Apnee khushee se apna hee dil todna padaa
Posted on: September 11, 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 a social film – Kunwara Badan-1973.
There have been 6 films starting with the word ‘Kunwara’ and 9 films with ‘Kunwari’, so far.
This was a film by Tulsi Films, Bombay. The director was Vimal Tiwari and the music was by Ghanashyam. Now, I had never heard this name- Ghanashyam- as a Music Director. I started searching for information on him. I only knew about Music Director Shyam ji Ghanasham ji.
During my search, I came across one comment by our Sadanand Kamath ji on him. This is what he had written in one of the comments on the Blog, a long time back….
“There was a music assistant to Madan Mohan called Ghanshyam Sukhwal who joined him in 1955 during the making of ‘Railway Platform’ (1955). He became Madan Mohan’s full time music assistant from the film ‘Bhai Bhai’ (1956) which was Madan Mohan’s first major success as the music director. Since then, Ghanshyam worked with Madan Mohan until latter’s death in 1975.(Source: http://www.madanmohan.in). The association of Rajinder Krishan in this song gives me a feeling that the music director Ghanshyam may be Ghanshyam Sukhwal.
Incidentally, the real name of music director Shyamji Ghanshyamji was Ghanshyam. However, he changed his name to Shyamji Ghanshyamji while giving music in Hindi films during 1974-1988. I guess he did not wish to be confused with Ghanshyam Sukhwal.”
Later I found more information on the Internet….
Ghanshyam Sukhwal was a highly respected behind-the-scenes musical force in Bollywood, best known as the Chief Assistant Music Director to the legendary maestro Madan Mohan. While he spent much of his career orchestrating and finalizing the complex, ghazal-heavy compositions of Madan Mohan, he also worked as an independent composer and collaborated on regional music projects.
Sukhwal served as the trusted assistant and right-hand man to Madan Mohan during the peak eras of Hindi film music. He handled rehearsals, coordinated with top musicians like Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Ustad Rais Khan, and was heavily involved in preparing legendary singers for their recordings. Beyond assisting, he composed music independently. For instance, he gave the music score for the unreleased Bollywood movie Umeed (1980), which starred stalwarts Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor and was directed by Naresh Saigal.
He also composed music for traditional Rajasthani and Hindi devotional/folk albums, including tracks like Rang Rasiya Re (which featured playback by Mahendra Kapoor and Kavita Krishnamurthy) and cultural pieces like Udaipur Darshan.
The cast of the film included Rakesh Pandey, Debutante actress Madhuchanda,Paintal, Helen and there were so many names, none of whom I had ever heard about. The lyricist of this film was Rajendra krishna and there were only 4 songs in the film. The songs were absolutely ordinary.
The musical scene in the year 1973 was something entirely different.
The busiest MDs in 1973 were S.D.Burman. R.D.Burman, Kalyanji-Anandji and Laxmikant- Pyarelal. Sachin da gave films like Abhimaan, Jugnu,Fagun, Chhupa Rustom, Yeh Gulistan hamara etc. Kalyanji-Anandji films were Zanjeer, Victoria No 203, Banarasi Babu and Black mail. RDB was his best in Yaadon ki baarat, Namak haram, Anamika, Zeel ke uss paar, Aa gale lag jaa, Raja Rani etc. Laxmikant- Pyarelal brought out good, hit songs in films Bobby, Daag and Loafer. Their best was Bobby. After a long time, Raj Kapoor had entrusted music of his films to someone other than Shankar-Jaikishan and Laxmikant- Pyarelal came winners in that trust !
Bobby also became the Launching pad for Debut spot for 3 artists. Singers Shailendra Singh and Narendra Chanchal and Lyricist Vithalbhai Patel. All of them shared the success of Bobby. Lyricist Maya Govind debuted with Jalte Badan.
Madan Mohan’s Hanste Zakhm, Jaidev’s Prem Parbat, Kanu Roy’s Avishkar and Ravi’s Dhund also had good songs. Saudagar by the Blind MD Ravindra Jain did very well with its songs. K.C.Dey, Sonik in Sonik-Omi duo and Ravindra Jain were the 3 Blind MDs. K.C.Dey was also an excellent singer and he taught Manna Dey singing.
National film awards went to Lata and SD Burman. FilmFare chose SD Burman,Gulshan Bawra, Narendra Chanchal and Asha Bhosle. 5 songs from Samjhauta, Anamika, Victoria No.203, Bobby and Zanjeer were Binaca’s Top 5 songs. Musician Bhagatram (Husnlal’s partner) and Kamal Dasgupta expired in 1973.
This is the gist of the film’s story as I found on the Internet…..
Kunwara Badan (1973) is an emotional, romantic family drama that centers on a happily married couple whose lives spiral into misery, following the mutual confession of secrets from their dark pasts. The story follows Ranjit (Rakesh Pandey) and Suman (Madhu Chanda), who start their life together completely in love.
A breakdown in communication occurs when hidden details from their past lives come to light.Instead of bringing them closer, these confessions build a massive rift in their relationship. They find themselves caught in a complex web and a “bridge of lies” as they try to navigate social expectations and personal guilt.
Dancer actress Helen is known to all, but very few know about her early life. Helen Richardson ( born 21 November 1938), known mononymously as Helen, is an actress and dancer. One of the highest-paid dancers of her time, she has appeared in over 750 films, making her a prolific performer in Hindi cinema. Known for her sensual cabaret and nautch performances on screen and glamorous fashion statements, which often incorporated colourful wigs and contact lenses, she is cited in the media as one of the greatest and most popular dancers of India. As an actress, Helen frequently played bold, westernised antagonists in a number of films. In a career spanning over 70 years, she has been called the “Cabaret Queen” of Indian cinema and was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009.
Helen Richardson was born on 21 November 1938 in Rangoon, Burma to an Anglo-Indian father and a Burmese mother. Her father’s name was George Desmier and her mother’s name was Marlene. She has a brother named Roger and a sister named Jennifer. Their father died during World War II. Her mother married a British Soldier-Richrdson. The family then trekked to Dibrugarh of Assam in 1943 in order to escape from the Japanese occupation of Burma. Helen told Filmfare during an interview in 1964:…”we trekked alternately through wilderness and hundreds of villages, surviving on the generosity of people, for we were penniless, with no food and few clothes. Occasionally, we met British soldiers who provided us with transport, found us refugees and treated our blistered feet and bruised bodies and fed us. By the time we reached Dibrugarh in Assam, our group had been reduced to half. Some had fallen ill and been left behind, some had died of starvation and disease. My mother miscarried along the way. The survivors were admitted to the Dibrugarh hospital for treatment. Mother and I had been virtually reduced to skeletons and my brother’s condition was critical. We spent two months in the hospital. When we recovered, we moved to Calcutta, and sadly my brother died there due to smallpox”.
She quit her schooling to support her family because her mother’s salary as a nurse was not enough to feed a family of four. In a documentary called Queen of the Nautch girls, Helen said she was 19 years old in 1958 when she got her first big break in Howrah Bridge.
Helen was introduced to Bollywood (Hindi cinema) when a family friend, Cuckoo, helped her find jobs as a group dancer in the films Shabistan (1951) and Awaara (1951). She was soon working regularly and was featured as a solo dancer in films such as Alif Laila (1954) and Hoor-e-Arab (1955). She also featured as Street singer in the film Mayurpankh (1954).
Helen got her major break in 1958, aged 19, when she performed on the song “Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu” in Shakti Samanta’s film, Howrah Bridge, which was sung by Geeta Dutt. After that, offers started pouring in throughout the 1960s and 1970s. During her initial career, Geeta Dutt sang many songs for her. In the plot of many of the films of this period, Helen performs a song or dance then is killed, leaving the film’s “good woman” available for the hero. The Bollywood playback singer Asha Bhosle also frequently sang for Helen, particularly during the 1960s and the early 1970s. She was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1965 for her role as Kitty Kelly in Gumnaam. She played dramatic roles in films like ChinaTown and Sachaai (1969) starring Shammi Kapoor which went on to be very successful at the box office. She also played a sensitive character in the film Chhote Sarkar (1974) starring Shammi Kapoor and Sadhana. With Shammi Kapoor, she did many hit dance numbers like ‘Suku Suku’ in Junglee, ‘ Yamma Yamma’ in ChinaTown, ‘O Haseena Zulfonwali’ in Teesri Manzil (1966), ‘Hai Pyar Ka Hi Naam’ in Singapore, and ‘Muqabla Humse Na Karo’ in Prince (1969).
Helen performed onstage in London, Paris, and Hong Kong. In 1972, she appeared in the Kannada movie Bhale Huchcha. In 1973, Helen, Queen of the Nautch Girls, a 30-minute documentary film from Merchant Ivory Films, was released. Anthony Korner directed and narrated the film. A book about Helen was published by Jerry Pinto in 2006, titled The Life and Times of an H-Bomb, which went on to win the National Film Award for Best Book on Cinema in 2007. Writer Salim Khan helped her get roles in some of the films he was co-scripting with Javed Akhtar: Immaan Dharam, Don, Dostana, and Sholay. This was followed by a role in Mahesh Bhatt’s film Lahu Ke Do Rang (1979), for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1999, Helen was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.
Helen officially retired from movies in 1983, but she has since then appeared in a few guest roles such as Khamoshi: The Musical (1996) and Mohabbatein (2000). She also made a special appearance as the mother of real-life step-son Salman Khan’s character in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. She also appeared in Humko Deewana Kar Gaye (2006).
Helen was selected for the Padma Shri awards of 2009 along with Aishwarya Rai and Akshay Kumar. She appeared as a judge in the semifinals and finals of India’s 2009 Dancing Queen television series.
Helen’s first marriage was in 1957 to film director Prem Narayan Arora of Dil Daulat Duniya fame, who was 27 years older than her. She divorced him in 1974. In 1981, Helen married Salim Khan, a prominent Bollywood screenplay writer. Khan was already married and the father of four children; Helen joined the Khan family and had a large role (along with Khan and his first wife Salma) in keeping the family united. All of Helen’s step-children have bonded closely with her, and Helen is almost invariably accompanied in public appearances by Salma Khan, Salim’s first wife. She has adopted a daughter, Arpita Khan. Helen is a Christian. (Thanks to Jerry Pinto in Upperstall, wiki, Bollywood stars, Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, Vintage film stars and my notes).
Here is the last and final song from today’s film, sung by Lata Mangeshkar. This makes the film YIPPEED !
Song- Apnee khushee se apna hee dil todna pada (Kunwaara Badan)(1973) Singer- Lata Mangeshkar, Lyricist- Rajendra Krishna, MD- Ghanshyam
Lyrics:
apnee khushee se apna hee dil todna pada aaduniya kee mehfilon se bhee munh modna pada
apnee khushee se apna hee dil todna pada aa
duniya kee mehfilon se bhee munh modna pada
apnee khushee se apna hee
ghabraa ke dil ka dard jo ashqon mein dhhal gaya aa
ghabraa ke dil ka dard jo ashqon mein dhhal gaya aa
ashqon mein dhhal gaya
palkon pe aate aate usey
palkon pe aate aate usey rokna pada aa
duniya kee mehfilon se bhee munh modna pada
apnee khushee se apna hee
saaya bhee saath chhod ke jaane kidhar gaya aa aa
saaya bhee saath chhod ke jaane kidhar gaya aa aa
jaane kidhar gaya
mud mud ke kitnee baar mujhe
mud mud ke kitnee baar mujhe dekhna pada aa
duniya kee mehfilon se bhee munh modna pada
apnee khushee se apna hee
hum kaun hain kahaan ke hain
aur kis jagah pe hain aen
hum kaun hain kahaan ke hain
aur kis jagah pe hain aen
hum kis jagah pe hain
tanhaaiyon mein ye bhee kabhee
tanhaaiyon mein ye bhee kabhee sochna pada aa
duniya kee mehfilon se bhee munh modna pada
apnee khushee se apna hee dil todna pada aa
duniya kee mehfilon se bhee munh modna pada aa
munh modna pada aa
munh modna pada
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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