Preet ka dukh hai apaar sakhee ree
Posted on: September 22, 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 jailor-1938.
The film was made by Minerva Movietone. It was directed by Sohrab Modi. Music was by Meer Saheb and all the 11 songs of the film were written by a young, ambitious poet Ameer Haider Kamaal Amrohavi – who later on became Kamaal Amrohi, a director and husband of Meena Kumari. The cast of the film was Sohrab Modi, Leela CXhitnis, Sadiq Ali (who was known as ‘The Prince of Minerva), Eruch Tarapore ( a relative of Sohrab Modi, who worked only in his films and also sang), Sheela, Sharifa, Kusum Deshpande etc.
Sohrab Modi was a stage drama actor in his brother’s drama company. Rustom Modi was the owner of “The Subodh Arya Natak Mandali”, which staged dramas and travelled with their troupe all over India. In those days the parsee drama companies were famous for staging Historical, Social and Mythological dramas. When Talkie films started in India in 1931, the Modi brothers started their own Talkie film company called ” Stage Films”.
The year was 1935. They decided to film their 2 famous stage dramas, namely “Hamlet aka Khoon ka Khoon” and the other one was ” Saeed e Havas”, based on Shakespeare’s drama King John, as movies. This experiment, however, was not successful because these being their popular dramas, most fans had already seen them. Further, compared to other Talkie films, these were only stage dramas filmed on stage. This was not acceptable to the audience. This happened because the drama company’s distribution wing, looked after by the third brother, Keki Modi, had a chain of 27 theatres in 10 major indian cities and thus the film stories were well known to the audience.
To overcome this aspect, the brothers started Minerva Movietone in 1936, to be looked after by Sohrab Modi only. The drama company was looked after by Rustom and distribution by Keki Modi. Modi’s first film was ” Atma Tarang-1937″. The film was based on the importance of Celibacy (ब्रम्हचर्य ), advocated in those days by the Ramkrishna Mission. The film was a huge flop. Only 20 people saw the first show and then the film was withdrawn. (There were 2 more such cases. Film ‘Naganand-1935’, in which C.Ramchandra was the Hero opposite singer actress Azam Bai, had only 9 people for its first show. The film was immediately taken off. The other instance was the film ‘Patit Pawan-1933’, in which the Hero P.Jairaj sang a song so horribly that the audience left the theatre. The song was deleted from the film, but it was a big flop.).
Sohrab Modi decided to make films on what the public wanted and not whjat he wanted. He then made a series of films on the social evils like Drinking (Meetha Zahar-1938), Pervert Personality (Jailor-1938), Mariatal discord (Divorce-1938) and Incest (Bharosa-1940). However, Modi’s films on Historical stories were hits and he earned a name for his long dialogue baji !
Film Jailor was a reasonably successful film. Later in his career and on the downhill in late 50’s, he made this film again with the same story and the same title in 1958. Jailor-1958 was an outdated theme and people were no more interested in such stories. The audience’s tastes had changed over the years. However the music by Madan Mohan was very popular.
The story of Jailor-1938 was….
Dilip (Sohrab Modi) is a good natured kind hearted jailor. He has a good looking wife Kanwal and a doting girl child – Bali. Kanwal likes to enjoy modern life , like attending clubs etc, which Dilip does not like. Kanwal does not like her husband. She contacts her ex-lover Dr. Ramesh and they both elope. She is not worried about her child either. This shock changes the life of Dilip and he becomes cruel, hot tempered and a nasty person, as if to avenge the world for what happened to him.
Kanwal and her lover meet with an accident. Ramesh loses his sight and Kanwal’s face is badly injured. When Dilip learns about her accident, he brings a repentant Kanwal back home. However he locks her in a room and tortures her, taunts her and tries to take revenge. She is not allowed to meet her daughter, who is told that her mother has died. Once the daughter Bali falls sick, but Dilip does not allow Kanwal to tend her daughter also. Frustrated and sad Kanwal commits suicide. Due to illness the daughter also dies.This is another shock for Dilip, but it changes him to his old good nature. He becomes more kind, loving and helpful to others. One of his ex-convicts Prem kills the village rowdy when he tries to trouble his blind sister Chhaya. In the jail, Prem requests Dilip to look after his sister. Dilip meets and helps her. He starts loving Chhaya. Unknown to him, Dr. Ramesh, now blind, comes to the same temple in which Chhaaya lives. They get to know each other and develop love.
When Dilip comes to know about their love, he spends his savings and helps both blind people to get operated upon. They regain sight. Dilip ensures that they are united.
Sohrab Modi was a Parsee, was known to be very strict, disciplined but also kind hearted. He had a knack of retaining loyal artistes, with his impartial treatment. Artistes like Naseem bano, Sheela, Sadiq Ali, Sharifa and Eruch Tarapore were some of them C.Ramchandra had served in Minerva Movietone for 3 years in his early career. he had learned a lot here from MDs like Bundu Khan, Meer Saheb and B.S. Hoogan. He has mentioned this in his Marathi autobiography- Jeevanachi Sargam ( जीवनाची सरगम ). It was here that he also met his dear friend Master Bhagwan. After 12 years, when C.Ramchandra was called by Modi, this is what happened….
When Sohrab Modi sent a call to him to come for composing songs for one of his films – Mera Munna-1948, C. Ramchandra remembered his initial training in Minerva. While in Minerva, he knew Modi as a strict disciplinarian and a kind soul. In the subsequent period, C Ramchandra was impressed with the extraordinary success of Minerva movies like
Pukar-39, Sikander-41 and Prithwi Vallabh-43. Afterall, his and Minerva’s careers had started together only ! Though he had become a famous and a successful Music Director now with films like Shehnai, Saajan, Nadiya kepaar and Khidki etc amongst his 30 odd films, he went to meet Modi.
There was a tremendous change in circumstances when he left Minerva in 1936 and today when Minerva requested him to work for them in 1948. He had become so big that he could have easily refused to work for them, but he was not ungrateful. C Ramchandra has described this meeting to one of his friends, author Isak Mujawar thus…
” When I entered the office of Minerva, after 12 years, I realised that while I had grown in my stature, Minerva had lost some of its sheen and its place among the top studios. Whatever I had learned while working here had made my foundation so strong that I could never repay Minerva’s debt fully. As I entered, I saw the same tall, well built Sohrab Modi and by his side Mehtab was sitting next to him. As soon as I crossed at the door, both of them stood up. I was embarrassed. I went ahead and touched his feet. He murmured something and hugged me. I did Namaste to Mehtab ji. Modi talked briefly about his film and their expectations about music. Then with a little hesitation, he asked me my fees. I smiled and said, “Give me just One Rupee, sir. That’s my fee for Minerva”. However, they did not agree and a nominal token fee was fixed. I signed the contract “.
Those were the days when artistes gratefully acknowledged the help they received in their early careers !
Today’s song is sung by Sheela. SHEELA(real name-Roshan Ara) was born on 13-3-1925 at Solapur-Maharashtra. Her father was Station Master at Solapur Rly.Stn.
Once Sohrab Modi had come to Sholapur with his Drama company. He went to the station to make reservations and saw Sheela. They got to know each other and he proposed to give her roles in his films.Thus Sheela came to Bombay in 1936 and Joined Minerva Movietone as a singer/actress.
Her first film was Khan Bahadur-37, in which she sang and acted. Then came Jailor-38 in which she sang 4 solo songs under MD Mir Sahib.Then Divorce and Meetha Zahar came.
She became famous only after her songs in Pukar-39. Bharosa, Wasiyat and Sikander also gave her name and fame. In Sikander she had 6 songs out of total 7 songs. The famous song ‘ zindagi hai pyar se’ also had her voice in the chorus. She was Heroine in the film ‘ Wasiyat’-40, Ulti Ganga, Bhakta Raidas, Prithvi Vallabh,and Patharon ka Saudagar were all Minerva films.
She had also done films elsewhere-
Aladdin and wonderful lamp, college Girl, gaibi Gola, jahan ara, keemti qurbani, Sansar naiya, Shaitan ka pash etc.
After 1943, she almost stopped working. Only in Beete Din-47 and lastly in Billi-49 she sang songs., which was a stunt film of Nadia and Cavas.
She had married the actor Rama Shukla, in 1947. He was a Kanauji Brahmin and they had terrible opposition to their marriage. The marriage was by Registration. Only 4 friends were present in the marriage. They had one son and one daughter. Rama Shukla died by Heart attack in the 50s.
Her voice had a peculiar mixture of Muslim style of Amirbai karnataki and the Marathi slant of Shanta Apte.
There is an anecdote with one of her songs. When the film Pukar was in the making, C.Ramchandra was working as an assistant to MD Meer Sahib. He has mentioned in his autobiography also that in the absence of Meer sahib, he used to insert his tunes to songs as Meer saheb’s. This was known to many, except, maybe, Meer sahib himself. One of the very popular songs sung by Sheela “Tum bin hamri kaun khabar le” was actually composed by C.Ramchandra. This is supposed to be CR’s first composed song. The credit, of course, went to Meer Sahib.
The song is old style based on classical music.
Song- Preet ka dukh hai apaar sakhee ree(Jailor)(1938) Singer- Sheela, Lyricist- Kamaal Amrohi, MD- Meer Saheb
Lyrics
Preet ka dukh hai apaar sakhee ree
Preet ka dukh hai apaar sakhee ree
Preet ka dukh hai apaar sakhee ree
Preet ka dukh hai apaar sakhee ree
chaahe jitne dukh sukh sahiyo
chaahe jitne dukh sukh sahiyo
man ki baat kabhee na kahiyo
man ki baat kabhee na kahiyo
?? hai sansaar sakhee ree
?? hai sansaar sakhee ree
Preet ka dukh hai apaar sakhee re
Preet ka dukh hai apaar sakhee re
gahree nadiya naav puraanee
gahree nadiya naav puraanee
main birhan aur chadhhee jawaaanee
main birhan aur chadhhee jawaaanee
?? sakhee ree
?? sakhee ree
Preet ka dukh hai apaar sakhee re
Preet ka dukh hai apaar
prem ?? birha ??
prem ?? birha ??
?? apnee ??
?? apnee ??
kaun dhare patwaar sakhee ree
kaun dhare patwaar sakhee ree
Preet ka dukh hai apaar sakhee ree
Preet ka dukh hai apaar
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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