Best Songs of 1951: Wrap Up 2

Songs of Yore Award for the Best ‘Other’ Female Playback Singer goes to?

In the previous two series for 1953 and 1955, I had one Wrap Up for the best female playback singer, and unlike the question mark for male singers, the by-line for female singer had a straightforward: “And the Award goes to Lata, Lata, Lata, Lata, Lata….Lata Mangeshkar.” But in the write-up and the final ten I made efforts to include about 3-4 songs of other singers too, in the nature of affirmative action. Her dominance is no less pronounced in 1951- Mahesh goes to the extent of saying that the best female playback singer other than Lata is Lata Mangeshkar herself. But several readers gave separate lists of their favourite songs of Lata and ‘other’ female singers, and suggested that I do the female playback singers in two parts. The ‘other’ singers bring immense variety and several of them had their landmark songs in the year. Therefore, let me split the female singers in two parts, and start with the ‘other’ singers first.

I am conscious that ‘other’ is a somewhat unfair term. There are equally passionate fans of Geeta Dutt, for example, who might put her Baazi songs ahead of the best of Lata. Rajkumari evokes a great deal of respect and nostalgia. Splitting and putting them in a separate category implies a pre-conceived Lata-bias, and precludes an overall comparison. Let me say in defense that it makes the discussion convenient, and allows us to savour the multi-coloured mosaic of female singers in a better way.

Before I start let me put the numbers in perspective. Taking from Venkataramanji’s comments, Lata Mangeshkar accounts for 40% of the total female solos, whereas 36 other singers account for the rest. Some of the 36 and their songs would be almost unknown. But the interesting part is that a large number of them – probably more than the earlier series – figure in my list of memorable songs.

I mentioned Geeta Dutt and Baazi, which zoomed her career to a higher orbit. Aaj ki raat piya is everyone’s great favourite, but there are people who like Taqdeer se bigadi hui a lot. Shamshad Begum was the lead singer in Bahaar, with iconic songs like Sainya dil mein aana re and Duniya ka majaa le lo duniya purani hai. Besides, she has great songs in Deedar and Jadoo. And her Dekho pyala mera chhla ke (Shabistaan) is a superlative dance song, which I have mentioned in ‘special’ songs. Mumbaikaar 8 added a number of her songs from Naazneen.

Suraiya’s Raaton ki neend chheen li (Shokhiyaan) ranks among her sweetest songs and has been mentioned by many readers. She also had a very melodious song in Raajput (Raste pe hum khade hain dil-e-beqaraar le kar). Almost everyone has mentioned Rajkumari’s Ramaiya bin neend na aave (Badi Bahoo). Anil Biswas and Rajkumari shared great personal vibes as we have seen on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, which shows in their quality of music too. Rajkumari also had a fabulous mujra Koi kis tarah raaz-e-ulfat chhupaye (Hulchul), which I had included in ‘special’ songs. Then, who can forget Sandhya Mukherjee’s Ye baat koi samjhaye re (Sazaa).

Zeenat Begum’s Hamaari gali aao Shyam (Mukhadaa) has been mentioned by many readers. There is a sprinkling of Asha Bhosle songs, a couple of which have figured in ‘special’ songs.

This is an awesome list by any yardstick. But I am yet to mention my greatest favourite of the year. Chori chori aag si dil mein laga ke chal diye by Sulochana Kadam is a class by itself. Five out of ten penalties, done with great deliberation and concentration, are missed in Brazil-Chile Round of 16. The success in this situation should be almost 100%. And you see some incredible goals in the World Cup, pure magic pulled out by a conjurer. These happen by some divine force. One such song was Afsana likh rahi hun (Naushad) a few years earlier, which made Uma Devi immortal as a singer. Chori chori aag si is in that class. It has not only the same infectious rhythm, but also a great melody.

All the above songs have been mentioned by the readers. Let me try to summarise the sense of the House (with a fair amount of my preference), and present the best ten songs of ‘other’ female playback singers.

1.  Chori chori aag si dil meinlaga ke chal diye by Sulochana Kadam from Dholak, lyrics Shyam Lal ‘Shams’, music Shyam Sundar

Sulochana Kadam sang about 220 songs in 60 films in her twelve year career, but this one song has made her immortal. Though the picturisation shows Meena Shorey in a sad mood, the doyen of Punjabi school of music, Shyam Sundar, chooses to give it a fast beat. I have another category of songs – discordance between the song and picturisation. But without quibbling, let yourself go and sway to this all-time great song.

2.  Aaj ki raat piya dil na todo by Geeta Dutt from Baazi, lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanavi, music SD Burman

With songs like these it is not surprising the debutant director, Guru Dutt, fell in love with Geeta Dutt. After a great start in Do Bhai (1947), SD Burman further cements her position as the only challenger to Lata Mangeshkar with a variety of her songs in Baazi. Contrast this with the Sahir’s ghazal Tadbeer se bigadi hui taqdeer bana de, which he presented as a cabaret number. The moonlit night, Kalpana Kartik’s seductive pleading to Dev Anand, Guru Dutt’s picturisation and SD Burman’s orchestration, with Geeta Dutt’s voice make it an eternal song.

3.  Ramaiya bin need na aave by Rajkumari from Badi Bahoo, lyrics Meerabai, music Anil Biswas

One of the losses of Lata Mangeshkar domination has been the eclipse of great singers of the Vintage Era, like Rajkumari. Her TV appearances showed that she retained the timbre of her voice many years after the industry had forsaken her. Industry became equally disinterested in Anil Biswas when he was still in his prime in the late 50s and 60s, forcing him to quit Bombay and move to Delhi to join the All India Radio. He was very fond of Rajkumari. This one is one of their best, and has been mentioned by many readers.

4.  Sainya dil mein aana re aa ke phir na jana re by Shamshad Begum from Bahaar, lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music SD Burman

That some songs are timeless is not a clichéd statement. After more than 50 years its appeal has not waned – its remixes in several voices became a big rage in the modern era.

5.  Hamaari gali aao Shyam ankhiyan bichhaye by Zeenat Begum from Mukhadaa, lyrics by Aziz Kashmiri, music Vinod

Zeenat Begum is one of the true representatives of the vintage style of female singing, who had to fade very quickly because of the change of era. This happens to be her last playback. Shakeel Badayuni-Naushad-Rafi combo – three Muslims – creating O duniya ke rakhwaale is often mentioned. This song is no less remarkable that it has Muslim lyricist, Muslim singer, and a Christian composer, Vinod (Eric Roberts). Zeenat Begum married music director, Babul (of Bipin-Babul), and later migrated to Pakistan. I am happy to bring this song from ‘special’ songs to the main list.

6.  Raaton ki neend chheen li by Suraiya from Shokhiyan, lyrics Kedar Sharma, music Jamal Sen

In my series on “Forgotten Composers: Unforgettable Melodies”, both Vinod and Jamal Sen have figured. A multifaceted personality himself, Kedar Sharma, also had a great gift to discover talents. The movie bombed, but he gave Jamal Sen a vehicle for immortal creations. This is the film which has Lata Mangeshkar’s matchless Yaman, Sapna ban saajan aaye. Many readers have included Jamal Sen in the best MDs of the year. This Suraiya song is another of great beauty.

7.  Ye baat koi samajhaye re by Sandhya Mukherjee from Sazaa, lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music SD Burman

Born in Calcutta on 4 October 1931, Sandhya Mukherjee was a contemporary of the great female playback singers of the era: Geeta Dutt and Lata Mangeshkar. In such a tough field, and with a voice that was indistinguishable from Geeta Dutt’s, she could not go very far. She sang in over a dozen films, but one song that became her identity was Ye baat koi samjhaye re. She also had a superlative duet with Hemant Kumar, Aa gup chup gup chup pyar karein, in the film.

Seven different voices, seven landmark songs by five composers, two of whom are among the “Forgotten”. The ‘other’ singers never shone more brightly in a single year during the Lata Mangeshkar era. This indeed needed a separate post.

For the remaining three slots, I would include Rajkumari’s mujra Koi kis tarah raaz-e-ulfat chhupaaye, which has figured in ‘special’ songs, and one each of Geeta Dutt and Shamshad Begum – these are very well-known, and have appeared on this blog earlier, therefore I am not providing their link.

So who is the best among the above? They were all distinct; they all enriched the year in their own way. It would be impractical to choose one, or rank them; everyone’s choice would be different. They are all winners. Can I say that:

Songs of Yore Award for the Best ‘Other’ Female Playback Singer goes to the ‘Other Singer’.

PS

Mahesh, whose name I have mentioned in the beginning, made some useful observations in the comments (see the Comments section below). Pursuant to discussions with him, I would like to add another honour:

Songs of Yore Award for the Best Female Playback Singer, who made the most impact in the year, goes to Shamshad Begum

(Acknowledgement: Swaron Ki Yatra by Anil Bhargav)

Tagged as: Rajkumari, Sandhya Mukherjee, Shamshad Begum