Suno suno nagree ke logon
Posted on: November 18, 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 a duet of Manna Dey and Asha Bhosle,from the film Dhola Maru-1956.
This was a Folk-lore based story film, made by Cine Workers’ Society, Bombay. It was directed by N.R.Acharya and the Music was by S.K.Pal for the 11 songs by Bharat Vyas. The cast included Usha Kiran, Pradeep Kumar,, Rehana, Sapru, Achala Sachdeva, Kum Kuma and a long list of actors, with actor Ulhas making a Guest Appearance in it.
Hindi cinema is famous for presenting love stories of different kinds, types, hue and color based on imaginary, stolen, copied, made up or borrowed stories which end up as happy, sad or unexpected results. Not only Hindi, but most other languages too do the same.
From the silent era till today, the audience has been fed a variety of love stories, but ask anyone names of famous love stories and he will invariably answer Romeo and Juliet, Laila Majnu or Shirin Farhad. The fact is Romeo and Juliet never existed. They are the fictional characters from Shakespeare’s famous drama ‘Romeo and Juliet’, published in 1597 A.D. Laila Majnu were from Arabia and Shirin and Khushro Farhad were from Persia (Iran) !
There are several love stories in our own mythology like Arjun- Subhadra, Uttara-Abhimanyu and Usha-Anirudha. Even our own Indian history has many famous love stories like Jodha- Akbar, Bajirao-Mastani, Prithviraj-Sanyogita, Bimbisara-Amrapali, Mumal-Mahendra, Ambikapathy-Amaravati (from South) etc.
India is a country of variety. A country where there are 28 states and 9 UTs, 22 major languages as per the constitution, 30 languages spoken by more than 3 million each, 122 languages spoken by 10000 people each and 1652 languages totally spoken in the entire country. So many religions have thrived here for centuries and still the country is existing as ONE Unit ! What binds all these people is our Indian Culture. It has a greater influence on people than even their religions. This makes India a unique democracy in the world. It belied the hope and prediction of many (like Winston Churchil, for example) that India will break into pieces after getting Independence.
India has several states with their own history, language, customs and love stories too. As far as love stories are concerned, the ones from Punjab and Sindh take the cake in fame, as they are better known all over India. However, most love stories ended up with tragic results. Take the cases of Mirza-Sahiban, Heer-Ranjha, Sassi-Punnu, Momal-Rano, Umar-Marvi, Sohni-Mahiwal, Lila-Chanesar, Noori-Tamchi and Dhaj-Rorkumar.
Indian filmmakers could not miss such opportunities and several films were made on these stories. Some of the films are ‘Heer Ranjha’ made in 1931, 1932, 1948 and 1970. ‘Mirza-Sahiban’ in 1933, 1935, 1947 and 1957, ‘Sassi-Punnu’ in 1932, 1933 and 1946, ‘Sohni-Mahiwal’ in 1933, 1946 1958 and 1984, ‘Umar-Marvi’ in 1942 and ‘Noori-Tamchi’ in 1934.
Today’s love story’ Dhola Maru’ (1956) is from Rajasthan, but is also claimed by Gujarat, M.P. and Chhattisgarh. This is a love story with a happy ending. A film in Gujarati was also made on them in 1993. Story of the film was a mixture of different versions from Gujarat, M.P. and Chattisgarh with Rajasthan. Lots of cinematic liberties were also taken. The film story was….
Navalgarh’s king Nal and Queen Damayanti were a popular ruler duo. Their son was 4 year old Dhola. Once there was a severe drought and famine in the kingdom. Along with his people the king too moved out and went to King Buddha Singh, the King of Punalgarh, along with the queen and Dhola. One day in a game of dice he defeated King Buddha and as a reward, asked for his daughter Maru for his son. The marriage was fixed. On the day of marriage, however, there was a big fire in the pandaal and the groom was saved somehow. Thinking that Maru is a bad omen for them, Nal-Damayanti refuses to take her. King Buddha takes it as an insult and challenges King Nal. In the subsequent sword fight King Buddha is killed and Nal goes away with Dhola. Maru weeps.
After a few years one day the young Dhola goes hunting in Punalgarh jungle and meets Maru. They fall in love but King Nal forbids him to meet her again. Dhola is enticed by a beautiful girl Rewa, who wants to marry him. When King Nal and queen Damayanti go on a pilgrimage, Rewa’s uncle usurps Nal’s throne. When Maru learns about it, she reaches Navalgarh, meets Dhola and they want to run away, but the new ruler sends his army to kill Dhola. Dhola and Maru run away, but on the way Dhola is bitten by a snake and dies. Maru starts wailing, which is heard by Shankar-Parvati and they revive Dhola. Dhola gathers his own army and defeats Rewa’s uncle. His parents also return. They learn everything and accept Maru as their bahu.
The Music Director S.K.Pal- Surya Kumar Pal, was the nephew of composer Ramchandra Pal. He first joined Shalimar Pictures of Poona and in the end did few films for Bombay Talkies. In all he did 19 films. His last film was Dhola Maru-56, in which, for the first and last time, he used Lata Mangeshkar for his songs.
The film’s heroine was Usha Kiran. Usha Kiran was one of the leading heroines of her times. Maharashtrian girls have always been in the forefront and they were the single largest community which provided heroines to Hindi films and sometimes Gujarati films too. Right from Kamlabai Gokhale,Vasanti (Ghorpade),Shanta Apte,Shanta Hublikar,Snehprabha Pradhan,Leela Chitnis,Durga Khote,Lalita Pawar to Nalini Jaywant,Meenakshi Shirodkar,Shobhana Samarth, Vanmala, Shakuntala, Jayashree, Sundarabai, Vatsala Kumthekar etc down Nutan,Tanuja,Shashikala,Shubha Khote etc etc are a testimony to the contribution of Marathi Heroines to Hindi film industry.
Slowly, the number of Marathi girls diminished over a period and today only a few Marathi girls can be counted on fingers. Usha kiran was probably one of the last batch of Marathi heroines in Hindi films.
USHA MARATHE ( her real name) was born on 22-4-1929, in a middle class Marathi Brahmin family. Her father was very ambitious and he encouraged his daughters to act in stage plays. She started acting on stage. Since her father had left his job,she became the family’s sole earner. During one such stage show,famous dancer Uday Shankar saw her and took her to Madras to do a small role in his ambitious dance film “Kalpana” ( which was finally released in 1948). But unfortunately Uday Shankar got annoyed with her behaviour on sets and removed her role from the film.
She started doing small roles in films to earn money.She acted in her major film ” Lalaat”-47. In this film,she was credited as Usha Marathe. The film did not do any good to her.Finally, the famous director Amiya Chakravarty spotted her and gave her the lead role in his film ” Gauna”-1950. Her name was changed to Usha Kiran. The film went flop. Another film also flopped,but her third film with Amiya Chakravarty,opposite Dev Anand-” Patita”, became a Hit and then there was no looking back for her.
An interesting point about her films. She acted in film ” Parivaar”-56, which was directed by Asit Sen, who later on became a Roly-poly comedian in films. She also acted in the film “Mehendi”-83,which was directed by Asit Sen who was exclusively a Director throughout his career.
Some of her important films were
Madhosh, Daag, Patita, Baadbaan, Adhikar, Musafir, Kabuliwala, Bahurani, Mili, Bawarchi, Chupke chupke etc. She acted with almost all leading heroes of her times.
She got married to Dr. Manohar Kher in 1954. She got a son Advait and a daughter-Sanhita or Tanvi,who eloped to marry Baba Azmi,brother of actress Shabana Azmi. Usha Kiran acted in 61 Hindi,32 Marathi and 4 Gujarati films. Her last film was Bahurani-1989. She got Filmfare award for best Supporting actress for Baadbaan-54. Usha kiran was Sheriff of Mumbai City in the year 1997. She died on 9-3-2000.
Here is a part of her interview,where she talks about her personal ‘affair’-
” Coming from a very simple middle-class Maharashtrian Brahmin family, I was the second of five children. My father was an extremely ambitious man. He wanted us children to do great things for the family. That was the reason he pushed my elder sister and me towards the theatre. In the beginning, I hated it and was reluctant to even do simple stage shows. All I wanted was to marry, have a few kids and settle into oblivion. But destiny had other things in store for me. During a stage performance at the now Excelsior Theatre, the great Udayshankar spotted me. He hauled me off to Madras with my father, where I was to play a big part in his feature film Kalpana. My father was thrilled, even though it was such a small role.
Once in Madras however, catastrophe took place. I was thrown out of the film and sent packing back to Bombay. It was just a misunderstanding, coupled with Udayji’s mercurial temperament and my militant naivete. For a dance sequence, I had to wear a transparent Manipuri costume. Since I was conscious of it, I wore a white slip underneath. Mrs. Uday Shankar asked me to remove it for the shot, since it would have looked very awkward. I didn’t pay heed to it. So later, Udayji noticed it and yelled at his wife for not taking care of the costumes. She in turn screamed at me. After that incident, I used to hang around the set with a permanent sulky expression. This used to get on Udayji’s nerves and one day he bellowed once again. ‘Don’t you know how to smile?’ I in turn, replied hotly, ‘No! You teach me how to smile! ‘ And that was the end. In retrospect, I would still credit him with shaping my inherent talent, more than anyone else. He is an education in acting and dancing for any actress.
My father was hell-bent on making me an actress, and wouldn’t rest till I had got a role in every film possible. But, it was rejection, and more rejection. It didn’t bother me one bit. In fact, I was secretly happy. My father was so desperate that he even produced a film which flopped miserably. Of course, there were bit roles in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati films. But they hardly helped, except for keeping the kitchen fires burning. My father had even quit his job. So the family was totally dependent on me.
Finally, his patience paid off. Amiya Chakraborty came into my life and changed everything. He offered me my first role as a heroine in Gauna. The film bombed, but I was signed again for his next film. I was to play Shashikala’s mother. And I was only 22 years old. Shashikala might have been my age, if not a few years old (Chuckles). It was sheer compulsion that made me do it. We needed the money to get my sister married off. Thankfully, that film also flopped, otherwise I would never have made it as a heroine. But in a way this film also proved lucky for me. Because soon after, I began doing lead roles in Gujarati and Marathi films. I even started getting good Hindi films.
Patita, was my first major hit. Soon after that came Dushman, Baadbaan with Dev Anand, Musafir with Dilip Kumar. Nazrana with Raj Kapoor, Kabuliwaala, Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere with Balraj Sahni, Dhobi Doctor and Adhikar with Kishore Kumar. There were also many others with Ashok Kumar, Pradeep Kumar, etc. Simultaneously all my bilingual films started doing very well. And I was right at the top. I used to work in two shifts, which was so uncommon in those days.
But along with success came the biggest emotional turmoil and subsequent heart break. I fell madly in love with Amiya Chakraborty. I guess it was my extreme youth that responded to his older charm. Although he was sixteen years older than me, he had an extraordinarily attractive personality. We got involved recklessly. The heartbreak was that he was a married man and there was nothing I could do about it. I came from a Brahmin family where mistresses were unheard of. So it was quite a big scandal. Since I was basically an above board person, my days and nights used to be tormented with guilt. Till one day Amia’s wife decided to meet me.
She was a very magnanimous lady. She told me that she realized that her husband and I were really in love with each other. It was not a casual affair. She was willing to step out and give us our freedom. That really jolted me. For a long time, I didn’t say anything. And then I made the biggest, wisest, and yet the most painful decision of my life. I assured the lady that I would never ever seek her husband again no matter what happened. I knew that there was only one way out. And that was marriage. By God’s grace I didn’t have to look far. There was already someone who I had at the back of my mind. A very handsome, well educated young man who used to frequent a relative’s house. I met him and had a very long heart to heart talk with him. I emptied all my emotional baggage, and asked him whether he was still willing to marry me. He smiled and agreed. I became Mrs. Kher in 1954. ”
Here is the duet of Manna Dey and Asha Bhosale. Enjoy….
Song-Suno suno nagree ke logon (Dhola Maaru)(1956) Singers- Manna Dey, Asha Bhosle, Lyricist- Bharat Vyas, MD- S K Pal
Both
Lyrics
suno suno bhai suno suno
suno suno
nagree ke logon
baat nayee batlaata hoon
aur Marwad ke dhola aur maaru kee katha sunaataa hoon
ho ho ho ho
ho o o o
log sunaayen pothhee padh padh
main sachhee batlaata hoon
bhai main sachhee batlaata hoon
ho o o o
ho o o o
do rasiya doha bhala aa aa aa
bhalee maaru kee baat
ho o o
joban chhaayee naar bhalee
aur taaron chhaayee raat
bhalee maaru kee baat
ek samaya navalgadh mein raaja ek tapdhaaree thha
parja paalanhaar dayaalu bhoop bada balkaaree thha
ho ho ho ho
ho ho ho ho
ann dhan ke bhandaar bhare thhe
Laxmi naache thhee chham chham
bhai Laxmi naache thhee chham chham
rath ghodon ke thhathh lagey thhey
haathhee ghoom rahe dhham dhham
ho ho oo oo
ho o o o
kya laakh gaj puri chadhhee sab ?? thhe
ho ho ho ho
ho o o o
par bhai logon o o o o o o o o o
sukh ke ye din sada naheen ?? rahe
sada na ghar mein laxmi ji ke paayal kee jhankar rahe
o o o o o
o o o o
samya phira
navalgadh ke raaja nal par vipda aayee ee
samay phira
akaal pada ghamsaan gaanv mein saaree parja ghabraayee
dhartee maata ka seena phat gaya
kaleja choor hua aa aa
aur paanee bin har jeev bechaara marne par majboor hua
lo o kismat ke haathon ne aen aen bachhon kee baahen jhakjhoree ee ee ee
aur Dhola se Marua yoon bichhdee jyun chaand se bichhde chakoree
koi na jaane ye khate kyun vidhna ko manzoor huyee
aur saagar kee do lehren pal mein takraayeen
aur door huyin
ho ho ho ho
ho ho ho ho ho
baaton hee baaton mein apne bachho ke bharmaaye ke
bachhon ko bharmaye ke
maat pita ne rakhee
unse sachhee baat chhupaay ke
o o o o
o o o o o
din beete aur maheene beete
beete varsh anek
beete varsh anek
kismat paltee nal raaja kee
rakhee prabhu ne ??
ho ho ho ho
ho ho ho ho
navalgadh ke aasmaan par phir reejha kartaar
umad ghumad kar uthhee ghataayen
uthhee ghataayen
umad ghumad kar uthhee ghataayen
barsa moosaldhaar
barsa moosaldhaar
khet mein hariyaalee chhaayee
ho ho ho ho
ho ho ho
khet mein haryaalee chhaayee
aayee ajab bahaar
bahaar aayee
aayee ajab bahaar
mothe bajree aur genhu kee mothe baajree aur genhu kee
khoob huyee bharmaar
khoob huyee bharmaar
singhashan per bethe dekho nal raja ke shaan
chala shikaar karan ko donon
bankar veer ??
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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