Tum jo roothhe ho
Posted on: June 25, 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 Janmabhoomi-1936.
The film was a Bombay Talkies presentation, directed by a German- Franz Osten and the Music was by Saraswati Devi ( real name Khorsheed Minocher-Homji). The cast of the film included Devika Rani, Ashok Kumar ( this was his only 3rd film), Pramila, Chandraprabha (sister of Saraswati Devi), P.F. Pithawala, Mumtaz Ali (father of comedian Mehmood), Sunita Devi and others.
This was sort of a hidden or disguised Patriotic film. In those days films were scrutinised minutely by the British Government to eliminate any scene, dialogue or a song, which they suspected was a criticism of the Government. This was to ensure that there should not be any room to create or spread criticism of the Government or to promote patriotism leading to a revolt.
The police became stricter during the war period and it became the reason Kavi Pradeep had to go underground for a few months for writing a daring songforthe film ” Kismet”-1943. The song was ” Door hato aye duniya walo (move away, O outsiders)”, which invited the ire of the then Government.
The first Talkie film came in 1931. The first year had just 24 films, but within a span of 3 years, the Talkie films crossed the century mark, with 121 films in 1934, 152 in 1935 and 134 in 1936. Making a film was a complicated process which needed a studio, the latest machinery and a lot of money. This was difficult for a single person and thus the Studio System got established. The studios ruled the industry and the film making. Films were sold on the names of the studios and the actors had secondary appeal to the audience.
There were three major film centres in 1936 – Bombay, Calcutta and Poona. In Bombay, studios like Imperial, Bombay Talkies, Sagar Movietone, Ranjit etc were big names. In Calcutta, New Theatres and East India Film Corporation were major players. Prabhat film company was famous from Poona. This was the position in 1936. Like any other industry, the film industry too needed an organisation of the big players, so that the workers had no upper hand on them. Accordingly, “Indian Motion Pictures Association” (IMPA) was established first in Bombay, followed by Bengal Motion Picture Association in Calcutta. Poona, being in the Bombay Presidency, did not have a separate organization.
1936 saw the formation of Huns Pictures by Master Vinayak and Baburao Pendharkar. The year was noteworthy for Prabhat Film company as one of its directors, Keshavrao Dhaibar had to leave the company, for marrying one of the company’s employee-actress Nalini Tarkhud and thus breaking the company’s rule not to marry an employee ! Much later, even V.Shantaram had to leave Prabhat when he married actress Jayashree, an employee of Prabhat !! (S. Fattelal had also married actress Gulab Bai aka Kamla Devi, but before this rule was formed. So he was saved. Gulab Bai is seen in the Prabhat Logo, bent backwards, blowing a Tutari).
Let us now take a look at some important films of 1936….
The year was notable for the type of films it produced. The initial limitation of making films only on Mythologicals or folk stories slowly changed over to social issues and problems. As such, due to British rule Indians had started following a lot of western manners, dressing patterns and our traditions were giving way to modern ways of developing countries like Europe or the America.
From Calcutta came 3 films of New Theatres, Manzil, Maaya and Karodpati. Manzil was a love story of a rich boy and a poor boy loving the same girl. Maya was a story of a rich wayward girl and an orphan girl in her house loving the same boy. Karodpati was a comedy enacted by Saigal and Molina Devi.
Bombay Talkies had 3 films, but only 2 were noteworthy. The first was Jeevan Naiya, which saw Ashok Kumar becoming a reluctant Hero (he was only a Lab-Technician) opposite Devika Rani. The other film was Achut Kanya – a film based on the ills of Untouchability. (The third film was Janmabhoomi )
The year 1936 was memorable because of films from Prabhat, which made the film Amar Jyoti, showing Durga Khote as a Lady Pirate. The film was made on Grand scale and in such a way that it was much ahead of its time !
The other important film was Sant Tukaram in Marathi. The film ran for one year in Bombay theatres. The role of the wife of Tukaram was done by an actress, who was a sweeper in the studio before this film, but she excelled in her role. Her name was Tanibai Davari. This was the first film to celebrate the Golden Jubilee at many places. It won the honour of ” One of the 3 Greatest films of the world” award at Venice Film Festival in 1937.
Sagar Movietone launched actor singer Surendra with the film Deccan Queen. The other film was Manmohan, which copied the film Devdas, by becoming a tragedy of a heart broken lover. Some other notable films were Sunehra Sansar by East India company, introducing Vijay Kumar from Shimla and K.N.Singh. K.N.Singh also debuted as a Hero in the only film Bandit of the Air from the same company. There were films like Jay Bharat from the Wadias, Passing Show from Prakash films and Said E Hawas from Minerva Movietone. Film Maa from Prafull Pictures used ” Vande Mataram” for the first time in a film. Film Shokh Dilruba had 150 kissing scenes (there was no restriction from Censors then). First Talkie Seeta Vivah from Orissa also came.
The story of the film was…..
Ajay(AK) and his beloved Protima(DR) fight for the welfare and justice of the Indian villagers. They invite the anger and enmity of the local Zamindar(Kaiser) and a conservative fanatic Sanatan(Pithwala). These two villains give a lot of trouble to the workers-these things occupy almost 7o% of the film scenes, but AK and DR jodi is not broken. Ultimately they are able to convert Zamindar and Sanatan to their side. Zamindar gives up his entire property for the cause of villagers’ welfare. Thus Class conflict is changed to class collaboration.
The film was directed by a German- Franz Osten. Germany had a very good name in India during the olden days i.e. during the early part of the last century. I remember my Grandfather ( who died in 1975 at the age of 91 years) always praising Germany for so many things. In India,all things German were considered the Best- even better than the Vilayati or the British things !
Very few people know that Indian Cinema had a little known connection with the rise of Hitler in Germany in 1932-33. A group of men , engaged in Cinema in Germany, flocked to India in the 30’s and played a vital role in Indian Cinema and the arts of that time. After Hitler took over Germany in 1933, the German Cine Studio’s glory days were over and they were turned into Nazi Propaganda Machines !
It was at this time that several of its men left the studio and arrived in India, and contributed to Indian cinema’s formative years.
The foremost among them is Frantz Osten (23-12-1876 to 2-12-1956 ), a German whom Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani met at the UFA when they went to train there (they worked with Lang and Marlene Dietrich). Osten had already been directing films for the couple since 1925, when he made Light of Asia for them from Germany.
In 1934, he came to India and the next year, after Rai founded Bombay Talkies ‘ the legendary film studio in Malad that now lies in ruins ‘ Osten directed its first film.
He went on to direct the famous Devika Rani-Ashok Kumar starrer, Achhyut Kanya, without much knowledge of Hindi. The film, which featured the song “Main ban ki chiriya”, was shot by Cinematographer Joseph Wirsching; the sets were designed by Karl von Spreti, the laboratory was headed by Zolle, and the sound recordist was Len Heartley. This was Osten’s team of UFA ex-members who worked for Rai’s state-of-the-art studio.
Osten and his fellow Germans directed 16 films for Rai. It was a remarkable feat for people who knew little Hindi ‘ mistaking the word “bulbul” once for a pair of bulls.
“It’s not clear if they had anything to do with the Nazi ideology, either way,” said film historian Amrit Gangar, who has written a book on Germans in the Indian film industry.“If they did, it would not show in their films. But there were two other people who almost certainly migrated to India because of the persecution of Jews.”
Franz Osten(23-12-1876 to 2-12-1956) Hindi director, born in Munich as Franz Ostermayer, the elder brother of successful producer Peter Ostermayer. They set up a travelling cinema, Original Physiograph (1907) and founded Munchner Kunstfilm (1909) after Osten had been making shorts for Pathé, Gaumont and Eclair. Their first feature: Die Wahrheit (1910). Osten’s début as director: Erna Valeska (1911). War correspondent in 1915. Joined Peter’s company Emelka (later Bavaria Film) in 1918. Made Der Ochsenkrieg (1920) with young cameraman Frank Planer of later Hollywood fame, one of Osten’s several contributions to a budding genre that after WW2 became known as the Heimatfilm. In fact, the Ostermayr/Osten brothers claimed to be the originators of the genre.
When Himansu Rai and Emelka made a deal to produce Prem Sanyas aka Light of Asia, Osten was assigned to direct. Continued directing Rai’s productions, often shooting in India as well as in Europe, in addition to directing for numerous companies in Berlin. Moved with cameraman Josef Wirsching and set designer Karl von Spreti to India to work at Himansu Rai’s Bombay Talkies (1934).
While in Bombay, became a member of the Nazi Party (1936). Interned by the British at the outbreak of WW2 while shooting his last film there, Kangan. Released and allowed to return to Germany (1940). Employed by Bavaria Film until 1945, for casting and setting up its film archive. In addition to Indian films, directed 33 silent features and 10 sound films.
After WW2 became manager of a Bavarian spa. His Indian films, following UFA tradition, were huge Orientalist spectacles with elephants, camels and expansive vistas often shot in deep focus. Effective authorship shared by producer Rai and scenarist Niranjan Pal. Adopted European conventions to introduce main actors, e.g. backlit mid-shots in soft focus gradually becoming more contrasted; also used mobile outdoor shots as in the railway-crossing sequence of Achhut Kanya. Strongly influenced younger Bombay Talkies film-makers Amiya Chakrabarty and Gyan Mukherjee, though they used his techniques for very different purposes.
Filmography-1925: Prem Sanyas, 1928: Shiraz, 1929: Prapancha Pash, 1935: Jawani Ki Hawa, 1936: Achhut Kanya, Janmabhoomi, Jeevan Naiya, Mamata, Miya Bibi, 1937: Izzat, Jeevan Prabhat, Prem Kahani, Savitri, 1938: Bhabhi, Nirmala, Vachan, 1939: Durga, Kangan, Navjeevan.
The Music Director was Saraswati Devi. Many people think that Sarswati Devi was India’s First Woman Music Director in Hindi films. Some think it was Jaddan Bai (mother of Nargis). But both were NOT. The actual ranking is as follows….
- Ishrat Sultana aka Bibbo-1934 (2 films)
- Jaddan Bai-1935 (5)
- Saraswati Devi-1935 (33)
- Munni Bai – 1935 (1)
- Mukhtar Begum-1936 (2)
6.Gohar Karnataki-1937 (1)
- Amirbai Karnataki- 1947 (1)
- Shanta Apte- 1947 (1)
- Usha Khanna-1959 (148)
So, one can say that the first female prolific MD was Saraswati Devi, with 33 films and Usha Khanna was the most prolific female MD, with 148 films to her credit.
Today’s song is a duet sung by Mumtaz Ali and Sunita Devi. Enjoy the early style of film songs….
Song- Tum jo roothhe ho (Janmbhoomi)(1936) Singers- Mumtaz Ali,Sunita Devi, Lyricist- J S Casshyap, MD- Saraswati DeviLyrics:
tum jo roothhe homaza aayega manaane ka
tum jo roothhe ho
maza aayega manaane ka
gudgudaane ka maza
aur gale lagaane ka
gudgudane ka maza
aur gale lagaane ka
aavo mohaniya sajaniya
aavo aavo mohaniya sajaniya
hato bairan se jaaye karo ??
hato bairan se jaaye karo ??
chaley ho baan se
khinche kamaan se
chaley ho baan se
khinche kamaan se
chaley ho baan
baan tumko buree hai humen jalaate ho
naheen hai jaan
jaan hum hain galey gair ko lagaate ho
aavo aavo
jao jaao bairan se jaaye karo ??
ae ae
aavo aavo
jaao jao bairan se jaye karo ??
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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