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 the comedy film titled ‘Chalis baba Ek Chor’ (1954).
Obviously, the famous and popular story from the Arabian Nights – Alibaba aur Chalis Chor, has been used here for a parody of the film title. The film was produced by K Arts, a banner owned by the producer Kamini Kaushal (real name Uma Kashyap). Being the producer, she had the right to be the heroine of the film too ! The hero of the film was a misfit – Balraj Sahni. Undoubtedly, he was an excellent actor, but his personality, looks and his role history made him unfit for the comedy or romantic films. Some actors create an image with their early films and it sticks with them. After sometime, the audience finds it difficult to accept them in the roles diagonally opposite to their established image.
Imagine how you would like to see Kanhaiyalal in the role of a college principal or a multimillionaire ! That is the reason, the young romantic hero like Ashok Kumar was a laughing stock when he acted as the Mughal emperor Humayun. In one of the scenes of the film ‘Humayun’ (1945), he was shown walking with full war-gear. He walked so awkwardly and looked so funny, that in every show, the audience used to laugh loudly for that scene ! Even in the role of Satyavan, in the film ‘Savitri’ (1937) he was looking so awkward.
The other actors in the film were Smriti Biswas, Om Prakash, David, Jagdeep and others. The film was directed by PL Santoshi, who also wrote all the 12 songs of the film. The music was by the stalwart of the 50’s and the 60’s, SD Burman, assisted by the skilful N Dutta.
The story and the screenplay was done by PL Santoshi and IS Johar together. If you remember, the story and dialogues for the immensely popular and successful film ‘Ek Thi Ladki’ (1949) was written by the young IS Johar and that also happened to be the first film in which IS Johar had to act in a small role, on the insistence of the film financier ! So, in a way, that film became a milestone in the careers of IS Johar and Meena Shorey (she was known by the pseudonym of ‘The Lara Lappa Girl’, throughout her career).
The story of this film,in short, was…..
Asha’s (Kamini Kaushal) father dies leaving her a taxi and custody of 40 orphans to care for. She drives taxi as a boy. One day Raj Kumar (Balraj Sahani) a simpleton and rich young man sits in her taxi. They become friends. Asha saves Rajkumar from Vikram (Jeevan), who wants RK to marry his vagabond sister Rohini (Smriti Bishwas). When RK comes to know that Asha is a girl, they fall in love and want to get married when Vikram kidnaps a boy Munna, from Asha’s house with a condition that RK marry his sister.
The film details how the problem is solved and Asha and Raj Kumar get united.
Balraj Sahni was one of the best actors in Hindi films, in my opinion. Few years back, when I first wrote about Balraj Sahni, I had said that Balraj Sahni was a different type of person than all other film actors. It is surprising how he came into the film line, in the first place. Basically he was a very sensitive writer and stage actor, but having once entered the film world, he continued for the sake of earning a livelihood, making a lot of compromises on his journey of life. I still stand by what I had said. It is worthwhile to even repeat it.
In the days when not many educated people came into films, Balraj – a double MA in English and Hindi, joined the films. In the conventional way he was not a handsome person, but his superior acting prowess compensated for this. In an industry,which is a ‘show business’, he was never counted among the top grade stars, though critics and learned viewers always found him excellent. You can never imagine a Raj Kapoor or a Dev Anand in a film like ‘Seema’ (1955) or ‘Kabuliwala’, (1961) nor can a Dilip Kumar fit into ‘Do Bigha Zameen’ (1953). For such roles Balraj was matchless. After the film ‘Do Bigha Zameen’, he and Nirupa Roy became India’s most loved, poor and uneducated, good natured and simple couple for many subsequent films. Together, they acted in 20 films.
Due to this, Balraj never got any romantic or glamorous roles. However, to earn his daily bread satisfactorily, he compromised and worked in several B grade movies, like ‘Black Cat’ (1959), opposite a non actress Minu Mumtaz !
Yudhishthir Sahni aka Balraj Sahni was born in Rawalpindi, Punjab, British India (now in Pakistan) on 1st May, 1913 in a Punjabi family. After completing his Bachelor of Arts (Hindi), and post graduation in Masters of Arts (English Literature), both from Punjab University; he got married to Dayamanti. It was in the late 1930s that both husband and wife moved to Bengal to join Rabindra Nath Tagore’s Visva Bharati University in Shantiniketan as English and Hindi teachers. It was about the same time that in 1936 Balraj wrote his first compilation of Hindi fiction called ‘Shahzadon Ka Drink’. It was also in Bengal that Balraj and Damayanti’s son, Parikshit was born. In 1938, Sahni went to work with Mahatma Gandhi for a year and the very next year went to England to join the British Broadcasting Network’s Hindi service as a radio announcer. In 1943, he returned to India.
It was in 1944 that Sahni moved to Bombay and joined the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), a group with which he also started his acting career, albeit through plays. In the same year, he bagged a role in the film ‘Insaaf’, which marked the beginning of his acting career in the Hindi film industry. ‘Dharti ke Lal’ and ‘Door Chalein’ were his next releases in the same year. In 1947, after doing the heroine’s role in the film ‘Gudiya’ (1947), Damayanti expired. Two years later, Balraj married his first cousin Santosh Chandhok and they had 2 children. It was, however, the film ‘Do Bigha Zameen that established his strengths as an actor. The movie was directed by Bimal Roy and came out in 1953; it also won the international prize at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is now considered a classic.
In the years that followed, he played many leading roles in commercial films opposite actresses like Nargis, Meena Kumari, Vyjayanthimala, and Nutan in films ‘Lajwanti’ (1958), ‘Ghar Sansar’ (1958), ‘Satta Bazar’ (1959), ‘Kathputli’ (1957), and ‘Sone Ki Chidiya’ (1958) respectively. These films further established his position as a versatile actor. In the 1961, film ‘Kabuliwala’, written by Tagore, went on to become another of his classics. To prepare for the role, Balraj lived with kabuliwalas in a Bombay suburb for a period of time. His character roles with strong performances in films like ‘Haqeeqat’ (1964), ‘Waqt’ (1965), ‘Do Raaste’ (1969), ‘Ek Phool Do Mali’ (1969), ‘Talash’ (1969) and ‘Mere Humsafar’ (1970) further left an indelible mark in the film fraternity and fans alike. The legendary song “Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen” from the film ‘Waqt’, picturized on Balraj Sahni and Achala Sachdev is still etched deep in peoples’ memories and is loved by the current generation as well. Together Achala and Sahni acted in 3 films.
Along with successfully proving his acting prowess, he also displayed exceptional directing skills through the film ‘Lal Batti’ (1957), where passengers are forced to spend a night together at the railway platform at the time of India’s independence. Balraj co-directed this movie along with Krishan Chopra. His performance in the film ‘Garm Hava’ (1973) is considered to be the best, till date. Sadly, this was his last film before his death.
Sahni’s writing career began with ‘Shahzaadon Ka Drink’ that came out in 1936. This was his first compilation of Hindi fiction. He went on to become an esteemed writer in the Punjabi literature. He wrote ‘Mera Pakistani Safar’ shortly after his visit to Pakistan in 1960. After a tour to the Soviet Union in 1969, he wrote ‘Mera Rusi Safarnama’. This book also earned him the Soviet Land Nehru Award. He also wrote his autobiography called ‘Meri Filmy Atmakatha’. Sahni even penned the screenplay for the 1951 released film ‘Baazi’, starring Dev Anand and directed by Guru Dutt. Apart from this, he wrote a number of poems, short stories, and contributed to the Punjabi magazine ‘Preetlari’.
Going through depression for some time after his young daughter Shabnam’s untimely death, Balraj Sahni passed away on 13th April, 1973 at the age of 59 following a cardiac arrest. He is survived by his son Parikshit, who is also an actor in the Hindi film industry.
Balraj Sahni received the Padma Shri Award in 1969. Balraj Sahni earned the Soviet Land Nehru Award for his book ‘Mera Rusi Safarnama’ in 1969. Balraj Sahni starrer movie ‘Do Bigha Zameen’ won the international prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1953. Balraj Sahni joined the BBC-London’s Hindi service as a radio announcer from 1939-43. ‘Punjabi Kala Kender’, founded in 1973 at Mumbai by Balraj Sahni, gives away the annual Balraj Sahni Award. ‘All India Artists’ Association’ also gives away the annual ‘Balraj Sahni Award’.
The other day, I was reading the autobiography of Balraj Sahni. His style of narration is very good. He does not miss even the smallest details. The part of his life when he entered the Hindi films is extremely readable.
When he was with BBC, London, he was deputed to attend a seminar in Poona, India. He came to India with his wife Damayanti and they stayed with a friend – Appasaheb Pant, the scion and Yuvraj of Aundh – a princely state in British India, in Maharashtra. Appasaheb later became India’s High Commissioner to Britain, post Independence. One evening they all went to see a film ‘Manoos'(Aadmi) (1939) of Prabhat, directed by V Shantaram. After seeing the film, he was terribly impressed with Shantaram’s direction and was all praise for him.
When Balraj left the BBC and returned to India, he was again in Poona. This time he went to see Shantaram, with prior appointment. When he reached the gate, a person was waiting for him. He was taken to the reception room. That man left. In the room there was one more person with a black cap which was very common for Maharashtrians those days. Balraj thought he too was another visitor like him. After a few minutes, that man asked in excellent English if he was Balraj Sahni. Balraj was astonished and nodded affirmatively. That man got up and said, ‘I am Shantaram. Nice to see you’. Later Shantaram took him around the studio etc.
Balraj returned to Bombay absolutely mesmerized with Shantaram. While in Bombay they were loitering, when they suddenly met Chetan Anand – his old friend. They were very happy to see each other. Chetan took them to his four bedroom spacious flat in Pali Hill, Bandra. They stayed with him for a few days. Balraj had decided to work in films and was negotiating for his role in film ‘Insaaf’, while Chetan was busy in his ‘Neecha Nagar’ (1946). One evening they went to see the film ‘Shakuntala’ (1943), made by Shantaram. After seeing the film Balraj was very much upset and started criticising Shantaram that his standard has gone down, compared to ‘Aadmi’ (1939).
Chetan Anand smiled and said, “Shantaram has made a film for Box office.” Balraj did not understand. Chetan Anand explained, “One can not go on making art films alone. To run the studio, you need money. Shantaram being a good businessman, he makes such films which earn him money. With this money he can make more meaningful films. For example after ‘Shakuntala’, Shantaram made ‘Parbat Pe Apna Dera’ (1944) and then his memorable film ‘Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani’ (1946). This is how the maths of cinema works”.
There are many such incidents described in his Autobiography which is highly readable, not only for his story but also for glimpse into the film scenario of the 40s and 50s. I can not go on,due to constraints of the length of this article. Maybe some other time I will tell you more from his book.
Balraj has done 101 films. His first film was ‘Insaaf’ (1946) and the last film to be released well after his death was ‘Amaanat’ (1977).
Today’s song is sung by Shamshad Begum along with chorus. Its lyrics are quite humorous. Enjoy….
Editor’s note:-With this song, all the twelve songs of ‘Chaalis Baba Ek Chor’ (1954), including two sets of two part songs, get covered in the movie. The movie ‘Chaalis Baba Ek Chor’ (1954) becomes the first movie to get YIPPEEE’D in the blog in the year 2024.
Song-Duniya daulat ki ghulaam (Chaalis Baba Ek Chor)(1954) Singer-Shamshad Begam, Lyrics-P L Santoshi, MD-S D Burman Female Voice Male Voice Chorus
Lyrics
arre kaal kare so aaj kare
aaj kare so o o ab
pal mein parlay hoyego o o
bahuri karego kab
is par bolo to zara
salaam sabko salaam
haan
bhaiyya jee salaam
darji jee salaam
dhobee jee salaam
bhaiyya jee salaam
devi jee salaam
salaam
salaam
ye duniya daulat kee ghulaam
dekhe jiskee jeb mein daam
jhuk ke kare salaam
usko jhuk ke kare salaam
usko jhuk ke kare salaam
dekh ye daulat ka jaadoo oo
kya se kya hai ho gayaa aa kya ho gayaa
ajee mil gaya hai wo gadhaa
jo ghaat se thhaa kho gaya
is per bolo to zara
dhobi jee salaam
jiyo
ye duniya daulat ki ghulaam
dekhe jiskee jeb mein daam
jhuk ke kare salaam
usko jhuk ke kare salaam
usko jhuk ke kare salaam
is ghar ke liye kisi kee
main ehsaanmand thhi ee ee ab nahin ab bhi hoon lekin
haan aan aan aan aan
is ghar ke liye kisi kee
main ehsaanmand thhi ee ee lekin
khandhar bata rahe hain
imaarat buland thhi khandhar bata rahe hain
imaarat buland thhi
aahe bhai imaarat buland thhi
aejee bhai imaarat buland thhi khandhar bata rahe hain imaarat buland thhi
khandhar bata rahe hain imaarat buland thhi khandhar bata rahe hain imaarat buland thhi
——————————————
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
——————————————
अर्रे
काल करे सो आज कर
आज करे सो॰॰ओ अब
पल में परलय होएगो॰॰ओ
बहुरि करेगो कब
इस पर बोलो तो ज़रा
सलाम सबको सलाम
हाँ
भैया जी सलाम
दर्जी जी सलाम
धोबी जी सलाम
भैया जी सलाम
देवी जी सलाम
सलाम
सलाम
ये दुनिया दौलत की ग़ुलाम
देखे जिसकी जेब में दाम
झुक के करे सलाम
उसको झुक के करे सलाम उसको झुक के करे सलाम
देख ये दौलत का जादू॰॰ऊ
क्या से क्या हो गया॰॰आ क्या हो गया
अजी मिल गया है वो गधा
जो घाट से था खो गया
इस पर बोलो तो ज़रा
धोबी जी सलाम
जियो
ये दुनिया दौलत की ग़ुलाम
देखे जिसकी जेब में दाम
झुक के करे सलाम
उसको झुक के करे सलाम उसको झुक के करे सलाम
इस घर के लिए मैं किसी की
मैं एहसानमन्द थी॰॰ई अब नहीं अब भी हूँ लेकिन
हाँ आं आं आं
इस घर के लिए मैं किसी की
मैं एहसानमन्द थी॰॰ई लेकिन
खंडहर बता रहे हैं
इमारत बुलन्द थी
खंडहर बता रहे हैं
इमारत बुलन्द थी खंडहर बता रहे हैं इमारत बुलन्द थी
आहे भई इमारत बुलन्द थी
ए जी भई इमारत बुलन्द थी खंडहर बता रहे हैं इमारत बुलन्द थी
खंडहर बता रहे हैं इमारत बुलन्द थी खंडहर बता रहे हैं इमारत बुलन्द थी
This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
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This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
“Pehle Aap”(1944) was produced and directed by AR Kardar under the banner of his home company – Kardar Productions, Bombay. The movie had Shamim, Vasti, Jeevan, Anwar, Dixit, Vidya, Laila, Chandabai, Allauddin, Amir Ali, Sham Kumar etc in it. Read more on this topic…
This article is written by Peevesie’s mom, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
Hullo to all Atulites
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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 FIFTEEN years. This blog has over 18300 song posts by now.
This blog is active and online for over 5000 days since its beginning on 19 july 2008.
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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