Costume Drama: Piya Aiso Jiya Me Samay Gayo Re

I am happy to present a beautiful solo from a critically acclaimed classic "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam" (1962) today. The film is based on a Bangla novel Shaheb Bibi Golam by Bimal Mitra. It depicts friendship between the lonely wife of a wealthy aristocrat and a part-time employee of the family in feudal Bengal. Meena Kumari played the role of the lonely wife who takes to drinking, while Rehman played her husband. Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman are in the cast too. A story has it that the film was sent to the Oscars but the academy rejected it saying in a letter to producer Guru Dutt that the portrayal of a woman who drinks was not permissible.

This song is filmed very aesthetically showing the wife being readied by maids in anticipation of the arrival of her husband. 

The film features lovely songs such as Saquiyaa aaj mujhe neend nahi aayegi, Na jaao saiyan chhuda ke baiyan, Bhanwara bada naadan hai, and Meri baat rahi mere man me.

Singer: Geeta Dutt
Lyrics: Shakeel Nomani
Music: Hemant Kumar

Costume Drama: Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol

Meerabai has written a great number of beautiful bhajans that are relevant even today. Many of them have been featured in several Hindi films. Presenting one such today. From "Jogan" (1950) starring Dilip Kumar and Nargis. Rajendra Kumar had made his debut with a small role in this film. Geeta Dutt's magical voice adds a soothing touch to this devotional number.

Singer: Geeta Dutt
Lyrics: Meerabai
Music: Bulo C. Rani

Costume Drama: Dupatta Mera Malmal Ka

"Adalat" (1958) starring Pradeep Kumar, Pran and Nargis is better known for solos like Jaana tha humse door, Unko yeh shikayat hai and Yun hasaraton ke daag mohabbat me dho liye. Presenting a playful duet from this film today. Though the composer is Madan Mohan, the song reminds you of O. P. Nayyar.

Singers: Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt
Lyrics: Ranjendra Krishan
Music: Madan Mohan

Costume Drama: Dupatta Mera Dhalak Gaya

An old solo from "Darbaar" (1955) today. The cast included Mahipal, Chitra, Sunder, Tiwari, Kammo, Kamal and Niranjan Sharma. Presenting only audio here as video of this song is not available.

Singer: Geeta Dutt
Lyrics: Asad Bhopali
Music: Hansraj Behl

Garden Of Five Senses: Jab Jab Tujhko Chhua

"Jab jab tujhko chhua "goes a song from "Jaal Saaz (1959). If some stories are to be believed, the censors found these words objectionable and did not approve of this song. So, the song was rewritten and set in the same tune. It is a playful party song. The original was sung by Kishore Kumar and Geeta Dutt, while in the later version, Geeta Dutt has been replaced by Asha Bhosle. Could not find a clip of the second version.

Singers: Geeta Dutt, Kishore Kumar
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Music: Datta Naik

Adornments: Jaanoon Jaanoon Re

A playful duet by Asha Bhosle and Geeta Dutt from "Insaan Jaag Utha"(1959). The two friends are teasing each other about their respective love interests. Simply delightful!

Singers: Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt
Lyrics: Shailendra
Music: S. D. Burman

Rain Songs: Meri Jaan Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho

A very gentle song today. It is from "Anubhav" (1971). This was a significant film by Basu Bhattacharya highlighting marital discord in an urban couple. Later, he made two more films on the same theme "Avishkaar" and "Griha Pravesh" completing the trilogy.

Coming back to today's solo, it is one of the last songs Geeta Dutt recorded before she passed away in 1972. It is composed by her brother Kanu Roy.

Rain Songs: Dekh Ke Akeli Mohe Barkha Sataaye

A sweet little song from "Baazi" (1950) today. This is not so well-known as tadbeer se bigdi hui taqdeer banaa 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

Her Story: Marital Home! - 1

The bride arrives in her marital home to start a new life. This song from "Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1961)" depicts that moment nicely.

Singer: Geeta Dutt
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
Music: Ravi

Her Story: Love Blossoming?

She is an adorable young lady. Of late, she is experiencing something which is hard to tell in words. She is wondering about this strange feeling that has come over her. Has she met a young man who might be the reason behind this? There are umpteen songs in Hindi films that describe this delicate phase in a woman's life beautifully. I have two compositions in mind that seem to be just right for this situation. First, a lovely melody from "Bhai Bhai" (1956). Watch out for the other one in the next post.

Trivia: The lady lip-syncing to this song on screen is Shyama. She was born as Khurshid Akhtar in Lahore in undivided India. Director Guru Dutt gave her the name Shyama.

Geeta Dutt died young, but she left her distinctive mark in the world of playback singing with her sensuous voice. Noted critic Raju Bharatan had this to say about her in Filmfare (February 1 - 15, 1985):
"Geeta Dutt was thandi hawa and kali ghata rolled into one. The moment she came, you got the refreshing feeling of aa hi gayi jhoom ke. There was a rare swing in her voice. She hit you like a thunderclap...This made Geeta Dutt the one singer that Lata Mangeshkar really feared. In training and technique Lata was way ahead but neither training nor technique was of much use when pitted against Geeta in the recording room...This put Lata on the defensive and I think she avoided singing with Geeta as far as possible. (They have sung few duets). I vaguely remember Lata acknowledging this fact when Geeta died on July 20, 1972."

Singer: Geeta Dutt
Lyrics: Rajendra Krishan
Music: Madan Mohan

Her Story: Time For A Lullaby

With the arrival of the baby, the new mother's life changes completely. The baby has to be fed, cleaned, bathed and rocked to sleep. All these chores seem to take forever as the mom is still learning. All those who are parents--old or new--surely remember rocking the baby to sleep and putting her in her bed... only to hear her loud wails as soon as they turned their backs.

Many babies like to have a security blanket--a soft toy, a piece of clothing, a small pillow or some such thing--before they fall asleep. And there are some naughty ones who sleep soundly through the day, coming alive refreshed and full of energy at night when the parents are about to call it a night. All such experiences are special for the new parents, to be recalled fondly later.

Many leading ladies in Hindi films have sung lullabies on screen for their babies. A lullaby, called lori in Hindi, is by nature very gentle, sweet and soothing. Watch how this beautiful piece from "Sujata" (1960) is helping our little girl fall asleep.

Singer: Geeta Dutt
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Music: S. D. Burman