Guest article by DP Rangan
(The prolific guest writer DP Rangan now writes on the twins in Hindi films, some generic tropes of these films, and gives a selection of songs from some twin films. The highlight of this post is some great songs of the vintage era. This post too has been with me for quite some time. Mr Rangan has been quite understanding of the unavoidable delay in scheduling it. Thank you Mr Rangan for yet another nice post from your pen. – AK)
Four billion years after the formation of the Solar System, the first elementary form of life emerged. Over the next five billion years, life underwent steady transformation and became more and more complex and advanced. Survival of the fittest was the key element in ensuring continuation of species. Apotheosis was emergence of Human beings (Phylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia) as the last to arrive at the scene. There was no longer any need to have large broods of young ones for species continuation among human beings. Single birth was the norm and over a number of years, a human couple, male and female, brought forth several children, and despite partial infant mortality perpetuation of the race was ensured. Still there were odd instances of giving birth to twins, identical or fraternal. Identical were either male or female, while fraternal could be a male and female child. For this post we are concerned only with identical twins.
Identical twins by nature have similar features and difficult to identify in a casual manner except by their parents or others closely moving with them. My next door neighbour in Karol Bagh, during my years of residence there, had identical twins named Suresh and Santosh. Barring my sons, none could pick them out correctly and there were many embarrassing situations. Parents of the twins were enjoying the discomfiture of the other residents. In school it was the norm to punish the wrong twin for the misdemeanour of the other. After some time school authorities left them alone out of sheer exasperation. I read about a German who could not see apart his wife’s twin and the suspicious lady tied a band to her twin sister’s wrist whenever she was on a visit to curb the straying tendency of her life partner.
Twins as a by-product of reproduction of species is a fertile field for film magnates. This has been exploited to the core by all producers in Indian subcontinent, particularly Bollywood and Kollywood from early days of filmdom.
Considering only identical twins is logical. Stories usually revolve around twins separated at birth and brought up in different surroundings displaying avant garde disposition, meeting each other in adulthood and sharing confidences. They change places and the stronger twin confronted the tormentor(s) and brought them to heel while the weaker sibling found it easy to live in pleasanter atmosphere. In the process others in both the places found themselves in antithetical situations. Each of them had his own loved one to cherish eventually ending in nuptials.
To my limited knowledge, it is either twin males or females. I am yet to stumble on a film of simultaneous male/female twins occupying the podium. I came across 15 films stretching from 1942 to 2001. I am classifying them as male-male or female-female kind. I am confining myself to a single actor acting as born twins and not father-son or mother-daughter look alike. Hum Dono (1961) belongs to doppelganger category and automatically excluded. Anhonee involves two half-sisters with a common paternal male. It is biologically not possible for them to look alike as twins and they are also a sort of doppelganger. My list is not exhaustive and I depend on blog travellers to rectify my deficiency.
| Female Twins | Male Twins |
| Muqabala (1942) | Ram Rajya (1943) |
| Mera Saya (1943) | Nishan (1949) |
| Do Kaliyaan (1968) | Ram Aur Shyam (1967) |
| Sharmilee (1971) | Gora Aur Kala (1972) |
| Seeta Aur Geeta (1972) | Jaise Ko Taisa (1973) |
| Chalbaaz (1989) | Angoor (1982) |
| Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi (2001) | Kishan Kanhaiya (1990); Judwa (1997); Judwa 2 (2017) |
I will now come to the pleasanter aspect of the post, i.e. posting of songs in a chronological order.
Muqabala (1942)
A JBH Wadia film produced in 1942 revolved around the Fearless Nadia (also known as Hunterwali), Australian by origin, acting in twin roles along with Yakub, Agha, Dalpat and others. Music was by Khan Mastana and lyrics by A Karim for nine songs in total. Twins Madhuri and Rani get separated when their mother is shot dead by her rejected suitor in their presence. The villain takes away Rani and also their father who is his prisoner from then on. Madhuri is picked up by a rich man and grows up as his adopted daughter. Years roll by and an athletic Madhuri stumbles on her sister working as a dancer in a night club. They meet together and vow to bring to justice the villain. Each of them has a lover. After the usual fisticuffs the villain is laid low and truth triumphs. This was the first film adopting twins concept in film making, a daring venture when filming technology was not that advanced. Photo director Babubhai Mistry used split screen technology for the first time in Indian film history along with back screen projection to show twins facing each other. Madhuri’s dog Gunboat also plays his role.
1. Piya nainon mein aan samaye by Rajni
Love struck Madhuri stares at a picture of Yakub and yearns for his attention. The song is on a classical raag. Being an ignoramus I cannot pin down the raag for which there are others.
2. Meri jholi bhar de khaali by Khan Mastana
Performance in the night club by Rani mistaken as Madhuri by Yakub when entering the night club.
Ram Rajya (1943)
The film deals with the episode post Ram’s return to Ayodhya after victory over Ravana. His twin sons Luv and Kush confront Ram without each being aware of their mutual relationship. Prem Adib and Shobhana Samarth play the role of Ram and Sita. It was the third highest ranking money spinner in 1943. Shankar Rao Vyas set music to the songs written by Ramesh Gupta.
Here is the well-known song by Luv and Kush while perambulating the streets of Ayodhya telling the tale of Ram and Sita.
3. Bharat ki ek sannari ki hum katha sunate hain by Yeshwant Balakrishna Joshi and Yeshwant Nikam (singer’s name courtesy Arunkumarji)
Nishan (1949)
The inspiration of the plot is from the novel – ‘The Corsican Brothers’ by Alexandre Dumas, a prolific writer of historical romances and of The Count of Monte Cristo fame. SS Vasan of Gemini Studios brought out the film in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi simultaneously. Actress Bhanumati was the heroine in all the versions and Ranjan was the main actor in the Hindi Version. Twins of a zamindar are saved by the family doctor and one is sent to jungle to be reared. In their adulthood they meet each other and recognize themselves. Bhanumati, the daughter of the physician, loves the urbane hero much to the chagrin of the jungli twin. In the end while battling the villain who was the root cause of their separation, the rustic Ranjan gives up his life in the process saving his twin.
4. Teri meri ye kahani by Shamshad Begum, music Rajeshwar Rao, lyrics Pandit Indra
Bhanumati is singing about her love and her lover Ranjan is enjoying it to no ends. Shamshad Begum has rendered it well. The tune is same in all the versions. Bhanumati is a top class singer and I fail to understand why she was not allowed to sing this song and others in the film.
I am giving a link to the version from ‘Aboorva Sagodharargal’ meaning Rare Brothers sung by Bhanumati. I consider it far superior to the Hindi film song.
5. More angane mein by Shamshad Begum and Moti, music Rajeshwar Rao, lyrics Pandit Indra
Lovelorn couples are openly exhibiting their affaires de coeur with this aubade, and the rustic twin looks very sad as a mute witness to this whirling about in gay abandon as he too longs for the girl but knows his case is hopeless ab initio.
Gora Aur Kala (1972) is identical to Nishan in its plot.
Jaise Ko Taisa (1973)’s storyline is very similar to Seeta Aur Geeta.
Kishan Kanhaiya (1990) follows the same formulae as above.
Judwa (1997) can be linked to this category with a ham-fisted plot adding more characters, but ultimately the end is same – incarceration of the villain and the twins marrying their love.
Mera Saya (1966)
Raj Khosla’s third venture, a roaring box office success, is about the twin sisters: Gita (housewife) and Nisha (bandit). Its lead actors are Sunil Dutt and Mala Sinha (in double role), Prem Chopra (husband of Nisha, a criminal). It is not the usual plot as Muqabala and Nishan. Sunil Dutt. married to Gita, is called back from abroad as his wife is dying. He builds a monument in her memory and mopes around it. In court he is confronted with a woman, a look alike of his wife, who claims to be the real Gita and the one who died was her twin sister Nisha. Eventually her claim is proved. The bandit is shot dead by police near the monument. Gita is reunited with Sunil Dutt in the end. The film had outstanding music by Madan Mohan and lyrics by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan. Here are two songs sung by the twins.
6. Jhumka gira re Bareilly ke bazaar mein by Asha Bhosle
A lilting composition by the maestro Madan Mohan in his own inimitable style, this naughty song by an ebullious Asha Bhonsle is an all-time classic. The bandit’s wife Nisha is strutting about on the streets of Bareilly casting a spell over the spectators.
7. Nainon me badra chhaye by Lata Mangeshkar
The chaste Gita, married to the hero Sunil Dutt, expresses her marital bliss in this song which includes a visit to the temple by the couple. Another glorious creation by Madan Mohan.
Ram Aur Shyam (1967)
An adaptation from the blockbuster Tamil movie ‘Enga Veettu Pillai’ with super hero MG Ramachandran in twin roles produced by B Nagi Reddy. Here Dilip Kumar plays to perfection the two twin characters as per their disposition and the counterpart females are Waheeda Rehman and Mumtaz. The story runs on the same parallel lines with their sister’s cruel husband (Pran) receiving his comeuppance in the end. Dilip Kumar bagged Filmfare award for the best actor in 1968. The music is composed by Naushad with lyrics by Shakeel Badauni.
8. Main hum saaqi tu hai sharabi by Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi
Shyam, the belligerent twin who had taken the place of Ram, the other twin, is cavorting with Waheeda Rehman and both are in utter bliss.
9. O baalam tere pyar ki thandi aag mein jalte jalte by Asha Bhosle and Mohammad Rafi
The timid Ram posing as Shyam is carrying on a love affair with the village belle Mumtaz and they seem to have established a chemistry of love between them.
Do Kaliyaan (1968)
The movie was produced in down south, i.e. Kollywood, by AVM studios and directed by the famous director twins S. Krishnan and R Panju, has a star cast of Mala Sinha, Biswajit, Mehmood, and Neetu Singh in twin roles. It is based on a Hollywood movie ‘The Parent Trap’ (1961). It is a remake of the Tamil movie ‘Kuzhandiyum Deivamum’, meaning ‘ Child and God’. It was a hit and Biswajit got a resurgence. Biswajit lives in the house of his in laws as ghar jamai. Realising his lowly status in the house, he quits the scene taking away one of the twins Ganga, while leaving behind the other twin Jumna with Mala Sinha who refuses to go along with him. Years roll by and the twins meet by chance. They switch sides and reunite their parents in the end and bring to heel their haughty maternal grandmother. Sahir Ludhiyanavi wrote the lyrics and music was by Ravi.
10. Bachche man ke sachche by Lata Mangeshkar
Neetu Singh as baby Sonia sings about the innocence of children and childhood days in the class room while her twin sitting in the adjacdent row is making faces. A well-known song and Sahir Ludhiyanavi’s lyrics is superb.
11. Murga murgi pyar se dekhe by Lata Mangeshkar
Jumna left with Mala Sinha laments her status as the child of a single mother and yearns for her absent father who had left long ago with her twin Ganga for leading an independent life.
Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi (2001) is also based on the film The Parent Trap and hence similar to Do Kaliyaan.
I have left out Angoor (1982) where two sets of twins, both boys, are involved. The blog followers may unravel the knot.
This is all I could write on this theme which is narrow in scope. It is for the blog followers to expand it further with their eclectic ability.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:
The video links of the songs have been embedded from the YouTube only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim copyright over them which rests with the respective owners such as Saregama India Private Limited, Eros, Shemaroo and others.
{ 64 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting post and some lovely songs. To the list of ‘twin movies’ I’d like to add the following: An Evening in Paris (Sharmila Tagore plays twin sisters), China Town (Shammi Kapoor as twin brothers), Do Dooni Chaar (Kishore Kumar and Asit Sen both play twin brothers – this is a remake of A Comedy of Errors, Gustakhi Maaf (another remake of A Comedy of Errors, though this one was a much looser adaptation – Tanuja plays twins), Woh Kaun Thi? (Sadhana plays twin sisters) and Nishaan (the Sanjeev Kumar version, which was a remake of the Ranjan film).
Of course, like Mr Rangan, I’m not taking into consideration films like Izzat, Yakeen and Mujrim, where the characters look alike but are not twins.
Rangan ji very nice article about theme exploited profitably many times by bollywood so much so that Andaz apna apna has a hilarious take with Paresh Rawal of all persons donning the twin role . Salman when confronted with this reality blurts out “आयला Seeta aur geeta & Aamir corrects him
” nahi Ram aur Shyam ”
I would like to add a female twin Sharmilee from 1971
Where Rakhi who was relatively new takes the risk of playing almost a vampish & negative role offset by the other which is pious to a fault.
Megha chaye aadhi raat
Neeraj – SDB
https://youtu.be/VXyjfNRjT7Q
Khilte hai gul yaha
Neeraj – SDB
https://youtu.be/ZTqz4JIN7UM
Excellent post Mr Rangan.
Dustedoff has already mentioned ‘Do Dooni Chaar’ of 1968, which was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Comedy of Errors’ like ‘Angoor’ mentioned in the article. Kishore Kumar and Asit Sen played the two twins like Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Vema in the later film. It had at least one very nice song: ‘Havaaon pe likh do:’
https://youtu.be/ma3F6XIFtVk
The little girl one sees in this song grew up to be Neetu Singh.
I am sure the heroine in Mera Saya is Sadhna and not Mala Sinha as written in the article.
Very interesting subject and equally interesting treatment.
I recall Anhonee (1953), wherein Nargis had played the double role.It has a song which both characters sing, in rotation –
Zindagi Badli Muhobbat Ka Majha Aane Laga – Lata Mangeshlar, Rajkumari
https://youtu.be/xei8lyU0y2o
Another film in which Nargis played double role – that of a split personality- was Raat Aur Din (1967)
The relevant songs is
AwareA ye Mer Dil – whiich too is twin version song –
https://youtu.be/od52eJ0p4FQ
and
https://youtu.be/9ZWc9N8RXis
Good post Ranganji,
I would add,
Do behne 1959
Shyama playing twin’s role
Main Natkhat EK Kali
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmCU59Zo3Aw
Other well known films have been mentioned already.
Anup
Neer,
Welcome to SoY, and thanks a lot for pointing out the error. It has been since corrected.
I repeat what AK has written in his introduction:
“Thank you Mr.Rangan for yet another nice post from your pen”
Incidentally I would like to point out that Sadhana is the heroine acting in twin roles and not Mala Sinha.
There are dozens of movies qualifying.
CHAALBAAZ with Sridevi and KISHEN KANHAIYA with Anil Kapoor were RAM AUR SHYAM and SEETA AUR GEETA 2.0.
Shahid Kapoor was brilliant as Guddu and Charlie in KAMINEY.
Kajol shone as twins in DUSHMAN.
Paresh Rawal’s comic/ villainous act in ANDAZ APNA APNA is remembered to this day.
Dharmendra_ GHAZAB.
Amitabh Bachchan- Twins as well as their father in MAHAAN, the remake of super hit Kannada movie SHANKAR GURU where Rajkumar was effortlessly delightful.
Aamir _ DHOOM 3.
Varun Dhawan_ JUDWA 2.
Will come back tomorrow.
A great post on an interesting topic, Ranganji!
‘Golmaal’ (1979) was a Hrishikesh Mukherjee-directed laugh-riot in which the characters played by Amol Palekar as well as Dina Pathak are forced to pretend to have twins in order not to get into trouble with the character played by Utpal Dutt. It was remade as ‘Tillu Mullu’ in Tamil. Here’s the title song from the film:
‘Golmaal hai, san golmaal hai’ by Sapan Chakraborty and R.D.Burman (MD – R.D.Burman, Lyricist – Gulzar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mchDikR-AAw
A YouTube search for ‘Mahabharat’ led me to this movie made in 1965 and starring Pradeep Kumar, Abhi Bhattacharya, Dara Singh, Padmini and Jeevan. Surely it features the characters of the twins, Nakul and Sahadev but I did not have the patience to watch the movie to find out who play these roles! The MD was Chitragupt.
‘Mahabharat’ (1965)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK0djoU7CC8
Here is a song from the movie. It is a dance-song that the character played by Pradeep Kumar watches on a television set of sorts! In the YT page, the singers are credited as Lata, Asha and Kamal Barot but I could not hear Asha’s voice.
‘Meri chhun chhun chhun paayal’ by Lata Mangeshkar & Kamal Barot (MD – Chitragupt, Lyricist – Bharat Vyas)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcgf60CHAZg
Mr. Rangan,
Nice Interesting and brief post.
You have left few movies to unravel, as you have posted songs by both the characters singing.
There are few movies left because in Angoor and Seeta aur Geeta only one of the two had songs.
In Chalbaaz, mentioned by Dr. Shetty too both of them Anju and Manju sing.
I will post those songs.
Chalbaaz Bhoot Raja Anju singing
https://youtu.be/kf-uW3ZEspA
Raste me who khada tha Sridevi at one of her best
https://youtu.be/-gqG_Xm7tLI
DO PHOOL, 1973.
Dono phool ( both fools! emoticon..lol.. needed) have songs…
The popular Muthu kodi kawwadi hada and Ma ma ma maaf karo…
Will come back with interesting facts about the movie later.
2 Utterly forgettable Dev Anand movies
1 Banarasi Babu had
Dev playing twins
Is now more famous for Dev’s rejection of ” khaike pan — ”
This song is not included in the audio
You tube labels it as sung by Lata which obviously is incorrect
My swar says that it is sung by unknown singer
Mere peeche ek Ladaka
https://youtu.be/_1DDufwzonY
Bure bhi hum
https://youtu.be/_WedMrdzhrs
2 Jaaneman
A drab remake of Afsar in which Hema played twin sisters
LP brought in by Dev for the first time for Navketan but the songs were lackluster
Aayegi aayegi aayegi
https://youtu.be/JyEqdtijZ68
Allahabad ( should it be prayag Raj now) mein paida hui
https://youtu.be/f04_-MgO_88
Rahul Muli ji
Dev Anand’s ( Navketan’s) Silver Jubilee year presentation JAANEMAN, 1976, had Hema Malini as the twins, the ‘good’ Santo and the ‘bad’ Banto ( who is Ramkali, too).
Ilahabad mein paida huyi
Main Jabalpur mein pali
Ab Bambai hai adda mera
Is badnam si gali
……
……. Ramkali…
The Lata song is the classic bad and good shown with their character highlights. The song starts with the good twin’s prayer and progresses to the bad one’s Mujra.
AB, LP.
The songs were fairly popular though the movie itself was a dud.
Aayegi aayegi aayegi
Kisi ko hamari yaad aayegi…
Lata.
Ki gal hai? Koi nahin…
Kishor Kumar, Lata.
I am not sure on whom are the Qawwali ( Is mulaqat ka bas maja leejiye… Rafi, Mukesh, Anuradha Paudwal) and the Ramleela song ,Siyavar Ramchandra ki Jai… Manna Dey, Anand Kumar, Vinod Sharma, Anuradha Paudwal) are picturised. ( By the way, harmonium throughout these two songs plus Illahabad mein…)
I remember reading somewhere that Anuradha Paudwal had sung Aayegi aayegi aayegi initially and later it went to Lata.
The title track by Kishore Kumar is nice, isn’t it?
Dustedoff
Here I am struggling to pick 10 songs for the post and you reel off picture after picture on the theme. Thanks for the appreciation. As an expert blogger yourself, it is not surprising at all.
Muliji @ 2 and 14 : Thanks for your word of praise for the post. The songs added are also enjoyable.
Subodhji: Very much appreciate your finding the post a good one. The song mentioned is a popular one.
Ashokji : Thanks for your appreciative views. My post explains why Anhonee will not fit the bill. Nargis starred film is fit as a fiddle.
Anupji: Thanks for words of appreciation. Song posted is very much relevant.
Giriji: Thanks for your appreciation. Sorry for wrong mention of actress in Mera Saaya. AKji has rectified it.
Dr. Shetty : Thanks for the appreciation. Let me into the secret of digging out songs on any theme in a jiffy and that too in huge quantity.
Ashwinji: Thanks for your finding the post to your liking. I do see you in fewer posts. Back from Boston, I presume. My grandson is joining university there coming September. Will have a chance to visit Bunker Hill and site of Boston tea party.
Mumbaikar8: Thanks for your words. If the post is brief, you have to take up with our stern blogmaster who generally advises me to cut out technical stuff. Let me hasten to add that I am very appreciative of whatever little is allowed in the post by him.
D P Rangan ji,
BAIRAAG, 1976 ,was the last Dilip Kumar movie as a typical hero before he took a 5 years off ,to return with a character role in KRANTI, followed by SHAKTI, VIDHATA, MASHAAL etc.
The Asit Sen directorial had DK playing triple roles of the father and twin sons.
Father goes blind in an accident. Later, wife gives birth to twin boys_ one of whom is born blind. Not wanting his blind son to have a difficult life, he gets rid of him without his wife’s knowledge. A temple priest raises him to be a devout, ‘ good’ boy Bholenath. The ‘ normal’ boy Sanjay, raised by the parents turns out to be a spoilt rich brat! So, the story continues. A miracle brings eyesight to Bholenath . Tara (Saira Banu ) romances Bholenath while Sonia ( Leena Chandavarkar ) is in love with Sanjay ,who ,on the sly, hooks up with Helen, who has a ‘ dangerous’ type boyfriend, Madan Puri!….
The music by Kalyanji Anandji ( lyrics_ Anand Bakshi) was a hit. The film didn’t do well at the box office.
O Shankar mere kab honge darshan tere ( Bholenath).
Mahinder Kapoor.
Saare shehar mein aap sa koi nahin koi nahin…
( Sanjay, Sonia)
Rafi, Asha.
Arre suno re suno ek baat sunaoon
..
Main bairaagi nachoon gaaoon…
( Bholenath, Tara aur saathi)
Rafi, Lata, chorus.
Peete peete kabhi kabhi yoon jaam badal jaati hai…
( Bholenath, Sonia)
Rafi, Asha.
The lyrics have the tongue in cheek lines..
Ram aur Shyam badal jaate hain..
to remind viewers of Yusuf Sahab’s mega hit.
LUKOCHURI, 1958, Bengali, had Kishore Kumar as twins Kumar and Shankar. Mala Sinha and Anita Guha were his leading ladies. Kishore, himself, was the producer .
Hemant Kumar gave some beautiful songs.
I will mention the Kishore Kumar solo ..
Sing nei tobu naam tar Singha…
because in a recent post I mentioned it’s Hindi avtaar …
Khul simsim khullam khulla…
BIWI AUR MAKAN, 1966.
Typical Kishore Kumar antics make this a good song.
I will mention two duets…
Mayabobo biharini horini ( Rabindra Sangeet)
Ei jo hethay kunj chhaya( Gauriprasanna Majumdar)….
because the female voice here is of Ruma Guha Thakurta.
A Kishore, Geeta Dutt song, A Hemant Kumar solo ( BGS ) , another Kishore Kumar solo are good, too.
https:// youtu.be/ _jiWOR5QhA
https://youtu.be/ 5nXYWnQqzBk
https:// youtu.be/ hr6IUphqWjl
N Venkatraman ji,
I have come across Hemant Da’s rendition of Ei jo hethay…, but, surprisingly, some videos on YouTube mention Uttam Kumar.
Clarification/ explanation, please.
Pradipji @ 18
As for the triple roles , IS Johar played triplet, pahala, duja & teeja Ram in Johney Mera Naam ( perhaps the only instance of 3 identical brothers, though not a part of main story)
Ranganji @ 17,
Yes, I am back in Pune. Good luck to your grandson! While in Boston, if there are only 2 things that you can do, do not miss doing both parts of The Freedom Trail walk as well as taking part in the reenactment of the Boston Tea Party at the venue of the historic event.
Rahul Muli ji,
You mention I S Johar and I remember AFSANA, 1951, B R Chopra’s directorial debut. ISJ wrote the story, screenplay and dialogues.
Ashok Kumar played twin brothers. Music by Husnlal BhagatRam… the only time for BRC. The film was successful and the songs were good. I don’t think Ashok Kumar gets to sing a song. Kismet bhigdi duniya badli ( Mukesh) plays as a BGS.
22 Years later BRC remakes AFSANA as DASTAAN, 1973 , with Dilip Kumar. A disaster! Music by Lakshmikant Pyarelal.. the only time with BRC?
Na tu zamin ke liye
Hai na aasmaan ke liye.. Rafi..is the song corresponding to Kismet bhigdi.
Ranganji,
I understand from AKji’s introductory note that the post on identical twins was overdue for some time. Nice to find the (post on) twins saw the light of day. As always, another nice and interesting post from your creative mind. You have restricted the scope by emphasizing on identical twins. Heartening to see many songs posted on the theme. I thought by the time I entered the field, our enterprising members, by dredging the bottom, would have stirred up all the available resources. Yet a quick dive yielded one. Hope my effort will not go waste.
Afsana (1951) directed by B. R. Chopra is about a pair of twins. Ratan and Chaman (Ashok Kumar) are twin brothers who love the same girl, Meera. During a fair, all three are separated. While Chaman and Meera are found,. While Ratan is raised in an institution and eventually becomes a noted barrister, Chaman gets adopted into a rich family. Years later, Chaman is no longer attracted to Meera, but to a dancing girl named Rasily, while Meera awaits her childhood sweetheart Ratan, who she feels is still alive. After getting framed for murder, Chaman runs into his long lost twin, and instead of the usual tearful reunion, drugs and beats his brother, assuming his identity. The ruse works for a while, Chaman dieS in a horrible car accident. As his feckless wife (Kuldeep Kaur) — who is having an affair with a business partner, grieves the death of Ratan, the real Ratan comes with a nasty case of amnesia. With the help of his childhood sweetheart Meera (Veena Kumari), Ratan’s memory returns just as his wife commit suicide.
This song is on Ratan…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycKpiISv290
Chaman appears with Meera briefly for few seconds at 2:04
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT_eMyUZOis&feature=emb_title
Pradeepji @ 22,
Just after posting my comments and the songs I noticed that you have pipped me at the post. When I was about to post my comment two hours ago my connectivity went off, after effects of “Amphan”. On and off. Anyway I was destined to post the links for you , and I take it that way.
Even on a sticky wicket you are going great guns. Kudos.
Let me see if I can dig out anymore.
Ranganji and Pradeepji,
Here is one from Makdee (2002)
Vishal Bhardwaj’s enchanting, quirky children’s film. Shweta Prasad playing the role of the valiant Chunni as well as the passive Munni. She earned the National Award for the Best Child Actor.
O Paapad Waale Pangaa Naa Le, by Alaap Majgavkar & Upagna Pandya, lyrics Gulzar, music Vishal Bhardwaj
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=PLxVlu3ZaQI&feature=emb_title
Pradeepji @ 19,
Ei To Hethay Kunja Chhayay is a duet rendered by Kishore Kumar and Ruma Guha Thakurta.
The music was by Hemant Kumar.
Are you sure you heard Hemant Kumar singing this song?
Pradeepji,
Some videos are on circulation mentioning that it was rendered by Uttam Kumar. I think it is fake. It is neither Uttam Kumar nor Hemant Kumar.
Pradip ji @18
Amitabh followed footsteps of Dilipkumar just 7 years later in 1983. The result was another ” Mahaan ” box office disaster
All three Amitabhs get to sing of which Jidhar dekhu by Kishore kimar stands out.
Pyar me dil pe & ye din to aata hai were catchy.
Venkataramanji
Once I complete a post and mail it to AKji and he acknowledges without a demur my job is done. Adding it to the site is as per his schedule. I know it is an off beat theme, but I am always after them. To use your apt words I feel relieved that ‘someone has not pipped me to the post’. Thanks for your appreciation. You will agree that only identical twins or multiples would matter. Fraternal twins are just two souls born together and nothing special about them. The next best could be doppelgangers, i.e. two look alikes not related at all as the term implies. I am sure Dr. Shetty can dig out songs of that category too.
If I am not mistaken Afsana has that song – Abhi tho mein jawan hoon – played by Radio Ceylon in yesteryears on Sunday at 10 pm. I know our blogmaster is very fascinated with that song.
D P Rangan ji,
Yes, Abhi toh main jawan hoon was played on Radio Ceylon’s Hamesha Jawan Geet program.
In the film, a dashing ,young Pran does a graceful dance with Kuldeep Kaur to Lata’s beautiful song.
The original Malika Pukhraj song inspired many versions like this AFSANA beauty.
BTW, Jeevan, the unlikely Narad Muni of 49 movies and the likely villain of dozens of movies has a nice duet picturised on him … Chowpatty mein kal jo tujhse aankh matakka ho gaya…Rafi, Shamshad Begum.
I am sure he must have sung several songs ( Narayan Narayan…) as Narad Muni. I also recall the TEEN CHOR ,1973 , comedy song… Besharmi se sharm na kar_ Rafi, Mukesh, Manna Dey on Om Prakash, I S Johar and Jeevan, respectively.
( Btw, I like the Rafi beauty Man ki khazane mein maya hi maya… from the same movie. Music: Sonik Omi.)
D P Rangan ji,
Yes, there are quite a few songs picturised on doppelgangers.
I’m quite late entrant on this website and actually I am trying to make up for the lost time by reading the old blogs. I curse my fate as how I couldn’t come across such fantastic website with wonderfully written numerous blogs on topics so close to my heart! Being a die hard fan of SDB, Mohmad Rafi and of course Kishor Kumar, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the various blogs on them. Blogs on Ravi, Roshan too were so enlightening! That much for intro!
It’s so nice to read this interesting article on twins by Mr. Rangan and made more rich by comments by the learned readers. Let me add something (probably) not mentioned till now and that movie is close to my heart, as I watched it in Goa, in my first ever visit there during my IInd MBBS. It’s a 1972 movie ‘Double Cross’ a double role enacted by none other than Vijay Anand and not directed by him! It was directed by Gogi Anand. The storyline was quite impressive with lots of surprises and was quite different form the then popular twin Movies, already mentioned. In my teens I liked this suspense thriller and as is the main motto of the blogs, there are few good songs as well, (popular in those days but not long lived) from the duo of RDB and KK!
1. https://youtu.be/Wpkb53ALafk- Hum dono ki yari kya kehena—with obvious similarities to a song which came later, one can make out easily!
2. https://youtu.be/tIyk4tJr_PQ- Toota hai koi sapana- Goldie sort of copying brother Dev Anand!
3. https://youtu.be/wbHlUecHC8g- Mai zoka mast hawa ka- a song could have been huge hit but for being in tanked movie!
Being a fan of Vijay Anand, we kept on enjoying his acting later as well like in ‘Kora Kagaj’
So much so, for now! I hope it’s up to the standards set already!
Dr. Deepak Ambardekar, Kolhapur, Maharashtra.
Dr Deepak,
Welcome to SoY and thanks a lot for your generous words. I am happy that you enjoyed the blog. Double Cross seems to fit the theme perfectly. Vijay Anand acted superbly in Tere Mere Sapne (1971) too, but his main strength was as a film director.
I am sure the author of this article, Mr Rangan, too, would respond to you.
Deepakji
Very glad to find one more addition as a debutant blog follower. I also stumbled on this blog in late 2015. The word ‘yore’ attracted me to this site and like you I read all the posts from June 2010. Subject to time constraints you can cover this site from the first post. Remember the adage – Better late than never. Thanks for the appreciation.
Listened to the songs posted by you. The first one is very apt with the twins riding together and singing. For the first time saw Vijay Anand in screen. Resemblance to Dev Anand is very much apparent.
D P Rangan ji,
Did you say you are yet to stumble upon a simultaneous male / female twin pair occupying the same podium ?
Meet Mr Max ‘ Maxie ‘ Diaz and Miss Shirley Diaz from Goa. They are twins born to, …. please don’t reveal to anyone..The one and only Mr Alberto Vasco.
What do they do? You ask!
They are a mean pair of street fighters with their own gang The Eagles, always clashing with their rival gang, The Scorpions ( Bichhoos, if you may!)
Can they sing and dance?
Oh! Yes. As good as anyone else, or, may I dare to say, even better than some!
You wanna have some samples? Okay, here goes…
Apun bola Tu meri Laila
Woh boli phenkta hai saala!
Apun jab bhi sachhi boltaa ..aeey
Use jhoot kaiko lagta hai re?
Bambiya lingo, you said? No,Sir. Supposed to be Goan _ Hindi with a smattering of Konkani.
JOSH, 2000.
Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai.
SRK, Hema Sardesai; Nitin Raikwar, Anu Malik.
Mansoor Khan’s JOSH was an adaptation of the 1961 Hollywood blockbuster WEST SIDE STORY, the musical that won 10 Oscars including the best picture and the best music.
If I remember correctly, the protagonists there were a brother and a sister and not twins.
Steven Spielberg is working on his version of WEST SIDE STORY which would have released this year if not for the Corona menace.
Pradeepji @ 35
Apun bola Tu meri Laila
Woh boli phenkta hai saala!
Apun jab bhi sachhi boltaa ..aeey
Use jhoot kaiko lagta hai re?
Bambiya lingo, you said? No,Sir. Supposed to be Goan _ Hindi with a smattering of Konkani.
JOSH, 2000.
Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SvUbfbSB1U
Ranganji,
I think you forgot Kamal Haasan’s role as twin brothers in the 1989 Tamil film Apoorva Sagodharargal, dubbed into Telugu as Vichithra Sodarulu and into Hindi as Appu Raja (1990). The film revolves around twins Raju and Appu who were separated during childhood. Their father was an honest and upright police officer. When he arrests four bigwigs, they escape and return to take revenge. They kill him and poison his pregnant wife Kaveri. However, she manages to escape. She gives birth to twins with the help of another woman named Muniyamma, but the babies are separated due to circumstances. One of the twins, Raja, grows up as a mechanic with Muniyamma, while the other, Appu, a dwarf, grows up in the circus with his mother.
Presenting two songs from the Hindi version,
Kamal Haasan as Raja, the mecahanic
Raja Naam Mera Are Jo Na Bhul Kare, Kamal Haasan, lyrics Prem Dhawan, music Ilaiyaraja
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqH3GeYtx_Y
Kamal Hasaan as Appu, the Dwarf
Woh To Bana Apna, Asha Bhosle, S P Balasubramaniam, lyrics Prem Dhawan, music Ilaiyaraja
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzPr5XbGANg&feature=emb_err_woyt
Ranganji,
You wrote,
“I have left out Angoor (1982) where two sets of twins, both boys, are involved. The blog followers may unravel the knot.”
I do not know whether I will be able to unravel the knot but I can add to the confusion by providing some more information.
Mumbaikar8 mentioned Angoor
Do Dooni Chaar (1968) version was mentioned by Dustedoff.
Subodhji added
“Dustedoff has already mentioned ‘Do Dooni Chaar’ of 1968, which was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Comedy of Errors’ like ‘Angoor’ mentioned in the article. Kishore Kumar and Asit Sen played the two twins like Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Vema in the later film. “
And posted the song, ‘Havaaon pe likh do’ from the 1968 film Do Dooni Chaar.
It seems Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors was the most popular play/ story, involving two sets of identical male twins, for adaption.
The early British period saw the development of Bengal Theatre and also the rise of “bhadraloks” appreciating Shakespearean works. It further resulted into a creation of a number of indigenous texts like Shakespearean plays into totally different socio-cultural contexts. One of such texts was Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s Bhranti Bilas written in 1869, which has a plot very close to that of Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors”. One might accurately consider it to be the first translation of Shakespeare into Bengali (may be in any Indian language too). Vidyasagar’s text finely deals with the plot keeping it almost the same. Vidyasagar’s story was adapted into a play in 1888.
Directed by Manu Sen, the story was made into a Bengali film by the same name in 1963. Uttam Kumar and Bhanu Bandyopadhyay were cast as a merchant and his servant respectively. They one day visit a new town but don’t know about the existence of their respective twin brothers and it ultimately leads to a series of confusions breaking down a laugh riot.
In 1968, the film was remade in Hindi as Do Dooni Char, directed by Debu Sen. Kishore Kumar and Asit Sen reprised the roles.
In 1982 version Angoor was directed by Gulzar with Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma.
Comedy of Errors was adapted in Kannada in the year 1997 as Ulta Palta starring Ramesh Aravind and Kashi. The film was directed by N S Shankar
In 1998 a Telugu version of the of the film, with the same name Ulta Palta starring Rajendra Prasad and Babu Mohan, was released.
In 2012 the play was adapted into a movie in the Tulu language titled Aamait Asal Eemait Kusal starring
Naveen D Padil and Jyotish Shetty.
Pradeepji may provide more information on these versions.
And there is more.
The Punjabi film Double Di Trouble (2014) was again based on The Comedy of Errors, where Shakespeare’s well known play would take a desi avatar when a father-son pair discovers their mirror images in a different city. Dharmendra and Gippy Grewal played the father and son role.
Local Kung Fu 2 (2017) was an Assamese martial arts film and was an action adaptation of Comedy of Errors with a twist One pair of twins – the pair who grew up in Guwahati – knows fighting, whereas the other pair – from Tezpur – don’t. The pair from Guwahati comes to Tezpur and the story there in starts the confusion among the characters.
William Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) Comedy of Errors, which was written during his earliest period of work, was made into movie during silent era, at least thrice in 1908, 1912 and 1915. The 1915 version was produced by Yorkshire Cine Company.
Most probably the play had to wait till 1940 to be produced as a Talkie. Named “The Boys from Syracuse” was produced by Universal Pictures. The film starred Allan Jones and Joe Penner as master and servant who like the Bard’s Antipholus and Dromio discover each has a double.
Posting a song from the Punjabi film Double Di Trouble
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmAaO4TtDx4
Nice to see Dharmendra in action at this age.
D P Rangan ji:
Congratulations on yet another wonderful post on an off-beat theme with a comprehensive selection of songs. I am not a movie buff, nor a fan of masala movies. And the (identical) twins’ theme has been the worst of all tropes. My guess is that (identical) twins are found in our movies probably in disproportionately large numbers than in population (0.35% according to
http://www.idownloadblog.com/2017/11/10/face-id-twin-test-results/).
In fact, as far as double (or multiple) roles are concerned, give me a movie with a doppelganger (Hum Dono), disguise (Azaad-though not billed as a double role), multi-generation (Aradhana), or (even the) rebirth (Madhumati) theme over one with (identical) twins.
Venkatramanji @ 39: Couple of years ago I had seen a Dari (language) adaptation of ‘Comedy of errors’ by a troupe from Afghanistan. They had two pairs of identical twins in their cast! It was far superior to Angoor, or any of the Bollywood (identical) twins’ shows I can think of.
Dr Shetty @18 and Rahul Muli ji @ 20 above have talked about triple roles. I, therefore, just wanted to point out that Mehmood had a (tongue-in-cheek) ‘quadruple’ role in Humjoli!
A simple straight forward article. But a great reminder of trick photography….mostly dominated by babubhai mistry and his brothers in the early fantasy movies. Of all the movies listed and contributed by readers and friends i think ….Ram and Sham…stands best movoe on twin formats. Here too photography and camera angles were great. The best scenes camera captured were fight between Dilip kumar and Pran on staircase. The background music added to excitement….enhancing scene on elevated platform. The best song that comes to my mind is ….aaj ki raat mere dil ki salami lele…..beautiful composition by Naushad with passionate singing by Rafi sahib in a tone that he always reserved for Dilip sahib. Sending on Mobile.
So far discussions has been on twins and triplets . A great movie…Naya din Nayi raat….had 9 roles that Sanjiv kumar played so effectively. In one shot, thru trick photography and editing , all appears on screen and even talked with each other and gave nice expressions as well. Incidently this reminds me of a show of America Presidents that i witnessed in Disney land florida. There too all the presidents were made to express and laugh as each one spoke to each other.
There were five or six songs in this movie and the best one was…krishna krishna bolo krishna raadhe radhe krishna krishna. Whenever i listened to this song i get blessed .
I will request venkatraman ji to post songs on his convenience…..as i am on Mobile devices…..will take some time to be back on chair with desk top computer.
Canasya ji @ 41 mentioned
Quadruple &
Bhatiya ji @ 43 alluded to nine roles
Dashavataram (2008) had Kamal Haasan going one step further to portray 10 different roles. I did not see the movie which I think was dubbed in hindi also
Canasya ji again @ 41 has added number of interesting variations – from doppelganger to rebirth .Here are few more
1 Doppelganger that never was ( feku Doppelganger if one is allowed to say as such)- Jewel Thief
2 A double role complicated by ghost angle – Gazhab with Dharmendra playing Munna, Vijay & Munna’s ghost
I am unable to give appropriate caption & will leave it to Rangan ji or Ak ji
3 And this one is special
AK ji this can be a combination of the current theme & the recent theme of contrast
Ordinarily we find actors playing double , triple & even 10 roles, but this one is a unique case of 2 different heroines playing the same character
Ye waada Raha 1982 had Poonam Dhillon & Tina Munim playing the same character
This as opposed to norm of 2 different characters played by the same person ( examples of which are aplenty) here we have the opposite ( reciprocal -mathematically speaking)
continuing from #43,
Here is link to song…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWmjK5EkOKc
Bhatiaji @ 42 & 43
Glad to find you back.
Sorry for responding late. Don’t strain yourself.
Here is the link to the song
Naya Din Nai Raat – Krishna Bolo Radhe Radhe – Kishore Kumar – Lata mangeshkar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9fcxxV4ntU
Oh! I was hesitant to add other variations. But, here at SOY, the blog master and the contributors are always open to improvisations.
I have quite a few songs lined up fitting the original theme, but, the variations fascinate me more.
ksbhatia ji,
NAYA DIN NAYI RAAT was a remake of
NAVARATRI, Tamil, 1964 starring Sivaji Ganesan. It was remade in Telugu with the same title featuring A Nageshwar Rao. Savitri was the heroine in both.
Main wohi wohi baat…Rafi… from NDNR is a lovely song.
Priyanka Chopra’s name was forwarded to the Guinness Book of World Records for playing 12 characters in WHAT’S YOUR RASHEE ? , 2009. In this Ashutosh Gowarikar movie her 12 roles are potential brides for Harman Baweja ,one from each Zodiac signs. It was based on a Gujarati play.
She got another chance, with another ace filmmaker ( Vishal Bhardwaj) to play a woman who murders all her 7 husbands ( or, does she?!!) in 7 ( Saat) KHOON MAAF.
No, I am completely off the tangent, but, can’t resist adding this information.
Susanna Ana Marie ( aka Suzi, Ann, Saheb, Sultan, Sunaina) killed her husbands.
.
Army Major _ Neil Nitin Mukesh
Singer _ John Abraham
Poet _ Irfan Khan
Spy _ Alexander Dyachenko
Inspector_ Anu Kapoor
Doctor _ Naseeruddin Shah
Oh! That’s only 6! It is not fair on my part to reveal the identity of the seventh husband! Ruskin Bond, on whose short story Susanna’s Seven Husbands, the movie is based ,plays a Church Priest in the movie and he may give you a clue!
Usha Uthup has a starring role in the movie and her robust ” Daaarling… ankhon se ankhe char hone de” (with Rekha Bhardwaj)won her the Filmfare best singer award. ( Gulzar, Vishal Bhardwaj).
There is a second version…Doosri Daaarling ( Clinton Cerejo, Francois Castellino with Usha Uthup and Rekha Bhardwaj).
Bhatiaji,
Presenting the songs from Naya Din Nayi Raat (1974), lyrics Rajinder Krishan, music Laxmikant Pyarelal
Naya Din Nai Raat (1974) a film directed by A. Bhimsingh. The film is a remake of 1964 Tamil movie Navarathri starring Sivaji Ganesan( in nine roles) which was also remade in Telugu in 1966 as Navaratri starring Akkineni Nageswara Rao. Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri were in the lead roles.
Sushma (Jaya Bhaduri) is in love with his college mate Anand and she not ready to get married till her college studies are complete. Her father, Lalla Banarsilal insists her to marry as per his choice and she runs away. Her adventures take her to different persons.
On learning that Anand as per his mother’s wishes is getting married, she tries end her life, She is rescued by a lonely wealthy widower with a cute daughter named Guddi. You can find Sanjeev Kumar as the lonely widower between 3:20-3:32 in the following song
Didi Teri Shaadi Dekhna Jab Hoyegi, Lata mangeshkar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V88hXrbTdHw&feature=emb_title
Early in the morning she flees. She is saved, by a lady who runs a brothel, from antisocial. A deceived Sushma meets a drunken lout in a brothel. ( in the following song)
Mai Wo Hi Wo Hi Baat Mere Liye To Har Din Naya Nayi Raat, Md.Rafi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX5tZBhuviQ
Another flight; to escape the police she pretends to be mad, lands up at psychiatrist Dr. Kruparam’s (Still image in the following link) mental asylum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYlKSjG6Q7Q&feature=emb_title
Yet another escape, encounters a dreaded bandit who still on a killing spree. An action scene of the dreaded bandit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwUVlZPSw6w
To escape the police she mingles with devotees of a Sadhu. Pandit Gorakhnath lives a double life – as a priest and as a smuggler. The song “Krishna Krishna Bolo Krishna Radhe Radhe” was posted @ , where you find Sanjeev Kumar in the role of Sadhu Gorakhnath.
Next she meet a leper Dhanraj, who once was a very wealthy man, but is now shunned by everyone; I could not find any clipping of this role in YT.
Next a transvestite stage actor;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G60Jbpwq31M
The last meeting was with a hunter and it is this meeting that helps her to reunite with her lover Anand.
The Anand too was played by Sanjeev Kumar. Like that of leper there is no clipping available for the last two roles. You will find the images in the following link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toxT-quNw0U
And by the way Dilip Kumar gave an brief introduction before the title credits for the movie Naye Din Nayi Raat.
Pradeepji @ 47,
Thanks for the other variations. Now the lock gates have opened and I think you and Bhatiaji and others too can , to use a cricket term, send the opposition on leather hunting.
Canasyaji @41,
Wow! That must have been exciting .True two sets of twins on the stage!
Thanks for the information .
N Venkataraman ji @48;
Thanks for picking up threads and trails of songs of ….Naya din Nayi Raat. I saw this movie during its opening weeks and enjoyed the performances of both Sanjeev and Jaya Bhaduri. Jays too was good in variety of roles that she played every time scenero changing and encountering Sanjeev all the time.
Dr. Shetty @47;
Thanks for reminding ….Ruskin Bond….my favorite. Whenever I am in Mussoorie I look upto him while strolling on Mall Road. A simple man with simple and beautiful narration of stories . Compilation of stories are favorites of young and old. Like Malgudi days his stories could be Mussoorie days !!. He is still living there and I usually see him talking to his fans on YouTube.
Dr. Shetty ji , Venkatraman ji ;
After Sanjeev Kumars nine roles , here is Mehmood in five roles making mockery of police…..in Johar Mehmood in Goa.
Aji Aisi Nazar Ko Kya Kahiye…..Rafi….KA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp5T1LPWXrM
Pradeepji @47,
Could not resist the temptation of posting the links. Lovely rhythmic musical beat.
Usha Uthup has a starring role in the movie and her robust ” Daaarling… ankhon se ankhe char hone de” (with Rekha Bhardwaj)won her the Filmfare best singer award. ( Gulzar, Vishal Bhardwaj).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viBaS0fKPGc&feature=emb_title
There is a second version…Doosri Daaarling ( Clinton Cerejo, Francois Castellino with Usha Uthup and Rekha Bhardwaj).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snT2ARPaL4s
Pradeepji & Bhatiaji
Actually the Daaarrling was adapted from popular Russian folk song Kalinka, and I believe Vishal Bhardwaj had mentioned it in the title credits.
Presenting two versions
A simple but lovely foot tapping number,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjtfkhT7VfI
The second one a grand extravaganza.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6uh5vo
The folk tune was written and composed in 1860.
The English translation of the song
Little red berry, red berry, red berry of mine!
In the garden (there is) a berry – little raspberry, raspberry of mine!
Ah, under the pine, the green one,
Lay me down to sleep,
Oh-swing, sway, Oh-swing, sway,
Lay me down to sleep.
It seems the tune has been used in at least 15 films. Kalinka” has been played during the closing ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia
Pradeepji,
Looking forward to the songs lined up on the original them .
Venkatraman ji,
You have really brought back folk numbers to fore front . The Russian folk music is great for its fast beats dances. Bhardwaj did Very well in saat khoon maaf.
Shankar of SJ had a great following of Russian folk music. In one of his interview on door darshan he confessed using and his likings of russian folk music. Barsaat mein hum se mile tum….he indicated as a mix of himachal and russian folk dance numbers . He played live piano piece with himself singing….which he had used in Shree 420 scene….piano theek karne wala. In the movie Raj Kapoor sang this piece on piano before taken for piano theek karne wala sequence.
Venkatraman ji, your following the history of the songs have made many posts rich in content. I think there would be many fans like me who are enjoying past thru your presen inputs.
Lalalalala
La la la la la…..
…
..
Amore mio
Dove sei tu?
Sto cercando
Te soromio.
( O my love
Where are you?
I am looking for you
O my treasure.)
…
..
Amore mio
Instempo vola
Prendello , prendello
Amore mio.
(O my love,
Time flies,
Catch it, catch it
O my love.)
Yes, most of you, in spite of not knowing Italian ( yours truly included) , would have guessed the lines to be from the beautiful Do lafzon ki hai dil ki kahani…. from THE GREAT GAMBLER, 1979.
Sharad Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Asha Bhonsle; AB, RDB.
What a song! I , personally, would rate it among Asha’s top 10.
Sharad Kumar ( Bader) _ _ _ was known as Indian Elves Presley in the 60s and 70s, sang Presley’s songs dressed like him, sang Hindi songs,too, toured the world with his orchestra, debuted in films with PAISA YA PYAR with the recommendation of Shobhna Samarth, and is living a contented retired life in Canada.
Sang the gondolier’s lines and, probably, wrote them,too.
TGG had two Amitabh Bachchans, Jai, the great gambler and Vijay, a CID Inspector. Of course, the fact that they are twins is revealed at the end of this flop show by SHAKTI Samanta.
But, the song, it’s locale ( Grand Canal, Venice) , the camaraderie between AB and Zeenat Aman, and, of course, the Gondola and the Gondolier make it special.
I like the Kishore Kumar,Asha duet Pehle pehle pyar ki mulaqaate yaad hai ( on AB ,Neetu Singh).
Shakti Samanta gave us the glimpses of Paris by night as the lead pair rode a boat in AN EVENING IN PARIS….
Raat ke humsafar thak ke ghar ko chale…
And, did I see the Howra bridge when Anand Babu sang Chingari koi badke..to Pushpa ( of ” I hate tears” fame) in AMAR PREM?
It seems Mr Rangan has not been able to keep pace with the comments on his post. I hope he soon responds to everyone.
I am here responding to Mr Muli’s comment @44.
I think ‘Fenku’ is a perfect word, much superior to ‘fake’. At times ‘Fenku’ is demanded by the situation to get out of a spot. Amol Palekar in ‘Golmaal’ (1979) is a perfect example. All situations where a single person has to pretend that he or she has a twin would be a case of ‘Fenku Twin’. Golmaal had more crazy situations. Circumstances made Dina Pathak a ‘Fenku’ mother, and a twin at that.
Talking of mothers, they were very kind-hearted, but they were always obsessed to see the face of the bahu before they died. This forced the recalcitrant son to get hold of a ‘Fenku’ bahu. The mother was often too sick to catch the ruse. The fenku bahu was often a gentle, loving soul, deprived of a mother in her life, and she ended up being a real bahu. I am sure Dr Shetty, KS Bhatiaji and Hans can reel off details of dozens of films.
Now coming to the real twins which is the subject of the post. I agree with Mr Rangan that Ram Aur Shyam is the Pole Star of this genre.
Mr Muli, you are right this theme is closely connected with the earlier theme of ‘contra’. Without extreme contrast between the two twins such films would not exist. And now that you say it, ‘Fenku’-pana is an integral part of twin films. But their fenkupana is not symmetrical. The bully, aggressive one Shyam, when he lands in the place of Ram, quickly grasps the situation and starts fenkuing immediately. The audience which had been rooting for some divine justice for the crooks loves the arrival of Shyam, the incarnation of Vishnu. Ram on the other hand, when he lands in the place of Shyam in the restaurant, is slapped with a bill of millions left behind by the fenku Shyam who quietly scooted from the scene after devouring the entire restaurant. In the village Shyamhood has to be thrust on him by the village ojha despite his protestations that he is Ram, and not Shyam. His squeamishness continues in the love-duet when Mumtaz has to take the lead with ‘Baalam tere pyar ki thandhi aag mein jalte jalte, main to haar gayi re’. But Shyam masquerading as Ram has no hesitation to declare to Waheeda Rahman that he has been intoxicated by tea, leading to ‘Main hun saqi tu hai sharabi sharabi‘. And, he has no difficulty in taking on the ‘Jeejaji’ head-on.
But did you notice that naming of the twins is not without significance? Both are incarnations of Lord Vishnu, but Ram in Treta Yug was Maryadapurushottam, he was a धीरोदात्त नायक, accepting the father’s helpless command for exile without demur, because that was righteous conduct. Shyam was a धीरललित नायक. In Dwapar he had to deal with greater degeneration, therefore, crooks had to be paid back in the same coin.
Pradeepji @ 57,
Yes indeed it was Howrah Bridge.
Howrah Bridge had a prominent presence in a 1958 Hindi film. Right from the title credits, the bridge appears at least half a dozen times. Shots taken from the river bank, under the bridge, over the bridge, on the bridge………. the entire fight scene in the end is shot on the bridge. Besides two songs has the bridge in the background. It is not surprising since film was “Howrah Bridge”.
Posting the two songs mentioned by you,
Do lafzon ki hai dil ki kahani…. from THE GREAT GAMBLER, 1979.
Sharad Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Asha Bhonsle; AB, RDB.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waeAGdCvJd8
The other duet Kishore Kumar,Asha duet Pehle pehle pyar ki mulaqaate yaad hai
shot in Eduardo VII Park, Lisbon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odFBlamoNEk
N venkatraman ji’,
Boats and bridges have been passion identity of Shakti Samant. Pick any of his movies one can find ……one to many of shots….. taken on boats passing under the bridges. Many songs he picturised were on boats. Aasman se aaya farishta….who could imagine shammi kapoor landing on boat from helicopter! Shakti was master of filming songs.
Pradeep ji had mentioned”Do Phool”. It is a remake of Tamil film “Anubavi raja anubavi”, a comedy where Nagesh plays a dual role. They are not twins but look alike. Here is the song”Muthu kulikka vareegala”.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2qrn3cn02Fk
Lyrics by Kannadasan. Music by M.S.Viswanathan. Sung by T.M.Sounderrajan and L.R.Eswari. The ‘mukhda’ literally translated meaning: ‘come let us dive for pearls’. Tuticorin where the song is set was where people in the olden days used to dive into the sea to look for pearls. That is the context of the song.
I don’t know if the equivalent song in the Hindi film means anything like that.
Rahul ji mentioned about Kamalhaasan playing ten roles. In ‘Michael madana kamarajan’ he played four roles (quadruplets) born together but grew up in different families. It was a laugh riot and was a great hit. Here is a song from the movie where all the four appear:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=70Ql0E6_qJQ
Here goes the funny side of double twins from Laural and Hardy movie….
Go To Sleep My Baby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9-qK7aWP9E
…..to be contd.
Ashwin Bhandarkar @ 11
Nakul and Sahadev may not be considered twins . They were spiritual sons of different fathers and mother Madri. The two fathers Ashwinikumars were identical twins no doubt.
Canasyaji @ 41
Thanks for the appreciation of the post. I very much appreciate your views on this topic. I wrote this post with a narrow interpretation.
As is his wont, AKji has thrown open the doors for commentators to do as their like without restraint in the same vein as Goddess Juno rolled a magic ball in the court of King Priam which led to the great war at Troy between him and Greeks immortalised by Homer through his “Iliad”.
The comments had taken a wild swing away from what I originally penned – siamese twins. It is being blown up with talks of triplets, quadruplets, pentos, sextuplicates and so on. Dr. Shetty and Venkataramanji had written such profuse comments, which is more than my post. I consider myself an ignoramus on all things and hence am unable to offer any worthwhile comments on the above. At the same time let me confess that I thoroughly enjoyed them all. I have seen similar traits in earlier posts and I should thank AKji for his indulgence in allowing full liberty to blog followers in creating a pleasant atmosphere of pandemonium.