And the Songs of Yore Award for the Best Male Playback singer goes to?
As I go down the list of 117/119 memorable songs (two songs had double versions) in my overview post on the best songs of 1947, the most striking thing is the rarity of male solos. I could count only 19 male solos, 50% of which are accounted for by two singers – KL Saigal (5 songs from a single film Parwana) and Mukesh (4 songs). Female solos outnumber male solos by about 4 to 1, and the rest is taken up by duets (male-female as well as other combinations and songs by three or more singers). That does not leave much room for other singers to have any significant number of songs. Surendra, Rafi had Shyam Sundar had two each. This Shyam Sundar was different from the famous music director. He was a comedian who sang four songs in Raj Kapoor-starrer Dil Ki Rani. Four other singers had a song each in my overview post. Thus, the male solos were distributed as follows:
(Suraiya was literally as sweet as a nightingale. I have covered her in some detail. But with his amazing enthusiasm for research, DP Rangan was not deterred in finding enough interesting material and uncovered songs on her. I thank Mr Rangan for this nice article and join him in paying my tribute to one of my greatest favourite singers on her 89th birth anniversary (15 June 1929 – 31 January 2004). – AK)
This is the seventh in the series of posts on this chanteuse, a rage among her admirers in late 1940s. The earlier six posts were all creations of the blog master. Four of the posts were on her combination with the music directors Naushad, S D Burman, Anil Biswas and Husnlal-Bhagatram. The fifth one was general in character based on her songs of the later part of her career, i.e. 1950s through 60s, and the sixth was a small writeup focused on a song Door papiha bola. Naushad, Husanlal Bhagatram and Ghulam Mohammad were music directors in bulk of her films and it will be difficult to exclude Naushad in any discussion of her songs. I have tried as far as possible not to repeat any of the songs from the earlier posts. Such are her achievements, blogs can be written on several aspects of her personality ad infinitum. I have tried to trace her biography and illustrated with songs not so well known as is my usual practice.
On the eighth anniversary of Songs of Yore, I am going to break an unwritten code I have tried to follow – keeping private and public apart. I have met SoY regulars in the NCR from time to time, and also those living in other places during my travels to the cities where I knew an active member lived, but I have never mentioned these meetings. However, this year the meetings have been very special, and KS Bhatia has alluded to the get-together last month in his comments. This makes me overcome my reserve.
A tribute to Bulo C Rani on his 25th death anniversary (6 May 1920 – 24 May 1993)
My first reaction to Bulo C Rani when I heard Humein to loot liya mil ke husnwaalon ne was, how a lady could create such a masculine qawwali. The next marker by which I recognised Bulo C Rani was Ghunghat ke pat khol re tohe piya piya milenge and other delicate bhajans from Jogan (1950), sung so plaintively by Geeta Roy (Dutt). These were more like being composed by a lady with a sonorous name like Bulo C Rani, who could empathise with a character like Meerabai. Gradually, I became aware of the tremendous variety in singers and type of songs composed by this music director. It was much later that I came to know that he was a Sindhi gentleman by the name Bulo Chandiram Ramchandani.
We are told that to succeed in life we have to have a goal, and we have to take the right path to reach there. But how do we get to the right path? You reach a fork in life, you choose a path and that makes all the difference. Had you chosen the other path your life would have panned out in an entirely different way. Our ancients said महाजनो येन गत: स पन्था:।The right path is the one that has been trodden by the great men. But Javed Akhtar does not like to go where everyone goes; he does not like travelling on the worn-out path.
Guest article by DP Rangan as a tribute to Talat Mahmood on his 20th death anniversary (24 February 1924 – 9 May 1998)
(We know all the famous songs of Talat Mahmood. Most of them are already covered on SoY. But that is not a deterrent to a real Talat-fan like our indefatigable DP Rangan, who is well-up even on his obscure songs. This post covering mostly his ‘unknown’ songs would be a delight to the lovers of Talat’s velvet voice. Thank you Mr Rangan. – AK)
My fascination or rather drug addiction for old Hindi film songs started when I was around ten years of age. My schoolmate’s father had a great magical instrument, as it seemed to me, i.e. a spool tape recorder and a Philips radio to go with it. He had recorded old Hindi film songs from Radio Ceylon, and, as a reward for giving tuition in mathematics to his children, allowed me to listen to them. I was an avid listener, but whenever Talat Mahmood songs rolled by, I felt like a humming bee sucking nectar from a flower. At the end, I used to come to my senses with a start. That fascination had continued all along my life.
Radio was the sole source for songs then. However, many of my favourites were broadcast after ages which added to my frustration. After qualifying in an examination conducted by the UPSC, I joined government service in Delhi. With my modest salary from the government job, I could not to afford the luxury of a turntable, but I was mad enough to purchase 78 rpm records of his film songs, thanks to extra money earned from mathematics tuitions, and I used to listen to them during weekends at a neighbour’s place on his device. Technological advancement led to tape recorders in eighties and I acquired a Sony tape recorder sold by a dealer in smuggled goods at Nagapatnam, which was a hub for such goods, as I had by then advanced in my career to earn four figure salary much envied by my neighbours. Now with better finances at my disposal, I acquired many cassettes of 60/90 minutes’ duration and I could listen to my favourite singer at my will. To my horror, I found that frequent playing of the tapes resulted in tapering off my urge to listen and frequency dropped off alarmingly. I now started looking for his less heard songs but to no avail. Down the years, certain set of songs of his were available and nothing more. CDs replaced tapes and yet there was scarce any improvement in new song addition. CDs were available in plenty in market at throwaway prices with various permutations and combinations, but it was only a case of old wine in a new bottle.
Then came the great revolution in communication technology, i.e., establishment of “World Wide Web” or ’www’ as is dubbed, an invention by a group of scientists to exchange information, and introduction of YouTube by Google, which made it easier for people to post videos of short duration. Wide vistas were thrown open and all who wished could post videos of their liking. Now songs and music of every genre is available and search facilities had rendered the job of locating any item easier. I began the job in earnest and was astounded at the abundance of Talat songs, considered to be rare at one time. We should be eternally grateful to those industrious pioneers who had gathered the songs, codified them and added them to the YouTube ocean for all to surf. To start with, I landed with more than 50 songs of his, which I have not heard at all or scarcely once.
I have nothing new to add to the biography of Talat Mahmood. Many posts on his songs have already appeared in this blog composed by the blogmaster. The legendary crooner had his long innings from 1945 to the early sixties and gracefully retired when he found he was a misfit thereafter. While the current crop of ‘noise’ which goes by the name ‘songs’ in day to day films are a seven days’ wonder, Talat’s will outlast time. As current generations mature over a period of time, they are certain to visit the golden age songs and listen to them. Fortunately, they are well preserved now for all time to come. It is unfortunate that copyright claims lead songs being withdrawn from YouTube site without notice and you are presented with a grinning skeleton in red, a dreaded sight for music lovers.
Talat Mahmood was gathered to his forefathers on 9th May 1998. Today on the 20th anniversary of his passing away, I would like to present a few of the songs, generally not heard over the radio or available as CD, as my fond tribute to him. I apologize in advance for any inadvertent errors. I look forward to comments and additions by the veterans of Songs of Yore.
1. Jaago musafir jaago from Raj Lakshmi (1945), lyrics Suresh Chowdhury, music by Dhiren Mitra and Robin Chatterjee
Probably the first Hindi film in which Talat Mahmood acted as a singing star, though the main actors were Jahar and Kanan Devi. It is a good introduction by the music director with a lush tune and the young voice is quite prominent. It was a part of the collection brought out by HMV in their cassettes in the 1980s eighties and I still possess it as a precious jewel. The song is simple and straightforward in line with those sombre days.
2. Haye ye maine kya kiya from Samapti (1949), lyrics Pandit Bhushan, music Timir Baran
Talat Mahmood was only a play back singer in this movie, which had actors as Hiralal, Sunder, Bharti Devi, Kanak Kumari. The song proceeds like a slow flowing river in the plains. There was another good song Man ki maina bol rahi hai, but too well known.
3. Jo beet gaya so beet gaya from Swayam Siddha (1949), lyrics Bhavani Prasad Misra, music Prafull Chowdhury
Samar Roy and Shanta Apte were the principal actors. Talat Mahmood was only a playback singer. Another of those standard tunes of the period. The other solo Din beet chaleis also in similar vein. It was just a toss between the two.
4. Ja jaanewale bhala ho tera from Wafa (1950), lyrics D N Madhok, music Vinod
A Karan Diwan-Nimmi starrer, this song must have been picturized on the hero. I can only state it is just good to hear. There is one more solo Ram ji duhai hai, but no videos are available.
5. Chandni raat mein from Naazneen (1951), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music Ghulam Mohammad
Nasir Khan and Madubala are the main actors. This is the only one solo from the film sung by Talat Mahmood. Just a good tune from the music director sung in the usual style.
5. Tadap jaate hain ab wo bhi from Zamane Ki Hawa (1952), lyrics Kaif Irfani Bhopali, music Gulshan Sufi
Suresh, Mumtaz Shanti and Pran have acted in this film. Five lyricists have written the songs. Out of 12 songs, data is available only for four. This song is part of HMV tape and I chose it for the soothing effect it has when one listens to it.
6. Mohabbat mein kashish hogi from Khoobsurat (1952), lyrics Shaukat Jaunpuri, music Madan Mohan
I could not resist my urge to present this song, because of its sweetness and the good tune by the maestro Madan Mohan. Nasir Khan and Suraiya play main role. Madan Mohan was also a childhood neighbour of Suraiya and had known her well.
7. Kah rahi hai raat andheri from Hyerabad Ki Naazneen (1952), lyrics Noor Lakhanavi, music Vasant Desai
What a strange title! I am sure this will be a surprise for many of the viewers. Manohar Desai and Nigar Sultana play main roles. A rare combination of this music director and Talat Mahmood. Another solo from the film is titled Duniyan mein jeena hi padega. The only other song for this combination is a duet Tim tim tim taaron ke deep jale in the film Mausi.
8. Khada hun der se from Alif Laila (1953), lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanavi, music Shyam Sundar
I had to make extensive search in this year. Most of the songs of Talat Mahmood appear to be in wide circulation and I could not come across any rarely heard song of his. I zeroed on this as perhaps less heard in comparison to many others. Main actors were Vijay Kummar and Nimmi. Shyam Sundar has composed a song suited to Talat Mahmood singing style.
9. Teri yaad ka deepak jalta hai from Gawaiya (1954), lyrics SH Bihari, music Ram Ganguly
There are two versions of the song, one by Talat Mahmood and another by Surendra, the hero. There is no easy answer to the query which version is better. It is for the readers to judge in their individual preference.
10. Khamosh hain sitaare from Haar Jeet (1954), lyrics Saraswati Kumar Deepak, music SD Batish
A lovely tune composed by this music director and Talat Mahmood is fully in his element.
11. O jaanewale tum na maane from Rishta (1954), lyrics Pandit Phani, music K Dutta
Suresh/Nigar Sultana were the lead stars in this movie. This song is a little fast-paced for Talat Mahmood.
12. Mohabbat bane hain from Aaj Ki Baat (1955), lyrics Hasrai Jaipuri, music Snehal Bhatkar
The hero Ajit seems to be crooning in bliss having fallen in love with the heroine Chitra and is exhibiting it through the silken voice of Talat Mahmood.
13. Sahara koi mil jata from Raftaar (1955), lyrics Nakhshab, music Shivram
Talat donned the role of hero and his heart throb was Nadira. A very sweet song which can be heard again and again. This was also part of HMV tape release.
14. Dil jawan hai aarzoo jawan from Samudri Daku (1956), lyrics Vishwamitra Adil, music Jaidev
This seems to be a thriller involving pirates. Nasir Khan must have sung this song in youthful abandon probably strumming a guitar, a familiar instrument with such seafaring men. The song goes on in even meter without a hitch. I do not know whether Nadira, the heroine was present in the scene as the link contains only the audio. Another version of the song is a duet with Asha Bhosle.
15. Salam tujh ko from Mera Salaam (1957), lyrics Shewan Rizvi, music Hafeez Khan
The main actors are Bharat Bhushan, Bina Roy, K N Singh and Durga Khote. The song is certainly worth listening as one relaxes in bed after a day of toil.
I can keep on adding more such kind of songs less known at the risk of introducing an element of boredom in the post. I now call it quits and leave it to the judgement of blog followers as to the quality of the post.
A look at the above songs reveals that many of the music directors belong to the forgotten category and were probably not prominent even in their heydays. They fell by the wayside as the years advanced. On the contrary most of the lyrists seem to have escaped the hatchet and survived far into the future. Talat Mahmood’s golden era was coming to a close and he must have sung fewer of the songs thereafter as the trend of film music had undergone a paradigm shift and he would have no further part to play. Still he managed more than 60 songs, solo and duet in sixties. Most of them would be familiar to serious film music followers.
I request the followers of this blog to post more such songs of yesteryears of this genius, unknown, rare or infrequently heard.
I was encouraged in this crazy venture by great-hearted AK himself. All brickbats to me and pat on the back to AK.
For the SoY regulars, the title of this post may come as a surprise, because DP Rangan has already written an exhaustive post on songs on stars. That was about stars in the sky (i.e. तारे/सितारे). However, there are another kind of stars around whom the film world revolves. They have names like you and me, but when they become too big, they acquire special monikers like ‘the Great Trinity’, ‘the Dream Girl’, ‘the Big B’, ‘the Jumping Jack’, ‘the Phenomenon’, ‘the Three Khans’ and so on. From the media we know that they inhabit the terra firma, but for common folks like us, they are really the ‘Stars from Another Sky’.
Songs have been an integral part of our films right from the very first talkie Alam Ara (1931). The common understanding is that music had been an integral part of our folk, classical and theatre traditions, and it was a natural extension to films. Our early films were largely based on our existing theatre forms. Very soon film songs assumed an identity of their own; they could be enjoyed decoupled from the films they were set in. Gramophone records and radio became the primary source of propagation and circulation of film songs to people, and soon they became the most identifiable feature of popular culture.
It was the best of years, it was the worst of years. The euphoria of independence was marred by the trauma of partition, the communal frenzy sweeping large swathes of the country, the bloodshed, and the largest mass migration in history from one side of the border to the other. The film world too could not remain untouched by these events. Many Muslim music directors and actors chose to go to the other side or would move shortly – Ghulam Haider, Rafiq Ghazanavi, Firoz Nizami, Khursheed Anwar, Noorjehan etc. It was a sad year for another final departure – the greatest actor-singer ever KL Saigal passed away on 18 January 1947 at a young age of 43. But the year also saw the debut of Lata Mangeshkar as a ‘playback’ singer in Aap Ki Sewa Mein.
(A lesser mortal, when asked to write on songs on ‘tasveer’, would have made some general observations about pictures, and mentioned some songs which contained the word ‘tasveer’. Not DP Rangan, as we know well by now. Mr Rangan takes us to pre-historic days when mankind would have started making some pictorial representations by sketching on rocks and caves. Thank you Mr Rangan for another article, in a long series of guest articles, loaded with information . – AK)
Living beings emerged from the primordial chemical bath some three billion years ago on Earth and human beings seem to be the latest in the ladder of life. Unlike other living entities who were solely concerned with their day to day survival and perpetuation of their species, humans, because of their extra sensory perception and intellect, sought to understand the surroundings in which they evolved. They are the only species not to live in harmony with nature, but try to twist it to suit their living conditions with disastrous consequences for all. They seem to have developed a sense of ego and creativity all along and exhibit it in some form or another. They developed the art of drawing on rocks leaving behind memories of the environment in which they evolved. Thus was born the art of sketches and drawing and tasveer was a by-product of this trait.
As I go down the list of 117/119 memorable songs (two songs had double versions) in my overview post on the best songs of 1947, the most striking thing is the rarity of male solos. I could count only 19 male solos, 50% of which are accounted for by two singers – KL Saigal (5 songs from a single film Parwana) and Mukesh (4 songs). Female solos outnumber male solos by about 4 to 1, and the rest is taken up by duets (male-female as well as other combinations and songs by three or more singers). That does not leave much room for other singers to have any significant number of songs. Surendra, Rafi had Shyam Sundar had two each. This Shyam Sundar was different from the famous music director. He was a comedian who sang four songs in Raj Kapoor-starrer Dil Ki Rani. Four other singers had a song each in my overview post. Thus, the male solos were distributed as follows:
