Udhaaree ka sahaara hee abhee tak kaam aayaa hai
Posted by: Atul on: November 19, 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 male duet from a C grade film – Baghdad Ka Chor-1955.
The year 1955 gave us some really meaningful and entertaining films. Raj Kapoor’s ‘Shri 420’ tried to bring in limelight, as usual, the hypocrisy of elite society. It was a great film with a message, good direction and everlasting music by Shankar-Jaikishan, the three specialities of an RK film. From this film onwards, “Raju” became the favourite name of Raj Kapoor’s Heroes.( Like ‘Shanker’ was Shammi Kapoor’s lucky name in early films. Similarly ‘Vijay’ was the favourite film name of Amitabh Bachhan in 20 films, of Jeetendra in 18 films and of Mithun Chakravarti in 16 films.).
Guru Dutt’s film Mr.and Mrs.55 was perhaps his last light comedy movie, which has peppy music by O P Nayyar. Later he made serious films like Pyaasa-57, Kagaz ke phool-59 and Sahib, Bibi aur Ghulam-62, for which he will be known forever. Sunil Dutt made his Debut with Railway Platform. V.Shantaram’s Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje was an example of how an art film devoted to Dance can also become a commercial success. The film being in color also helped. Seema and Devdas were serious films. Pather Panchali hit the Indian screens. Azaad, Insaniyat, Munimji, Udan Khatola and Baradari were entertainers with very good music.
Children’s film society was established in 1955. Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali got married. New Theatres of Calcutta made its last film Bakul and downed its shutters forever.
Film Baghdad ka chor-1955 was produced by Ram Kumar and it was directed by Shriram. The Music Director was B.N.Bali. He was one of those small time composers, who got only the B and C grade films. First of all,let us know who this B N Bali is. There was yet another composer Bali,in the early era of Hindi films. H.C.Bali or Harishchandra Bali(20-3-1906 to 24-6-1976),the expert classical singer who changed into a successful composer is credited with discovering K L Saigal in the early 30s.
B N Bali or Baldev Nath Bali too was a good singer. he sang 6 songs in 5 films – Bhikari-49, Bedard-49, Mastani-55, Baghdad ka chor-55 and Tikdambaaz-59. He even acted in 1 film – Mastani-55. He was a composer restricted to mostly religious or low budget films. He gave music from Bedard-1949 up to Do Dilwale-1973, a total of 24 films, including one unreleased film-Bahut Door (40s). He also gave music to a Haryanvi film in 1973.Though he composed music with a variety, somehow he lacked what it takes to make it to the Big league. On the contrary, B N Bali is known for copying the popular tunes of other composers blatantly.
‘Jab un ka khayal aata hai’-sung by Rafi in Pahla pehla pyar was a copy of Rafi’s ‘Jin raaton me neend ud jaati hai’ by Hansraj Behl.
‘Sapne me saiyan tu aaya na karo’-Asha/manna Dey song was a true copy of O P Nayyar’s ‘ Ek pardesi mera dil le gaya’
‘Tu us ka kar bhala’ Rafi in Raja Vikram sang the same “Bhagwaan’ tune as in ‘O duniya ke rakhwaale’ etc. etc.
The cast of the film was Chitra, Daljit, Yashodharab Katju, Kishna Kumari, Naaz, Shaikh and many others. The film Baghdad ka Chor was based on a story from Arabian Nights. This story has attracted film producers so much that several films were made with this or similar titles, viz. Baghdad ka chor-1934/46/53, Baghdad ka jaadu-56, Baghdad ki raaten-62/67. Then Thief of Baghdad was made in 1934/68/77 and Thief of Iraq in 1934.
The first ever film on this story was made in 1924 in Britain. It was remade in 1940 and became a huge success. The role of the Thief in this film,was done by SABU- an India born actor. Younger generation movie lovers may not have even heard the name SABU. The question is, how many know about SABU DASTAGIR, a Hollywood Hero of 24 films, who was an Indian from Mysore ?
Sabu Dastagir was an Indian, born in Mysore. He first acted in an English film when he was just 13 yr old. Then he went to the UK and USA and became a big star. During World War II, he joined the American Air Force and also won the Distinguished Flying Cross medal.He was a hero in 24 films.
SABU- real name Selar Shaikh Sabu- was born in Mysore, on 27-1-1924. He was the son of a Mahout, so he knew how to handle Elephants and other animals. In 1937,when he was just 13 year old, he was taken in a film for the main role-“Elephant Boy ”. Encouraged by his skill, he was taken to England and later to Hollywood,USA, for acting in films. From 1937 to 1964,Sabu acted in 24 films, all in main leads. His best known film was The Thief of Bagdad-1940. Another good film was “Jungle Book”-1942. He also acted as Mowgli in this film. His yet another film was ” The Man Eaters of Kumaon” based on the book by Jim Corbett. During his time he was a popular actor. His brother Salim Dastgir used to look after his business. His son and daughter both became actors later. After he converted to Christianity, he was known as Sabu Frances. He died on 2-12-1963.
Stories of Arabian Nights or 1001 Nights are so interesting that for many generations they have been a popular source of entertainment. Alibaba, Allauddin and Sindbad are perenniel favourites of people. Arabian Night stories evolved through a story which took place in Persia. King Shahriyar became a woman hater after he found that his wife was unfaithful to him. He not only killed her, but he started marrying a new girl every day and on the second day of Marriage the wife would be killed to pre-empt her unfaithfulness.
The legend says that a beautiful young daughter of the Vazier- named Scheherazade decided to marry the king Shahriyar, against the wishes of her family. On the first night of marriage, she started telling him a story which she left unfinished. Curious to know the story’s end, the king postponed her killing. On every night Scheherazade employed the same technique-keeping the story unfinished. Thus she continued 1001 stories on 1001 nights. Finally the king changed his views about women and pardoned his wife.
These stories included Historical stories, love tales, tragedies, comedies, poems, eroticas, stories of Jinn, ghosts and apes, Sorcerers, magicians etc etc. Places like Basra, Istambul, Baghdad etc were frequently mentioned in these stories.
During the decade of 1950, such stories were made into C grade low budget films. The major expenses for such films were for the sets, costumes and trick scenes. As the audience came to see dances, damsels, songs and magic scenes and did not bother about histrionics, so makers of such movies saved money by hiring B or C grade artistes.
The thief of Baghdad or Baghdad ka chor was also from the stables of Arabian Nights and it has been a popular story. It involves evil wicked Vizier, the flying wooden mechanical horse, the flying carpet etc.
One of the cast members was (Baby) Naaz. There was a time when there were several ‘Babies’ in Hindi films, like Baby Naaz, Baby Nanda, Baby Shakuntala, Baby Tabassum etc. Baby Naaz (20 August 1944 – 19 October 1995) was an actress known for Boot Polish (1954), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) and Bidesiya (1963). We know her better by her stage name Baby Naaz.
So impressive and spontaneous was Baby Naaz’s performance in Raj Kapoor’s “Boot Polish” that, even after she grew up, got married and became a mother, she was still known as Baby Naaz. Her role in Boot Polish, released in the early 1950s, won several international awards and brought fresh acclaim to R. K. banner. Even in 1995, she won a special jury mention at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in the film. Naaz had a good thing in Boot Polish, a credible storyline, excellent technical effects, wonderful performances by veteran David, Master Rattan, catchy music & John chacha, tum kitne ache, Nanhe munhe bacche teri mutti mein kya…. & Lapak jhapak.. and then, ofcourse, her own performance.
Boot Polish was Naaz’s 10th or 12th film. No one knows how she got the role. According to her actor-husband, Subbi Raj, Nargis once spotted Naaz doing a show & was highly impressed. She recommended the child to Raj Kapoor, who was equally impressed and cast her in Boot Polish. The rest is history.
Baby Naaz was born on 20 August 1944 in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, India as Salma Baig. Naaz was born into a family obsessed with showbiz. Her father tried his luck in the film industry, but was not much of a success. Her mother pushed her into films and, very soon, Naaz was the family’s sole earning member.
The young girl debuted on stage when she was four, and in films when she was eight. Her father, Mirza Dawood Baig, was an unsuccessful story writer and somehow over time, Naaz became the only earning member of the family. At the age of six or eight, she was taken to the studios daily where her mother coaxed producers and directors to give her a chance and however she got the role, it was with Boot Polish that she became a celebrity, even beyond Indian borders, and the first choice as child artiste.
“I wanted to study, but unfortunately I had no time to breathe and had to forget about school. I left studies, for my mother didn’t stop accepting films on my behalf and my father stopped working. My mother was too used to making money out of me and didn’t want to forgo this easy life. She wanted me to work for her comforts and I was both too young and in awe of my parents to refuse.” She had said in an interview.
With a troubled family life, Kumari Naaz could never graduate to the big league. There was no one to manage her career and her mother accepted any and every role that came by. Raj Kapoor wanted to send Kumari Naaz to a Swiss finishing school for five years, intending to launch her under his banner after she returned. But Kumari Naaz recalled that her mother had wanted to go along with her to Switzerland too, and turned down the offer when she realised that would not be possible.
Naaz became the highest paid child artiste and worked in around 120 films. But her reality was that she was being neglected by her parents who were constantly fighting with each other. Sometimes, after coming home from the day’s shoot, she would fall asleep without having dinner. By the time she turned 12, her parents separated and Kumari Naaz had to stay with her mother, who remarried when Naaz was 16 years old.
Like Tabassum, Daisy Irani & other famous child artistes, Naaz did not make it as a heroine. It could be because there was no one to advise her on how to pick roles. And her mother was excessively eager to make Naaz a heroine. She dressed her daughter in loose, grown-up garments, cake her face with heavy makeup and tried to pass her off as a woman. The ploy worked with some producers, but Naaz was the ultimate sufferer.
But that Naaz was excellent as a child artiste there is no doubt. She worked with leading directors in outstanding films including Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Musafir, Bimal Roy’s Devdas, K. A. Abbas’ Munna and the Nargis-Balraj Sahni starrer, Lajwanti.
(Baby) Naaz played the heroine in about 30 eminently forgettable films. But her roles, in Nader Shah with Feroz Khan, Lambe Haath with Mehmood, Rocket Girl with Sudesh Kumar & Gangu with Chandrashekhar did not challenge her undoubted talent, only her drawing power. She also starred in Mera Ghar Mere Bachche and Dekha Pyar Tumhara opposite Raj Kapoor’s cousin, up-and-coming hero Subbi Raj Kumar. They fell in love and, after a five-year courtship, were married in 1965, despite some initial opposition from their families and the industry.
Naaz continued to work after marriage but family came first. She was never pushy and, in an industry known for its cut-throat competition, never sought favours from producers and directors. Soon, she matured into a character actress and bagged good roles in films like Bahu Begum, Kati Patang and Sachcha Joota (where she played Rajesh Khanna’s crippled sister).
Occasionally, Naaz did feel her talent had been ill-used by the industry. As a result, she became more family-oriented. Naaz had an exquisite voice & spoke beautifully. Not many are aware that she transitioned into a second career as a dubbing artiste. Before Sridevi started using her own voice, Kumari Naaz dubbed for her in the early Hindi hits of the 1980s. It was a far cry from the status she enjoyed during her early years in Hindi cinema.
And then, one day, Naaz complained of stomach pain and slight difficulty in swallowing. Sonography revealed tumours, which had spread all over the liver. Surgery and chemotherapy were ruled out and she tried Japanese therapy to reduce the pain. On October 16, 1995, Baby Naaz began slipping. Subbi Raj, who was shooting in Jammu, rushed back to Bombay. But she quietly drifted away in her sleep three days later, on October 19th.
Here is a song sung by Balbir,B.N.Bali and chorus. Enjoy….
Song- Udhaaree ka sahaara hee abhee tak kaam aaya hai (Baghdad Ka Chor)(1955) Singers- B.N. Bali, Balbir, Lyricist-Khalish Lukhnavi, MD- B.N.Bali
Lyrics
haan aan aan aan
Udhaaree ka sahaara hee abhee tak kaam aaya hai
haan aan aan aan
ajee badnaam ho kar bhee to hamne naam paaya hai
ahaa
ajee badnaam ho kar bhee to hamne naam paaya hai
ajee badnaam ho kar bhee to hamne naam paaya hai
arre badnaam ho kar bhee to hamne naam paaya hai
arre badnaam ho kar bhee to hamne naam paaya hai
ajee badnaam ho kar bhee to hamne naam paaya hai
ajee badnaam ho kar bhee to hamne naam paaya hai
udhaaree ka takaazaa karne aaya jab koi ghar par
dikhe taare hamen din mein
paseena aa gaya munh par
dikhe taare hamen din mein
paseena aa gaya munh par
dikhe taare hamen din mein
paseena aa gaya munh par
is aade waqt mein hardam
padosee kaam aaya hai
is aade waqt mein hardam
padosee kaam aaya hai
kabhee baniya kabhee naai
kabhee darzee se munhchoree
hua faaayda zara jis se
usee se dostee jodee
hua faaayda zara jis se
usee se dostee jodee
hua faaayda zara jis se
usee se dostee jodee
usee ko de diya chakma
jo apne kaam aaya hai
usee ko de diya chakma
jo apne kaam aaya hai
aa aa aa aa aa aa
haa aa aa aa aa aa
haaye
usee ko de diya chakma
jo apne kaam aaya hai
kisee ko kar diya fakkad
mere maula ghadee bhar mein
kaheen to de diye laakhon
kisee ko ek pal bhar mein
kaheen to de diye laakhon
kisee ko ek pal bhar mein
kaheen to de diye laakhon
kisee ko ek pal bhar mein
tera adna sahaara har kisee ke kaam aaya hai
tera adna sahaara har kisee ke kaam aaya hai
aa aa aa aa aa aa
haa aa aa aa
o o o o o
haay
tera adna sahaara har kisee ke kaam aaya hai
Udhaaree ka sahaara hee abhee tak kaam aaya hai
bhala badnaam ho kar bhee to hamne naam paaya hai ae
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