Hasrat Jaipuri - Yaad Kiya Dil Ne Kahan Ho Tum

The songs in the 50s were undoubtedly something great, never before the feeling of love expressed in the most beautiful as this song. This song from the film Patita released in 1953 was penned by the great lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri for Dev Anand for the first time. 
Think of when a great Romantic songwriter Hasrat Jaipuri writes for the King of Romance Dev Anand, the song would be a treat to watch. Recall the songs of Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, Asli Naqli and Tere Ghar Ke Samne. In this blog, I have selected a few such romantic songs of this great lyricist and hero.
Hasrat Jaipuri was born on 15th April 1922 at Jaipur. He began writing verses when he was around twenty years old. He started his film career with the immortal song Jiya Beqaraar Hai for the film Barsaat in 1949. It was also the first film of Shankar Jaikishan, That was the beginning of a lifelong association.
He gave lyrics for 9 of Dev Anand's films. In almost every film he gave one or two memorable romantic songs. Recall the song Dil Ka Bhanvar Kare Pukar from Tere Ghar Ke Samne or Sau Saal Pehle Mujhe Tumse Pyar Tha from Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai.
He worked in  350 films and 2000 recorded songs, his last releases were Saazish with Jatin-Lalit and Sher Khan (with Bappi Lahiri), and at the time of his death, he was working on a few small films and a book of Shaayari.
He won innumerable awards, honors, and mementos. Among them were two Filmfare trophies. He died on 17th September 1999. He still remains the King Of Romance.

Song of Patita 1953

Song of Love Marriage 1959

Song of Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai 1961

Song of Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja 1961

Song of Asli Naqli 1962

Song ofTere Ghar KeSaamne  1963

Song of Pyar Mohabbat  1966

Song of Duniya  1968

The Russian Connection of Dev Anand

Not many of us know about the Russian connection of iconic Indian actor Dev Anand. In his struggling days, he had a leaning towards communism. In fact, he became a member of IPTA  along with his brother Chetan Anand. He visited Russia in 1954 as a part of an Indian Film Delegation along with Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Balraj Sahni, and Nirupa Roy.

The popularity of Indian films and their songs was at its peak during those days. In fact, 800 prints each of Dev Anand’s film Rahi and Raj Kapoor’s Aawara were released in all the languages of the 15 Soviet republics. The adulation Indian films got and the spontaneous enthusiasm of people was simply overwhelming.
Aawara and Rahi became so famous and popular across the country that when in 1955, India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited the Soviet Union, he took Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, and Dilip Kumar, the legendary trio of then Bombay film industry, as part of his delegation. To his amazement, Nehru found that the whole country was singing “Aawara.”
“Rahi” was based on Mulk Raj Anand's, Two Leaves and a Bud, scripted and directed by K.A. Abba. It was India's official entry to the first-ever Venice and Moscow International Film Festivals in 1954. The other Dev Anand film screened in this festival was the 1952 film Aandhiyan written and directed by Chetan Anand. It also won international accolades at the Venice, Moscow and Peking film festivals.
Again when in 1955, India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited the Soviet Union, he took Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, and Dilip Kumar, the legendary trio of then Bombay film industry, as part of his delegation. 
 By that time the “trio” had already made a big impact on the people throughout India through their leading roles in Hindi films, sympathizing with common and downtrodden people and conveying the message of socialist egalitarianism, love, and freedom. Their roles in films resonated well with Nehru’s socialist ideology and will later strike a chord with Russians.
Here I am posting a rare video of Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, and Nargis in Russia

                             RAJ KAPOOR, NARGIS & DEV ANAND in Tbilisi-1954

Sajan Ki Galiyan - An Incomplete Film of Dev Anand

Sajan Ki Galiyan, 1966. The film, besides Sadhana and Dev Saab, was to be the launchpad of Zaheeda, Nargis’ niece, who later was introduced in Prem Pujari (1970). This was the 3rd film of Dev Anand and Sadhana together after Hum Dono(1961) and Asli Naqli (1962).
The film was to be produced cinematographer Fali Mistry (Guide, Hare Rama Hare Krishna) and to be directed by Raj Khosla,

 If there is one director Sadhana worked with extensively, it was Raj Khosla. The two teamed up for four films – Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962) and Khosla’s unforgettable mystery trilogy with the actress – Woh Kaun Thi? (1964), Mera Saaya (1966) and Anita (1967). 
The music of Sajan Ki Galiyan was being composed by Shankar-Jaikishan. Fortunately (or unfortunately as one rues what might have been), two songs from the film can now available on YouTube. One is the deliciously romantic Mohammed Rafi solo, “Humne Jinke Khwab Sajaye” a signature S-J composition written by Hasrat Jaipuri. The other clip is a short scene and a song featuring Dev Saab, Sadhana and Zaheeda – “Hum Khoob Jaante Hai”, sung by Mohammed Rafi, Suman Kalyanpur and Geeta Dutt.

This film was to be made in color. It was the second color film after the Guide for Dev Anand.The clips of the songs of this film are featured in Film Hi Film (1983), which wove scenes from incomplete films into the storyline of an old-time filmmaker (Pran) training newcomers for a film he is making in a bid to recapture his long lost glory. Pran coaches them for the intended movie by showing them various scenes from unfinished films.

Song of Sajan Ki Galiyan

Song of Sajan Ki Galiyan

50 Years of Prem Pujari

50 Years ago Dev Anand’s directorial debut was the most awaited film of the 1970.
The music of the film was the highlight of the film . Composed by S.D. Burman and written by Gopaldas Neeraj, the songs were (and still are) a bigger hit than the film, which actually flopped at the box office.
This film cleverly talks about patriotism and the Army — two of today's favorite subjects.
The film progressively takes you from being anti-war to pro-war by not only making you sympathize with the protagonist, but also villainising the other side.
 Songs like Shokhiyon Mein Ghola Jaye, Rangeela Re Tere Rang Mein and Phoolon Ke Rang Se, sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar are Immortal. 

Song of Prem Pujari 1970

Song of Prem Pujari 1970

Song of Prem Pujari 1970

Song of Prem Pujari 1970

Song of Prem Pujari 1970

Milap (1955) - Not a Typical Dev Anand Film

Could you imagine a film in which Dev Anand not singing a song? He once rejected the film Zanzeer (which later Amitabh Bachchan did) because there was no song for him in the script.  Hard to comprehend how Raj Khosla could pass a script where the hero does not sing a song. In fact, there is a very beautiful solo song by Hemant Kumar which was also sung by lata Mangeshkar as solo but Hemant Kumar version was not included in the film.

The film was released in 1955, the year that saw Dev Anand in great form. “Insaniyat” featured him with Dilip Kumar and he enjoyed hits like “House No 44”, “Munimji” and “CID”. A year earlier, “Taxi Driver” had showcased his acting talents.
 Dev Anand had hits like “Ziddi”, “Baazi” and “Jaal” before “Milap” graced the screen and this was his sixth movie with the hugely talented Geeta Bali.

 Dev Anand playing a dreamy-eyed villager, dressed in shirt-pajama, unthinkable and unacceptable, we miss his mannerism. Lovely and talented Geeta Bali is the heart and soul of this movie.KN Singh makes for a great, slimy, sophisticated villain as always but the Johnny Walker comedy act is a big, big weakness in the film. In particular, the tacky endless sequence with Johnny behind the wheel of the car just seems to go on and on and gets on one’s nerves after a while.
This film was the first film by Raj Khosla as a director, before that he was an assistant to Guru Dutt. The music was composed by Datta Naik, while Sahir Ludhianvi wrote the lyrics for the songs

Song of Milap 1955

Song of Milap 1955

Song of Milap 1955

Song of Milap 1955

Song of Milap 1955

60 Years of Kala Bazar

Today in the period of Multiplexes and Online ticket booking of films, this generation would not believe that there was a time when there used to be black on cinema tickets. On this subject, a film could be made?
. For many of you, the idea of a Kala Bazaar might be alien. but this happened 60 years ago by Dev Anand and Navketan Films.
In Kala Bazar, Dev Anand plays Raghuvir, a common man who becomes a successful black marketer by selling cinema tickets to earn money for his family. Raghuvir's dark trade flourishes and he is able to move into a more comfortable home with his brother, sister (Nanda) and mother (Leela Chitnis).
 Raghuvir meets his match in Alka (Waheeda Rehman), the beautiful girl who stuns him with her idealismThough aware that Alka is in love with someone else, he prodigiously pursues her. The script has plenty of twists, Just when we think that Alka's rejection of Raghuvir will spell the end of their romance, Vijay Anand's character resurfaces and fixes everything. It's awesome how the film shows that a girl is very much capable of falling in love twice. Alka falls in love with Raghuvir.
“Kala Bazar” is indeed a timeless classic. With a director like Vijay Anand to make use of their genius, every actor played his part in a composed manner. Some close to reality sequences in this movie only underlined the importance of his direction. No wonder, Dev Anand regarded his brother “a great asset. The rare part of the film was the presence of the three brothers( Dev, Chetan, and Vijay Anand) playing important characters.

But the most entertaining part is the first scene where there is a real-life premiere show of Mother India, Mehboob Khan's 1957 blockbuster. The camera captures the excitement breeding heavy amongst the audience who are waiting for a rare glimpse of their favorite movie stars. We, sitting on the other side of the screen, also get to catch the likes of Dilip Kumar, Nargis, Naseem Banu, Kishore Kumar, Nadira, Kumkum, Mohd Rafi, Guru Dutt, Geeta Dutt, Raj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Sohrab Modi, and Nimmi. It was the genius of Vijay Anand who thought of creating a unique scene that was followed by many filmmakers.

Vijay Anand's direction and attention to small details contribute to make the movie memorable. There is so much to admire in Kala Bazar, starting with the incredible music by S.D Burman with lyrics by Shailendra. Each innovatively picturized song is a stand-alone classic – Khoya Khoya Chand, Rim Jhim Ke Tarane Leke Aayi Barsaat, Apni Toh Har Aah Ek Toofan Hai and of course Na Mai Dhan Chahoon. 

Song of Kala Bazar 1960

Song of Kala Bazar 1960

Song of Kala Bazar 1960

Song of Kala Bazar 1960

Song of Kala Bazar 1960

Song of Kala Bazar 1960

Song of Kala Bazar 1960

Patita (1953) - A Heroine Orined Film

Released on 1st January 1953, Patta was a musical hit film of Dev Anand. After the success of Jaal and Rahi, it was Dev Anand's rare film being heroine oriented. Usha Kiran was the heroine of this film.

  The film is especially well known for some very melodious and popular songs  Shankar Jaikishan has used Talat Mahmood for Dev Anand’s playback voice in this film. He sang three songs in this film – Andhe Jahan Ke Andhe Raaste, Tujhe Apne Paas Bulati Hai Teri Duniya and  Hai Sabse Madhur Woh Geet – all these three got etched into the All-Time Best of Talat Mahmood songs. The lyrics were written by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri. Hasrat Jaipuri wrote the only song, a Hemant Kumar- Lata Mangeshkar duet – Yaad Kiya Dil Ne Kaha Ho Tum – for the film, which also has been an all-time hit. The other two Lata Mangeshkar songs were thus destined to remain in the shadow of the brightly shining glory of these four songs, even though each of them remains a very special  Lata Mangeshkar songs.

Song of Patita 1953

Song of Patita 1953

Song of Patita 1953

Song of Patita 1953

Song of Patita 1953

Song of Patita 1953

Dev Anand starrer Mahal completes 50 years

This Dev Anand film was released in 1969 on the first day of that year. It is a fast-paced thriller with very good music. Almost all the songs were very popular 50 years ago and still liked by Dev's fans.
The music by Kalyanji Anandji had some brilliant and soulful compositions like – “Ankhon Ankhon Mein Hum Tum”, “Yeh Duniyawala Poochenge” and  “ Aiyee, Aap Ka Tha Hamein Intezaar”(This was one of the earliest films of Farida Jalal and she has performed a sexy dance number along with Dev Anand. )

Dev Anand who plays a simple and poor driver cum assistant to a rich boss (Abhi Bhattacharya) in Kolkata. He needed money for his sister's wedding, when out of the blue a stranger offers him money in return for playing an imposter of a brother in law for a dying old man in Darjeeling who owns a palace and of course millions worth of property.

He falls in love with a rich girl (Asha Parekh) In the middle of the film he falls into a vicious trap where he is caught red-handed in front of a dead man, who is actually the owner of the palace but not the one Dev had been meeting there till now. Farida Jalal as the seductive nurse complicates the matters.

 Dev Anand now on the run from the law to prove his innocence. The identity of the real villain remains a mystery and the climax comes as a surprise.
The first half of this film is solid entertainment, pretty songs, beautiful Darjeeling, and plenty of sparks between Dev Anand and Asha Parekh.  Mahal is a lot of fun and I’d recommend to watch it again.
Songs of Mahal

Song of Mahal 1969

Song of Mahal 1969

Song of Mahal 1969

Song of Mahal 1969

Song of Mahal 1969

Song of Mahal 1969

Shammi Kapoor- A tough Competitor of Dev Anand in the 60s

Shammi Kapoor (21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) became a star with the release of Tumsa Nahin Dekha in 1957. After Junglee was released in 1961, he was giving one hit after another, he became the most sought-after hero along with Dev Anand. There was a tough competition with Dev Anand's films.
Dev Anand once said that the Sixties was the decade when I faced the true competition from Shammi Kapoor. My Jab Pyar Kissi Se Hota Hai had a silver jubilee run, while his Junglee completed its golden jubilee. Similarly, my Hum Dono and his Professor ran to silver jubilees within a span of a few months. The releases of our films were eagerly awaited and seen many times by our fans throughout the nation.
There was a time when Shammi Kapoor was not accepted as a hero. He had about 18 failures against his illustrious surname before writer-director Nasir Husain’s Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957) catapulted him into fame and stardom. Shammi Kapoor. 
Shammi Kapoor in a program on TV once said that he owes his stardom to Dev Anand, had he accepted the do the film Tumsa Nahin Dekha which, Nasir Hussain wanted to make him the hero, he would not be here where he is today. Same way Junglee was offered to Dev Anand which again Dev Saab refused to do so the film came to him. Subodh Mukerji’s tentatively titled film Mr. Hitler, the name later changed to Junglee.
Similarly, in the case of Teesri Manzil, Dev Anand was the first choice of Nasir Hussain but there cropped up some controversy between Dev Saab and Nasir Hussain, the film went to Shammi Kapoor again. Dev Anand once admitted to Rauf Ahmed in an interview, 'I created my biggest rival. With every film I let go, he [Shammi Kapoor] shot to fame but Dev Anand never had any animosity with Shammi Kapoor. In fact after the demise of Shammi Kapoor in an interview, Dev Saab said that we shared a warm rapport, and I must confess that he was the right choice for Teesri Manzil, far better than me. 
Both had some similarities, both played the urban hero. both banked upon their songs, both had a  flair for music and had a unique style.
On working together Dev Anand said that both of us were to have starred in Shakti Samanta's One Night To Murder which never went on the floors. Shammi was kind enough to appear in a cameo as a judge in my film Censor.

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1954 in Indian Cinema

1954 In Indian Cinema

                                                  Mohammad Rafi Meri Awaz Suno

Song of Tumsa Nahin Dekha 1957

Song of Dil Deke Dekho 1959

Song of Junglee 1961

Song of Professor 1962

Song of Rajkumar 1964

Song of Teesri Manzil 1966

Song of An Evening In Paris 1967

Song of Brahmchari 1968

The Fans and Admirers of DevAnand

Dev Anand was among the few Bollywood Stars who was admired and inspiration to generations. His fan following is still intact. There are millions of his fans all across the globe. There are many fan clubs all over the world organize musical programmes and photo exhibitions on his Birth Anniversary or Death Anniversary. He is among the top Bollywood heroes having the maximum number of Groups or Pages in Social media.
Writing in the Preface of his Autobiography Dev Anand says that he used to receive a lot of fan mail every day. One of his fans wrote him 3720 letters in a hope of one-day receiving a reply from me. 

Dev Anand also had admirers in various fields of life, lawyers, doctors, judges, and politicians. Pt Jawaharlal Nehru was his admirer, V.K Krishna Menon, the first defense minister of India, was also his admirer, Atal Bihar Van payee ji L.K Advani and leaders cutting across all political parties Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray was also his admirer. Dev Anand knew the Shiv Sena Supremo, Balasaheb Thackeray when he was a junior cartoonist working with the Free Press Journal drawing a salary of hundred and fifty rupees and called him “Bal”. When Thackeray was at his peak,he invited him to his house  “Matoshri”. Dev was given a red carpet welcome with the entire Thackeray family present to welcome him. Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan Prime Minister is also his admirer.

Some of the biggest stars of that era  were his unabashed fans. Stars like Sunil Dutt,Dharmendra Shammi Kapoor,Shashi Kapoor were his admirers. Jackie Shroff,Ranjeet,Amitabh Bachchan and Film maker Subhash Ghai are his admirer. 

Among the actresses who not only respected him but showed their reverence for him was Hema Malini who did six films with him, Waheeda Rehman who did seven films with him and Raakhee who did three. In fact, Hema and Raakhee used to visit temples and pray for Dev on his birthdays and especially on the days his new films were released. Tabu was the one female star of the new generation who looked up to Dev like her “godfather”.

Dev Anand was always down to earth. Style and simplicity ran parallel for him.Making the other person comfortable was his magic mantra. He always treated his fans with love and respect.His fans were his second love after movies.
One of his fan Yuvraj Shah of Pune dedicated a garden in his name which is situated on the campus of Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya Pune. The name of the garden is Sadabhaar Dev Anand Udyan.

Another great fan of Dev Anand is Anand Thirani of Kolkata.He met Dev Saab when he was studying in college many years ago, later he became a successful businessman and used to travel all over the world. He used to bring the signature scarves the star wore in many of his films.

Another fan the ex DGP of Maharashtra whom Dev treated as his son feels himself lucky to “did his duty” by performing last rites of the actor along with Dev Anand 's son by immersing his ashes in Godavari, Nashik.

Among all his fans Mr. Mohan Churiwala was his closest associate. Iin the last 15 years of the actor's life, streamlining his work, meetings with people, media management. All this for free. He accompanied him on his foreign trips. His exclusive pictures with Dev Saab were published in Filmfare September 2017 issue.

Chhed Chhad (Teasing) Songs of Dev Anand

The literary meaning of "Chhed Chhad" in English is. teasing each other. It has roots in ancient Indian culture. We all know the stories of Lord Krishna teasing the Gopis. The Chhed Chhad of Jija Saali is acceptable in our culture. Similarly in our Hindi films, many songs are picturized in this genre. From Dev Anand to Kishore Kumar, Raj Kapoor to Shammi Kapoor and other heroes teasing heroines and sang songs in the films, Chhed Chhad has been an integral part of our culture. Within the Indian family structure, parents doing some leg-pulling of their children, or the siblings engaging in chhed chhad is not uncommon. 
Dev Anand in the fifties had light touch within the storyline and darkness of criminal laces around the films. In almost every film there were songs picturized on Dev Anand which could be described as Chhed Chhad song. I think a maximum number of this type of songs were picturized on Dev Anand than any other hero. Think of Dev Anand wooing Nutan with ‘Maana janaab ne pukara nahin’, in  Paying Guest or Jeevan Ke Safar Mein Rahi from Munimji Dev Anand had performed in a large number of such songs, I present few of such chhed chhad songs.
The first song on my list is from 1951 film Sanam

Song of Sanam 1951

Song of Baazi 1951

Song of Jaal 1952

Song of House No. 44 (1955)

Song of Munimji (1955)

Song of Funtoosh (1956)

Song of Pocket Maar (1956)

Song of Paying Guest (1957)

Song of Nau Do Gyarah (1957)

Song of Paying Guest (1957)

Song of Solva Saal 1958

Song of Bombai Ka Babu (1960)

Song of Jaali Note (1960)

Song of Asli Naqli (1963)

Song of Teen Devian (1965)

Song of Pyar Mohabbat (1966)

Song of Pyar Mohabbat (1966)

Song of Jewel Thief (1967)

Song of Duniya 1968

Song of Johny Mera Naam 1970

Song of Banarsi Babu (1973)

Song of Shareef Badmaash (1973)

Song of Amir Garib (1974)

Song of Warrant (1975)