Ab ye jaana ke isey kehte hain aana dil kaa
Posted on: September 2, 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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I had never heard of the film, ‘Ladies Tailor’ (1981). When I checked the cast, I could never imagined that Sanjeev Kumar was in the role of a ladies tailor. The film was produced and directed by Khalid Akhtar. The cast included Sanjeev Kumar, Reena Roy (in double role), Amjad Khan, Deven Verma, Pran, Aruna Irani, Bindu, Mukri, Raj Kishore, Urmila Bhatt, Manju Singh etc. Sharmila Tagore, Rekha, Moushumi Chatterjee and Parveen Babi appeared in cameo roles as themselves. The film belongs to light comedy genre with the background of Lucknawi cultural milieu. The film was released on March 21, 1981.
The director, Khalid Akhtar had worked in Hindi films as the chief assistant director to K Asif in ‘Mughal-E-Azam (1960) and to A R Kardar in ‘Dil Diya Dard Liya (1966). He debuted as a director with ‘Ek Maasoom’ (1969) followed by ‘Meri Bhabhi’ (1969), ‘Naya Raasta’ (1970) and ‘Roop Tera Mastaana’ (1972). He debuted as a producer with ‘Ladies Tailor’ (1981) which he also directed. It was speculated that halfway through the film’s shooting, Khalid Akhtar put in abeyance as he was not sure as to how the audience would react to the comedy role of Sanjeev Kumar. However, when Sanjeev Kumar’s film, ‘Pati Patni Aur Wo’ (1978) in a comedy role, clicked on the box office, he resumed the shooting of the film to complete it.
The story of the film is as under:
Lucknow-based Mehboob (Sanjeev Kumar) works as ladies tailor in a high profile tailoring shop in Mumbai owned by Chelaram (Dinesh Hingoo) which stitches costumes for Hindi film heroines. For taking measurements of the heroines, Mehboob has to often visit the studios where they are shooting. One day, Chelaram sends Mehboob to Film City to deliver costumes he has stitched as well as to take the fresh measurements for films stars, Sharmila Tagore, Rekha, Moushumi Chatterjee and Parveen Babi. Mehboob is fed up with his high profile work in which he faces tantrums of some of the stars. Also, he is home sick as he has not seen his mother (Urmila Bhatt) and younger sister, Salma (Manju Singh) for about two years. So, he decides to go back to Lucknow for good where he proposes to open a ladies tailoring shop.
Mehboob takes the help of his friend, Nawab Salim Baig (Pran) to get the space in a building for opening his tailoring shop, named as ‘Mehboob Ladies Tailor’. With his background as the tailor for some of the star heroines of Hindi films, Mehboob expects to get a lot of lady customers. However, Muslim girls with purdah system are not ready to give stitching measurements to a young tailor. Mehboob’s young appearance has becomes an obstacle in his tailoring business. A idea strikes to him to convert his appearance as a fatherly figure with grey hairs, beards and wear old man’s spectacle. Evidently, Mehboob’s business flourishes and he becomes a well-known ladies tailor in Lucknow.
One day, Shahnaaz (Aruna Irani) visits Mehboob’s tailoring shop and invites him to visit the Sheesh Mahal where Amra (Reena Roy, as elder sister) has invited him for taking measurements for stitching dresses for her younger sister, Nikhat (Reena Roy, as the younger sister as she has a double role). Mehboob gets confused as both the sisters look alike. When Nikhat sees Mehboob as an old man, she says to Amra that Mehboob, the tailor she has met him in the train to Lucknow is a young man. Before things go out of his hand, Mehboob intervenes to say that she must have seen his younger brother who also call himself as Mehboob just to get his fame as a tailor. He is a vagabond and does not help much in his shop. Nawab Amjad Khan (Amjad Khan), Amra and Nikhat’s uncle, meets Amra and cautions her about Mehboob tailor as film line is infamous and his coming to this place does not bode well. However, Amra assures him that she has found Mehboob to be a cultured man.
After few days, Mehboob visits Sheesh Mahal to deliver the stitched dresses. Amra is happy with his stitching and assures him that he would get more dresses to be stitched by him in the ensuing Eid festival. She also asks Mehboob to send his younger brother to her so that she can try to convince him to help him in his shop. He agrees and expresses desire that he would also like to stitch at least one dress for her for the ensuing festival which she blushingly agrees.
One Day, Nawab Salim Baig introduces Seth Shankarlal, a textile mill owner to Mehboob. He is organising a fashion show in Mumbai to promote his textile products in which many costume designers are participating. He invites Mehboob to participate in the fashion show which requires him to bring with him a model to display the costumes made by him. Mehboob is pleased to participate in the fashion show. Mehboob in posing as the elder brother, requests Amra to allow Nikhat to take her with him for participating in a fashion show in Mumbai. Amra not only flatly rejects, but she also reprimands him for even making such a request to her. Mehboob leaves not before giving her a sermon that as the elder sister, she has sacrificed her beauty and desire at the altar of her responsibilities and she has no right to do the same thing to her younger sister, Nikhat. After Mehboob has left, Amra thinks over his sermons and decides to send Nikhat with him for participating in the Fashion along with Shahnaaz.
The real Mehboob wins the first prize for his costumes which have been presented by Nikhat in the fashion show. With this, Nikhat and the real Mehboob become closure to each other. They spend time together in Mumbai and Shahnaaz gets a feeling that they are in love with each other. After few days in Mumbai, Mehboob, Nikhat and Shahnaaz return to Lucknow. Amra has developed a liking for Mehboob senior after his frequent visits to Sheesh Mahal. One day, Amra accidentally comes across some photographs of the real Mehboob with Nikhat in romantic poses. Under pressure, Shahnaaz spills the secret that Shahnaaz and so called younger brother of Mehboob are in love with each other. To test the seriousness of the real Mehboob, Amra calls him to meet Nikhat at her house by posing him as Nikhat. He passes the test. Now it is the test of Mehboob senior who is also called on the same day at different time in which Amra expresses her love for him and she wants to marry him. Now the real Mehboob is in a piquant situation as, all these days, he was impersonating himself as elder Mehboob to Amra. He wriggles out by requesting her to give him some time to consider her marriage proposal.
Amra has a younger brother, Asif (Deven Verma) who suffers from some kind of a split personality syndrome. Because of this handicap. Amra, being the eldest has been caretaker of Sheesh Mahal. Nawab Amjad Khan has been giving to Asif slow poisonous drink so that one day he will die and Nawab Amjad Khan becomes the owner of Sheesh Mahal and other property. One day, Asif is murdered by a gun shot in Sheesh Mahal. The circumstantial evidence points to Amra who is arrested. The police investigation exposes the Mehboob’s imperonation. However, Nawab Salim Baig, who is also a lawyer proves that it was Nawab Amjad Khan who has fired at Asif. Amra is released. When the realities about Mehboob is known, Amra proceeds to Haj and Nikhat and Mehboob unite.
The story of the film has some resemblance to another Hindi film, ‘Professor’ (1962) in which Shammi Kapoor has similar impersonating role like Sanjeev Kumar except that their profession is tutor and tailoring, respectively. Of course, in the film under discussion, the director has used the Lucknawi Nawabi cultural ethos. The director has been successful in keeping the audience entertained with the light comedy. However, towards the end, the film moves in different groove by bringing the murder of Asif which gives a feeling of somewhat unconnected part of the light comedy. Overall, the film is watchable.
The film had five songs written by Majrooh Sultanpuri which were set to music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. All the songs are melodious. I present the first song, ‘ab to jaana ki isse kahte hain aanaa dil kaa’ rendered by Mohammed Rafi and Kavita Krishnamurthy. It is a qawwali song picturised on Sanjeev Kumar. In the audience, Reena Roy in her double roles as Amra and Nikhat, Pran and Amjad Khan can be seen among others.
The context of the qawwali is that on the occasion of Eid, Amra (Reena Roy, as elder sister) has invited guests for a mushaira in which Mehboob (Sanjeev Kumar, impersonating as elder brother, Mehboob) is requested by Salim Baig (Pran) to recite his poetry which he does by way of a qawwali. Amra has secretly started admiring Mehboob which he is not aware of. But when the qawwali comes to an end, she sings the refrains of the qawwali without realising that she is singing in front of the guests. Nikhat as her younger sister is surprised by Amra’s impromptu singing.
Video Clip:
Audio Clip:
Song-Ab ye jaana ke ise kehte hain aana dil ka (Ladies Tailor)(1981) Singers-Mohammed Rafi, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Lyrics-Majrooh Sultanpuri, MD-Laxmikant Pyarelal
Lyrics (Based on Video Clip):
hmm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hmm hmm hm
ab ye jaa….naa
ab ye jaanaa ki ise kahte hain aanaa dil kaa
ab ye jaanaa ki ise kahte hain aanaa dil kaa
ab ye jaanaa ki ise kahte hain aanaa dil kaa
ham haseen khel samajhte thhe
samajhte thhe
ham haseen khel samajhte thhe lagaanaa dil kaa aa
lagaana dil kaa aa aa
ab ye jaanaa ki ise kehte hain aanaa dil kaa
ho o
aanaa dil kaa
ho o
aanaa dil kaa
hamse oonchee hai bahut
koocha-e-jaanaa kee zameen
hamse oonchee hai bahut
koocha-e-jaanaa kee zameen
koocha-e-jaanaa kee zameen
wahaan pahuchtee bhee hai aawaaz hamaaree ke nahee
unse ham kahne to aaye hain
aaye hain
unse ham kahne to aaye hain
fasaanaa
fasaanaa
fasaanaa dil kaa….aa aa aa
ab ye jaanaa ki ise kahte hain aanaa dil kaa
ham haseen khel samajhte thhe lagaanaa dil kaa
kam se kam door se soorat hee dikhaa de koi
kam se kam door se soorat hee dikhaa de koi
kaash chilman kee ye deewaar giraa de koi
phir na pyaasa hee palat jaaye
palat jaaye
phir na pyaasa hee palat jaaye
deewaanaa
deewaanaa
deewaanaa dil kaa aa aa aa
ab ye jaanaa ki ise kahte hain aanaa dil kaa
ham haseen khel samajhte thhe lagaanaa dil kaa
ab ye jaanaa ki ise kahte hain
aana aa aaa dil kaa
hmm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm
hmm hmm hmm hmm
ab ye jaanaa
ke ise kehte hain aanaa dil kaa
ham haseen khel
samajhte thhe
lagaanaa aa aa dil kaa
ab ye jaaanaa
ke ise kahte hain
aanaa aa aa dil kaa
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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