Have a story to tell? A theme to work on? An emotion to express? A mood to paint? Easy. You can do all this and more with Hindi film songs. For musical stories or theme-based songs or lyrical expressions of moods or...whatever, this promises to be a fun-filled ride. Come, get on the bandwagon!
A gentle solo today from "Noor Jehan" (1967). A nice take on the romance associated with the month of saawan. Helen's exquisite kathak steps followed by Meena Kumari's soft rendering present an interesting contrast.
A peppy song from "Naya Zamana" (1971) today. I have heard this many times, but was not sure if it was shot in the rain. When I checked, I saw Hema Malini dancing with abandon in pouring rain. So here it is.
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Music: S. D. Burman
Let me confess that today's song is being posted not because of its own merit but because it happens to be from Madhuri Dixit's debut film "Abodh" (1984). It is interesting to look at the raw Madhuri. The song is reasonably good, but may not have made it here had it not been for the leading lady. Who would have thought that she would rule the Hindi film world? After all, this film was a Rajshri production--simple and non-glamorous--and Madhuri played a young village girl who was married off at an early age.
All of us have listened to this song from "Parakh" (1960) many times. And loved it every time. Several of us are familiar with Na jeo na too. Enjoy the soothing strains of this classic, both in Hindi and Bangla today.
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Shailendra
Music: Salil Chowdhury
A sweet little song from "Baazi" (1950) today. This is not so well-known as tadbeer se bigdi hui taqdeerbanaa de and suno gajar kyaa gaaye were from the same film. But Geeta Dutt's voice is young and fresh--she must have been about 20 then--and the ui adds a lot to the song's appeal. Check it out!
Singer:Geeta Dutt
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
Music: S. D. Burman
Today's song is special. If the playback is by two sisters, the performance on the screen is by a pair of sisters too. The two dancers are Roshan and Khurshid Vajifdar. They were trained in Bharatanatyam, Kathak and some other classical dance forms. The name of the film is "Mayurpankh" (1954).
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle
Lyrics: Shailendra
Music: Shankar Jaikishan
This is a song people from my generation would associate with their growing-up years. It was hard to find anyone who had not been touched by "Guddi" (1971), a classic Hrishikesh Mukherjee fare. The simple tale of an adolescent who was infatuated with films and film stars struck a chord with teenagers and grown-ups alike. This film marked Vani Jairam's entry into the world of playback singing.
After several old melodies, a relatively new song today. It is from "Dehak: A Burning Passion" (1999). Even die-hard fans of old songs will agree that there is a certain lilt to this number. Besides, there are delightful visuals of the Mumbai Monsoons.
It is a pleasure to discover rare gems. Today's song is one such. Many may have never heard it before. It is from "Pehli Jhalak" (1955), a film starring Kishore Kumar and Vyjayanthimala.
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Rajendra Krishan
Music: C. Ramchandra
Today's song from "Maan Jaiye" (1972) is all about the rains, but has been shot at a time when the sun was shining at its brightest and there was no trace of rain clouds anywhere in sight. However, it is a beautiful composition by Jaidev. Wonder why it remained largely unknown.
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Naqsh Lyallpuri
Music: Jaidev
Both Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle have their own unique styles. I chanced upon a song that has been recorded in the voices of both the sisters. The two versions are equally engaging. However, it was Didi's version that got featured in the film "Jeevan Jyoti" (1953).
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
Music: S. D. Burman
"Mera Naam Joker" (1970) was Raj Kapoor's ambitious project, but it flopped at the box office. It did get praised in the later years, though. This film was unusually long (255 minutes) and that made it necessary for it to have two intervals. Before this, another Raj Kapoor production, "Sangam" (1964) had a running time of 238 minutes with two intervals. Today's song is from "Mera Naam Joker".
An almost forgotten song from "Sunayana" (1979) today. A Rajshri production, this film was said to be inspired by Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights". One can see glimpses of an early Naseeruddin Shah in the background when Rameshwari lip-syncs on the screen.
We have listened to several songs in which the leading lady is happily frolicking in the rain. A somewhat different song today from "Phagun" (1958) where she seems to be in some trouble in the company of a couple of villains. She is praying hard for the rains. Will it rain?
Beautiful location, Aishwarya Rai, a melodious song, lovely dance in the rain...these were the ingredients of a solo from "Guru" posted some time earlier in this series. They remain more or less the same for today's song, the only difference being that it is a duet. Enjoy this one from "Taal" (1999).
Singers: Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Music: A. R. Rahman
Independence Day yesterday reminded me of the original Mr. Bharat. Manoj Kumar was a part of several films with patriotic themes and he called himself Bharat in many of them. "Roti Kapda Aur Makaan" (1974) was produced and directed by him. Of course, he played Bharat in it. A popular rain song from that film today.
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Varma Malik
Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal
As we celebrate our Independence Day today, I present a forgotten rain song from a vintage film that was released around the time India became a free nation. "Aage Badho" (1947)--the title is quite symbolic too--was Dev Anand's second film. The leading lady is Khursheed, who was also a noted playback singer and sang her own songs in the film. She migrated to Pakistan after the partition.
Singers: Khursheed, Mohammad Rafi
Lyrics: Pandit Indra
Music: Sudhir Phadke
After several songs in which people singing them on the screen get drenched, two versions of a classic melody today. They talk of rain all the time, but not a single drop of rain anywhere in sight. The faces of Bharat Bhushan and Madhubala are good for a study in contrasts...of being expressionless and expressive, that is. This happens to be the second song from "Barsaat Ki Raat" (1960) in this series, the first one being Garajat barasat saawan aayo re.
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
Music: Roshan
Some songs take you back to your childhood. This is one of them. Complete with Rajesh Khanna's typical mannerisms and Mumtaz's inimitable style, this is a peppy duet from "Do Raaste" (1969). At many places, the word taare is written as saare, but if one listens carefully, it is indeed taare, and that makes more sense too.
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Today's song has two versions, one in female voice and another in male voice from "Manzil" (1979). It is hard to tell which is better. Both are very good in their own way. What is interesting is that they have been shot in completely different ways. If the former portrays a carefree couple walking endlessly--and with abandon--on Mumbai's rain-soaked streets, the latter is mellow, performed sitting in a small room with a harmonium. While Amitabh's attire is suitable for the occasion in the second sequence, wonder why he is in a suit, complete with a tie in the first one.
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar
Lyrics: Yogesh
Music: R. D. Burman
It was a stormy, rainy night when Devaki and Vasudeva had a baby boy in a prison cell in Mathura. While we celebrate the birth of that little boy Krishna today, listen to this rain song, Ghanana ghana ghana Shyaam barase that is actually a bhajan in the voice of Anuradha Paudwal.
A wonderful rain song from "Ram Rajya" (1967) with the sound of thunder in the background when the singer is longing for her beloved. I could not find a video from the film, so posting this song without the original video. The second video has Shreya Ghoshal performing this melody in one of the shows on the TV.
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Bharat Vyas
Music: Vasant Desai
Here is another saawan song: a catchy duet from "Aaya Saawan Jhoom Ke" (1969). It was very common for the hero or the leading lady in films of that time to join a group of dancers/be dragged by a bunch of village folks to dance in some festival. And what is surprising is that we, as viewers found it perfectly normal that they--as outsiders-- not only started dancing with them, but became expert lead dancers without any rehearsals or prior notice. Well, I guess, that was the magic of the large screen and the larger than life images of our favourite stars in an era of no television and no youtube videos.
Well, enjoy this song!
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal
"Do Bigha Zamin" (1953), a film with a socialist theme received various critical acclaims and inspired a generation of filmmakers. It was named after one of Rabindranath Tagore's poems "Dui Bigha Jomi". This little nugget of information deserves a special mention today because it happens to be Gurudev's death anniversary. Presenting an energetic song from this film in which villagers are celebrating the advent of saawan with great gusto.
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey
Lyrics: Shailendra
Music: Salil Chowdhury
"Junoon" (1978) was a Shyam Benegal period classic based on Ruskin Bond's "A Flight Of Pigeons". Set around the rebellion of 1857, it tells the story of a Nawab and two Anglo-Indian ladies--a mother-daughter duo--beautifully. Listen to this lovely song from this film today.
The above clip has the popular version of the song, but the video is not from the film. Here is a video from the film with a slower version of the song, and an English song in the voice of Jennifer Kendall "Come live with me and be my love". And what an eclectic mix of very talented women on the screen, Sushma Seth, Deepti Naval, Nafisa Ali, Ismat Chughtai and Jennifer Kendall!
A rare song from "Stree" (1961) today. This was a fantasy directed by V. Shantaram. He had an unusual eye for beauty, especially when shooting song sequences in his films. His touches are evident in this lovely solo.
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Bharat Vyas
Music: C. Ramchandra
"Lagaan" (2001) was a film in which rains--rather the absence of rains--formed the crux of the story. A very popular song from that film today. The whole village has gathered in anticipation of rain showers. Celebrations have already begun. But a hush descends as the clouds decide to give the village a miss and start receding.
Singers: Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Shaan, Shankar Mahadevan
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Music: A. R. Rahman
Listen to this song that is more than five decades old. It is one of those songs that were quite good but somehow got lost. It is from "Barkha" (1959)...what an apt name to match our theme! The composer is the father of the duo Anand Milind, who worked as assistant music directors with him for eight years before venturing out on their own.
The video is available on YouTube.
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Rajendra Krishan
Music: Chitragupt
A village belle dancing with abandon in the beautiful surroundings of her home. It is raining. Lovely lakes and wondrous waterfalls thrown in for good measure. Well, that is the setting of today's song from "Guru" (2007).
Singer: Shreya Ghoshal
Lyrics: Gulzar
Music: A. R. Rahman
"1942: A Love Story" (1994) was a good film with memorable music by R. D. Burman. It was the last film that he composed for. In fact, it was released after he passed away. A sweet duet from that film today.
Singers: Kavita Krishnamurthy, Kumar Sanu
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Music: R. D. Burman
