Daaman na chhod denaa
Posted on: July 12, 2025
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 Kaise Kahoon-1945.
The film was made by Pancholi Art Pictures, Lahore, owned by Dalsukh Pancholi. In those days,there were only 3 filmmaking centres of Hindi Films. Bombay, Calcutta and Lahore. Bombay made Hindi and Marathi films, Calcutta made Bangla and Hindi films and Lahore made Punjabi and Hindi films. Though the youngest was Lahore, in a short time, it had made some popular and hit Hindi films.
It’s interesting to see how Lahore developed as a Hindi film centre. To start with, Bombay was the first film making centre followed closely by Calcutta. Slowly, some other centres like Madras, Coimbatore, Poona, Bangalore etc. as occasional film centres also developed. In 1924,i.e. 11 years after the first silent feature film was released in Bombay, Lahore made its first silent film-“The daughters of Today”. It was made and released in Lahore. This film was made by Mr. G K Mehta, a former officer of North Western Railways, who had imported a Camera from London. A R Kardar, who was making posters for foreign film productions and who was a qualified well known Calligrapher, assisted Mehta. Kardar and his friend Ismail both also acted in that film.
In 1928, Kardar, with no other work on hand, decided to start a film making studio and a production company called ”United Players Corporation” to make films. He made 12 silent films in Lahore, thus bringing Lahore’s name on the map of film centres in India. Therefore, Kardar can be called the architect of Lahore film industry, in a sense. Slowly Talkie films were planned in Lahore. Dalsukh Pancholiestablished his studio. The making of films like Khazanchi, Khandan and Zamindar firmly established Lahore as a Film making centre. Many films like Poonji, Daasi etc were made there. Punjabi aspirants in various fields like acting, direction, music, singing, cinematography etc found Lahore convenient to start careers, rather than going to Bombay all the way.
Today, the name of Dalsukh Motiram Pancholi,does not ring a bell,but there was a time ,when he along with Roop K.Shorey,J.K.Nanda & K.D.Mehra was ruling the Lahore Film Industry,before partition. Born in Karachi on 7-12- 1906, Dalsukh studied Scriptwriting and Cinematography in New York. He inherited the Cinema network built by Rewa Shankar Pancholi in the period of WW-I. He expanded Empire Film Distributors-1922 into Empire Talkie Distributors in 1931. He became the biggest importer of American Films in Northern and Western India ( about 24 films in one year). Exclusive contract with RKO gave him access to Photophone Sound Equipment. He made some Documentaries like the Congress Session of 1931 at Karachi etc.
Dalsukh Sahab formed a film Company at Lahore , in partnership with his brother Damodar M Pancholi in late thirties, built his studio Pancholi Art Pics in Lahore with 5 floors & made their first Punjabi movie Gul E Bakawali in 1938. The luck smiled over them & they made Yamla Jatt,-40, Khazanchi-41, Khandan & Zamindar in 42, Poonji-43 & Dasi in 44.While he introduced Noor Jahan, Pran , Om Prakash, Manorama & Jankidas into film industry,he brought Shanta Apte from Bombay, for his highly successful Zamindar, to act opposite Dr.S D Narang.
His association & admiration for music maestro Ghulam Hyder,is legendary. Shamshad Begum , once recalled that, when she came to know that remuneration of Ghulam Hyder has been raised, she hesitantly asked Seth Pancholi, for a raise too. He asked her how much she wanted. She used to be paid Rs.100/-, per song, now she asked Rs 700/-. Immediately Seth Ji said Okay. She was thrilled, until, the generous Seth said that if you would have asked for Rs.2000/-, I would have paid it to you.
It was 1947 & impending the partition, communal riots were taking place.Seth Pancholi left for Bombay ,only with the negatives of his newest movie Patjhad, which he was making (Sadly the movie could not see the light of the day & remained in cans). His studio in Lahore, was engulfed in fire ignited by hoodlums,after his departure.
After the partition, all film studios in Lahore were destroyed. He rebuilt Pancholi Film Studio on Upper Mall Road Lahore and it was inaugurated on February 16, 1948. Dalsukh Pancholi soon left Pakistan and his assistant Deevan Sardari Lal took over, who produced the first ever Pakistani film Teri Yaad (1948) as well. Later, Pancholi studio was allocated to a famous ghazal and folk singer Malika Pukhraj and became Malika Studio. Then it was rented to some other parties and its name was also changed as Jawidan Studio. Some time after it was sold by Malika Pukhraj and it became an Upper Mall Scheme with a lot of houses.
Pancholi knew no other business except show business . In India, he made a beginning with Nagina in 1951,which was directed by Ravindra Dave, his closest associate. In his next Aasman -52, he introduced O.P.Nayyar, as we all know. Pancholi Sahab admired Saigal & was mad after his voice. He could not work with him earlier, as Saigal chose Calcutta & then Bombay as his Karm Bhoomi & now it was too late. He insisted his MDs use the voice of C H Atma for his movies Nagina & Aasman.
He made Lutera in 1955 & Farishta-58 was his last movie which was released in 1958. Due to financial constraints, his movies were made within a limited budget & the grandeur associated with him was missing. Although he was president of IMPPA during 54-55, due to internal politics, he largely was treated as an outsider by the then established filmmakers ,who had their roots in Bombay. A film tycoon who carved a film empire at Lahore & made Khazanchi which celebrated Golden Jubilee, breathed his last, as he got into his car, while returning from the office of his distributor, who refused to pay him the installment. Actor Janki Das was with his mentor, when Pancholi Sahab uttered his last words “Janki Das ! Never put your children in films’. It was 10th october 1958 & Dalsukh Pancholi was of 53 years. He was driving his own car himself that time. He got an attack and stopped the car and died on his seat itself.
Actor Aditya Pancholi is his younger brother Rajan’s son. Dalsukh Motiram Pancholi made just 20 films ( including 2 Punjabi films) from 1938 to 1958. He directed only 1 film, Aasmaan-52. His protege Ravindra Dave directed 7 of his films. ( based on writings of (Late) Harish Raghuwanshi ji, M N Sardana ji, Indian cine.ma and Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema etc. with thanks).
Film Kaise Kahoon – 45 was made by Pancholi Art Studio, Lahore which had earned All India fame with its highly successful films. As per Baburao Patel’s review in Film India magazine January 1945, the film’s story was by Dalsukh pancholi himself. He had also written the story for another hit film Daasi-44 earlier. Patel said in his review that ” Pancholi stole ideas from foreign films “. Whether True or not, the treatment Pancholi’s films gave to the stories was certainly loved by the audience all over India, so there was no problem. The film was directed by foreign trained Moti B Gidwani, who directed 17 films in his career. It is interesting to know, however, that his first film as a director, ” Midnight Girl -29″ was a resounding flop and it caused the film maker company- Maharashtra Film company of Kolhapur to close down. It also caused a group of 5 people to leave the company earlier and start their own Prabhat Film Company, at Kolhapur.
Cast of the film was Ragini, Najmul Hasan, Akhtar, Jagirdar, Durga Mota etc. Ragini was famous and popular. She was one of the two actresses of Hindi films, who had Brown eyes, the other being Vanmala. The hero Najmul Hasan was a compromise actor, who had become infamous due to his elopement with Devika Rani of Bombay Talkies. She returned to her husband and he was left high and dry ! Baburao Patel described him as ” an overfed Owl ” !
One name in the cast is that of Durga Mota. His real name was Durgaprasad. Due to his heavy build he was nicknamed Mota(fat). He was a permanent member of Pancholi films as a comedian. It is very sad that his career ended in a gruesome way. In 1947, after Partition, there was an exodus of millions from Lahore to India. Durgaprasad also wanted to shift to Delhi. He went to Lahore station to catch the train. Suddenly, a frenzied mob of rioters invaded Lahore station and they started killing all the passengers waiting to go to India. People started running to save lives. Due to his fatness, Durgaprasad could not move faster and was caught by the mob, who cut him in pieces on the Lahore Railway station platform itself.
The film was released on 16-11-45 , in Imperial Cinema, Bombay. The story of the film, as adapted from the Film India magazine review was –
A doctor (Gajanan Jagirdar) has a son and two grown up daughters – Geeta (Ragini) and Basanti (Baby Akhtar). The son who was in Burma is expected to return home, However, he is accidentally killed by Pradeep (Najam ul Hasan) without knowing the identity of the deceased. As it often happens in Hindi films, coincidentally, Pradeep lands in a doctor’s house for an overnight stay. He falls in love with Geeta instantaneously. The overnight guest becomes a permanent attachment. Basanti, the younger sister of Geeta, is also happy about her sister’s love for Pradeep.
As usual in Hindi films, when the love reaches a finale, a villain, a zamindar (probably Ajmal) steps in the picture. He comes to know about the accidental death of the doctor’s son and the killer who is none other than Pradeep. After a lot of suspicions and misunderstanding, the things get cleared and Pradeep gets his fiancee Geeta.
Here is the 75 year old song, sung by a 22 year old Zeenat Begum. Enjoy…..
Song- Daaman na chhod dena (Kaise Kahoon)(1945) Singers- Zeenat Begum, S D Batish, Lyricist- Moti, B.A., MD- Pt. Amarnath Batish
Both
Lyrics
daaman na chhod dena
daaman na chhod dena
daaman na chhod dena aa aa
daaman na chhod dena
daaman na chhod dena aa aa
daaman na chhod dena
gulshan mein muhabbat ke ae
phoolee hui kalee ye
madhosh jawaanee mein
bhoolee hui kalee ye
gulshan mein muhabbat ke
phoolee hui kalee ye
madhosh jawaanee mein
bhoolee hui kalee ye ae ae
komal see pankhudiyaan hain aen
inko na tod dena aa aa
daaman na chhod dena
daaman na chhod dena
ye ae ae ae ae zindagee safar hai ae ae
hum saathh hee rahenge
ye ae ae ae ae ye zindagee safar hai ae ae
hum saathh hee rahenge
toofaaaan
toofaan aur jhonke ae ae ae
hans hans ke hum sahenge ae
hans hans ke hum sahenge ae ae
tum beech bhanwar meree ee ee
kashtee dabo na dena aa aa
daaman na chhod dena
daaman na chhod dena
kashtee agar bhanwar mein aen
pad jaaye zindagee kee ee
kashtee agar bhanwar mein aen
pad jaaye zindagee kee ee
hum saath hee marenge ae ae
saugandh mohabbat kee
saugandh mohabbat kee
tum rooh ke dhaage pe ae ae
ye roop jod dena aa
daaman na chhod dena
daaman na chhod dena
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
July 15, 2025 at 1:11 pm
Arun ji,
Very interesting article. Good information on Lahore and Pancholi brothers.
On Sat, Jul 12, 2025, 05:00 Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi
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