The Dancing Dev Anand

In the 40s and 50s, the Hindi film hero seldom danced. On the rare occasion that he did, like Raj Kapoor in ‘Mud mud ke na dekh’ or in ‘Dil ka haal suney dilwaala’ in Shree 420, Dilip Kumar in Naya Daur. 
Dev Anand though not a good dancer tried dancing in many songs. He relied solely on his facial expressions and the inimitable way in which he moved his head to enact most of these songs. The first time we can see him dancing a few steps in the song ‘Mere Labon Pe Dekho Aaj Bhi Taraaney Hain’ (Baazi), ‘Chaahey koi Khush Ho Chaahey Gaaliyaan Hazaar De’ (Taxi Driver) or ‘Oonche Sur Mein Gaaye Ja’ (House No.44), Ladhi Aankh Se Aankh - Pocket Maar(1956), Ae Meri Topi Palat Ke Aa from Funtoosh(1956) in most of the films he danced in his own style.

In the early 60s, Dev Anand was seen in many films, singing, and dancing such as Sarhad. Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, Love Marriage were a few of these. He had some surprisingly awkward moments when called upon to dance. Tasveer Teri Dil Mein from the 1961 Maya is a lovely song, but watch the scene: Anand is passable when he is just bobbing his head and clasping his hands while Mala Sinha does most of the work.

I have selected such songs in which we can see Dev Anand dancing maybe not as a perfect dancer but he had his own steps, own style.

Click to the link below 

https://youtu.be/dbXhA0iZrlw

Song of Baazi 1951

Song of Taxi Driver 1954

Song of House No.44  1955

Song of Paying Guest 1957

Song of  Baarish 1957

Song of Dushman 1957

Song of Kala Pani 1958

Song of Bombai Ka Babu 1960

Song of Sarhad 1960

Song of Sarhad 1960

Song of Manzil 1960

Song of Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja 1961

Song of Bullet 1976

The Super Hit Combination of Hemant Kumar, Dada Burman and Dev Anand

 

 In the early 50s, Dev Saab didn’t believe in making one singer his ‘voice’ and juggled between  Mohd. Rafi, Talat Mehmood, Hemant Kumar, and Kishore Kumar. The super hit combination of Dev with Hemant Kumar under the music direction of Dada Burman gave many Immortal Romantic Songs. He became the romantic voice of Dev Anand. He sang only 16 songs as playback for Dada Burman and 10 of those were on Dev Anand and all of them were hits. What a stupendous record.

Hemant Da in an interview said that it was S D Burman who understood the potential of his voice.The romantic pairing of my voice with his (Dev Anand’s) screen image was created by Sachin Babu (SD Burman). People simply loved it. The first song of this combination was 'from Sazaa (1951) with 'Aa Gup Chhup Gup Chhup Pyar Karen' and then the massive hit next year in Jaal,(1952) 'Yeh Raat Yeh Chandani Phir Kahan, Sun Jaa Dil ki Dastan'.

Though he sang for Dev Anand under the composition of other Music Directors also but here we are talking about the songs of this great trio.

Song of Sazaa 1951

Song of Jaal 1952

Song of Jaal 1952

Song of House No 44 1955

Song of Munim Ji 1955

Song from Solva Saal(1958)

Song from Manzil (1960)

Song from Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962)

Musical Instruments Played by Raj Kapoor on Screen

 

Raj Kapoor had always been interested in music. He was classically trained and capable of playing several instruments reasonably well. He was good in Tabla and Harmonium, he was also excellent in Piano.  He played different instruments on screen, the first time he played an instrument on screen was in a song of Barsaat 1949.

 Kindly recall the iconic pose where Raj Kapoor holds a violin in one hand and Nargis in the other hand. On my research, I have found more than a dozen instruments were played by him on screen.

 He was seen playing the Violin in this song, though he did not sing but played the violin only. If you watch the song 'Mujhe Kisi Se Pyar Ho Gaya' he looked so realistic as if he is actually playing it. .

Song of Barsaat 1949

The next year once again he was seen playing the flute in a song 'Sun bairi balam sach bol re' from Bawre Nain (1950), he was playing the instrument only.

Song of Bawre Nain 1950

The piano remained the favourite instrument of Bollywood Films. In almost every film it was seen in the 50s or 60s films. In many hit songs, Piano was essential Prop. In this song 'Main dil hoon ek armaan bhara' from Anhonee 1952, Raj Kapoor is singing and playing the Piano.

Song of Anhonee 1952

Raj Kapoor plays 'Daph' in this very popular song of Shree 420 (1955)film.

Song of Shree 420 (1955) 

Another song from the same film 'Shree 420' Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua, Raj Kapoor can be seen playing the Penny Whistle

Song of Shree 420 (1955) 

In 3 songs of Shree 420, we can see Raj Kapoor playing three different instruments. In this song, 'Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh' he plays the Trumpet for a few seconds.

Song of Shree 420 (1955) 

The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked string instrument from the Indian subcontinent, In this song, Raj Kapoor plays the Sarangi

Song of Parvarish 1958

There is another song from Parvarish where he plays the Tabla. He displays his real skills in this song. He plays the Tabla with his elbow also.

Song of Parvarish 1958

Another rustic instrument played in a song of the 1959 film Do Ustad.  Raj Kapoor playing the been in this song. Generally Been is used by the snake charmers.The Been music was very popular in the 50s, especially after the popularity of the song from Nagin in 1954. Recall the song 'Man Dole Tan Dole'

Song of Do Ustad 1959

'Daph' was the favourite instrument of Raj Kapoor. He played this instrument again in the Songs of Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai 1960

Song of Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai 1960

Song of Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai 1960

Raj Kapoor plays 'Dhol' in the song 'Yeh To Kaho Kaun Ho Tum' from 'Aashiq' released in 1962

Song of Aashiq 1962

Sangam (1964) film had 3 songs in which he played 3 different instruments. He plays the Piano in the song 'Dost Dost Na Raha', Piano Accordion in 'Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega' and Bag Pipe in 'Bol  Radha Bol Sangam'

Song of Sangam 1964

In the 1967 film 'Deewana', he played Shehnai in almost all the songs

Song of Deewana 1967

PRADEEP KUMAR- The Royal Hero of Bollywood

 

When you think of the actor Pradeep Kumar, immediately the image of a Mughal Emperor or a prince emerges in our mind. He was the first choice to play prince/king in numerous Hindi films. He was a hero of many period films. Even though he acted in films of other genres, he is famous for his portrayals of kings and princes. His splendid performance as Prince Salim in Nandlal Jaswantlal’s tragic love story Anarkali, and as Shah Jahan in M. Sadiq’s Taj Mahal, demonstrated his ability to slip into royal roles with ease.

Pradeep Kumar (born Sital Batabyal; 4 January 1925 – 27 October 2001) made his debut from a period film Anandmath(1952), he became a sensation with the Bina Rai-starrer Anarkali (1953) and the Vyjayanthimala-starrer Nagin (1954). He had to face a tough competition with the trio of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor films. He had limited success in the 5os and 60s. in the 1960s, though Ghoonghat (1960), Aarti (1962) & Taj Mahal (1963) were successful many of his films flopped though he worked with Madhubala and Meena Kumari.

He did not get to act with the newer heroines of the 1960s such as Sadhana, Saira Banu, Babita or Sharmila Tagore, though he did work with Asha Parekh in Ghoonghat and Meri Surat Teri Aankhen and with Waheeda Rehman in Raakhi (1963). In 1969, he moved to character roles with Sambandh and Mehboob Ki Mehndi, but did not have many visible roles till Jaanwar and Razia Sultan in 1983.

In 1969, Pradeep saw a glimpse of success once again withSambandh, albeit in a character role. 
He lived a life removed from the spotlight for the next 18 years and died a quiet death on October 27, 2001, at the age of 76.

Pradeep Kumar's famous songs

Song of Anarkali 1953

Song of Nagin 1954

Song of Adaalat 1958

Song of Ghunghat 1960

Song of Aarti 1961

Song of Tajmahal 1963

Song of Chitralekha 1964

Song of Bheegi Raat 1965

Song of Bahu Begum 1967

Naushad- The Classical Genius

Naushad (25 December 1919 – 5 May 2006 ) started as an independent music director from the 1940 film Prem Nagar. He made the Hindi songs popular by mixing UP and Bihar folk music with Indian classical music. It was in 1946 he got the superstar status with the two immortal songs from the film Anmol Ghadi.
The simple melody in Raag Pahari in the voice of Noorjehan " Jawan Hai Mohabbat" and the duet of Noorjehan and Surendra"Awaz Do Kahan Ho" mesmerized the music lovers. In the same year, K L Saigal gave one of his immortal songs "Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya" under his composition in Shahjehan (1946) in Raag Bhairavi.

His classical genius was the 1952 film Baiju Bawra in which he used the voices if the great Ustad Amir Khan and D V Palusjar. The climactic contest between Tansen and Baiju Bawra in the royal court of Mughal emperor Akbar demanded music of the highest finesse to exemplify the capabilities of these historical legends. Naushad introduced classical music with deft handling, making it melodious for mass appeal and yet retaining enough artistry as the situation demanded. 
There could not have been a better composer than Naushad Ali to make this film an unforgettable feature of Indian cinema. The music in “Baiju Bawra” is divine! It is, in fact, the soul of the film.
There are many moments in “Baiju Bawra” when the contribution of Naushad emerges the strongest point of the movie. Mohammad Rafi, lyricist Shakeel Badayuni and Naushad leave you in a trance with the all-time great number “Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj”. Rafi had reportedly confessed to this being one of the toughest songs of his career as a demanding Naushad sought perfection from the legendary singer.

Raag Pahari, Raag Darbari, Raag Yaman, and Bhairvi were few of his favorite ragas. Many immortal songs in this raga were composed by him. Right from composing Rimjhim barse badarwa in raga Pahadi in film Rattan effortlessly rendered by Zohrabai Amabalewali, Naushad emphasized the durable value of classical mores.
His most durable composition Suhani raat dhal chuki was shaped in Pahadi and was from film Dulari made in 1949 that became legendary and is still considered an integral part of any singer’s repertoire in any musical gathering. 
His other popular number in Pahadi was Tod diya dil mera composed for film Andaz in 1949 and rendered by Lata Mangeshkar. Naushad also utilised Pahadi to create an amazingly profound tune Marna teri gali mein for film Shabab in 1954 sung by Lata 
Naushad was very mich fascinated with Bhairavi He tuned his very fine number Jab dil hee toot gaya in raga Bhairavi in a manner that this raga became his signature tune as Naushadian Bhairavi.
The quality of Naushadian Bhairvi is that it is immediately recognizable. It is amply reflected in his beautiful compositions such as Tu Ganga ki mauj mein for film Baiju Bawrarendered by Rafi that became the standard-bearer for flowing rendition based on classical ragas. Another of his hit songs was Toote na dil toote na picturised on Dilip Kumar in Andaz in 1949 and sung by Mukesh,
In Raag Yaman he composed Jaane wale se mulaqat na hone payee sung by Lata and composed for Mehboob Khan’s powerful drama Amar released in 1954 and later in Mughal-e-Azam, the song once again sung by Lata Mangeshkar "Humein kash tum se mohabbat na woti, "

A Great Trio. of Naushad, Rafi, and Shakeel Badayuni

Two immortal songs in Raag Darbari were created "Beech bhanwar mein aan phasaa hai dil ka safeena, Shah-e-Madina, for film Dard in 1947 for Surraya to render it and another by Mohammad Rafi "O dunya ke rakhwale" for 1952 film Baiju Bawra .
Naushad composed two sequentially modulating numbers in rather unconventional raga Jaijaiwanti This song"Hum aaj kahin dil kho bethe poignantly sung by Mukesh for the 1949 film Andaz and the other great song Mohabbat ki rahon mein chalna sambhal ke composed in 1955 for film Uran Khatol a that was playfully performed by Rafi.
One of the exceptionally brilliant compositions of Naushad, Madhuban mein radhika naache re, famous for an excellent Sitar sequence, for film Kohinoor in 1960 was laid out in raga Hameer, which is very rarely used for light music.
These are a few Raag based songs that made Naushad the Classical Genius but in the end, I must mention the song that made Mohammad Rafi a great "Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj, a complicated semi-classical composition based on raga Malkauns for film Baiju Bawra released in 1952. 

Song of Rattan 1944

Song of Anmol Ghadi 1946

Song of Anmol Ghadi 1946

Song of Shajehan 1946

Song of Shajehan 1946

Song of Dard 1947

Song of Dulari 1949

Song of Dulari 1949

Song of Andaz 1949

Song of Baiju Bawra 1952

Song of Baiju Bawra 1952

Song of Baiju Bawra 1952

Song of Uran Khatola 1955

Song of Mother India 1957

Song of Kohinoor 1960

Song of Mughal e Azam 1960

The story behind the song"Chahoonga Main Tujhe Saanj Savere"

The Filmfare Award in 1965 went to Dosti(1964) for five categories including three categories namely – music director, singer and lyricist gone to Dosti for the song Chahoonga main Tujhe Sanj Savere –The song was brilliantly rendered by Melody King Mohd. Rafi Saab and was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and written by Majrooh Sultanpuri.
Laxmikant Pyarelal were the upcoming Music director Many of their earlier films were not successful at the Box Office only Parasmani was successful. Dosti was their first Super Hit film and the music was also super hit. The song Chahoonga main tujhe sanj savere tune was composed much earlier than any Parasmani song by the duo with Lata Mangeshkar in mind. They could not find a situation in their early films to use the song properly.
Originally the lines of the song written by Mazrooh were Chauhingi Mein Tujhe Saanjh Savere, Phir Bhi Kabhi Ab Naam Ko Tere, Awaz Mein Na Dungi.
Dosti was a small budget movie of Rajshri Films and getting Mohammad Rafi and Lata the Established singer was out of the budget for the composer but they thought of approaching Rafi to sing songs for Dosti.
They were very apprehensive when they drove to Rafi’s mansion early that day not knowing if the great singer would agree to sing for a low-budget movie and for such young, struggling music directors such as LP. 
 During the musical sitting of Dosti, Laxmikant sang this song out for Rafi at the very tail end of their session before departing Rafi’s house as a song they kept in their pocket as a reserve. Rafi was completely bowled over by the tune of Chahoonga  main tujhe , he agreed to sing songs for Dosti for the sake of singing this song. LP replied that there was no situation in the movie for this song. They did not want to use it. Rafi insisted persistently and said that he would sing all the songs for free if Chahoonga main tujhe was included in the film.  LP returned back and had to make the writer, producer, director re-write the story to include Chahoonga  main tujhe as a primary song in the film.
The movie was released and took India by storm in 1964. Rafi sang 5 solo songs in this film, all the songs were hit Rafi Saab had given his golden voice to many unknown actors, even in Dosti two boys played the part of friends were Sudhir Kumar and Sushil Kumar. All of the songs lip-synced by Sudhir Kumar (Mohan), the blind boy.  Even as a unique coincidence Dosti is the only movie in Hindi Cinema which made a record for the biggest hit without heroine. 
Rafi Saab was honoured by the Government of India with the coveted Padmashri Award as well as National Film Award for the Best Male Playback Singer for this song “Chahooga main Tujhe“

Song of Dosti 1964

The Trio of DEV ANAND,DILIP KUMAR and RAJ KAPOOR in 1960s

Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand combined to formed the trilogy of the Indian cinema in the 1950’s and 60’s.All the three started their career as Hero before Independence. In the 1950s all of them were in the peak of their career.Each had their own brand value and distinct persona and loyal following. ..
The decade of 1960s was unique for Bollywood in many ways.With the emergence of Shammi Kapoor, Rajender kumar, Sunil Dutt,and, Dharmendra the position of this trio became shaky.Out of the three only Dev Anand gave the tough competition to them
Dilip Kumar
He started his career with Jwar Bhata(1944).In 1949, he co-starred with Raj Kapoor in the film Andaz, which went to become a major success and made him a star. Tragic roles in popular films such as Deedar (1951) and Devdas (1955) earned him the title of “tragedy king”.He gave one hit after another in the 50s. His greatest hit film Mughal e Azam released in 1960,after that came another hit Ganga Jamuna in 1961.In the next 8 years only 5 films of his were released none of the film except Ram Aur Shyam in 1967 did well in the Box Office.In the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s, Dilip Kumar acted in fewer films. Newer actors had taken the spotlight. In the 70s also he worked as hero in 7 films out of them Gopi released in 1970 was a hit,rest of the films were average on the Box office.His notable films in the 1980s and early 90s included Kranti (1982), Shakti (1982), Karma (1986) and Saudagar (1991) which were very successful at the box office.

Song from Andaz 1949

Song from Dard 1952

Song from Madhumati 1958

Raj Kapoor
At age eleven, he appeared in films for the first time, in the 1935 film Inquilab. Raj Kapoor’s big break, however, came when he played the hero’s role in Neel Kamal (1947) by Kidar Sharma.In 1948, at the age of twenty-four, he established his own studio, R. K. Films, and became the youngest film director of his time. His first movie as a director Aag (Fire) (1948) was an immediate success.
During the 50s he acted in more than 25 films as Hero and gave many hits.But in the 60s he gave only 2 hits Jis Desh Mein Ganga Nehti Hai(1960) and Sangam in 1964.

In the 70s he acted in 8 films not as hero except Mera Naam Joker.After the box office failure of his ambitious 1970 film, Mera Naam Joker he appeared along with his father Prithviraj Kapoor in Kal Aaj Aur Kal in 1971 directed by his son Randhir Kapoor.His last film appearances was in Vakil Babu (1982) where he appeared opposite his brother Shashi Kapoor

Song from Awara 1951

Song from Shree 420 (1955)

Song from Mera Naam Joker 1970

Dev Anand
He a break as an actor by Prabhat Talkies to star in their Hum Ek Hain (1946). His first success came with Ziddi (1948).In the 50s he appeared in more than 25 films and gave many hits every year.Some of these films are Baazi(1951),Jaal(1952),Taxi Driver(1954),Munim ji(1955),CID (1956),Nau Do Gyarah(1957),Solva Saal (1958) and Love Marriage(1959).

Song from Jaal 1951

In the 60s he appeared in more than 20 films and still giving hit films every year.In the 1960 he gave 2 super hit films Kaala Bazar and bombai ka Babu.In the next year (1961)out of 4 films released his 3 films were super hit(Maya,Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai and Hum Dono).Some of the other hits of Dev Anand in the 60s are Asli Naqli(1962),Tere Ghar Ke Samne(1963).Guide(1965),Jewel Thief(1967),Mahal(1969).In the 70s he appeared in 19 films and gave his career's super hit film Johny Mera Naam in 1970.Other hit films were Tere Mere Sapne(1971),Hare Rama Hare Krishna(1971),Amir Garib (1974) and Des Pardes (1978).

Song from Munimji 1955

Song from Guide 1965