MUKESH - The Best Articulator of Melancholy.

 

 ‘Dil jalta hai to jalne de’. was the first major song from Mukesh from ” Pehli Nazar”(1945). It was Anil Biswas who composed this song and wanted him to sing in Saigal style The song became so popular that he was branded for the sad songs. He was next to Saigal for such types of songs.Initially, all the composers used Mukesh mainly for such songs.

After this film, however, Anil Biswas helped Mukesh to develop his own distinct style, away from the Saigal effect. Mukesh songs of Anokha Pyaar-48, Lajawab-50 and Aaram-51 are a testimony to this effort becoming a success. Just listen to ‘ Aye Jaan e Jigar’ song and you will agree.  The anguish of a failed lover, despondency of a purposeless life, the Heartache-all this is expressed by Mukesh like no other singer.

Naushad also recognized Mukesh's voice, he took him for the first time in the 1948 film 'Anokhi Ada'.Mukesh coming out a winner with his ‘ kabhi dil dil se takrata to hoga’. Mela-48 put a stamp of approval on Mukesh from none other than Dilip Kumar. He sang many songs for him, in fact he was the voice of Dilip Kumar in Andaz(1949) and Rafi was the voice of Raj Kapoor in that film.

Mukesh became the voice of Raj Kapoor after the success of Barsat (1949), he sang almost all the songs for him except a few exceptions. on his death raj Kapoor said that he has lost his voice. In fact, after the demise of Mukesh, Talat, Hemant, and Kishore to a certain extent sang sad songs, but the sentiments of Gloom, sorrow, and despair disappeared from Hindi film songs. 

The last song that he recorded was Chanchal Sheetal Nirmal Komal from “Satyam Shivam Sundaram” in June 1976. Soon after recording this song he left for a musical tour of the US. Mukesh had sung 930 songs in 533 films. he gave music to 2 films and acted in 7 films in his early years. Some of his films were, “Aadab Arz” (1943), “Aah” (1953), “Mashuqa” (1953), “Anurag” (1956).

Song of Pehli Nazar 1948

Song of Anokhi Ada 1948

Song of Mela 1948

Song of Andaz 1949

Song of Bawre Nain 1949

Song of Awara 1951

Song of Aah 1953

Song of Parvarish 1958

Song of Kanhaiya 1959

Song of Bombai Ka Babu 1960

Song of Chhalia 1960

Song of Baraat 1960

Song of Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi 1960

Song of Sanjog 1961

Song of Sasural 1961

The Songs of Anand Bakshi since the Begining of his Career( 1956 -1965)

 

Anand Bakshi (21 July 1930-30 March 2002) was fond of writing poetry since his youth, but he did this mostly as a private hobby. He worked in Army but left it to join Hindi Film Industry as a writer or a singer but not a lyricist. He got his break writing songs in a film titled Bhalaa Aadmi (1958), acted by Bhagwan Dada. He wrote four songs in this film. His first song in this film was "Dharti Ke Laal Na Kar Itna Malaal" which was recorded on 9 Nov 1956. (In his own voice on All India Radio interview).

Anand Bakshi thought at that time that now his career has started but it was not like that, he had to struggle further. He was given one or two songs in the films like Miss Toofan Mail, Sun To Le Haseena(1958), CID Girl, Laal Nishaan(1959) but he got noticed from the 1962 film 'Kala Samundar' Qawwali  “Meri Taveer Le Ke Kya Karoge”. Plus the films ‘Mehndi Lagi Mere Haath’ His first super hit song was 'Mere Mehboob Kayamat Hogi' from Mr X in Bombay, the first time he worked with Laxmikant Pyarelal.

In 1963, he again noticed with  Mukesh solo – “Chaand Aaahen Bharega” from the film ‘Phool Baney Angaare’,  “Tumhen Husn De Ke Khuda Ne Sitamgar Banaaya Banaaya”. from the film – ‘Jab Se Tumhen Dekha Hai’,

His real career as a lyricist started from the movie 'Jab Jab Phul Khile'. One of those songs 'Ek tha gul ek thi bulbul..' became very popular.This year another film 'Himalaya Ki God Mein' had 4 super hit songs in his name. Apart from these two films  ‘Lutera’, ‘Shriman Funtoosh’ and ‘Teesra Kaun’ had memorable songs. Notable mentions required though, for “Hamen Kya Jo Har Su Ujaale Huye Hain” from ‘Namaste Ji’ and “Ye Dard Bhara Afsaana” from ‘Shriman Funtoosh’. And yes – “Pyaar Ka Fasaana Bana Le Dil Deewaana” from ‘Teesra Kaun’.

In this blog, I am posting the forgotten and rarely listened songs of Anand Bakshi

Song of Bhala Aadmi 1958

Song of Sun To Le Haseena 1958

Song of Air Mail 1959

Song of Meine Jeena Seekh Liya 1959

Song of Mehlon Ka Khwab 1960

Song of ‘Zameen Ke Taare 1960

Song of  Razia Sultan 1961

Song of  Kala Samundar 1962

Song of  Vallah Kya Baat Hai 1962

Song of Zarak Khan 1963

Song of Jab Se Tumhen Dekha Hai’ 1963

Song of Phool Baney Angaare 1963

Song of Me X in Bombay 1965

Song of Dulha Dulhan 1964

Song of Lutere 1965

Song of Himalaya Ki God Mein 1965

Song of Jab Jab Phool Khile 1965

Unheard Story of Geeta Dutt- The words sang ten years ago became true.

 

We all remember the song "Mera Sundar Sapna Beet Gaya" with this song Geeta Dutt became famous That was in 1947 with the release of 'Do Bhai' music was given by S D Burman. 1947-1949 saw Geeta Roy rule as the number one female playback singer in the Hindi film industry as she moved from strength to strength. She married Guru Dutt in 1953 whom she fell in love with during the recording of the songs of' Baazi'(1951).

In 1957 Guru Dutt started a film 'Gauri' in Hindi and Bengali with her as the heroine. This film was supposed to be shot in the new cinemascope technology. It is said that a lot of expensive types of equipment were ordered from abroad and the shooting began with a lot of expectations from Geeta DuttThe shooting of the film began and a few reels were shot. Based on the available information, at least one song sung and acted by Geeta was recorded. To much dismay of Geeta, Guru Dutt decided to scrap the film. It was a case of shattered dreams for Geeta who had pinned her hopes on this film. The words "Mera Sundar Sapna Beet Gaya" sung by her almost ten years ago had become true.

Geeta Dutt In Gauri Since the film was supposed to be a musical, it is said that two songs were recorded for the film but were never released on discs. it was the legendary S D Burman (whom Geeta used to call "Kaka" (Uncle) with affection). Geeta Dutt is reported to have recorded a song "BANSHI SHUNE AAR KAJ NAI SE JE DAKATIA BANSHI" for the film Gauri. The record version was probably never published. This is confirmed from a 1958 Bengali magazine article by Colin Paul. Later S.D. Burman himself recorded the song in his own voice at around 1960/1961 and it was a hit. The song has lyrics by Gouri Prasanna Majumdar and music by S D Burman himself. The same tune was later used for Shakti Samanta’s film Anuraag (1972) where Lata Mangeshkar sang the song "Neend Churaye Chain Churaye Daka Dale Teri Bansi" for Moushumi Chatterjee making her debut in Hindi films. The film Gauri got shelved and the original tunes were probably never heard by anyone. The shelving of the film Gauri had a severe impact on Geeta as a person. A truly spirited woman she was, she continued to sing memorable songs as if nothing had happened, but for sure she was hurt deep inside in her heart. Those days Guru Dutt was in love with Waheeda Rehman, their family life was in trouble. Guru Dutt broke with Geeta Dutt for the sake of Waheeda Rehman. Waheeda never reciprocated her love to Guru Dutt since he was a married man with children. Moreover, she respected him as a Great artist and nothing else. At this juncture, it is hard to imagine Guru Dutt’s state of mind. He was caught between two situations. Breaking up with his wife and not getting attention from Waheeda. Finally, Guru Dutt found the easy way out. He apparently committed suicide on October 10th, 1964 After Guru Dutt's untimely death in the year 1964, Geeta Dutt suffered a lot of financial, health related and personal problems. She was practically left with no money (being made insolvent from Guru Dutt Films due to the debacle of the film "Sailaab" earlier) and three children to support. The days of her career as a leading playback singer were over and she was not getting many singing assignments. Between the years 1964 and 1967, she sang less than a couple of dozen songs, mostly in obscure and/or low-budget films. Going by the rule of the film industry, one and all had deserted her. Even those people whom she had helped building their careers had conveniently forgotten her. The composers for whom she sang several hit songs turned back towards her. She was forced to do stage shows and radio jingles and even those were not a great success. It was a sad story to see a top playback singer being treated like this by the film and music fraternity. It is reported that she decided to venture into other areas of films and music. She was to compose the music for a film under the moniker "Pyaasi" and it is said that she even recorded a song in her own voice. We do not have any information if any records of songs she composed were released or not. This was the time, when she decided to try her hand at acting one more time, this time in her mother tongue Bengali. Cover of Badhu Baran's Booklet Geeta Dutt got a role in a Bengali film titled Badhu Baran in the year 1967. The film was directed by Dilip Naag. The film introduced Rakhee (who later became Rakhee Gulzar and went on to become a popular actress in Hindi films) to the film world. The film was made by D.S. Productions  The film had an impressive star cast in Pradeep Kumar paired with Geeta Dutt. Based on the available information, the film did not do too well at the box office. A good amount of interest was among the music and film lovers who watched this film to see their favorite singer Geeta Roy acting in a film. The film ran for about 5 or 6 weeks or so in Kolkata. Elegant Geeta ji in Badhu Baran The music of the film was composed by the legendary and brilliant composer Kamal Dasgupta. It is a pity that the composer chose to have Geeta sing just one song for this film. The song she sang is "Amar alor o shishu o andhar ja"This turned out to be Geeta Dutt's last recording in a Bengali film  Song of  Badhu Baran 1967 She tried to resume her singing career. But Asha Bhonsle had already overtaken her. Geeta Dutt started drowning her woes in alcohol. Her health kept failing as she drank more and more alcoholic drinks..ultimately she died on July 20th 1972 due to cirrhosis of the liver at the tender age of 42. Geeta Dutt was a brilliant playback singer of Hindi films, strikingly beautiful with dreamy almond eyes, who left us nearly 50 years ago. Despite possessing a rich voice, her career was heavily marred by bad luck and an unhappy marriage. The last recorded song of Geeta Dutt was a duet with Talat Mahmood in the 1972 film Midnight which went unnoticed. In this film she sang a solo also. Song of Midnight 1972

Mehdi Hassan- Gulon Mein Rang Bhare

 

Mehdi Hassan's voice gave life to the lyrics of the song and transformed it into a timeless entity to be hummed by generations to come. This happened when he sang 'Gulon Mein Rang Bhare'  the words of Faiz Ahmed Faiz for the film  Farangi (1964). It moved the poet so much that he bestowed the song to Mehdi Hassan.

This happens when two great combines together to create something, a masterpiece is born. This ghazal is widely considered to be amongst the most popular as well as the very best of Faiz Sahib’s ghazals. Indeed, as many would consider it to also be amongst the best of Mehdi Hasan’s ghazals.

This ghazal was not written for the film It had already been recorded by Radio Pakistan’s Central Production Unit. The radio version had just a sarangi, a tabla and a tanpura yet it had become a massive hit. This became a rage only when it was re-recorded for the film. There was no situation in the film for this song but the director Khalil Qaisar was hell-bent on including in the soundtrack. 

 Ismail Khan, the uncle and mentor of Mehdi Hassan fashioned it in the Jhinjhoti Raag, Heavy orchestra was used. violins were introduced instead of Tanpura. The ghazal’s resounding success catapulted Hasan’s career in the industry and he never looked back An anecdote linked with this song is that during many get-togethers, people would request Faiz Sahab to recite the ‘Mehdi Hasan ghazal.

Mehdi Hassan. Born on July 18th, 1927 in Rajasthan of pre-partition India, he was initially named Ismail Khan. As a child, he was weak and fell seriously ill, and after many prayers, he recovered on the 8th of Muharram, after which he was renamed Mehdi Hassan. He was born into a traditional family of musicians, and his father and uncle had even been invited to the court of the Maharaja of Baroda, one of the greatest honors at the time. Growing up in this family of musicians, Mehdi Hassan gained an understanding of “raag” at the early age of six. By the time he was eight, he also performed in the presence of the Maharaja, who greatly appreciated him.

Mehdi Hassan sang for more than 300 films, and his fan base stretched beyond Pakistan to India. His contributions as a playback singer not only made him famous, but they also made the film, poetry and poet memorable. For instance, Ahmed Faraz’s ghazal, “Ranjish Hee Sahi,” was immortalized when Mehdi Hassan sang it.

It is important to note that Mehdi Hassan changed ghazal from a purely classical genre to a semi-classical genre. This transition allowed the format of ghazal to be more openly adapted in films.Mehdi Hassan sang in two Hindi films also.

He passed away on 13th July, 2012, and the world was deprived of a beautiful voice. His songs can still be heard in households and streets, transcending borders and languages. 

Original song from Farangi 1964

gulon mein rang bhare runa laila

       Gulon Mein Rang Bharey - Kamran Hasan Son of Mehdi Hassan

A Look into the Special Appearances of Rajesh Khanna in Bollywood Films

 

Rajesh Khanna the Super Star who gave 15 consecutive hit films from 1969 to 1972 was the most sought-after hero. He appeared in 30 films as Special Appearance. In most of the films, he sang a song in the film. In 8 films he appeared as Rajesh Khanna, the hero. The first special appearance was in the 1968 film Shrimanji and he then appeared in the 1971 film 'Andaz' just after the success of Aradhana. and Do Raste  The song 'Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana' became a rage.

In this blog, I have selected only those films in which he gave a special appearance.

Song of Andaz 1971

Song of Anuraag 1972

A Scene of Badhti Ki Naam Dadhi 1974

Song of Aakraman 1975

A Scene from Aaina 1977

Song of Tinku 1977

Song of Muqablq 1979

Song of Naseeb1981

Song of Suraag 1982

Song of Disco Dancer 1982

Song of Mamta ki Chhaon Mein 1989

Qawwali of Sawa Lakh Se Ek Ladoun - 1976

Mein or Mera Songs- The songs used to establish one's character (Part 1)

 

                                                                      Part 1 

Thinking of theme songs, the idea clicked in my mind to have songs that have Mein or Mera in their lyrics or introducing his or her character in the song like Awara Hoon or Mein Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya.

On researching, I have found so many songs on this theme, all the songs are not possible to be included in one blog, So in this blog, I have taken 15 songs from 1949 to 1959. Rest I will post in Part 2

The first song I have selected 'Main Zindagi Mein Hardam Rota Hi Raha Hoon (Barsaat) 1949, sung by Mukesh, picturized on Raj Kapoor. In this film, we find three songs in this category. The other two are 'Chhod Gaye Balam Mujhe Akela Chhod Gaye' and 'Aa Ja Re Ab Mera Dil Pukara'

Song of Barsat 1949

The next song is one of my favorites 'Aye Dil Mujhe Aisi Jagah' sung by Talat, picturized on Dilip Kumar for the 1950 film 'Arzoo'. There are two more songs in this category 'Kahan Tak Ham Uthaye Gham'  and 'Mera Naram Karejwaa Dol Gaya' 'by Lata Mangeshkar.

Song of Aarzoo 1950

The next song is from the 1950 film 'Sargam' 2 songs come in this category, 'Wo Hamse Chup Hain', and 'Mera Nam Hai Bhim Palasi' both sung by Chitalkar for Raj Kapoor

Song of Sargam1950

This is an immortal song from the 1951 film Awara sung by Mukesh

Song of Awara1951

Song of Awara1951

Song of Sanam 1951

Song of Deedar 1951

Song of Deedar 1951

Song of Madhosh 1951

Song of Anhonee 1952

Song of Nagin 1954

Song of Shree 420 1955

Song of Udan Khatola 1955

Song of Chandrakanta 1956

Song of Pyasa 1957

Hum Hein Rahi Pyaar Ke sung by Kishore Kumar, picturized on Dev Anand

Song of Nau Do Gyarah 1957

Mein Toh Kab Se Khadi Is Paar sung by Lata, picturized on Vyajantimala

Song of Madhumati 1958

Mein Bangali Chhokra sung by Kishore Kumar and picturized on him

Song of Raagini 1958

'MEIN DEEWANA MASTANA' sung by Mukesh picturized on Premnath

Song of Chalis Din 1959

Chhoti Behan (1959) had two very popular songs, 'Mein Rickshawala Mein Rickshawala' and 'Main Rangeela Pyar Ka Rahi' both picturized on Mehmood

Song of Chhoti Behan 1959

 

The Great Bollywood Songs on Promise

 

Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible. Promises are a vital part of building our relationships. Sometimes the poets or lyricists imagine a promise that is outside of our personal boundaries like 'Tere Liye Mein Chand Tare Tod Laonga' or 'Sau Baar Janam Lenge, Sau Baar Fana Honge'

There are hundreds of songs that explicitly use the words 'vada' or 'Kasam in the lyrics but In this blog, I have selected those songs with no words of promise in them but express a promise like Na Yeh Chand Hoga Na Tare Rahenge' or' Ek Ghar Banonga Tere Ghar Ke Samne.

The first song in my list is not a promise-giving song but asking for a promise. This song was written by D N Madhok and composed by Naushad for the 1944 film Rattan

Song of Rattan (1944)

Song of Jugnu (1949)

Song of Deedaar (1951) 

Song of Neelam Pari 1952

Song of Naukri 1954

Song of Shart 1954

Song of Baradari 1955

Song of Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai 1961

Song of Asli Naqli 1962

Song of Tere Ghar Ke Samne 1963

Song of Ustadon Ke Ustad 1963

Song of Guide 1965

Song of Mamta 1966

Song of Milan 1967

Song of Jeevan Mrityu 1970

Song of Hawas 1974

Song of Zakhmi 1975