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

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 #6 in the series. I hope you liked Song #5 – Sab kuchh luta ke hosh mein aaye.

Song #6
Raat ne kya kya khwab dikhaye

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 #5 – Jhilmil sitaaron ka mausam hoga. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #6
Dil ki nazar se

No. 1 Beautiful Duet in Hindi Movies

As seen by me this is the #1 romantic duet in the Hindi films and all of us deserve it to recall how it was decades ago when we fell in love: the muted (during those times) excitement, the magic, the awe of going into unknown journey (Hrishikesh Mukherjee in his debut directorial attempt has made them go in a boat rowed by him into unknown waters! Just imagine the excellence of his Direction!), and the overwhelming feeling that the celestial bodies: the sky and the moon are rejoicing in your love. Can’t think of a better and more beautiful duet.

Closest to My Heart

This song, as you all know, is closest to my heart. So much so that I still miss the group that I formed with the title of this song. It holds more magic for me than any other romantic duet. According to me it is a perfect mix of lyrics (the starting point of emotions), composition, music arrangement, prelude and interludes, cinematography and outstanding histrionics displayed by Nutan and matched h by h by our own Raj Kapoor, the greatest showman in Indian films ever.

Lyrics with Preludes, Interludes and Coda

Coming to Preludes, Interludes and Coda. As seen by me these are not merely bridges between mukhada and antaras but significant adornments (in this case totally instrumental). Whilst background music in mukhadas and antaras is, as the name suggests, in the background and main carriers of emotions are the lyrics, in preludes, interludes and coda, the music by itself supplements the emotions of the lead actors.

Let me start with the short coda. It results into both sealing their love with tightly holding hands. This is the time when all other emotions should recede into the background: the doubts, the questions (that the lyrics relentlessly ask in the song), and the awe of embarking into unknown territory. There has to be finality about holding on to each other and nothing else. And see how beautifully this end piece has succeeded. Why am I starting from coda? Because the song and its questions are leading to something and once you have it right you will get M1, M2, M3 right!
I need to explain it slightly more about this finality. The first two stanzas have been sung by them separately. The third stanza has been sung by them together but with separate lines. However, just before the end piece they have finished asking questions and sing the mukhada together. Remember they say the family that prays together stays together. Here, the couple that sings together sticks together! Please notice the effect of this coda. They ain’t now looking at the chand, akaash, or anything else. They are just looking into each other’s eyes wherein not just the akaash and chand exists but the entire universe.

Sorry for labouring on this to this extent but if you have got this right, there would be no problem in understanding the prelude, M1, M2 and M3.

Prelude First

Prelude is so beautifully enacted by Nutan that it leaves me totally stunned. She is a woman. Earlier, in another Chand song she had teased him for being Anari (Naive): समझने वाले समझ गये हैं, न समझे, न समझे वो अनाड़ी हैं I Elsewhere, I had already brought out that this song is an extension of those emotions. NOW, she has suddenly understood that he isn’t Anari anymore and that this is the love of her life. The prelude with the notes of accordion starts with joyous feeling but with shyness (of her being a woman; those were not the days when women could express love openly) and the fear of the unknown. These are mixed feelings depicted in the prelude though you feel that probably the joy is more in focus than other emotions. He too has his doubts which are in prominence in the second part of the prelude. His doubts are naturally about his being poor and she being a millionaire’s daughter. At this juncture, let me tell you how confidence builds up for him as the song progresses. So at the end of the second stanza when he says the following (hats off to Shailendra for having thought of that), it doesn’t sound as a ridiculous boast:
सब कुछ हमारा, अब है तुम्हाराI

M1, M2, M3

Now for M1. The origin of this duet is: Seene se uthkar honthon pe aaya. Superb picturisation in words by Shailendra. The notes are indicating muted joy at the discovery of their love and at the next moment the awe of having moved into unknown (and as deep as the sea) territory.
And Shailendra’s lyrics seamlessly fit after M1:

क्यों बेखबर, यूँ खिंचीसी चली जा रही मैं (being physically also rowed by him)
ये कौनसे बन्धनों में बंधी जा रही मैं (deep and unknown territory; no earlier experience)
कुछ खो रहा है, कुछ मिल रहा है
ये बात क्या है, ये राज़ क्या है (the discovery of this secret)
कोई हमें बता दे, दिल की नज़र से

M2 is so typically S-J that if someone was to play this anywhere, without even knowing the song, you would say S-J. It is leading to second antara. It has to be magical; the sheer ecstasy of true love and perhaps a little intoxication too. The notes of M2 say it clearly. Listen to the entire song as an instrumental and you would know what I am saying. The words that follow have enormous meaning because of S-J’s M2 here. You are in another world even before he opens with:

हम खो चले, चाँद है या कोई जादूगर है
या, मदभरी, ये तुम्हारी नज़र का असर हैI

The third interlude or M3 is playful. I would hand it over to Hrishikesh Mukherjee more than to anyone else. Look at the words:

आकाश में, हो रहें हैं ये कैसे इशारे
क्या, देखकर, आज हैं इतने खुश चाँद-तारे

A lesser director would, at this stage, actually take you to the sky and the moon and the stars. Hrishikesh doesn’t let the focus shift from the lovers at all. You want to see the sky? Look into Raj Kapoor’s face. You want to see the moon? Look into Nutan’s eyes!

M3 superbly builds up to this excellent direction and cinematography (I had brought it up several times that S-J were the duo who took into account these aspects whilst composing and giving music to their songs.
Every which way you look at it, this is a perfect romantic duet.

Please enjoy: Dil ki nazar se..

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #6.

Please await Beautiful Duet #7- Tasveer teri dil mein.

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 #3 – Aaj jaane ki zidd na karo in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #4.

Song #4
Hai duniya usi ki zamana usi ka
Theme-word: Usi ne hai loota maza zindagi ka and in the very last line! Satayega kya gham use zindagi ka.

Remembering Shammi Kapoor on His Birth Anniversary 21 Oct

Recently, I talked about the contribution of Kapoor family to Hindi cinema, which, thanks to their patronage was rid of the parochialism of Bengalis when the Hindi films industry was located in Calcutta. Indeed, Kapoors ensured that talent from all across the country was encouraged.
I told you about the three in the family: the doyen Prithviraj Kapoor and two out of three sons: Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor who were awarded the highest in cinematic excellence: the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. And the third son who didn’t get the award was Shammi Kapoor, who really knew how to act!

He acted in all movies with bad names and yet he emerged as the paragon of gentlemanliness: Janwar, Budtameez, Junglee, Bluff Master and so on.

Kashmir Ki Kali

This 1964 Shakti Samanta movie was the debut film of Sharmila Tagore. There was tremendous chemistry between Sharmila and Sharmila and they both enacted their roles with passion: a poor flower girl in Srinagar and spoiled brat of a rich family respectively.
The movie owes its success not just to the romantic pair but also to the freshness of the songs created by SH Bihari, OP Nayyar, Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle; indeed the freshness of the songs competed with the freshness of the songs and we had all kinds of songs too in the movie.

Shammi Kapoor and Mohammad Rafi

Mukesh became the singing voice of Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor gave some of his songs also to Manna Dey. However, Shammi Kapoor stuck with Mohammad Rafi. Hence, some of the best and most romantic songs of Mohammad Rafi are picturised on Shammi Kapoor.

This Song Theme

Many lyricists have penned words in this theme and I shall be giving you many such songs. Zindagi is to be measured by the scale of Love and then you realise that Zindagi pyar ki do chaar ghadi hoti hai, Chahe thodi hi ho yeh umr badi hoti hai. SH Bihari immortalised this theme with lyrics that are, if I may say so, extraordinary:

है दुनिया उसी की, ज़माना उसी का
मोहब्बत में जो हो गया हो किसी का

(लुटा जो मुसाफ़िर दिल के सफ़र में
है जन्नत यह दुनिया उसकी नज़र में) – २
उसी ने है लूटा मज़ा ज़िंदगी का
मोहब्बत में …

(है सजदे के काबिल हर वो दीवाना
के जो बन गया हो तसवीर-ए-जाना) – २
करो एह्तराम उस की दीवानगी का
मोहब्बत में …

(बर्बाद होना जिसकी अदा (???) हो
दर्द-ए-मोहब्बत जिसकी दवा हो) – २
सताएगा क्या ग़म उसे ज़िंदगी का
मोहब्बत में …

Enacting This Song

It is not just the lyrics. The song was immortalised by its outstanding composition (including Manohri’s saxophone), extremely passionate singing by Mohammad Rafi and its enactment in the bar by Rajiv (Shammi Kapoor), the saxophonist and the mustachioed Colonel. The entire effect is as if the lyrics, composition, singing and enacting gelled into one compact performance. No one can ever have enough of this song; it is like eating peanuts; you can’t have one!

My Own Poetry

Zindagi Mil Jayegi Dobara

बारिश कभी रुक जाए,
यकायक बरसते बरसते।
ज़ुबान कभी हो जाए खुश्क,
एक बूंद को तरसते तरसते।
दिल कभी खामोश हो जाए,
ऐसे ही धड़कते धड़कते।
नजरें बन जाएं पथरीली,
दो पल बहकते बहकते।
बादल अचानक छंट जाएं,
चमक के गरजते गरजते।
शमा बुझने को हो तैयार,
सारी रात लरजते लरजते।
आंखों की नमी हो जाए खत्म,
आंसूओं को झटकते झटकते।
मेरे कदम हो जाएं साकिन,
तेरी गलियों में भटकते भटकते।

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, on Shammi Kapoor’s birth anniversary today, lets enjoy a song beautifully enacted by him on the lyrics of SH Bihari, composition of OP Nayyar, voice of Mohammad Rafi in the 1964 Shakti Samanta movie Kashmir Ki Kali: Hai duniya usi ki zamana usi ka…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #4 in the series.

Please await Song #5 –  Koi sagar dil ko behlata nahin.