Aaj koi gaaye re malhaar
Posted on: September 5, 2024
This article is written by Arunkumar Deshmukh, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in other sites without the knowledge and consent of the web administrator of atulsongaday.me, then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
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Today’s song is from the film Gopinath-1948.
This film was made by Shanti Lokchitra and was directed by Mahesh Kaul. The film had music by Ninu Majumdar (Niranjan Majumdar). The film had 9 songs including 2 Bhajans each from Surdas and Meerabai. Singers were Meena Kapoor, Shamshad Begum and Ninu Majumdar himself. The cast was Raj Kapoor, Latika, Tripti Mitra, Anwari Bai, Mahesh Kaul and others.
Film Gopinath-1948 is not a famous film, nor is it known to everyone, but you will be surprised if I tell you that this film is named one of the Top Classics of Indian Cinema ! It is true. This film is also rated as the best film of Mahesh Kaul, who was known to be a very sensitive director. Mahesh Kaul ( 10-4-1911 to 2-7-1972) was born in Lahore and educated in Moni College, Nagpur. After graduation, he worked as a journalist and a Bank manager.
He then entered films as a Lyricist and dialogue writer. He debuted as an actor in K.A.Abbas scripted film ‘Naya Sansar’-41 and played Dronacharya’s role in film Mahatma Vidur-43. His other films as an actor were Apna Ghar-42, Gopinath-48, Kagaz ke phool-59 and Tere Mere Sapne-71. His first film as a Director was Angoori-43. Then came Paristan-44.
He produced and directed the film Gopinath-48, with Raj Kapoor and IPTA actress Tripti Mitra. Some of his major films were Naujawan-51, Akhri Dao-58, Talaaq-58, Kagaz ke phool-59, Sautela Bhai-62, Palki-67, Sapnon ka saudagar-68, etc. In all he directed 15 Hindi films. His last film Agni Rekha came after his death, in 1973.
His close friend, actor Janaki Dass wrote this about his last days, “My friend, director Mahesh Kaul, gave to the Indian screen such great stars as Raj Kapoor in his maiden production Gopinath, Prem Nath in Naujawan, Rajendra Kumar in Talaq, Mehmood in Abhimaan and Hema Malini in Sapnon Ka Saudagar. He died of a fatal disease in Nanavati Hospital. Mahesh Kaul was so much in need of money that he could not afford medicines. At that juncture, I took Dev Anand for whom he was writing a story Appointment with Destiny and also enacting ironically, a dying man’s role in his Tere Mere Sapne. We entered his room. He was conscious, and complaining.
“You haven’t even invited me to see your Tere Mere Sapne, in which I play a dying man’s role. Dev Anand hurriedly replied: “As soon as you get well, we’ll see it together and without waiting for an answer, he thrust a bundle of notes at me and left, I put the money into Kaul’s lap. “This is from Dev Anand.” “Charity?” he asked and flung the money (notes) at me. I collected them again and said: “You’ve misunderstood me — this is the balance of the money for An Appointment With Destiny and he calmed down and accepted the money. After a few days in response to a phone call from the hospital, I rushed there fearing the worst. He beckoned me to his side, caught hold of my hand, and whispered: “The soul never gives long company to the body. It must part one day.” “But you’re alright now,” I assured him.
A faint smile lurked on his withered face, and said “only Dev’s advances for writing An Appointment With Destiny remains all right.”
He went blank again, murmuring: “lights on… camera …” and left us forever, to keep his Appointment with destiny.”
There were two Heroines in this film. Latika and Tripti Mitra. Latika is a known name but Tripti Mitra- a Bengali actress of repute-appeared only in 3 Hindi films. She was awarded a Padmashree and had won the Sangeet Natak Akademi award too. Her acting in film Gopinath-1948 was considered her best performance and a Milestone in Hindi films. With all this to her credit, we hardly know about her !
Tripti Mitra, was not at all a known face in Hindi films any time. Her name first became known to Hindi audiences when, as the main Heroine, Tripti Mitra gave a remarkable performance in the film Gopinath-1948. Tripti Mitra was a big name in Bangla films and stage movement. She acted in only 3 Hindi movies. Gopinath-48, Dharati ke Lal-46 and Munna-54. Munna was a sequel to Dharati Ke Lal- both films directed by K.A.Abbas.
Smt. TRIPTI MITRA, née Tripti Bhaduri (Born 25 October 1925 – Died 24 May 1989), popular Indian Actress of Bengali Theatre and Films. She was the wife of Sombhu Mitra, noted Theatre & Film Director, with whom she co-founded pioneering theatre group Bohurupee in 1948. She has acted in films like Jukti Takko Aar Gappo and Dharti Ke Lal. She was awarded Padma Shri and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists, given by Sangeet Natak Akademi, India’s National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama.
Tripti Mitra was born in Dinajpur (British India) on 25 October 1925. Her father was Ashutosh Bhaduri and mother was Shailabala Debi. In Dinajpur Minor School she studied up to class six, then she came to Kolkata and got admission in Pyaricharan School. After passing Higher Secondary Examination from that school, she got admission in Ashutosh College. But she could not complete her studies since she got a job. She married Shombhu Mitra in December, 1945. She has a daughter Shaoli Mitra, who is also an actress and director.
Tripti Mitra had been acting in theatre since her teens. She first acted in her cousin Bijon Bhattacharya’s play Agun (Fire) in 1943. After watching her stage performance in noted IPTA play Nabanna (Harvest) based on Bengal famine of 1943, director Khwaja Ahmad Abbas took her to Bombay to act in Gana Natya Sangha’s film Dharti Ke Lal in 1943, partly based on the play. Her first Bengali film was Pathik in 1953, the film was directed by Debaki Kumar Basu. She also acted in Ritwik Ghatak’s last film, Jukti Takko Aar Gappo (1974).
In 1948, Shombhu and Tripti Mitra founded their own theatre group named Bohurupee. She acted in innumerable plays mostly along with her husband Sombhu Mitra,a colossus in the field of theatre, to become one of the most legendary beings of Bengali theatre, most famous for her role as Nandini, the protagonist of Rabindranath Tagore’s RaktaKarabi. She also acted in Jago Hua Savera, a 1959 Urdu movie produced in Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), based on Manik Bandopadhya’s classic novel Padma Nadir Majhi. Tripti Mitra died on 24 May 1989.
The producer of the film was Brij Kishore Agarwal. He ran a successful business in the Bombay Stock Exchange. One day he met Raj Kapoor in a party hosted by a big shot of the film industry. He was so impressed with Raj that he decided to make a film with Raj Kapoor as its Hero, though Raj Kapoor had no Hit or a remarkable film behind him till that time.
Starting with the film Inquilab-1935, Raj had done child roles and a few insignificant roles till 1947, e.g. he did Narada’s role in the film Valmiki-1946. It was a 5 minutes and 3 scenes role in it. Kidar Sharma made him Hero opposite Debutante Madhubala as a Heroine in the film Neel Kamal-1947. Same year Raj also did 3 more films-Jail Yatra, Dil ki Rani and Chitod Vijay. However, none clicked or became a Hit. After film Gopinath-1948, Raj got confidence and he started his R.K. Films by producing film Aag-1948.
In 1949, his first 2 films- Sunehre Din and Parivartan did not do well, but Mehboob’s Andaz and his own Barsaat played magic to make Raj kapoor a Legend. Barsaat actually broke the Box-Office record of film Kismet-1943 ! In film Gopinath-1948, his role of the Hero was overshadowed by the superlative acting of Tripti Mitra. However, a Legend too needs a right time to shine and it came one year later with Andaz and Barsaat !
The title of the film Gopinath was a symbolic one because no one in the film was named Gopinath. The heroine’s name was Gopi and she desperately wanted to marry the Hero, hence possibly the name Gopinath ! The film was conceptualised and written by Mahesh Kaul, who did a role of a film director named ‘Mahesh Kaul’ in the film ! The film was released on 17-5-1948 in Bombay. I had seen this film in Hyderabad in its second run in early 50’s, but I had my notes on this film……
The Film “GOPINATH” was written, co-produced and directed by MAHESH KAUL (1911-1972), a Kashmiri Pandit by birth but greatly influenced by Bengali Literature and Cinema. “Gopinath” starred one film old RAJ KAPOOR as the Hero, pitted against the talented and versatile star from the IPTA stable, TRIPTI MITRA (1925-1989 ). A highly unlikely combination, and never seen after. But, if you see the Film, Tripti sets the screen on fire with her histrionics, and surprisingly, a novice Raj Kapoor rises to the occasion, almost matching her, shot for shot !
The Film – a tragedy – centres around a Cinema Story Writer’s obsession for a Film Heroine who plays with the Writer’s emotions to extract the meatiest role for herself, and a destitute girl’s (played by Tripti) love for the Writer, in whose house she is given shelter by his mother. By the time the Writer realises his folly and returns to the hapless girl at home, it is too late – she loses her mind and is admitted to a Mental Asylum. You might say Devdas in reverse.
Some say that the Film is based on the life of Mahesh Kaul himself, who incidentally plays himself i.e. Mahesh Kaul, the Film Director in “Gopinath”.
The Film was the highest box office grosser of 1948, catapulted Raj Kapoor to fame ( sadly Tripti Mitra returned to Bengal to take up work related to BOHUROOPI along with her husband Shombhu Mitra, the well known Playwright (also of IPTA ). It was considered a Classic and is one of the few films stored in the National Archives at Delhi by the Govt.
( Most Films are stored in the National Film Archives at Pune ).
In this film, music director, Ninu Mazumdar was assisted by Nikhil Ghosh who was none other than Pandit Nikhil Ghosh, a well-known tabla maestro not only in India but also internationally. He was the brother of Pandit Pannalal Ghosh, Flautist and the Music Director for a few films.
Today’s song is sung by Ninu Majumdar. Listen to this 76 year old song….
Song- Aaj koi gaaye re malhaar (Gopinath)(1948) Singer-Ninu Mujumdar, Lyricist-Ram Murti Chaturvedi, MD- Ninu Mujumdar
Lyrics
aaa
kaare baadar baras-baras thhak jaayen baar-baar
re birhan ke dwaare
aaj koi gaaye re malhaar
aaj koi gaaye re malhaar
re ae ae birahan ke dwaare
aaj koi gaaye re malhaar
nadiyaa chali milan saagar se ae ae ae ae
nadiyaa chali milan saagar se
ithhlaati balkhaati
jhoom jhoom lahron ke saazon pe madamaati gaati
magar kisi ki aaj jawaani ee ee
magar kisi ki aaj jawaani
jalti dhunvaadhaar
re birhan ke dwaare
aaj koi gaaye re malhaar
aaj koi gaaye re malhaar
aasmaan mein bairi chadaa taaron sang muskaaye
meraa man aangan hai soonaa saajan ke bin haaye
aankhon ke khaare paani mein ae ae
aankhon ke khaare paani mein
bahe kisi kaa pyaar
re birhan ke dwaare
aaj koi gaaye re malhaar
aaj koi gaaye re malhaar
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
September 5, 2024 at 7:28 am
Video link of the song:
https://youtu.be/vRzVvg2o9t0
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September 5, 2024 at 8:01 am
Yes, I too noticed this video link. In this song, there is a female voice (Meena Kapoor) as well.
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September 5, 2024 at 8:25 am
I did not find any female voice in this video song. Is there any other video of this song?
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