This BLOG is about the Past of Hindi Films Specially Black and White Cinema We will refresh your memories by bringing out forgotten or unseen songs and clippings of film scenes We will try to give you as much information as we gather from our research.
This Blog was started as a one-man’s passion for film history but has now become an addiction for many music lovers who are equally passionate about Hindi films
S D Burman started his musical journey of Bollywood in 1946,got fame from 1947 film Do Bhai.Sahir Ludhinavi made his debut with four songs performed in the film Azadi Ki Raah Par (1949). The very first film in which they were teamed became a musical hit. The film was Baazi. If you recall those memorable numbers of Geeta Dutt picturized on Geeta Bali, you will just wonder how Sahir could accomplish that much in his very first film.The combination of Sahir and S D Burman after that gave one immortal song after another.In this Blog I talk about their combined creations and thus pay tribute to both.
After Baazi(1951) released Naujawaan (1951), with music by S.D. Burman, The song from that film ‘Thandi hawaein lehra kea yen’ has become an all-time great breezy number. Just see the depth in each word: ‘Thandi hawaen lehra ke ayen rut hai jawan, tum ko yahan, kaise bulayen… In the same year another song from Sazaa Tum Na Jane Kis Jahan Mein Kho Gaye was a super duper hit.The pair never looked back after 1951 Some of the Burman-Sahir creations have become masterpieces of all time – unbeaten, unmatchable. You cannot forget those classics from Jaal (Sunja dil ki dastan), ‘Taxi Driver’ (Jayen to jayen kahan),’Munimjee(Jeevan je safar mein rahi,), Funtoosh (Dukhi man mere sun mera kehna) House Number 44 (Teri duniya mein jeene se to behtar hai ke mar jayen). In 1955 released Bimal Roy's Devdas.The most popular song was of course Sahir’s Lata-rendered hit, ‘Jise tu qabool kar le vo ada kahan se laaoon, tere dil ko jo lubhae vo sada kahan se laaoon’ Lines such as, ‘Jo murad ban kar aye vo dua kahan se laaoon’. There was another dancing number, ‘Ab aagey teri marzi ho more saiyan bedardi aage teri marzi’. The public swung in ecstasy when these songs came to which Vyjantimala added the magic of her dancing talents. Both of them worked together in 18 films and gave many musical gems but their climax reached with Guru Dutt's Pyaasa Just consider the romantic duet, ‘Hum aap ki ankhon mein is dil ko chhipalen to..’ The variation in the tune and the pause on ‘to’ was fantastic. Without that music the lyrics might have sounded flat. Of course Geeta and Rafi also played a magnificent role in making the songs a success.Then there was that solo from Geeta, ‘Jaane kya tu ne kahi, jaane kya mai ne kahi, baat kuch ban hi gai’. How can one remain unaffected by these melodies ? And then just recall that romantic pang:, ‘Aj sajan mohe ang laga lo janam safal ho jaae, Hriday ki peerra deh ki agni sab sheetal ho jae’ How meaningful are the lines. Fantastically true. And when Geeta sings, ‘Prem sudha..more sanwariya.ya.y.a.ya sanwariya’ya’ya prem sudha itni barsa do jag jal-thal ho jae’. From where could Sahir get that fluency in Hindi to churn out such a beautiful romantic cry coming from the heart of a beloved ? The real gems from the same film are Jaane vo kaise log thhe jin ke pyaar ko pyaar mila,Hum ne to jab kaliyan maangi katon ka haar mila…’and Ye mehlon ye takhton yeh tajon ki duniya, ye insaan ke dushman rivajon ki duniya, ye duniya agar mil bhi jaae to kya hai..’And in the end he raises his voice to say,Jala do ise phoonk daalo yeh duniya, mere saamne se hata lo ye duniya, Tumhari hai tum hi sambalo ye duniya,Ye duniya agar mil bhi jae to kya hai…’
Pyaasa was the last film both worked together.Bothentered into a controversy with the poet saying the songs became hits because of the lyrics while the musical wizard claimed that his tunes had achieved wonders. It was on this issue that they parted company—never to work with each other again.It was a loss to music lovers that no more Gems would be available by this combination.
After the debacle of “Aandhiyan” and “Humsafar”, Navketan was in deep financial crisis. To save the company from doldrums, Uma Anand, the wife of Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand, the youngest of the Anand brothers wrote a script which was an ideal quickie. Dev Anand produced the film on a shoe-string budget shooting almost the entire film on the streets of Mumbai. Chetan Anand wrote memorable scenes for “Taxi Driver” and introduced newcomer Sheila Ramani as Silvy, the pub singer. Dev Anand in an interview said“Taxi Driver remains very close to my heart as it was an objective film with subtle nuances and because the entire Anand family worked in it. I got married to the film’s female protagonist, Kalpana Kartik during the shooting of Taxi Driver.”
The film was released in 1954 and was one of the biggest hit of that year.It was the first Hindi film that was shot outside the studio.After this film the trend of outdoor shooting started.A camera was strapped to the bonnet of a car to shoot the film.
Dev Anand's taxi in the movie was the British made Hillman Minx, a black car with the number 1111. Such became the popularity following the film, that the British made Hillman Minx became a vehicle of choice as a taxi in Bombay until the 1970s. Speaking about the script of the film, Vijay Anand said, “I never was able to write another screenplay like “Taxi Driver” which was original and portrayed the working class of Mumbai with real dignity.” Uma Anand, Chetan’s wife who collaborated with Vijay for the script says: “The film set various trends. It was humorous as well as an emotionally satisfying venture. For the first time the impact of the mafia on the film industry was shown in Taxi Driver.” The music of the film was super hit.In fact S D Burman got his first Filmfare Award for the best music director award.
Mohan Churiwala, Dev’s close associate, remembers the song 'Jaayen to jaayen kahan' recorded separately by Lata Mangeshkar and Talat Mehmood. “Talat saab was an unusual choice for Dev saab, but Dada (SD Burman) insisted on recording the male version with him and the song won him the Filmfare Award for Best Playback (Male).
The 50s and 60s was the Golden Period of Bollywood.It was the period that saw the Hindi cinema with melodious socials and melodramas with melodious & immortal songs.The films made during that time not only gave entertainment but also social & moral message..this period saw the production of some of India’s most critically acclaimed directors, actors and actresses,Music Directors,Lyricist and films of all time. V SHANTARAM -
In 1929, he founded the Prabhat Film Company along with Vishnupant Damle, K.R. Dhaiber, S. Fatelal and S.B. Kulkarni, which made Ayodhyecha Raja, the first Marathi language film in 1932 under his direction.He left Prabhat co. in 1942 to form "Rajkamal Kalamandir" in Mumbai. In time, "Rajkamal" became one of the most sophisticated studios of the country.Through his 66-year-old career, was known to use cinema as an instrument to effect social change, advocate humanism and expose bigotry and injustice. He was also interested in music and actively participated in the music creation and production of his films. He was also remembered to have ‘ghost-written’ music for many of his music directors.He is most known for films such as Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946), Amar Bhoopali (1951), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957), Navrang (1959), BIMAL ROY
- He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as Do Bigha Zamin, Parineeta,Madhumati, Sujata, and Bandini, making him an important director of Golden Era of Hindi cinema.He was a filmmaker of great and in-depth understanding of human strengths and weaknesses.He introduced the genius composer Salil Chowdhury to Hindi Cinema with Do Beegha Zameen , but also utilised his writing skills in at least three films. Do Beegha was based on a story Rikshawala written by him back in the ’40s. Parakh was also based on his story and Salil da wrote the screenplay of Prem Patra . MEHBOOB KHAN -
The maker of bold saga Aurat (1940),Anmol Ghadi (1946), the romantic drama Andaz (1949), the swashbuckling musical Aan (1951) and the grand social epic Mother India (1957).He set up his production company – Mehboob Productions, and later a film studio – Mehboob Studios in Bandra, Mumbai in 1954. K ASIF -
Afilm director, film producer and screenwriter who is famous for his work on the Hindi epic motion picture, Mughal-e-Azam (1960)..His directorial debut, Phool (1945), did very well at the box-office due to the casting of and portrayals by famous actors and actresses of the time such as Prithviraj Kapoor, Durga Khote and Suraiya. He became a successful director due to his perfectionism in weaving his imagination into an art form and gave birth to Mughal-e-Azam, a legendary film in the Indian Film Industry. He died at age 48. Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors and filmmakers in the history of cinema.[5] He was the winner of several accoladesincluding 3 National Film Awards and 11 Filmfare Awards in India. He was a two-time nominee for the Palme d'Or grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his films Awaara (1951) and Boot Polish (1954).He established R K Studio in 1948 and became the youngest film director of his time making his directorial debut with Aag starring himself, He went on to produce and star in several hit films made under his R. K. Banner including Awaara (1951), Shree 420 (1955), Jagte Raho (1956) and Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai (1960) B R CHOPRA-
He was one of the architects of golden era,Best known for making Hindi films like Naya Daur (1957), Sadhna (1958), Kanoon (1961), Gumrah (1963) and Humraaz (1967).His first film as a director, Afsana, was released in 1951 and featured Ashok Kumar in a double role – the film was a hit and established his name in Bollywood. Chopra made Chandni Chowk, with Meena Kumari as a lead, in 1954. In 1955, B.R. formed his own production house, B.R Films. His first movie for this production house was the highly successful Naya Daur (1957) starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayantimala Bali, the film became a golden jubilee hit. He was instrumental in developing the career of singer Mahendra Kapoor, GURU DUTT -
Also known as Goldie Anand, was afilmmaker, producer, screenwriter, editor and actor, who is known for acclaimed films such as Guide (1965) and Johny Mera Naam (1970). He made most of his films for the in-house banner Navketan Films.He was also the director of Teesri Manzil(1966).He gave us the films like Nau Do Gyarah(1957), Kala Bazar (1960),Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963),Jewel Thief (1967),Tere Mere Sapne (1971). Actors of Golden Era The three most popular male Indian actors of the 1950s and 1960s were Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Dev Anand, each with their own unique acting style.Other actors were Ashok Kumar. Balraj Sahni,Guru Dutt,Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar,Johny Walker and Mehmood while successful actresses included Nargis, Suraiya, Vyjayanthimala, Meena Kumari, Nutan, Madhubala, Sadhana, Waheeda Rehman and Mala Sinha. Music Directors Of Golden Era Naushd,S D Burman,Shankar Jaikishan,O P Nayyar.Madan Mohan,C Ramchandra.Hemant Kumar and Roshan were few of the great composer of that time. Singers of Golden Era Lata,Geeta Dutt,Asha Bhosle,Suriya among the female Rafi,Talat Manna De Mukesh and Kishore Kumar were among the male singers.
Few weeks ago I wrote a Blog on R D Burman about his lust for new and different sound for his songs.These genes he inherited from his father S D Burman.Burman Dada as called by those who loved and revered him was the first music director who was always busy in experimenting in his music whether its tunes ,melody or lyrics.Sometimes, he faced opposition but stood firm, the skeptical falling in line when the experiment succeeded. Music Maestro Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma said in an interview that While composing a song, Dada would say, ‘Even if my songs flop, I will still create something new’. What Dada meant was, ‘I will not take the beaten path. I will not compose as per the existing trend. Even if my songs flop, I will still do something new’. From 1930 to 1936, over these five to six years, he composed music fusing Indian classical music and folk music, which did not resemble anybody else’s. This way,he was able to create his own brand of music”Listen to this Bengali song Mono Dukkhe Mori re Shubol (1934),composed and sung by him.This song is a Kirtan which used to be sung in semi classical style but Sachin Da throws the words in the Bangal dialect that makes it more rural to the roots. The dialect is of East Bengal with some Sanskrit words used. Such songs are sung by boatmen from that part of the world.
Mono Dukkhe Mori re Shubol (1934)
His innovative tendency were visible as early as in 1934 during a Bengal Music Conference in 1934, inaugurated by Rabindranath Tagore, Sachin Dev Burman was asked to sing after Ustad Faiyaz Khan. Ustad Faiyaz Khan had finished with ‘Jhan, jhan, jhan…’, a song that spellbound the audience. Sachin Da began with the same song in Bangla, ‘Jhan, jhan, jhan – manjira baaje’. The audience roared in unison and Karta extended the song to last more than half an hour. Sukla Devi vividly remembers how Ustad Faiyaz Khan came to the stage and hugged Sachin Da.The same tune he used in the Buzdil(1951) song sung by Lata and asked Shailendra to keep same mukhda with a slight change in words.Listen to both version
jhan jhan jhan manjira baje..S D Burman
jhan jhan jhan manjira baje by Lata from Buzdil 1951
The biggest contribution that Sachin Da carried out was to create the tune first and ask lyric writer to fill in the words to suit the meter and the situation. Earlier the film songs was that the film director and the music director would ask the writer to write lyrics based on the situation and the emotion to be conveyed. With Dada’s arrival, it all changed. Gulzar the legendary Lyricist and poet agrees that the music is the soul of a song.He believe that in any song that becomes a hit, the primary factors are the rhythm and the tune. The words follow. In fact, the quality of the words depends on how much it matches the melody and the beat. That is why I consider the role of the lyricist as secondary to that of the composer.
Another experiment he did with Ghazals.For the Baazi song he asked Sahir Ludhianvi to write Gazal for his tune. Sahir wrote the lyrics and wanted the song to be sung in a mujra style. Burman Dada composed a jazzy tune for this Ghazal. Dada also asked Geeta Roy (Dutt) to sing it. During the rehearsal Sahir didn’t like it one bit and went to complain to the director Guru Dutt, who asked Dada what the matter was. Dada asked Guru Dutt to decide who was the music director, “Sahir or I?” Guru Dutt conveyed to Sahir that Dada will do as he wishes. Sahir then and there decided that he will never write again for S. D. Burman, but changed his mind after the song became super-hit and the film too was a big draw for the audience who used to return again and again.
Song from Baazi 1950
Similar situation happened during the making of Jaal 1951 song Yeh raat ye chandni.He transformed its Ghazal mood giving it a regular stressed beat. When he sang the tune to Sahir Ludhianvi, Sahir laughed.Sahir sugested that it should be sung by Talat but Sachin Da wanted Hemant Kumar.Even when the song was recorded by Hemant Kumar, Guru Dutt wanted to re-dub the song in Rafi Sahib’s voice.Dada stuck on to his choice and the song was a very big hit.
Song from Jaal 1951
One of the most marvelous experiments that Sachinda carried out was in the song O nighahen mastana (Paying Guest -1957). Young Kishore’s voice, supported by Asha Bhosle’s humming and alaap throughout the song, adds tremendous charm to the song.The unique thing about this song is that when the second antara gets over, the interlude music and the lights start fading out till the music can be hardly heard. While the remaining lights dim out, the third antara is sung in a softer tone.It is one of the most romantic songs ever created by any music director.
Song from Paying Guest 1957
In another Navketan production Kala Pani, in the song Hum bekhudi mein tum ko pukare chale gaye. He used the rhythm of a ghazal in the mukhda and geet in the antara. This song was originally sung by Dada himself in Bengali,every body wanted Dada to sing this in hindi but he felt that rafi's voice will suit well to Dev Anand in this situation.one finds Rafi’s soothing voice with only a few instruments used by Dada – Sarangi, tabla, gunghroo, khadtal and harmonium.
Song from Kala Pani 1958
Another innovation he did was the use of different singers for the same hero or heroine singing in the same film.In 1949 film Shabnam he used the voice of Lalita Deolkar, Shamshad Begum and Geeta Roy (Dutt) for Kamini Kaushal.In Jewel Thief 1967 Kishore, Rafi, and Bhupindra Singh sang for Dev Anand.In Abhiman 1973 Kishore, Rafi and Manhar Udhas sang for Amitabh Bachchan.
Sacin Da was the composer who would understand the subject matter, the situation, and choose the voice best suited, before composing a song.Some time he would suggest the Director to change the situation.For the song Khoya Khoya Chand he sugested that Dev Anand should walk fast in the song.In the same film in the song "Apni To Har aah Ek Toofan Hai"Waheeda is travelling in a train along with her parents. Dev Anand, trying to woo her, gets into the same compartment.In this song situation Dada thought of introducing the sound of the engine-whistle in the song. Using his ingenuity, he used a flute to create that sound effect. The result was so good, that the viewers did not realize that a flute had been used.
Song from Kala Bazar 1960
Another gem of his innovation was Kaanton se kheench ke yeh aanchal, tod ke bandhan baandhi payal from Guide 1965,the song starts with an antara,it was unique in itself Very rarely would a composer dare.
Song from Guide 1965
In a song "Gum Pe Dhool Daalo" from Prem Pujari he tried a unique thing He used four different genres in the mukhda. The first two lines based on folk. The third on classical. The fourth on pop. And the last line based on qawwali
Song from Prem Pujari 1970
In the song O PANCHHI PYARE from Bandini he used the actual sound of wheat and the soop
Song from Bandini 1963
Music Director Uttam Singh who was one of his musician said in interview that In the last 50 years Piya tose naina lage re (Guide – 1965) in ‘Roopak’ taal is the only dance song composed in seven matras (beats). It is difficult, very difficult, to compose a dance song in seven matras, but not for one who is an expert in the field. No one else has attempted it so far.
Song from Guide 1965
His penchant & passion for experimenting has kept him at the forefront of the music world even at the last days of his life whereas his contemporaries, all greats, lost their way after certain period of time.Even his last released song “Chal Sapnon Ka Shahar” from Deewangi has unique kind of designing which could only be conceived by SDB.
Song from Deewangi 1979
He was innovative in Background Music also.In a scene in Kala Pani he used the actual sound of Printing press.In that scene he used the sound of Sitar along with the noise of the press.Besides using a single instrument for background music in Kala Pani, Dada used a single instrument for a scene in Bandini (1963).In an interview Music Director Pyarelal of LP, who was a violinist during those days said that his Guru Anthony Gonsalvis who was the music arranger for S D in that film,prepared some music for that scene which everyone liked. But S.D. Burman was not impressed, and rejected it.
Dada kept on thinking but nothing was coming in his mind suddenly he heard flutist Kamal Mitra, who was also getting bored, fiddling with the flute by putting his thumb on the wrong end of the flute and creating a noise, ‘tup, tup, tup’ like that. Dada asked him to do it in front of the mike, and used it as the background music for that scene. This was appreciated by Bimal Roy and everyone else.
