A tribute on Talat Mahmood’s Birth Anniversary, February 24
When I wrote on Talat Mahmood’s peppy duets last year, it left many readers naturally unsatiated. He, of the velvety voice, is known more for his heart-touching, soft and romantic duets. The readers very generously gave a big list of his duets with various female singers, which they said, ought to be covered. I had to clarify that that post was about his atypical duets, which are very special as they reveal a lesser known side of Talat’s singing, and that I was planning to cover his soulful and soft duets later. One should think that this has to start with his duets with Lata Mangeshkar. The interesting point is that his duets with Asha Bhosle happen to be some of the most melodious and charming. I am also helped by the reader Amit Mandape, who provided a list of his duets with her. I pay my tribute to one of my most favourite singers by presenting what I consider his best duets with Asha Bhosle, on his birth anniversary February 24 (he was born on Feb 24, 1924).
Another significant point about Talat’s duets with Asha Bhosle is that some of these came at a time when Talat was at the top of his career, but Asha Bhosle was still in the shadows of her big sister. If at all, she would be seen as a potential successor to Geeta Dutt tradition. With all this handicap, the fact that these are among some of the best duets ever is not only due to Talat, but also to a great deal due to the unique voice of Asha Bhosle.
1. Pyas kuchh aur bhi bhadka di jhalak dikhala ke from Lala Rukh (1958), lyrics Kaifi Azmi, music Khayyam
A song which is so mesmerizing has to have a lot of things special about it. The poetry has to be by someone who has come from high literature. What lyrical words:
प्यास कुछ और भी भड़का दी झलक दिखला के
तुझको पर्दा रुख-ए-रोशन से हटाना होगा.
इतनी गुस्ताख़ न हो इश्क़ की अवारा नज़र
हुस्न का पास निगाहों को सिखाना होगा
चाँद तारों को मयस्सर है नज़ारा तेरा
मेरी बेताब निगाहों से ये पर्दा क्यूं है
चाँद आईना मेरा तारे मेरा नक़्शे क़दम
ग़ैर को आँख मिलाने की तमन्ना क्यूं है
तुझको पर्दा रुख-ए-रोशन से हटाना होगा
हुस्न का पास निगाहों को सिखाना होगा
तुझको देखा तुझे चाहा तुझे पूजा मैंने
बस यही इस के सिवा मेरी खता क्या होगी
मैंने अच्छा किया घबरा के जो मुंह फेर लिया
इस से कम दिल के तड़पने की सज़ा क्या होगी
तुझको पर्दा रुख-ए-रोशन से हटाना होगा
हुस्न का पास निगाहों को सिखाना होगा
प्यास कुछ और भी भड़का दी झलक दिखला के
तुझको पर्दा रुख-ए-रोशन से हटाना होगा
इतनी गुस्ताख़ न हो इश्क़ की अवारा नज़र
हुस्न का पास निगाहों को सिखाना होगा
And my English translation:
(M) You have whetted my desire even more by giving just an alluring glimpse
Now you will have to remove the veil from your lovely face
(F) Don’t be so audacious you wayward eyes of lust
The eyes must learn to respect the dignity of beauty
(M) The moon and stars have the privilege of seeing your grandeur
Then why this veil from my yearning eyes
(F) The moon is my mirror and stars my footsteps
Why should a stranger seek to savour my beauty
(M) I saw you, I fell for you and I revered you
What else was my fault except just this
(F) It was just right that I turned my face away out of nervousness
This was the least that had to happen to a yearning heart
And the picturisation. Talat Mahmood’s foray into acting was not a great success. But, handsome he was! Singing to the gorgeous Shyama, to the music by uniquely talented Khayyam, this is my top Talat-Asha duet by far, and one of the best ever duets of all.
2. Baharon ki duniya pukare tu aa ja from Laila Majnu (1953), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music Ghulam Mohammad
Ghulam Mohammad is one music director whom I hugely admire. He was senior to Naushad in the industry and more successful in their early careers, but, ironically, later he became Naushad’s assistant in many films. I am told by insiders that he was behind some of the most well known compositions of Naushad. It does not seem too far-fetched. He gave some of the greatest songs of Talat. And when I see some great Talat songs on early Shammi Kapoor, I at times wish that he had not become ‘junglee’.
3. Chahe kitna mujhe tum bulaoge.. bol na bol aye janewale from Armaan (1953), lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanvi, music SD Burman
Asha Bhosle starts with Chahe kitna mujhe tum bulaoge, nahi bolungi nahi bolungi. And then Talat Mahmood comes in with Bol na bol aye janewale in an entirely different tune. The effect is magical. The song proceeds more like a Talat solo, with Asha Bhosle just repeating her first line at every stanza. Around this time, if anyone stood up to the onslaught of Lata Mangeshkar, it was Geeta Dutt, who had special tuning with SD Burman. That would explain almost conscious imitation of her style by Asha Bhosle. Sahir Ludhiyanvi’s foray in film music was with SD Burman a couple of years back, with stunning success. This magical duet is another combination of great poetry, great voice and great music. Incidentally this song also had a solo Asha Bholse version with a faster tempo. This would put this song in some category of Mr Ashok Vaishnav’s multiple version songs.
4. Chali kaun se desh gujariya from Boot Polish (1953), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar Jaikishan
An atypical film from RK Films, which was not a romance between Raj Kapoor and Nargis. Therefore, you have this duet by singers who are not RK regulars. Talat lip-synched by an unknown actor, and Asha Bhosle by Baby Naaz is a remarkably poignant duet with beautiful lyrics by Shailendra and music by RK regular Shankar Jaikishan. (My friend Arvind has mentioned in one of his comments that in this song the person playing banjo is Shailendra).
5. Dil ki mahfil sajane from Mast Qalandar (1955), lyrics Asad Bhopali, music Hansraj Bahal
This film had two Talat-Asha Bholse duets. This one is peppy and fast, the other one Dil-e-nadan zamane mein mohabbat ek dhokha hai is slow and melancholic. Dil ki mehfil sajane should actually belong to my earlier post on his peppy duets, but its tune is so pleasant, I am including it here. Asha Bhosle still seems to have Geeta Dutt imprint in her voice.
6. Kahta hai dil tum hai mere liye from Mem Sahib (1956), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music Madan Mohan
A year from hence Shammi Kapoor would change forever. Oh, why did he have to do that? This is a stunning romantic duet between him and the lovely Meena Kumari, looked on with some jealousy by Kishore Kumar. The grand piano comes in as a handy prop for Meena Kumari to recline, resting her elbows on it, and looking lovingly into the eyes of Shammi Kapoor.
7. Do dil dhadak rahe hain aur awaaz ek hai from Insaaf (1956), lyrics Asad Bhopali, music Chitragupta
We have seen Asad Bhopali’s poetry earlier. Here is another romantic song from his pen. It must have been picturised on Ajit and Nalini Jaiwant. Chitragupta, who created great magic with Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar, shows his talent with Talat and Asha Bhosle too.
8. Pyar par bas to nahi hai mera lekin phir bhi from Sone Ki Chidiya (1958), lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanvi, music OP Nayyar
Again great poetry by Sahir – who else could write, ‘I have no control on my emotions, nevertheless please tell me whether I should love you or not’. OP Nayyar by this time had established a reputation as the King of Rhythm – of fast peppy tunes, of bhangra songs, or pejoratively, ghoda gadi songs. In many ways, his muse, Asha Bhosle was at the centre of this reputation. And how he transforms himself to present Asha Bhosle in a different light, to go with the velvety voice of Talat in this extremely melodious romantic duet, picturised on Talat Mahmood and Nutan.
9. Mast ankhen hai paimane do from Naqli Nawab (1962), music Babul
I came across this duet picturised on Manoj Kumar and Shakeela while searching for this post. They look a lovely pair, and the setting is so romantic. Some unknown composers also gave great music in the Golden Era.
10. Nazar utha ke ye rangeen samaa rahe na rahe from Ek Saal Pahle (1965), lyrics Jaan Nisar Akhtar, music C Arjun
I mentioned how a song becomes special when it comes out of the pen of a literary poet. Here is beautiful poetry by the renowned Urdu poet, Jaan Nisar Akhtar, whose partnership with the unheralded composer, C Arjun gave some absolutely outstanding songs. The song must have been picturised on the lead pair Sujit Kumar and Sayeeda Khan, but the uploader of the video lets his imagination soar, and has included a photo slide of the iconic romantic pair Raj Kapoor and Nargis. By this time the industry had given up Talat Mahmood, but Asha Bhosle had established her own identity. Talat proves that given a chance in his niche, i.e.elegant ghazal, he could still create magic.
{ 81 comments… read them below or add one }
very very nice collection..akji….u have given appropriately no. 1 to ‘pyas kuchh aur hi’ of khayyam. And the 3rd of ‘armaan’ is absolute gem. Really saahir is unbeatable.
Thanks a lot. Jignesh.
i always be glad to see ur no. 1 placements of songs. Whether it is ‘man mor hua matwala’ or ‘door pahiha’ or at any other post, masterly chosen. I think ‘pyar par bas to nahi’ should go up. No.9 and 10 r newer for me. In addition I like talat-asha-m.begum beauty from ‘tatar ka chor’ (i mentioned it in ‘1955’ duet section)
”Qafas mein dala mujhe apne raazdaaro ne”
This theme is a good idea, AKji, because of the contrast in the voices of the singers: the velvety, soft and vibrating voice of Talat Mahmood against the strong, sharp voice of Asha Bhosle. It creates a peculiar appeal.
this is another version of ‘pyas kuchh aur hi’
Ak Sir,
Thank you for choosing the right topic at the right time. Just like Talat-Lata has given us some memorable gems, Talat-Asha pair also has rendered few master pieces. I was surprised like Jignesh ji to see Pyaar par bas to nahin ai…. at no. 8, but well, it’s my personal choice. Ranking doesn’t matter. Most important thing is the magic that this duo has created. Few other songs of this duo in my list are
Teri nigaahon mein teri hi baahon mein from Bahaana-60
Dil e naadaan zamaane mein from Mast Qalandar-55
Chori chori dil ka lagana buri baat hai from Bada Bhai-57
Hamara kya hai hum tadpen magar tumko qaraar aaye from Zindagi ya Toofan-58
Dil ki duniya jagmagaayi from Daak Babu-54
Kisi ne nazar se nazar jab mila di from Humsafar-53 (MD Ali Akbar Khan
Thank you again.
Jignesh,
Thanks a lot for posting the other version of Pyaas kuchh aur bhi bhadkaa di jhalak dikhalaa ke, which is more Asha Bhosle-centric, and somewhat sadder. A candidate for Mr Ashok Vaishnav’s series on ‘Multiple Version Songs’.
Khyati Bhatt
I should have clarified that after the first song, on which I had no doubt as it was way ahead of others, I simply went chronologically. You are right Pyar par bas to nahi hai should rank much higher.
Of the other songs you have mentioned, I have used Teri nigahon men and Chori chore dil ka lagana buri baat hai last year in my post on his peppy dusts, which shows that Asha Bhosle figures very prominently in his duets at both the ends. In Mast Qalandar I had to choose between Dil-e-nadan zamane main and Dil ki mehfil sajaane. For others one would need a larger list. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
A great way to remember Talat Mahmood, indeed!
I would also say that Asha Bhosle did get unnecessarily underrated in her efforts to create distinct style as a strategy to compete Lata Mangeshkar. However, there eons of songs where she can certainly stand compared to Lata Mangeshkar. Of course, with Lata striding colossusly over that period, it would be futile to indulge into ‘an apple-to-apple’ comparison, because oranges, peaches and pelted stones are bound to creep in.
And, thanks for several inputs to ‘multiple version series’.
Ak ji,
Comparatively there are few songs of Talat with Asha.
Your choice is good,undoubtedly.
My choice would have included few other songs like,e.g. ‘Teri nigahon mein’-from Bahaana-1960
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjukxCrWG64
and ‘Haseen chaand taron ka vaastaa’-mera Salaam-1957
and ‘Sach bata tu’-sone ki chidiya-1958.
-AD
Arunji..nice reminding… ”Sach bata tu mujhpe fida” … candidate of top 10.
The songs of Asha And Talat, are certainly not many, only relatively – in the sense are many enough to make a slection of only 10 as favorites would be difficult.
Here are some more to this great combinations:
Sach Bata Tu – Sone Ki Chidiya – (1958) O P Nayyar http://youtu.be/ThyPl4O47gM
Hamari Gali Aana Ji – Mem Sahib (1956) – Madan Mohan – http://youtu.be/Jarskblsp1Y
Aurat Ko Bithaaye Dil Mein – Pehli Raat (1959) – Ravi – http://youtu.be/O0-87EX8XcU
Mast Aankhen Hain – Naqli Nawab – Babul – http://youtu.be/5QYF2r5Lkhw
Tu Mere Saath Hai – Apsara (1961) – Husnlal Bhagatram – http://youtu.be/UVD1AqUR-xo
Hai Zindagi Itni Haseen – Apsara (19610 – Husnlaa Bhagatrram – http://youtu.be/-3IfVU49iTg
Tere Saath Chal Rahen Hain – Angaarey (1961) S D Burman – http://youtu.be/TNDk8r3hi2g
Hame Haal-e-dil Tumse – Chubees Ghante (1958) Bipin Babul – http://youtu.be/9QTEjcTvPA0
Chori Chori Dil Ka Lagana Buri Baat Hai – Bada Bhai (1957) Nashad – http://youtu.be/pQd7BdDGeF0
Dekh Li Ae Ishq Teri – Laila Majnu (1953) GhulamMohammad – http://youtu.be/WxIs8OGpDMY
Pyar Nahin Choopata – Laadla (1954) – Vinod – http://youtu.be/dUK_yxdBzvY
Pyaar Bhi Aata Hai – Goonj (1952) – Sardul Kwatra – http://youtu.be/zjnfaaMcL2g
Hamara Kya Hain Hum – Zindagi Aur Toofan (1958) – http://youtu.be/cCERc2z8vCg
Mujhe Hai Zara – Zindagi Ya Toofan (1958) – Nashad – http://youtu.be/pmbVHZGZn_A
Hansle Aaj Koni – Mokarin (Marathi Film) – http://youtu.be/wRhvzEshuok
Mere Dil De Sej – Lara Lappa (Punjabi Film) – http://youtu.be/lFbiWHgrFrY
Arunji,
Three Talat-Asha duets – Teri nigahon mein, Humein haal-e-dil unse kahna tha kahiye, Chori chori dil ka lagana buri baat hai – figured last year in my post on Talat’s fast duets, which were a break from his image. These would figure in my list of best of Talat-Asha duets too. From Sone Ki Chidiya, if one has to take one, probably the choice is clear in favour of Pyar par bas to nahin. Haseen chaand sitaaron ka vasta I heard for the first time. Beautiful song. But how has Asha Bhosle managed to remove Asha tang from her voice? It sounds 90% non-Asha Bhosle. I could have never guessed it is her. Thanks a lot for introducing us to this song.
Haseen chand sitaron ka vasta aa ja from Mera Salam, lyrics Shewan Rizvi, music Hafiz Khan
Ashokji,
Thanks for the list, some of which were new to me. I specially liked the Punjabi song, so melodious, because of obvious Pahadi notes. Is the lady Shyama? The hero also seems to be a familiar place – Karan Dewan?
Arunji,
You have mentioned that Talt-Asha duets are comparatively less. You mean compared to Talat-Lata Mangeshkar obviously. I was trying to get a sense of statistics at his official site manged by his son. It is mentioned that he sang a total of 747 film songs, but I could not find any break up. Raju Bharatan mentions in ‘Down the Melody Lane’ that their duets number 55. This is quite a big number with respect to his total songs. I glanced down the list of his duets at the official site. My impression is that his duets with Asha Bhosle may not be far behind those with Lata Mangeshkar, if not more.
AK Ji,
You are right about Asha/Talat songs. As per my information,Lata/Talat
songs are only 67 or so,therefore Asha is NOT far behind Lata ,in this.
But What I had meant was,compared to Asha/Rafi or Asha/Kishore,as compared to Talat and this was natural too,considering that Talat’s Hindi film song career was shorter that the other two,anyway !
-AD
Wow…… AKji you pulled put out another ace from you sleeve.
Hope there are many more and you never run out of them.
What a compilation great!
Thanks a lot.
How do you do it AK? From where do you keep digging out these wonderful gems and threading them into these wonderful necklaces – your posts. More than half the songs, including the first one, are new for me. On one hand I am a little chastened at my ignorance of such beautiful songs, on the other I am delighted that thanks to my ignorance I can enjoy the pleasure of discovery even at this age.
‘Pyas bhadka di’ has deservedly taken the top spot in your list. It has completely charmed me. It has been playing in my head since last evening when I first heard it. Thanks for this wonderful gift.
The third song is interesting – with the two singers following different tunes. That could be the subject of a post by itself – duets in which the male and female singers follow different tunes. One major example that comes to my mind is ‘Nain dwar se man mein wo aa ke.’
I never thought of ‘Pyar par bas to nahin hai’ – one of my all time favourites – as a duet. I always took it as a Talat solo with vocal support by Asha. But I do think it fits well in this list. Although Asha doesn’t articulate any words, her contribution to the song is undeniable. It reminds me of ‘Peechhe peechee aa kar’ from House no. 44 where Hemant makes a similar contribution.
I can confirm that the actor in ‘Chali kaun se des’ is indeed Shailendra. I have a very clear memory of this from an article on Shailendra in Dharmayug.
Mast aankhen hain ki paimane do was also unknown to me until Dustedoff included it her post on Shakila. Shakila looks beautiful as ever. I only wish Manoj hadn’t worn a jacket that looks like a shortened dressing gown. Fortunately he takes it off half way through.
Looking forward to more songs of Talat with other female singers.
Subodh,
How could you have not heard Pyas kuchh aur bhi bhadka di? This was part of the regular radio fare. And of course, once you hear it, it sticks with you. If you make a list of duets that belong to the stratosphere, this should figure in it. This also belongs very much to Asha Bhosle, you cannot imagine Lata Mangeshkar in her place.
Interesting observation about #3. Nain dwar se aake wo man mein is the most well known example. I hope Mr Ashok Vaishnav is listening.
Interestingly, until you mentioned it, it never crossed my mind that Pyar par bas to nahi is primarily a Talat solo. Radio always introduced it as Talat-Asha Bhosle duet. Besides the Munimji duet, another very clear example is Ye hansta hua karwaan zindagi ka from Ek Jhalak, where Asha Bhosle’s contribution is ‘hun’ ‘wah wah’, ‘achcha’, ‘aji dar kaisa’, ‘chaliye’, ‘kya baat hai’, ‘na na na na’. In some cases these interventions were done by the actor concerned, such as Mere man ki Ganga aur tere man ki Jamna ka in which Vyjayanthimala says ‘nahi’ nahi’ ‘kabhi nahi’ etc.
Subodh, no matter how much we know, we all know only a fraction of what remains to be uncovered. I am fortunate that I embarked on SoY. Three songs from this list is because of readers’ contribution.
@Subodh Agrawal,
you are right about two singers singing on a different scale . Jaane Jaan Dhundhata Hun Tujhe ( Jawani Diwani) – http://youtu.be/1YePTMzXCRg – is another example. we can certainly look for songs where two singers sing on different scale, with a specific category, where a solo song has a similar effect. RDB was very good at such experiments (Katra Katra Baheti Hai – Ijajat – http://youtu.be/bQJ41vhU_0o).
There was something very familiar about the music of ‘Pyas kuchh aur bhi bhadka di’. Fragments of another song kept coming to me but I couldn’t remember the song itself. That can be a very annoying feeling! Finally the penny dropped, ‘Phir na keeje meri gustakh nigahi ka gila’ another beautiful duet by Khayyam. What I find similar is the way the sitar supports the voices in the two songs. I wonder if other readers of SoY also find something similar between the two.
Another song in which one of the two voices mainly supports the other without articulating any words would be one of the versions of ‘Wo subah kabhi to aayegi’. There is also this very rare song ‘Janm bhumi maa’ from Netaji Subhash Chandra bose in which an unknown female voice can be heard in the background http://youtu.be/U3OTMs3ZaXE
A beautiful song with male and female voices following different tunes is ‘Jai jagdish hare’ from Anand Math.
Akji,
After almost two months you have come out with another wonderful article. Your last article was a tribute to Mubarak Begum and now a tribute to Talat Mahmood. Being an ardent admirer of Talat Mahmood, listening to his songs is always a pleasure. Thanks for the treat.
The first song was superb. Thanks also for providing the lyrics and its translation. Hindi was not my subject during my academic years. Like Bengali, I learnt to read and write Hindi much later. Even if I claim to understand Hindi /Hindusthani fairly well, there will be certain limitation in absorbing the right essence. In such situations, the lyric and its translation helps a lot. Although I have heard the song earlier, I spent quite some time in reading the lyrics and its translation, and then in conceptualizing, internalizing and visualizing the lyrics, before I actually heard and saw the video clipping of the song again.
The duets of Talat Mahmood and Asha Bhosle hold a special charm. I liked all the songs especially #2, #3, #8 and #7. I have read in one the sites that the lyrics for song #9 from “Naqli Nawab’, was written by Qaif Irani. Both the songs, ‘Chori chori dil ka lagana buri baat hai’ from ‘Bada Bhai’ (1957) and ‘Hamara kya hai hum tadpen magar tumko qaraar aaye’ from ‘Zindagi ya Toofan’ (1958) Music Nashad, were good. Thanks to Khyati Bhattji. The song ‘Haseen chaand sitaaron ka vasta’ from ‘Mera Salaam’ was also good. Thanks Arunji. I have not gone through the list provided by Ashok Vaishnavji. I will listen to them later at leisure.
Thank once again.
Thanks a lot Venkataramanji. My two months gap have been very usefully taken up by guest authors, including you. I do translate some lyrics off and on which take my fancy. Pyar par bas nahi is one such song, and in fact my main reason for doing this post.
@#3: Regarding two singers singing different tunes, there is another interesting variation from Manzil. Here Geeta Dutt simply recites the lines which are then sung by Mohammad Rafi: Chupke se mile pyase pyase, kuchh hum, kuchh tum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tskaGIXBD7c
S. D. Burman was always innnovative.
We may also include in this category Ek tha gul aur ek thi bulbul from Jab Jab Phool Khile in this category where Nanda just says a few words in between.
Found another one – ‘Zabaan-e yaar man turki’ from Ek Musafir Ek Haseena. Sadhna (Asha Bhosle) sings only the persian couplet in tune different from that of Joy Mukherji (Rafi).
Very good song, Subodh. Heard for the first time. Now we have a good number.
Listened to first six Talat-Asha duets presented by Ashok Vaishnavji. The first duet , also mentioned by Arunji, is a good one.In the duet ‘Tu Mere Saath Hai’ from Apsara (1961), I find there is a Naushad touch.
Enjoyed all the six songs.
In this meticulous work of music collection, I feel like a child in a china house. This is a den of music lovers, I am sure AK won’t mind his folks going off the limits. I suggest that there should be a carved corner for cranks like me who could relieve bees off their bonnets being a part of the blog without disturbing the theme of the blog.
I wish to leave a link here covering a song that has been giving me solace for the past 45 years :
main aarzoo-e-jaan lekhun ya jaan-e-arzoo .. munawar sultana
main aarzoo-e-jaan lekhun ya jaan-e-arzoo .. munawar sultana
Dear AK,
Extremely sorry for my long absence from Songs of Yore. But what a treat this post is. Simply Melodious. Thanks as alwas for your in-depth research, comments and lots of information besides some great songs that had gone into distant memory. This post filled the gap of Talt-Aasha duets that were mising from my collection that consist of Talat’s duets with – Shamshad, Mubarak, Suman, or Sudh Malhotra. I did not have Talat-Aasha, which you prsented me. Thanks also to Shri. Ashok Vaishnav for the collection of rare gems of Talat-Aasha. But for a better alternative…I once again take refuge in THANKS. With warmest regards and season’s greetings – K R Vaishampayan [alias -KRV]
KRV
Good to have you return to SoY. You do take long vacations? Thanks for your kind words. Now I hope we are going to have you here regularly.
All in all this is great compilation. Almost all duets are masterpiece. I wonder at very interesting and authentic contributions from avid music lovers.That golden era come alive when you listen to melodies from those gifted singers.t You deserve big thanks for giving this lovely service.
Thanks a lot Bharat.
AKji,
The # 1 song of Lalarukh has a sad version too.
But this song is a solo by Asha.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjStHFJorUo&feature=player_embedded
I was aware of the version. Thanks for mentioning it. But it is the duet which is out of the world.
I have also these versions in my scratch book for Multiple Version series.
Nice article and good selection of songs.
Selection of topics is the major contributor to the quality of a blog and the heavy traffic of real music lovers on this blog is indicative of this fact. This topic has brought out the best of Talat-Asha duets. About 30 such duets have been listed by AK, Khyati Bhatt and Ashok Vaishnav. Here are some more
1. mere jeevan men aaya hai kaun – pyase nain – 1954
2. yuhin karke bahana chali aaya karo – shah behram – 1955
3. pathhar dil ho gaya duniya ka – shah behram
4. dil jawan hai arzoo jawan – samundari daku – 1956
5. dil ne chheda hai tarana – sipahsalar – 1956
6. hardam tumhi ko pyar – apsara – 1961
The first in the above list, is similar to ‘pyar par bas to nahin’. The 4th shares the mukhda with a well known solo of Talat in that film.
So we see there are about 35 quality songs out of about 50, which is a high percentage.
The original list of 10 includes 6 which obtained popularity though in varying degrees and 4 were quality songs which were not so popular. This idea is good, but the list should be longer. All in the list are gems, but no. 10 has the same tune (mikhda as well as antara) that was used for ‘naseeb hoga mera meherbaan kabhi na kabhi’ by md Babul in the Premnath, Shakeela starrer ‘Chalis Din’. The case of one forgotten composer using the tune of another forgotten composer.
Hans,
Thanks a lot for your compliments. Music lovers like you are adding a lot to this blog. I looked up the songs you have mentioned, I could not find the no. 2 in your list, Yunhi bahana karke aya karo. I am sure it should be there. All the songs are extremely sweet and most were new for me. The first one Mere jeevan mein aya hai kaun is special as Asha Bhsole really does not sing a stanza, but just gives voice accompaniment by humming. It should fit in with other songs of the type we have listed in comments.
The similarity between Nazar utha ke ye rangeen sama rahe na rahe and Naseeb hoga mera meharban kabhi na kabhi I found somewhat tenuous. They may have the same meter, but N Datta has given a faster tune, even though the picturisation seems to be melancholic. N Datta’s composition is outstanding. Thanks for refreshing our memory of this song.
AK,
For ‘yunhi karke bahana chali aaya karo’ search for ‘shah behram 1955’ in youtube and the first link would be for this song. Regarding the similarity between tunes of ‘nazar utha’ and ‘naseeb hoga’, I still hold my opinion. I dont know which N Datta tune you are talking about. And a faster tune does not make a tune different, as has been clearly established in the topics on version songs. There you or any other person did not say that change in tempo means a different tune.
In the context of Asha’s humming in ‘pyar par bas’ and ‘mere jeevan men’, I would mention another song, ‘bachpan ke din bhi kya din the’ from ‘Sujata – 1959’. This song is registered as a duet, though basically it is sung by Geeta Dutt with vocal support by Asha. This special kind of humming and vocal support was the speciality of Asha, Hemant and Rafi in HFM. I have mentioned this song for making another point.
There has been a general perception that Asha was initially influenced by Geeta Dutt style, which initially I also believed. I want to share my observations and change that perception if I could convince others. For this her singing in Sujata would be an evidence. In Sujata, she sang one song ‘tum jio hazaron saal’ as a solo and lent vocal support for the song ‘bachpan ke din’ which was sung by Geeta Dutt. ‘Tum jio’ was as all agree sung in Geeta style. But, the vocal support for the other song is unmistakably in Asha style. By 1959 Asha had already established her own identity very well. Then why she chose to sing in Geeta style. In my opinion, she was registering her protest to SDB for taking Geeta for Sujata and also to show that she can sing in that way. Upto 1955 Geeta had sung more than 50 songs for SDB. But, from 56 to 59 she was given only 12 songs prior to Sujata. Of these 12, 6 were in Pyasa and Kagaz Ke Phool on which SDB had no control, 2 were female duets with Asha and the remaining 4 were Geeta solos on minor characters.
I have listened to Asha’s earliest songs and I do not find any continuity of Geeta style. On the other hand in her earliest songs she did not sing in Geeta style. If she had been influenced by Geeta (which in itself is illogical, because, Geeta was not an established iconic singer when Asha entered in 1948), then her earliest songs should have been influenced.
So what was the reason for her occasionally singing in Geeta style. As per my observation, Geeta had a meteoric rise and left Lata behind in her first 3-4 years, though she came into films later than Lata. The most painful blow she lent to lata was ‘Jogan’. Lata always wanted to sing Meera. And for this she was a hated figure in Mangeshkar household and both sisters, who were extremely talented in singing as well as in politics, decided to put her out of business. Asha’a occasional singing in Geeta style was a tactical move to acheve this. I have listened Asha singing in that style as late as 1961.
There is another comment against the 3rd song to which I do not agree, because facts point otherwise. That is your assertion that Geeta was the only one who stood up against Lata around that time. In 1953, Asha sang more songs than Geeta and Shamshad combined. And from 1954 onwards she surpassed Lata in number of songs, and except for 1959 and 1961( and in these years too just marginally) Lata could never surpass Asha on that count.
Hans,
I could locate Yun hi karke bahana chali aya karo. A beautiful song. Thanks a lot.
As for similar songs, it also depends a great deal on one’s own sensory perception. There is also a range of degree of similarity. For example, it is now common knowledge that Madan Mohan’s Tujhe kya sunaun main dilruba by Rafi (Aakhari Dao) is a copy of Sajjad Husain’s Ye hawa ye raat ye chandani by Talat Mahmmod (Sangdil), so much so that Sajjad Husain accosted MM on this, who had to wriggle out by mumbling some kind of apology. Even with the benefit of this ‘knowledge’, I do not see Tujhe kya sunaun main dilruba as a plagiarism. To me, it is a tall song and one of the best of Rafi, though I can see that the meter of the two songs is the same, as is the case between Nazar utha ke ye rangeen sama rahe ya na rahe and Naseeb hoga mera meharban kabhi na kabhi (sorry for the slip about N Datta).
You have made some very interesting points about Lata Mangeshkar-Asha Bhosle-Geeta Dutt-SD Burman. I do hope to write on their dynamic later. But you have given a new angle to think about it, differently from the accepted wisdom. I have heard many songs of Asha Bholse of early 1950s bearing a clear stamp of Lata Mangeshkar, which I have mentioned also from time to time on my blog. I think this is an indication of an instinct to follow the style of a more famous artiste, sometimes consciously, sometimes involuntarily. Rest of the job is done by the experts!
Hans’s angle makes sense, in early 50s Asha did resemble Lata,
knowing Lata’s talent as well her politics she soon realised she did not stand a chance, with her immene talent she changed her style from Lata to Geeta, ek teer se do shikar kiya Geeta ko bahar kiya aur Lata ko khoos kiya, destiny helped her too, in conniving, during that period Geeta had her own personal problems to deal with.
AK,
In respect of similar songs, I hold the same view which you have. I have a positive view and do not take them as plagiarism and like to only enjoy. ‘Ye hawa’ and ‘tujhe kya sunaun’ are both great songs. I have read somewhere that Madan Mohan had in fact taken permission from Sajjad Hussain, but, when Madan Mohan became famous Sajjad (he was in fact a diljala type) taunted him publicly, which Madan Mohan took lightly. In the old times there was a lot of camaraderie between the mds and they used the tunes of others, when they fitted their songs, by taking permission. The borrower did not feel ashamed and the lender felt proud. Even the most famous did that.
Now look at ‘mera salam le ja’ from ‘udan khatola’ which had tune similar to ‘shame bahar aayi’ from ‘shama parwana’. Naushad used that after asking Husnlal Bhagatram. Similarly, N. Datta used the tune of ‘kahe koyal shor machaye re’ from ‘aag’ to create ‘saiyyan khul ke na nain milaye re’ in ‘milap’. C. Ramchandra liked the tune of ‘bharam teri wafaon ka mita’ from ‘armaan(1953) so much that in 1955 he used it first for ‘mujhe bhi maut ka paigam’ for ‘lutera’ and again for creating the great Talat-Lata duet ‘tum apni yaad bhi dil se’ in film ‘yasmin’.
There are many such examples, which I had not noted down earlier. But, now I will be on the look out for such songs and would mail you or Ashok Vaishnav.
Hans, Mumbaikar8
Interesting observations! Hans, you have given some similar songs which I was not aware of. The closest I find is Bharam teri wafaon ka and Tum apni yaad bhi dil mein. Both the songs are well known, and with Talat being the common factor, recognition of similarity is immediate. I am sure Mr Ashok Vaishnav is noting and would be looking forward to hearing further from you. I suggest since such songs are innumerable, we limit ourselves to instant-recognition cases. One such example I can immediately think of is, Ye parda hata do zara mukhada dikha do (Ek Phool Do Mali, Ravi) as an imitation of Wo chand muskaya (Aakhari Dao, Madan Mohan). There is also an irony here. Aakhari Dao is the film which has Tujhe kya sunaun main dilruba for which MM was accused of plagiarism of Sajjad Husain. Tables are turned, or shall we say, Ravi honours him after 11 years by copying his tune from another song in this film!
Woh Chand Muskaya is itself a quintessential clone of Dattaram’s style of compositions, if not directly dependent on any particular song from Dattaram (or SJ portfolio).
These aspects did catch the attention in those days, since music style – tunes, composition and even pairing with lyricist(s) played an important role for music directors’ passionate zeal for charting out their own very distinctive and individual style – call it their USP or competitive strategy.
“Hans” has not doubt opened up a veritable trove – we shall certainly not call it witch-hunt, because our sole purpose is to collect songs and their contexts so as to enjoy the song itself and cherish the associations.
All these and many more inspirational songs are discussed by Arunkumar and his group on Harvey’s blog dated 20th March
mumbaikar8
You have very aptly summarised the relationship in a few lines. You are right. Geeta’s problems helped and Asha’s problems forced her to do acts to please Lata. Lata had no problems in her life, but she still created problems for others, which is the opposite of sahir’s lines ‘denge wohi jo payenge is zindagi se hum’.
Both sisters had enormous talent, but Lata got a head start and established a hold on top mds which quickened the learning process and she dominated selection of songs, when both were singing in the same film. These things kept her ahead in number of hits and quality songs, though Asha was singing more songs. Asha needed top mds who could support her. This she got in OPN and Ravi, who gave her all kinds of songs. In my view, Asha had diction problems, which she could largely erase only in the 60s and Lata was almost perfect as a singer, though for playback purposes, she lagged behind Asha (after she improved her diction) in instilling emotions in the song and she had self-imposed inhibitions when singing some kind of songs.
AK,
In my view, the tunes of the other two are more similar. ‘Bharam teri wafaon ka’ has a slower tempo than those by CR, though they are also sad songs.
I also wanted to say something about Ghulam Mohammad. He was much elder than Naushad and made his debut in 1937, while Naushad gave music first in 1940. Upto this you are right. But, Ghulam Mohammad did not get another film till 1943 and got his 3rd film in 1947. While he struggled, Naushad was churning out jubilee hit after jubilee hit. As per HFGK, Ghulam Mohammad was assistant to Naushad in only 4 films viz. Natak, Jadoo, Aan and Deewana. People became assistants either to learn or to earn. Ghulam Mohammad assisted Naushad for the 2nd reason. Naushad not only provided him work in his films, but later when he decided to do one film per year, he recommended Ghulam to many who came to him with offers. I dont know which insiders told you, but, seeing the general character of Indians, there are lots and lots of jealous people who deal in leg pulling of successful people. Your blog is respected, so please dont lend credence to such people.
Ashok Vaishnav,
I have been reading your comments, which show you as having a deep knowledge of music. Your post 43 was no different. On reading this I listened to ‘wo chand muskaya’ again and I remembered having listened another famous song with similar tune. I had also an inkling that it was a Manna Dey song. So I started churning my mind and I remembered. The song is ‘ye raat bheegi bheegi’. There was also another song by Lata in Halaku ‘ye chand ye sitare, ye sath tera mera’. Both these songs were composed by SJ in 1956.
Hans,.
The closest copy of Wo chaand muskaya is Ye parda hata do zara mukhada dikha do from
AK ,
You are right. I was talking about songs composed prior to ‘wo chand muskaya’.
AKji,
One more wonderful Talat-Asha duet – “Kisine nazar se” from Humsafar(1953), composed by the great Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.
KB,
Yes, it is very melodious song. Thanks.
Did not see “Lage tose nain” (Chandi ki Deewar, N. Dutta) listed in the above posts. So here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=6rd80gOT-HQ
this morning i listened to this song nazar utha ke dekh on vivid bharti- bhoole bisre geet and immediately started looking for this song on the net. god and to my surprise i landed on a priceless collection of asha talat duets!AK sahab, i don’t have words to thank you for this wonderful post.
Thanks a lot and welcome to Songs of Yore.
Mumbaiker ji, Refering to your observations @40, I totally agree to your observations regarding close resemblance of Lata-Asha’s songs . Some examples….Chali kaun se desh…..and…….Main bahoroan ki nathkhat rani…..both songs from Boot Polish . Similarly Lata- Asha duets ……Kar gayo re ….from Basant Bahar…..and….Choone na doongi mai haath re najariyon se dil bhar doongi…..from Zindagi? I think after arrival of OP Nayyar Asha’s voice got tilted towards Geeta but the magical voice continued as well . After all …..Dil cheej kya aap meri jaan leejeya…also resembles Lataji ‘s voice.
KS Bhatia,
If you hear Asha Bhosle’s songs between 1949-51, in most of them she is indistinguishable from Lata Mangeshkar. I think her pronounced khanak was a conscious effort to distinguish herself from Lata, and the inspiration for that must have been OP Nayyar. However, the songs you have mentioned, I am not sure if many would agree that in them she sounds like Lata. Especially, Dil cheez kya hai and other songs of Umrao Jaan are high points of her art, and I would not like to reduce it by comparing to Lata Mangeshkar.
K S Bhatia,
I think that Asha was determined to make it and she was so talented she could sing, I would say mimic like, almost all the singers of golden era. She catered to the requirement of her music directors, right now I cannot recollect of all of them but I can give examples of Mubarak Begum in Navrang and Suraiya in Lekh. But I agree with AK and would not compare her songs of Umrao Jaan with Lata.
Navrang song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BTCwI5HEpg&feature=player_embedded
Lekh song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4C1YSnVazd8
Thanks for the nice examples . Both the songs appropriately hold your observations . In the era you have mentioned the singers not only used to follow the famous , outstanding and established singers but also had in mind the heroins of the movies as well; as also the situation of that song. Of course the type of song, if its sad, happy or a dance number also matters . Asha was perfect in naughty numbers . I think her songs of Howrah Bridge are the best examples . I fully agree with AK and yourself . Dil cheez kya is an ultimate song and in fact a MILE STONE in the highway of musical journey. …….Aye gaye manjilon ke nishan lahera ke jhuma jhuka aasman lekan rukega na yeh kaarwan mud mud ke na dekh …….. a great one from asha in shri 420. Now I have one more similarity coming in my mind . The style and tone of Asha’s Navrang song also closely matches that of late Master Madan’s voice; as also singer of yester year Zora Bai as another derivative . AKji gave a good example of Ashaji’s Khanak in OP’s songs . Naushad also used this Khanak in Asha’s song …….Jadoogar kaatil hazir hai mera dil ………in Kohinoor. Once again many many thanks for sharing the views .
Nice, informative and nostalgic post.My appreciations!!Mostly sad and serious songs.May like to add one more romantic duet which would help create an overall softness(I do not mean to belittle beauty of this post,in any case) 24 Ghante-Humen Haal E Dil- R M A Khan-Vipin Babul-1958
Rakesh Srivastava,
Thanks a lot. Realising that Talat was especially known for his songs in a blue mood, I wrote a post on his atypical duets, which includes Hamein haal-e-dil and many more breezy and happy duets.
Here is a song composed by N.Dutta, sung by Asha and Talat, and from the film ‘Chaandi ki deewaar’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rd80gOT-HQ
It could be termed as a textbook bandish in Raga Shuddha Saarang.
No wonder, since it is very apparent that it is based on the following traditional, and very popular, bandishes in this raga:
1. Ab mori baat maana le:
A rendition of this cheez by Veena Sahasrabuddhe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIuGR4w3dI8
(The quality of the recording is bad)
2. Jaa re bhanwraa door:
A rendition of this cheez by Kishori Amonkar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrnjQLYn1N4
Ashwin Bhandarkar,
Thanks for adding this duet and the two superb classical pieces. Normally, there is no song of Talat Mahmood in which I would like to replace him by any other voice. But I had a distinct feeling that in this one he was deficient, and I thought it belonged to Manna Dey or Rafi.
I agree with both the sentiments that you have expressed above.
I can add two songs from my collection.
Dil-eNadan Film Mast Qualander ( M D Hansraj Behl)
Mere jeevan me aya kon – Film Pyasa Nein (1954 – MD S K Pal, Lyr. Wahid Quereshi)
Thought of uploading through soundcloud. These songs were from a casette of HMV in early 1980s. when I used to buy them off the shelf from Maharaja Lal & Sons, Karol Bagh. Copy right issue will arise.Here is from You Tube but not a live video.
https://youtu.be/_8F3q_S4Dxo
https://youtu.be/CmL0OTsFjhM
DP Rangan,
Both the Talat-Asha Bhosle duets outstanding.
D P Rangan ‘ji ;
Both the songs are beautifully crafted . I am listening the first one for the first time . Thanks for entertaining the old scout .
AK you should apologise to the community. You have let loose a concept and widened it beyond imagination and viewing this blog has become as addictive as opium. I see fellow travellers are keeping late hours.
But this will not apply to me. I have suffered from insomnia from early on in life and these days I hardly have 4 hours of sleep. I am relaxing half the year in US with my sons with practically no problem like water shortage, power outage except a little boredom. After discovering this site , time simply seems to fly away.
DP Rangan,
That is a huge compliment. But why should I feel guilty? Let more and more people become addicted to this opium.
Ak’ji;
Include me as another victim. Time is no problem, it is the calendar i am worried about.
Bhatiaji
Have you not heard of carnivorous plant. AKs blog will fit the bill perfectly. Like plants trapping insects and protozoa he offers sweet bait of access to old songs and before you know you are wriggling but cannot get out as the petal has closed tight . Well I cannot be unfair to him. He does not allow the operation come to a fruition. You are let out to breathe again. But AK is very sure you are like Adam who stole the apple and will come back willingly again for a fresh dose.
According to Einstein time is not same and people moving in space-time observe it differently. Unfortunately we are born in an age where achieving speeds close to velocity of light is only in science fiction or star wars films. If you travel one year at the speed of light and return back earth would have aged by more than one lakh years. I do not know where AK would be by that time, but I feel that is the only way to escape from his clutches and invite endless hours of boredom. Do not mistake me. This is my imagination running riot.
DP Rangan, KS Bhatiaji,
If you are the victims, you should imagine my plight. I have to constantly re-invent new potions to keep hardened people addicted. But please do not attribute any ulterior motive to me. ये हसीन नशा है.
AK you may conceal yourself from view using the cloak of invisibility like HG Wells Invisible Man but your writings, profuse shall I say, reveals your personality traits very well. That at least you cannot hide. You will never wound anyone’s feeling. In fact I am thinking of devising ways to ruffle your feathers so that you will come back at me daggers drawn. I would immensely enjoy it. Since I believe in fairness, I am giving you a warning in advance.
I am happy your creativity is being stimulated to no ends and we can expect more posts like the one on Patna Tennis Club. That way English is a wonderful language and adroit use of words and phrases would uplift a humdrum writing into dizzy heights and all will savour it.
AK’ji ;
I can imagine your plight; fighting alone against Rome . I think one needs to change the proverb / quote…… While in Rome do as Russian do….. and follow it judicially . You very well know I am a tee- totler and I get the Nassha drinking Nilgiri or Darggeling Tea .
D P Rangan’ji ;
Thanks for enlightening us with speed of light ; a chapter of physics on Theory of light . I am not aware which part of India or America/ canada you are presently at ; but how quickly one can communicate thru internet is really wonderful ; may be at a speed more than that of light .
For me state of ” Present ” is most important as is obvious from the song that follows :
Kis ke liye ruka hai…….. Ek saal……Rafi….. Ravi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HQvhNNy3I4
A very ordinary picture despite Ashok Kumar and Madhubala and Kuldip Kaur. The usual triangle M1 versus L1 and L2 in the language of AK. Songs are wonderful. I always see B grade films brimming with A grade songs. Ravi did very well. Sub kuch lutake … by Lata Mangeshkar is appealing to say the least. Not often played by AIR in those days. It used to be the usual one by Talat Mahmood. I think there was a song for Johnny Walker near a swimming pool.
You know there were two songs by Mohammad Rafi in Madhumati – sad one Tootte hue kwabo ne and another by Johnny Walker in spirits merrily singing – Jungalmein mor nacha. I have never known AIR /Vividh Bharathi to play the merry tune. They know the songs they were broadcasting will generally create a mood of depression among listeners. It was ten years after the film was released I could get the other song from a road side vendor next to Bori bunder in Mumbai. I am yet to come across a song which portrays drunkenness so succinctly by way of lyrics and singing. Orchestration was magnificent and who else but Mohammad Rafi could do justice to the tune. Zindagi kwab haialso by Salilda comes a distant second. AK can c0nsider writing a blog on drunkenness and singing. None can match him in witticism and it will be a path breaker.
I am basically a Delhi resident. Thanks to my sons I am forced to be a wanderer spending more time abroad than India since 2004.
Bhatiaji
You mentioned about moving faster than light. Alas as per current knowledge speed of light at 300000 kms. per second is finite and nothing can move faster than this. Scientists have theorised about objects than can move faster than light – tachyons. They are yet to be discovered.
DP Rangan,
Two comments: Sab kuchh luta ke by Lata Mangeshkar. I have a different view as you migh have noticed in my post on ‘Twin songs: A front-runner and a laggard’.
Drunken songs. I am gratified by your comments on my writing abilities, though I have no delusions about myself. I can’t promise I would write on it, because I may find other themes more appealing and within my capabilities. But thanks a lot.
No words to say such a beautiful collection cum selection just enjoy it
medicine for all pains
Mr TN Rao,
Welcome to SoY and thanks a lot for your appreciation.
In the song from Boot Polish “Chali Kaun Se Desh Guzariya Tu Sajh Dhaj Ke” A RK film, it is not some unknown male actor lip-synching Talat Mahmood with Baby Naaz, it is Lyricist SHAILENDRA himself
Welcome to SOY and thanks for the confirmation about Shailendra.