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 07 Feb 2021, I gave you Beautiful Duet #11 – Teri duniya se door chale hoke majboor. So here, then, is the next one:
Song #12
Aapne yaad dilaya to mujhe yaad aaya
Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar Again
There is no race. There is no competition. The songs that you put are the ones that you beautiful memories of. My memories are related, to a large extent, with Rafi and Lata. They took me to places I never wanted to come back from. Since the others are contributing to the series and since #3 appeared twice (my fault): once for Milte hi aankhen dil hua and then, next day, for O neend na mujhako aaye, this is my 12th duet and I haven’t given you the pair more than four times. Favourites don’t keep me from giving you others.
This Duet
It is different in one respect; she doesn’t join him till the third stanza. There are many such duets in Hindi movies. Madhumati’s Dil tadap tadap ke is one example.
Aarti – the 1962 Movie
It was a Rajshri Production (such as Hum Aapke Hain Kaun), produced by Tarachand Barjatya and directed by Phani Majumdar. The movie starred Pradeep Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Meena Kumari and Shashikala, the complete cast that was repeated in Bheegi Raat with another great song: Dil jo na keh saka wohi raaz-e-dil kehne ki raat aayi.
Majrooh Sultanpuri and Roshan
The following plot enabled them to come up with some of the most melodious songs of that era:
“An unemployed young man named Deepak (Pradeep Kumar) saves Aarti Gupta (Meena Kumari), a hardworking and dedicated doctor, from drowning, and the two eventually fall in love with each other, although her parent have already engaged her to marry Dr. Prakash (Ashok Kumar). Although Aarti’s father firmly disapproves of this relationship, Deepak and Aarti marry. She moves in with him and his family, which includes his father (Jagirdar), elder brother, Niranjan (Ramesh Deo), sister-in-law, Jaswanti (Shashikala) and their three children. Prakash (Aarti’s former fiancé) happens to be a friend of this family, as also of Aarti’s natal family, and he keeps up his visits to both families. This brings a discord in Aarti’s marital life, so much so that Deepak asks her to leave, and she returns to her father’s house. This is followed by Deepak having a serious accident, when Prakash is the only surgeon who can operate on him. He agrees to operate on him only if Aarti promises to come back to him and forget her husband.”
The above plot enabled the following songs:
- “Bane Ho Ek Khaak Se” Lata Mangeshkar
- “Kabhi To Milegi, Kahin To Milegi” Lata Mangeshkar
- “Ab Kya Misaal Doon Main Tumhare Shabaab Ki” Mohammed Rafi
- “Aapne Yaad Dilaaya To Mujhe Yaad Aaya” Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi
- “Baar Baar Tohe Kya Samjhaaye Paayal Ki Jhankaar” Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi
- “Na Bhanwara Na Koi Gul” Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
- “Woh Teer Dil Pe Chala” Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
All very good songs. Kidar Sharma is the one who gave a break to Roshan in the 1949 movie Neki Aur Badi. After the next movie, the 1950 movie Bawre Nain, there was no looking back for Roshan.
Majrooh was good from his very first movie in 1946: AR Kardar movie Shahjehan starring KL Sehgal whose songs were composed by Naushad such as Jab dil hi toot gaya, Gham diya mustaqil, and Chaah barbaad karegi hamen maloom na tha.
This song makes us majrooh (injured or wounded)!
The Lyrics
आप ने याद दिलाया तो मुझे याद आया के मेरे दिल पे पड़ा था कोई ग़म का साया आप ने याद दिलाया ... मैं भी क्या चीज़ हूँ खाया था कभी तीर कोई दर्द अब जा के उठा चोट लगे देर हुई तुमको हमदर्द जो पाया तो मुझे याद आया के मेरे दिल पे पड़ा था कोई ग़म का साया ... मैं ज़मीं पर हूँ न समझा न परखना चाहा आसमाँ पर ये कदम झूम के रखना चाहा आज जो सर को झुकाया तो मुझे याद आया के मेरे दिल पे पड़ा था कोई ग़म का साया ... लता: मैं ने भी सोच लिया साथ निभाने के लिये दूर तक आऊंगी मैं तुमको मनाने के लिये दिल ने एहसास दिलाया तो मुझे याद आया के मेरे दिल पे पड़ा था कोई ग़म का साया ...
My Own Poetry
I am going to give you a very different poem:
Apna Apna Dil, Apni Apni Yaad
तेरा ज़ुल्फ़ों का झटकना,
और आंखों का मटकना,
अभी तक याद है।
बिजली में मुझ से लिपटना,
दफ़अतन फिर से चिपटना,
अभी तक याद है।
गले में आवाज़ अटकना,
रात को बेचैन भटकना,
अभी तक याद है।
शर्मा के चेहरे का भड़कना,
नज़रों का रह रह के फड़कना,
अभी तक याद है।
पूछो क्या हुआ, उस पर झिझकना,
होंठों का अंदर पिचकना,
अभी तक याद है।
फिर…
तेरे जाने पे मेरा तड़पना,
तेरे लिए लोगों से झड़पना,
क्यों तुझे नहीं याद है?
तेरे हिज्र में मेरा सिसकना,
आते ही तुझ से सिमटना,
क्यों तुझे नहीं याद है?
याद कर ना….
Please enjoy: Aapne yaad dilaya to mujhe yaad aaya…
I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #12.
Please await Beautiful Duet #13- Ek pardesi mera dil le gaya.
Laxmikant Pyarelal started off with 1963 movie Parasmani and they made such popular songs for their very first movie that these are fondly remembered even today:
Asad Bhopali, the lyricist of this song was born as Asadullah Khan on 10 Jul 1921 in Bhopal.
Here is what Wordsworth had to write about it in ‘Three Years She Grew By’:
She was born on this day in 1973. She was crowned Miss World 1994 in a pageant that crowned Sushmita Sen as Miss Universe.
It was produced and directed by Subhash Ghai and starred , in addition to her, Anil Kapoor, Akshay Khnaa, Amrish Puri and Alok Nath.
Five years ago, I wrote an essay about the treatment of women in Bengal based movies: ‘
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):
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!
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.
Both Anand Bakshi and Laxmikant Pyarelal pioneered this movement.
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”.
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.
She was born on this day in 1941. On the Christmas Day in 2015, when we lost her, I wrote a post here titled: ‘
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:
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.
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).
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.
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?
And of course in 1965 Guide, he tugged at our emotions with his Din dhal jaaye song; viz:
