Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs

Archive for the ‘Manmohan Krishan Songs’ Category


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.

Blog Day :

5319 Post No. : 17441

Today’s song is a Special song having a Historical Value. It is from the film Andhon ki Duniya-1947.

There is a solid reason why I am calling this song a Special song with Historical value. Every singer has a First song in his career. For an ordinary or a less famous singer this First song has no problem, but in the case of an established, famous, Popular and for one who has sung in several languages, the First Song has many cousins. First song means which song ? Is it the First recorded song, or the First released song, or First song in any language or First song in Hindi Film or First song filmed on the singer on screen or the First Playback song in Hindi film or a First song as NFS or a first solo song ?

Usually, for the popular, famous and multi-Language singer all the above varieties of ‘First Song’ are applicable. For the major singers like Mohd. Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Talat Mahmood etc or Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum, Amirbai Karnataki, Zohrabai etc, the Hindi Film music lovers have already found out the various types of their ‘First Songs’. However, an important rule for any History – be it National History, Film history or Music history – is that the facts available today are only Correct till a new evidence is discovered and the Correct Fact of today is gone to accommodate the New fact.

Such things have happened in case of ALL major singers of Hindi films and now in cases of most singers the Facts are almost final for their songs. OR IS IT ?

Now, this is where today’s song which is a Special song with a Historical value comes in. In the case of the famous, evergreen and versatile singer Asha Bhosle, till today, her First Hindi film playback song was considered as “Saawan Aaya” from film ‘ Chunariya’-1948, but now new evidence has come to the fore which clearly proves that her First Hindi Film Playback Song is from film “Andhon ki Duniya”-1947. This is also a chorus song (like the Chunariya song, with 4 singers), in which the singers are Asha Bhosle, Zohrabai, Manmohan Krishna and Krishna Goel (as confirmed by film music historian shri Girdharilal ji Vishwakarma ).

This “New Fact” is confirmed after a video of an interview of Asha Bhosle, taken by shri. Vishwanath Sachdev, famous author and the ex-Editor of magazine Dharmayug appeared. In this video, Asha Bhosle herself confirms that her FIRST PLAYBACK SONG is from the film ” Andhon ki Duniya”-1947 and NOT the Chunariya song. This is an interview of 1993-94 period. Recently, this video appeared on the RMIM forum and senior members Pavan ji Jha and Girdharilal ji Vishwakarma provided all the details along with an MP3 recording of the song. So, out goes Hansraj Behl ji and in comes Vasant Desai ji as the composer of Asha’s First Hindi Film Playback Song !

Film Andhon ki Duniya-1947 was made by V. Shantaram’s Rajkamal Kalamandir Ltd. Bombay. It was directed by Keshavrao Datey. Keshavrao was a famous actor of early Marathi and Hindi films. He acted in 16 Hindi films, starting with film Pratibha-1937 and ending with Navrang-1959. Earlier, he had also directed another Hindi film- Kisi se na kehna-1942. Keshavrao Datey died on 13-9-1971 at the age of 82 years. His role of Rajguru in the Marathi film Amrit Manthan-1934 had become very famous. This role was done by Chandra Mohan in the film’s Hindi version. This too was famous.

The film’s Music Director was Vasant Desai. The cast was Leela Chitnis, Manmohan Krishna, Munawwar Sultana, Parshuram, Mahipal, Gulab and many others. Today’s song is mentioned in HFGK, but without names of singers or the Lyricist, though luckily the Record number is mentioned. One of the singers of this song is Manmohan Krishna, whose face can not be forgotten due to his bushy thick eyebrows. When this highly educated actor/singer joined the Hindi films, in his 2 early films, he was the hero, but soon he became a character artiste.

MANMOHAN KRISHNA was born on 11-8-1908, at Lahore in Punjab. He was a very studious person and always stood first in school. He completed his M.Sc. in Physics and started working as a Physics lecturer in a Lahore college. He was very fond of singing and also sang on Lahore Radio. Once when V. Shantaram visited Lahore, he heard Manmohan’s singing on stage and was impressed. Shantaram offered him the lead role in his forthcoming film, “Matwala Shair Ramjoshi”-1947, In this film Manmohan sang 6 solos and 3 duets with Zohrabai Ambalewali. However, his first song as a playback singer was in Shantaram’s film, ” Jeewan Yatra”-1946, under Vasant Desai’s baton.

In his career of more than 40 years, he acted in 183 films and directed 1 film – Noorie-1979. He also sang 24 songs in 8 films, namely Jeewan Yatra-46, Matwala Shayar Ramjoshi-47, Andhon ki duniya-47, Apna Desh-49, Afsar-50, Aaram-51, Railway Platform-55 and Shehar aur Sapna-1963. During his stay in Bombay, he anchored a Radio show ” Cadbury’s Phulwari” in the 50’s.

Manmohan Krishna was connected with Indian Peoples Theatre i.e. IPTA and acted in few of their dramas. Being an educated person, he was impressed with Nehruvian Secularism. He worked in films like Shehar aur Sapna by K. A.Abbas as well as the first Indo-Soviet film Pardesi-1957. He also got the Film Fare award for playing the role of Abdul Chacha in the film Dhool ka Phool-64. A song in this film ” Tu Hindu banega na Musalman banega ” shot on him, became very popular.

Being a member of the intelligentsia, he could not sell himself nor gel into the Hindi filmi world fully. He always fought against injustice. He established ‘ Yuvak Biradari ‘ for young Indians, which became a big organisation in due course.

He was a favourite of the Chopra Brothers and acted in most films made by them. Some of his famous films were Deewar, Trishul, Humraaz, Insaaf ka Tarazu, Joshila, Kanoon, Kala Pathar, Dhool ka phool, Waqt, Naya Daur etc. etc. He also worked in 12 Punjabi films. He was prominently spotted in any role due to his thick bushy eyebrows.

In Hindi films, he rarely got a hero’s role, barring few films, because of his ordinary look. He had no looks required for a Hero’s role in a commercial film, in those days. He was of course an excellent Character Artiste. Due to his nature, he kept away from Filmi parties and groupism. He had no real friends in the film industry. Manmohan krishna did not keep good health in his last few years and died at the age of 82 years, in Lokmanya Tilak Hospital, Bombay, on 3-11-1990.
( Based on some information from wiki, ‘Beete kal ke sitare’ by Shriram Tamrakar, muVyz, HFGK and my notes. Thanks to all.)

I thank my friend Shri Abhay Jain ji from the USA for providing this song and our friend Shri Sadanand Kamath ji for uploading it for me.

Let us now enjoy the chorus song, which brought the popular, versatile Asha ji into Hindi Film Playback singing….


Song- Gareebon ke daataa gareebon ke waali (Andhon Ki Duniya)(1947) Singers- Asha Bhosle, Zohrabai Ambalawali, Man Mohan Krishna, Krishna Goel, Lyricist- Not known, MD- Vasant Desai

Lyrics

Gareebon ke daataa
gareebon ke waali
Gareebon ke daataa
gareebon ke waali
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
vadde ham hain kaise
andhere ke paale
ye aankhon ke parde
gire kaale kaale
jinhen dekho kar raushani munh chhupa le
nikal jaaye chupke se ghoonghat nikaale
hamen ye kasi(?) hai
amaawas deewaali
hamen ye kasi(?) hai
amaawas deewaali
Gareebon ke daataa aa aa

Gareebon ke daataa
gareebon ke waali
Gareebon ke daataa
gareebon ke waali
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
hamen kya khabar
tere dwaare hain kaise
tere chaand sooraj sitaare hain kaise
siyaah baadalon mein ishaare hain kaise
bhare bijliyon mein sharaare hain kaise
unhen hamse kudrat ki kudrat chhipaa li
unhen hamse kudrat ki kudrat chhipaa li
Gareebon ke daataa haaan

tere dar pe aaye hain aen aen
ban kar sawaali
nahin maaangte ae ae ae
aankhen hum khaali khaali
hamen chaahiye ae
noor e raushan khayaali
ata kar hamen aen aen aen
neki aur fikre khayaali ee ee
hamen daan de dee
ki rangi(?) jamaali
hamen daan de dee
ki rangi(?) jamaali
Gareebon ke daataa aa aa

khule man ki aankhen
samajh ke sahaare
samajh paaye kudrat ke saare ishaare
bane bijliyaan
bane bijliyaan kal bana ke sharaare
utar aaye dil mein tere chaand taare
ae ae ae ae
dikhaa is tarah apni shaan e jalali
dikhaa is ratah apni shaan e jalali
Gareebon ke daataa aa aa


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.

Blog Day :

4527 Post No. : 16087

“Angulimaal”(1960) was produced by M/s Prakash Veramal and directed by Vijay Bhatt for P V Films, Bombay. This historical movie had Nimmi, Bharat Bhushan, Anita Guha, Ulhas, Chandrashekhar, Achla Sachdev, Manmohan Krishn, Prem Adeeb, Kesri, Rammohan, Vinod Kumar, Sheela Kashmiri, Vimla, Helen etc in it.

The movie had seven songs in it. Six songs have been covered in the past. Here are their details :-

SongDate of postingSingersRemarks

Aayi aayi basanti belaa 18 March 2011 Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey, Meena Kapoor
Dheere dheere dhal ri chanda ( 20 April 2011 Aarti Mukherjee
Bade aaye shikaari shikaar karne 5 May 2011 Manna Dey, Asha Bhonsle
Jaa ri na bataaun main to naam chitchor kaa 6 May 2011 Lata Mangeshkar, Meena Kapoor
Mere chanchal naina madhur ras ke bhare 27 October 2018 Meena Kapoor
Buddham sharnam gachhaami 11 October 2020 Manna Dey Picturised as a Five part song

The eighth and final song from the movie is sung by a male voice and Asha Bhonsle. Bharat Vyas is the lyricist. Music is composed by Anil Biswas.

The song is picturised on Manmohan Krishn and a lady who I guess is a young Achla Sachdev. I request our knowledgeable readers to throw light on the picturisation of the song including the identification of the lady. I feel that the male voice is that of Manmohan Krishn himself, who was an occasional singer as well.

With this song, all the songs of “Angulimaal”(1960) are now covered and the movie joins the lists of movies that have been YIPPEED in the blog.

Audio

Video

Song-Murliwaale Gopal teri sharan mein hai mera laal (Angulimaal)(1960) Singer-Asha Bhonsle, Lyrics-Bharat Vyas, MD-Anil Biswas
Murli Krishn

Lyrics

om namo brahmanayadevay
go bramhanahitayse
jagathitay krishnay govinday namo namah
om

muraliwaale gopal,
gopaal
gopal

muraliwaale gopal
teri sharan mein hai mera laal
tere charan mein hai mera laal
muraliwaale gopal
teri sharan mein hai mera laal
tere charan mein hai mera laal
tu hi rakhana ise sambhal
teri sharan mein hai mera laal
tere sharan mein hai mera laal
tere charan mein hai mera laal
muraliwale gopa aa aal

phool mera hai komal-komal
kathin tera sansaar
iski dag-mag naiya kanhaiya tu hi lagaana par
khewaiyya tu hi lagaana par
har sankat dena taa aal
teri sharan mein hai mera laal
tere sharan mein hai mera laal
tere charan me hai mera laal
muraliwale gopaa aa aal
muraliwale gopal, ho muraliwale gopal

nainon ke gangaajal se
jeewan ke paap dhula de
nainon ke gangaajal se
jeewan ke paap dhula de
apni umar chadhhaaun tujhe
mere laal ko amar bana de
mere laal ko amar bana de
hey shaanti ki liye mashaal
jagaaye jag mein jyot vishal
kare uncha bharat ka bhaa aal
teri sharan mein hai mera laal
teri sharan mein hai mera laal
tere charan mein hai mera laal
muraliwaale gopal
teri sharan mein hai mera laal
tere charan mein hai mera laal
muraliwaale gopaa aa aal


This article is written by Sudhir, 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.

Blog Day :

3976 Post No. : 15063 Movie Count :

4133

Missing Films of 1960s – 111
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“हम तो डूबेंगे सनम, तुमको भी ले डूबेंगे।“
(“hum to doobenge sanam, tumko bhi le doobenge”)

(I will drown no doubt my dear, but will take you down with me.)

Some conversations, some words, touch a certain nerve inside that they simply cannot be forgotten.  And some of them go even a step further.  Some such words become so indelibly ingrained in the collective memory of a society that they end up becoming a part of the current lingua franca, an idiom that normal people begin to use in everyday conversations.

The above dialogue is one such example. This phrase has become part of the Hindustani exchange – I am sure this is a matter of current experience for all of us. Let me tell you where this dialogue comes from. The earliest occurrence that I am aware of is this being used in a film – well, 68 years ago. The year was 1951. The film maker was Raj Kapoor. The film was ‘Aawaara’. The scene in reference is / was considered a daring scene in those times. Nargis and Raj Kapoor are seen in swimming costumes, in a splashing pool close to a beach. This comes a little before the song “Dum Bhar Jo Udhar Munh Phere. . .”.

Nargis invites RK to dive into the pool. RK feigns fear, as if expressing he does not know how to swim. This exchange is all through facial expressions. Nargis dives into the pool. RK follows. Nargis quickly scrambles out of the pool, then tells RK that the water is deep, and he might drown. RK lunges at Nargis’ hand and tries to pull her back into the pool, and speaks this dialogue – “हम तो डूबेंगे सनम, तुमको भी ले डूबेंगे।“.

The dialogues of ‘Aawaara’ (as also the story) are written by Khwaja Ahmed Abbas or KA Abbas for short. As a writer, he was associated with Raj Kapoor and RK Films all the way from ‘Aawaara’ in 1951 to ‘Henna’ in 1991. He had passed away in 1987. Raj Kapoor had started making ‘Henna’, but then he himself passed away in 1988. The film was completed by Randhir Kapoor.

The association he shared with Raj Kapoor lasted almost 4 decades. The association stands the testimony of ideology – KA Abbas was a very active member of both IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association) and PWA (Progressive Writers Association). And Raj Kapoor and his socialistic ideology as expressed in films like ‘Aawaara’, ‘Shri 420’, ‘Boot Polish’, ‘Ab Dilli Door Nahin’, ‘Jaagte Raho’ etc. These films have a focus on the underprivileged in the society, and are a call to make a better society.

The word “progress and progressive” attached with it has a history of its own. In 19th century England, the word progressive was the battle cry of all those who wanted a better deal for the underprivileged and wanted science and technology to spearhead the movement for social development. It stood for liberation and democracy. Munshi Prem Chand, doyen of Urdu writers, had delivered the Presidential Address of the first meeting of the PWA. It was a movement for the freedom-loving writers who were opposed to the status quo in the feudal-dominated Indian society. They thought that unless the Indian society was not transformed and the common masses were not in the driving seat, nothing could change. Writers like Krishan Chander, Ismat Chugtai, Saadat Hasan Manto, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Ali Sardar Jafri, Sibte Hassan, Ehtesham Hussain, Mumtaz Hussain, Sahir Ludhianvi, Kaifi Azmi, Ali Abbas Hussaini, Makhdoom Mohiuddin, Farigh Bukhari, Khatir Ghaznavi, Raza Hamdani, M Ibrahim Joyo, Sobho Gianchandani, Shaikh Ayaz, Rajinder Singh Bedi, Amrita Pritam, Ali Sikandar, Zoe Ansari, Majaz Lucknawi, and yes, Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, made it the strongest literary movement.

My earliest introduction to Abbas Sb was sometimes in mid 1960s. Although we watched the movies diligently, on TV and on the big screen, it was not yet time to grasp all the names that came while the credits were rolling. Becoming familiar with the story writer or the art director or the choreographer, was still a few years hence. What stuck to my mind was really a very out of the way encounter. It was a tele-film which probably no one remembers any more. But somehow, that film and the name has simply remained glued in memory. It wasn’t accompanied by any pompous announcements etc. It was just a film, that happened to get telecast when I happened to be sitting in front of the television at a neighbour’s house one evening. The title of the film is ‘India, My India’. It was a very interesting documentary. Starting with the very early morning hour – like 5 am, the telefilm captured vignettes of rural and urban lifein India, from different parts of the country. For every hour, the location would change. And for the next about 5 minutes, the viewer was treated to a sampling of the local life and local color at that hour of the day, accompanied by a narrative description. Over a period of two hours, 24 different locations of the country were mapped into this documentary, showing life as it happens, at different times in a cycle of 24 hours. To my tiny intelligence, this was a wonderful new experience, and I am sure a wonderful new experiment for its creator.

Another place where this name was highlighted every week, was on the last page of the weekly tabloid – Blitz, published from Bombay and Delhi. Being a journalist household, we always had a huge selection of newspapers and magazines delivered every morning. Blitz was one of the weekly papers that was the staple of many member of our household (a joint family setup at that time). For me, Blitz was an attraction because it always carried something ‘scandalous and titillating’ 😉 . Of course, the name of KA Abbas was always prominently posted on the last page of the weekly edition, quite appropriately titled the ‘Last Page’. I remember I used to read it with interest, because it was always a wry and a sideways look at the socio-political current affairs. A good read, because it introduced many a names to my still fledgling memory, names that would become important in later decades.

KA Abbas was born in Panipat (now in Haryana). He came into a family of erudite scholars with a history of good education and social involvement. His father was a celebrated Urdu poet, Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali, a student and scholar of Mirza Ghalib. His grandfather Khwaja Gulam Abbas was one of the leaders of the first war of independence in 1857 – the first celebrated martyr of Panipat who was blown from the mouth of a cannon. Abbas’s father graduated from Aligarh Muslim University, was a tutor of a prince and a prosperous businessman. He spearheaded an effort to modernise the preparation and manufacture of Unani medicines. Abbas’s mother, Masroor Khatoon, was the daughter of Sajjad Husain, an enlightened educationist. Abbas took his early education in ‘Hali Muslim High School’, which was established by his great grand father Hali. He was instructed in reading the Arabic text of the Quran. Abbas completed his matriculation at the age of fifteen. He did his B.A. with English literature in 1933 and LLB in 1935 from Aligarh Muslim University.

Abbas began his career as a journalist with ‘National Call’, a New Delhi based newspaper after finishing his BA. Simultaneously, while doing his LLB in 1934, he started ‘Aligarh Opinion’, India’s first university students’ weekly during the pre-independence period. In 1935, Abbas came to Bombay and joined ‘The Bombay Chronicle’. He occasionally served as a film critic. An event transpired and the film editor of the paper passed away. Abbas got promoted to be the editor of the film section.

While at The Bombay Chronicle, (1935–1947), he started a weekly column called ‘Last Page’, which he continued when he joined the Blitz magazine. ‘Last Page’, (‘Azad Kalam’ in the Urdu edition). This column continued till Abbas Sb passed away in 1987, making this the longest-running political column in India’s history (1935–87). A collection of these columns was later published as two books.

In 1936, a few months after having come to Bombay and starting work at ‘The Bombay Chronicle’, a meeting with Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani happened. As a result, the young journalist took his first steps into the film industry. He started working as a copywriter and a publicist for Bombay Talkies. And shortly thereafter, he sold his first story and screenplay to Bombay Talkies – the film being ‘Naya Sansaar’ (1941).

The world of Hindi cinema quickly opened up to him. Here was an energetic young man with liberal outlook and a new expression, seeking to inject a new wave into the world of cinema. ‘Naya Sansar’ was the first such offering. He won the Bombay Film Journalists Association (BFJA) award for the best screenplay in 1942, for this film.

1943 – the great famine of Bengal happened. A story took a foothold in his mind. He wrote the story, the screenplay, became a producer and a director also in the same step – the result was the 1945 release of ‘Dharti Ke Lal’. KA Abbas had fired the first volley of the neo-realist socially aware cinema in India. The film was made under the banner of IPTA.

In parallel, he wrote the script for Chetan Anand’s ‘Neecha Nagar’ and V Shantatram’s ‘Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahaani’. Both films were released in 1946.  ‘Neecha Nagar’ went on to win the Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) award at the Cannes Film Festival, in one of the three categories – the only Indian film to have that honor in the history of our industry.

In 1951, he set up his own banner – ‘Naya Sansaar’, and went on to create some very iconic films in the history of Indian cinema. Commercial success not being the criteria, the value of social awareness and the commentary on the state of current affairs in the society simply cannot be measured. A short sampling of his critically acclaimed work is as follows,

1951: Screenplay for ‘Awaara’, nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

1956: Screenplay for ‘Jaagte Raho’, won the Crystal Globe Grand Prix at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1957 and the Certificate of Merit at the fourth National Film Awards.

1958 Screenplay and direction for ‘Pardesi’, nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

1960: Direction for ‘Eid Mubarak’ (children’s documentary) , got All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Children’s Film

1964: Screenplay, production and direction for ‘Shehar Aur Sapna, won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film

1965: Direction for ‘Hamaara Ghar’, won award at the International Film Festival, Santa Barbara, USA

1970: Screenplay, production and direction for ‘Saat Hindustani’, won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration at National Film Awards

1972: Screenplay, production and direction for ‘Do Boond Pani’, won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration at National Film Awards

Other major films he was associated with either as screenplay/story writer, producer, or director – or all of the roles, include ‘Aaj Aur Kal’ (1947), ‘Anhonee’ (1952), ‘Raahi’ (1953), ‘Munna’ (1954), ‘Shree 420’ (1955), ‘Chaar Dil Chaar Raahen’ (1959), ‘Gyaarah Hazaar Ladkiaan’ (1962), ‘Aasmaan Mahal’, (1965), ‘Bambai Raat Ki Baahon Mein’ (1967), ‘Mera Naam Joker’ (1970), ‘Bobby’ (1973), ‘Achaanak’ (1973), ‘Faaslah’ (1974), ‘The Naxalites’ (1980), ‘Love In Goa’ (1983), ‘Ek Aadmi’ (1988), and ‘Henna’ (1991).

As a journalist, he met with and interviewed several renowned world leaders and notable personalities – including the Russian Prime Minister Khrushchev, American President Franklin Roosevelt, Charlie Chaplin, Mao-Tse-Tung and Yuri Gagarin.

As a writer, he has authored more than 70 books in his lifetime in Hindi, Urdu and English.

In 1963, Abbas wrote, produced and directed ‘Shehar Aur Sapna’. This film is an experience totally different. The theme of the film is the dream city of Bombay, and the severe housing problem it faces. The myth of this city attracts thousands of young men who arrive here every day, with a dream of their own. But the harsh realities of making a living, and of having a roof on one’s head in this city, is an experience that can shatter many a tough determined minds.

The story is told through the experiences of Bhola, a young man – almost a village bumpkin, who comes to Bombay in search of livelihood, and Radha, a young woman also from a distant village, who is duped into a sham marriage, and is then plowed into flesh trade, from where she dares to escape, to start living on her own terms in this cruel and heartless city. For a time, their home is an abandoned drain pipe. Their support system is a trio of good samaritans, who themselves are inhabitants of the world of footpath dwellers – roles played by David, Anwar Hussain and Nana Palsikar. Manmohan Krishan plays the role of a wandering homeless poet (shades of ‘Matwaala Shaayar Ram Joshi’) who is a mute observer to all the events that transpire in the lives of this set of characters.

The progression of the storyline came as a shock to many who had never visited Bombay. No doubt the events depicted are dramatized to a certain extent, but surely they are also grounded in the realities of the living experience of this city. As the film comes to a close, the young couple are now parents to a newborn, their temporary shelter hosted by the three samaritans has been razed by bulldozers, to clear the way for an apartment complex being built by a rich builder, their drain-pipe home has finally found the purpose it was originally intended for – that is, the pipeline is laid and the drain pipe buried into the earth. The closing shot of the film shows the couple walking into a dying dusk, carrying the baby and their worldly belongings in a couple of makeshift shoulder bags, not knowing where to head – maybe towards a dream – a ‘sapna’, and nothing else.

A time of his own life that Abbas Sb has talked about in his writings and interviews – he too had slept of the footpaths of Bombay during his initial days in the city. As he prepared to shoot this film, he actually walked through the streets and bylanes of the city where the have-nots dwell in large numbers, at all times of the day and in all types of weather, to be able to recreate the landscape in the film to tell the story he wanted to. People making homes in drain pipes is a reality that he has seen and experienced. So it came quite naturally that he is able to present these sequences so convincingly.

The film is written, produced and directed by KA Abbas, under his own banner – Naya Sansaar, Bombay. The roles of the lead pair Bhola and Radha, are performed by Dilip Raj (son of the renowned P Jairaj) and Surekha Parkar. The rest of the cast is listed as Nana Palsikar, Manmohan Krishan, David, Anwar Hussain, Asit Sen, Jagdish Kanwal, Rasheed Khan, Ravikant, Ram Murty, Nazeer Kashmiri, Narbada Shankar, Moti Beena, Master Javed, and Pardesi amongst others.

Coming to the music of this film – the thing that makes the music of this film some sort of a rarity is the fact that it was never released on gramophone records. The songs of this film are essentially a recitation of poetry that occurs at four points in the story line. The poet protagonist is Manmohan Krishan. He is the one who sings all these four pieces, accompanying significant moments in this film. The lines of this poetry are penned by Ali Sardar Jafri and the music direction is by JP Kaushik (aka Jag Phool Kaushik).

The rare thing about these poetical pieces is of course their availability. These renditions were never released on gramophone records. Furhter, despite being an award winning film, the film itself has become a rarity, not available easily in public domain. Our dear friend from Jaipur, Pawan Jha, has uploaded one poetical segment elsewhere on YouTube. In absence of the availability of all the four pieces of poetry, I have extracted and edited the four pieces into a single video clip, from a copy of the film which itself is not the best. But no complaints – at least we have what we have. Small blessings that all the four poetical pieces are available. I debated and discussed with friends, whether this should be four different poetical renditions. As one listens to the four pieces, one can make out the one single thread that runs through these four pieces, giving credence to the Geet Kosh listings that lists these four pieces as parts 1 to 4. And so I felt it important to present them together as one poem with four parts. In the edited clip, I have included a very small segment of the film appearing just before each part presents itself in the storyline, to get a flavor of the backdrop against which each of these parts is presented.

The interesting thing about this post is that the film makes its debut today on our blog, and simultaneously, we can also declare it as yippeee’d – all the songs of this film are now posted. And it also brings us close, very close, to the culmination of this series of bringing on board the missing films of 1960s.

As one reviews the history of Indian cinema, one does not, should not categorize the luminaries like Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Raj Kapoor, K Asif, Chetan Anand, Ritwick Ghatak, Mehboob Khan, Mrinal Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, Muzzafar Ali and the like. These legendary film makers each are a class unto themselves. And so is Khwaja Ahmed Abbas. His body of work put together may well form an institution that will be a matter of research and debate for decades to come. The medium of cinema is undoubtedly more rich, because KA Abbas worked on it. And because a compelling film like ‘Shehar Aur Sapna’ was created by him.

Born on 7th June, 1914, today is the 105th birth anniversary of this illustrious film maker. One of the very few whose dedication went exceptionally beyond the considerations of commercial success of his creations. His focus, his commentary, never wavered away from an acknowledged social responsibility of the medium of cinema. I fall back once again on the film ‘Aawaara’ and its dialogues – two samples.

Raj is running from the police and incidentally enters the home of Judge Raghunath and Rita. There is an exchange about the identity of the intruder. In a comic way, Raj is trying to convince Rita that he is a thief. And this is how he presents it –

“बस यही तो हमारे नए समाज का कमाल है।

जो चोर हैं, दूसरों की जेब काटते हैं, पब्लिक की आँख में धूल डालते हैं, मेरे जैसे फ़र्स्ट क्लास सूट पैंट पहनते हैं, उन्हें हम शरीफ समझते हैं। और जो ईमानदारी से मेहनत मजदूरी करके पेट पालते हैं, फटे पुराने कपड़े पहनते हैं, उन्हें चोर आवारा डाकू समझ कर धर लिया जाता है। ये पूंजीपति, ये काले बाज़ार वाले सेठ, ये मुनाफाखोर, ये ब्याज लेने वाले, ये सब कौन हैं। मेरी तरह चोर।“

“Bas yahi to hamaare naye samaaj ka kamaal hai.

Jo chor hain, jo doosron ki jeb kaat’te hain, public ki aankh mein dhool jhonkte hain, mere jaise first claas suit pant pehante hain, unhen hum shareef samajhte hain. Aur jo imaandari se mehnat mazdoori kar ke pet paalte hain, fatey puraane kapde pehante hain, unhem chor aawaara daaku samajh kar dhar liya jaata hai. Ye poonjipati, ye kaale bazaar waale seth, ye munaafakhor, ye byaaj lene waale, ye sab kaun hain. Meri tarah chor.”

And in the closing minutes of the film, as the court case against Raj is in progress, the judge invites Raj to say what he wants to, in his own defence. One part of that monologue goes like –

“आप जो चाहे मुझे सज़ा दे सकते हैं।

मगर क्या आप समझते हैं के मुझे फांसी देने से ये पाप क्रोध हिंसा और अपराध का जहर जो आपकी दुनिया में फैला हुआ है, ये दूर हो जाएगा।

मैं आपको अपनी जीवन कथा सुनाना नहीं चाहता। मगर इतना ज़रूर कहना चाहता हूँ, के अपराध के कीड़े मुझे खून में अपने माँ बाप से नहीं मिले थे। उस गंदे गट्टर से मिले थे जो हमारी गंदी चाल के पास से बहता है। वो गट्टर आज भी वहाँ बह रहा है। और अपराध के कीड़े अब भी उस में पल रहे हैं। और.. और सैंकड़ों हजारों बच्चे जो आस पास की चालों में रहते हैं रोज़ाना इन कीड़ों के शिकार हो रहे हैं। मेरी फिक्र ना कीजिये, उन बच्चों की फिक्र कीजिये, अपने बच्चों की फिक्र कीजिये। ऐसा ना हो

के एक दिन आप, और आप, और आप, और आपका बच्चा भी मेरी तरह इस कटहरे में बार बार कहे के मेरी रगों में भी शरीफ बाप का खून है।”

Aap jo chaahe mujhe sazaa de sakte hain.

Magar kya aap samajhte hain ke mujhe faansi dene se ye paap krodh hinsa aur apradh ka zehar jo aapki duniya mein faila hua hai, ye door ho jaayega.

Main aapko apni jeevan katha sunaana nahin chaahta. Magar itna zaroor kehna chaahta hoon, ke apradh ke keede mujhe khoon mein apne maa baap se nahin miley the. Us gande gattar se miley the jo hamaari gandi chaal ke paas se behta hain. Wo gattar aaj bhi wahaan beh raha hai. Aur apradh ke keede ab bhi us mein pal rahe hain. Aur. . aur sainkdon hazaaron bachche jo aas paas ki chaalon mein rehte hain rozaana in keedon ke shikaar ho rahe hain. Meri fiqr na kijiye, un bachchon ki fiqr kijiye, apne bachchon ki fiqr kijiye. Aisa na ho ke ek din aap, aur aap, aur aap, aur aapka bachcha bhi meri tarah is katehre mein baar baar kahe ke meri ragon mein bhi shareef baap ka khoon hai.

Touching upon the sordid realities of human existence, and the dichotomy of the crooked and dubious haves versus the helpless have nots just trying to survive. The dialogues bring home a message that is topical even today – a message that inevitably gets lost in the glitz of commercial compulsions.

His creations, his vision is exceptional. Even when he writes the story for ‘Bobby’ – yes it is a showman’s film, an RK creation. But beneath the formula drama, there is an effort to dissect and discuss the social divide of the rich-boy-poor-girl tale. It is was an RK film – one had a ice-cream flavored happy ending.

‘Shehar Aur Sapna’ is an out and out KA Abbas statement – the ending is poignant, rooted in the real world, but still colored with an idealist’s hope looking into the future – shades of “. . . Wo Subah Kabhi To Aayegi. . .”.

[Acknowkledgements – A part of this article is adapted from the material in multiple articles on Wikipedia.]

Song – Ye Shaam Bhi Kahaan Hui  (Shehar Aur Sapna) (1963) Singer – Manmohan Krishan, Lyrics – Ali Sardar Jafri, MD – Jag Phool Kaushik

Lyrics

(Part 1)

ye shaam bhi kahaan hui
ye shaam bhi kahaan hui
shaam bhi kahaan hui

patharon ki basti hai
patharon ka zinda hai
patharon ki deewaaren
jin mein qaid insaan hai
patharon ki sejen hain
patharon ka bistar hai
patharon ke takiye hain
patharon ki chaadar hai
neend aur sapne bhi
patharon mein dhalte hain
patharon ke seene mein
kitne paap palte hain
kitne paap palte hain

shaam bhi kahaan hui
ye shaam bhi kahaan hui
shaam bhi kahaan hui

(Part 2)

pathar ka bhagwaan yahaan hai
pathar ka shaitaan
pathar ke dil
pathar ke sar
pathar ke insaan
koi rasta kaise paaye
dil ka haal kisey samjhaaye
chaaron or khadi hai dekho
pathar ki santaan
pathar ki santaan

shaam bhi kahaan hui
ye shaam bhi kahaan hui
shaam bhi kahaan hui

(Part 3)

pyaar ko aaj nai
tarah nibhaana hoga
pyaar ko aaj nai
tarah nibhaana hoga
hans ke har dard ko
har gham ko bhulaana hoga
hans ke har dard ko

aansoo’on se jo bujhe jaate hain
aankhon ke chiraagh
aansoo’on se jo bujhe jaate hain
aankhon ke chiraagh
khoon e dil de ke unhen
phir se jalaana hoga
khoon e dil de ke unhen
phir se jalaana hoga
pyaar ko aaj nai

abhi khil jaayenge masle huye
kuchle huye phool
abhi khil jaayenge masle huye
kuchle huye phool
shart bas ye hai ke
seene se lagaana hoga
shart bas ye hai ke
seene se lagaana hoga
pyaar ko aaj nai

wo jo kho jaayen to
kho jaayegi duniya saari
wo jo kho jaayen to
kho jaayegi duniya saari
wo jo mil jaayen to
saath apne zamaana hoga
wo jo mil jaayen to. . .

(Part 4)

hazaar ghar hazaar dar
ye sab hain ajnabi magar
khabar nahin ke ab kidhar
mudegi apni rehguzar

yahaan se jaayenge kahaan
amaan paayeng kahaan
ye zindagi ki bebasi
ye bebasi ki zindagi..ee..ee

ye bebasi ki zindagi..ee..ee

shaam bhi kahaan hui
ye shaam bhi kahaan hui
shaam bhi kahaan hui

———————————————————-
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
———————————————————-

(भाग 1)

ये शाम भी कहाँ हुई
ये शाम भी कहाँ हुई
शाम भी कहाँ हुई

पत्थरों की बस्ती है
पत्थरों का ज़िंदा है
पत्थरों की दीवारें
पत्थरों के इंसान हैं
पत्थरों की सेजें हैं
पत्थरों का बिस्तर है
पत्थरों के तकिये हैं
पत्थरों की चादर है
नींद और सपने भी
पत्थरों में ढलते हैं
पत्थरों के सीने में
कितने पाप ढलते हैं
कितने पाप ढलते हैं

शाम भी कहाँ हुई
ये शाम भी कहाँ हुई
शाम भी कहाँ हुई

(भाग 2)

पत्थरों का भगवान यहाँ है
पत्थरों का शैतान
पत्थर के दिल
पत्थर के सर
पत्थर के इंसान
कोई रस्ता कैसे पाये
दिल का हाल किसे समझाये
चारों ओर खड़ी है देखो
पत्थर की संतान
पत्थर की संतान

शाम भी कहाँ हुई
ये शाम भी कहाँ हुई
शाम भी कहाँ हुई

(भाग 3)

प्यार को आज नई
तरह निभाना होगा
प्यार को आज नई
तरह निभाना होगा
हंस के हर दर्द को
हर ग़म को भुलाना होगा
हंस के हर दर्द को

आंसुओं से जो बुझे जाते हैं
आँखों के चिराग़
आंसुओं से जो बुझे जाते हैं
आँखों के चिराग़
खून ए दिल दे के उन्हें
फिर से जलाना होगा
खून ए दिल दे के उन्हें
फिर से जलाना होगा
प्यार को आज नई

अभी खिल जाएँगे मसले हुये
कुचले हुये फूल
अभी खिल जाएँगे मसले हुये
कुचले हुये फूल
शर्त बस ये है के
सीने से लगाना होगा
शर्त बस ये है के
सीने से लगाना होगा
प्यार को आज नई

वो जो खो जाएँ तो
खो जाएगी दुनिया सारी
वो जो खो जाएँ तो
खो जाएगी दुनिया सारी
वो जो मिल जाएँ तो
साथ अपने ज़माना होगा
वो जो मिल जाएँ तो

(भाग 4)
हज़ार घर हज़ार दर
ये सब हैं अजनबी मगर
खबर नहीं के अब किधर
मुड़ेगी अपनी रहगुज़र

यहाँ से जाएँगे कहाँ
अमान पाएंगे कहाँ
ये ज़िंदगी की बेबसी
ये बेबसी की ज़िंदगी॰॰ई॰॰ई

ये बेबसी की ज़िंदगी॰॰ई॰॰ई

शाम भी कहाँ हुई
ये शाम भी कहाँ हुई
शाम भी कहाँ हुई


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This blog discusses Bollywood songs of yesteryears. Every song has a brief description, followed by a video link, and complete lyrics of the song.

This is a labour of love, where “new” songs are added every day, and that has been the case for over FOURTEEN years. This blog has over 17800 song posts by now.

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