O piyo peene ka zamaana aaya
Posted on: September 3, 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 the last and final song from the action packed social movie Himmat-1970. It was a typical product of South Indian stories, which made an interesting mixture of action, romance, music and dance, crime and emotions coupled with popular actors from the Hindi filmland. In this case the Hero was Jeetendra- a favourite of Southern filmmakers in those times.
The film was made by Bharati International, Madras and it was directed by the very successful Director Ravi Nagaich. This film was a remake of a Telugu Hit film Adrushtavanthulu-1968. The film had music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and the Lyricist was Anand Bakshi. The cast included Jeetendra, Mumtaz, Prem Chopda, K.N.Singh,Naaz, Asit Sen, Tun Tun, Parveen Paul, Aruna Irani, Jagdeep and many southern artists.
The story of the film was….
The Hindi action-thriller film Himmat-1970 follows the story of a reformed criminal fighting to leave his dark past behind. The story begins with Raghu (played by Jeetendra), a notorious criminal who decides to reform his ways. Upon his release from prison, he challenges Inspector Mathur (K.N. Singh) by promising to live a completely honest life. His former underworld syndicate, led by a ruthless gang leader known as the Boss (Prem Chopra), tries to welcome him back into the crime world. Raghu firmly rejects their offers and chooses an honest livelihood instead. He partners with a local mechanic named Tiger (Jagdeep) and takes up a job as a truck driver.
While working, Raghu and Tiger cross paths with a young person dressed in a male disguise. Raghu eventually discovers that “he” is actually a young woman named Malti (Mumtaz), who is running away from her abusive guardian. Sympathizing with her situation, Raghu protects her. The two soon fall in love, marry, and settle down in a peaceful life, eventually welcoming a daughter named Banthu (Kumari Naaz). Raghu’s peaceful domestic life is shattered when the Boss tracks him down. Desperate to utilize Raghu’s unique criminal expertise, the syndicate blackmails and forces him to execute one final, high-stakes heist. Trapped, Raghu is forced to pull off a dangerous train robbery, successfully stealing a highly classified secret government file.
Knowing the immense danger the file poses in the hands of the underworld, Raghu decides to outsmart his former handlers. When the Boss retaliates by kidnapping Raghu’s daughter, Banthu, to force a trade, Raghu risks his life to rescue her using the stolen file as leverage. Following an intense, action-packed showdown, Raghu defeats the criminal syndicate, saves his family, and hands the file over to the authorities. Recognizing his bravery and genuine transformation, society and the law ultimately forgive his past and accept him as an honorable citizen.
Actor Jeetendra was one of the most loved and wanted actors in the South. During the period from the late 70’s to 81’s, jeetendra acted in 75 Hindi remakes, especially of Tamil and Telugu Hit films. He was called “The King of remakes”. It all started with his first such film Farz-1967, which was a remake of Telugu hit film Goodachari 116 made in 1966. In these large number of remakes, the other beneficiaries were L-P for music and Anand Bakshi as a Lyricist. Ravi Nagaich was the director behind establishing Jeetendra as the South’s pet actor.
Ravikant Nagaich (5 July 1931 – 6 January 1991) was born at Atrauli, Aligarh- Uttar Pradesh, India. He started his filming career as a cinematographer in Telugu films, N.T. Rama Rao’s Sri Seetha Rama Kalyanam in 1961 being his first film. With Farz-1967 ( a remake of Telugu Hit film Goodachari 116 in 1966), he turned to Hindi movies and direction. This low-budget thriller inspired by James Bond was a surprise hit and helped Ravikant and the film’s lead pair’s (Jeetendra and Babita) career. Dharmendra acted as Agent 116 Gopal in Keemat (1973). Jeetendra reprised his role as Agent 116, Gopalkishan Pandey in Raksha (1982) and again in The Gold Medal-1979.
He went on to direct 24 more films with Duty (1986) being his last. Though he had some big-budget hits like Mere Jeevan Saathi and The Train, his low-budget fare such as Surakksha and Wardat – again in the secret agent mode like Farz, Keemat, and Raksha – are his remembered hits due to the tacky stunts and special effects and the fact that despite these drawbacks, the films did well. Mithun Chakravorty too benefitted from Surakksha to move to commercial films as Jeetendra had earlier with Farz. He also produced two films in the 1980s: Wardaat and Shapath.
Today let us know more about Hindi cinema’s Bad Man- K.N.Singh, who is one of the cast members of today’s film. The 1936 film ‘Bandit Of The Air’ aka ‘Hawaai Daaku’.This film has an important distinction – that it is the only one film of actor KN Singh, in which he appeared as the hero opposite Ram Pyaari. 1st September is the birth anniversary of this ‘baddie’ cum character actor in Hindi films, with a long innings of over five decades, with more than 250 appearances on the silver screen to his credit.
A top hat, thick and bushy eyebrows – raised in a sinister question, a smoking pipe, and large menacing eyes – a hallmark appearance of this villain that lasted through many decades. His entry into the screen frame always prepared the viewers that someone is going to be bashed, or something evil is going to happen. In an interview, KN Singh recalls the following incident. AR Kardar’s ‘Baaghbaan’ (1938) had been released and KN Singh’s role as a villain had impressed one and all. KN Singh was now working on the sets of a film titled ‘Kaun Kisi Ka’ (1939). Yakub, who was then working with Sagar Movietone and was also a known villain actor, happened to come by the same studio. Seeing KN Singh, he greeted him as “Hello King”. KN Singh responded to his greeting and said that his name is ‘Singh’ and not ‘King’. Yakub replied, “हम तो तुम्हें किंग ही कहेंगे। हम तो बस यही कहने आए हैं कि हमने अब विलेन का काम करना छोड़ देना है। अब तो गोप के साथ कामेडी किया करेंगे। क्योंकि तुम्हारी तरह हम चल नहीं सकते। तुम्हारे चल के आने में ऐसा लगता है के मुसीबत आ रही है।” (“I will call you as King only. I just came by to say that I am now giving up playing villain roles, and will join Gope and do comedy. Because I can’t even walk like you. When you walk into a scene, it seems as if some calamity is arriving”).
KN Singh was the eldest of five siblings, children of Chandi Prasad Singh, a well known advocate in Dehradun. When he was born on 1st September 1908, his parents first named him ‘Niranjan’. Then, Chandi Prasad’s guruji came home to bless the child, and he said – “Krishn has come to your home”. So then the complete name of the child became Krishn Niranjan Singh – later to be abbreviated as KN Singh. He studied at La Martiniere and Cambridge Schools in Dehradun. His father wanted to send him to London to study law, because he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. But then a certain event happened that changed the course of life for KN Singh. A murder case came to his father. The accused was a well known rich man of Dehradun. It was a crime of passion, and a lady had been put to death. Chandi Prasad Singh was successful in getting the accused acquitted, by producing some fake train tickets to establish that the accused was not in Dehradun when the crime was committed. This falsification affected KN Singh so much that he prayed to his father to relieve him of the promise of becoming a lawyer, because he would never be a party to such lying and deceit. There was a falling out and he left home and Dehradun.
With a friend he travelled to Lahore, and then to Gujranwala. There he set up a cloth printing workshop that put prints on khadi cloth. The work was good and he soon set up another print workshop in Lahore. Then, in collaboration with another friend, he established a coaching school for students in Roorkee – K&D Tutorial Institute. In 1930, he was asked to return to Dehradun, and his parents got him married. This first marriage did not last long, as his wife unfortunately passed away in 1932. KN Singh stayed on in Dehradun.
In 1935, he went to Calcutta to visit his sister, who had shifted to Calcutta after her marriage. Now, in Dehradun, KN Singh was friends with Nityanand Khanna, a person who turns out to be a cousin of Prithviraj Kapoor. This was the time that Prithviraj was working with New Theatres in Calcutta. So KN Singh met Prithviraj and they became good friends. At Prithviraj’s residence, one day KN Singh happened to meet Debaki Bose. Debaki Bose suggested to him to become an actor. KN Singh, at first, tried to let it go as an exchange in a lighter mood. He returned to Dehradun. But that suggestion kept sitting as a worm at the back of his mind. Sure enough, after a short while, he was back in Calcutta. With the help of Prithviraj, Debaki Bose cast him in the role of a doctor in the film ‘Sunehra Sansaar’ (1936). The film journey of KN Singh had started.
Very soon, word got around the Calcutta film circles about this handsome young man from Dehradun, who could speak Urdu very well. Modern India Talkies were looking for a new face to be the hero in their next venture – ‘Bandit Of The Air’ aka ‘Hawaai Daaku’. With the promise that he would not be required to sing or jump around the trees, KN Singh agreed to take on that role. That film was also released in 1936. Meanwhile, New Theatres again offered him a role in their film ‘Anaath Ashram’ (1937). This role was once again a villain’s role. Next came ‘Vidyapati’ and then ‘Milap’, both in 1937. Incidentally, ‘Milap’ was a production from Moti Mahal Theatres in Calcutta, and was produced and directed by AR Kardar himself.
His second marriage happened in 1937. He merrily describes the episode. The shooting for ‘Vidyapati’ was in progress, and he was summoned to Dehradun to get married. In the midst of the shooting schedule, he asked for a two days reprieve, went home, got married and promptly returned to the studios, as the sets were still in place and some scenes were waiting for his return. With good humor he explains, there is a scene in the film in which he is shown about to enter the royal court of Prithviraj Kapoor. After this scene is shot, he takes leave to go home for his marriage. Then returns after two days and completes the rest of the shot of the royal court. As he explains, just before entering the ‘darbaar’ he is an unmarried person, but in the very next scene as he is inside the ‘darbaar’ and present in front of Prithviraj Kapoor, he is a married man. None in the industry would have had such a swift wedding affair, he laughs.
His presence in the film industry was being noticed seriously. AR Kardar invited him to come over to Bombay, and take on the villain’s role in his upcoming ‘Baagbaan’ (1938). After the release and success of ‘Baagbaan’ – there really was no looking back. The film went on to celebrate a golden jubilee, and KN Singh was typecast as a villain forever.
After KN Singh moved to Bombay in 1938, slowly the exodus started from Calcutta in general, and New Theatres in particular. Majority of the film artists and film music makers also migrated slowly to Bombay. Impacted by the great famine in Bengal, the closing years of world war II, contributed to a general slowdown of the economy, and the film industry in Calcutta.
After coming to Bombay, KN Singh settled into his career as a villain cum character actor in the Bombay world of cinema. After the golden jubilee success of ‘Baaghbaan’, Ezra Mir cast him in ‘Sitaara’ (1939). Arriving in Bombay, he worked himself into the top bracket of the highest paid character actors in the industry. And with the coming of most of his old friends from Calcutta, he felt quite at home now in his flourishing career.
In Calcutta, while at New Theatres, KN Singh also became very good friends with KL Saigal. In an interview he once refreshed his old memories of the days when most of the cream of Bombay industry used to stay within a 20 to 30 minutes walking distance from each other in Central Bombay. The camaraderie within this group consisting of Prithviraj Kapoor, Shyam, Om Prakash, KN Singh, Bhagwan, Jairaj, Nargis, Kidar Sharma, KL Saigal, Madan Puri, Jagdish Sethi, Manmohan Krishan, PN Arora, Robin Chatterjee, Sitara Devi, Jayant, Anil Biswas, Dronacharya, Manna Dey, Phani Mazumdar, Brijrani, Dwarka Khosla, PN Khanna (these are the names he himself has mentioned in the interview) was of a very fond friendship. There would be frequent get-togethers and picnics, and friends would drop in unannounced, into each other’s homes, as well as at work in studios. He cites specifically the scene from ‘Awaara’ (1951), which is the final confrontation between Raj Kapoor and KN Singh, and in which the latter dies at the end of the scene. KN Singh is brandishing a knife, and it is supposed to fall out of his hands and come into Raj Kapoor’s possession. While the action steps were being discussed, Bhagwan Dada dropped in unannounced into the studio. Having been a stunt master earlier, he got involved into the discussion, and suggested how the scene should be executed. Raj Kapoor took that suggestion very sportingly and the scene was shot as suggested by Bhagwan Dada.
Another interesting anecdote he tells is about the film ‘Ishaara’ (1943). The lead pair was Prithviraj and Suraiya, and KN Singh was playing the role of the hero’s father. Now Prithviraj was three years elder to KN Singh. So, says KN Singh, that he formally asked for permission from Prithviraj to take on that role, because in this role he would be scolding and berating his elder cast member. The times, yes, they were different in that era.
Close to the end of 1946, an ailing KL Saigal left Bombay for the last time, proceeding to his hometown Jalandhar for treatment and recuperation. He was not destined to return. It is significantly noted in many articles and information pieces – there were only two people to see him off the Bombay station – one was his driver and the second person was KN Singh. The film ‘Parwaana’ (1947) was still under production and both Saigal Sb and KN Singh were working on it. Providentially, KN Singh is the last person of the film industry who would see Saigal Sb alive.
KN Singh’s inning in the film industry lasted well into the early nineties, a great run of more than five and half decades. The last released movie in which he appears is most likely, ‘Ajooba’ from 1991. He has worked with most actors – starting with Mazhar Khan, Prithviraj and KL Saigal, all the way upto Dharmendra, Amitabh, Rajesh Khanna, Jeetendra and Shashi Kapoor. In his later years he was troubled with failing eyesight, and was quite a bit on his own, alone and forgotten. Most of his old friends were gone by then. He passed away on 31st January, 2000.
A gentleman villain, as opposed to the angry gangster boss, his enduring image is that of a white collared villain, dressed in a fine suit and bow tie, smoking a pipe, with a menacing glance and a calm cold delivery. He was a stickler for discipline and punctuality. It is said in the industry that in his later years, like the 1970s and 1980s, producers would cast him in cameo roles, just so that other members of the cast would come to the studio on time, knowing that KN Singh is also part of the team.
(Based on articles from Filmfare, Jansatta and Madhuri, supplied kindly by Late Harish Raghuwanshi ji, from Surat.Thanks.)
Here is the last and final song from today’s film, sung by Asha, Rafi and Chorus. This makes the film YIPPEED !
Song- O piyo peene ka zamaana aaya (Himmat)(1970) Singers- Asha Bhosle, Rafi, Lyricist-Anand Bakshi, MD- Laxmikant- PyarelalBoth
Chorus
Both + chorus
Lyrics :
hip hip hurrayru
ru ru ru ru ru
hey
hey hey hey hey hey
hic
piyo
peene ka zamaana aaya ba ba bam
jiyo
jeene ka zamaana aaya ba ba bam
ba ba bam
ba ba bam
kabhee kabhee aate hain aise aisee raaten
aao takraao ye paimaane
o piyo peene ka zamaana aaya ba ba bam
o jiyo jeene ka zamaana aaya ba ba bam
ba ba bam
ba ba bam
o piyo peene ka zamaana aaya ba ba bam
taraane honthon pe aaye hain
aaye hain
khabar suno ye hum laaye hain
laaye hain
zulfon ke baadal chhaaye hain
taraane honthon pe aaye hain
aaye hain
aaye hain
ho o o
kabhee kabhee hotee hai ye gulaabee barsaaten
aao takraayen paimaane
hu
piya peene ka zamaana aaya
ba ba bam
o piyo peene ka zamaana aaya
ba ba bam
nazar churaana na aise mein
aise mein
yahaan se jaana na aise mein
aise mein
karna na naa naa aise mein
nazar churaana na aise mein
aise mein
aise mein aise mein aise mein aise mein
hey ae ae
kabhee kabhee hotee hai ye haseen mulaakaaten
aao takraayen paimaane
ho piyo
peene ka zamaana aaya
ba ba bam
ho jiyo
jeene ka zamaana aaya ba ba bam
ba ba bam
ba ba bam
o piyo peene ka zamaana aaya
ba ba bam
o piyo peene ka zamaana aaya
ba ba bam
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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