Kaheen dekh akelee naar khet ke paar koi na aaiyo
Posted on: February 12, 2025
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, 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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‘Talaash’ (1957) was produced by Daulatram and I M Anand and was directed by Vishram Bedekar. The star cast included Ashok Kumar, Beena Rai, Ameeta, Raj Mehra, Mridula, Radhika, Chaman Puri, Bhushan Tiwari, Nazir Kashmiri, Heera Sawant etc. Gajanan Jagirdar and Yakub made their guest appearances in the film.
The director of the film, Vishram Bedekar (13/08/1906 – 30/10/1998) was one of the towering personalities of Marathi literature apart from a playwright and the film director. Vishwanath Chintamani Bedekar, his real name, was born in Amaravati where he completed his graduation. He went to Nagpur for his post-graduation during which he was drawn to English literature and theatre. In 1938, he went to England and got trained in cinematography. At the start of the second world war, he returned to India on the ship during which he saw scores of German Jews fleeing Germany. Based on his experience on the ship, in 1939, Vishram Bedekar wrote his first and the only Marathi novel, ‘Ranangan’ (the novel was translated in English as ‘Battlefield’) based on a romance between an Indian youth and a German Jewish girl during World War II. The novel is a milestone in Marathi literature.
Bedekar started writing and directing Marathi plays in early 1930s. He switched over the directing films both Marathi and Hindi. His Hindi films as a director included ‘Nagad Narayan; (1943), ‘Ramshashtri’ (1944), Lakharani’ (1945), Mera Munaa’ (1948), ‘Bhola Shankar’ (1951), ‘Talaash’ (1957), ‘Do Bhai’ (1961), ‘Rustam Sohrab’ (1963), ‘Ek Nanhi Munni Ladki Thhee’ (1970), ‘Jai Jawaan Jai Makaan’ (1971)and ‘Bharat Ke Shaeed’ (1972). He was a story/screenplay/dialogue writer for ‘Padosi’ (1941), ‘Nagad Narayan’ (1943), ‘Ghar Ghar Mein Diwali’ (1955) and Kabuliwaala’ (1961).
An interesting trivia during Vishram Bedekar’s film career was that sometime in the second half of the 1950s, he was planning to direct a Hindi film on ‘Bajirao Mastani’. However, since the lead actor was required to shave off his head, none of the lead actors he had in his mind was willing to do that. So, he thought of taking a new comer for the role. The actor identified was Salim Khan for whom it was a big break in the title role and he was ready to shave off his head. When Vishram Bedekar completed the screenplay, he realised that the period/costume drama would exceed the budget. With a newcomer in the lead role, it was a risky proposition. So, the film was shelved at the planning stage itself. Coincidentally, when Sanjay Leela Bhansali was planning to make ‘Bajirao Mastani’ in early 2000, he had offered the title role to Salman Khan. At that time, Salim Khan had suggested to Sanjay Leela Bhansali to get the original script written by Vishram Bedekar in the 1950s from his family members. He felt that Vishram Bedekar being highly educated, had done a lot of research on Bajirao Mastani. However, when they could not locate the family, the idea of making the film was once again dropped. (Source: Salim Khan’s interview published on DNA, 15/12/2015).
In 1982, Vishram Bedekar wrote and directed, probably his last Marathi play, ‘Tilak Aani Agarkar’ which has attained a classic status now. The play is based on the close friendship between Lokmanya Tilak and the social reformer, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar. During their numerous intellectual discussions, serious differences would emerge. Their main point of difference was whether political reforms should precede social reforms or vice-versa. Their constant arguments ultimately lead to the breaking of their friendship for a long time until a few hours before his death, Agarkar wishes to see Tilak to close their chapters of intellectual arguments. But alas, he paased away before Tilak could arrive. The play with new Marathi theatre actors can be watched on one of the video sharing platforms.
In 1985, Vishram Bedekar wrote his autobiography ‘Ek Jhaad Aani Don Pakshi’ ( One Tree and Two Birds) which received the Sahitya Akademy Award in 1985. Vishram Bedekar passed away at the ripe age of 92 in Pune on October 30, 1998.
The film was recently uploaded on one of the video sharing platforms. I have watched the film, and it is a crime drama. The quality of video and audio is poor. The VCD of the film is heavily edited with end part of the story missing. I have attempted to collate the story with these limitations.
Thakur Ranveer Singh (Chaman Puri) of Shyampur lives alone and is seriously ill in his palatial mansion. He requests the doctor that instead of diagnosing him, he should help him to prepare a Deed of Will. While dictating the Will, the doctor is surprised that he has bequeathed his entire property to his rival, Captain Ajay Singh (Ashok Kumar). Thakur Ranveer Singh explains him that he had grabbed almost his entire property in a deceitful manner under the advice of his friend, Thakur Ranjeet Singh (Raj Mehra). Now he wants to redeem his wrong doings to Ajay Singh. He has sent a message to Ajay Singh to urgently meet him in Shyampur. The contents of the Deed of Will get leaked to Thakur Ranjeet Singh which is resented by him.
While Ajay Singh is on the way to Shyampur, he sees a girl in bridal dress running towards him. She has run away from the marriage hall as she was forced to marry an old man by her uncle. Ajay Singh takes her along with him and drops her in a house with a promise to pick up her on his return from Shyampur. The family in the house thinks that they are a married couple, and they agree for Tara’s stay. While Ajay Singh is on his way, he is kidnapped by Ranjeet Singh’s men. Ranjeet Singh himself forcibly takes Thakur Ranveer Singh to his house and orders him to change the Deed of Will in his favour and get the signature of Ajay Singh on it when his men will bring him in the house. Before leaving, Ranjeet Singh threatens Thakur Ranveer Singh that if he talks to Ajay Singh something different than what he has told him, he will get killed and Ajay Singh would get implicated for his murder.
Notwithstanding the threat, Thakur Ranveer Singh does not change the Deed of Will which he hands over to Ajay Singh. Suddenly, Thakur Ranveer Singh falls on his face as someone has gunned him down to his death. Ajay Singh is arrested on the charge of killing Thakur Ranveer Singh. The court sentence him to death and he is put to a solitary confinement in the jail awaiting for his gallows.
Meanwhile, Tara is worried as Ajay Singh has not returned to take her back as promised as two days have passed. The family starts doubting whether Tara is his wife or she is somebody’s bride which he has brought here. After listening to the family’s conversation, Tara leaves the house and starts walking in the forest. On her way, she sees a horse-cart coming. She boards the horse-cart and tells horse-cart owner that she will reveal everything to him once they are out of this place. The horse-cart owner turns out to be Ranjeet Singh who gives her shelter in his house.
Once Ranjeet Singh comes to know the full background of Tara, he forces Tara to marry Ajay Singh so that when he dies by hanging, she will be the legal heir to the bequeathed property. Thereafter, he would marry her. On the other side, he takes the help of the Jail Warden (Gajanan Jagirdar) to put a word to Ajay Singh to marry Tara so that she would get the property bequeathed to him after his death. He would be doing a favour for poor Tara who is nowhere to go. After some hesitation, Ajay Singh agrees. However, when he sees Ranjeet Singh with the fragrance of the scents which he got during the murder of Thakur Ranveer Singh, he becomes suspicious of his hand in the murder of Thakur Ranveer Singh. When Abhay Singh is being taken back to the jail, he runs away from the clutches of the Jail Warden leaving him a letter that he would be back within 7 days either bringing with him the real killer or he would face the gallows.
Abhay Singh is on the run and police forces are after him. When this news goes to Ranjeet Singh, he starts blackmailing Tara that Ajay Singh would think that she had married him for his property. He can be vindictive or perhaps he may take revenge. She tells him that she will reveal to Ajay Singh the truth and he will believe in her. Ranjit Singh decides to put her under house arrest in a bungalow in his village to prevent her from meeting Ajay Singh. However, when Tara was being taken hostage, Ajay Singh, in order to avoid police, suddenly gets into the horse-cart when he sees his co-passenger is Tara who is being taken to confine her in a bunglow. Ajay Singh beats up the horse-cart driver and takes the horse-cart to the family where earlier Tara stayed for a couple of days. During these struggling 7 days, Ajay Singh falls in love with Tara.
After a lot of drama of ‘hide and seek’ between police and Ajay Singh and also with Ranjeet Singh, Abhay Singh has collected the proof as to who is the killer of Thakur Ranveer Singh. On the 7th day, he surrenders to the police and tells the Jail Warden that he has the proof against the real killer but has decided not to pursue the matter for the sake of his love for Tara. When Jail Warden asks him as to who is the killer, the police interupt thoer conversation and takes Abhay Singh back to his solitary room in the jail.
The VCD of the film plays up to this point only. I feel that some footage of the end scenes are missing in the VCD. Probably, there is some suspense in the story behind Abhay Singh’s decision not to pursue the matter despite identifying the killer and the death looming large on him.
‘Talaash’ (1957) had six songs written by Rajendra Krishan which were set to music by C Ramchandra. Three songs have been covered on the Blog. I am presenting the 4th song, ‘kaheen dekh akelee naar khet ke paar’ which is rendered by Lata Mangeshkar. The song is picturised on Ameeta as a dance song in the presence of some important people of the village which include Thakur Ranjeet Singh (Raj Mehra).
The background to this song sequence is that after Abhay Singh (Ashok Kumar) runs away from the jail to pursue the real killer of Thakur Ranveer Singh (Chaman Puri), he goes incognito in search of a place where he was kidnapped as he feels that this place has some connection with real killer. He hears a distant sound of someone singing. So, he gets down from the horse-cart and see a dance performance of Ameeta. Among the audience, he sees the presence of Ranjeet Singh whom he considers a suspect in killing of Thakur Ranveer Singh.
Audio Clip (Full Song):
Video Clip (Partial Song):
Song-Kaheen dekh akelee naar khet ke paar koi na aaiyo (Talaash)(1957) Singer-Lata, Lyrics-Rajinder Krishan, MD-C Ramchandra
Lyrics (Based on Audio Clip):
kaheen dekh akelee naar
khet ke paar koi naa aayiyo
kaheen dekh akelee naar
khet ke paar koi na aayiyo
mere nain musaafir maar
bach ke raheeyo
jee bach kar raheeyo
kaheen dekh akelee naar
khet ke paar koi naa aayiyo
dekh roop kee dhoop
raastaa bhool naa jaanaa raahee
dekh roop kee dhoop
raastaa bhool naa jaanaa raahee
khile phool ko soch samajh kar
haathh lagaanaa raahee
main hoon phoolon kee rakhwaar
main hoon phoolon kee rakhwaar
khet ke paar koi naa aayiyo
kaheen dekh akelee naar
khet ke paar koi naa aayiyo
khulee hawaa mein sarar sarar
jab meraa dupattwaa jhoome
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
aa aa aaa
khulee hawaa mein sarar sarar
jab meraa dupattwaa jhoome
chhod ke dhartee hauley hauley
neele gagan ko choome
ude jab zulfen ghoonghardaar
ude jab zulfe ghoonghardaar
khet ke paar koi naa aayiyo
kaheen dekh akelee naar
khet ke paar koi naa aayiyo
hirnee ban kar khet khet mein
apnee dhun mein doloon
hirnee ban kar khet khet mein
apnee dhun mein doloon
mera doosraa naam jawaanee
bol anokhe boloon
main kehtee baaram-baar
suno main kehtee baaram-baar
khet ke paar koi naa aayiyo
kaheen dekh akelee naar
khet ke paar koi naa aayiyo
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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