Bairee aanchar pag pag uljhey hamaar
Posted on: December 28, 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 the last and final song from the coloured social film Rahgir-1969.
I specifically mentioned coloured film, because it was still a novelty for the audience. Even in the 60’s, a few films were made in B & W, but by the end of 1960’s decade they were a thing of the past. Rahgir-1969 was a sort of a hybrid film – mixture of a regular film and a New Wave cinema. The audience was not yet ready for the New Wave Cinema, but the excellent films presented by the select producers and the directors their acceptance was achieved soon. The film was released on 2-7-1969 .
Film Rahgir-1969 was a remake of the celebrated Bengali film “Palatak” (1963). Tarun Majumdar, the director of the remake, had directed the Bengali original along with two co-directors – Sachin Mukherjee and Dilip Mukherjee. The film was based on the story “Angti Chattujjer Vai” by Manoj Basu. Hemant Kumar, who composed the music for the Bengali film, also composed the score for the remake.
Rahgir 1969 was a remake of Bengali film Palatak ( The fugitive ) 1963 . Palatak 1963 had Anoop Kumar ( not the sibling of Kishore Kumar ) in the male lead role. Sandhya Roy is the lead actress in both Rahgir and Palatak.
Palatak 1963 was directed by Tarun Majumdar ( real life husband of Sandhya Roy ). Anoop Kumar’s acting was greatly appreciated by the cine goers. Hemanta Mukherjee gave music in both the versions. In the Bengali version the lyricist was Mukul Dutta while Gulzar is the lyricist of the Hindi version.
First of all, this is a production of GITANJALI CHITRADEEP,CALCUTTA. The name of Hemant Kumar’s production house was GEETANJALI PICTURES,BOMBAY. So,there is every possibility that this may be the same, being called Chitradeep in Calcutta and Pictures in Bombay. The Indian Cinema Encyclopedia states both are the same.
I remember having seen this film halfway, in the theatre,as it was very much boring. Directed by Tarun Mujumdar, its cast was,Biswajeet, Sandhya Roy, Shashikala, Padma, Nirupa Roy, Kanhaiyalal, Anwar Hussain, Pahadi Sanyal, Prasanjit, Iftekhar, Asit Sen, Sabita Chatterjee, Rashid Khan, C.S.Dubey etc.
The story, as I remember,was of a young man who is fond of wandering and sets out on an endless journey. The film depicts various experiences he encounters in his travels. He does not get attached to anybody, but becomes a darling of many.
Neither the story, nor the music , nor the actors were of much interest and hence no wonder the film wandered aimlessly in search of success.
The synopsis of the film story, as given by Wiki, is as follows……
The 1969 Hindi film Rahgir is the story of three strangers – Nathuni, Lakhua, and Chaupatlal – who travel together during the monsoon and share their lives, struggles and human emotions, depicting the courage and spirit of helping others in the face of hunger, poverty and adversity, highlighting the indomitable courage of marginalized people.
Synopsis of the story:
Main characters: Nathuni (whose husband is paralyzed and has two children), Lakhua (a single man), and Chaupatlal (taking an elderly couple to the hospital).
Journey and Connection: Hungry, Nathuni and Lakhua begin walking together. During the journey, they bond and share their life stories.
Struggle and Help: Chaupatlal’s cart suddenly gets stuck in rain and mud. Nathuni and Lakhua, risking their lives, help pull the cart out of the mud, demonstrating their humanity and solidarity.
Theme: The film depicts the lives of common people living in remote corners of India, their indomitable spirit, their struggles against the harshness of monsoon and nature.
The film had songs written by Gulzar and the music was by hemant kumar. Hemant kumar had become quite popular with his playback songs and Music Direction. Even now, people of my generationlove to listen to his music and songs.
Hemant Kumar (16.6.1920 – 26.9.1989) was very fond of singing from his childhood. While in school, one day, one teacher was absent and the period was blank. The boys started pressing HK to sing a song. He too enthusiastically started singing and all the students started beating the benches to give ‘ music’ to his song. All this commotion went to the Head Master’s room. He came and Hemant was sent home immediately. Next day, his parents met the Headmaster, said sorry and Hemant was allowed in the school again.
His father Kalidas Mukherjee was a clerk in a shipping company. A salaried gentleman, his focus was a job and the upkeep of his family. There was no music or any other art form in the domestic environment, other than the traditional ingredients of a Bangla household. And yet, the young Hemant developed a penchant for singing, even without any formal training. There were occasional complaints from school teachers that this student was less interested in the subjects of study, and more involved with his own dreams of music and singing. Being the kind of person his father was, Kalidas Babu felt insecure and apprehensive about the future of this young lad. He tried to counsel his son, telling him about the importance of studies, and to find a well paying job. But the musical interests of the child were pretty deep rooted.
Recognizing the depth of his interest, Kalidas Babu finally took his son to a family friend and well wisher, Subhash Mukherjee. He narrated his problem. Subhash Babu, instead of counseling the young lad, asked him to sing something. The young Hemant sang a small poem by Rabindranath Tagore. Subhash Babu felt the sparkle in the boy. He talked to Kalidas Babu, and then took young Hemant to All India Radio, where he got an opportunity to be part of the station’s musical programs. It was here that Hemant came in touch with Jagmohan, and thus started a friendship that would last a lifetime.
His father was still set on education and a secure job as the future plans for his son. Hemant got admission in the Engineering College at Jadavpur University, at his father’s insistence. But he did not stay long in college. Midway, he abandoned his studies, and started frequenting the offices of recording companies. After the singing auditions, all recording companies declined to hire him, saying that his voice was not good enough.
Finding himself at a very difficult crossroads, he eventually learnt typing and started work as a stringer in a couple of magazines. From being a typist, he moved on to writing stories, and started to get published in the magazines he worked at. At the offices of ‘Vaatayan’, one of the magazines that he worked for, one day the editor introduced him to Shailesh Dattagupta, the music chief of the Columbia Recording company. The tide of fortunes at last took a turn for good, and Shailesh Babu agreed to give him a chance. Starting with Rabindranath’s poetic creations, within one year itself, Hemant had recorded 12 records. His singing started to be heard by the listeners, and his career started to rise.
Columbia’s trainer Sailesh Duttagupta first initiated Hemanta to Rabindrasangeet. In the beginning Saileshbabu used to stay near Hemanta’s house in Bhawanipur, but later he shifted to Ballygunge. One day he scolded Hemanta, “What’s up with you? Earlier you used to be on time, but since I have moved you seem to be consistently late.” Hemanta hesitated a bit and replied in a mild voice, “Earlier you used to stay near my place. I have to walk all the way now, so sometimes I get late.” Saileshbabu was taken aback, “You walk all the way? Why on earth?” Hemanta stood silently with a melancholic face, but Saileshbabu understood. He affectionately told Hemanta, “I will give you an anna daily to cover your travel expenses.”
Sailesh Duttagupta was Hemanta’s only music tutor. He went to an ustad to train in classical music for a few days but could not concentrate. (Hemanta Mukherjee mentions in his autobiography that he had started to learn Hindustani classical music under the tutelage of Ustad Faiyaz Khan, but his learning was cut short by the Ustad’s untimely death.) Hemanta’s lack of classical training proved to be a blessing in disguise. His god gifted voice was as fluent as the undeterred winds. Grammatical rules of classical music might have restricted the flowering of his sweet voice. The fluency with which Hemanta sings ‘Amar bhanga pather ranga dhulaaye’ or ‘Dekonaa amare Dekonaa’ might not have been observed in classical oriented songs such as ‘Tabu mone rekho’ or ‘Era porke apon kore’. Hemanta did not possess a harmonium for quite a few days after submerging himself in the ocean of music. He had to go to other people’s homes to practice. After a couple of records Hemanta had enough to purchase his first harmonium. After his third record Hemanta decided to quit studies and direct all his efforts to music. His father was not happy with this, but Hemanta’s mother supported her son’s wish. She knew what was best for him.
Unlike the other stalwarts of those times, Hemanta was not born into an affluent family. Sachin Dev Burman was the prince of Tripura, Pahari Sanyal’s ancestors were called the uncrowned nawabs of Lucknow, Pankaj Mullick had worked with the Indian Railways to sustain himself before he got established and K. L. Saigal also held a regular job before he came into music. How then did Hemanta dare to forego the security of a job and plunge himself into the darkness of an uncertain future?
At this juncture, Shailesh Babu suggested him to get trained in classical music. He tried, but did not last too long with that effort either. Still, one good thing was leading to the next. He recorded some songs by Faiyyaaz Hashmi composed by Kamal Dasgupta, that became immensely popular. Songs like “Aaj Sharaabi Aankhin Mein ” and Aanchal se kyun baandh liya mujh pardesi ka pyaar became hits with the listening public. Kamal Dasgupta took him on as an assistant. ‘Nimai Sanyaas’ was the first Bangla film that he sang for, under the direction of Hari Prasanna Das.
Hemanta composed the entire score for Hemen Gupta’s film ‘Abhijatri’ in 1944. It was this Hemen Gupta, who gave Hemanta’s rising career a shot in the arm with the Hindi film ‘Anandmath’ in 1951. Hemanta migrated to Bombay and joined S. Mukherjee’s Filmistan Studios at a monthly salary of Rs. 1500. But that was just the beginning of another long strain of struggle to carve a niche for himself in the competitive Hindi film music scenario. The leading composer duo of those times Shankar Jaikishen even offered Hemanta a chance for playback in their movies on the condition that he would not compose music in films; Hemanta modestly declined the offer. But true talent never goes unrecognized and it was in a matter of a few years that Hemanta became a foremost singer as well as music director in Bombay. Rabindrasangeet and Bengali modern songs had made Hemanta the darling of the Bengalis, and Bombay gave him nationwide recognition. Hemanta’s days of struggle and worries were finally coming to an end. Success, fame, wealth, awards continued to radiate throughout his life.
Hemant’s friend Sudhiranjan remembered an incident from the early years of Hemanta’s life. “After his first record was released, Hemanta and I were returning after purchasing a few copies of it from a record shop adjoining the Purna cinema hall. A strain of a Pankaj Mullick song being played in a house entered our ears. Suddenly Hemanta asked, “Will my songs ever play like this in people’s homes?” I don’t remember what I had replied then. But later, much later, Hemanta got that answer himself – not only did his songs play in people’s homes in Bengal, it played all over the country. It played not only on gramophone discs, but it played in people’s hearts, its strains returned on their lips and it got ensconced forever in their psyche.”
By the early 1930s´, however, he had decided that music was what he wanted to do in life and he dropped out of college despite parental objection. His first performance was a song recording for All India Radio in 1933. He was mentored by Sailesh Duttagupta and learnt classical music under Ustad Faiyaz Khan, a famous exponent of the Agra Gharana. After a number of similar recordings with both AIR and Gramophone Company of India, his first film song was featured in the Bengali film called ¨Nimai Sanyas¨ (1941). Also the 1944 film ¨Irada¨ saw him lending his voice to Hindi soundtracks for the first time, under the music directorship of Pt Amarnath. His first assignment as a music composer came only in 1947, with “Abhiyatri” and many of the songs composed by him were both critically appreciated and popularly sung.
During this time, he enrolled as a member of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), teaming up with composer Salil Chowdhury. Hemant Kumar recorded a song penned and composed by him in Bengali, called ¨Ganyer Badhu¨ which describes how a caring wife and mother´s family is torn apart by famine and poverty. Placed in the context of the Bengal famine of 1943, this song became a raging hit, which brought him to the notice of director Hemen Gupta, who was in the process of making ¨Anandmath¨ (1952) in Hindi. Enjoying moderate success with the overall music and the unexpected popularity of “Vande Mataram” sung along with Lata Mangeshkar, Hemant Kumar permanently shifted base to Mumbai and joined Filmistan studios. He also became popular as a playback singer, especially when he sang for Dev Anand in films like ¨Jaal¨ (1952) and ¨Solva Saal¨ (1958), where the songs ¨Yeh Raat Ye Chandni Phir Kahan¨ and ¨Hai Apna Dil toh Awara¨ respectively, were easily noticed for their sheer simplicity.
The film ¨Nagin¨(1954) is still regarded as one of his greatest and most popular films as a music composer, and the song ¨Man Dole Mera Tan Dole¨ is still as unforgettable as ever. The song is as fresh as it always was and quickly became a snake-charmer´s anthem and remains even till date. Guru Dutt’s ¨Pyaasa¨ (1957), though it bombed at the box office, brought with it the famous ¨Jaane Woh Kaise Log The Jinke¨. Similarly, all through the later part of 1950s´, he established himself as one the most sought after music directors as well as singers. He bagged a Filmfare award for Best Music Director in 1955 for ¨Nagin¨, as also the President’s Gold Medal in 1960 for ¨Neel Akasher Neechay¨ (1959). But his best was yet to come – come 1962, and he composed music for Guru Dutt´s ¨Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam¨ and sang two songs for the films ¨Bees Saal Baad¨ and ¨Baat Ek Raat Ki¨, which became instant hits – ¨Beqaraar Karke Humein¨ for the former and ¨Na Tum Humein Jaano¨ for the latter. Throughout the 1960s, he had his hands full, with films like ¨Anupama¨ (1966) and ¨Khamoshi¨ (1969), as well as songs like ¨Ya Dil Ki Suno¨ and ¨Tum Pukar Lo¨.
Hemant Kumar’s songs were and are my favourites. He sang 320 songs in 173 films. As an MD, he gave music to 55 films and composed 423 songs. His last film was Mera Karam Mera dharam-87. His first Hindi film song was from the film Meenakshi-1942, but the record was not made. After two years, Pt.Amarnath gave him a song in his film Irada-1944. Hemant kumar married his student Bela Mukherjee. They also founded Geetanjali films and produced some films. Later he shifted to Calcutta. He died on 26-9-1989 in Calcutta.
(The above is based on information collated from a Bangla article by Sudhiranjan Mukherji, translated by Prithviraj Dasgupta, Yaad kiya dil ne- by Subhash Jadhav, HFGK, muVyz and my notes.)
Here is the last and final song from the film Rahgir-1969. With this song, the film gets YIPPEED. The song is sung by Lata Mangeshkar and chorus. Enjoy….
Song- Bairee Aanchar pag pag uljhe hamaar (Raahgeer)(1969) Singer- Lata, Lyricist- Gulzar, MD- Hemant Kumar
Female chorus
Lyricist
bairee aanchar
bairee aanchar pag pag uljhe hamaar
tanik ungdee pakad lo sanwariya hamaar
bairee aanchar pag pag uljhe hamaar
tanik ungdee pakad lo sanwariya hamaar
bairee aanchar
tere peechhe main ghoonghat giraaye ke chaloon
maathhe sindooree bindiya sajaaye ke chaloon
tere peechhe main ghoonghat giraaye ke chaloon
maathhe sindooree bindiya sajaaye ke chaloon
aankh chooke to harjaai ud jaaye re
aankh chooke to harjaai ud jaaye re
chhod ke mera solaha singaar
bairee aanchar
bairee aanchar pag pag uljhe hamaar
tanik ungdee pakad lo sanwariya hamaar
bairee aanchar
kabhee meethhee gulabiya ko tarsaaye tu
kabhee champa kee daalee pe bauwraaye tu
kabhee meethhee gulabiya ko tarsaaye tu
kabhee champa kee daalee pe bauwraaye tu
kitnee kaliyon pe jaayega tu haaye re
kitnee kaliyon pe jaayega tu haaye re
mere bhanwre kee kaliyaan hazaar
bairee aanchar
bairee aanchar pag pag uljhe hamaar
tanik ungdee pakad lo sanwariya hamaar
bairee aanchar pag pag uljhe hamaar
tanik ungdee pakad lo sanwariya hamaar
bairee aanchar
2 Responses to "Bairee aanchar pag pag uljhey hamaar"
December 28, 2025 at 10:37 am
Not much was known earlier about Rahgir except that it was a film with Biswajeet and both Kishore Kumar and Hemant Kumar sang songs.As videos were unavailable it was not known how they were picturised.
On Sun, 28 Dec, 2025, 5:00 am Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
December 28, 2025 at 9:20 am
Good Morning,
Very good song,
Thanks for sharing.
Blessings
Uma🙏
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