Saawan ban aayo aaj
Posted on: June 1, 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’s song is from a 90 year old film – Manmohan-1936.
The film was made by Sagar movietone and it was the 3rd Directorial film for Mehboob Khan. The music was by Ashok Ghosh, a very well known name in Bangla filmdom- who had a very enthusiastic and talented assistant- Anil Biswas. The cast of the film consisted of Miss Bibbo, Surendra (his 2nd film), Yaqub, Ashalata (real name Mehrunnisa, who later married Anil Biswas), Ram Marathe, Zia Sarhadi, Bhudo Advani and many others. Lyricist, dialogue writer and story writer was Zia Sarhadi who also did a small role in this film.
You will be surprised if I tell you that this film would not have been made if K L Saigal was not acting in films of New Theatres in Calcutta ! Strange, but true ! Let us see how….
K L Saigal was discovered by New Theatres and he entered into a contract with them. His first 3 films were most ordinary and non significant, all flops actually – Zinda Laash, Subah ka sitara and Mohabbat ke aansoo, all made in 1932. Next year he made 2 films – Yahoodi ki beti and Pooran Bhagat, made in 1933. In his 5th film-Pooran Bhagat- his 4 songs from this film became famous to some extent. However he had not acted in that film, but only the songs were filmed on him. In the subsequent year, his first famous and popular film-Chandidas-1934 came out with a Hit song ”Prem nagar me basaungi main ghar” along with Uma Shashi. But in this film he was overshadowed by senior actors like Uma Shashi etc.
Saigal caught the nation’s attention in real sense in his 10th film – ”Devdas“-1935 and there was no looking back after this film. He soon became the Trump Card for New Theatres and in film after films, his name and fame became known everywhere. The audience and the younger generation at that time had become mad for Saigal’s songs and films. It was a Gold-mine for new Theatres.
This gave jitters to the Bombay film industry and every studio started a ‘Look-Out’ for a new actor-singer to counter Saigal’s and new Theatre’s domination over India.
Surendranath Sharma, B.A., LL.B was discovered by Lala Alopi Prasad, a Delhi distributor of Sagar Movietone films. He had seen and heard Surendra’s singing. He convinced Surendranath to join films and sent him to Sagar movietone in Bombay. Authorities in Sagar were simply ecstatic seeing this young, handsome and highly educated singer from a respectable family. He was soon contracted and handed over to Sagar’s young, enterprising director Mehboob Khan, who not only groomed him, renamed him as only Surendra, but also made him a Hero in the film Deccan Queen-1936. In this film he sang a song ” Birha ki aag lagi more man mein “, which was a parody of Saigal’s famous song ” Baalam aaye baso mere man mein ” from the film Devdas-1935. All this confirmed the claim of Sagar Movietone that Surendra was Bombay’s answer to Calcutta’s Saigal !
The very next film of Surendra was based on the same story as ‘Devdas‘. It was written by Zia Sarhadi. It was titled “Manmohan“, in which the protagonist loses his beloved to another person and takes up drinking and loses his own life. Thus, the film ” Manmohan”-1936 was made because Saigal was popular in Calcutta ! Film Manmohan also became a Hit film. The handsome Surendra and the beautiful Bibbo enhanced the appeal and very good songs added to its popularity.
The film revolves around two childhood friends, Vimala (Bibbo), and Ashok (Surendra), who loves her but loses her to another, finally taking to drinking.Ashok (Surendra) is an artist in love with Vimala (Bibbo). On learning that she is to marry Jagdish (Yakub) he is devastated and paints her portraits which become popular. He starts drinking and finds comfort with another woman. Soon his family wealth starts dwindling. Vimala, who is married by now, tries to help him with her husband’s efforts. However, Ashok misunderstands the overture, leading to a tragedy for him.
Sagar Movietone had introduced Surendra with his first film “Deccan Queen”-1936. After this, Surendra’s second film was Manmohan-1936 using a similar story and its tragic end like Saigal’s Devdas-1935. For Saigal’s President-1937, there was Surendra’s Jagirdar-1937 and for Saigal’s Street Singer-1938, there was Surendra’s Gramophone Singer-1938.
Thank God, Surendra realised in time not to copy the Saigal style of singing and developed his own style. When Mithun Chakravarty came, he was touted as “poor man’s Amitabh”. When Govinda came, he was promoted as ” poor man’s Mithun”. These were coined much later after Surendra was called ” Saigal of the poor” in the films of the 1930s to promote him.
Another similarity was, like Saigal was wanted by Bombay producers badly, till they succeeded in 1942, Surendra was also on the target of many producers in Bombay. Sardar Chandulal Shah of Ranjit was in the forefront of this race. He played his cards very cleverly. First he defeated Chimanlal Desai, owner of Sagar, in a card game and grabbed the rights of an almost completed film Alibaba-1940. After this Sagar was sold out and National Studio took over. Within a few months Chandulal instigated Chimanlal to quit and start his own studio, for which Shah gave 60% capital. Amar Pictures was started as a sister company of Ranjit. Thus Surendra, who was very loyal to Sagar, came to Chandulal. Through another sister company of Chandulal,Surendra was featured in the film Vishkanya-1943. Thus Chandulal got hold of Surendra.
When Chandulal brought Saigal to Ranjit to make the film Tansen in 1943, he made film Bharthari-1944, with Surendra through his another sister company- Navin pictures. Such were the ways of competition in the film industry since the early era. This reminds me of the legal battle between Sharada Cinetone and Imperial studio for the custody of the then No. 1 actor, Master Vithal, in the early 1930s- just before Alam Ara-1931.
The Heroine of this film, Miss Bibbo, was not only a well known actress in the early talkie era, but she also had the unique achievement of being the First Woman Music Director of Hindi Films. MISS BIBBO OR ISHARAT SULTANA was born in Delhi in 1906. Her mother Hafeezan Bai was a famous singer. She was extremely beautiful. Being from a singer’s family, she was trained in music at home. She landed in Bombay in 1933. She started her acting career with Ajanta Cinetone Ltd. in 1933, working with directors like M. D. Bhavnani and A. P. Kapoor. She was one of the top leading ladies of the 1930s along with actresses like Devika Rani, Durga Khote, Sulochana, Mehtab, Shanta Apte, Sabita Devi, Leela Desai and Naseem Banu. She was referred to as “one of the most important female stars of the 1930s and 1940s”.
Her fame had her featured in the lyrics of a popular song from the film Gharib Ke Lal (1939) sung by Mirza Musharraf and Kamla Karnataki, with music by Sagheer Asif and lyrics by Rafi Kashmiri. “Tujhe Bibbo Kahoon Ke Sulochana” (Should I call you Bibbo or Sulochana), where Sulochana referred to another popular actress of the time. This was the first time a song featuring famous actors was used in the lyrics of a film song.
She acted in Maya Jaal and Rangeela Rajput. Then came Dukhtar e Hind,Sair e Paristan and Vasavdatta. She sang duets with Master Nissar which became very popular. She was so stylish and attractive that many Nawabs,kings and State heads invited her.In her hey-days,she was very rich and lived a very luxurious life.She was a Fashion icon in those days for ladies in India,Burma and Ceylon.Her dresses used to be copied. She worked for Sagar movietone after Ajanta and Manmohan-1935 became a hit. Her duets with Surendra became a rage all over India.
BIBBO aka Ishrat Sultana has the distinction of being India’s(or rather the world’s) FIRST Woman Hindi Film Music Director, when she gave music to the film “ADIL E JAHANGIR”-1934(it was also titled as NYAYEE- means one who does justice).There were 14 songs in the film . Later in 1937,she gave Music to yet another film, this time along with Dr.Samad, “QAZZAQ KI BETI”. There were 9 songs in this film. She, however, did not become a professional or a prolific Composer-like Jaddanbai or Saraswati Devi.
She worked in nearly thirty films as a lead actress in India from 1933 to 1947, shifting to character roles in later years, following her move to Pakistan. She won the Nigar Award for the best character actress for her role in the Pakistani film Zehr-e-Ishq (1958).
Bibbo shifted to Pakistan following the partition of India in 1947. She started working in films there as a character artist doing about twelve films from 1950 to 1966.
Her first film in Pakistan was Shammi (1950), a Punjabi picture directed by Munshi Dil. She co-starred with Shammi, Santosh and Ajmal. It had music composed by Master Inayat Hussain.
Dupatta (1952), was an Urdu film directed by Sibtain Fazli and produced by Aslam Lodhi. It starred Noor Jehan, Sudhir, Ajay Kumar and Yasmin along with Bibbo. The film was acclaimed as a big hit commercially and had music composed by Firoz Nizami, with songs sung by Noor Jehan.
Zahr-e-Ishq was released in April 1958. Produced by Khurshid Anwar and Sultan Jilani under the banner of Select Pictures, it starred Musarrat Nazir, Habib, Yasmin, Neelo and Bibbo. The music was by Khurshid Anwar, with lyrics by Qateel Shifai. Hailed as an “excellent film” by the reviewer, it won Bibbo the Nigar Award for best character actress.
Jhoomar is a 1959 film directed by Masud Pervez, with music composed by Khurshid Anwar. Produced by Anwar for Noor Minar Pictures banner, it starred Musarrat Nazir, Sudhir and Laila.
Ghunghat (1962), a suspense-thriller drama, was directed by Khurshid Anwar, who also wrote the story and composed the music. The cast included Nayyar Sultana, Santosh, Neelo, Laila and Bibbo.
Bibbo acted in a few more films, with Fanoos (1963) and Ghalib being commendable from her acting point of view, though the films did not do well commercially. Her last cited film is Armaan (1966), directed by Parvez Malik, with music by Sohail Rana.
Bibbo was married by the end of the 1930s to Khalil Sardar, who directed her in Adal-e-Jahangir, for which she gave music. Following the marriage, they left Bombay and moved to Lahore, where they produced a film under the banner of Rainbow films, Qazzak Ki Ladki (1937), where she was also the music director. The film was a commercial failure and Bibbo finally returned to Bombay. Following Partition in 1947, Bibbo moved to Pakistan, where she worked as a character artiste.
She had married the eldest brother of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto-Imdad Ali Bhutto. She lived in Karachi and was frequently seen in the Central Hotel, Karachi.
Her end in Pakistan was very pathetic and in very poor condition. She died on 25-5- 1972.
Some of her films are-
300 days and after, Akela, Bhole bhala, Capt. Kirti kumar, Dukhtar e Hind, Gramophone singer, Garib Pariwar, Jagirdar, Ladies only, Maya jaal, Manmohan, Laxmi, The mill, Postman, Pyar ki Maar, Qazzaq ki ladki, sagar ka sher, Sadhana, Sair e Paristan, Service limited, Sneh bandhan, Vasavdatta, Watan, Mere Raja, Pehli nazar, Zeenat, Sassi punnu. and Pehla Pyar-1947, her last film in India.
Here is a song by Surendra from this film, in old style. Enjoy….
Song- Saawan ban aayo aaj (Manmohan)(1936) Singer- Surendra, Lyricist- Zia Sarhadi, MD-Ashok Ghosh
Lyrics
Saawan
ban
aayo
aaj
Saawan
ban
aayo
aaj
Saawan
ban
aayo
aaj
aayo
na
sandesa
baaj(?)
aayo
na
sandesa
baaj(?)
un bin
?? chain
un bin
?? chain
?? laagee thhaar
Saawan
ban
aayo
aaj
Saawan
ban
aayo
aaj
chahoon
oar
ghat
chhaayee
chahoon
oar
ghat
chhaayee
chahoon
oar
ghat
chhaayee
boondan
ke
jhhad
laagee
lok
laaj
??
??
lok
laaj
??
??
aankhon ke laaj
??
man mein mora
laage baaj
Saawan
ban
aayo
aaj
saawan
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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