Mera man hai magan laagee tum se lagan
Posted on: December 8, 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 a Mythological film-Mordhwaj-1952. This film was produced by M.N.Gautam and directed by a B grade film specialist Balwant Bhatt. Music was by a Debutant, Narayan (Datt). The cast included Durga Khote, Prem Adib, Ram Singh, Tiwari, Shashi Kapoor, Manju, Leela Mishra, Bindu, Neeru etc etc.
One advantage of seeing religious films was that it increased your knowledge of mythology and the Puranas. Though there was a common principle highlighted( Satyamev Jayate or the victory of Good over Bad ), every story’s treatment and content used to be different. With our Holy books overflowing with stories involving all types of Gods, Goddesses and Bhakts, film producers must have never fallen short of stories. Famous and well known studios like Bombay Talkies, Sagar, Mohan, Prakash, Prabhat, Wadia or Filmistan stuck to popular and traditional stories like Satyavan Savitri, Bhakta Dhruv, Shri Ram or Shrikrishna. Other production companies tried comparatively less known, unknown or even Hybrid stories (Mythological base but treated in filmy style) to make films.
The result was, one could see and enjoy films dealing with unheard names like Mordhwaja or Bodana. There were some strange titles like Ram Hanuman Yuddha, Krishna Arjun Yuddha, or films made on less known characters like Pingala, Renuka, Narmada, Mahananda, Ambarish or unusual combinations like Shankar Seeta Anusuya.
Some Gods like Bramhadev or Saraswati rarely became subject matter of films and the favourite Gods of the film producers always remained Shiv ji, Ganesh ji, Ram ji or Shyam ji. Once in a while, you could find a film on Sheetala Mata or Shuk Rambha. Devotees added to their knowledge when films like Shiv kanya came, because hardly anyone knew that Shankar-Parvati had a daughter also !
This film is special because it had two names which were involved in ” Same Name Confusions “…one was that of Debutant composer Narayan Datt and the other was child actor Shashi Kapoor.
Seeing Mythological films was great fun.I liked a scene where a God or a Rakshas multiplied into 10 images to confuse the opponent. Just imagine, 10 Ramas or 10 Ravanas on the screen at a time ! All with the same name and appearance!! Not only their opponents, but even the audience in the theatres got confused who the real one was !!!
In real life, It is not as simple as 10 Ramas or 10 Ravanas. Here the 10 Rama names will be the same but each Rama may look different. I remember,during my school days,in my class, there used to be at least 10 boys with the surname Deshpande, 15 Joshis, 12 Kulkarnis and 5 Deshmukhs. Each boy was called by his initials, like A.B, C.D. or K.P.etc. Sometimes, even the initials used to be the same. In that case, another trick used was to call those boys based on their personality, like Lambu DK or Gidda DK etc.
In the film Industry, same name artists were identified by their vocation, like Lyricist Madan Mohan or Music Director Madan Mohan. But when there are Directors with the same names or singers with the same names, or actors or actresses, then what happens? For Music Director Iqbal,he was called ‘Chhota Iqbal’, because Music Director Iqbal Qureshi was more than 6 feet tall. Similarly Director Asit Sen,who was of a short stature,was called Chhota Asit Sen and the actor Asit Sen was called the Mota Asit Sen.
Being a writer on old films, songs and related matters, I get highly agitated when I find enthusiastic novices in this field quoting wrong names in ” Name-Alike ” films or songs. I have been writing explanations, till I got tired, how the 2 Ratanbais were different or how actor Shyam never sang any song in his lifetime!
Coming back to the Debutant Composer of film Mordhwaj-52, actually, many people may not be even aware that any Music Director by the name of NARAYAN DUTTA existed,but in reality he did and has contributed to Hindi Film Music to the best of his abilities in the limited opportunities that he got. NARAYAN DUTTA, I feel , was one of those unlucky composers like C.Arjun, Sailesh Mukherjee, Daan Singh, Sardar Malik, Jamal Sen, Pardesi etc, who had enough talent but luck was not in their favour. Most Internet sites and few writers too get confused between these two Music Directors, thinking that N.Datta means Narayan Dutta . Consequently, films in which Narayan Dutta gave music are coolly added to the filmography of N.Datta !
I have written about Narayan Datt a few times on this Blog and it is also in my book, so I am not repeating it here. The other name in the ‘SNC’ category is that of child artiste Shashi Kapoor. I have written about him here and elsewhere earlier, so no point in repeating it . Let us now take a look at the film’s story…..
Prince Suchitra, son of Raja Mordhwaj, of Ratnapur, goes for daily hunting accompanied by his friend Kaak. His attention is drawn by the sudden flight of a horse with a youngish rider on it. Reaching nearby finds that a lion is lying dead and another is out to leap on the rider. A well aimed arrow from his bow takes life out of the creature and it reels back dead. Suchitra tries to be friendly while the saved rider cares to keep up only formalities.
In the course of their short company the prince happens to know that his companion is none other than princess Vijaya of Srimantapur. Love takes root in both the hearts and fixed meetings follow thereafter. Yudhishtira the Pandava King of Hastinapur, decides to perform Ashwamedh Yajna. The sacrificial horse moves in the direction of Ratnapur throwing open challenges to the heroism of independent states. Huge armies of Hastinapur with mighty Arjun at their head,stand guarantee to the safety of the advancing horse. All must accept Pandavas’ sovereignty or fight.
The whole Ratnapur is astir. King Mordhwaj, by nature, does not want war but the people refuse to surrender. Representatives of the people meet in Sudharma Sabha and decide to stop the horse and accept the challenge. Prince Suchitra heads the people’s cause. Very soon the news gets currency in the neighbouring states. Princess Vijaya too decides to follow in the footsteps of prince Suchitra. The advance of the sacrificial horse-the symbol of pandavas challenge, is arrested at the border of Ratnapur. A fierce battle ensues for which the king prays and the prince fights. The armies of the Pandavas are routed out and their leader Arjun is injured and defeated on the battlefield. Lord Krishna, accompanied by sage Narad, comes to Arjun’s war camp.
The sage attributes the defeat of Arjun’s armies to the unsurpassed devotion of king Mordhwaj, he also asserts that devotion weighed heavier than friendship with Lord Krishna, Arjun does not accept this plea and presses for solid proof. Lord Krishna takes Arjun with him garbed as Sadhus to Raja Mordhwaj and asks for the flesh of his son to feed a hungry lion. The king does not refuse the Brahmin beggars and agrees to sacrifice his only son. Arjun looks horrified and retires from the arena totally defeated. He admits the supremacy of the devotees’ claims over his own. Lord Krishna, affected by his devotee’s most thrilling sacrifice, blesses their son to life. He and His party consisting of Arjuna and sage Narada, appear in their true forms.
Durga Khote, who acted in this film, was an extraordinary person. Durga Khote (14 January 1905 − 22 September 1991) was one of the foremost leading ladies of her times. She remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema, as well as theatre, for over 50 years, starring in 182 Hindi films and numerous theatre productions. In 2000, in a millennium issue, India Today named her among “100 People Who Shaped India”, noting: “Durga Khote marks the pioneering phase for women in Indian Cinema” as she was one of the first women from respectable families to enter the film industry, thus breaking a social taboo.
She also ranks among the top ten actresses in mother roles in Hindi cinema, most notable among them were as Jodhabai in K. Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam (1960); as Kaikeyi in Vijay Bhatt’s classic Bharat Milap (1942); her other memorable roles as mother were in Charnon Ki Dasi (1941); Mirza Ghalib; Bobby (1973) and Bidaai (1974). She has received the highest award in Indian cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1983), for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.
Khote was born as Vitha Lad, to a family which hailed from Goa and spoke Konkani at home. Her father’s name was Pandurang Shamrao Lad and her mother’s name was Manjulabai. She grew up in a large joint family in Kandewadi. She was educated at Cathedral High School and St. Xavier’s College where she studied for B.A. While still a college-going teenager, she married into the Khote family and settled down with her husband. By the age of 26, Durga Khote was a widowed mother with two young sons; Bakul and Harin. She had to seek work in film to support her children. In doing so, she became a pioneer of sorts: She hailed from a traditional family and the film industry was regarded as the preserve of the base and the bawdy. Also, most of the female characters were played by men at the time.
Durga Khote debuted in a minor role in the obscure 1931 Talkie film Farebi Jaal or trapped, by M. Bhavnani. She had to sing 3 songs also in this film. Followed by Maya Machindra (1932) by Prabhat Film company.. She was soon promoted to play heroine in the 1932 double version (Hindi and Marathi) Ayodhyecha Raja, another Prabhat film, which was the first ever Marathi talkie, and proved to be a runaway hit, where she played the role of Rani Taramati. Indeed, she ventured yet another pioneering trend: Despite working closely with the Prabhat Film Company, she broke away from the “studio system” (exclusive contract with a studio to work in its films on a monthly salary) then in vogue and became one of the first “freelance” artistes of that era by working occasionally with the New Theatres, East India Film Co. (both at Calcutta), and Prakash Pictures.
In 1936, she played Saudamini in Amar Jyoti, which is one of her most memorable roles. The characters played by her were very much like her regal personality and she commanded a screen presence even in front of legendary actors like Chandra Mohan, Sohrab Modi and Prithviraj Kapoor. In 1937, she produced and directed a film titled Saathi ( Sawangadi in Marathi), making her one of the first women to step into this role in Indian cinema. The 40s opened for her in a big way, with award-winning performances in Aacharya Atre’s Payachi Dasi (Marathi) and Charnon Ki Dasi (Hindi) (1941) and Vijay Bhatt’s classic Bharat Milap (1942), both of which got her the BFJA Best Actress Award for two consecutive years.
Durga Khote remained active in the theatre circuit for many years, especially the Marathi theatre in Mumbai. She was actively associated with the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) and worked in several plays for the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh. In 1954, she famously performed the role of Lady Macbeth in V.V. Shirwadkar’s Marathi adaptations of Macbeth, as Rajmukut, (The Royal Crown), along with Nanasaheb Phatak.
Durga Khote played a wide variety of roles over a career that was not only long, but also untouched by scandal. She was the inspiration for several generations of Indian actresses, including veterans such as the late Shobhna Samarth, who frequently spoke of how she had been inspired by Khote’s example. During later years, she played several important character roles, such as the mother of the protagonist. Her portrayal of Jodhabai, the queen of Akbar torn between duty towards her husband and love towards her son in Mughal-e-Azam (1960) was well received. In 1963, she acted in Merchant Ivory’s debut film The Householder (1963).
She went on to play other widely appreciated character roles in later movies, such as the role of the grandmother of the heroine in Bobby (1973), the hero’s aunt in Abhimaan (1973), and the very memorable Bidaai (1974), where she played a mother, a very sensitive role that can make one cry and received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Her final memorable role was in Subhash Ghai’s Karz (1980), where she played the role of the mother of Raj Kiran and later, mother to Rishi Kapoor, who played the role of Raj Kiran’s reincarnation after the screen death of Raj Kiran in the movie.
She acted in 182 Hindi films in her career. Her last film as an actress was Daulat ka Dushman-1983. She had also sung 32 songs in 13 films. Her last song was in the film Panna Dai-1945. By the 1980s she successfully diversified into production of short films, ad films and documentaries by setting up Fact Films and later, Durga Khote Productions, which produced the Doordarshan TV series Wagle Ki Duniya.
Durga Khote was married when she was a teenager to Vishwanath Khote, a gentleman of her own caste and similar social background, in a match arranged by their parents in the usual Indian manner. It was a traditional marriage into an orthodox family, the couple lived a harmonious and happy life, and the marriage was blessed with two sons. Vishwanath was a mechanical engineer who had graduated from Banaras Hindu University. His family was upper middle class and professional, with modern English education and high social standing; his ancestors had been prominent bankers.
Unfortunately, Vishwanath Khote died young, when Durga was barely into her 20s. She and her sons continued to reside with her in-laws, as is traditional in India, but she was not comfortable with her dependent position, especially because her father-in-law was no more, and they were dependent on other family members for their expenses. She thus felt impelled to make a living any which way she could, and the opening in films happened entirely by chance. The fact that she came from a modern and English-educated family meant that, even as a widow, she was able to act in films, which was derided as a disreputable profession in those days.
She thus raised her two sons, Bakul and Harin, single-handedly. Both of them went on to become well-settled in life. But she suffered the loss of her son Harin, who predeceased her and died in his 40s. Harin was married to Vijaya Jaywant, and they were the parents of two sons. After Harin’s early death, his widow married a Parsi man named Farrokh Mehta and became famous as the film-maker Vijaya Mehta.
Durga Khote’s grandchildren (children of Bakul and Harin) include her grandson Ravi, a filmmaker; granddaughter Anjali Khote, an actress; and grandson Deven Khote, a successful producer who is one of the co-founders of UTV, and who has also directed a film. Deven Khote is noted for producing films such as Jodhaa Akbar and Life in a Metro.
Durga Khote’s brother-in-law, Nandu Khote (brother of Vishwanath), was a noted stage and silent movie actor. Two of Nandu’s children also became actors in the film industry. His son Viju Khote (1941-2019) was an actor perhaps best known for his role of “Kalia” in Sholay (1975). Nandu’s daughter is the actress Shubha Khote, who debuted in Seema (1955) and worked as a heroine in several films before moving to character roles. Still later, she moved to directing and producing Marathi films and also entered television in the 90s. Shubha’s daughter, Bhavana Balsavar, is also an award-winning TV actress who appeared in sitcoms like Dekh Bhai Dekh and Zabaan Sambhalke before deciding to settle down and raise a family. Thus, the acting profession which was pioneered by Durga Khote in her family has been fully embraced by her late husband’s family.
Later in life, Durga Khote wrote an autobiography in Marathi, entitled Mee, Durga Khote, which was translated into English as I, Durga Khote, and moved to Alibaug, near Mumbai. Durga Khote died in Mumbai on 22 September 1991. ( Thanks to her autobiography, wiki,muVyz and my notes.)
Here is a song sung by Asha Bhosale and Khan Mastana. Enjoy….
Editor’s note:-Despite what is mentioned in HFGK, the male voice sounds unmistakably like Rafi, rather than Khan Mastana.
Song- Mera man hai magan laagee tum se lagan (Mordhwaj)(1952) Singers- Asha Bhosle,Rafi, Lyricist-Bharat Vyas, MD- Narayan Datt
Both
Lyrics
Mera man hai magan
laagee tum se lagan
ho sajan ye ghadee na bhulaana jee
sajan ye ghadee na bhulaana jee
dekho preet kee reet nibhaana jee
dekho preet kee reet nibhaana jee
ye anokha milan
jaise dhartee gagan
mera sachcha vachan naa bhulaana jee
sachcha vachan naa bhulaana jee
dekho preet kee reet nibhaana jee
dekho preet kee reet nibhaana jee
pujaaran ko ye vardaan mila
pujaaran ko ye vardaan mila
tum miley kya mujhe Bhagwan mila
Bhagwan mila
ho o o o o
naache jhhan jhhan ??
jaise san san pawan
ye sapan mera ab na mitaana jee
sapan mera ab na mitaana jee
dekho preet kee reet nibhaana jee
dekho preet kee reet nibhaana jee
naheen haathhon se haathh kabhee chhootey
naheen haathhon se haathh kabhee chhootey
naheen jeevan mein saathh kabhee chhootey
naheen jeevan mein saathh kabhee chhootey
na kabhee chhotey
ho o o o
jaise man mein umang
jaise jal mein tarang
jaise phoolon mein rang suhaana jee
phoolon mein rang suhaana jee
waise preet kee reet nibhaana jee
waise preet kee reet nibhaana jee
Mera man hai magan
laagee tum se lagan
ho sajan ye ghadee na bhulaana jee
sajan ye ghadee na bhulaana jee
dekho preet kee reet nibhaana jee
dekho preet kee reet nibhaana jee
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
December 8, 2025 at 8:51 am
Good Morning,
It is always a very entertaining knowledge to share with.
Good old days of great music.
Thanks a ton.
Blessings
Uma🙏
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