O dilwaalon sambhal ke baithho
Posted on: November 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 from a partly coloured, Historical film- Amar Singh Rathaur-1957.
This is one of the very few films, which is about a valiant Indian who refused to accept injustice from the ruling Mughal Badshah and sacrificed his life to keep the Indian honour. It is unfortunate to note that films which glorify or honour Indian Kings, people and events are very less made in India. On the contrary, there are countless films on each Mughal king and their Myths and stories of love and bravery. Do you know of any film made on the scale of Mughal E Azam for any Indian king ?
I find that even on Raja Shivaji there is only one film made in the 50’s and one film in 2008. Except Bhagat Singh, how many films do you know were made on Indian Freedom fighters by Title.
Music Director Sudhir Phadke fulfilled his life dream of making a film on Veer Savarkar, with great difficulty and took 22 years to complete it ! It is an extremely pitiable condition. However, I find that during the last 10 years or so, some films on Indian greats have been made and have been very successful too !
In achieving a goal, only the number is not sufficient, but people with extreme pride for their Heroes is required. It is proved by films on Mughals, Chengiz Khan etc ! Almost every state in India and from every language of India, staunch Revolutionaries were born and their stories are read and remembered- but a no,no to make films on them in Hindi. Look at the South and Bengal. They regularly made films on their heroes in their language and some of them became Hit films too ! So sad that Hindi films are nowhere in this race !
Amar Singh Rathaur (30-12-1613 to 25-7-1644) was the eldest son and the Heir Apparent of Raja Gaj Singh of Rathaur kingdom of Marwar in the 17th century Rajputana. After he was disinherited and exiled from his family (step mother, step brothers etc), he entered into the service of King Shahjehan. When injustice was done to him and still he was asked to bow to the king, he rebelled and escaped. However his own kith and kins in Marwad killed him on instructions from the Mughal King Shahjehan.
The film was produced by G.S.Goyal and directed by Jaswant Jhaveri. Music was by Sanmukh Babu Upadhyaya for songs by Bharat Vyas. The cast included Jairaj, Nirupa Roy, Ram Singh, Al Nasir, Murad, Sunder, Ratnamala, Yashodhara Katju and many others.
The story in a nutshell was….
While hunting in the jungle, Prince Amar Singh Rathore of Marwar (Jairaj) meets Chandravati (Nirupa Roy), the brave and spirited daughter of Handa Sardar Jujhar Singh. They fall in love, and Amar Singh asks for her hand in marriage. Her father agrees on the condition that Amar Singh must first deal with or capture a dangerous outlaw/foe.
The narrative follows Amar Singh’s legendary clashes with the imperial Mughal administration over tribute, honor, and sovereign pride. A central dramatic turning point involves a confrontation in the royal court where Amar Singh refuses to submit to insults or heavy exactions. When an insolent imperial official or messenger (such as Salamat Khan) demands a fine or behaves arrogantly in front of the emperor, Amar Singh strikes him down right inside the court.
A major highlight of the film is Amar Singh being pursued through the fort. In a legendary act of defiance, he escapes the royal enclosure/fort ramparts on his faithful horse, leaping from the heights to evade capture.
Internal politics, familial frictions (including tensions around the Marwar succession involving Maharaja Gaj Singh (Murad) and stepbrothers), and Mughal pressure eventually lead to a trap. Amar Singh is lured or ambushed through a treacherous scheme involving a low wicket-gate (bari) where he is attacked unarmed or betrayed from behind, leading to his heroic end. Following his martyrdom, loyal Rathore kinsmen and warriors launch a fierce retaliatory stand to protect his honor and legacy.
The hero was P.Jairaj. Jairaj spent 70 years in the film industry during which he played various roles – from a body-double stuntman to the macho hero, from mythological God to social drama leads and from filmmaker to the custodian of the film industry’s welfare through various associations – and endeared himself to everybody.
P. Jairaj joined the industry at the tender age of 19 and lived a full life till the age of 91. He is survived by four daughters and two sons. His second daughter, Deepa Shahi and her son Rajan, a popular tele-serial maker (of Jaisi Jaissi Koi Nahin, Kareena Kareena, Reth and Yeh Rishta Kya kehlata Hai fame) go into a rewind mode. “Papa was a totally family-oriented person. He would be up at the crack of dawn by 5 am and by 9 pm the lights would be out! He wasn’t a strict father though, he liked to educate us through books, “ recalls Deepa. He amassed a huge library of books on every subject under the sun which he eventually donated to various libraries in Mumbai, Kolkata and to his friends and relatives. “I got the historical section with books on architecture,” elaborates Deepa while her son inherited books on filmmaking and artistic performances.
Born on 28-9-1909 in Karimnagar (Andhra Pradesh) in a cultured family, young Jairaj was schooled in Rishi Valley school. Thereafter he joined the Nizam’s college where he participated in Shakespearean plays. He hailed from a very cultured family with lofty connections – his mama was married to Sarojini Naidu. His father, a government official, passed away and his mother followed suit when he was barely 19 and the youngest among three brothers, Jairaj was totally heartbroken and shifted to Mumbai. “He wanted to join the Navy but he was delayed for the recruitment. He befriended his filmi neighbors, who urged him to join films because of his strapping physique. He was nearly six feet tall,” relates Deepa.
His film career took off as a body-double stuntman in the Sharda Film company. He would be interested in all aspects of filmmaking – from camera work, editing to lab processing. Not before long, he got his first acting break as the hero’s friend and his body-double during stunt scenes in Jagmagati Jawani (1929) and graduated to playing the hero. His distinguished looks and physique landed him the lead role. However, his second venture,Raseeli Rani, was his first release.
He acted in as many as 11 silent films between 1929-1931. Jairaj in an earlier interview had elaborated on how silent films were made,“All shooting took place in natural sunlight. Our day began and ended early. We reached the sets by 7.30 in the morning and packed up by 5 in the evening… We all learnt the craft by trial and error. We discussed the story together, developed it and then started shooting… It was a challenge, you had to make people laugh, cry or get angry through facial expressions and gestures only. Charles Chaplin is the best example of this art. But then, cinema, unlike the stage, is a visual medium. That was why silent movies had universal appeal.”
After the first talkie film, Alam Ara, in 1931, Jairaj also switched over to talkies. Being a Hyderabadi, he was fluent in Urdu and that proved to be a big asset for him. Shikari-1932, replete with tigers, lions and snakes, was his first talkie.
With sound came songs and Jairaj was handicapped by the fact that he was no singer. Once sound was introduced in the movies, the next inevitable step was music. What was worse was that artists had to be singers as well! Jairaj made his first and last — highly embarrassing — attempt to sing before the cameras in a film called “Patit Pawan” opposite Durga Khote and Noor Jahan Sr.. He engaged an ustad to coach him, but the latter gave up in despair. Jairaj rehearsed the song he was to sing for a full month. Finally the camera was switched on and he sang the entire song in three minutes at a stretch without pausing for breath and not bothering to see whether he was “in synch” with the music. He wasn’t. His singing was a few jumps ahead of the music and on a different octave altogether. After they finished filming, they all burst out laughing. It was one of the most embarrassing moments of his life and of course they deleted that song from the film. With the introduction of playback singing, he forged forth with films like Rifle Girl, Bhabhi, Panna and Mahasagar No Moti – which were all hits.
The 1950s and early ’60s was Jairaj’s golden era as an actor as he essayed a variety of roles of hero, villain and even comedian. He was, however, celebrated for his wide range of historical roles, playing Chandrashekhar Azad, Amar Singh Rathore, Prithviraj Chauhan, Rana Pratap, Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Tipu Sultan. “Papa was a natural rider and that helped,” opines Deepa.
Jairaj featured in over 200 films during which he romanced all the top heroines of his times – Devika Rani, Khursheed, Nigar Sultana, Nadira, Shakila, Durga Khote, Nirupa Roy, Nimmi, Suraiya, Madhubala and Meena Kumari. “He was the first kissing star of his times, he was lip-locked with his heroine Madhuri in Jagmagati Jawani. He was also the first superman of the Indian screen,” informs Rajan Shahi about the on-screen shenanigans of his nanaji.
“Although Papa was famous for his parties, he was never involved in any scandal. All his heroines regarded him as their close friend. I remember, Nargis had knitted him a sweater monogrammed with his initials!” Deepa reminisces fondly.
Jairaj started accepting character roles from the mid-‘Sixties. His roles in Insaniyat, Baharon Ke Sapne, Neel Kamal, Raaste Aur Manzil are memorable. Also his most cameos in Don, Masoomand Khoon Bhari Maang are known to viewers today. Jairaj had also acted in three international films, the Russian co-production with K.A.Abbas Pardesi, MGM’s Maya and 20th Century Fox’sNine Hours To Rama. The last film was based on Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination and was banned in India!.
Jairaj produced and directed Sagar starring Nargis, Dilip Kumar and Bharat Bhushan in 1951. “It was based on Lord Tennyson’s poem Enoch Arden. It was a story about two brothers living in a seaside town and the younger brother sacrifices his love as the elder brother is in love with his sweetheart. But papa lost all his money in his maiden production,” Deepa recalls sadly. Jairaj had confessed in an earlier interview, “I did not have the business acumen to produce and promote a film. Unlike others producers, I had invested my own money,” he had admitted regretfully. Jairaj was forced to sell his office and it was the most frustrating period of his career. He went back to acting and recovered.
He also directed films like Mala, Mohar and Rajghar. He also directed two television serials -Tana-Bana and Katha Sagar.
Jairaj was hailed as the industry’s friend. He was a keen sportsman and an artiste. He would organize all the charity cricket matches that stars played. He also designed musical shows and award ceremonies. He also took keen interest in the propagation of classical dance and music. “While he managed the entire show by drawing sketches of the stage to star performances, veteran character artist David would compere the shows,” Deepa recalls.
He was close friends with the Kapoors. “So much so that both our families would go on vacations together,” Deepa recalls happily how Prithviraj and his sons were like their extended family.
Prithviraj Kapoor and P. Jairaj were the founder members of the Cine Artistes’ Association in 1939. In 1981, most deservingly, Jairaj was honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema. Interestingly, Jairaj starred in Gujarati and Marathi films but never in Telugu, which was his mother tongue.
Prithviraj’s father had arranged his marriage to a Punjabi girl from Delhi and the two were blessed with six children. Of his two sons Dileep Raj even starred in K. A. Abbas’ Sheher Aur Sapna’ and was then hailed as the ‘next Raj Kapoor’. “But he couldn’t sustain his success. He now writes films and serials, while Jai Tilak, our second brother, became an engineer and he settled in Chicago. All of us four sisters were married out of Mumbai and out of the film industry,” updates Deepa.
Rajan, his grandson, is the sole torchbearer of Jairaj’s showbiz legacy. “Nanaji advised me to build goodwill in the industry. Name and fame will come and go, only your goodwill will see you through, he said. That’s the most valued mantra for me,” admits his grandson gratefully. P. Jairaj passed away on August 11, 2000 at the ripe age of 91, leaving behind a rich legacy. (based on the interview of daughter Deepa Shahi ji.)
Here is a song, sung by Asha Bhosale and Chorus. Enjoy….
Song- O dilwaalon sambhal ke baithho (Amar Singh Rathod)(1957) Singer- Asha Bhosle, Lyricist-Bharat Vyas, MD-Sanmukh Babu Upadhyayachorus
Lyrics:
o dilwaalono o o o o
o dilwaalon
sambhal ke baithho
shamsheeren rakh lo myaan mein
aaj nazar ke teer chalenge
chhup chhup ke
is maidaan mein
ho dilwaalon
dilwaalon o o o
dilwaalon
ho dilwaalon
baithho sambhal ke
ho o o
shamsheeren ye rakh lo myaan mein
aaj meree nazron ke teer chalenge
chhup chhup ke is maidaan mein
o o
chhup chhup ke is maidaan mein
o dilwaalon
o o o
rakhte ho seena to aaj sambhaalo
teekhe teekhe mere ye vaar
teekhe teekhe mere ye vaar
ek nazar se chhuree chalegee
ek nazar se kataar
ek nazar se chhuree chalegee
ek nazar se kataar
laakh laakh naagon ka zahar bhara hai
laakh laakh naagon ka zahar bhara
meree halkee see ek muskaan mein
aaj meree nazron ke teer chalenge
chhup chhup ke is maidaan mein
ho o
chhup chhup ke is maidaan mein
o dilwaalon
chham chham baaje meree paayal
laakhon ko banaaye ghaayal
chham chham baaje meree paayal
laakhon ko banaaye ghaayal
jaadu bhar ke main laayee
har dil pe hoon chaayee
badee door se hoon door main to aayee
aayee
chham chham baaje meree paayal
laakhon ko banaaye ghaayal
o o o
jhalak dikha doon ghoonghat se to
laakhon bijliyaan kadken
jhalak dikha doon ghoonghat se to
laakhon bijliyaan kadken
aur rumjhum kartee chaal chaloon to
chhailon ke seene dhadken
dhak dhak chhailon ke seene dhadken
mache mache re duhaayi
loon main jab angdaai
badee door se hoon
door main to aayee
aayee
chham chham baaje meree paayal
laakhon ko banaaye ghaayal
jaadoo bhar ke main laayee
har dil pe hoon chhaayee
badee door se hoon
door main to aayee
aayee
chham chham baaje meree paayal
laakhon ko banaaye ghaayal
sa ma ga pa dha pa dha ni sa
chhanan nana chhanan na to
o o o
chaar din kee zindagee
chaandnee kee raat see
dekho beet jaaye na
dha ni sa ma ga pa dha ni sa
ye jaawaanee ja rahee
tujko samjha rahee
jaa ke phir ye aaye naa
chhanan nana chhanan nasa
chhalke re ras kee bharee aankhon kee pyaaliyaan aan
jhoome re ulfat kee daaliyaan
chhalke re ras kee bharee aankhon kee pyaaliyaan
jhoome re ulfat kee daaliyaan
gorey gorey gaalon pe chanda ke gher see
ghoom rahee gol gol baaliyaan
ghoom rahee gol gol baaliyaan
o o o
ye bahaar jhoomtee
phoolon ko choomtee
roz roz chhaaye na
dha ni sa ma ga pa dha ni sa
chaar din kee zindagee
chaandnee kee raat see
dekho beet jaaye na
tanana nan tana nanan
ye jawaanee ja rahee
tujhko samjha rahee
jaa ke phir ye aaye na
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