the mukhada of this song and Phir aapke naseeb mein ye raat ho no ho in Lag jaa gale song.

All his songs were beautifully worded even though he started at a relatively young age for a lyricist (he wasn’t yet 17 when he wrote Mera Sundar sapna beet gaya for Geeta Dutt to sing on SD Burman’s comosition. He died young at the age of just 37 years.

Madan Mohan was the maestro of music and created immortal songs penned by Raja, Rajinder Krishan and Kaifi Azmi.

In the same 1966 Raj Khosla movie Mera Saaya, a song he wrote in Raag Bhimpalasi was adored by the singer Lata Mahgeshkar as one of the best in raaga songs composed by her “Madan bhaiya”.

Raja and Madan Mohan created the following unforgettable songs for this movie:

1. Mera saaya sath hoga.
2. Jhumka gira re.
3. Naino mein badra chhaye.
4. Aapke pehlu mein aake.
5. Naino wali ne.

Raj Khosla and Mera Saaya

This was the third movie of Raj Khosla with his favourite heroine Sadhana, after Ek Mussafir Ek Haseena and Woh Kaun Thi? He topped it with another one: Anita in which, as with Woh Kaun Thi, Bozo acted opposite Sadhana.

Actually Woh Kaun Thi, Mera Saaya and Anita belong to the trilogy by Raj Khosla of movies that were based on Sadhana as the main protagonist.

In this too, Sunil Dutt is madly in love with his wife Sadhana and she dies in front of him and then there is another Sadhana who claims to be his wife!

Mohammad Rafi and Madan Mohan

Only in Jehan Ara and Dekh Kabira Roya, Madan Mohan took Talat and Manna Dey to sing the male songs. Otherwise, Rafi has never failed him and created memorable songs such as Main ye soch kar uske dar se utha tha, Teri aankhon ke siwa duniya mein rakha kya hai, Main nigahen tere chehre se uthayun kaise, Rang aur noor ki baraat kise pesh karun, Yeh duniya yeh mehfil mere kaam ki nahin, Kabhi na kabhi kahin na kahin koi na koi to aayega, Mujhe le chalo aaj us gali, Sawan ke mahine mein, and Do ghadi woh jo paas aa baithe.

This one happens to be one of the best of the pair.

My Own Poetry

Aapke Pyar Mein Hamen Kya Mila?

आपके प्यार से क्या कुछ है हमें मिला,
फिर भी हमारे लबों पे शिकवा ना कोई गिला।

हम सोचते रहे आपसे मिलेगी जन्नत-ए-मोहब्बत,
क्या पता था ग़मों का शुरू होगा सिलसिला।

परछाईयां, तन्हाईयां, रुसवाईयाँ यूँ बढ़ती गयीं,
ना जाने जाम-ए-उल्फत में तूने क्या दिया पिला।

चले थे साथ तेरे, खुशी का बनाने कारवां,
उदासियों ने यकायक शामिल किया यह काफिला।

रास्ते कई थे प्यार की मंज़िल पाने के लिए,
हर रास्ता इधर उधर से तुझसे ही जा कर मिला।

मांगते रहे खुदा से कई तरह की मन्नते,
मेहरबानी तेरीे क्या कुछ तूने दिया दिला।

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Aapke pehlu mein aake ro diye…

आपके पहलू में आकर रो दिए – 2
दास्तान ए गम सुनाकर रो दिए
आपके पहलू में आकर रो दिए

ज़िंदगी ने कर दिया जब भी उदास
आ गये घबरा के हम मंज़िल के पास
सर झुकाया, सर झुकाकर रो दिए
आपके पहलू में आकर रो दिए

शाम जब आँसू बहातिई आ गई – 2
हर तरफ गम किी उदासी छ्छा गई
डीिप यादों के जलाकर रो दिए
आपके पहलू में आकर रो दिए

गम जूदाइ का सहा जाता नहीं
आपके बिन अब रहा जाता नहीं
प्यार में क्या-क्या गँवाकर रो दिए
दास्तान ए गम सुनाकर रो दिए
आपके पहलू में आकर रो दिए

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #9 in the series.

Please await Song #10 –  Dil ye bechain ve. 

Raat or Din Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

This is the Song #9 in the series. I hope you liked Song #8 – Mujhe kuchh kehna hai.

Song #9
Awaaz de kahan hai

My Most Memorable Description of Raat

First of all let me tell you that I could have included this in today’s Beautiful Duets Series as well as Raat or Din Songs Series. However, in keeping with my policy of never posting one song where two would suffice, I put up this under the Raat or Din Songs Series.

My most memorable and enchanting description of Raat is in this iconic song.

This is by Tanvir Naqvi as lyricist pairing with Naushad Ali as composer one year before Naushad was to pair with Shakeel Badayuni:

आवाज़ दे कहाँ है
दुनिया मेरी जवां है
आबाद मेरे दिल में उम्मीद का जहां है
दुनिया मेरी जवां है…

आ रात जा रही है
यूँ जैसे चांदनी की
बारात जा रही है
चलने को अब फलक से
तारों का कारवाँ है
ऐसे में तू कहाँ है
दुनिया मेरी जवां है…

किस्मत पे छा रही है
क्यों रात की स्याही
वीरान है मेरी नींदें
तारों से ले गवाही
बर्बाद मैं यहाँ हूँ
आबाद तू कहाँ है
बेदर्द आसमां है
आवाज़ दे कहाँ है…

The Night Songs Best Composer

Of course, we remember Naushad Ali as the best composer of a night song that still enchants us as no other Raat song: Suhaani raat dhal chuki naa jaane tum kab aayoge. It was for the 1949 movie Dulari and put together by Shakeel Badayuni, Naushad and Mohammad Rafi singing for Suresh picturised with a mandolin.

This Song and Noor Jehan

She earned the sobriquet of Malika – e – Tarannum (Queen of Melody) and we all know that this song was largely responsible for getting her this title. Indeed, for a number of years this song became her identity.

There are many who feel that if Noor Jehan hadn’t emigrated to Pakistan, she would have given a great competition to Lata Mangeshkar. Many feel that she had a better range of singing than Lata.

The Movie – Anmol Ghadi

This 1946 movie was directed by the great Mehboob Khan (Mother India and Andaz). It starred Noor Jehan, Suraiya and Surendra. This song was sung by Noor Jehan and Surendra (one stanza each) for themselves.

The other two songs of the movie that became popular are: Jawan hai mohabbat haseen hai zamaana and Mere bachpan ke saathi mujhe bhool na jaana.

Interestingly the character that Noor Jehan played in the movie was Lata!

My Own Poetry

Alvida!

वक़्त की आंधी में क्या क्या हुआ बर्बाद,
सुहाने प्यार की फ़क़त रह गयी है याद I

उनकी मायूसी को मैं खुशग्वार करता गया,
रफ्ता रफ्ता मेरी ही ज़िन्दगी बन गयी नाशाद I

मेरी वफाओं ने आखिर मान ली हार अपनी,
उनकी जफ़ाएं रहीं बुलंद और ज़िंदाबाद I

मैंने सोचा था उनकी खुदी आजज़ी में बदल जायेगी,
मेरे होते न सही, कम अज़ कम मेरे जाने के बाद I

अलविदा मेरे हसीन हमसफ़र ओ हमनवाज़,
जहाँ भी रहो, रहो खुशदिल और मवाद I

रुख़सत के वक़्त यह दुआ उनके साथ रहे, रवि,
हर ग़म, हर उदासी, हर बेकसी से वह रहें आज़ाद I

Please enjoy: Awaaz de kahan hai…

I hope you liked my choice of Song #9 in Raat or Din series.

Please await Song #10 – Haay re wo din kyun na.

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.

On 03 Feb 2021, I gave you Beautiful Duet #8 – Rimjhim ke taraane leke. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #9
Tujhe jeevan ki dore se

Remembering Sadhana on Her Birth Anniversary 02 Sep

She was born on this day in 1941. On the Christmas Day in 2015, when we lost her, I wrote a post here titled: ‘Sadhana – Dil Abhi Bhara Nahin!‘ Some of you may like to go through it.

The Magic of Shankar Jaikishan – Hasrat Jaipuri Songs

My Facebook  group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne owes its name to a Shankar Jaikishan – Hasrat Jaipuri song picturised on Dev Anand and Usha Kiran.

S-J gave a new lift to Dev Anand songs; Yaad kiya dil ne is an exception being serious romantic number. Their typical songs were the ones that focused on Dev Anand’s ebullience or effervescent nature. This song from Asli Naqli has it.

Somehow S-J made people believe in the magic of young love, however adverse were the circumstances. Their compositions and music for several Dev Anand songs reflected this; Sau saal pehle and Ek but banayunga.

In this too, here is a bus being driven by him (trust Hrishikesh Mukherjee to get these details right!). Now a bus is a difficult vehicle to drive and it is symbolic here. There is only one passenger: Sadhana. They get down from the bus and Hasrat Jaipuri and S-J take over. Suddenly, the entire atmosphere changes to ebullience, romance, hope and promise. All problems are forgotten and lightheartedness takes over.

Tell me how many lyricist-composer combines would have got this right? I am sure Hrishikesh Mukherjee would have been eternally grateful to them for the song.

And then there are Rafi and Lata. Rafi never sang like Rafi. He had different styles of singing for different actors. Here he is so typically Dev Anand. As far as Lata is concerned, some of the best songs of Lata are picturized on Sadhana and so is this one.

Any which way you look at it, it is a near perfect duet.

Please enjoy: Tujhe jeevan ki dore se baandh liya hai…..
(and see if you can leave the ‘bus full of your problems’ behind and go tripping with them where no bus can ever take you!)

रफ़ी: तुझे जीवन की डोर से, बाँध लिया है, बाँध लिया है
तेरे ज़ुल्म-ओ-सितम, सर आँखों पर
लता: मैने बदले में प्यार के, प्यार दिया है, प्यार दिया है
तेरी खुशियाँ और गम, सर आँखों पर
रफ़ी: तुझे जीवन की ...

(अप्सरा कोई आए तो देखूँ नहीं   
कोई बहकाये हंसके तो बहकूँ नहीं   ) - २
तोरे मतवारे नैनों ने, जादू किया
ओ ... तोरे मतवारे नैनों ने, जादू किया
तेरी उल्फ़त सनम सर आँखों पर ... 

(मेरे जीवन की अनमिट कहानी है तू
मेरी तक़दीर और ज़िंदगानी है तू  ) - २
लिये फ़िरते हैं सबसे छुपाये हुए
ओ ... लिये फ़िरते हैं सबसे छुपाये हुए
तेरी तसवीर हम सर आँखों पर ...

चाँड सूरज भी हैं तेरी परछाइयाँ
तुझ से रोशन हुई दिल की गहराइयाँ
तेरे चेहरे की झिलमिल से मंज़िल मिली
ओ तेरे चेहरे की झिलमिल से मंज़िल मिली
ऐसी प्यारी पूनम सर आँखों पर ...

(दोनो): तुझे जीवन की डोर से, बाँध लिया है, बाँध लिया है
तेरे ज़ुल्मो-सितम, सर आँखों पर

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #9.

Please await Beautiful Duet #10- Hum tum ek kamre mein band.

Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

I hope you liked my choice for Song #7 – Dil aaj shayar hai in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #8.

Song #8
Mujhe tumse kuchh bhi na chahiye
Theme-word: Main yeh bhool jayunga zindagi kabhi muskrayi thi pyar mein

The Complete Team of Raj Kapoor Movies Songs

It wasn’t a Raj Kapoor movie; only a Raj Kapoor and Nutan starrer (the pair of Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie Anari) and yet the team of Raj Kapoor for songs was there: Shankar Jaikishan to compose and provide music, Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri to write the lyrics (this was penned by Shailendra) and Mukesh as the singing voice of Raj Kapoor and Lata Mangeshkar for the heroine. They did a very good job. Look at some of the songs they made:

1. Ruk jaa O jaanewali ruk jaa (a song Raj Kapoor addressed to his liquor bottle!)
2. No baliye rut hai bahar ki.
3. O Kanhaiya, aaj aana khwab mein.
4. Yaad aayi adhi raat ko.
5. This song.

Movie Directed by Om Prakash

At times, many actors have tried their hands at direction. This movie had a story penned by Om Prakash and he also directed the movie. Dialogues were written by DN Madhok, the first generation lyricist in India.

Look at the story he wrote: Shanno (Nutan) is devoted to Krishna. Since one of Krishna’s 108 names is Kanhaiya, when she wanders into the forest looking for Kanhaiya, she meets Raj Kapoor as Kanhaiya and assumes that he is the Krishna she is devoted to. The villagers feel Shanno and Kanhaiya are in love and must get married. She is only too happy to be married to the object of her worship; only to realise that this Kanhaiya is a drunkard. She refuses to marry the lout.

What a story!

The story obviously takes a turn for Raj Kapoor to be enacting this song.

The Lyrics

मुझे तुम से कुछ भी न चाहिये
मुझे मेरे हाल पे छोड़ दो
मुझे मेरे हाल पे छोड़ दो
मेरा दिल अगर कोई दिल न था
उसे मेरे सामने तोड़ दो
मुझे तुम से कुछ भी …

मैं ये भूल जाऊँगा ज़िंदगी
कभी मुस्कुरायी थी प्यार में
मैं ये भूल जाऊँगा मेरा दिल
कभी खिल उठा था बहार में
जिन्हें इस जहाँ ने भुला दिया
मेरा नाम उन में ही जोड़ दो
मुझे तुम से कुछ भी …

तुम्हें अपना कहने की चाह में
कभी हो सके न किसी के हम
यही ददर् मेरे जिगर में है
मुझे मार डालेगा बस ये ग़म
मैं वो गुल हूँ जो न खिला कभी
मुझे क्यों न शाख़ से तोड़ दो
मुझे तुम से कुछ भी …

My Own Poetry

Toofan Se Hoon Anjaan

बात कहने से बात निकल आती है,
न कहूं तो बात बन जाती है।
बाहर तूफ़ान आने को है लेकिन,
अंदर धड़कन खामोश हुई जाती है।

इश्क़ की हवाएं तेज़ हुआ करती थीं,
लहरें उमड़ कर उनका ही दम भरती थीं।
दिल की रगें मेरी तो थीं लेकिन,
लगता था वह उनसे कुछ डरती थीं।

और फ़िर वह मुकाम भी आया,
ज़िन्दगी ने इस कदर हमें आजमाया।
जैसे दोनों के बीच आ गया हो,
भूले हुए ज़ख्मों का कोई साया।

क्या खबर उनको हो गया हूं दूर तूफ़ान से,
जैसे साहिल पे पत्थर पड़े हों बेजान से।
इन्सान तो इन्सान है लेकिन,
मैं तो बेरुख हुआ हूं भगवान से।

रहने दो यादों के शोलों को राख में,
पड़ा रहने दो मुझे वक़्त की ख़ाक में।
नहीं लगते हैं वह फूल कभी दोबारा,
एक बार टूट जो गए उस हरी शाख से।

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Mujhe tumse kuchh bhi pnaa chahiye…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #8 in the series.

Please await Song #9 –  Aapke pehlu mein aake. 

Raat or Din Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

This is the Song #8 in the series. I hope you liked Song #7 – Lag jaa gake ke phir.

Song #8
Mujhe kuchh kehna hai
Theme-word: Mujhe raat-din nahin koi kaam, Kabhi teri yaad kabhi tera naam.

Remembering Rishi Kapoor on His First Birth Anniversary 30 Sep After His Death on 30th April This Year

First Expression of Love

Raj Kapoor produced and directed the 1973 movie Bobby about young love between Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia (both in their debut roles as adults; Rishi Kapoor had acted as the child Raj Kapoor in Mera Naam Joker).

Love is never a reasoned emotion. You don’t step into Love; you fall into it; the word fall would indicate that you can’t control it. It rushes blood to various parts of your body (especially face and you are flush with it). Because of this physical phenomenon, Love got associated with Heart! Believe me, it is a medical fact.

So, then, you are in Love and you have this blood rushing everywhere. What do you do? Sharmila Tagore in her debut role at an age younger than Dimple said philosophically: “Mohabbat jo karte hain woh muhabbat jatate nahin, Dhadakne apni dil ki kabhi kisi ko batate nahin.”

With Rishi Kapoor and Dimple they changed everything; it became all about saying it (earlier it used to be: Mujhe tumase muhabbat hai magar main keh nahin sakta!) They now had things to say to each other. Of course, Rishi Kapoor went several steps ahead with Nitu Singh in Khel Khel Mein by insisting: Khullam khulla pyar karenge hum dono; the new young style. Sharmila Tagore would have died of mortification and made Sumedha Nair very happy that the one who acted more horribly than her idol Manoj Kumar was got rid of before she dislodged Manoj Kumar from his #1 Position!

The Song – The Lyrics

Once again, Anand Bakshi and Laxmikant Pyarelal made this song as Lyricist and Music Director. Raj Kapoor had vowed never to make movies without his favourite Shankar and Jaikishan. However, Jaikishan had died in end 1966 after the commercial failure of Teesri Kasam for which Raj Kapoor was indirectly responsible. Hence, LP, the MD of Satyam Shivam Sundaram stepped in here too.

Once again, Shailendra Singh sang for Rishi Kapoor and Lata Mangeshkar for Dimple Kapadia.

Beautiful lyrics:

मुझे कुछ कहना है
मुझे भी कुछ कहना है
पहले तुम, पहले तुम

देखो, जिस तरह लखनऊ के दो नवाबों की गाड़ी
पहले आप, पहले आप, पहले आप
पहले आप करते निकल गयी थी
उस तरह हमारी पहले तुम, पहले तुम, पहले तुम
पहले तुम में ये मस्ती भरी रूठ ना चली जाए

अच्छा, मै कहती हूँ
अक्सर कोई लड़की इस हाल मे
किसी लड़के से सोलहवें साल मे
जो कहती है वो मुझे कहना है

अक्सर कोई लड़का इस हाल मे
किसी लड़की से सोलहवें साल मे
जो कहता है वो मुझे कहना है
अक्सर कोई लड़की…

ना आँखों में नींद, ना दिल में करार
यही इंतज़ार, यही इंतज़ार
तेरे बिना कुछ भी अच्छा नहीं लगता
सब झूठा लगता है, सच्चा नहीं लगता
ना घर में लगे दिल, ना बाहर कहीं पर
बैठी हूँ कहीं पर, खोयी हूँ कहीं पर
अरे कुछ ना कहूँ, चुप रहूँ
मै नहीं नहीं नहीं नहीं नहीं नहीं पर
अब मुश्किल चुप रहना है
मुझे कुछ कहना है…

मुझे रात दिन नहीं और काम
कभी तेरी याद, कभी तेरा नाम
सब रंग दुनिया के फीके लगते हैं
एक तेरे बोल बस मीठे लगते हैं
लिखे हैं बस तेरे सजदे इस ज़मीं पर
जिंदा हूँ मैं तेरी बस हाँ पर नहीं पर
अरे कुछ ना कहूँ, चुप रहूँ
मै नहीं नहीं नहीं नहीं नहीं नहीं पर
अब मुश्किल चुप रहना है
मुझे कुछ कहना है…

मिले हमको फूल के कांटें मिले
वहाँ जा बसे, वहाँ जा रहे
तुझे मिलने में जहाँ डर ना हो कोई
पिया के सिवाय दूजा घर ना हो कोई
क्या ऐसी जगह है कोई इस ज़मीं पर
रहने दे बात को यहाँ पर, यहीं पर
अरे कुछ ना कहूँ, चुप रहूँ
मै नहीं नहीं नहीं नहीं नहीं नहीं पर
अब मुश्किल चुप रहना है
मुझे कुछ कहना है…

Please enjoy: Mujhe kuchh kehna hai…

I hope you liked my choice of Song #8 in Raat or Din series.

Please await Song #9 – Awaz de kahan hai.

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.

On 30 Jan 2021, I gave you Beautiful Duet #7 – Tasveer teri dil mein. So here, then, is the next one:

Remembering Shailendra on His Birth Anniversary 30 Aug

Our Dedication to a Lyricist who
Always Dived Deep to find Pearls

This post, with a little modification, was also put up as ‘Shailendra Song of the Week #3 – Rimjhim Ke Taraane Leke Aayi Barsaat‘.

Anands All The way

The 1960 movie Kala Bazaar (Black Market) was produced by Dev Anand for Navketan Films and directed by his brother Vijay Anand. The film starred all three brothers: Dev Anand as the black-marketeer Raghuvir (mainly earning money through sale of movie tickets in black), Vijay Anand as Nandkumar Chattopadhayay – the original lover of Waheeda Rehman as Alka – who magnanimously gives up his love for Alka in favour of Raghuvir and Chetan Anand as advocate Desai who fights an interesting court battle for Raghuvir after he had given up his bad ways in order to woo Alka.

A reformed Raghuvir gets to keep all the money he made from Kala Bazaar including a house on Marine Drive where he started living with his hitherto impoverished mother Leela Chitnis and sister Nanda; a fact that won’t have been lost on public at large and Alka.

This was the second directorial venture of Vijay Anand after Nau Do Gyarah.

Bombay Especially in the Rains

This movie was made at a time when Bombay was Bombay and not Mumbai and Hindi films were referred to as Hindi films and not as Bollywood Films as if these cannot exist without being a poorer copy of Hollywood films.

One of Dev Anand’s early successes as Kala Bazaar operator was on the premier of Mother India in Maratha Mandir. Several stars made their appearance at the premier: include Dilip Kumar, Geeta Dutt, Guru Dutt, Kishore Kumar, Raaj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Sohrab Modi, Mohammed Rafi, Nargis, Nadira and Nimmi. Others seen include, Kumkum, Mukri, Yakub, Naseem Banu and Kumari Naaz. The film also showed Liberty and Metro cinemas, very nostalgic for all of us who grew up in Bombay.

The song that I have chosen is near the end of the movie and shows Bombay during rains including the Marine Drive.

Shailendra and SD Burman

Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra were in the team of Shankar Jaikishan who were the ‘house-musicians’ for RK Films of Raj Kapoor. However, they wrote songs for other music directors too. This one is for Sachin Dev Burman who often said that his second name was the name of his favourite hero: Dev Anand; more often than not Dev Anand movies had music by SD Burman.

Shailendra and SD Burman paired together starting with 1951 movie Buzdil. We fondly recall their pairing for two iconic 1963 movies Bandini and Meri Surat Teri Aankhen. In Bandini they fell apart and hence in addition to Shailendra, SD Burman tried Sampooran Singh Kalra (Gulzar). And then of course Guide was released in 1965 with excellent songs by Shailendra including his trademark delving deep song: Wahan kaun hai tera mussafir jayega kahan?

Lyrics

I chose this song as the Shailendra Song of the Week because of Shailendra’s delightful skill at expressing the emotions of lovers during the rains.

In his very first movie for Raj Kapoor: Barsaat (I have still not found out why this 1949 movie was titled Barsaat by Raj Kapoor as Barsaat had nothing to do with the progress of the story. I have a feeling that the title of the movie stole from Shailendra’s song composed by Shankar Jaikishan: Barsaat mein hamse mile tum sajan).

In 1960 Bimal Roy movie Parakh he came up with the best rain song ever in Hindi movies: O sajana barkha bahaar aayi.

In 1955 movie Shree 420, no one can ever forget the lovers under the umbrella in Bombay rains: Raj Kapoor and Nargis singing Pyar hua iqraar hua.

And of course in 1965 Guide, he tugged at our emotions with his Din dhal jaaye song; viz:

Aisee rim-jhim aisee phuharen, aisee hee thee barsaat
Khud se juda aur jug se paraye, ham dono the sath
Phir se woh sawan ab kyon naa aaye, din dhal jaaye…

(some of the words that he had already used in this song):

Rim-jhim ke taraane leke aayi barasaat
Yaad aaye kisi se vo pahali mulaaqaat

Bheege tan man pade ras ki phuhaar
Pyaar ka sandesa laayi barkha bahaar
Main na bolun, main na bolun aankhen kare akhiyon se baat
Rim jhim ke taraane leke aayi barasaat

Sunake matavaale kaale baadalo kaa shor
Rum jhum ghum ghum naache man kaa mor
Sapano kaa saathi chal raha mere saath
Rim jhim ke taraane leke aayi barasaat

Jab milate ho tum to chhute hain dil ke taar
Milane ko tum se main kyon tha beqaraar
Rah jaati hai
Rah jaati hai kyon hontho tak aake dil ki baat
Rim jhim ke taraane leke aayi barasaat
Yaad aaye kisi se vo pahali mulaqaat

What do the Lyrics Signify?

Unlike Raj Kapoor’s Barsaat in which Barsaat lyrics don’t mean a thing, here, there is a chance meeting in the rain in Mumbai between Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman after she had already turned him down because of his Kala Bazaar ways. Later, when she regarded him as a reformed man, she was in love with Vijay Anand.

Hence, this song was the home-coming for the lovers; the drenching of their souls. One is reminded of Shree 420’s Ramaiya Vastavaiya, a home-coming for Raj Kapoor as Shree 420.

But, rim-jhim is gentle rain and Vijay Anand did it very gently through the meeting in the rain.

My Own Poetry

PHIR BARSAAT CHALI AAYI

आज फिर भीगने का दिल करता है बरसात में,
कुछ शोख़ हवा चली है सुहानी रात में I

यादों की बूंदे दिल के आँगन में गिर रही हैं,
और दस्तक दे रही हैं देहलीज़-ऐ-जज़्बात पे I

मेरे रूखे जहान पे सावन को भी तरस आ गया,
लगता है रो रहा है वह भी मेरे हालात पे I

घने धुएं में रौशनी की किरण जगमगाई है,
कुछ और लौ बची है शमा-ए-हयात में I

सावन क्या आया, बस यूँ लगता है,
हल चल सी मच गयी है कायनात में I

हवाएं उनकी बज़्म से लायी हैं खुशबू,
उधर उठ के देखता हूँ बात बात पे I

सोचता हूँ, रवि, यह कहीं सरआब तो नहीं,
कुछ हकीकत तो होगी ख्याल-ए-करामात में I

Please Enjoy

All in all a heart-warming duet between Mohammad Rafi and Geeta Dutt put together by Shailendra and SD Burman.

Please enjoy: Rimjhim ke tarane leke aayi barsaat…

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #8.

Please await Beautiful Duet #9- Tujhe jeevan ki dore se.

Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

I hope you liked my choice for Song #6 – Tu pyar ja sagar hai in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #7.

Song #7
Dil aaj shayar hai gham aaj naghma hai
Theme-word: Second last stanza: Meri tarah zindagi bhar tadap lo, Phir aana iske kareeb

One of the Songs with Best Expressions

We’ve actually had a Fest on the theme of Best Expressions. Let me give you a few:

Let me start with this song: Aansu ke dhaage se seete rahe ham jo zakhm tune diye. You would agree with me that Neeraj has given full rein to his imagination. Extraordinary indeed.

Yaad-e-mehboob idhar aa main tujhe pyar karun,
Tu agar jaan bhi maange to na inkaar karun;
Ek deewane se tu kyun pyar jataane aayi?
Phir teri yaad naye geet sunane aayi,
Dil ki duniya mein naye deep jalane aayi.

Here, what Raja Mehdi Ali Khan has done is to personify Yaad. After listening to the song you can imagine Yaad walking into his house and claiming him!

Here is Rajinder Krishan for you:

Hava mein zulf lehraayi, nazar pe bekhudi chhaai
Khule the dil ke darvaaze, muhabbat bhi chali aai
Tamannaao ki duniya par javaani chha gayi
Vo bhuli daastaa lo phir yaad aa gayi

Rajinder Krishan personified Muhabbat itself!

Here is Rajinder Krishan again:

Ghar se chale the ham to khushi ki talaash mein,
Gham raah mein khade the wahin saath ho liye.

Here he has personified Gham!

Here is Shakeel Badayuni. I have dubbed him the King of Irony:

Tumhi ne gham ki daulat di
Bada ehsaan farmaaya
Zamaane bhar ke aage
Haath failaane kahan jaate
Na miltaa gham to
Barbaadi ke afsaane kahaan jaate

Here is Hasrat Jaipuri:

Muhabbat aisi dhadakan hai
Jo samajhayi nahin jaati
Zubaan par dil ki bechaini kabhi laai nahi jaati

SH Bihari stole a leaf from Hasrat’s Book of Love when he wrote:

Muhabbat jo karate hai vo muhabbat jatate nahin
Dhadakane apane dil ki kabhi kisi ko sunate nahin
Kisi ko sunate nahin
Maza kya raha jab ki khud kar liya ho
Muhabbat ka izahar apani zuban se

The fact of the matter is that songs tug at your emotions much because of the expressions in the lyrics.

Lyrics of Dil Aaj Shayar Hai

With this introduction lets have a look at Neeraj’s lyrics for this song in the 1971 movie Gambler addressed by Dev Anand to Zaheeda in the voice of Kishore Kumar. SD Burman composed them in Raag Bhairavi, Tal Dadra:

दिल आज शायर है, ग़म आज नग़मा है
शब ये गज़ल है, सनम
गैरों के शेरों को, ओ सुनने वाले
हो इस तरफ़ भी करम

आके ज़रा देख तो तेरी खातिर हम किस तरह से जिये
आँसू के धागे से सीते रहे हम, जो ज़ख्म तूने दिये
चाहत की महफ़िल में ग़म तेरा लेकर किस्मत से खेला जुआ
दुनिया से जीते, पर तुझसे हारे, यूँ खेल अपना हुआ

है प्यार हमने किया जिस तरह से उसका ना कोई जवाब
ज़र्रात हैं, लेकिन तेरी लौ में जल कर हम बन गए आफ़ताब
हमसे है ज़िंदा वफ़ा और हम ही से है तेरी महफिल जवाँ
हम जब ना होंगे, तो रो-रो के दुनिया ढूँढेगी मेरे निशाँ

रे, प्यार कोई खिलौना नहीं है, हर कोई ले जो खरीद
मेरी तरह ज़िन्दगी-भर तड़प लो, फिर आना उसके करीब
हम तो मुसाफिर हैं, कोई सफ़र हो, हम तो गुज़र जाएँगे ही
लेकिन लगाया है जो दाव हमने वो जीत कर आएँगे ही
वो जीत कर आएँगे ही, वो जीत कर आएँगे ही

My Own Poetry

It is not my style to be challenging others with my claim. However, I too retrieve things from lost situations and hence haven’t lost everything in a gamble of life:

KUCHH TO HAI

कुछ नहीं भूला
कुछ नहीं खोया
कुछ था भी नहीं
कुछ है भी नहीं
ओस की बूँद थी क्या
या उड़ता हुआ गुबार?
हवा के झोंके की
अपनी कोई हस्ती है क्या?
ख्वाब था
ख्वाब है

हमें अपनी खबर न थी
उन्हें मेरी खबर न थी
तिनकों के आशियाँ में
बस्ते थे हम, और अब
यादों के धुंदले साये में
और ठिकाना ढूँढ़ते हैं

ये धुएं के महल
ये गहरे अँधेरे
ये वीरान मरहले
ये हैं मेरे हमसफ़र
मेरे हमदर्द, मेरे अपने
कौन छीनेगा इन्हे मुझसे?
शुक्र है तेरी मुहब्बत में
कुछ तो मिला है
कुछ तो बचा है

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Dil aaj shayar hai…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #7 in the series.

Please await Song #8 –  Mujhe tumse kuchh bhi na chahiye. 

Raat or Din Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

This is the Song #7 in the series. I hope you liked Song #6 – Raat ne kya kya khwab dikhaye.

Song #7
Lag jaa gale ke phir

Favourites Keep You Away from Really Good Songs

Except in this group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne wherein we listen to songs on merit irrespective of who was/is the Singer, Lyricist, Music Director and Actor(s), the groups formed for specific purpose of promoting some or the other actually keep you from the entire range of good songs.

Take this song put together by Lata Mangeshkar (she sang her finest songs for Sadhana), Madan Mohan and Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, just one of the hundreds of videos of this song has been watched on You Tube by 17 Crores people! It reminds you what a Time magazine correspondent had to say about the viewership of Football World Cup some five cups ago: “Perhaps, in future, it would be easier counting people who ain’t watching the Football World Cup.”

Raag Pahadi

There has been hardly a Fest in which I didn’t give you a song composed in the raag of my place in the hills: Raag Pahadi.

Today, I am giving you at a fairly early stage. This is in Tal Dadra. The Tal derives its name from Dadra style of singing (somewhat similar to Thumri), which itself derives its name from the name of the place Dadra. It is one of the commonest Tals, very symmetrical.

Pahadi, of course, is a raag as well as a dhun and by name if there is one raag that you can recognise, it is Pahadi. You may recall the very first song in Pahadi that I gave you in the same Tal: Aaj ki raat piya dil na todo, baat meri maan lo from 1950 movie Bazi. Do you feel the similarity? Listen to both and you will easily discern.

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

After Shakeel Badayuni, the lyricist whom I love the most is Raja Mehdi Ali Khan. I have, now, on my blog, a number of articles on him and his poetry and lyrics. Some of the best and most memorable songs of Lata Mangeshkar were composed by her bhaiya Madan Mohan and these were equally divided between Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and Rajinder Krishan.

In addition to various expressions that he brought into the movies (such as bedardi balma), he brought in a respectable way of addressing: Aap. In this song too he used Aap in: Phir aap ke naseeb mein yeh raat ho na ho.

Both Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and Rajinder Krishan went about emoting as females and some of these leave you wondering whether they were females in men’s bodies. Whilst covering Raja Mehdi Ali Khan recently on my page Lyrical I gave you several songs in this genre’. Lets not forget that his very first song that he wrote at less than 17 years of age and sung by Geeta Dutt (even younger than him!) was on female’s emotions:

Mera sundar sapna beet gaya,
Main prem mein sab kuchh haar gayi,
Bedard zamana jeet gaya.

Terrific indeed. A very sensitive lyricist who died young but made unforgettable songs.

Sadhana and Bozo

Raj Khosla’s favourite heroine Sadhana brought in tremendous emotions and elegance in her histrionics. It is as if she knew that she was enacting a great song and people would remember her for this more than any other of her songs including O sajna barkha bahaar aayi and Tera mera pyar amar. So, all of us, without exception, know how she looked enacting this song: ethereal, enigmatic, as if part of the elements around her.

I must also admit that one reason her being in the song was enhanced was because of Bozo looking like – well, what he was good at – Bozo; the contrast is so great that one can even remove him from the song and it won’t be noticed.

My Own Poetry

Here is one. It is titled:

HAMEN YOUN JAANE NA DEEJIYE

रोक रखिये रात को, सुबह को आने ना दीजिये,
बैठे हैं आपकी बज़्म में, हमें यूँ जाने ना दीजिये।

आज तक हमने मानी है आपकी हर एक बात,
अपने आप को बढ़ चढ़ के, बातें बनाने ना दीजिये।

आपके साथ कई दिन बिताए थे हमने बहार में,
खिज़ा में बीते दिनों की यादों को सताने ना दीजिये।

प्यार में हमें बेहद खुशी का हुआ था एहसास,
चांदनी गयी तो अब आंसू बहाने ना दीजिये।

ग़म-ए-हिज्र की होने को है अब इन्तहा,
ग़म-ए-हिज्र में बेसबर मर जाने ना दीजिये।

आपकी आंखों ने पिलाये थे जाम उल्फत के,
आंखों से अब बेवफाई के पैमाने ना दीजिये।

खाये हैं इस दिल ने हजारों धोखे और फरेब,
दिल को और ज़ुल्म ओ सितम उठाने ना दीजिये।

आपके एहसान तले जल गया आशियां मेरा,
हो सके तो मुझे और ऐसे नज़राने ना दीजिये।

आपकी वफ़ा की गलत फहमी से ज़िन्दा हैं उम्मीदें,
उम्मीदों को इस तरह बेमौत दफनाने ना दीजिये।

रुखसत के बाद भी हम याद आएंगे, रवि,
बीती यादों को तन्हाई में तड़पाने ना दीजिये।

Please enjoy: Lag ja gale ke phir..

लग जा गले कि फिर ये हसीं रात हो न हो
शायद फिर इस जनम में मुलाक़ात हो न हो
लग जा गले से ...

हमको मिली हैं आज, ये घड़ियाँ नसीब से
जी भर के देख लीजिये हमको क़रीब से
फिर आपके नसीब में ये बात हो न हो
फिर इस जनम में मुलाक़ात हो न हो
लग जा गले कि फिर ये हसीं रात हो न हो

पास आइये कि हम नहीं आएंगे बार-बार
बाहें गले में डाल के हम रो लें ज़ार-ज़ार
आँखों से फिर ये प्यार कि बरसात हो न हो
शायद फिर इस जनम में मुलाक़ात हो न हो

लग जा गले कि फिर ये हस्सीं रात हो न हो
शायद फिर इस जनम में मुलाक़ात हो न हो
लग जा गले कि फिर ये हस्सीं रात हो न हो

I hope you liked my choice of Song #7 in Raat or Din series.

Please await Song #8 – Mujhe kuchh kehna hai.

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.

On 05 Dec 20, I gave you Beautiful Duet #6 – Dil ki nazar se. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #7
Tasveer teri dil mein jis din se utari hai

Dev Anand and His Heroines

There has to be something about his aura. How can it be that he had remarkable chemistry with all heroines who acted with him. Most of them, if not all, gave their best performances with him; be it Waheeda Rehman in Guide (Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hain, Madhubala in Kala Pani (Accha ji main haar maan jaayo na), Vyjayanthimala in Duniya (Dooriyan nazdeekiyan ban gayi), Sadhana in Asli Naqli (Tujhe jeevan ki dore se baandh liya hai), Kalpana Kartik in Nau Do Gyarah (Aankhon mein kya ji rupahla baadal), Asha Parekh in Mahal (Yeh duniya waale poochenge), Mumtaz in Tere Mere Sapne (Hey maine kasam li), Zeenat Aman in Heera Panna (Panna ki tamanna hai), Suchitra Sen in Bambai Ka Babu (Deewana mastana hua dil), Hema Malini in Johny Mera Naam (Waada to nibhaya), Zahida in Gambler (Choodi nahin ye mera dil hai, and the best with Suraiya, eg in Vidya (Layi khushi ki duniya with a rare Mukesh singing for him and she singing for herself).

Indeed, such was his image that in Teen Deviyan he successfully wooed all three of them: Kalpana (Are yaar meri tum bhi ho ghazab), Nanda (Likha hai teri aankhon mein) and Simi Grewal (Kahin bekhayal ho kar; he didn’t sing a duet with her).

Dev Anand and Mala Sinha

They acted together in Love Marriage in 1959 and Maya in 1961. Love Marriage, of course, has their unforgettable duet: Dheere dheere chal chand gagan mein with magic created by Shankar Jaikishan and Maya having this iconic duet. And this, after weighing the fact that none of us would place Mala Sinha in the top five favourite actresses.

In this song, for example, her acting is worth watching. Being unbiased, I would place it better than his!

Maya – the Movie

The movie was highly rated movie directed by DD Kashyap. In reality it should be rated among top trash movies of all times. Except for two songs of the movie, both being my favourite (this one and Jaa re jaa re udd jaa re panchhi), there is nothing at all in the movie. Somehow, the quality of movies of that time didn’t match the quality of songs.

The Song

The magic of this song was created by Majrooh Sultanpuri, Salil Chowdhary, Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi.

तस्वीर तेरी दिल में जिस दिन से उतारी है
फिरूँ तुझे संग लेके, नए-नए रंग लेके
सपनों की महफ़िल में
तस्वीर तेरी दिल में…

माथे की बिंदिया तू है, सनम
नैनों का कजरा, पिया, तेरा ग़म
नैन किए नीचे-नीचे
रहूँ तेरे पीछे-पीछे
चलूँ किसी मंज़िल में
तस्वीर तेरी दिल में…

तुमसे नज़र जब गई है मिल
जहाँ हैं कदम तेरे, वहीं मेरा दिल
झुके जहाँ पलकें तेरी
खुले जहाँ ज़ुल्फ़ें तेरी
रहूँ उसी मंज़िल में
तस्वीर तेरी दिल में…

तूफ़ान उठाएगी दुनिया, मगर
रुक ना सकेगा दिल का सफ़र
यूँ ही नज़र मिलती होगी
यूँ ही शमा जलती होगी
तेरी-मेरी मंज़िल में
तस्वीर तेरी दिल में…

Other Tasveer Songs

There are quite a few, eg, Tasveer banata hoon teri khoon-e-jigar se, Jo baat tujh mein hain teri tasveer mein nahin, Tasveer banata hoon tasveer nahin banati, Meri tasveer leke kya karoge and Kisi roz tumase mulaqaat hogi (Zara tasveer se tu nikalke saamne aa).

There is no doubt that this happens to be the best Tasveer song of all times.

Please enjoy: Tasveer teri dil mein jis din se utari hai…

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #7.

Please await Beautiful Duet #8- Rimjhim ke taraane leke aayi barsaat.

Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

I hope you liked my choice for Song #5 – Koi sagar dil ko behlata nahin in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #6.

Remembering Manna Dey on His Death Anniversary 24 Oct

We lost him on this day in the year 2013. Having been born on the Labour Day in 1919 in Calcutta, he recorded his first playback song for the 1942 movie Tamanna, a duet with Suraiya that was composed by KC Dey: Jago aayee usha panchhi bole jago.

He soon emerged the singer of choice for raaga based songs. He tried his hand at comical songs too with great success. Some of his duets in the movies are immortal. One of his unforgettable raaga based songs was in Raag Basant Bahar for the movie with the same name: Ketaki gulab juhi. Another unforgettable song of his is from Waqt: Aye meri zohrazabeen. Yet another is Aye mere pyare watan. Needless to say he made a name for himself as a quniqe playback singer.

He was the recipient of Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and finally Padma Vibhushan and to top it all Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Seema – 1955 Movie

I have taken the song from the 1955 Amiya Chakraborty movie Seema starring Nutan and Balraj Sahni.

Incidentally, both the movies won Nutan Best Actress Awards, as did three other movies: Sujata, Milan and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki.

Shailendra’s Lyrics

From Ashok (Balraj Sahni) being a kind-hearted Manager of an Orphanage, suddenly, in this hymn, Shailendra raises the level to God Himself.

Shankar Jaikishan’s Composition

They chose a dignified Raag Darbari Kanada, Tal Kaherava to compose it. It is not my intention to give you intricacies of this raag here. Suffice it to say that if you think of other songs in the same raag and tal (not all by S-J), you would get the feel: Hum tujhase muhabbat karke sanam, Hum tumase juda hoke, Mohabbat ki jhooti kahani pe roye, O duniya ke rakhwale, Teri duniya mein dil lagta nahin and Tora man darpan kehlaye.

My Own Poetry

The Song