Posts Tagged ‘Shailendra’
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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Blog Day : |
4445 | Post No. : | 15893 |
Today’s song is from the film Chingari-1955. There were 4 films made with the same title – in 1940, 1955, 1988 and 2006. There was a dubbed film with a title ” Chingari Jawani” in 2003. I am still trying to understand its meaning !
During the second world war period many commodities like Petrol, Kerosene,foods as well as Raw film for making films went into shortage. Most essential items were controlled by the British government. The supply of raw film especially affected the film industry. Depending on the past history of making films by the film makers,” Quota “s were fixed at Government rates. Also, the govt. started a scheme of ” war effort promotion films”. Those films which promoted British efforts for the war in some way or the other, used to get extra Raw film supply at control rates. Many producers took advantage of this scheme and films like ” Panna”-44 and ” Badi Maa”-45 etc were made as ” War effort Promotion films” and got more Raw films.
When there is a shortage of anything, its Black Marketing is rampant. In India too, black market of Raw film, Petrol, sugar, even Rice and wheat prospered making the black marketeers prosperous. Some of the Black money flowed into film production as Finance. The result was, the films lost their purpose and quality as new financiers provided production money and interfered in selection of actors, MDs etc. During the period 1940 to almost early 50’s, these financers with black money made films at their will. Not all financers interfered. Actually most of them wanted to double their money investments. Some rich financers tried their hand at directing the films, without much experience. It was in this period that the Distributors started deciding film stories, singers, actors,directors etc, as they provided advance money for film production.
Why I am writing about all this is, during my years of writing on old films, I have come across strange names as film producers and directors. They appeared once and then disappeared for ever.Obviously they were the ‘ Curious Cats’ who wished to be a part of the films which they financed. Today’s film ‘ Chingari-55’ also is one of this category. This film was produced and directed by one S.Srivastava – a name I never came across earlier or after this film ! This film was planned somewhere in 1952-53, because all its songs were recorded in Jan-Feb 1953. That time this film was titled ” Paraya Ghar”. However, the film was delayed by a couple of years and with a new title ” Chingari” it was censored on 22-3-1955. It was released on 8-4-1955 at the Central Cinema and the film ran for just 3 weeks there.
The music of this film was by ” Manohar”. This name has caused ‘ Same name Confusion’. Manoharlal Khanna(father of Usha Khanna,MD) was also a Music director – though for only one film-Pamposh-54 and another was Manohar Sonik or Master Sonik (one of the Sonik-Omi composer duo). For many years these names got mixed up and no one knew who was who. The composer MANOHAR ARORA was a Punjabi music director who came from Sialkot to try his luck in Bombay. His first film was ‘Raees’-1948. Then came Josh-50, Rangeele Musafir-50,Bhoole Bhatke-52, Jingo-52, Usha kiran-52. His best remembered film was Chingari-55. Then came passing show-56, Mister Q-58, Dr. Z-59, Choron ki Baarat-60 and last film was Do dushman-67.
His name is mostly written as ” Manohar” only. This created a misunderstanding that he was Manoharlal Sonik,which is NOT correct.
The cast of the film was Nalini Jayawant, Shekhar, Pran, Leela Mishra, Sunalini Devi etc etc. Though I have seen many films of Nalini Jayawant, I remember her role only in “Hum sab chor hain”-56, which was loosely based on a similar story of film ‘ Ek thi Ladki’-49, with some changes like twin sisters lost in childhood (in Kumbh Mela ?). Nalini Jayawant’s life story is a lesson for those who make immature decisions-only to regret later. Fortunately, she came out of her blunder of marrying Virendra Desai ( a much married man of 32 years) at her age of just 17 years, albeit with some scratches and loss of 5 years of young life.
Nalini Jaywant (18 February 1926 – 20 December 2010) was an Indian film actress who appeared in Hindi films in the 1940s and 1950s.
Nalini Jaywant was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1926. She was first cousin of actress Shobhna Samarth, the mother of actresses Nutan and Tanuja. Since 1983, she lived mostly a reclusive life.
She was married to director Virendra Desai in the year 1943. They divorced in 1948. Later, she married her second husband, actor Prabhu Dayal,in 1960 with whom she acted in several movies. Prabhudayal died in 2001.
The marriage with Virendra Desai ( who was 15 years elder to her) and the next 5 years were quite traumatic for Nalini. This marriage only gave suffocation and wastage of 5 years of her teen age and the opportunities of working in films. More than her, Virendra Desai suffered due to this marriage. His mother Nandgauri, a tough lady, announced a family boycott on him and never again she spoke to him. Even when she was on death bed and Virendra had gone to meet her, she refused to talk to him. His wife and 3 children also treated him in aloof manner, like a stranger. His career was destroyed and he never came out of this situation.
In her teens, she appeared in Mehboob Khan’s Bahen (1941), a film about a brother’s obsessive love for his sister. Nalini finally broke through with Anokha Pyar (1948). The film was a love triangle with Nalini, Dilip Kumar and Nargis, with Nalini sacrificing her love for the hero, Dilip Kumar. It is to her credit that it was she who got the best reviews in the film, many critics calling her the only saving grace in the otherwise disappointing film.
1950 was Nalini’s big, big year as she became a top star with two of her films opposite Ashok Kumar, Samadhi and Sangram. Samadhi was a patriotic drama addressing Subash Chandra Bose and the Indian National army. Nalini and Kuldip Kaur played sisters who were spies for the British. The film, though called politically obsolete by leading film magazine of the day, Filmindia, was a huge success at the box office, its song Gore Gore O Banke Chhore being perhaps Nalini’s most popular song ever. On the other side of the spectrum, Sangram was a gritty crime drama wherein she played the heroine doing her best to reform the anti-hero. Nalini more than left her mark on both the films and went on to form a hit pair with Ashok Kumar, the two of them doing several films together thereafter like Kafila (1952), Naubahar (1952), Saloni (1952), Mr X and Sheroo (1957). It is said the two of them were romantically involved for a period as well.
Nalini remained an important leading lady through to the mid 1950s. Filmmakers like KA Abbas (Rahi-53), Ramesh Saigal (Shikast-53 – arguably her career’s best performance opposite Dilip Kumar, Railway Platform and Zia Sarhady (Awaaz) extended Nalini Jaywant’s association with realistic and socialistic films while filmmakers like Mahesh Kaul (Naujavan (1951)) and AR Kardar (Jaadu) developed her alternate musical persona, later personified by the frothy Filmistan musicals like Nastik, her biggest hit opposite Ajit, and Munimji, a carefree romantic film with Dev Anand as her leading man.
Perhaps Nalini’s last big, successful film was the Raj Khosla directed Kala Pani (1958). She gave one of the best performances of her career as the nautch girl Kishori who is the key witness in framing the hero’s father for a murder he did not commit. Playing a shaded character, she easily stole a march over goody-two-shoes heroine Madhubala and deservedly went on to win the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film. She is absolutely unforgettable in the film be it in the come-hither mujra Nazar Laage Raja Tore Bangle pe or as she looks tearfully at Dev Anand from across the room in that all time great SD Burman composition, Hum Bekhudi Mein.
Nalini remained an important leading actress through the mid-1950s, appearing in such films as Rahi (1953), Shikast (1953), Railway Platform (1955)), Nastik (1954), Munimji (1955), and Hum Sab Chor Hain (1956). The 1958 film Kala Pani, directed by Raj Khosla, was Nalini’s last successful movie. Bombay Race Course (1965) was the last film she made before retirement. After 18 years, she returned as a character actress in Nastik-83 which marked her last film appearance.
Nalini acted in 64 films. She also sang 41 songs in 10 films. Her last song was in the film Chingari-55. She worked in 10 films with actor Ajit and in 11 films with Ashok kumar.
Nalini Jaywant died lonely on 20 December 2010, aged 84, at her bungalow of 60 years at Union Park, Chembur, Mumbai, India. The death was not noticed by anyone until an ambulance carried her body after 3 days of her passing away. The neighbours reported that she had secluded herself from society and had not been meeting people after her husband’s death. Her relatives were also not in touch with her for long.
(based on information from wikipedia, Upperstall, and book “Sagar Movietone” by Biren Kothari ji with thanks.)
While the film Chingari had the last song sung by Nalini Jayawant, this was also the last film of actress Sunalini Devi, who after doing 56 films, retired from films and got married. Incidentally, she was the sister of Sarojini Devi Naidu and actor Harindranath Chatopadhyaya.
The songs of Chingari-55 were very good. Today’s song is also a good one. It is also one of the few songs with ‘Anokhe Bol’, sung by Lata and an unknown male voice. Enjoy…..
Song-Dil ki duniya mein aake na jaana …ya Rabba Peri Peri (Chingaari)(1955) Singers- Lata Mangeshkar, Unknown male voice, Lyrics-Shailendra, MD-Manohar
chorus
Lata + Unknown male voice
Lyrics
dil ki duniya mein aake na jaana
tujhe meri kasam na rulaa aa aana
ya rabba peri peri
ya rabba peri peri
ya rabba peri peri aa
dil ki duniya mein aake na jaana
tujhe meri kasam na rulaa aana
ya rabba peri peri
ya rabba peri peri
ya rabba peri peri yaa
tujhse hai ye zindagi suhaani
o o
pyaar ke geeton mein hai rawaani
o o o
mera singaar tu hai
mauj o bahaar tu hai
jeene mein hai maza
ya rabba per peri
ya rabba peri peri
ya rabba teri teri yaad
aaja pyaar ke taraane gaayen
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
hmm hmm hm
hmm hmm hmm
aaja aisa ek jahaan basaayen
chaand ka diya ho jismein
taare loriyaan sunaayen
aa aa aa
aa aa
sapnon ke dole mein jhoola jhulaaye hamen baad e saba
sapnon ke dole mein jhoola jhulaaye hamen baade saba
ya rabba peri peri
ya rabba peri peri
ya rabba peri peri yaa
bheegi bheegi raat ye nazaare
o o o
dil ki baat kahte hain sitaare
o o o
aankhon mein noor bhar de
dil mein sarur bhar de
o mere dilruba
ya rabba peri peri
ya rabba peri peri
ya rabba peri peri yaa
aarzoo yahi hai
meri justzu yahi hai
na ja
dilbar
na ja
ankhiyon mein aake
o mere dilruba
mere dil se na ja
hai ye dil ki dua
hai ye dil ki dua
ya rabba peri peri
ya rabba peri peri
ya rabba peri peri yaa
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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4413 | Post No. : | 15812 |
Today’s song is from film Patrani-1956. It was a Prakash Pictures’ film, produced by Shankarbhai Bhatt-the elder brother and directed by Vijay Bhatt, the younger brother. The music was by Shankar-Jaikishen (S-J). Songs were written by Shailendra (9) and Hasrat Jaipuri (1).
In my last post, I had talked about songs from the 50’s decade, especially songs from Shankar-Jaikishen films of this decade. I was determined to discuss such songs from Shankar-Jaikishen in the 50’s, so I started scanning each of their films made in the 50s. From 1951 to 1960, Shankar-Jaikishen gave music in a total of 41 films. First, I made a list and then revised it to an alphabetical list. That way, it would be easier for me to check songs from every film, from the Blog’s ” List of songs-moviewise”. Before starting, I went through the list once again and my heart sank. Looking at the titles of the films, I was afraid that most films must have already been ‘ Yippied ‘.
When I sat at the Laptop and started going through the movie titles, my worst fears seemed to get confirmed. When I finished scanning all the 41 films, I found that as many as 40 films out of the 41 total films had been Yippied, with all their songs covered. Only 2 songs from the film Patrani-56 miraculously remained uncovered yet. I felt like ‘ खोदा पहाड और निकला चूहा ‘. At this point , I remembered that in Nov-Dec-2015, I had myself done a series ” Songs of Shankar-Jaikishen from the 50’s “, in this Blog. In this series, I think, I must have discussed some 15 songs from 15 such films. Film Patrani-56 song was also one of that series, I remember.
Today’s song is from the film Patrani-56, and Shankar- Jaikishan were the Music Directors. Yesteryear composer Lallubhai Nayak was their assistant in this film. Lallubhai was the First music Director of Prakash Pictures since 1934. He gave a break to Rajkumari in 1934. He was a paid composer with Prakash in the 30s. Later he was first replaced by Shankar Rao Vyas and then by Naushad. After 1948, Lallubhai was living an anonymous life. Shankar Jaikishan brought him again in the industry with Patrani-56, to help him financially.
Patrani-56 was probably the First film of Shankar Jaikishan after they fought back and gained control over their music compositions in Raj Kapoor movies where Raj Kapoor used to exercise control over their compositions till then.
The film is set in Gujarat in the 11th century. it was based on a novel by Kanhaiyalal Munshi. The producers took plenty of cinematic liberties with the novel. PATRANI-1956 was supposed to be a Historical film,but there is no base for its story in real History. As I said once,Historical movies in India are most of the times ’Distortical’ movies, either being imaginary or bent for cinematic liberty.
A Prakash picture’s film (actually they were known for Mythological films), it was directed by Vijay Bhatt,its owner himself. The story,Dialogues and Screenplay was by R.S.Chaudhary. The music was by Shankar-Jaikishen and their assistant in this film was Lallubhai Naik, who played Sarod in this film.
The story of Patrani -56 was…..
King Karnadev Solanki,king of Gujrat(Pradeep Kumar) had many queens but no issues. The Rajmata(Durga Khote) insisted that he marry another girl after ascertaining astrologically her capability to give children.
The king had seen one princess in Somnath temple once and wanted to marry only her.But he does not know who she is. Actually she is princess Mrinal(Vyjayanti Mala) daughter of King Jai keshi(Ramesh Sinha) ofKarnatak.She was on a Teerth yatra when she saw Karnadev. She also wanted to only marry him,but did not know who he was.
Munjal Mehta (David),Mahamantri of Karndev goes on a mission and soon finds out Mrinal.She is beautiful,but her skin becomes black in the sunlight.Munjal knows Karndev’s dislike of black.mrinal is astrologically also fit.He tells her and shows the sketch of Karandev,after which she is happily ready to marry him.
They all travel to Gujarat, but during travel Mrinal’s skin becomes black.During marriage,there is a veil,but after marriage Karndev sees that she is black and rejects her.
She is good natured and becomes Raj mata’s pet. When the King falls sick, Mrinal serves him very well and slowly the King realises that outer skin colour does not make a person good or bad. He accepts her as she is and all’s well that ends well.
The cast of the film included Vaijayanti mala, Pradeep kumar, Omprakash, Shashikala, Praveen Paul, Sheela Vaz, Helen, David, Jeevan and many others.Actress Praveen Paul was born in 1930 in Punjab. She entered films in 1953, with the film Naulakha Haar-53. She did 128 films.Her last film was Sawerey wali gaadi-86. After her first marriage ended, she got involved with actor K.N.Singh. K.N.Singh was married and never acknowledged Praveen. They were involved with each other for 25 years. From this relationship , they had a son named “Vibhu”. He also went by the name’s “Vibhu Paul”,”Vibhu Singh”. He is now known as “Vibhushan Singh Paul” and is based in Toronto, Ontario,Canada. He is an owner operator of a Transport company. He has a daughter named Sarah Faria who is married to Cyrus Faria. K.N.Singh never publicly accepted Vibhushan as his son. (Thanks to IMDB).
This film’s Hero Pradeep Kumar was a fortunate actor. He was the first choice to play prince/king in numerous Hindi films. His talwar-cut moustache, broad shoulders, receding-into-his-temples coiffure, peaches-and-honey complexion, and regal bearing made him fit the role of an amorous aristocrat like a made-to-order crown.
Pradeep was the kind who could smoke a hookah with the same élan as while puffing State Express cigarettes when he played the modern lover.
Pradeep Kumar aka Sital Batabyal was born on 4 January 1925. Pradeep bided his time till he was 17 years old before he announced his decision to pursue an acting career. Despite his father’s disapproval, Pradeep began acting on stage. During one of his performances, renowned filmmaker Debaki Bose spotted him and cast him in a Bengali film, Alaknanda (1947).
Encouraged, Pradeep moved to Mumbai and found a job in the bustling Filmistan Studio. He brushed up on his Hindi and learnt Urdu in a bid to make an impression in his first Hindi film, Anand Math (1952). The film, set in the 18th century, had strong nationalistic overtones and co-starred Prithviraj Kapoor and Geeta Bali. The Vande Mataram number from this film became a cult success.
In the next two years, Pradeep’s career escalated to the top with two hugely successful musical hits — the Bina Rai-starrer Anarkali (1953) and the Vyjayanthimala-starrer Nagin (1954). While Anarkali revolved around the eternally popular legend of Mughal prince Salim’s passionate affair with a commoner Anarkali, Nagin was a reed-slim romance between two lovers belonging to rival snake-catching tribes.
The songs of both films (Nagin had as many as 12) had audiences transfixed. Pradeep’s lessons in fencing for Anarkali and his gamble of letting a python play on his wrist for Nagin paid off.
Pradeep’s regal demeanour won him legions of fans. He went on a signing spree (in 1956, he had 10 releases) and inked deals with V Shantaram (Subah Ka Tara) and Raj Kapoor (Jagte Raho).
All the top-notch heroines of the 1950s — Nimmi (Jayshree), Nargis (Adalat), Nutan (Heer), Meena Kumari (Bandhan) — were paired with Pradeep.
After Rajhath (1956), the actor tried desperately to make a hit pair with the beauteous Madhubala. They did as many as five other films together — Yahudi Ki Ladki (1957), Gateway Of India (1957), Police (1958), Mahlon Ke Khwaab (1960) and Passport (1961), but Pradeep’s efforts were in vain.
His films with lucky mascot Vyjayanthimala (including his home production Ek Jhalak) did not enjoy even a fraction of the success of Nagin. But his pairing with Bina Rai seemed to have stilled the wings of time. This teaming salvaged Pradeep’s career from the late-1950s dip, first with Ghunghat (1960) and more decisively with Taj Mahal (1963). Even a decade after Anarkali, Pradeep could evoke a regal aura while playing love-struck Mughal royalty. Roshan’s dulcet duet, Paon chhu lene do toh and Jo vaada kiya from Taj Mahal, like an unforgettable promise, continue to haunt radio listeners even today.
Pradeep’s career got a further fillip with Rajshri’s social, Aarti. Meena Kumari and Pradeep played lovers who bond together because of their common desire to serve the poor. But their love story comes under a cloud when a rich, unscrupulous doctor (played by the late Ashok Kumar) is irretrievably drawn towards Meena Kumari. Aarti’s success ensured that Pradeep and Meena worked unceasingly in a series of films. Pradeep once said, “Meena and I made a fine pair and worked very well together, but her husband did not like our friendship.”
He worked with Meena Kumari in seven films; Adil-E-Jahangir, Bandhan (1956 film), Chitralekha, Bahu Begum, Bheegi Raat, Aarti and Noorjehan; and with Mala Sinha in eight films; Naya Zamana, Hamlet, Baadshah, Detective (1958 movie), Fashion (1959 film), Ek Shola, Duniya Na Maane, and Mitti Mein Sona.
He did not get to act in lead roles with the newer heroines of the 1960s such as Sadhana, Saira Banu, Babita or Sharmila Tagore, though he did work with Asha Parekh in Ghoonghat and Meri Surat Teri Aankhen and with Waheeda Rehman in Raakhi (1963). In 1969, he moved to character roles with Sambandh and Mehboob Ki Mehndi, but did not have many visible roles till Jaanwar and Razia Sultan in 1983.
The first Meena-Pradeep film to release on the heels of Aarti was Kidar Sharma’s Chitralekha (1964). Pradeep played the hedonistic Samanta Beejgupta in this period film set in the Gupta period. Despite lavish production values, the stolid support of veteran Ashok Kumar and exquisite penmanship by Sharma and Sahir, the film collapsed at the box office. Kalidas’s love triangle Bheegi Raat, which featured the tried triangle of Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari and Pradeep once again, was an average success. But M Sadiq’s Muslim socials Bahu Begum (Ashok Kumar again) and Noorjehan, both released in the same year, spelt the death knell for the team.
Pradeep, who had not signed a single film with the new breed of successful heroines of the 1960s like Sadhana, Saira Banu and Sharmila Tagore, suddenly found himself without a rudder.
In 1969, Pradeep saw a glimpse of success once again with Sambandh, albeit in a character role. Ironically, Ajoy Biswas, the director of Sambandh, who had provided him with a short burst of fame, caused him a lot of heartburn too. Biswas had a short-lived and unhappy marriage with Pradeep Kumar’s actress daughter, Bina.
Pradeep’s princely persona and impeccable Urdu was relegated to the pages of history for the next decade and more. But the onscreen prince was destined to play an emperor in Kamal Amrohi’s Razia Sultan (1983). Pradeep Kumar acted in 144 Hindi films. He directed one film-Do dilon ki dastan-1966. He won the Kalakar Award-Lifetime Achievement Award (1999).
The semi-retired Pradeep played the emperor as only he could — forcefully. After all, he had played blue-blooded characters all his life. He lived a life removed from the spotlight for the next 18 years. His end was pathetic. Pradeep Kumar’s case is the saddest. He lay seriously ill in the ICU of a Calcutta nursing home, abandoned by his relatives. The hospital was not discharging him, unless the bills were paid. Luckily one Mr. Pradeep Kondaliya, an estate agent, recognised him, despite his grown beard. He paid the huge outstanding bill of the hospital and took Pradeep Kumar to his home, where he passed away after a few days,on 28-10-2001, at the age of 76 years.. He was cremated by his fan. Such is the film industry – cruel and ruthless, where the recognition lasts only till one is successful, and even close relatives desert you in bad times.
He is survived by his daughters Reena, Meena and Beena Banerjee who plays character roles in movies and TV serials including Uttaran, son Debiprasad and granddaughters Tanisha, Suparna, Riya and Hrishita. Beena Banerjee’s son Siddharth Banerjee worked as assistant director in Sajid Khan’s Housefull 2 (2012) and Himmatwala (2013).
(Ack: adapted from an article ” Ever the Royal” by Dinesh Raheja in Rediff.com dt 2-6-2003 and my notes, HFGK and muVyz. Thanks to all).
So, here is the song from the film Patrani-56, with music by Shankar-Jaikishen. It is sung by sisters Lata and Usha Mangeshkar with chorus. Enjoy….
Song-Raaja pyaare mat karo pyaar ka mol (Patraani)(1956) Singers-Lata, Usha Mangeshkar, Lyrics-Shailendra, MD-Shankar Jaikishan
Chorus
Lyrics
raaja pyaare
ho raaja pyaare
mat karo pyaar ka mol
raaja pyaare
ho raaja pyaare
mat karo pyaar ka mol
is duniya mein
ho is duniya mein ek yahi cheez anmol
raaja pyaare
mat karo pyaar ka mol
raaja pyaare
ae ae
ae ae
tum khushiyon ke saagar pyaare
main ithlaati lehri
tum khushiyon ke saagar pyaare
main ithlaati lehri
tum umde to o o
o o o
tum umde to main lehraayi
varna thahri thahri
raaja pyaare
ho raaja pyaare
mat karo pyaar ka mol
is duniya mein
ek yahi cheez anmol
raaja pyaare
ae ae
ae ae
satrangi kirnon ke sooraj
tumse jag mein jyoti
satrangi kirnon ke sooraj
tumse jag mein jyoti
main shabnam
ho o o o
o o
main shabnam tum se hi jagmag
varna jhoothha moti
raaja pyaare
ho raaja pyaare
mat karo pyaar ka mol
raaja pyaare
mat karo pyaar ka mol
is duniya mein
ek yahi cheez anmol
raaja pyaare
ae ae ae ae
O gori aaja gaddi vich baithh jaa
Posted on: August 12, 2020
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, a fellow enthusaist 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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Blog Day : |
4408 | Post No. : | 15798 |
apni kahaani chhod jaa
kuchh to nishaani chhod jaa
kaun kahe iss or
tu phir aaye naa aaye
That is how Balraj Sahni left his mark as an outstanding method actor in most of his nearly 100 films in which he acted during the course of his 27 years of filmy career. Balraj Sahni started his filmy career as an actor almost at the same time as Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, the trinity of the golden period of Hindi film industry. But he had to struggle hard to establish himself as an actor in demand. It took him more than a decade to do so while his compatriot trinity had become the stars in early 1950s.
Balraj Sahni was very bitter about his early experiences in his filmy career. Having associated with IPTA and being a card member of the Communist Party of India, it was difficult to get roles in the films despite the success of ‘Hum Log’ (1951) and ‘Hulchul’ (1951) in which he had important roles. Those days, it was a fashion to brand any one as communist if he had difference of opinion with men of authorities. Since Balraj Sahni was already a member of Communist Party, many producers were wary of offering him roles. In a few films in which he got the roles, he was unceremoniously dropped later from the films either directly or indirectly by offering him smaller roles.
When I completed reading Balraj Sahni’s autobiography in Hindi, I was surprised as to how he got drawn into Hindi films when he had an impressive curriculum vitae before he became an actor in Hindi films. He completed his double M.A. in Hindi and English literature from Government College, Lahore and joined Shanti Niketan along with his wife, Damyanti Sahni to work with Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. He worked there as a lecturer in Hindi and English. After two years, he and his wife shifted to Sewagram in Wardha to work with Mahatma Gandhi where he also worked as teacher in the institute run in Sewagram. In 1939, with the blessing of Mahatma Gandhi, he and his wife joined BBC London as a Radio Announcer and as a producer, respectively for their Hindi services. In 1944, Balraj Sahni and his wife landed back in Mumbai and got involved in Hindi plays under IPTA. From this point of time, both he and his wife got drawn towards acting in the films, that too not by their own volitions but through Chetan Anand, their close friend.
Balraj Sahni (01/05/1913 – 13/04/1973), was born as Yudhishthir Sahni in Rawalpindi in an Arya Samaji family. His father was a successful businessman – a wholesale cloth merchant who could afford to have a summer villa in Srinagar. In 1930, after completing his matriculation, he joined Government College, Lahore for B.A. His college days coincided with the advent of talkies during which he watched many Hindi and English films. He also participated as an actor in College’s dramatic society. By the time, he had completed M.A. in Hindi and English literature, he had developed an interest in literature rather than in acting in the films.
During four years of his stay in London, Balraj Sahni watched many English plays and Russian films which he felt was ahead of American films. Through Russian films, he got introduced to Marxism and Leninism. By the time, he and his wife returned to Mumbai in 1944, they had embraced Marxism. For some time, both of them stayed at Chetan Anand’s bungalow at Bandra whom he knew from his days in Government College, Lahore. Chetan Anand was also associated with IPTA where Balraj Sahni got acquainted with K A Abbas, Krishan Chandra, Phani Mujumdar, Prem Dhavan, V P Sathe, C P Joshi among others. In IPTA, K A Abbas who was writing a play ‘Zubeida’ selected Balraj Sahni to direct it. The play became a hit. This was the start of his long association with K A Abbas.
During his IPTA days, Chetan Anand offered him and his wife major roles in his maiden film ‘Neecha Nagar’ (1946) which was in the planning stage. However, Chetan Anand was not able to arrange the finances. So, the making of the film got delayed. During the same time, Phani Mujumdar offered him a small role of the hero’s friend in ‘Insaaf’ (1946). At first, Balraj Sahni was not enthusiastic to accept the small role. It was only after Phani Majumdar assured him that in his next film ‘Door Chalen’ (1946), he would give him a major role which he kept his words. Both the films did not click at the box office.
In the meanwhile, IPTA got a licence to produce a full-length feature film which K A Abbas used it for making ‘Dharti Ke Laal’ (1946). It was IPTA’s first and the last film. Both Balraj Sahni and Damyanti Sahni got major roles in the film along with other IPTA actors. This film also failed at the box office as the film’s release coincided with communal violence in Mumbai. However, the film was critically acclaimed both nationally and internationally. Thereafter, both Balraj Sahni and Damyanti Sahni worked in ‘Gudia’ (1947) in lead roles. However, soon after the completion of the film, Damyanti Sahni who also used to work with the slum dwellers in Mumbai as a part of her social work, fell ill. Due to adverse reaction of the medicines, she died in April 1947 at a young age of 26, leaving Balraj Sahni with two kids, Parikshit and Shabnam.
A devasted Balraj Sahni soon left Mumbai and started staying in his father’s summer villa in Srinagar while his kids were sent to Rawalpindi at his parent’s house. But within few months, the communal riots on the eve of the partition made Balraj Sahni and his parents with kids to come back to Mumbai leaving everything behind. While IPTA took care of him on his second coming, he also commenced shooting for ‘Gunjan’ (1948) in which he had got the offer of the lead role opposite Nalini Jaywant when he was in Srinagar.
In 1948-49, Balraj Sahni was mostly associated with IPTA plays and communist party activities. During this period, he got married to Santosh Chandok, his cousin who was a writer and actor in IPTA. During the rehearsal of the play ‘Signalman Dulee’, all IPTA members were called to participate in a procession taken by the communist party which had taken anti-Nehru stance, branding him to be an agent of British Government. Carried away by the party line, Balraj Sahni wrote and acted in an IPTA play ‘Jaadu Ki Kursi’ which was directed by Mohan Sehgal. The play was a satire on Pandit Nehru’s policies. During this time, Communist Party took out a procession in the street of Mumbai with slogan shouting and criticising Nehru’s policies. Balraj Sahni and other IPTA members had also joined the procession. There was lathi charge and police firings. Many prominent activists of IPTA such as Balraj Sahni, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Ali Sardar Jafri, Deena Pathak etc. were arrested and imprisoned in Arthur Road jail for 2 years.
Before his arrest, Balraj Sahni had got a major role in K Asif’s film, ‘Hulchul’ (1951) on the recommendation of Dilip Kumar. Shooting of the film had commenced but Balraj Sahni was in jail. With the good offices of producer, K Asif, Balraj Sahni got permission from the Jailor to join shooting during the day time under the police escorts. Incidentally, Balraj Sahni acted in this film in the role of a Jailor. The arrangements continued until the film’s shooting was completed.
After about 6 months of imprisonment, Balraj Sahni was freed from the jail. It is not known as to how he got released from the jail in 6 months but I feel that there must be some reason for remission in his jail terms and this was not liked by his party. He found to his dismay that the party has branded him as ‘traitor’ and some of his friends and acquaintances avoided meeting him. After some time, Balraj Sahani left IPTA and Communist Party of India due to difference of opinions. Those days, any party member having put forward a different opinion than the party line, used to be branded as ‘reactionary’, ‘traitor’ etc.
Notwithstanding leaving IPTA and Communist Party, Balraj Sahni remained a committed Marxist with ‘Das Kapital’ as his reference point rather than the communist ideaology. Things began to improve in his filmy career as soon as the tag of ‘communist’ against his name was obliterated. Despite film offers coming to him on a regular basis, he could do only few films as he selected mostly socially oriented films – like the role of unemployed and sickly Raj in ‘Hum Log’ (1951), the rickshaw puller, Shambhu Maheto in ‘Do Bigha Zameen’ (1953), the compassionate manager of an orphanage in ‘Seema’ (1955), the idealistic poet, Shrikant in ‘Sone Ki Chidiya’ (1958), a loving elder brother in ‘Chhoti Bahen’ (1959), a committed village doctor in ‘Anuradha’ (1960), a migrant Afghani, Abdul Rehman Khan in ‘Kabuliwala’ (1961) etc. However, as he advanced in age, he started getting the character actor’s roles during which time, he mostly worked in the mainstream Hindi films.
Sometime in 1950, Chetan Anand, the head of Navketan Films, invited Balraj Sahni to write screen-play and dialogues for ‘Baazi’ (1951) which he gladly accepted because it suited to his temperament as a writer. Guru Dutt, the director wanted to start the shooting of the film even before the script was ready. Balraj Sahni made it very clear to him that he would part with screen-play and dialogues only when it is complete in all respect. It was only when he gave the screen-play and dialogues duly bound, the shooting of the film commenced. Though ‘Baazi’ (1951) was a big hit on the box office, Balraj Sahni did not draw any benefit or pleasure from it as his screen-play and dialogues were changed without his consent as was the practice by most of the directors. So, he gave up the idea of taking up the assignment of screen-play writing any more. He also directed ‘Laal Batti’ (1957), the only film as a director during his filmy career. He also worked in some Punjabi films.
By the end of 1950s, Balraj Sahni had adjusted to the unorganized way of working in Bollywood. He was once called for shooting in the morning and he was sitting in the studio throughout the day without being called for a single shot. From then onwards, he decided to carry his typewriter for shooting so that he could use his free time for writing articles and short stories for the magazines. While working in Shanti Niketan in the late 30s, Balraj Sahni was advised by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore that he should write articles and stories in Punjabi as a writer can effectively express his thoughts in his own mother tongue. Balraj Sahni took his advice seriously and learnt afresh writing in Gurumukhi.
Balraj Sahni major break through as an actor was in a neo-realistic film, ‘Dharti Ke Laal’ (1946). It was just a co-incident that his last film ‘Garam Hawa’ (1973) also happened to be a neo-realistic film. His son, Parikshit Sahni had said in an interview that the film had perfect pathos in almost every scene and dialogues delivered by his father.
And why not? If one sees the events happening in the film in a broader manner, Balraj Sahni had actually experienced them in reality. Towards the end of the film, he lost his young daughter Amina who commits suicide following her bad marriage. This had actually happened to Balraj Sahni about one year before the film’s shooting was completed. His daughter, Shabnam by his first marriage had returned to him after a divorce and died young due to a brain hemorrhage. All the pains in losing his daughter was reflected on his face in the film.
On his 60th birthday, Balraj Sahni was to make an announcement to leave the film industry and settled down in Punjab to devote rest of his life to the literature. For this, he had bought a cottage in Punjab which was being refurbished. But God wished differently. Just before a month of his 60th birthday and a day after completion of his dubbing for ‘Garam Hawa’ (1973), Balraj Sahni died of heart-attack on April 13, 1973. At the Juhu Crematorium, besides close family members, friends and film paternity, there was a large crowd of hotels workers, fishermen and others from the Juhu village whom he had financially helped to improve their living conditions.
Bhisham Sahni, Balraj Sahni’s younger brother and a renown theatre personality (remember his T V Serial, ‘Tamas’, 1988) has talked about his elder brother’s deep and abiding love for his family. He said that the scene from ‘Waqt’ (1965) in which Balraj Sahni sings ae meri zohra-zabeen, showering his love for his wife is the exact reflections of his exuberating nature which many have witnessed in his house. Sometime in mid-1960s, Balraj Sahni constructed his bungalow at Juhu mainly to accommodate his entire family under one roof and for the visiting relatives and friends.
Balraj Sahni had jokingly said in his autobiography that he got more chance to do romance with the heroines of the films when he did character actor’s roles than as a hero. One of the films in which as a hero, he romanced with Geeta Bali was ‘Sapan Suhaane’ (1961). The film was produced under the banner of K R Films which was directed by Kidar Kapoor. The star cast included Balraj Sahni, Geeta Bali, Kamini Kadam, Chandrashekhar, Helen, K N Singh, Leela Mishra, Bhagwan Dada, Praveen Paul, Keshav Rana, Tun Tun, Ram Mohan etc.
Four songs (out of 7) have been covered in the Blog. I am presenting the 5th song, ‘o gori aaja gaddi vich baith jaa’ from ‘Sapan Suhaane’ (1961). The song is rendered by Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar for Balraj Sahni and Geeta Bali. The song is written by Shailendra which is set to music by Salil Chaudhuri.
Acknowledgement:
Much of the information for this article has been drawn from:
1. ‘Meri Filmy Aatmkatha’ by Balraj Sahni (1974).
2. Balraj – My Brother by Bhisham Sahni (1981).
3. Two Brothers – Balraj and Bhisham Sahni – Some experience in IPTA by Kalpana Sahni.
Video Clip:
Audio Clip:
Song-O gori aaja gaddi vich baithh jaa (Sapan Suhaane)(1961) Singers-Manna Dey, Lata, Lyrics-Shailendra, MD-Salil Chaudhary
Lyrics
o…o gori aaja gaddi vich baithh jaa
jaao ji koi kya kahega
o….o gori aaja gaddi vich baith jaa
jaao ji koi kya kahega
tu jaise phoolon waali daali..ee
goriye tu to hai naazon ki paali
gora rang jal jaaye na
na to main phoolon waali daali..ee
chhaliye na main hoon naazon ki paali
tu kisi aur ko bana
khadi tarsaaye main ko aaja aa aa
karoon kya jiya kahe na aa aa aaa
o…o gori aaja gaddi vich baith jaa
jaao ji koi kya kahega
o…o gori aaja gaddi vich baith jaa
jaao ji koi kya kahega
ye raahen meri anjaani..ee
nigaahon mein hai bachpan ki naadaani
mera dil kho jaaye na
ye raahen maana hai anjaani…ee
tere sang main jo hoon meri pahchaani
ye saathi chhod jaaye na ae ae
kahenge kya ye duniya waale ae ae
na dekho din mein sapna aa aa aa aaa
o…o gori aaja gaddi vich baith jaa
jaao ji koi kya kahega
o…o gori aaja gaddi vich baith jaa
jaao ji koi kya kahega
kah do doli leke aaun
bana ke dulhan tujhko ghar le jaaun
agar tu dil se kahe haan
agar tum doli leke aao…o
bitha ke palkon mein mujhko le jaao
mera dil kahe chaahe na
bhula mat dena apna waada aa aa
sanam ne kar to diya haan….. aan
o…o gori aaja gaddi vich baith jaa
jaao ji koi kya kahega
o…o gori aaja gaddi vich baith jaa
jaao ji koi kya kahega
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, 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: | 4331 | Post No.: | 15625 |
Today, May 27, 2020 is the 56th Remembrance Day of India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. I also remember this day for two other reasons. First, it was the day when my SSC result was out in the morning and second, I had to attend my maternal uncle’s marriage. That day was almost like current lockdown situation except that the trains were running and we could go out. A pall of gloom was visible on almost every one’s faces I met at the marriage. The question in their mind was ‘After Nehru, Who?
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a visionary and the architect of modern India. For a newly independent country, charting of a growth path was necessary. The policies were directed towards creating infrastructure facilities like construction of major dams, power plants and setting up of heavy industries like steel plants, engineering and chemicals. Higher educational institutes like Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs), the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) and other scientific institutes like All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMs) were set up. He was also the architect of non-alignment movement during the cold-war years.
There were also brickbats for Pandit Nehru’s policies. His handling of Kashmir issue in 1948 and his China policies were highly criticised. Also, the food crisis in the 1960s were blamed for not giving importance to the agricultural sector in the Five-year plans. The foremost critics of Nehruvian policies in those days were Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia of Socialist Party, Hem Barua, H V Kamath and Barrister Nath Pai of Praja Socialist Party, Balraj Madhok of Jan Sangh and Hiren Mukherjee of Communist Party of India. Despite their relatively much lower number of seats in the parliaments, they were forces to reckon with as the leaders from the opposition parties.
I remember in my teen that during the parliament sessions that the newspapers will carry front-page news of the criticism of Government’s policies by one or more of the names of the leaders I mentioned above. Some of these names may not ring bell to the new generations. Most of them were good orators. It was the charismatic presence of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who aptly handled heated debate upholding the democratic norms in the parliament.
After the General Election of 1957, one more strong critic of Pandit Nehru’s policies entered the Lok Sabha. He was 33-year old Atal Bihari Vajpayee of Jan Sangh. There used to be heated arguments between the young Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pandit Nehru in Lok Sabha. One of the anecdotes which Atal Bihari Vajpayee revealed during a ‘no confidence’ motion against his Government in 1996, proves that despite serious differences, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s admired Atal ji’s performance in the Lok Sabha. Let us read in Vajpayee’s own words which he spoke in Hindi (translated by me in English):
Once during the heated debate in the Lok Sabha, I told Nehru ji that he had a mixed personality in which he was both Churchill and Chamberlain (former prime ministers of the U K – first was supposed to be hawkish and the second dovish in crisis management). Nehru ji did not get angry. In the evening, I attended at a function organised for a visiting foreign dignitary. At the venue, Nehru ji saw me and called at his place to complement me for my rousing speech of that day in the Lok Sabha. He took me to one of the foreign dignitaries and introduced me by saying ‘he is a young leader from the opposition who always criticises me, but I see in him a great future’.
And what a great statesman Atal Bihari was as well. In 1977, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the Foreign Minister, he came to South Block to take charge of his ministry. While walking in the lobby of his office, he noticed that Nehru ji’s portrait was missing from the wall. He called his officials and asked them as to what happened to the portrait. There was no answer. After some time, he found that Nehru ji’ portrait was back in its place. Both these anecdotes indicate the greatness of both these leaders and their relationship in which there was no malice despite serious political differences.
Some of the IPTA members belonging to Hindi film fraternity were also the critics of the Nehruvian policies. Majrooh Sultanpuri in 1948 wrote a poem calling Pandit Nahru a stooge of Hitler and the slave of the Commonwealth for which he was arrested in 1949 by the then Chief Minister of Bombay State, Morarji Desai. Sahir Ludhianvi’s satirical song, cheen o arab hamaara hindustaan hamaara had an implicit criticism of the Government’s policies for widening the gap between ‘haves’ and ‘haves not’.
Shailendra was also the critics of Nehru. He had written a sarcastic poem on Nehru’s visit to the UK in June 1953 to attend the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth. In today’s scenario, probably, Shailendra would have become a persona non grata in South Block. But with Pandit Nehru, it was different. The following anecdote which I read on the facebook page of Dinesh Shankar Shailendra, the youngest son of Shailendra, throws some light which indicates that Pandit Nehru had no malice towards his critics.
Sometime after the Chinese aggression in October 1962, Pandit Nehru invited some members of Indian Film Industry to Delhi to personally thank them for doing programmes for the Indian Army to boost their moral and also raise funds. Raj Kapoor with his core team comprising Shankar-Jaikishan, Mukesh, Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra were also the guests. All the guests were waiting at the venue but Nehru ji got delayed. A bored Shailendra told Raj Kapoor that he was tired of waiting and would like to go back to his hotel room. He also said that there were so many important guests and he would not be missed. Raj Kapoor agreed.
After some time, Pandit Nehru arrived and personally met all his guests. While talking to Raj Kapoor, Pandit Nehru suddenly asked ‘Where is Shailendra? – the man who wrote hothon pe sachchaayi rehti hai, jis desh mein ganga behti hai. Raj Kapoor was in a quandary. He immediately sent Shankar to bring Shailendra from his hotel room which he did. A relieved Raj Kapoor proudly introduced Shailendra to Pandit Nehru who insisted getting photographed exclusively with Shailendra. Nehru ji told Shailendra that he would personally sign the picture and send it to him which he did.
It was, therefore, no surprise that the finest tributes to Pandit Nehru following his death on May 27, 1964 came from his critics. After reading them, I feel that they have all come from the bottom of their hearts and also out of immense respect for him. Kaifi Azmi wrote a heart-felt song, meri aawaaz suno, pyaar ka raag suno for ‘Naunihaal’ (1967). He also wrote a nazm, Nehru in 1964. Sahir Ludhianvi wrote a nazm, Jawaharlal Nehru soon after the death of Pandit Nehru.
Pandit Nehru was a great admirer of Hindi and Urdu poetry. He was a fan of poets like Josh Malihabadi, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Suryakant Tripathi Nirala and Harivanshrai Bachchan with whom he used to interact with them on poetry. There are anecdotes on Pandit Nehru’s friendship with these poets which also reveal that Pandit Nehru took criticism from his friends without malice towards them.
Pandit Nehru was instrumental in setting up of Children’s Film Society of India in 1955. He had invited Kidar Sharma to direct the first film for the children, ‘Jaldeep’ (1956). The film won the award of the best film under children’s film category at Cannes Film Festival in 1957. For the next children’s film, ‘Bachhon Se Baaten’ (1957), Kidar Sharma requested Nehru ji as a part of the film. One can say that Pandit Nehru acted in a film where he was the main actor. [Source: Kidar Sharma’s autobiography, ‘One And Lonely Kidar Sharma’ (2002)].
Shailendra wrote a non-film song as a tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru. On the occasion of the 56th Remembrance Day of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, I am presenting the same non-film song ‘phool khilega baaghon mein’ (1964) which is rendered by Mukesh. The song is set to music by Shankar-Jaikishan.
Audio Clip:
Song-Phool khilega baaghon mein jab tak ghulaab hai pyaara (Mukesh NFS)(1964) Singer-Mukesh, Unknown voie, Lyrics-Shailendra, MD-Shankar Jaikishan
Chorus
Chorus + Mukesh
Lyrics
Chacha Nehru
amar rahen
Chacha Nehru
amar rahen
Chacha Nehru
amar rahen
phool khilega baaghon mein
jab tak gulaab kaa pyaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par
Nehru naam tumhaara
jab tak hai iss jag mein
chanda suraj kaa ujiyaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
humko hai dukh humne kho daala apna humjholi
jiske saath deewaali thhi uske sang khelen holi
kaun bada ab hum jaise ban ke khilwaad karega
pyaar karega jhagdega jhoothi taqraar karega
khilega jag ke aangan mein
jab tak bachpan pyaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
kaun manga kar dega humko bhaalu haathi cheete
bachpan ke din apne to bachpan se pehle beete
kaun hamen chitti likhega pyaar bhari bhaasha mein
haay tumhen bhi hum likh paate kaash aur tum jeete
jab tak bachche muskaayenge youn nirmal jaldhaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
wo muskaan hamaare jaisi hriday jeetne waali
wo gussa jo sheetal hai jaise barkha matwaali
wo ghudki jo sikhlaati hai sabak yaad kar lena
wo baaten jaise bikhraaye phool phool ki daali
yaad aayengi jab tak dukh mein degi yaad sahaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
phool khilega baaghon mein jab tak gulaab ka pyaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
chale gaye ho lekin lagta hai tum yahin chhupe ho
jaise hum bachchon se aankh micholi khel rahe ho
bagiyaa ke phoolon mein bikhri hai muskaan tumhaari
nadiyon ke sang chalte ho parvat ke saath khade ho
jab tak baaki hai duniya mein jo kuchh bhi hai pyaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
kabhi na bhoolenge hum tumne itna pyaar diya hai
kabhi na murjhaayega tumne jo gulzaar diya hai
hamen tumhaari yaadon ki saugandh ke hum bachche bhi
yogya banenge uske tumne jo sansaar diya hai
jab tak mehnat ke haathon jaayega vishwa sanwaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
hum sachche insaan banen
hum dost banen vishwaasi
hum chaahe jo hon pahle hon achchhe Bharatwaasi
kabhi na ho ab jung zameen par
desh rahen sab mil kar
jung ek hi ho duniya mein
bhookh rog aur dukh par
jab tak bahti hai is duniya mein Ganga ki dhaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
phool khilega baaghon mein
jab tak gulaab kaa pyaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par
chaacha naam tumhaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par
chaacha naam tumhaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par
chaacha naam tumhaara
- In: "chaand" song | "Kotha" song | Dance song | Devnagri script lyrics by Sudhir | Feelings of heart | Guest posts | Kum Kum Dance Song | Lata solo | Lata song | Lyrics contributed by readers | Mujra song | Post by Sadanand Kamath | Song from regional movies | Songs of 1960s (1961 to 1970) | Songs of 1962 | Yearwise breakup of songs
- 12 Comments
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, a fellow enthusaist 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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Blog Day : |
4280 | Post No. : | 15521 |
In my last article, I had discussed playback singer and actor Shyam Kumar, who has acted in many Hindi films but remained unidentified for most of the Hindi film audience. In this write-up, I am presenting one more such actor who has made us to notice him in many films but remained unsung because he did very small roles in most of the films in which he got opportunity to act – mostly as a sidekick, a henchman, a doctor, barman, hotel manager etc. Though his roles in most of the films have been very brief say, not be more than 5 minutes duration but whatever he did as an actor in varied roles, it was noticeable to the filmy audience. The actor is Keshav Rana whose face in the films may be familiar to many cine audience but may not be known by his name to them.
I had seen Keshav Rana in some of the films in the late 60s and early 70s during which I was active in watching films almost every week-end but I was not aware of his name. His acting as a police inspector in ‘Seeta Aur Geeta’ (1972) in a comical situation has still remained in my memory. I did not know his name until I started collecting the pictures of personalities connected with Hindi films during the last 5-6 years. It was a co-incidence that his image propped up when I was searching for something else. And the image of Keshav Rana emerged as a scene from a film ‘Dillagi’ (1966). That was the beginning of my work to identify him in many more films.
Not much information about the early life of Keshav Rana is available on-line. The only information I know from IMDb is that his full name is Keshav Singh Rana and he belongs to Faizabad in UP. From his filmography, it appears that he came to Mumbai to join the film industry in the later half of 1950s. His first film as an actor was ‘Anjaan’ (1956). His most active years was 1960s and 1970s when he worked in around 50 and 70 films, respectively. On a rough count, Keshav Rana must have worked in around 130 films during 1956-1986.
During the last fortnight, I have seen some important films with Keshav Rana’s scenes under prominent banners like that of Shakti Samanta, Arjun Hingorani, Ramesh Sippy, J Omprakash, BR Chopra, Prakash Mehra etc. He did a variety of roles in the films but in most of the films, he was moslty typecast as Police Inspector/Commissioner, Doctor, Hotel Manager, Barman, a patron of mujra dances etc. In others films, he mostly performed roles in negative shades and sidekicks to the main actors. Of the films of Keshav Rana, I watched, the only film in which he got a relatively longish role of Puran Bahadur in negative shade of a blackmailer was in ‘Dillagi’ (1966).
Keshav Rana excels in negative roles with a smiling face. But behind his smiling face lies his evil and manipulative designs to blackmail his victims. In this role, he generally avoids fighting and bloodbath in most of his films. He leaves these parts to other henchmen. For example, in films like ‘Dillagi’(1966) and ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’ (1978), he takes out his Rampuri knife but never uses it. Instead, he entrusts his fellow henchmen to fight it out. His light comical roles as a police inspector in ‘Seeta Aur Geeta’ (1972) with Hema Malini (as Geeta) and as a barman in ‘Shaan’ (1980) with Amitabh Bachchan have been well appreciated.
I have uploaded an audio clip incorporating along with the song, the screen shots of scenes in which Keshav Rana appears in some of his important films. Check out the audio link below.
‘Qatl’ (1986) appears to be Keshav Rana’s last film after which he did not act in any film. I could not get any information as to what he did thereafter.
Keshav Rana had played a small role of a patron of a kotha dancer in ‘Ganga Maiya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo’ (1962), the first Bhojpuri film. The film was directed by Kundan Kumar. The star cast included Kumkum, Ashim Kumar, Nazir Hussain, Tiwari, Bhagwan Sinha, Helen, Leela Mishra, Kumari Khanna (Padma Khanna) etc. The story, screen-play and dialogues were written by Nazir Hussain. Songs were written by Shailendra which were set to music by Chitrgupt.
I am presenting the song ‘Luk Chhip Badra Mein Chamke Jaise Chanwa’ from the first Bhojpuri film rendered by Lata Mangeshkar and picturised on Kumkum who is dancing for the patron, Keshav Rana.
Listening to the song in audio clip gives a feel of the dance in a nautanki (folk theatre) in the rural Bhojpuri region. And why not? Both Shailendra and Chitragupt hail from Bhojpur region of Bihar.
Video
Audio
Song – Luk Chhip Badra Mein Chamke Jaise Chanwa (Ganga Maiya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo) (1962) Singer – Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics – Shailendra, MD – Chitragupt
Lyrics
luk chhip badra mein chamke jaise chanwa
mora mukh damke
mori kusumi re chunariya itar gamke
mori kusumi re chunariya itar gamke
luk chhip badra mein chamke jaise chanwa
mora mukh damke
mori kusumi re chunariya itar gamke
mori kusumi re chunariya itar gamke
sonwa aisan piyar mor rangwa
phoolwa aisan komal mor angwa
sonwa aisan piyar mor rangwa
phoolwa aisan komal mor angwa
hirani aisan kajarwa naina chamke
kajrwa naina chamke
mora mukh damke
mori kusumi re chunariya itar gamke
mori kusumi re chunariya itar gamke
hamri baari umar ladkoriya
bhanwra neha lagaae barjoriya
hamri baari umar ladkoriya
bhanwra neha lagaawe barjoriya
hum t dolat paayaliya mori chhamke
paayaliya mori chhamke
mora mukh damke
mori kusumi re chunariya itar gamke
mori kusum re chunariya utar gamke
champa phoole chameli phoole bagiya
sudhi na lihale ram balam beragiya
champa phoole chameli phoole bagiya
sudhi na lihale ram balam beragiya
kehu na jaane basela kahunwa ramke
basela kahunwa ramke
mora mukh damke
mori kusumi re chunariya itar gamke
mori kusumi re chunariya itar gamke
luk chhip badra mein chamke jaise chanwa
mora mukh damke
mori kusumi re chunariya itar gamke
mori kusumi re chunariya itar gamke
———————————————————
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
———————————————————
लुक छिप बदरा में चमके जैसे चनवा
मोरा मुख दमके
मोरी कुसमी रे चुनरिया इतर गमके
मोरी कुसमी रे चुनरिया इतर गमके
लुक छिप बदरा में चमके जैसे चनवा
मोरा मुख दमके
मोरी कुसमी रे चुनरिया इतर गमके
मोरी कुसमी रे चुनरिया इतर गमके
सोनवा ऐसन पियर मोर रंगवा
फुलवा ऐसन कोमल मोर अंगवा
सोनवा ऐसन पियर मोर रंगवा
फुलवा ऐसन कोमल मोर अंगवा
हिरनी ऐसन कजरवा नैना चमके
कजरवा नैना चमके
मोरा मुख दमके
मोरी कुसमी रे चुनरिया इतर गमके
मोरी कुसमी रे चुनरिया इतर गमके
हमरी बारी उमर लरकोरिया
भंवरा नेहा लगावे बरजोरिया
हमरी बारी उमर लरकोरिया
भंवरा नेहा लगावे बरजोरिया
हम त डोलत पायलिया मोरी छ्मके
पायलिया मोरी छ्मके
मोरा मुख दमके
मोरी कुसुमि रे चुनरिया इतर गमके
मोरी कुसुमि रे चुनरिया इतर गमके
चंपा फूले चमेली फूले बगिया
सुधि न लिहले राम बलम बैरगिया
चंपा फूले चमेली फूले बगिया
सुधि न लिहले राम बलम बैरगिया
केहू न जाने बसेला कहुंवा रमके
बसेला कहुंवा रमके
मोरा मुख दमके
मोरी कुसुमि रे चुनरिया इतर गमके
मोरी कुसुमि रे चुनरिया इतर गमके
लुक छिप बदरा में चमके जैसे चनवा
मोरा मुख दमके
मोरी कुसमी रे चुनरिया इतर गमके
मोरी कुसमी रे चुनरिया इतर गमके
Kabhi to aa
Posted on: February 15, 2020
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.
| Blog Day : | 4229 | Post No. : | 15438 |
“Patraani”(1956) was produced by Shankarbhai Bhatt and directed by his younger brother Vijay Bhatt for Prakash Pictures. The movie had Vyjayantimala, Pradeep Kumar, Omprakash, Shashikala, Durga Khote, David, Jeevan etc. in it. The movie was based on a novel by Kanhaiyalal Munshi.
Seven songs from this movie have been discussed in the past. Here is the eighth song from “Patraani”(1956) to appear in the blog. This song is sung by Lata. Shailendra is the lyricist. Music is composed by Shankar Jaikishan.
The song is picturised as a rajdarbaar dance song on Shashikala as Pradeep Kumar, the king looks on.
audio
Video
Song-Kabhi to aa (Patraani)(1956) Singer-Lata, Lyrics-Shailendra, MD-Shankar Jaikishan
Lyrics
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
o sapnon
mein aake chale jaane waale
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
o sapnon mein aake chale jaane waale
bhali buri
hoon jaisi bhi
main teri hoon
taras kar mohe tarsaane waale
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
aa aa aa aa
aa aa aa aa
rangeeli rut aa gayi ee ee
rangeeli rut aa gayi ee ee
dekh kar chaand ka dhhalna ho
dekh chaand ka dhhalna ho
piya main ghabra gayi ee ee ee
piya main ghabra gayi ee ee ee ee
dhhalegi kya ye umar bhi isi tarah
bataa de mohe
ratiya jagaane waale
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
o sapnon mein aake chale jaane waale
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
aa aa aa aa
aa aa aa aa
wo din kab aayenge ae ae ae ae
wo din kab aayenge ae ae ae
jaane kab pyaasi nadiya mein
jaane kab pyaasi nadiya mein
kamal muskaayenge ae ae
kamal muskaayenge ae ae ae ae
hata bhi de
ye bojh sar se laaj ka
ghoonghat kaliyon ke sarkaane waale
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
o sapno mein aake chale jaane waale
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa
kabhi to aa aaa
Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai
Posted on: December 26, 2019
- In: Devnagri script lyrics by Sudhir | Feelings of heart | Free Spirit Song | Guest posts | Lata solo | Lata song | Lyrics contributed by readers | One song used in more than one movie | One song used in two movies | Post by Sudhir | Song used in more than one film | Songs of 1960s (1961 to 1970) | Songs of 1965 | Songs of 1980s (1981 to 1990) | Songs of 1983 | Songs reused again in subsequent movies | Yearwise breakup of songs
- 1 Comment
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 : |
4178 | Post No. : | 15355 | Movie Count : |
4233 |
Songs Repeated in Hindi Films – 14
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
An iconic song from 1965 – absoute gem, absolutely unforgettable. “Kaanton Se Kheench Ke Ye Aanchal. . . Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai” from the 1965 film ‘Guide’. Created by the greats of that era – Shailendra, SD Burman and Lata Mangeshkar. And coming from a film directed by Vijay Anand, one is assured that the picturization would be superlative, which it surely is. The song continues to sustain its beauty even after more than five decades. It is such a genuine treat both visually and aurally.
Eighteen years after this song came into being, it was used again in the 1983 film ‘Qayaamat’. This film is one of the plethora of crime-and-punishment films that crowded the screens during the 1980s and 90s. The main roles are played by Dharmendra, Shatrughan Sinha, Smita Patil, Jayaprada and Poonam Dhillon. Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha are close friends. But there is a falling out in their friendship, when Dharmendra is sent to jail, and he holds his police officer friend responsible for it. On returning from jail, he seeks to avenge himself for something that he considers as injustice meted out to him.
I have not seen the film and so will not be able to comment on the sequencing of this song within the storyline. Apparently, Jayaparada is the love interest of Dharmendra, and she appears in flashback in the movie. So there is some tragedy also related here. The occasion for the song is the birthday party of Shatrughan Sinha. Dharmendra is calling on a phone line to greet his friend. He finds out that Smita is about to sing a song at the party. He requests his friend to keep the phone line open so that he can listen. Then the song starts. It starts in the party, and almost immediately Dharmendra rewinds to the past where he sees Jayaprada singing in a very picturesque hillside setting. Rest of the song plays out in this flashback, returning to the party just moments before it ends.
Personally speaking, the song and its theme does not seem to fit into the birthday setting or even the hillside flashback interlude. It seems like force fitted, and completely out of place. But then that is just me.
The song has been reused in its original form. It is not re-recorded. So we get to enjoy the original audio, picturized on a different set of actors, in a different setting.
This song was identified and suggested by our dear Satyajit Rajurkar ji, for inclusion in this series. Thanks Satyajit ji.
Song – Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai (Qayaamat) (1983) Singers – Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics – Shailendra, MD – SD Burman
Lyrics
ho o o
kaanton se kheench ke ye aanchal
tod ke bandhan baandhi paayal
ho o
koi na roko dil ki udaan ko
dil wo chalaa
aa aa aa aa aa aa
aaj phir jeene ki tamannaa hai
aaj phir marne kaa iraadaa hai
aaj phir jeene ki tamannaa hai
aaj phir marne kaa iraadaa hai
apne hi bas mein nahin main
dil hai kahin to hoon kahin main
ho o o
apne hi bas mein nahin main
dil hai kahin to hoon kahin main
ho o o
jaane kya paake meri zindagi ne
hans kar kaha
haa haa haa aa ha aa
aaj phir jeene ki tamannaa hai
aaj phir marne kaa iraadaa hai
aaj phir jeene ki tamannaa hai
aaj phir marne kaa iraadaa hai
main hoon gubaar yaa toofaan hoon
koi bataaye main kahaan hoon
ho o o
main hoon gubaar yaa toofaan hoon
koi bataaye main kahaan hoon
ho o o
dar hai safar mein kahin kho na jaaun main
rastaa nayaa
a a aa aa aa aa
aaj phir jeene ki tamannaa hai
aaj phir marne kaa iraadaa hai
aaj phir jeene ki tamannaa hai
aaj phir marne kaa iraadaa hai
kal ke andheron se nikal ke
dekha hai aankhen malte malte
ho o o
kal ke andheron se nikal ke
dekha hai aankhen malte malte
ho o o
phool hi phool zindagi bahaar hai
tay kar liyaa
a a aa aa aa aa
aaj phir jeene ki tamannaa hai
aaj phir marne kaa iraadaa hai
aaj phir jeene ki tamannaa hai
aaj phir marne kaa iraadaa hai
————————————————————
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
————————————————————
हो ओ ओ
काँटों से खींच के ये आँचल
तोड़ के बंधन बांधी पायल
हो ओ
कोई न रोको दिल की उड़ान को
दिल वो चला
आ आ आ आ आ आ
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है
आज फिर मरने का इरादा है
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है
आज फिर मरने का इरादा है
अपने ही बस में नहीं मैं
दिल है कहीं तो हूँ कहीं मैं
हो ओ ओ
अपने ही बस में नहीं मैं
दिल है कहीं तो हूँ कहीं मैं
हो ओ ओ
जाने क्या पा के मेरी ज़िंदगी ने
हंस कर कहा
हा हा हा आ हा आ
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है
आज फिर मरने का इरादा है
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है
आज फिर मरने का इरादा है
मैं हूँ गुबार या तूफाँ हूँ
कोई बताए मैं कहाँ हूँ
हो ओ ओ
मैं हूँ गुबार या तूफाँ हूँ
कोई बताए मैं कहाँ हूँ
हो ओ ओ
डर है सफर में कहीं खो ना जाऊँ मैं
रस्ता नया
आ आ आ आ आ आ
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है
आज फिर मरने का इरादा है
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है
आज फिर मरने का इरादा है
कल के अँधेरों से निकल के
देखा है आँखें मलते मलते
हो ओ ओ
कल के अँधेरों से निकल के
देखा है आँखें मलते मलते
हो ओ ओ
फूल ही फूल ज़िंदगी बहार है
तय कर लिया
आ आ आ आ आ आ
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है
आज फिर मरने का इरादा है
आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है
आज फिर मरने का इरादा है
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 : | 4157 | Post No. : | 15326 |
“Chingaari”(1955) was directed by S Srivastava for co-operative pictures production, Bombay. The movie had Shekhar, Nalini Jaywant, Leela Misra, Sunalini Devi, Pran etc in it.
This forgotten movie had eight rare songs in it. Four songs have been covered in the past.
Here is the fifth song from “Chingaari”(1955) to appear in the blog. This song is sung by Lata. Shailendra is the lyricist. Music is composed by Manohar aka Manohar Arora.
Song-Ye dil ki majbooriyaan (Chingaari)(1955) Singer-Lata, Lyrics-Shailendra, MD-Manohar Arora
Lyrics
ye dil ki majbooriyan aur ye pyaase nain
uljhan ki is raat mein do dil hain bechain
ye dil ki majbooriyaan
poochh raha hai chaand gagan ka hum kyun hain majboor
poochh raha hai chaand gagan ka hum kyun hain majboor
saath hain donon paas hain donon
phir bhi kitni door
kis dar ne kis soch ne chheena inka chain
ye dil ki majbooriyaan
apni manzil pe aakar bhi
kyun ye dil ghabraaye
apni manzil pe aakar bhi
kyun ye dil ghabraaye
dil ghabraaye
neend na aaye
har aahat chaukaaye
anjaane is des mein kaate kate na rain
ye dil ki majbooriyaan
pyaar agar hai paas to batla
ae duniya naadaan
pyaar agar hai paas to batla
ae duniya naadaan
tujhmein aisa kya hai jispe naaz kare insaan
kuchh na soojhe preet mein jab uljhen do nain
ye dil ki majbooriyaan aur ye pyaase nain
ye dil ki majbooriyaan
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