Milestone Songs of Roshan

Roshan Lal Nagrath (14 July 1917-16 November 1967) the father of the actor and film director Rakesh Roshan and music director Rajesh Roshan and paternal grandfather of Hritik Roshan came to Bombay in 1949, became assistant of music composer Khawaja Khurshid Anwar in the film Singaar. He struggled until meeting Kidar Sharma, who gave him the job of composing for his film Neki aur Badi (1949).which was a flop,Kidar Sharma gave him another film Bawre Nain,the music of this film became hit and it opened door of success to Roshan 
His biggest strength was that he was very comfortable in mixing the folk music with the complex classical tunes. He use to make a fusion of folk and classical music and that too with ease. This was the speciality which belonged to Roshan only. It was his approach which made his music stand out from the others. In the 60’s, Roshan gave hits like,Barsaat Ki Raat, which featured hits like 'Na To Karavan Ki Talaash Hai..' and 'Yeh Hai Ishq Ishq..', Aarti ('Ab Kya Misaal Doon..'), Devar ('Baharon Ne Mera Chaman Lootkar..'), Bheegi Raat ('Kahin To Milegi..', 'Dil Jo Na Kehsaka..'), Chitralekha ('Sansaar Se Bhaagte Phirte Ho..', 'Man Re Tu Kahe Na..'), Taj Mahal ('Jo Wada Kiya Who Nibhana Padega.', 'Paon Choo Lene Do..'), Bahu Begum ('Hum Intezaar Karenge..' and 'Pad Gaye Jhoole..'), Dooj Ka Chand ('Mehfil Se Uth Jaanewalon..'), Nai Umar Ki Nai Fasal ('Carvan Guzar Gaya..' and 'Dekhti Hi Raho Aaj Tum..' ), Dil Hi To Hai ('Nigahen Milane Ko Ji Chahata Hai..' and 'Laaga Chunri Me Daag..' ) and finally his swan song from Anokhi Raat ('Oh Re Taal Mile..' and 'Mere Beri Ke Ber..').
He did not achieve big commercial success as some of his peers, but for music lovers he was among the greatest, especially as regards his songs for the two titans Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar. His compositions were unmistakably identifiable with incredibly beautiful use of the flute and sarangi.
Roshan died at a young age of a sudden heart attack on November 16, 1967. The song Mehlon ka raja mila from Anokhi Raat, which was composed by him, was recorded posthumously. Here are my 15 favourite Roshan-Lata songs as my tribute to him on his Birth Anniversary.

Song from Bawre Nain 1950

Song from Malhar (1951)

Song from Anhonee 1952

Song from Anhonee 1952

Song from  Naubahaar. 1952

Song from Aji Bas Shukriya” (1958).

Song from Barsat Ki Raat” (1960)

Song from Aarti (1962)

Song from Taj Mahal” (1963) 

Song from Dil Hi to Hai 1963

Song from Chitralekha” (1964)

Song from Bheegi Raat” (1965)

Song from Mamta” (1966)

Song from Bahu Begum (1967)

Song from Anokhi Raat” (1968)

How Waheeda Rehman nearly walked out of CID because of a costume

We all know that CID released in 1956 was the first film of Waheeda Rehman. Though she was not the Heroine of that film but she played an important character.She  played Kamini, the good-hearted moll. Though she’s a bit raw with a singsong dialogue delivery, just a glimpse of that luminous face and the hand gestures that Zohra Sehgal made her perform for the Shamshad Begum classic Kahin pe nigahein let me tell that she was, indeed, destined for a memorable innings.
There were the moments during the shooting of CID she decided to move out of the film.The reason of quitting was the costume she had to wear in the song Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Per Nishana. She had to wear a long skirt with a long sleeved lace blouse for Kahin pe nigahein.. The problem was the blouse had no lining.. She had no intention of wearing a see-through blouse.She refused to wear that dress.Zohra Sehgal tried convincing her as did Bhanu Athaiya (then Bhanumati) who designed the costumes, but nobody could change Waheeda Rehman’s mind. RajKhosla  the director was most irritated 
Finally Khosla called Guru Dutt, who was writing Pyaasa with Abrar Alvi somewhere in Khandala, to intervene. Dutt returned to Bombay and came to see Waheeda Rehman in her make-up room, who was adamant. Athaiya informed it would take half a day to have the blouse altered and since Dev had to leave for Switzerland, the unit was in a fix. The solution came from Waheeda Rehman.who suggested that she wear a dupatta. And that’s what was decided. If you see the song, you’ll notice she is wearing a dupatta over the blouse,
Raj Khosla wasn’t too happy with Rehman’s work in CID and even told Dutt, “CID will be her last film.” Sure enough, he had to eat his words. Rehman narrates how after he saw the rushes of Pyaasa’s Jaane kya tune kahi, Khosla commented to Dutt, “How is it possible? She is so bad in my film and has done such a good job here.
After CID Raj Khosla took her in Solva Saal in 1958 here also some controversy took place between her and Raj Khosla.

Song from CID 1956

Bimal Roy was a complete school of film making unto himself

Bimal Roy who gave Bollywood some of the iconic films like Do Bigha Zameen, Devdas, Madhumati, Bandini Sujata and more.He also gave Indian Cinema many great filmmakers and writers such as Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Gulzar, Nabendu Ghosh, Salil Chowdhury and Basu Bhattacharya 
He  was born on 12 July 1909, to a Bengali Baidya zamindar family in Suapur, Dhaka, which was then part of the Eastern Bengal and Assam province of British India and is now part of Bangladesh.He moved to Calcutta and entered the field of cinema as a camera assistant with New Theatres Pvt. Ltd.. During this time, he assisted director P.C. Barua as Publicity Photographer, on the hit 1935 film Devdas, starring K.L. Saigal. 
 Bimal Roy’s debut feature film Udayer Pathe was made in Bengali in 1944.which was made in hindi as Hamrahi in 1945 by New Theatres Calcutta.Our National Anthem Jana Gana Mann before it was made the National Anthem was introduced in this film.  Maa in 1952 was his first Bollywood film for Bombay Talkies. A year later, his own production company came into being with ``Do Bigha Zamin'' about a farmer struggling to survive the industrial revolution. His another film Parineeta was also released in the same year.
The immortal ``Devdas'' in 1955 based on Sarat Chandra's classic, has been fodder for several films over the years.Unlike film-makers of today, directors of that era made sure to not get stuck in a groove. So after the heartbreaking ``Devdas,'' Bimal Roy made a frothy musical, ``Madhumati'', probably the first film on re-incarnation.
He believed that there was no medium like cinema to promote the idea of human struggle. Noted for his realistic and socialistic films - Do Bigha Zamin, Parineeta and Biraj Bahu - legendary filmmaker Bimal Roy is a celebrated institution in Hindi Cinema and has inspired many a movie maverick from Shyam Benegal to Hansal Mehta.
He was a very silent person,he spoke through his films.His works stand out for their photography. He took great care to reveal the light source and introduced a sense of time. More importantly, it connected one to reality. You could tell what time of the day a situation was taking place.
He is the only director who got Filmfare Best Director Award continuously for 3 years twice.

• 1953: Filmfare Award for Best Director – Do Bigha Zamin
• 1954: Filmfare Award for Best Director – Parineeta
• 1955: Filmfare Award for Best Director – Biraj Bahu

• 1958: Filmfare Award for Best Director – Madhumati
• 1959: Filmfare Award for Best Director – Sujata
• 1960: Filmfare Award for Best Director – Parakh

He died of cancer on 8 January 1966 at the age of 56. He was survived by four children,Just before his death Roy was working on one of his most ambitious project, a bi-lingual film titled Amrit Kumbh Ki Khoj Mein based on Samaresh Basu’s novel. He had shot one schedule with his unit during an actual kumbh mela in Allahabad in the early 60s.

Song from Maa (1952)

Song from Parineeta (1953)

Song from Do Bigha Zamin (1953)

Song from Devdas (1955)

Song from Madhumati (1958)

Song from Sujata (1959)

Song from Parakh (1960)

Song from Bandini (1963)

Uma Devi(TUNTUN) was a Singer before becoming the First Ever Woman Comedian of Bollywood

She arrived in Bombay (Mumbai) at the age of 23(Born on 11th July 1923), having run away from home, and knocked on composer Naushad Ali's door. She told him that she could sing and that she would throw herself in the ocean if he didn't give her a chance. He auditioned her, and hired her on the spot. She made her debut as a solo playback singer in Nazir's Wamiq Azra (1946).
With the song  "Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon Dil-e-Beqarar Ka" she became popular and became household name.In fact, a gentleman from Delhi was so mesmerized  by her song "Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon", that he stayed with her in Bombay. They got married, and the couple had two daughters and two sons; her husband, whom she called Mohan, died in 1992.
The success of Dard meant that she next received Mehboob Khan's Anokhi Ada (1948), which again had two hit numbers, "Kahe Jiya Dole" and "Dil Ko Lagake Humne Kuch Bhi Na Paya". This brought her into the league of highly rated playback singers.She reached her peak as a vocalist in director S.S. Vasan's Chandralekha (1948) made by Gemini Studios, Chennai. Her seven songs, which include hits such as "Saanjh Ki Bela" remain her most accomplished work in her singing career, though signing for the film also meant a breach of contract with producer-director Kardar, which led to her dwindling fortunes in the industry 
.Uma's career as a singer was short-lived. New singers entered the industry. It was impossible to keep pace with Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. "Rakhi"-brother Naushad used to compose songs to suit her range. But that could not have continued for long.

It was Naushad who encouraged her to start acting because he felt that  she had a very bubbly personality and wonderful comic timing.He also knew that she was a great fan of Dilip Kumar he in fact asked Dilip Kumar to cast her in one of his films, and she appeared in Babul (1950) with him, which had Nargis as the lead actress; it is he who renamed her "Tun Tun" to suit her comic persona,the name stayed with her, and a comedic legend was born. 
She had a fan in Guru Dutt and acted in almost all his films. Her favourite role too was from Guru Dutt's Mr and Mrs 55 in which she played a Christian lady.She acted in nearly 200 films.She died on 23 November 2003 in Andheri, Mumbai, after a prolonged illness at the age of 80 and is survived by her four children and four grandchildren.
In her career spanning five decades, she acted in Hindi/Urdu and other languages like Punjabi etc., pairing with top comedy actors of her times such as Bhagwan Dada, Agha, Sunder, Mukri, Dhumal, Johnny Walker and Keshto Mukherjee. She was last seen in Hindi films in Kasam Dhande Ki (1990).
Owing to her popularity, the name Tun Tun has become synonymous with fat women in India.

Song from Dard (1947)

Song from Dard (1947)

Song from Chandralekha (1948)

Song from Chandralekha (1948)

Song from Chandni Raat (1949)

Song from Anokhi Ada (1948)

Song from Saudamini (1950)

Song from Dholak (1951)

Song from Taksaal (1956)

Song from Passing Show (1956)

Song from Jungle King (1959)

Guru Dutt- An Institution.

Born on July 9, 1925, in Bangalore, Guru Dutt was the eldest of five children born to Vasanti and Shivkumar Padukone. He spent more than a decade in Bhawanipore in Calcutta, where Guru Dutt finished his schooling. Not surprisingly, Guru Dutt spoke fluent Bengali and carried a distinct stamp of Bengali culture in his work. As a child, Guru Dutt was fond of two things: dance and animals.it was his love for dance that laid the foundation of a career in cinema.
The 16-year-old Guru Dutt joined Shankar's dance academy in Almora on a scholarship of Rs 75.The dance troupe was disbanded during the Second World War because of financial problems, and Guru Dutt finally joined V. Shantaram's Prabhat Film Company, then a formidable film production house, in 1945. It was here that he met three of his close friends, actors Dev Anand and Rehman and director Raj Khosla, all on Prabhat rolls then.Dev anand in an interview said that we struck a deal over a glass of beer and then he said Dev..if I ever become a director you are my star and I said if I ever form a company and I invite a directory to direct a film you’re going to be the one.

So he brought him in for Baazi so that type of friendship. Then he made CID, he invited me to do a picture. Then he made Jaal and then he branched off on his own.. made his own pictures starred himself. Dev branched off. he brought in his brother Vijay Anand for Nau Do Gyarah..

Dev Anand-Guru Dutt repeated their magic at the box office with breezy crime-based thrillers like Jaal (1952) and CID (1956). Guru Dutt formed his own banner and made Baaz (1953), Aar Paar (1954) and Mr and Mrs 55 (1955). it was the entry of writer Abrar Alvi and cinematographer V.K. Murthy into Guru Dutt Films that changed the tenor of his cinema. 'Guru Dutt never repeated a writer till he joined him in Aar Paar. After that, he never hired another writer,' Together, they created some of India's most admired films ' Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). While Pyaasa and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam did well at the box office, it was the failure of Kaagaz Ke Phool, the semi-autobiographical story of a sensitive filmmaker who refuses to stand up to the pretentiousness of the tinsel world ' that broke Guru Dutt. Dutt could never accept the failure of Kaagaz ke Phool. He never directed another film. 

Though he produced his next film Chaudhvin ka Chand in 1960 directed by Abrar Alvi  and it was a smashing hit. Dutt also made Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam (1962) with Alvi, and there’ve been rumours about Dutt having ghost directed the movie. Sahib Biwi Ghulam was both commercially and critically successful but he was a broken man.What was running in his mind no body knows.Dev Anand in an interview said that 5 days before his death he met Guru Dutt,he wanted to make a film with him for which Dev agreed and asked him to show the script.He died on 10 th October

 He lives on in his works. Some of us will always – Hum aap ki aankhon mein, is dil ko basa de toh for him as he continues to live through his cinema.1964

Song from Pyaasa

Song from Pyaasa

Song from Chaudhvin Ka chaand

Song from Me & Mrs 55

Song from Bharosa

Song from Bharosa

Song from Sanjh Aur Savera

Song from Bahurani 1963

Dev Anand was a Special Yatri in the Bus To Lahore

Dev Anand who did his graduation from Government College Lahore in 1943, left Lahore the same year to join Bombay Film Industry.It took him 55 years to come back to Lahore.This time he was a special guest accompanied by the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The famous Lahore Bus was inaugurated by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Feb 1999. In fact 2 buses were sent to Lahore accompanied by many celebrities.
.Atal Bihari Vajpayee was his great admirer. Atalji wanted Devsaab to accompany him to Lahore, to which he readily agreed.he was in the same bus in which Atal ji travelled. The inaugural bus also carried Indian celebrities and dignitaries such as  Satish Gujral, Javed Akhtar, Kuldip Nayar, Kapil Dev, Shatrughan Sinha and Mallika Sarabhai.

The Wagah/Attari border looked like a glitzy wedding pandal and large crowds milled around on both sides of the metal gates. Viewing platforms had been erected for the media. The crowds enjoyed the tunes played alternately by the Pakistani Rangers and the Indian Border Security Force bands, some breaking into dance. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation and emotion. But the bonhomie did not please everyone.
Dev Anand in an interview to out look magazine said "At Wagah, we all jumped off the bus. The two prime ministers hugged each other as the elite of the two countries met. The people, their voices-all were the same. 'The PMs are shaking hands, I told the crowd. 'Make them shake their hands. At that instant, I caught Nawaz Sharif's eye. He had a look of recognition. We're from the same college, he told me. It struck a bond." Nawaz Sharief requested a picture with Devsaab, and posed to look 'alright' with Dev Anand.Nawaz Sharif was also a student of Lahore Government College but he was much junior.
Devsaab was accorded a hero's welcome at the Government College, Lahore. Young boys and girls mingled with Devsaab's old fans with the entire college staff standing in line to see and greet their alumnus.
'Where is the boundary?' he asked. 'Where is the animosity?' And the crowd went mad with 'We love you Devsaab' chants.

Song from Prem Pujari 1970

Sahir and S D Burman - Ek Aur Ek Gyarah

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.Both entered 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.

Song from Baazi 1951

Song from Naujawaan1951

Song from Sazaa 1951

Song from Jaal 1952

Song from Taxi Driver 1954

Song from Munimji (1955) 

Song from House No. 44 (1955) 

Song from Devdas (1955)

Song from Funtoosh (1956) 

Song from Pyaasa (1957)

Song from Pyaasa (1957)

The Other Voices of Raj Kapoor

When you think of Raj Kapur,the name of Mukesh automatically comes in our mind as the voice of Raj Kapoor.  Raj was convinced that only the voice of Mukesh suited him, so in all the films that he produced or directed, he used to try using Mukesh for his songs. However,as a true Professional, if he were to work for some other producer or under a different Director, he followed the policy of strict Non-interference. So, in such films, we see other singers giving playback to Raj Kapoor, depending on the choice of the producer or director.
After Mukesh, Manna Dey was the alternate voice of Raj Kapoor. Remember the songs Pyaar hua ekraar hua, Ye raat bheegi bheegi, A ja sanam madhur chandni mein hum and many more songs.Manna Dey later sang for Raj Kapur in Parvarish (Masti bhara hai sama), Dil Hi To Hai (Laga chunari mein daag), Mera Naam Joker (Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo). It is creditable that all the Manna Dey songs, though few in number, acquired iconic status.
Mohammad Rafi also sang for Raj Kapoor. I have come across at least five films in which the songs on Raj Kapur are in the voice of Rafi. You will be surprised to know that in Andaz (1949) Mukesh sang for Dilip Kumar and Rafi sang for Raj Kapoor the duet Milnewale kahin ulfat mein juda hote hain. is one of them.Next film was Dastan released in 1950  in which Surraiya starred with Raj Kapoor the famous song Tara Ri Aara Ri  was sung by Rafi.
There was a film Amber (1952) starring Raj Kapur and Nargis music was given by Ghulam Mohammad  a beautiful duet with Lata, which would rank among the best of Ghulam Mohammad and the best of Rafi-Lata duets. The song is" Hum Tum Yeh Bahar" Another film was Paapi released in 1953 remember the song "tera kaam hai jalna parvane".There was a film  Do Ustaad (1959)starring Raj Kapur, Madhubala and Music by OP Nayyar "Dil Ka Makaan"

Song from Andaz (1949)

Song from Dastan (1950)

Song from Amber (1952)

Song from Paapi  (1953)

Song from Do Ustaad (1959)

Song from Do Ustaad (1959)

 Talat sang a total of ten songs for Raj Kapoor in 4 films, as following-

S No.	Song	Movie (Year)	Director	Music Director
1.	Armaan bhare dil ki lagan hai	Jaan Pehchan(1950)	Fali Mistry	Khemchand Prakash
2.	Main hoon dil ek armaan bhara	Anhonee(1952)	K A Abbas	Roshan
3.	Mere dil ki dhadkan kya bole	Anhonee(1952)	K A Abbas	Roshan
4.	Sama ke dil mein hamaare	Anhonee(1952)	K A Abbas	Roshan
5.	Main paagal mera manawa paagal	Ashiana(1952)	B. Trilochan	Madan Mohan
6.	Mera qaraar le jaa	Ashiana(1952)	B. Trilochan	Madan Mohan
7.	Dil matwala lakh sambhala	Bewafa(1952)	M L Anand	A R Qureshi
8.	Kaam hathon ka hai	Bewafa(1952)	M L Anand	A R Qureshi
9.	Tu aaye na aaye	Bewafa(1952)	M L Anand	A R Qureshi
10.	Tum ko fursat ho meri jaan	Bewafa(1952)	M L Anand	A R Qureshi

One can see from the above list that 7 out of the 10 Talat songs had been Hits-that is 70%- in those days and they are Talat lovers’ favourites even today. 

Song from Jaan Pehchan(1950)

Song from Anhonee(1952)

Song from Anhonee(1952)

Song from Ashiana(1952)

Song from Bewafa(1952)

Kishore Kumar has also sung for Raj Kapur. The only film having this distinction is Pyar (1950), lyrics by Rajendra Krishna and composed by who else but SD Burman. Though there were many  songs of Kishore Kumar for Raj Kapoor in the film, only audio is available.

Song from Pyar (1950),