Haay ye maine kya kiya
Posted by: Atul on: January 13, 2026
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’ song is from an early film of Talat Mehmood – Samapti-1949.
Talat has sung some memorable songs. He worked in 3 films in Calcutta and 9 films in Bombay as an actor. Today’s film is his 3rd and last film done in Calcutta. His first film as an actor was Raj laxmi-1945, the second was Tum aur Hum-1947. For this film, he had taken a new name – Tapan Kumar. The reason, presumably, was that there was another actor with a similar name – Talaaq Mehmood, working in this film. To avoid any confusion, he probably took this name. During the period 1947 to 1949, he sang many Bangla NFS in the name of Tapan Kumar.
Today’s song was composed by Music Director Timir Baran Bhattacharya. It was directed by Amar Mullick and the star cast was Bharati Devi, Heeralal, Sunder, Talat mehmood and others. I have neither seen this film nor know of its story. The film had 8 songs. 2 Solos and 2 Duets of Talat and Puprabha Sarkar and 2 solos of Suprabha are mentioned in HFGK. 2 remaining songs do not show a singer’s name. The HFGK also mentioned the title of this film as Sampatti instead of Samapti. This was , however, corrected in subsequent editions.
Talat songs are my favourites and I am in the company of a large number of music lovers on this issue. His soulful, sad and melodious songs and everlasting duets are heard all over the world even today. Some of his duets with Lata, Asha, Shamshad and Geeta are very famous, but not many people are aware that Talat sang a wide variety of duets with many singers. From Suprova Sarkar in Calcutta to Hemlata in Bombay,Talat’s range of singers included Mubarak Begum, Sudha Malhotra, Madhubala Jhaveri, Surinder Kaur, Suman Kalyanpur, Sulochana Kadam, Ameerbai Karnataki, Rajkumari etc among the females and Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Mukesh, Rafi, Balbir etc among the male singers.
Out of the total 450 songs that Talat sang, 406 songs are already posted in this Blog. That leaves us with just 44 more songs, but locating these songs is not that easy. Perhaps some C grade and stunt film songs may not have their songs issued on records. One will have to search with collectors.
Talat started his career as a singer first, then became an Actor, then a singer and again an Actor and then again a Singer. All this jumping around from one activity to another activity gave the impression that Talat is not serious about his career. This cost him dearly and he lost his place in film music sooner than in due course of time. Talat accepted this in several interviews.
He was born into a highly cultured, but conservative, family in Lucknow. Music interested him to such an extent that he studied it as a subject in Lucknow’s Marris College. Often, he sang for the All India Radio, Lucknow. Later, he signed on with HMV. He had to go to Calcutta in 1941 for the recording sessions, which was when he was spotted by the famous New Theatre bosses.
Talat was an extremely handsome young man. ”P K Sanyal of New Theatres wanted to sign me on as an actor,” Talat recalled of his early days in Calcutta. “I had no objections, really. But my father was a bit upset, though he came around finally.”
Calcutta was the scene of hectic filming during the early 1940′s. His first film, Raj Lakshmi, co-starred Kanan Bala and Chhabi Biswas. Released in 1945, the film did fairly well and was followed by ‘Tum aur Main’ With kanan Devi and Samapti with Bharati Devi. Talatsaab had never trained as an actor. He performed by instinct and picked up tips by watching his co-actors on-screen.
“I enjoyed acting,” recalls Talatsaab. “And these were soft, romantic roles in films that had a number of songs. The films of this era followed the singing hero concept very closely.” But the handsome actor, at 22, faced a peculiar problem. Most of his heroines like Kanan Bala and Bharati Devi were older than him and the pairing, at times, looked distinctly odd.
During the late 1940s, the focus of movie making shifted from Calcutta to Bombay. Like several other young aspirants, Talat also made the change. He was warmly welcomed; his reputation had preceded him. Music director Anil Biswas gave him a break in Arzoo and his playback singing for Dilip Kumar proved to be a major highlight of the film.
During the early 1950s, Talat was sought after by every leading music director. He lent his voice to every single top hero, from Dilip Kumar to Bharat Bhushan. In 1951, he made a guest appearance in the Dev Anand-Madhubala starrer, Aaram, sitting at the piano as he rendered that memorable number,Shukriya shukriya. The film was not much of a success, but the song is hummed even today.
His first role as a hero in a Bombay film, though, only came in 1953. “(A R) Kardar chose me as the hero for his film, Dil-E-Nadaan,” explained Talat. Newcomer Peace Kanwal, the winner of a contest organised by Kardar and the Kolynos toothpaste firm, was the heroine.
Dil-E-Nadaan was a soft, romantic triangle with Talat, the singer, being wooed by two women, Peace Kanwal and Shyama. The music score by Ghulam Mohammad produced everlasting hits like Zindagi denewale and Yeh raat suhani raat nahi.
Dil-E-Nadaan music became the rage. And Talat became a sought-after hero in Hindi films. Then followed Daak Babu (with Nadira), Waris, Raftar (Nadira and Naaz) and Diwali Ki Raat (Roopmala, Shashikala and Leela Mishra). In the last film mentioned, the elegant Talat played a taxi driver.
Well known director Satyen Bose directed him in the 1957 hit, Ek Gaon Ki Kahani (Mala Sinha). Producer S U Sunny – who had made the Dilip Kumar starrers, Babul and Udan Khatola – cast the singer-duo of Suraiya and Talat Mahmood in Maalik. The innovative Khayyam scored the music for Lala Rookh, a fantasy where Talat starred with Shyama.
“I never did more than one or two films at a time,” Talat recalled. “I also noted the difference between filming in Bombay and filming in Calcutta. Unlike the more artistic Calcutta where movies were made at a slow pace, Bombay was commercial. Life was hectic. Everyone was in his own world and was, of course, very professional.”
What kind of an impact did Talat Mahmood make as an actor?
The great singer thought for a while and then candidly admitted, “Listen, I was not competing with stars like Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand or Ashok Kumar. But, in those days, soft, romantic films were appreciated and singing heroes like me could do well.” His films were not box office bonanzas. Neither were they disasters which disappeared without trace, days after their release. Three of his films – Waris, Sone Ki Chidiya, Ek Gaon Ki Kahani – were much-appreciated hits.Talat Mahmood’s major drawback was that, quite often, he held himself back in crucial romantic scenes. His self-consciousness showed. He could not essay violence and comedy. But he was adequate as an emotional actor. And he had a large female following.
From 1956, Talat Mahmood regularly went on foreign tours. The concerts – held in the UK, the US, the Gulf and even the distant West Indies – were superb. But as he acted in films and spent months abroad on concerts, music directors and producers had to look for other playback singers. As a result, Talat lost out on some memorable films like Madhumati.
Some of the music directors felt that, having turned actor, he would not be easily available as a playback singer. As Talat’s son, Khalid, explained, “Also, Father would never ask for favours. Nor would he undercut anyone. He was, and is, a thorough professional and a gentleman.”
By the mid-1960′s, film music had changed. Shammi Kapoor, with his boisterous Yahoo image, had arrived. There were fewer opportunities for a voice like Talat. But the concerts continued, so did the recording of private ghazals. The government honoured him with a Padma Bhushan and Doordarshan made a documentary on him . ”
When Talat started his acting career in Calcutta his first film was Rajlaxmi-1945. He was given a role of a Sadhu in this and he sang his Debut Hindi Film song “Jaago musafir jaago”. His acting in this film was below par. His second film was Tum aur main-1947. Here too he had a side role and just one duet with Suprova Sarkar. In his 3rd film at Calcutta- “Samaapti”-1949 he became a singing hero for the first time,opposite the veteran Bharati Devi. Talat had 2 solos and 2 duets with Suprova Sarkar again. In the period 45 to 47 and 47 to 49 he sang some Hindi and Bangla NFS. He sang in Bangla with the name Tapan Kumar.
Talat Mehmood came to Bombay from Calcutta along with others like K L Sahgal, Prithviraj Kapoor, Kidar Sharma and K N Singh. He was also looking for a wider market for better opportunities. Before leaving Calcutta, he sang 2 songs in the film ‘Swayamsiddha’-49. In Bombay, Talat stayed with a relative and used to visit many people for work. His first song in Bombay was for the film “Rakhi-49″, under the baton of Husnlal-Bhagatram. The film was a flop. He got another chance with composer Vinod for his film ‘Anmol Ratan”-50. Talat sang 1 solo and 2 duets in it. Though the recordings took place before he sang for the film Arzoo, the film was released late-after Arzoo.
Talat met Anil Biswas, on the advice of some friends. AB had heard his Bangla songs and was impressed. He gave him a chance in his film Arzoo-50. His solo song ” aye dil mujhe aisi jagah le chal,jahan koi na ho “, shot on Dilip Kumar became a roaring success and then there was no looking back for Talat.
This achieved two things. One- impressed with his voice and singing style,many composers called him for songs. Secondly,afraid of this new competition,some people spread a rumour that Talat gets nervous while singing and hence his voice shakes. This created confusion and some composers backed out. Additionally,friends like Mukesh told him that this tremor in his voice was not good and he should remove it. Talat took this seriously and while doing rehearsals of songs for Tarana-51,under Anil Biswas,tried to suppress his tremor. Anil Biswas found that there was something missing in his voice and so he asked Talat what the matter was. Honestly Talat told him everything. Anil Biswas convinced him that the Tremor in his voice was his speciality,not a defect. Talat is nothing without that. Hence he should not try to change his voice. Talat realised this and sang in his original voice. ( There is a song ” Bharam teri wafaon ko”from film Armaan-52,in which composer S D Burman made Talat sing without his Tremor. This is the only song in Bombay without his tremor,but it was done intentionally).
Very few people know that it was not just a tremor in his voice, but Talat’s whole body had a tremor. He had a habit of shaking his neck while singing. Even while speaking, his face would have minute tremors.This was perhaps a bodily defect which he had from his childhood.Talat,however,never accepted this,though it was very much evident and visible to a keen observer.
It was in 1950 that he sang for the first time( and almost last time)under the baton of famous composer Naushad in the film Babul. He had 2 solos and 3 duets in this film. All his songs from Babul-50 were very popular. Still,surprisingly Naushad never ever used Talat’s voice again in his films. Why ? Not known. Of Course there are several stories circulated as reasons. One of the more substantiated stories was that during the recording times,Talat had smoked Cigarettes in the presence of Naushad and that its smoke came on his face. Actually both had come from Lucknow-U.P. Their behaviour always reflected the Lucknowi Tehzeeb and politeness. It just so happened that Naushad came from a lower middle class poor family and Talat hailed from a Rais family. Probably Naushad took it as a not so humble behaviour from Talat. Later,in one of the interviews,Talat had agreed that he smoked but did not mean any disrespect to Naushad.
After his songs in Babul,a lot of rumours were spread-some intentionally, according to Talat- about the defects in his voice and that he became nervous while singing giving rise to the Tremor in his voice etc etc. This affected his reputation to some extent. During this period, it was Anil Biswas who supported him and advised him to boost his confidence while recording songs for the film Aaram-51.
Once during this phase, Talat was recording the song “Meri yaad mein tum na”- Madhosh-51, with Madan Mohan,by chance C.Ramchandra was also present there. After the recording,CR said,”Talat,your voice is perfect. There is nothing wrong with it. let the people say what they want.”He immediately booked Talat for his film songs. Talat sang for Madan Mohan in Chhote babu,Aashiyana,Bahaana,Dekh kabira Roya,Adaa,Mohar,Suhagan, Pocketmaar and Jahan ara and with CR he sang in Naznin,Yasmin,Subah ka tara,Kavi,Sagai,Meenar and Saaqi.
Talat’s voice was such that he gave Playback to most actors of his times like Dev, Raj,Dilip, Ashok Kumar, Sunil Dutt, Guru Dutt, Pradeep Kumar, Bharat Bhushan, Amarnath, Ajit, Karan Dewan, Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Nasir Khan, Chetan Anand, Shekhar, Balraj Sahni, Manhar Desai, Sajjan, V.Shantaram, Premnath, Kamraan, Mahipal, Jagdev, Manoj Kumar etc.
Talat,though from U.P.did not know Hindi script. He used to write all Hindi songs in English, in his diary, while singing ! (collated from his various interviews, book on Talat by Manek Premchand, Interview by Cineplot and Late Shri. Rajnikumar Pandya Ji, and with my own notes ).
Heroine of the film Samapti-1949 was Bharati Devi. Bharati Devi (22 October 1922 – 30 December 2011), was an actress, who worked in Bengali & Hindi movies. She is known for Bengali films like Nayak : The Hero (1966), Bandini (1963) & Oomar Qaid (1961).
Bharati Devi was born on 22 October 1922 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, undivided India, now Kolkata, West Bengal, India. She was born with the name Mahamaya Das, before changing it to Bharati Devi. She hails from a very conservative and wealthy business class family. As practiced by those times, she was married off at a young age of thirteen but had to face a lot of obstacles at the hands of her in-laws. She had a very difficult time at her in-law’s house. She had the courage to protest and return to her father’s place. Her father Harendra Krishna Das helped her to get a divorce even in those days. This is the time when her independent life began and destiny brought her to the New Theatres in 1939. After that, she made herself prominent among the audience through a first role in the movie Daktar, released in 1941.
Phani Majumdar had directed “Daktar” with late actor Jyotiprakash Bhattacharya cast opposite her. Since then, she has worked in many movies such as Sagar Sankamey (1959), Bandini (1963), and Nayak (1966). She was able to work with different directors such as Devaki Bose of New Theatres period to Satyajit Ray and Tapan Sinha, throughout her career. Along with her movie career, she has also worked on Bengali TV serials, providing wholesome entertainment to the household members.
Bharati Devi had reigned Bengali celluloid even before the era of Uttam Kumar, Soumitro Chatterjee and Suchitra Sen. It was just after the silent era of celluloid was over, and the black and white age started. She was Bharati Devi, who was often seen pairing with Asit Baran, in all her grace and poise. Remember films like Doctor, Shapmukti, Chandrashekhar, Kashinath or even Nurse Didi? Her charismatic screen presence in every film she acted in, made her a great actress of her times.
In later years, Bharati Devi also worked in several daily soaps. She died on 30 December 2011 in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Bharati Devi belonged to the rare breed of actors who never craved the limelight. She broke all barriers and entered the world of cinema. She made her mark on celluloid with her powerful acting and her simplicity. Perhaps, this is the reason, we will always remember her.
Here is a Talat solo from the film Samapti-1949. Enjoy his fresh but hesitant singing……
Song- Haay ye maine kya kiya (Samaapti)(1949) Singer- Talat Mehmood, Lyricist- Pt. Bhushan, MD- Timir Baran
Lyrics
Haay ye maine kya aa aa kiya aa
haay ye maine kya aa kiya
dil ka diya bujha diya
jaage huye naseeb ko
deke dawa sula diya
haay ye maine kya kiya aa
gairon ka kuchh gila naheen een een een een
main hee kusoorwaa aar hoon
maine hee apne haathh se
maine hee apne haathh se
apna nishaan mita diya
haay ye maine kya kiya aa
dil ka diya bujha diya
shaad unko kar diya
aur ho gaya naashaad main
shaad unko kar diya
aur ho gaya naashaad main
unka diya jala diya
unka diya jala diya
apna diya bujha diya
haay ye maine kya kiya
kiskee karoon shikaayaten
kosoon main kiskee jaan ko
mere hee parte (?) shauk ne
mere hee parte (?) shauk ne
mera gala daba diya
haay ye maine kya aa aa kiya aa
dil ka diya bujha diya
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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