Happy Birthday Mukesh!

When I had done a post on Mukesh last year for his death anniversary, I had listed some of his most popular songs. And though I had said I would be doing more posts on him, I’ve hardly had time to do any posts at all after that.

On this Birth Anniversary of his, I’m listing 3 not-so-very-popular (at least I had not heard them earlier until recently) songs that I have come to love immensely. I wish I had the time to do a longer post, but unfortunately I dont. So here goes my list -

1. Pukaro mujhe naam lekar pukaro (Bhool Na Jaana, 1965) : I’m addicted to this song ever since I discovered it. A friend of mine who’s a big-time Gulzar fan had posted this on his wall on facebook about a month ago. And hardly a day has passed without me listening to it since then. It’s the simplicity of this song that I like the most – beautiful lyrics by Gulzar, awesome music by Daan Singh (I’ve become very fond of this man these days) and superb and heart-felt rendition by Mukesh. As this movie was never released, I doubt if we will ever find out how this song was picturized. But the audio is just so perfect, I would rather settle down with it than have the song spoiled by some inappropriate caste or silly picturization (as is the case with some of the best songs).  At the moment, I find this song totally heavenly –  It’s so melodious and poetic and romantic that it’s combined effect makes me heady everytime I listen to it. And I just cant get enough of it -

(Pukaro mujhe naam lekar pukaro 
Mujhe tumse apni khabar mil rahi hai) 2

(Kahin baar yoon bhi hua hai safar mein
Achanak se do ajnabee mil gaye ho) 2
Jinhe rooh pehchaanti ho azal se
Bhatakte bhatakte wohi mil gaye ho

Kunware labon ki kasam tod do tum
zara muskura kar baharein sanwaron

Pukaro mujhe naam lekar pukaro
Mujhe tumse apni khabar mil rahi hai

(Khayalon mein tumne bhi dekhi toh hongi
Kabhi mere khwabon ki dhundhlee lakeeren) 2
Tumhari hatheli se milti hai jaakar
mere haath ki yeh adhoori lakeeren

Badi sar chadhi hai yeh zulfen tumhari
Yeh zulfen meri baazuon mein utaaro

Pukaro mujhe naam lekar pukaro
Mujhe tumse apni khabar mil rahi hai

*Azal  means from the beginning of creation.

2. Hiya jarat rahat din rain (Godaan, 1963) : This song has such a rustic feel to it. I  love the prelude- the sitar and the flute. It sets such a happy note to it, even visually – a cow and a calf tied to a tree infront of the house, a hen pecking on something on the ground. A kid with a mother goat, puppies sucking milk, chics following the mother hen – all marking a new life coming into existence, spreading happiness and Raj Kumar savouring the sight around him. When the mukhda begins, in Bhojpuri, it just add to the rustic-ness that’s already set by the prelude .  Raj Kumar looks very convincing as a farmer and seems to be in a total bliss with his life and surroundings. But even admist all these, there’s an impending sadness in Mukesh’s voice, which reaches it’s peak in the last antara where a decaying skeleton is shown depicting death – Aas adhoori, pyaasi umariya…I had always loved the audio of this song. Saw the video today for the first time and must say I’m impressed with it. Hats off to Pandit Ravi Shankar for this wonderful composition, Anjaan for lovely lyrics and Mukesh for completing the traingle with his soulful rendition.

(Hiyaa jarat rahat din rain
O rama, jarat rahat din rain)2

(Ambuwa ki daali pe koyal bole) 2
Tanik na aawat chain 
O rama, jarat rahat din rain

(Baswaree mein madhur sur baaje) 2
Birahee papihara bolan lage
Madhure madhura madhu bain,
O rama, jarat rahat din rain

(Aas adhuri, pyaasi umariya) 2
Chhaye andhera sooni dagariya
(Darat jiya bechain)2
O rama, jarat rahat din rain

Hiyaa jarat rahat din rain
O rama, jarat rahat din rain

3. Kaise manaaun piyava (Char Diwari, 1961) : Haunting is the word that comes to my mind when I think of this song. When I had first heard this song, I thought it was too sad for my liking but there still was something very hauntingly beautiful and intriguing about it. And then I saw it’s video and I was mesmerized. From the lyrics I could make out that it had something to do with newly weds and probably the girl was in love with somebody else before she got married to this guy. In such situations, it’s usually just the song playing in the background, if it’s not sung by the people involved – ie the guy or the girl or the betrayed lover singing out all his wrath on bewafai. But the fact that it’s a third person singing this song and the husband confirming that it’s a kashti-waala who often sings this song as he sails across the river outside their house is what I found very interesting. I haven’t seen the movie, so I’m not sure who exactly the person singing it is, could be Nanda’s ex-lover. But I started liking this song  more after I saw it’s video. If only the sound in the video was little clearer.

The emotions are so beautifully described and rendered – the anxiety (ghabraana), shyness (sharmaana), short conversation in between and the confusion (or rather fear of not being able to accept or love the person). The last antara leaves the song on quite mysterious note.

The folk touch to the lyrics with words like “piyawa”, “ekhu” gives the song a desi feel. Everytime I listen to it I keep wondering what context is “Goon mere ekhu naahin” referring to. Whether it’s because she was in a relationship with somebody else before getting married and thinks she’s not worth all that she’s getting now. Also, the second antara that goes -

 

Saajan mere aaye, dhadkan badhti jaaye
Naina jhukte jaayein , ghunghat dhalta jaaye
Khudse hi sharmaaye, aaj teri parchhaayin

Though the first two lines have a romantic note to it, is the third line in continuation to that or is it something about her being ashamed of herself? I have to get hold of this movie somehow and watch it soon.

Salil Da’s music is awesome and so are Shailendra’s words. Heart-rending singing by Mukesh and must say a very well picturized song!

Kaise manaaun piyava 
Goon mere ekhu naahin
Kaise manaaun piyava 

Kaise manaaun piyava 
Goon mere ekhu naahin

Aayi milan ki bela 
Ghabraaun mann maahin
Kaise manaaun piyava 
Goon mere ekhu naahin

Kaise manaaun piyava 

(Saajan mere aaye 
Dhadkan badhti jaaye) 2
Naina jhukte jaayein 
Ghunghat dhalta jaaye
Khudse hi sharmaaye 
Aaj teri parchhaayin
Kaise manaaun piyava 
Goon mere ekhu naahin

(Main anjaani paraayi
Dwaar tihaare aayi) 2
Tune mujhe apnaya 
Preet ki reet nibhayi
Haye re mann ki kaliyaan
Phir bhi khil na paayin
Kaise manaaun piyava 
Goon mere ekhu naahin

Kaise manaaun piyava

A heart-felt thanks to all these maestros for creating such classic gems. Wonder what and how our lives would haven been without these vintage songs. Like the dialogue from Anand – “Anand mara nahi, Anand marta nahin”, all these people are immortal. They’ll live forever in the hearts of millions of people. We have loved you and we will always love you. Happy Birthday Mukesh!

Ten of my Favourite Geeta Dutt Songs

Geeta Dutt was launched in a chorus song in Bhakta Prahlad (1946), where she sang only two lines. But her rendering of those two lines stood out. She rose to fame with her next major assignment – as a Playback singer for Do Bhai. Initially she was typecast into singing bhajans and sad songs, but it was S.D Burman who recognized the magic in her voice and brought out a new facet of Geeta’s singing in Baazi. It’s believed that no female singer has better articulated the spirit of Burmanda’s music in its early years than Geeta.

Apart from S.D Burman, she worked a great deal with O.P Nayyar who developed the side of Geeta which had emerged with Baazi. Under his baton she turned into a really hep singer who could belt out any number – soft, sultry, happy, snappy, romantic, teasing or tragic.

Quoting him on Geeta: ” ……….Who will deny there is a unique quality to her singing. Give her a blatantly westernized tune this momentand a complex classical composition the next, and she will do equal justice to both with an ease of expression which a singer can only be born with. She is particularly good for songs accompanying boisterous jamborees. With that tantalizing lilt and fascinating curves she puts into her singing,she is the ideal choice if it is seductive allure you want in a song……..Geeta Dutt is an asset to any music director.”

Remembering Geeta Dutt fondly today, 20th Jul, on her Death Anniversary,  here’s a tribute to this great singer – some of her songs that I like the most.

1. Ae dil mujhe bata de tu kispe aa gaya hai (Bhai Bhai, 1956) : I must say that this is a Madan Mohan hangover It’s such a playful number filled with so much of innocence. It conveys the feeling of a first teenage crush, so unsure and so happy at the same time. Am not a teenager any more but given a situation like this, I would love to dance to this tune myself  – though very filmy, I am not as creative as the people in fims to sing a song of my own (so I would adjust with this) . Madan Mohan’s melodious composition, Rajendra Krishan’s lyrics, Geeta’s magical voice and the glow in Shyama’s face and the twinkle in her eyes - it’s such a mesmerizing blend!

2. Tadbeer se bigdi hui  (Baazi, 1951) : It’s S.D Burman’s jazzy musical scores in Baazi that demonstrated a new facet of Geeta’s singing. She had this ability to breathe life and emotion into any song she was singing. Take this one for example – at times I wonder if this really had two Geetas in this song – one onscreen and the other one behind the screen singing for her. Both are so vibrant and lively. Every emotion that Geeta Bali displays on screen can be felt in the voice. Sahir’s lyrics are quite meaningful and inspirational which inspite of the jazzy music stands out.

3. Arey tauba yeh teri ada (12 O’Clock, 1958) : Be it this or Tum jo hue mere humsafar, Aji ho suno toh, Kaisa jadoo balam tune dara….each song is a gem. Early in the morning, I had heard Kaisa jadoo balam tune dara in Bhoole Bisre Geet on Vividh Bharati, and I was humming it the whole day. I was so definite that I would include it in the list here but then I thought of Arey tauba yeh teri ada and I changed my mind. There’s quite a lot of similarity between Ae dil mujhe bata de and Kaisa jadoo balam tune dara – they both have the same feel to it where as Arey tauba is different in every way and it has HELEN in it!  Aji ho suno toh is quite different too, it has an unique lilt to it, quite different from other songs sung in restaurants and clubs but Arey tauba wins for me. This song does look and sound like a precursor to Mera naam chin chin chu  - the ending music of this song was the starting music of  Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu.

4. Babuji dheere chalna (Aar Paar, 1955) : This is Geeta Dutt’s trademark song. The first thing that strikes one when you hear Geeta Dutt sing is that she never sang. She just glided through the tune. This song just goes on to prove this! Be it Geeta’s rendition or Shakeela’s moves, they just flow with the music. Amazing! This song demonstrates the sexiness in Geeta’s voice and her easy adaptation to western tunes. Though it’s inspired by Perhaps perhaps perhaps, I find Babuji breathtakingly sensuous. Geeta Dutt’s breathy and sultry singing, the brilliant music and picturisation: all of it make it a superb example of what an inspiration should be!

5. Jaane kahan mera jigar gaya ji (Mr. and Mrs. 55, 1955) : This song is such a fresh breath of air. An all time favourite of mine. Beautiful and mischievious at the same time with the  right amount of teasing flirtatiousness. Rafi and Geeta Dutt’s rendition for Johnny and Yasmin is so perfect. I love everything about this song. Saw the video after quite a long time today and this reminds me that I had wanted a dress like Yasmin’s when I had first seen this video. By the way, long ago I had heard on tv/radio that Johnny Walker married the girl in this song. But Yasmin and Noor are two different people, right? He was married to Noor (Shakeela’s sister).

6. Aaj saajan mohe ang laga lo (Pyaasa, 1957) : An amazing movie with lovely songs. We have discussed quite a lot about the movie and the song when harvey reviewed the film followed by the musings on the film. As he rightly puts – “The song itself evokes memories of “Aan milo, aan milo shyam saanware” from Devdas. Common to both songs is the origin in the Bhakti. In Bengal and Orissa it is heavily influenced by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The ‘aim’ is to be in love with God so much that one dissolves in the divine. This is the emotion in the song as well. When the song begins placidly Waheeda is shown downstairs. She listens to the song with suspicion and wariness. As the song moves ahead she is shown climbing the stairs symbolising her slow transition and moving to higher levels. She is so overcome with love for Guru Dutt that tears well up in her eyes. And as the mridangs beats rise to a crescendo the emotions swell and she is about to hug him. She raises her arm up and then she moves back and runs to her room. And in this moment there is such clarity as if everything dissolves in the present.”  - truly fantastic and mindblowing! Be it Jaane kya tune kahi or hum aap ki aankhon mein, each song is a beauty (am only talking about the songs that have Geeta’s rendition) but Aaj saajan mohe is not just beautiful, it’s divine.

7. Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam ( Kaagaz Ke Phool, 1959) : This song is a result of Kaifi Azmi’s lyrics, Burmanda’s music, V. K Murthy’s cinematography, Guru Dutt’s direction, Geeta Dutt’s voice and Waheeda’s onscreen presence.  It’s such a  haunting melody – a heart-touching rendition, which has left an indelible impression in my memory. I first heard it on radio and it was only after few years that I actually saw the picturisation. And it took my breath away! I usually prefer playful and romantic numbers but this is one of those few sad songs that I simply adore. Geeta Dutt’s voice lingers in my heart long after the song is played. She makes every word throb with meaning – what an intensity of expression!

8. Piya aiso jiya mein (Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam, 1962) : A gem of a song! It just can’t get any better than this. Marvelous singing and incredible performance. When Geeta sings the lines more angan me jub purvaiyya chale, the windows in your brain will open to admit the air full of love. This is a very beautiful & happy song, with traces of a subtle pain, floating deep within the heart….Both Geeta and Meena have no match – they are stupendofantabulouslyfantastic!!! While each of the performances are spot on, if there is one person who is the heart and soul of the film, it is Meena Kumari. Her portrayal of Chhoti Bahu is perhaps the greatest performance ever seen on the Indian Screen. The sequence where Chhoti Bahu dresses for her husband singing Piya Aiso Jiya Main is a poignant exploration of a woman’s expectations.

9. Mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan (Anubhav, 1971) : This is probably the last recorded song of Geeta Dutt.  It’s such a great song,  something mystically romantic about it.  Exotically crafted - be it Gulzar’s lyrics, Kanu Roy’s haunting music, Geeta Dutt’s seductive voice,  Tanuja’s performance or the cinematography (esp the raindrops sliding through the window and the plants outside dancing to the breeze and trying to hold the raindrops on their leaves – amazing piece of work!), it’s simply mindblowing – An unmatched classic! It has that lingering effect too….tugs at my heart strings every time I listen to it and it stays with me long after I have heard it. Honth jhuke jab honthon par, saans uljhi ho saanson mein (note the way she breaks the flow and takes a breath while singing saans uljhi ho) and that laughter while singing Meri jaan at the end!

10.  Nanhi kali sone chali hawa dheere aana (Sujata, 1959) : A lovely lullaby – what a soothing rendition! This song speaks a volume about the movie – a mother putting her baby to sleep and  an adopted girl child sleeping in another room. A very well written and executed tale, not to forget absolutely fabulous music by SD Burman. It’s raining outside and there’s a cool breeze coming in from the window…how I wish my mom was here too, I would have asked her to sing this for me. I’m going to play this song to put myself to sleep tonight.

Geeta Dutt, with no formal training in singing of the type of songs that were in vogue at that time, introduced her own brand of appealingly fresh and free flowing style of singing. Her singing was based on instincts and spontaneity, guts and feelings, and love and pensiveness that resulted in breathing life and emotion into each song she sang.

To quote Raju Bharathan, Music Critic…

“Geeta Dutt was thandi hawa and kaali ghata rolled into one. The moment she came, you got the refreshing feeling of aa hi gayi jhoom ke. There was a rare swing in her voice. She hit you like a thunderclap……….This made Geeta Dutt the one singer that Lata Mangeshkar really feared. In training and technique Lata was way ahead but neither training nor technique was of much use when pitted against Geeta in the recording room……..

Truly love her. She will always remain alive through her songs!

May her soul rest in peace!

Ten of my Favourite Jeetendra Songs

I am not a big Jeetu fan, but like Nasir says – there’s neither anything great about him nor a larger than life charisma, but there’s something about him, something  that just can’t be ignored. And some of his songs are truly awesome, be it Rafi or Kishore singing for him, they are just amazing! Here’s wishing him a very happy (belated) birthday and here is a list of songs through which he dances, flirts, jumps, romances, dances,  jumps and dances over and over again.

1. Baar baar din  yeh aaye (Farz, 1967) : I actually love all the songs from this movie, like  Tumse o haseena, Mast baharon ka, Hum toh tere aashiq hai, Dekho dekho ji  better but since it was his birthday yesterday and this one’s  one of the best birthday party songs, this is a special  dedication to him.

2. Musafir hoon yaaron (Parichay, 1972) : One of my favourite movies and surprisingly this song marks my introduction to the Jumping Jack  – this is the first movie of his that I saw. Guess that’s one of the main reasons why I like him still even after watching him in all the other not-so-good movies.

3. Rukh se zara naquaab (Mere Huzoor, 1968) : What do I say about this song…I adore this song for every possible reason – music, lyrics, Rafi’s voice, picturisation…it’s all so lovely. I came home late from work last night and put the tv on just in time to see this song on B4U music and that’s what prompted me to do this post.

4.  Saat ajoobe is duniya mein  (Dharam Veer, 1977) : Garam dharam in minis and Jeetu in such flashy outfits….and as though that’s not enough - it has an added advantage of Zeenat’s and Indrani Mukherjee’s  presence, glimpse of Jeevan and lots of other royal pleasantness. Just this song itself is so spicy – a true representation of 70′s masala movies.

5. Dhal gaya din (Humjoli, 1970) :  Here comes Jeetu in his trademark White Trousers and shoes combo romancing Leena over a game of badminton followed by lots of other goodies. I had seen this movie ages ago but still remember the entire story. This movie had some very catchy dance numbers -  rain dance in Haye re haye, Jeetu shaking a leg with gorgeous Mumtaz in  Tik tik tik mera dil dole.

6. Chadhti jawaani teri chaal mastaani (Caravan, 1971) : Talk about catchy numbers and here comes another movie full of them – Piya tu ab toh aaja, Chadti jawani teri chaal mastaani, Daiyya main yeh kahan aa fassi, Ab jo miley hai, Dilbar dil se pyaare, Kitna pyaara vaadha, Goriya kahan tera desh re….to choose just one song from this movie is so tough – all the songs are ek-se-badkar-ek, RDB at his best. I like Kitna pyaara vaadha a lot, it’s a very cute romantic number but with Aruna looking the way she is in Chadhti jawaani, I had to choose this one.

7. Tere haathon mein pehnake  (Jaani Dushman, 1979): If the other songs are catchy and foot-tapping, I would rate this as a shoulder-shaking song in addition to being catchy, peppy and playful! Jeetu’s energy level, Neetu’s bubbly-ness, cheerful lyrics, perfect rendition and great choreography - this song gives a different dimension to this otherwise mysteriously bride-disappearing saga and distracts viewers for a while from what is inevitable.

8. Tera saath hai toh (Pyaasa Saawan, 1981) : I don’t remember much of the movie except for the fact that Jeetu is playing a double role (father and son) in this, but I love the songs – Tera saath hai toh and Megha re megha re. It’s such a highly romantic number.

9. Tere sang pyaar main (Nagin, 1976) : It’s so nice to see Jeetu jumping around a little gracefully, though his steps (esp the hand movements) look so feminine, but provided that he’s a Naag, I guess that’s ok. I remember watching this movie as a kid and had thoroughly enjoyed it. I think I should give it a try again – feisty Reena seeking vengeance and some good songs doesn’t sound all that bad. Reena and Jeetu share a very good chemistry here and both their costumes are  very sexy.

10. Aa meri humjoli aa (Jeene Ki Raah, 1969) : One of the best hide-n-seek songs ever – it’s such a cute song. I like Tanuja’s reaction to the song –  the way she suddenly jumps up from her seat (love the blue saari that Tanuja’s wearing). The other songs -  Aap mujhe achhe lagne lage, Aane se uski, Ek banjara gaye  are nice as well.

As always, I’ve already reached ten songs and there are still so many more playing through my mind : Ke hum tum chori se (Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke), Raat suhani jaag rahi hai (Jigri Dost), Yeh mulaquat ek bahana hai (Khandaan), Tere khayalon mein hum (Geet Gaya Pathharon Ne), Dil ki baatein dil hi jaane (Roop Tera Mastaana), Pal do pal ka (The Burning Train), Meri saanson ko jo (Badalte Rishte), Kab tak huzoor roothe rahoge (Aulad), Kisi raah mein kisi md par (Mere Humsafar)  – to name a few

Ok…now I think I like Jeetendra a little more than what I have admitted at the beginning of this post – “Tumse o deewane kabhi mohabbat na maine karni thi, magar mere dil ne mujhe dhoka de diya”