Chalo ek baar phir se ajanabi ban jayen hum dono
If ever there was a song that could be described as the defining song of a singer, Mahendra Kapur’s Chalo ek baar phir se ajanabi ban jayen hum dono is one such song.
Mahendra Kapur, who came to the film world through a singing talent competition in the late fifties, was seen as a Rafi clone. That can be a great handicap; the world of film music is replete with the tragedies of clones not being able to come out of the shadow of the original star.
The best known case is of CH Atma, who was such a perfect copy of KL Saigal that throughout his entire career he remained stuck in that groove, so much so that if you are not an initiate, his songs have to be played with the caveat that it is not the voice of Saigal. Mahendra Kapur was lucky that he became the favourite singer of BR Chopra movies, who seemed to have something against Rafi. Except Naya Daur (1957), composed by OP Nayyar, you do not come across many Rafi songs in a BR Chopra movie. Thus you have fabulous Mahendra Kapur songs in films like Dhool Ka Phool (1959), Dharmputra (1961), Gumrah (1963), Waqt (1965), Humraaz (1967), Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969) etc. Chalo ek baar phir se ajanabi ban jayen hum dono from Gumrah, composed by Ravi, is to my mind the apogee of Mahendra Kapur’s singing.
Ravi, who also debuted around the same time, gave some very popular songs in the late fifties, but he achieved raving fame with Chaudahvin Ka Chaand (1960), and soon broke into the top rung in a very crowded field. He became the favourite composer of BR Chopra camp. If you look at Ravi’s entire work, his natural style fitted Mohammad Rafi, and he composed some of the everlasting Rafi melodies. But for BR Films, Mahendra Kapur was the regular singer. Thus, in many ways Mahendra Kapur owes his achievements to Ravi. I would easily rate Chalo ek baar phir se, written by Sahir Ludhiyanvi, among Ravi’s all time greats, which brings out Mahendra Kapur’s individuality so sharply. Compare this with his other song in Gumrah, Aap aye to khayal-e-dil-e-nashad aya, which has a distinct Rafi shade.
Lyrics are often seen as the less important part of a film song, we have heard of lyricists who ‘made’ songs to fit a tune already composed. When Sahir Ludhiyanvi entered the film world in the early 1950s teaming up initially with SD Burman in Naujawan and Baazi, he had already earned a reputation as a poet. In the film world too he retained his poetic flavour, and there are films, such as Pyasa (1957) which you remember for Sahir Ludhiyanvi’s evocative poetry. Sahir Ludhiyanvi had a natural fit with BR Chopra who were known to make films with a social message. Chalo ek baar phir se is easily among Sahir’s best. Just savour his beautiful lines:
Chalo ek baar phir se ajanabi ban jayen hum dono
Na main tum se koi ummeed rakhun dil nawazi ki
Na tum meri taraf dekho galat andaaz nazron se
Na mere dil ki dhadkan ladkhadaaye meri baaton mein
Na zahir ho tumhari kashamkash ka raaz nazron se
Chalo ek bar phir se ajanabi ban jayen hum dono
Tumhein bhi koi uljhan rokati hai peshkadami se
Mujhe bhi log kahte hain ki ye jalwe paraaye hain
Mere humraah bhi ruswaaiyaan hain mere maazi ki
Tumhare saath bhi guzari huyee raaton ke saaye hain
Chalo ek baar phir se ajanabi ban jayen hum dono
Tarruf rog ho jaye to usko bhoolna behtar
Talluq bojh ban jaye to usko todana achha
Wo afsana jise anjaam tak lana na ho mumkin
Use ik khoobsoorat mod de kar chhodna achha
Chalo ek baar phir se ajanabi ban jayen hum dono
चलो एक बार फिर से अजनबी बन जाएं हम दोनो
न मैं तुमसे कोई उम्मीद रक्खूँ, दिल नवाज़ी की
न तुम मेरी तरफ़ देखो गलत अंदाज़ नज़रों से
न मेरे दिल की धड़कन लड़खड़ाये मेरी बातों में
न ज़ाहिर हो तुम्हारी कशमकश का राज़ नज़रों से
चलो एक बार फिर से अजनबी बन जाएं हम दोनो
तुम्हें भी कोई उलझन रोकती है पेशकदमी से
मुझे भी लोग कहते हैं कि ये जलवे पराए हैं
मेरे हमराह भी रुसवाइयां हैं मेरे माज़ी की
तुम्हारे साथ भी गुज़री हुई रातों के साये हैं
चलो एक बार फिर से अजनबी बन जाएं हम दोनो
तार्रुफ़ रोग हो जाये तो उसको भूलना बेहतर
ताल्लुक बोझ बन जाये तो उसको तोड़ना अच्छा
वो अफ़साना जिसे अंजाम तक लाना न हो मुमकिन
उसे इक खूबसूरत मोड़ दे कर छोड़ना अच्छा
चलो एक बार फिर से अजनबी बन जाएं हम दोनो
These lyrics are so beautiful, it is worth translating in English, and it sounds equally lyrical in an alien language, such is the power of Sahir’s poetry. And here is my English translation:
O my love! Let us be strangers once again
Let me not have any hopes of tenderness from you
Nor should you look towards me with longing eyes
Let not my words betray my trembling heart
Nor your eyes show the torment inside you
Come, let us be strangers once again
There is something that keeps you from taking the next step
As for me, they say these delights are not mine
My past infamy has become my companion
You too are burdened by the shadows of the nights gone by
Come, let us be strangers once again
When familiarity becomes an affliction it is better to forget it
When relationship becomes a burden it is better to break it
The story which can not be brought to a happy ending
It is better to give it a beautiful turn and leave it
Come, let us be strangers once again
Finally, a film song is rooted in a story in a visual medium. Therefore, if the picturisation is superb and it takes forward the story, the impact is everlasting – Chalo ek baar phir se hai has that abiding quality because of its picturisation. And if the song is a piano song the impact is magical.
In Hindi film songs the grand piano is not just a musical instrument, it becomes as important a part of the scene as the actors in the frame. In a romantic setting the heroine can lean on the piano resting her elbow on it, and with her face cupped in her palm, look at the hero lovingly, who would then break into Tu kahe agar jeevan bhar main geet sunata jaaun (Mukesh for Dilip Kumar in Andaaz) or Dil matwala lakh sambhala aakhir kisi par aa hi gaya/Shokh nazar se dekhanewala pyar ka rog laga hi gaya (Talat Mahmood for Raj Kapoor (!) in Bewafa). At other times the sad notes of the piano come in handy to convey the pain of the hero who has lost the heroine to the other guy, or to clear misunderstandings which the hero could not do otherwise because of circumstances (Aaj ki raat mere dil ki salaami le le by Dilip Kumar in Ram Aur Shyam).
In Chalo ek bar phir se too, the piano has a dominating presence, but in an entirely different setting. Ashok Kumar, who is a busy lawyer and uncaring husband, accidentally comes to know of his wife Mala Sinha’s past association with singer-artist Sunil Dutt, when he sees her portrait in his studio. He invites him over to his house – to gather more evidence? Near the piano it is not the heroine, it is Ashok Kumar who opens its lid for Sunil Dutt to sing, and he strategically places himself near it almost keeping Mala Sinha at bay. During the song, an agonising Mala Sinha gingerly tries to come near the piano, and leans on Ashok Kumar, as if to profess her faithfulness, but the pipe-smoking Ashok Kumar giving meaningful glances at her does not seem to be convinced. The whole scene is sheer magic.
The pathos of Sunil Dutt conveyed through the beautiful poetry of Sahir Ludhiyanvi, the torment of Mala Sinha, the unkind smirk of a suspicious husband Ashok Kumar as if straight out of a Roald Dahl story, superb music by Ravi, Mahendra Kapur singing at his best and the grand piano, make this song an everlasting classic.
Listen to Chalo ek baar phir se from the film Gumrah
{ 84 comments… read them below or add one }
This song is indeed a classic; but the major credit goes to Sahir. Ravi and Mahendra Kapur have done well to render it in a simple and straightforward way so as not to distract one from the beauty of the lyrics.
Frankly, I have never been an admirer of Mahendra Kapur, and would have difficulty recalling ten songs of his that I like. However, Yeh hawa yeh fiza from Gumraah and Nile gagan ke tale from Humraaz are songs I recall with some fondness.
@Subodh:
I would agree with you it is very much a Sahir song, but the music by Ravi and Mahendra Kapur’s singing add to its beauty. Let us say can we imagine any other singer in place of Mahnendra Kapur doing it? It is also very much a Mahendra Kapur song. Even if you may not be able to recall too many of his songs (I am myself not a big admirer of his), some of his songs had this quality of leaving an indelible imprint of his unique style. In my next article I intend to write about a couple more of his such songs.
This is indeed the best song from the MK-Sahir-Ravi-BRC team, but a close No. 2 is “Tum agar saath dene ka vaada karo” (Hamraaz) from the same team. This song will pep you up when you are in low spirits. Kudos to you for translating the whole lyrics of the song. Great effort!!!
Ravi always reserved his best for BR Chopra’s movies, and maintained the high standards right upto “Nikaah”, which had some mesmerizing solos by Salma Agha, like “Fiza bhi hai jawan jawan”, “Wohi gali wohi shaher” and “Dil ke armaan aansooon mein beh gaye”, plus a beautiful MK-Salma duet, “Dil ki yeh aarzoo thi koi, dilruba mile”. The music of the movie feels fresh even after 30 years.
Talking of Mahendra Kapur, I am yet to find a person who would be an avid fan of his but it goes without saying that he had a wonderful, deep voice and got to sing some great compositions. Listen to his solo, “Chand chhupa aur taare doobe” from Sohni Mahiwal (1958) in which his voice reaches a crescendo with flawless ease. Apart from Mukesh, it was MK’s voice which fit like a glove on Manoj Kumar (recall “Aur nahin bas aur nahin” in “Roti Kapada Aur Makaan” with rising and falling notes).
Isnt there a story that Sahir wrote the lyrics when he saw his old flame Sudha Malhotra as a newly married bride. The context adds to the silken sensuality of the song.
@Sanjay Prakash
As ususal your comments are very informative and add to our knowledge of songs. Chand chhupa aur tare doobe is said to be the very first song of Mahendra Kapur. The story is that in a stage show Naushad was so impressed by Mahendra Kapur’s singing that he promised to give him a break in one of his films. Thereafter, Naushad used him rarely. The only song that I can instantly recall is the duet from Aadmi (1968) with Rafi Kaisi haseen aaj baharon ki raat hai. But this also had an interesting twist. The original song was recorded in the voice of Rafi (for Dilip Kimar) and Talat Mahmood (for Manoj Kumar). By that time Talat Mahmood was seen as having gone out of the market, and Mahendra Kapur on Manoj Kumar had achieved great success. On Manoj Kumar’s insistence Talat Mahmood was replaced by Mahendra Kapur in the film. However, by that time the record with Talat Mahmood version was already in the market and achieved popularity. So you have two versions of the song, both available on the Youtube.
Coming back to Chand chhupa, this is not one of my favourites, and I would have hardly recalled this one among Mahendra Kapur’s best. My special favourites apart from his well known songs from BR Chopra-Ravi combo, are two OP Nayyar songs Tumhara chahnewala khuda ki duniya mein and Mera pyar wo hai ki on which I have already posted an article, and Bhool sakta hai bhala kaun wo pyari ankhen from the film Dharmputra, composed by N Dutta.
hi,
im from maldives.
“Chalo ek bar phir se” i absolutely adore this song.
thanks for the english translation.
i love the hindhi version.. but understanding it better, has made me love the song more..
thanks again..
bye
@Shifa:
You are welcome. Thanks for the appreciation.
Correct me if I am wrong, this song won for Mahenda Kapoor the Filmfare Award in 1964 for the Best Male Playback Singer.
In 1968 he won this award again – “Neele Gagan Ke Tale” – Hamraaz.
@KBS Sidhu
You are right on both the counts. In 1964 his competition was Rafi’s Mere mehboob tujhe, a formidable song by itself. In 1968 his competition was his own Mere desh ki dharti and Mukesh’s Sawan ka mahina.
Mahendra Kapoor was utilized profusely by Shri Avinash Kumar in his Gujarati songs. The songs of film Kalapi are in fact landmarks in that the lyrics are the original poems one of the finest poets who had romantic pathos in his poetry. [Jyaa Jyaa Nazar Maari Thare..]
Similarly Mahendra Kapoor have rendered some wonderful songs with C Ramchndra [ Kaun Ho tum – Stree], with SJ [Har Dil jo Pyar Karega – atiad – Sangam]
This is indeed a beautiful song where the lyrics, music and picturisation melded into a harmonious whole. My favourite lines are:
Tarruf rog ho jaye to usko bhoolna behtar
Talluq bojh ban jaye to usko todana achha
Wo afsana jise anjaam tak lana na ho mumkin
Use ik khoobsoorat mod de kar chhodna achha
So true, isn’t it?
Yes indeed. In fact, in many complex situations I have found the following lines fit spot-on, after which nothing remains to be said:
Wo afsana jise anjaam tak lana na ho mumkin
Use ik khoobsoorat mod de kar chhodna achha
It is iad that BR Productions had run into some differences with Rafi and therfore had to choose Mahendra Kapur. RAvi , as said, grudgingly, went ahead. But the reults are simply great. Of course, Mahendra Kapor was not used as effectively in subsequent films.
Here, he has not cloned Rafi, but has shown the restraints of sur which many music directors used to force him to dao away with.
It is also said that when Mahendra Kapur had met Rafi at the beginning of his carreer, Rafi had advised him to devlop his own natural style.
किसी अफसाने से बहोत ज्यादा परेशान होने से तो उसे एक ‘खुबसुरत’ अंजाम देनेका फलसुफा तो साहिर जैसे शायर ही सोच शकते है. खास कर जो ‘हर एक बात पर रो’भी सकता है यह असोच करके के “कौन रोता है किसीकी बात पर अय दोस्त, सबको अपनी अपनी बात पर रोना आया” [हम दोनो]
Nobody has described Chalo ek bar…better than you. Now I will derive more pleasure from this most beautiful song caressingly composed by Ravi, sung with great feeling by Mahendra Kapoor and penned with so much pain by Chalo ek bar phirse…..
What a great description of a great poetry immortalised as a bollywood song. Sahir was a genius who could convert some of the most profound philosophical thoughts into memorable lyrics penned in simple Hindustani thus take complex philosophy to common cine-goer.I request AK to include two more great lyrics of Sahir here with his painstaking research and beautiful style-
1. Main zindagi ka saath nibhaataa chalaa gayaa- from Hun Dono
2. Aage bhi jaane na tu , peechhe bhi jaane na tu- from Waqt
@S Balakrishnan, Rajiv Yadav
Thanks a lot for your kind words. Chalo ek baar phir se ajanabi ban jayen hum dono became very special to me for its lyrics when a boss of mine (who was non-Hindi speaking and who was extremely popular) quoted the last two lines (i>Wo afsana jise..) at his farewell party. Till that time it was just a good song for me, thereafter it became a poetry with deep meaning.
As I have mentioned in the beginning of my post, generally I like a song for its tune, music and singer. Therefore, my posts are mostly based on singers and music directors. However, the two songs Rajiv Yadav has mentioned are again among the top lyrics of Sahir. Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya is about the best invocation to take adversity and failure in one’s stride and get on with life.
मैं ज़िंदगी का साथ निभाता चला गया
हर फ़िक्र को धुंए में उड़ाता चला गया
बरबादियों का सोग मनाना फ़िज़ूल था
बरबादियों का जश्न मनाता चला गया
जो मिल गया उसी को मुक़द्दर समझ लिया
जो खो गया मैं उसको भुलाता चला गया
ग़म और ख़ुशी में फ़र्क ना महसूस हो मुझे
मैं दिल को उस मुकाम पे लाता चला गया
Party songs are generally not known for deep meaning. But Age bhi jane na tu in Waqt encapsules the stories of the main protaganists, whom fate has separated in childhood, and after some turbulent times their paths would intersect. A most fitting title song.
आगे भी जाने ना तू पीछे भी जाने ना तू
जो भी है बस यही एक पल है
अनजाने सायों का राहों में डेरा है
अनदेखी बाहों ने हम सबको घेरा है
ये पल उजाला है बाक़ी अंधेरा है
ये पल गंवाना ना ये पल ही तेरा है
जीनेवाले सोच ले यही वक़्त है कर ले पूरी आरज़ू, आगे भी….
इस पल के जलवों ने महफ़िल संवारी है
इस पल की गर्मी ने धड़कन उभारी है
इस पल के होने से दुनिया हमारी है
ये पल जो देखो तो सदियों पे वारी है
जीनेवाले सोच ले….
इस पल के साये में अपना ठिकाना है
इस पल के आगे की हर शै फ़साना है
कल किसने देखा है कल किसने जाना है
इस पल से पायेगा जो तुझको पाना है
जीनेवाले सोच ले …..
Awwsome.. The Intense message conveyed through such lyrics.. Thanks Sahir G.. 🙂
thanks a lot for the english translation…love you…
”chalo ek baar phir” is an epic sòng in our music history…it really deserves an independent topic…thanx Akji
I m so glad to see u have mentioned ” tumhara chahne wala khuda ki duniya me, mere siva bhi koi aur ho khuda na kare ” its my fav of Mk….and also that 1….” ari o shokh kaliyo muskura dena wo jab aaye ” (jab yaad kisiki aati hai, with madanji ) kya baat kya baat
And the song ” dil matwala lakh sambhala ” !! Nice reminding ! ttthose 4 songs of BEWAFA,,talat on RK ! Superb,enchanting…..parallel to the mukesh’s 4 on DK in ANDAAZ..
1. Dil mila dard ko mehmaan banane ke liye
Aankh bakshi hai kahin aankh ladane ke liye
Husn ki aankh me aansoo nahi dekhe jaate
Ishq taiyar hai har naaz uthane ke liye…mashallah what a fantastic poetry ! And how masterly sung by talat and composed by Allarakha qureshi !
2. Tu aaye na aaye teri khooshi, hum aas lagaye baithe hai
Deedar ki pyasi aankho me toofan chhupaye baithe hai..
3. Tumko fursat ho meri jaan idhar dekh to lo
Char aankhen na karo ek nazar dekh to lo
4. Dil matwala lakh sambhala, phir bhi kisi par aa hi gaya..
All 4 are must listen gems of talat..
b r chopra/yash chopra also used n dutta in movies sadhna ,dhool ka phool n dharamputra.lyricist for all these being sahir.this mahendra kapoor song (aaj ki raat muradon ki barat aayee hai ) from dharmputra is magical.enjoy!
http://youtu.be/XlZe8NFcikg
Jignesh Kotadia ‘ji , RAVI has given some of the best songs which I am finding as appearing least . But music lovers will not forget the songs……” sau baar janam lainge ” …..” Aye mere dilley naadan tu gaam se na ghabrana”…..” chaudvin ka chand ho “……. “Main khush nasseeb hoon mujh ko kissi ka pyar mila “…..”Sab kutch loota ke hosh mein aye to kya kiya “…..” ajab hai maalik tera jahan chirag kahan roshni kahan ” . These are all NON BR Chopra’s or Davender goel’s movies . On lighter side Ravi gave songs such as…..”C A T cat “….”bar bar dekho” etc . Ravi specialised for hindi movies made in south india . THANKS Jignesh Kotadia for the four listed songs@ 19 above . They are excellent and well choosen .
Hi,
Apropos acomment above that MK has not many devoted fans. I have loved his songs; patriotic and devotional and all others too. my fav singer.
Usha
One must listen to other MK songs like ……”Kahan najar takrai dil yeh kiss par aaya ” an old song of mid 50’s ; not very popular but very melodious ; and carries the style and flavour of Rafi saheb .
‘Kisi patthar Ki moorat se’ was the first song, which I used to sing as a child. I don’t know why I took fancy to this song, (maybe to impress upon others that I could comprehend URDU) but even today, I am appreciative of the song and its lyrics.
During that period, when ‘black and white’ movies were initially shown on Doordarshan, I chanced to watch a movie named ‘Aasman Mahal’.
Mahendra Kapoor sang two ‘Nazms’ (pls correct me if I am wrong).
Khoobsurat hai teri tarah shikayat teri, penned by Ali Sardar Zafri, in tarranum, and
Main aahen bhar nahi sakta, by Majaaz Lakhnavi, in verse, at a ‘mushaaira’ kind of setting.
Music was by J P Kaushik, who was also one of the unlucky composers who went away unsung.
The beautiful lyrics by these stalwarts of ‘Urdu adab’ and MK’s beautiful rendering made me his fan and I still have a soft corner for him despite his junior status in comparison to other stalwarts of Hindi film music.
‘Khoobsurat hai teri tarah’ will, I am sure, remind you of ‘Bhool sakta hai bhala kaun wo’ from ‘Dharamputra’.
Sharmaji,
I recall we had a discussion on this blog that Mahendra Kapoor was the most unloved singer. Someone commented – I think it was Subodh – that he was yet to meet a person who was passionately fond of Mahendra Kapoor. I am happy that I found someone who is more just to him.
Koobsoorat hai teri tarah shikayat teri is a beautiful nazm, but I put Bhool sakta hai bhala kaun in a class by itself – it is not only among MK’s greatest, but shows how wrong it was to call him a poor man’s Rafi.
Main aahein bhar nahi sakta ki naghme gaa nahi sakta is again a beautiful nazm. Heard for the first time. Thanks a lot for mentioning it. The YT link does not show a mushaira setting. Rather the hero and the heroine are on their respective balconies, reciting to each other. It is such a fantastic double Atariya song that I am going to add it in comments there.
My day is made AK Ji, and thanks for the correction.
I am honoured by your appreciation.
Dear AK- I just accidentally started reading your Blogs and the SoYs.
I have been RJying got more than 20 years on a community radio here in USA on my program called Swaranjali. Which airs every Sunday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm EST. Can be heard live on http://www.waif883.org.
Where r u located? Would like to meet with you someday.
Looking forward to your email.
Rakesh,
Thanks for your appreciation. I have sent you a mail.
AK
Arvinder sharma’ji , Hear Rafi sahib in Mohendra kapoor’s flavour …a …la ….Gumrah style in Ravi’s composition ….”Diwana keh ke aaj mujhe phir pukaariye….” from Mulzim . Both these films were released in 1963 . Another song of 1963 by Rafi……” Itni hassen Itni jawan”…from Aaj aur Kal again by ravi …. very closely resemble each other. While mohendra kapoor made history with Gumrah the other two , though very good, got faintly remembered . I think the year and there after belonged to MK and lasted till his association with BR camp . MK did some good job in Kalyanji Anandji ‘s camp also.
KS Bhatiaji,
You have added two fabulous songs. It is surprising the first one was relatively unknown. It is much superior to its imitation by SJ in Laal Pathar – Unke khayaal aaye to aakar chale gaye.
KS Bhatia Ji,
Many thanks for addressing me in your post and this could not have come at a more appropriate moment as I was having dinner at my in-laws’ place and immediately showed your post to everyone. (My wife’s maiden name was Rachna Bhatia).
Both the songs you have mentioned have been my favorites but I could never relate to them in this way.
It would have been very interesting to see Mahendra Kapoor singing them and I am sure he would have rendered them beautifully.
(My bias shows).
Now that you have opened up this Pandora’s box,
I would also love to join the issue with three Rafi songs, which I feel MK would have sung effortlessly and in his own inimitable style.
Leke Sahara tere pyar ka by Rafi, music Chitragupta from ‘Nache Nagin Baaje Been’.
Leke Sahara Tere Pyaar Ka – Nache Nagin Baje Been…: http://youtu.be/IsXHBXP8UAk
Duniya me aaya hai to by Rafi, music N Datta, from ‘Mere Armaan Mere Sapne’.
DUNIYA MEIN AAYA HAI TO PHOOL-RAFI-FILM-MERE ARMA…: http://youtu.be/4VvZa9yMZNs
One song from ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’, Kisi na kisi se kabhi na kabhi’ by Rafi, music OP Naiyyar.
Kisi na kisi ko kabhi na kabhi- KASHMIR KI KALI: http://youtu.be/mk0X_h6uBaA
This always reminds me of ‘Lakhon hain yahan dilwaale’, by MK, after he found favor with OPN.
KS Bhatia ji,
Pardon me for trespassing, I agree with you, the songs you have mentioned did not make history like the songs from Gumrah, but I truly believe that what made Gumrah songs immortal were the exceptional lyrics by Sahir.
Chopras had very good understanding of lyrics, Sahir has done outstanding work with them. Mahendra Kapoor was the beneficiary of that association, can you imagine these songs going to Mahendra Kapoor if Chopras had not had problems with Rafi.
Manoj Kumar had good ears for music too, when he switched over to Mahendra Kapoor and Kalyanji Anandji they made good combination, as you have mentioned.
AK’ji,Arvinder sharma’ji, Mumbaikar8’ji, I am in total
agreement with the observatoins made by each one of you. I think during 60’s and 70’s Mahendra kapoor was equally enjoying his status as that of Rafi sahib by giving voice to Manoj, Dharmendra, Rajendra, Sunil Dutt and others under LP, KA, SJ, MM, OP etc. In fact whenever high pitched song was required he was the first choice . He was equally at ease in rendering the soft songs and najams. My favourite amongst such ones is from ” Jab yaad kiisee ki aati hai ” By Madan Mohan’s classic composition…….Ari woh shokh kaliyon. During his lean period he made his days with B- class movies also….. mostly for Dara Singh ‘s and other action movies of that era . He was in good demand for mythological movies also. But ,as said above ,during 60s and 70s he was rubbing his shoulder with his Guru ……Rafi sahib .
Arvinder sharma’ji, Thanks for the uploads . All the three songs are beautiful .The second one is just like OP’s composition. As correctly said these songs could be as good with Mohendra kapoor singing.
KS Bhatia Ji,
Thanks for your kind words.
KsBhatiaji,
Mahendra Kapoor had undoubtedly caved his niche in high pitched songs but l liked him more in soft ones like you have mentioned.
Ari o shokh kaliyyon muskuran dena is indeed beautifully rendered!
Mumbaiker’ji, Arvinder sharma’ji, AK’ji, Here are two soft songs of Rafi sahib in Mahendra kapoor flavour from ” Preet na jaane reet ” ……..Teri julphen pareashan…..and…..Main bewaafa nahin hoon tere pyar ki kassam . These or such type songs of the 60s, could easily fit Mahinder kapoor rendering style . AK’ji I think in Laal Pather SJ was in fading mode at that time and were nowhere near the likes of MM .
Arvinder sharma ‘ji , Like Rafi – Mahendra kapoor here is Lata singing in Suman kalyanpur style ” Soch rahi ki kahoo na kahoon ” from …Ek phool char kante . There are not much in numbers but I think this is a unique one.
Mumbaikar’ji , Magic of Sahir really made wonders as the story line of Gumrah moved . Not only that, the songs really helped in keeping the suspense of the film . As described by AK’ji the picturisation of songs ,the expression of each actor on every word and camera angle and movement was fantastic . In fact this film really made Sahir- Ravi a super hit combo and famous , so much so , that they even gave a mini background song for a commercial advt for a talcum powder viz …Himalaya Bouquet ….. which goes like ….” Phool ke saman hai…. apni apni yeh sundarta …..Aur sundarta ki jaan hai himalaya bouquet….. himalaya himalaya himalaya bouquet “. The interlude and tune of this song was same as ” Yeh hawa yeh hawa ” of Gumrah. The Advt even carried the names of Sahir and Ravi as lyricist and music director.
Ksbhatia ji,
Sahir had some very good stints with almost all the MDs, but for his bloated ego he could not sustain with most of them, he could bear only those who were humble enough to accept his superiority and Ravi was that humble soul and the other one was Roshan.
I was not aware of the anecdote about the Himalaya ad, I cannot imagine Sahir writing for Himalaya products, but surprises are spice of life, Thanks.
Mumbaikar8,
I am also not aware of Sahir doing any ads but here is a clipping of Rexona soap ad , sung by Geeta Dutt, composed by Salil Chaudhary and written by Shailendra, all stalwarts of HFM,
REXONA SABAN AD GEETA DUTTA MUSIC SALIL CHOWDHUR…: http://youtu.be/QuYtwfJT4rE
One more MD, who has also worked extensively with Sahir, is Khayyam.
Mumbaikar8 and Sharmaji, Thanks for the Rexona soap add which i conform to have seen during 60s movies . And i am 100 % sure about Himalaya talcum powder add also. There is one more add on Deluxe Tenor Ciggtt. by Mukesh ,this was around 1958 or 60 . I think mukesh ,raj kappoor and others [ Sajjan ? ] acted or appeared in this advt.
SAHIR LUDHIANVI , who was a well known Urdu poet,was among the best song writers in hindi filmdom Some of his songs were landmarks in hindi cinema, like in Pyaasa. BUT there were others too like KAIFI AZMI and MAJROOH., WHO WORKED WITH THE BEST COMPOSERS OF THEIR TIME LIKE SD, NAUSHAD , MADAN MOHAN, ROSHAN. CAN SOME BODY COMPILE A LIST OF 10 BEST SONGS OF EACH THESE lyricists for the aficianados of HINDI FILM MUSIC.
ashok
Arvindersharma’ji, Last time I caught you having dinner at your inlaws place [@31] exchanging some nice discussions on Mohender kapoor vis a vis rafi style rendering of songs . As second derivative to that listen to lata’ji’s song …….Sambhal to leh dil diwana jara thair jaana……..from “Phool bane aangare” . Here the MD is Kalyanji Aanandji and closely resemble Ravi’s compositions mentioned @29 . There is a beautiful duet by Lata/Rafi ……..Do ghadi woh jo paas aa bahthe……from “gateway of india ” which also carries the same sweet flavour in which Rafi / Mohender kapoor sang their respective songs. Arvinderji whats your menu in tonights dinner?
KS Bhatia Ji,
Thanks for your affection once again.
Sahir/ Ravi/ MK combine have produced some excellent compositions and some have really gone unnoticed like this gem from Kaajal, which was overshadowed by two great songs by Rafi, namely,
Ye zulf agar khul me, and
Choose lene do naazuk honthon KO
Aap Ke Paas Mahendra Kapoor Kaajal (1965) Music R…: http://youtu.be/wnApV3ODqNg.
This is another Mahendra Kapoor song I am especially fond of.
And Bhatia Ji, dinner is simply home cooked food with some soul stirring music, nearly always.
If you live in Delhi or have plans to visit, you are most welcome anytime.
My wife and I promise not to disappoint you.
KS Bhatiaji, Sharmaji
I have been keenly following your discussion on the sidelines. Aap ke paas jo aayega I am hearing after decades, and I can’t have enough of it. I find it more charming than Rafi’s two famous songs you have mentioned.
AK’ji ,Arvindersharma’ji; Aap ke paas jo aayega ….. is a milestone song of Mohender kapoor for its soft rendering of an otherwise high pitch singer. I think some of the MK songs were really at a higher grade comparing with that of Rafi sahib . But considering the long span of Rafi sahib career I think one has to wait for generations to find such charming singer with such modulation and range . Here is one soft Lata/Rafi duet …. ” Saaj-e-dil cheer de kya hassen raat hai ” from Passport . Yes Sharma’ji good music and good food goes hand in hand . On the average I spend about 2 to 3 hours listening to hindi and western classic music. I was born and brought up and educated in delhi [ IIT,delhi] ; and after retirement now settled in Gurgaon [NCR]. AK’ji and Sharma’ji, It will be a pleasure for me and my family to have company of learned friends like all of you . So whenever in delhi or gurgaon be in touch , I will be just a phone call away .
KS Bhatiaji, Sharmaji,
Just wanted to add, Aapke paas jo aayega sounded very similar to another famous song I am not able to put my handle on right now. First I thought about Ae sanam jisne tujhe chaand si surat di hai, there is similarity in some parts, but there could be another one. Leaving a thought to you.
Bhatiaji, good to know about your personal details. It is interesting that among the committed followers of SoY, there is a large percentage of people with technical background.
AK’ji Mohinder kapoor had to his credit some funny songs also like ………..” rasia rasia re nimbua mangaidiye ” picturised on Dara singh. There is one more…..” tu husn ka hai durban to main hun ishq ka pahredar” …from Man ka meet. The mukhda of this song loosely resemble the vintage song ” More ghunghar wale baal o raaja ghunghar wale baal ” by Shamshad from 1950 movie Pardes with music by Gulam mohd. As said earlier MK had to resort to low budget movies to remain in demand.
KS Bhatiaji,
You (and Arvinder Sharmaji) are some MK expert! Tu husn ka hai durban to main hun ishq ka pahredar I vaguely remember to have heard. It was good to refresh its memory. The similarity with More ghunghar wale baal does not appear very obvious. But, the instrumental music on the flute immediately following the mukadaa struck me as very close to the musical prelude ofBol Radha bol sangam hoga ki nahi, except that I this case it was bagpiper.
Only an inveterate MK fan would associate Rasiya O rasiya re nimbua mangaye de, uthi karejwa mein peer would associate it with him, because it is a a duet, in which Asha Bhosle is more prominent. When I saw Hansraj Bahal as the MD, I felt a little sad how market pulls down the fortunes of a great talent. In the early part of his career he gave some everlasting music.
AK, Bhatia ji,
Talking about resembling songs: can you see the resemblance between the Agra Road song duniya li nazar hai buri and Maya Bazar Bazaar song Ankhiyon me samte ho dil na chura lena or is it my dimagi khalal?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtE5XXMDw-4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hJ7JwP2t2Q#t=202
Bhatia, Sharmaji.
This MD song from Sandhaya is from mid-70’s but has the remnants of golden era. Only Khayyam MD song?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAA_DY9nLvg
Mumbaiker8 , Yes ; Agra road and Maya bazaar songs are very close and surprisingly tuned by two very different styled apart MDs Roshan and Chitragupt . Here are two songs by Roshan having the same tune, beats and rhythem ; both songs by lataji……. ” Cheen liya re baiman mera dil ” from Zindagi aur hum….and ….” Sari sari raat teri yaad sataiye ” from Aji bas shukriya. Mumbaiker ji, Piano is a beautiful instrument to listen to . Look at how Richard clyderman plays it beautifully [ more than 3000 melodies right from 40’s till date]. How come hindi cinema song uses less of piano in happy songs and more in sad songs ? This beautiful melody maker [piano] is fading fast from hindi cinema I think SJ and Naushad sahib made beautiful melodies using piano . In Sandhaya song Khayam was not that effective. I think Roshan was fantastic in ” mai dil hun ek armaan bhara”.
Mumbaikar8,
The basic tunes are indeed quite close. Great find. Both the songs were new for me. How could such a beautiful song Duniya ki nazar hai buri, zulfein na sanwara karo remain hidden! Were you ever a Naval diver?
KS Bhatiaji,
Another tune Roshan reused, Tera dil kahan hai sub kuchh yahan hai by Asha Bhosle from Chaandni Chowk (1954) in Rahen na rahen hum by Lata Mangeshakr in Mamta (1966). In this case, the second song achieved iconic status. The singer was one difference, but he also vastly embellished the tune.
The piano was a product of its times. It signified certain class, not only in terms of wealth – you had to have a large living room to house a grand piano – but also elegance and taste. Sometime back I read an interesting article in The Telegraph on the demise of the piano in the homes in Europe and America.
AK,
No dubki was involved in Duniya ki nazar hai buri, it is one of my favourite Rafi Geeta duet, yes ankhiyon me samate ho was a find and that’s when the bell rang about the similarity!
I was to cite the songs of Chandni Chowk and Mamta but you beat me to it.
I cannot agree with you that singer made the difference because I believe that Asha was wonderful in the original song. It is a heartbreak all Chandni Chowk songs went unnoticed.
Bhatiaji,
Beautiful happy pano song by Naushad sahib from Saathi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QEguovWr1k#t=32
AK’ji You have nicely described the fading of Piano. I think if it all have to be forgotten it needs to be covered by a nice velvet cloth and decorated with gold threaded beautiful artistic designs. I feel very lucky to have listen to the great melodies and that too LIVE on various occasions . During my younger years my favorite such places were the famous restaurants Yorks, Volga ,Gaylord and YMCA. IIT delhi too had one. They usually used to play western classic tunes ,mostly waltz, but in between they would play Laralapa laralapa, gori gori o banki chori, shola jo bhadke type songs . The music of the 50s and 60s slowly slipped away— the drums had to make way for the bongos. Really those were the days in my life that moulded my intrest in music. AK’ji thanks for the Chandni chowk song , it really is close to mamta song. And Mumbaikerji thanks for rewinding my liking and that reminds me of ” Aye husn jara jaag tujhe ishk jagaaiye ” from Mere mehboob. I like Ravi’s song ” Main khush naseeb hoon mujh ko kisi ka pyar mila “……this beautiful song is a five stanza song having beautiful interludes.
Mumbaiker8, Thanks for my recall of the old days when i used to sing ” Tum se hippy tippy ho gayi ” that picnic song picturised on bicycle rides.
Mumbaikar8,
Sorry for the late response.
But the song, ‘ Kab tere husn se’ was a real favorite of mine at one time and it was completely forgotten by me.
Many thanks for mentioning it.
I really liked the two resembling songs and would like to add a couple of my favorites, thanks to your initiative.
Both of these influenced sets of songs feature one lesser heard song and the other, a very popular number.
First set is by Manna De and Lata, film ‘Karorpati’ and ‘Basant Bahar’
Aap hue mere, balam main tumhari
aap hue mere balam-karodpati: http://youtu.be/7kM540csbMI
Nain mile chain kahan
“NAIN MILE CHAIN KAHA”BY MANNA DEY & LATA,M.D:SHA…: http://youtu.be/ouIunVC5Gz8
The second one ;
Ashkon ki kahani kya kahiye by Lata from ”Do Roti’
Ashkon Ki Kahani Kya Kahiye Lata Mangeshkar Film …: http://youtu.be/kDF80gUQGGI
Chandi ka badan, some ki nazar from ‘Tajmahal’ by Manna De,Rafi and Asha Bhonsle.
Chandi ka badan (Asha, Rafi, Manna Dey): http://youtu.be/KzenCvq9AJo
Arvindersharma’ji, you have a rare knack of discovering similar songs and have taken me again down the memory lane. Similarity of krorepati and Basant bahar is very close and this reminds me of another beautiful song from Krorepati …..” Oo Sajna na pooch mujse pyar kya hai ” . The beats and style reminds me of Mohd rafi song from Shararat ” Ajab hai daastan teri yeh zindgi ” picturised on Kishore . The manna dey song of Krorepati was also picturised on Kishore da. Another song by Lataji from Shararat ” Dekha babu cheed ka mazaa ” some what matches ” Tera jalwa jisne dekha ” from Ujalla. All these movies songs have one tag that is Shanker Jaikishan. One can note the beautiful Ghoongroo and sound effects in the fast dance numbers for which SJ were famous for. The movie Ujaala reminds me of a beautiful SJs song ” Dekho ji aankhon mein dekho ” from one of the last of Madhubala colored movie co starring Sunil dutt . Enjoy to your heart content. Quite similar to this is again one song from Singapore ” Aane laga zindgi ka mazaa jaan gayi pahechan gai main mohabat hai kya ” by Lataji & chorus .
the fact that Mahendra Kapoor won two awards under teh baton of Ravi, proves his versatility
and, it’s all thanks to the Chopra brothers
One more point———while Ravi “made” Mahendra, lets not forget the other singer who, equally, gave Ravi prominence-via Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Do Badan, Neel Kamal, Gharana,—-note in all these four films, Rafi got nominated.
Arguably, the best exploiter of Rafi talent after SJ
Magic of sahir….. Lovely song… I dont know why but it reminds me of another beautiful song by Talat Mahmood…….Ye hawa ye raat ye chandani…..
AK’ji Ref comment@ 48. Similarity of song Aap ke paas jo ayega pigal jayega I think is very close to ‘ Itni hansi itni jawan raat kya karyen ‘ of Aaj aur kal . Please check if that was the song you were looking for . I will request Arvinder sharma’ji to comment for second opinion .
Bhatiaji,
How about Ae sanam jisne tujhe chaand si soorat di hai?
Bhatiaji,
I agree with you that Itni hasn itni jawan raat kya karen is close, the song Ic an remember is aur kooch der thaher from Aakhri Khat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wq4D_6v4go
AK,
I do not think Ae sanam jisne fits the bill, because both the songs cited by Bhatiaji are sensous songs, do you consider Ae sanam jisne tujhe chaand si soorat di hai sensous?
Mumbaikar 8, Actually AK’ji is looking for a song which is similar to ‘ Aap ke paas jo ‘ and ‘ Aye sanam tujhe ‘ partially fits the bill as indicated by AK’ji himself . Now , you have added one more derivative [sensous ] to such songs and this can be one more theme to look for . AK’ji what about this song which fits in both the bills ……” Tum se kahoon ek baat poron se ” rafi in Dastak . One must note that in ‘ Aap ke paas jo ayega ‘ the song is shot with hero and heroine in every frame of the camera ; while in ‘ Itni hassen itni jawan raat ‘ the hero [sunil dutt] is lost in love ; enjoying the moon light in the open terrace ; depicting an atmosphere of pure love. Here the heroine [nanda] is in the room near by . Beautiful photography and nice expression of sunil dutt in this song ,beautiful song to watch again and again .
AK’ji , Arvinder sharma ‘ji, Mumbaikar8, I n continuation of similar songs and likes of Rafi’ songs suitable for Mahendra kapoor [ with Ravi’ tag]; starting with ‘ Itni haseen itni jawan ‘ here are four of Rafi’s songs which are quite similar to each other and satisfy alternative singer as MK. 1.’ Jara sun hasseen aye o najneen ‘ from Kaun apna kaun paraya , 2. ‘ Yeh wadiyan yeh fijaiyan bula rahein ‘ from Aaj aur kal , 3. ‘ Yeh khamoshian yeh tanhaiyan ‘ from Yeh raaste hain pyar ke , 4 . ‘ Zindagi ke safar mein akele thye hum ‘ from Nartakee .
……. in cont. we can add one more song ‘ Tujhe kya sunaoon mai dilruba tere samne mera haal hai ‘ from Akhri dao in the above catg.
Mumbaikar8,
I meant the tune. I think Bhatiaji also meant the same way. If you don’t mind your song is quite far off.
Bhatiaji,
If we enlarge it to include theme, it becomes very open-ended and subjective. I am not very sure of getting into that kind of enquiry.
Bhatiaji,
From your list I would not like to tamper with Tujhe kya sunaaun main dilruba and Zindagi ke safar mein akele the hum – these are among Rafi’s greatest classics.
Bhatiaji, AK,
I confess I got it all wrong if the theme was not sensuous then my song is certainly quite far off.
AK’ji ; I totally agree with you . ‘ Zindagi ke safar mein akele the hum ‘ is a masterly crafted song ; so passionately rendered by the great Rafi sahib . In fact every one has contributed in making this classic song; the singer , lyricist, music director and musicians .
KS Bhatia Ji,
Apologies for my delayed response to your posts.
Many beautiful songs have been listed and I have been passively enjoying them.
‘Aap ke paas Jo aayega’ is a lovely, soft rendition, typically a Rafi/MK area of expertise in the 60s.
Two songs, apart from those mentioned above, come to my mind, which I feel convey the same mood.
Phir Miloge Kabhi Mohammad Rafi Yeh Raat Phir Na …: http://youtu.be/Xd5-TWvfD28
and
“Bhool sakta hai bhala yeh kaun pyari aakhen”-mah…: http://youtu.be/gDE2vaArWsY
Arvinder sharma ‘ji Thanks for the songs of Rafi and Mohendra kapoor . Rightly said both the songs of rafi/ mk swapable . Here are two more songs of MK A sha duets for soy to enjoy . 1. Rafta Rafta Woh Hamare …… from Hum kahan ja rahe hain . 2. Dhon de najar najar mera chand hai kidar ……..from Dilli ka dada . I think these songs are also of rafi/ MK swapable catg.
AK’ji; Iduly respect your comments # 70 as I too feel the same about these two songs . Indeed they are Rafi sahib ‘s among the greatest songs ; in fact mile stones and examples for others to follow .
I am Johnny Come Lately or Jane Come lately but it is a funny peculiar of the English language that the word “Johnny” includes Jane as well, as the word “Man” includes Woman. So even the English language, wants to say that the “Woman” has to be not independent of “Man”. This could be from the Biblical story that Eve was created by the Lord God from a rib of Adam.
But let me say that I am late about five years to reflect on this post and I am astonished to see that the post is full of intellectual debates and is still not stale at all but is as fresh as it was presented five years back or to be precisely four years and four months.
At first let me pay a tribute to Mr AK for his brilliant blog with the following verse slightly changed by me from that famous song of Shakeel Badayuni on the famous Taj Mahal in the film Leader:
“ एक AK ने बनवा के हसीन Blog ‘n’ Blogsphere
सारी दुनियाँ को बहस करने की निशानी दी हैं
इस के साये में सदा प्यार से चर्चे होंगे
ख़त्म जो हो ना सकेगी वो कहानी दी हैं ”
This post itself is a triangular pyramid that excludes BR making a rectangle about the poetic song in the film with that peculiar Indian outlook on the social and marital issue crystallised in the title “गुमराह, English: Astray” or more clearly “The People (couple) of Lost Way(s)”.
The song, lyric and its picturization and the name elaborate and celebrate the Indian outlook over an affair that was given “इक खूबसूरत मोड़” (a nifty mode). This made up look like everything is O.K. for the Indian film goers of that time. But some Indian literatures and the art films before and later on went boldly where other artists did not go. For example Amrita Preetma’s brilliant novel that severely criticised the Punjabi or so called northern Indian custom of marriage of a sister of the late wife to her husband to keep the family women not straying outside.
Hardly a few women readers of the post have commented on the post. There are so far 75 comments. More and more women’s voices must be heard.
Anu Warrier March 14, 2012 at 1:33 am says:
“This is indeed a beautiful song where the lyrics, music and picturisation melded into a harmonious whole. My favourite lines are:
Tarruf rog ho jaye to usko bhoolna behtar
Talluq bojh ban jaye to usko todana achha
Wo afsana jise anjaam tak lana na ho mumkin
Use ik khoobsoorat mod de kar chhodna achha”
And her feeling is corroborated by AK himself.
I would like to differ and read the meaning in between the lines and see beyond the emotional appeal in the verse that has been glorified. And most of the readers have put the song on the pedestal.
The commenter Mumbaikar8 (comment number 40) mentioned that Sahir was bloated, and there is Gaby (comment number 4) who mentioned that this song has a reference to the Sahir’s personal affair with Sudha Malhotra.
Considering the above two points I want to make a remark that the Appeasing Appeal in the verse though as a social engineering aid is good but in reality it is not so, there though words say so.
The words have said so and written down and further on, they have been used as a song that has become very famous in his film by Baldev Raj Chopada in his so called social film as Chopada became famous for his type of social films that made his personal view about the affairs in the society. B.R was a firebrand journalist before he arrived in Bombay aftermath of the Partition. But we do not know if his reformist ideology was a carefully thought over, like those of the great Aryasamajists or the Brahmosamjists.
So there is hardly anything like Conciliatory as his story depended on the incidents in the society at that time. The story of the Gumrah is more close to the affair between Dilip Kumar and Kamini Kaushal who had to marry her late sister’s husband and he had to take her away abroad to make her forget about her affair. Recently Kamini was bestowed by the Filmfare a “Lifetime Achievement” award and rightly though very late. Dilip Kumar refused the role as it was very involving. Sunil Dutt also found Nargis difficult to handle as she kept meeting RK at various filmy parties and reported to have gone and seen his films wearing Burkha. His face was more haggard than the acting of the character in the scene mentioned by AK.
If I were Kamini Kaushal or Sudha Malhotra I would have hardly thought the words in this verse as pacifying but inserting the pins and needles in the heart as they kept reminding the wanton, reckless or sincere affair as written down and sung over in the film and on the records and radio and in the celebrations of the singer and the writer and the film maker.
“उसे इक खूबसूरत मोड़ दे कर छोड़ना अच्छा
चलो एक बार फिर से अजनबी बन जाएं हम दोनो”
“It is better to give it a beautiful turn and leave it
Come, let us be strangers once again” AK’s excellent translation.
All concerning the players in the making of this lyrical poetic Scene, like Sahir, BR, Ravi, photographer and Mahendra Kapoor received tremendous publicity and still they get it as the song has touched the hearts of many Indian songs and films lovers as this post shows.
Sahir became very rich he had two flats in the prestigious area of Bombay and also had two expensive cars and lived an epicurean life. Ironical though, he still was expressing leftwing ideas in his songs.
But the two ladies and the other ladies in the similar position must have been burned in the hell and still must be burning secretly whenever the song is played or remembered. Is that what gentle gent Sahir wanted when in another song he says,”Pyar Mera Parabas To Nahin Par Mai Tuz Se Pyar Karun Ya Na Karun Yeh Bata De”?
Like Dilip K Sahir too had affairs with many ladies.
Further on BR had a way to put ladies in the disadvantaged position right from his first film “Afasana”. It’s like an innocent Draupadi put as a stake in the gambling bout and watched by the onlookers. Strangely enough BR’s one son is called Dharama Raj.
Shalan Lal
Shalan Lal,
Thanks a lot for your very effusive praise.
On the last two lines of this verse, I would just like to add that Sahir has said something which has a very universal application, and you can use it not only for unrequited love affairs, but many other kinds of inter-personal relationships. Therefore, one can easily say it was meant for Sudha Malhotra (and why not Amrita Pritam?). I remember an interview of Imroz with whom Amrita Pritam spent the later part of her life, in which he mentioned that in their heydays of romance, she riding pillion behind him on his mobike, would be swooning over Sahir. I think creative people live in another world of love and romance, and probably that is a part of their creativity, and it would be very unfair on our part to judge them on the basis of the conventional codes of the society.
I thank you AK for your response to my comment.
The amazing and startling anecdote you have told, and told it very well about Amrita Pritam takes me to the rumination to make a film about her in which I would like to start Amrita kicking kick-starter of a big Enfield all dressed up in leather sitting astride without helmet and hair lose and rides fast being watched by those astounded turbaned Punjabi men and head covered women, her hair windswept with a song like “Panchhi Banu, Udati Phiru,” and rides into many storms of rebels and comes out as a great war hardened hero far better than those bearded elders with their swords and other martial jewellery.
If you have not watched the films “Wild One” of Brando, that stimulated me to buy a a Motor cycle that I rode for thirty years I recommend it. There is something about Motorcycle, Freedom and rebel.
Another film is “Rebel without Cause” James Dean the American rebel who lived a short life. This time that another passion to posses a car and race it.
Third is the English Film “A Girl On the Motorcycle” very pretty Marian Faithful in leather and with many wanton love affairs.
Then many songs including “Blue suede Shoes” by Elvis Presley and his film “King Cole” and
“She’s leaving” a song from the Sergeant Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band LP of Beatles.
If you want Indian connection then the songs of Cliff Richards who was born of Anglo Indian Family from Lucknow who is as brown as I am and the songs of Engelbert Humperdinck who was born in Madras.
In fact all the Rock heroes, men and women are rebels. Amrita reminds me of the following song lyric:
Wild Thing
Wild thing, you make my heart sing
You make everything groovy, wild thing
Wild thing, I think I love you
But I wanna know for sure
Come on and hold me tight
I love you
Wild thing, you make my heart sing
You make everything groovy, wild thing
Wild thing, I think you move me
But I wanna know for sure
Come on and hold me tight
You move me
Wild thing, you make my heart sing
You make everything groovy, wild thing
Wild thing, you make my heart sing
Songwriter
Taylor, Chip, performed by the group The Troggs – Wild Thing Lyrics | MetroLyrics 1965
Note: I am not Lesbian. But Amrita’s story is very outlandish in the Indian landscape and breathtaking away.
So my praise for you and your blog may be just effusive but it is as pop and rock as the Bollywood films are.
My point is that Sahir sold his unwritten bond “Wo jo Muzme aur Tere mein Karaar Tha” private, secret and sacrosanct matters when the people were still alive and added the price to his ever growing wealth when he had not needed it. He could have written a different song as he was so skilled in writing Najm.
Here is the comment on Sahir’s sensibility about the women and opposing the better outlook by other poets, by Salman Akhtar the noted son, poet and lecturer and writer on Jan Nisar Akhtar his father:
Commenting on Sahir Ludhianvi, Salman said that he is a fine poet in his own right but the women in his songs do not have a woman’s voice. Sahir’s song ‘Aurat ne diya janam mardon ko, mardon ne usey bazaar diya’ is a hair rising, spine chilling song, a powerful feminist document – but the diction is oratorical. It has a different style.
One can find a woman’s voice in Shakil Badayuni’s song ‘Piya aiso jiya mein samaye gayo re…’
It is also there in Kaifi’s song ‘Zara si aahat hoti hai to dil sochta hai, kahin ye who to nahin….’
Jan Nisar Akhtar saab was an expert in writing in a woman’s voice, as can be seen in the following songs:
Mujhe ilzaam-e- bewafaee hai, ai mohabbat teri duhaee hai (Yasmin – 1953)
Mein tumhi se poochti hoon, mujhe tum se pyar kyon hai, tum dagha na dogey, mujhey aitbar kyon hai (Black Cat –1964)
Aap yun faaslon se guzarte rahey, dil se khadmon ki aawaaz aati rahi (Shankar Hussain- 1980)
Yeh dil aur unki nigahon ke saaey, mujhe gher lete hain bahon ke saaey (Prem Parbat – 1973)
Aye dil-e-naadan aarzoo kya hai, justju kya hai (Razia Sultan – 1983)”
All this heavy criticism when Sahir and Jan Nisar were very close friends when they were alive. And all this is by Salman Akhtar who is a son of Jan Nisar Akhtar and brother of Jawed Akhtar
Also he is a physician, psychoanalyst, writer, editor and poet. He has published eight collections of poetry. Four in Urdu: Ku-ba-ku, Doosra Ghar, Nadi ke Pas, and four in English: The Hidden Knot, Conditions, Turned to Light and After Landing. He has also written over sixty books on diverse topics in psychiatry and psychoanalysis. A widely-sought public speaker and recipient of many honours including the prestigious Sigourney Award in psychoanalysis (2013), Akhtar has been a lecturer on psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and currently holds the rank of Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College and Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Centre of Philadelphia, U.S.A.
Breathtaking and overwhelming!
There are many other issues that come out of the post and I would like to comment on them but I’ve already said too much and I better shut up for a while or go to another post old or new they are all so captivating, enthralling and absorbing!
Shalan Lal
Shalan Lal; Thanks for this beautiful reminder of the era of 60’thru 70’s. It has really taken us to the back seats of the bike, enjoying the vast expanse of the beautiful America of the west ; enjoying the landscape of greens of Colorado Springs and rough terrains of the wild West . ” Country roads take me home ” is one of my fav. song of John Denver .
During mid 60s Elvis and Cliff Richard songs were craze in our college [ IIT Delhi]. As the times moved by, other singers joined the caravan band and my liking shifted to Engelbert , Nat King Kole etc. ” Blue spanish eyes”, ”The Last Waltz ”, ” Singing in the rain ” are few of my fav. songs of that era .
I think there were two more movies ; which some how depicted the life style of the cult of the 70s and those were ” Easy Riders ” and ” Wood stock ” ; the later was loaded with heavy dose of loud music …. a kind of a preset of Mettalica music .
I will shift my mind to Bollywood songs on Bikes . 1. ‘ Mana janab ne pukara nahin ‘ 2. ‘ Ban ke panchi gayen pyar ka tarana’ 3. ‘ Sawalen salone aye din bahar ke ‘……. are some of my fav. songs.
Once again many thanks for the detailed information on Sahir and Jani nisar akhtar family ; as also the connected romance factor of Sahir .
To ksbhatia
Many thanks for your comment describing the America of Pop Rock era that you have experienced. All the films you have mentioned they are still landmark in the American movies and depict American culture well.
Thanks again for your praise for my little efforts in this post that it seems suddenly re-awaken.
Shalan Lal
Fans of Ravi , Sahir , Rafi, Mohinder kapoor…..i.e. Mumbaiker8, Shalan lal , AK, Arvinder sharma ‘ji[s] ….;
It has been some time that we paused for so many days on this great subject . Going thru and reviewing the comments so far makes an interesting reading . To open the pandora box again , with MK in mind, I am posting one of his beautifully rendered duet with Ashaji …… Rangeen fiza hai ……. from Bahu Beti with Ravi as MD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj_xR_ECAdw
Salam Lalji,came across your post and realised there is a multi faceted brother of Javed Akhtar. I have often read that many a great professionals are music lovers or musicians themselves. Music liberates the minds, soothes the soul and nourishes the senses.
I can certainly visualise a bike riding Amrita Preetam. While Amrita always admitted her love, admiration and devotion for Sahir,while married to Preetam and, later,in a relationship with Imroz,Sudha Malhotra always said she was aware of Sahir liking her,but she was never in a relationship with him. I saw her interview on Rajya sabha TV where she said she had met her future husband in her teens and got married to him after he returned from the US completing his studies. So,was it a one way street for Sahir?
I also heard an interesting piece of information in this interview. Sudha Malhotra and Geeta Dutt had sung Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai for a Chetan Anand film in the early 60s under Khayyam. The film got shelved and she has no idea about the fate of the song. She also said the lyrics were slightly different from the Kabhi Kabhi version.
Food for thought?
Dr Pradeep K Shetty @ 82
Thank you very much for your comment. You have an enchanting style
of writing.
Your present comment made me go back and read the great post AK has written eight years back on those artists who are evergreen.
I am sure if Geeta Dutt and Sudha Mlahotra have sung the “Kabhi Kabhi ..” song some day somebody will bring out.
I shall be hearing it with all my ears cleaned and opened to it.
Thanks again for your comment.
Shalan La
100 songs book on Sahir Ludhiyanvi’s birth centenary at the following site:
https://online.fliphtml5.com/sfnuv/xxcl/