Preet Na Jaane Reet (1966)

I realized that it’s been so long since I saw a movie. I can’t believe myself that I could survive without a dose of vintage movie for so long. I was finally at home the whole day yesterday and I couldn’t do without watching one. I opened my DVD/VCD box and I went through them. I first took out Char Dil Char Raahein, but I was in no mood of seeing tragedy. I am not sure if it really is a tragedy but Meena Kumari and Raj Kapoor put me off, inspite of Shammi Kapoor. I wanted to watch something entertaining and fun. I picked up Teesri Manzil, Professor and Dil Deke Dekho but I have seen all these movies so many times and I wanted to watch something new. So finally decided on Preet Na Jaane Reet. Though I had the VCD for quite a long time, I somehow hadn’t come across watching it yet. Then, I came across the songs while doing Rafi Sings for Shammi and was totally floored by Teri zulfen pareshan, Yun na dekho hume baar baar and Oh jaanewale sun zara yeh dil ka maajra. Haye…Rafi and Shammi, I can never get enough of them!

Seth Karamchand (Nasir Hussain) gets a telegram. Chandu, his man servant brings it to him and Sethji is extremely happy. Seeing his happiness Chandu asks :
Chandu : Is it from Chhote Babu?
Sethji : Yes. He has reached Bombay and will be coming here tomorrow.
Chandu rushes to the market to buy baingan (brinjal) for Baingan ka bharta and other favourite vegetables of Chhote Babu. Sethji warns him that Ashok must have developed a taste for Chicken Broth, Stew, Salad etc. and may not relish Chandu Kaka’s homemade food any more. But that doesn’t dampen Chandu’s spirit. He’s very sure that Chhote Babu will still savour his Chutneys and Bharta.

The scene shifts to another house. Husband (Siddhu? Since he’s not referred by name anywhere, I will call him Jijaji) is sitting and reading newspaper. Wife, Sharda (Shammi) comes screaming into the room calling her servants but none of them seem to be around.

Sharda : Suniye, sun rahe hai aap?
Jijaji : Ji, boliye.
Sharda : Main kab se chila rahi hoon aur aap par asar hi nahin hota. chup chap akhbaar padhe jaa rahe hain. (I’ve been screaming for so long and you are here sitting quietly and reading newspaper!)
Jijaji : Aap kahe toh bhool ho gayi, main chilla ke akhbaar padna shuru kar deta hoon. (I’m sorry, I didn’t know I was to read it loud)
And he literally starts reading the paper loud. Sharda is a very dominating wife and hardly lets her husband speak. In case if he does get to voice his opinion, she screams : “Aap chup rahiye!” And he obediently replies : “Aap kahe toh bhool ho gayi!”

Sharda knows that Ashok is coming back after 5 years in Europe. He’s the only son of Seth Karamchand, the richest man around. So she feels he’s the most eligible boy in town for her sister, Kavita (Saroja Devi). Sharda wants Kavita to accompany her and go to receive Ashok at the airport but Kavita refuses because she is of a different opinion. She gives 2 reasons to justify her denial :          
1. Mujhe abhi shaadi nahin karni (I don’t want to get married now).
2. Ameer baap ke bete se mujhe saqt nafrat hai. Siwaye apne baap ke tukde todna use kuch nahin aata (I hate rich guys. They are too dependent on their father’s earnings and are not capable of standing on their own feet).
So off they go to the airport without Kavita. Sethji, Sharda and Jijaji are waiting at the airport and the plane’s landing. Sethji is very excited and says – main apne bete ko 5 baras ke baad dekhne jaa raha hoon..na jane kitna bada ho gaya hoga,  kaisa ho gaya hoga (I’m going to see my song after 5 years. Wonder how much he must have changed and grown).
Jijaji : 5 baras bada ho gaya hoga, zaroor!!! (He must have grown by 5 years now, of course! He says that as a matter of fact and with so much of enthu. I fell for him immediately.)

Everybody descends from the flight  but they can’t spot Ashok anywhere. So concluding that Ashok didn’t come by that flight, the party returns back home.

Kavita and her group of friends are on their way to college when a car passes by splashing slush on Kavita. But the gentleman, Ashok (Shammi Kapoor), behind the wheels drives back when he realizes what he has done. But before he can say anything the girls begin scolding him:
Starting with Kavita : Junglee, Jaanwar!!!
Her friends ask him : Aankhen bandh karke chalate ho? Apne baap ka sadak samajhte ho, dekha bechari ka sari kharab kar diya na? (Do you drive with your eyese closed? You think that this road is your father’s property?)
Ashok : I’m so sorry.
Kavita : Tumhare sorry keh dene se meri saari toh dhul nahin jayegi. (Your sorry wont clean my saree)
He offers to take her home where she could change and then would drop her to her college. But her friends misunderstand him and tell her : Ek number ka badmaash lagta hai. Pehle ghar dekhega, phir college aur phir naam poochega (He looks like a goon. He’ll first find out where you live, then the college where you study and thenwill ask for your name. His intentions don’t look good).
Enough is enough. He can’t take it any more. So much for his decency! So he offers her some money and tells her to get her saree dry cleaned/washed or get a new one…
She retorts : Bazaar mein akal aur tameez mile toh isi note se khareed lena thode aadmi ban jaoge! (Keep the money to yourself. Buy some wit and good manners if you come across any. That will at least make you a little human.)

Meanwhile, one of her friends punctures his car tyre.
Ashok : Oh, what do I look like now?
Kavita : Budtameez!

(How convenient na…All they have to do is to recite the names of his movies : Junglee, Jaanwar, Budtameez, Pagla Kahin Ka when they have to scold him. I have noticed this in quite a lot of movies and I just love it!)

Ashok goes to a garage (Desuza, Decruz and Fernandes Garage) and calls out for DeSuza. Somebody answers that he’s dead. Next, he calls for Decruz and the same voice replies that he’s dead too.

Finally, he calls for Fernandes and Fernandes(Johney Walker) crawls out from under a car saying : Zinda hai (he’s alive).
It turns out that Ashok and Fernandes were school buddies but Fernandes wasn’t interested in studies. So his uncle took him under his wing and taught him the trick of the trade and gave him a job in his garage.He concludes saying – Apni toh yeh life hai bhaiya aur abhi tak without wife hai (This is my life bro and I’m still without a wife). Fernandes fixes his car and off he goes.

He reaches home and his father is pretty annoyed that he didn’t inform him that he wasn’t coming by flight, knowing that he would go to the airport to recieve him. But one look of regret from his son and the father melts. Ashok explains that his friend, Shamu asked him to drive home instead of taking the flight. Hence, he took his car and came over.

They sit down to dine, on a huge dining table and they sit at opposite ends (Love the way they converse here. They can’t even see each other directly, the lamp comes in between and they keep bending on opposite sides while talking so that one is visible to the other).

Ashok tells Chandu that he missed all these delicacies so much in Europe. He went to so many restaurants hunting for proper food but he couldn’t find anything as deletable as what Chandu has prepared.
Sethji : So you just went around hunting for good food. How about work?
Ashok : I worked hard as well. You will get the reports soon, you can see it for yourself.
Sethji : Did you get to go around and see the places as well or were you burried in work all the time?
Ashok : Oh no…I did go to lots of places – Rome, Venice, Berlin, Paris, London etc
Sethji : What did you like the most there?
Ashok : Girls! (with such a casual attitude. As though he meant saying : what else did you expect?)
Then he realizes what he has just said and gets choked.
Sethji : Chandu, how old is Ashok now?
Chandu : Maalik, you shud get him married now. You were a father at his age.

The next day he goes out and sees Kavita and her friends at a petrol pump. He overhears them mention putting up at Ashok Hotel. He follows them. And they all shower him with the same gaalis again calling him Aawara, Loafer, Badmaash, Junglee etc. He accepts that he spoiled her saree that day but even they punctured his tyre, so it’s not fair to label only him a budtameez.
Ashok : Main aapko yakeen dilana chahata hoon ke main man, dharam aur karam ka bahut hi nek, pavitra aur shareef insaan hoon. Mauka aane par apni sharafat ka namuna pesh karunga. Jai Hind! (For your kind information I’m a good decent guy and will prove it to you when the time comes).
In the mean time, during the conversation he manages to poke their tyre with something, leaving them behind with a flat tyre. He drives ahead and when he realizes that they have stopped their car, he gets down and offers some suggestions but nobody wants them.

He worries them all the more by singing Yun na dekho hume baar baar.

Finally Kavita and group reach Ashok Hotel and they declare they are from Sharda college but the Manager apologizes saying he couldn’t book a room for them as all the rooms are already filled. They all get worried because it’s dark already and they don’t know the place. They request the Manager to arrange for something but he says there isn’t anything much he can do. But if they would go and talk to the owner, they might get a room if their luck favours them because there are roooms reserved for the owners.
Kavita, the leader of the group goes to speak to the owner. But when she realizes it’s Ashok she just walks out. But her friends are in no mood of going and searching for another place to spend the night. So they try convincing Ashok. They literally corner him. But he strikes a deal that he would give them a room provided their leader, Kavita comes and requests for it!
Pehle apne langoor jaisa shakal toh dekhe! Main request karoon?!!! – This is her reaction when she hears of the deal. But when her friends emotionally blackmail her into arranging an accomodation for them, she gives in and reqests Ashok to give them a room, which he immediately does.

The following morning Sethji also turns up at the hotel demanding the Manager for Book of Accounts. When he learns that Ashok’s there, he goes to his room. Kavita and group happen to be at the counter. Manager confides in them that Sethji is very short tempered. This gives her an idea to get Ashok into trouble. So she sends her friends one my one to Ashok’s room, all of them claiming to be his girlfriends. After the first one leaves, Ashok explains to his father that she’s gone crazy.

But when this continues, Sethji : Kya in sab ka dimaag kharab hai? (You mean to say all these girls have gone crazy?)
Ashok : Mumkin hai (It is possible)
Sethji : Ya phir mera dimaag kharab hai? (Or think think I’ve gone crazy to believe you?)
He orders Ashok to pack his bag immediately and leave with him.

It’s Ashok’s birthday and Sharda and Jijaji are getting ready for the party. Sharda wants Kavita to accomany them but Kavita refuses. Jijaji convinces her to join them and finally she gives in and goes with them to Sethji’s house. But the best part it she doesn’t know that her Badmaash, Junglee, Budtameez is the birthday boy. She’s quite surprised to find him even there. And ignores him as much as she can even after learning he’s Sethji’s son. Ashok is obviously hurt by her behaviour and asks her :
Ashok : What’s your problem with me?
Kavita : First impression is the last impression. You are a loafer, gunda, Roadside Romeo. The only thing you have learnt all these years is to pick on girls.
Ashok : If you stand by that, then there’s another saying that goes ‘Try try n try my boy until you succeed’. Mohabbat karengi ek din mujhse aap (you will fall in love with me someday).
Kavita : Mohabbat karegi meri juti (Fall in love with you? My foot!) I’ll fall for a guy who’s hard-working and earns a living for himself, not someone who’s used to enjoy and spend his father’s money.

Fernandes is in love with Rosy (Minoo Mumtaz), Dhumaal’s daughter. They own a small eat-joint and Fernandes usually eats there and doesn’t pay for his food. Rosy doesn’t mind but Dhumal is mad at him. So Fernandes is hiding from Dhumal because he owes him money. Fernandes and Rosy sneak away to the garage and dance to this lovely Rafi-Kamal Barot duet – Yahan bhi toh nahin hai wahan bhi toh nahin hai. Check the lyrics of this song – tu meri chevrolet hai, tu meri juliet hai…could there be a better song for a car-mechanic to sing?

Ashok wants to prove himself to Kavita. He wants to show her that even he can work hard and earn a living for himself. So he convinces Fernandes to give him a job at his garage. And he changes his name to Mohan from Ashok. One day Kavita is walking past the garage on her way back home from college, with few books in her hand. Mohan is fixing a car. Just as she crosses the car, he crawls out from beneath the car. She trips over his leg and almost falls down, the books however fall and he picks them up and gives them to her. With the impression she has of Ashok, she starts scolding him again. He claims he’s not Ashok but she doesn’t believe him. Finally when Fernandes addresses him as Mohan, she’s convinced that he’s a different man. She goes back home and realizes that one of her books is missing and is sure that it must have got misplaced when it fell at the garage. So she comes back to the garage  and goes to Mohan’s room. She sees him sitting in a small room and reading a book. Just because he’s poor she immediately develops a soft corner for him. He tells her that he’s a graduate. Just then she smells something burning. He realizes he was cooking daal. So he hurries to the kitchen. She helps him with the daal. In the mean time he narrates that he left his house because his father wanted him to get married to a  fashionable girl. But his mother always told him he should get married to girl who can cook and feed him with her hands. And he agrees with his mother. She feels shy and runs out of his room.

Kavita has a dance program in her college and invites Mohan for it. She dances to Arey o kanha bairi zamana.

Sharda is still trying to fix Kavita with Ashok. She invites Ashok home for tea. But Kavita is nowhere around and Sharda and Jijaji are feeling a little uneasy about it. But Ashok feels it’s time for some fun. So he reveals to them that Kavita is in love with a mechanic named Mohan at Desuza Decruz and Fernandes garage. He’s not at all surprised that she’s not at home. They don’t believe him but he takes them to the garage and asks Fernandes about Mohan and after a while he himself comes dressed as a Mechanic, Mohan. Sharda is mad at him. They have a very interesting argument.

Mohan : Aapne shaadi se pehle mohabbat nahin ki? (Didn’t you fall in love before getting married?)
Sharda : Ji nahin.,..hamare khandaan mein shaadi se pehle mohabbat karne ki reewaz nahin hai (We don’t have the tradition of falling in love before getting married in our family)
Jijaji : Ji haan, inke khandaan mein shaadi ke baad bhi mohabbat karne ki reewaz nahin hai (Oh yes, they don’t even have a tradition of falling in love after getting married in their family).
She warns him never to meet her sister again and goes.

One day Ashok comes home and Kavita is furious seeing him. But he tells her he’s Mohan. He’s dressed up as Ashok so that Sharda doesn’t suspect him. Sharda, thinking it’s Ashok sends Kavita with him and tells her to take him around the place. They sing this lovely song – Teri zulfen pareshaan.

Jijaji is not convinced that Ashok and Mohan are two different people. So he goes to Mohan’s room and investigates. It doesn’t take him long to find the truth. He goes back home happily only to see Sharda and Kavita quarelling over Ashok and Mohan. When he finally gets a chance to speak he tells them that Ashok’s been fooling both of them – Ashok and Mohan are not two different people but one and the same!

Kavita goes to his room at the garage to confront him. He’s humming Tumne pukara aur hum chale aaye as he’s getting dressed and exclaims : “Woh aaye ghar mein hamare khuda ke kudrat hai.Kabhi hum unko kabhi apne ghar ko dekhte hai” when he sees her. He can make out that she’s not in the best of her moods so asks her if everything’s ok.
Kavita : My family wants me to get married to this guy who I totally dislike. Main sochti hoon phir tumhara kya hoga, tum toh zehar kha loge (But more than that I am worried about you. What would happen to you if I get married to somebody else? You might kill yourself).
Mohan : Zehar khaye mere dushman, main toh baratiyon ke saath mithai khaunga, mithai. (Now, how do I translate that!) Ashok’s not as bad as you think he is….he’s a nice guy and he loves you so much. And I am not as innocent as you think. I have a secret.
Kavita : Secret? Are you married already?
Mohan : Not married but I am engaged to a very rich girl. Now if you get married to Ashok even I will get to marry her without feeling guilty about it.

She yells at him and he realizes that she has learnt the truth and tries to reason with her.
Ashok : You love one name and hate the other one, but the person is one – me. Pati hone ke liye 4 cheez hone chahiye (there are 4 qualities that guys should have to become a husband) and I have all the 4 things.
1. Main shehar ka sab se bada raheez hoon – Ashok (I’m the richest person in town)
2. Main awwal darze ka aashiq hoon – Mohan (I’m a lover boy)
3. Main bahut bada kalakaar hoon kyunki tumhe meri ek roop se mohabbat hai aur doosre se nafrat (I’m a great actor. You love one and you hate the other form of mine)
4. Main dil ka achha hoon aur shareer ka tandurust…yaani ke hamare hone wale bachche tandurust honge, mote honge, kuch tumhare jaise honge aur kuch mere jaise. (I’m good at heart and am physically fit. That means our children will be healthy and they will look a little like you and a little like me)
Kavita : Tum mujhe seedhi tarah se ghar jaane doge ya nahin (Will you let me go home?)
Ashok : Ab tum us ghar mein jaa kar kya karogi? Ladki toh parayi hoti hai. Aur yeh tumhare gharwale bhi jaante hai. Ab maan bhi jao. Tum mujhe chahe boora samjho ya achha samjho maine yeh sab tumhara pyaar jitne ke liye kiya. Yeh na kisi gareeb ka pyaar hai na kisi ameer ka, yeh ek insaan ka pyaar hai jisne tumhe apne dil se pyaar kiya (What will you do going to that house? You will anyways have to get married and leave it someday. Whether you think good of me or bad of me, I did all this to win your  love. This is neither a rich man’s love nor a poor man’s love, it’s true love and I love you from the bottom of my heart).
They sing Oh jaanewale sun zara yeh dil ka maajra and everything is settled between them.

Both their families are happy about the alliance. Sethji even engages himself  in selecting jewelleries and sarees for his bahu.
I wish the film had ended here. It was so delightful till here. But a Hindi film of 60’s just couldn’t happen without any conflict and it couldn’t end here, right? There has to be a twist. Especially when the hero has finally wooed the heroine and all is well and none of their families opposes to it, there has to be some twist to separate the two of them.
Ashok leaves for Shyamnagar to attend a friend’s wedding. Ashok and few other friends pull Shekhar’s (the groom) leg and keep worrying him. But just when the wedding ceremonies are about to begin, Shekhar’s dad takes him and leaves – the wedding is cancelled. No, it’s not for dowry. He discovers that the bride had earlier run away with someone and he feels it will be a disgrace to accept her as his daughter-in-law now. Ashok begs with Shekhar not to dishonour the girl’s family. He tries to reason with him saying everybody makes a mistake, that doesn’t mean that you behave this way and ruin somebody’s life for one mistake. But all his efforts go in vain.

Seeing the state in which bride’s father and mother are in, he offers to marry their daughter. He gets married without even seeing the girl and then takes her home and goes. But Sethji isn’t very pleased with him for what he has done. He kicks him out of the house. So Ashok goes back to the garage and lives there with his wife, Sheila (Parveen Choudhary).

Sharda and Jijaji are shocked to hear the news. Kavita blames him for cheating on her. Ashok wanders along singing Main bewafa nahin hoon tere pyaar ki kasam. But Jijaji tells her it’s not fair to reach a conclusion without knowing the entire truth.So she sets out to find the truth. She goes to Ashok’s house and meets Sheila.  And the poor soul pours her heart out  to her.

 Kavita feels guilty for accusing Ashok of infidelity. She sings O maine mana mere meet.

Kavita still loves Ashok (after finding out the truth) but Ashok comes in terms with his life. He accepts that it was not in his fate to marry Kavita and is content with what he has got. He tries his best to forget his past and to start his life afresh with Sheila. Even her past doesn’t bother him. He doesn’t blame her for coming in between him and Kavita but accepts her whole-heartedly and does his best to be a good husband. So what next???

What happens to Kavita?  Ashok and Sheila are quite happily married. What will happen to this love triangle? Will Sethji finally accept Sheila as his daughter-in-law? Will Sharda ever forgive Ashok for what he has done to Kavita?

I loved the first half of the movie. It was truly amazing! It had comedy, emoshun, romance and beautiful songs. Second half wasn’t very necessary. I felt like it was just put to make the story longer. And to show that love is all about sacrifice.

On the whole I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, except for the end. Shammi Kapoor in his Black&White days is delicious! Saroja Devi is beautiful. Johney Walker and Minoo Mumtaz’s romance is cute. Parveen Choudhary, Nasir Hussain, Dhumaal and Shammi are all great. And whoever the man playing Jijaji is (Siddhu?), I totally loved him – he was so witty and his one liners were simply awesome! Kalyanji-Anandji’s music , assisted by Laxmikant-Pyarellal is fabulous. Songs were penned by Anand Bakshi, Qamar Jalalabadi, Gulshan Bawra and Indivar and were rendered by Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, and Kamal Barot. Great direction from S. Bannerjee!

I would rate it 7.5/10.

P.S : He looks familiar. I haven’t seen Ek Musafir Ek Haseena yet, but I think I have seen him somewhere, may be in Dil Deke Dekho.

My tribute to Rafi Saab – The A to Z of Mohammed Rafi

I started this post on 31st, as I was listening to Rafi marathon on Vividh Bharati but with such lovely songs playing I couldn’t concentrate on the post. I had listed the songs even before that, but still it took me so long to complete it. I kept getting lost in the songs in between that I forgot I had to come back here and finish this 🙂

After an extremely hectic week, the best thing I could ask for is a day full of Rafi saab’s songs. Not that I didn’t listen to his songs the rest of the week. Not even a single day of mine passes without listening to him. Thanks to Vividh Bharati for that. The first thing I do every morning after I get up is to put the radio on. And they play a minimum of one Rafi song in every program of theirs. Then my collection of hundreds of his songs in my cell phone which I listen to everyday on my way to work. Other people get frustrated with the traffic and I feel good about it. The longer it takes me to reach office, the more number of songs I get to listen to and I reach office more refreshed. And when I am not in meetings and am not reading something, I continue listening to music in office as well. A big thank you to Nasir and Venkat for sharing all those rare gems…you guys have introduced me to so many songs that I had never thought even existed. And a big big thank you to entire team of Vividh Bharati – Kamal Sharma, Renu Bansal, Mamta Singh, Nimmi Mishra, Yunus Khan, Amarkant Dubey, Rajendra Tripathi, Shehnaz Akhtari and to everybody else. Had it not been for you all I wouldn’t have known even half of these songs! I owe my filmi and musical knowledge to you all!

I missed out the programs on Vividh Bharti in the morning on 31st as I got up late. But ever since I got up I was been hooked to it. They played non-stop Rafi songs. And do I even need to say that each song of his is songs is a masterpiece!

So much is written about Rafi (1924-1980) that I don’t quite know where to begin and what new to say really.  Rafi was one of the most versatile singers…From the doleful Jugnu  to the patriotic Shaheed  to the classical Baiju Bawra to the effervescent Mr. and Mrs. 55  to the regal Raj Hath to the poetic Pyaasa  to the meltingly romantic Barsaat Ki Raat – phew! the list is endless—Rafi sang them all. And more.

The whole week I’ve been thinking of something special to post as a tribute to this legend. It’s just impossible to list out my 10 favourite Rafi songs. I’m in love with every song that he has sung. But at the same time I couldn’t even sit without doing a post. After sifting through numerous options like – listing down some songs of Rafi alphabetically, listing out human emotions and associating a song against each emotion, defining the 7 stages of human life through his songs….but I realized that I just couldn’t move beyond the first letter.

I started thinking of his songs that start with ‘A’ and the list was so long that I could break it into 2-3 separate posts. Then I tried with the emotions. Within no time I realized that there were too many of them for instance Anger, Anxiety, Anguish, Astonishment, Attraction, Amusement, Affection, Agony. And this is just the beginning. Next I shifted to the stages of human life. I opened Shakespear’s poem and started mapping Rafi’s songs against each of the stages. But 7 were too few and then realized that I would end up counting almost everyday as a different stage! So that wasn’t much help either.

So I came up with this rule for this post…I would include –
1. Not very popular songs of Rafi as in, not the songs that would feature in every top 10 or top 20. I’m promoting some rare gems of this mastreo.
2. One song per actor and preferrably picturised on a lesser known actor (at least I’ll try avoiding the supserstars as much as possible). There are bound to be few exceptions though. But don’t be surprised if you don’t see even a single Shammi kapoor song here! (As I am doing a series of Rafi sings for Shammi, I’m trying to leave out Shammi Kapoor songs so that other songs would get a chance).
3. For a change I’m including songs from movies that I haven’t seen as well.

A : Abhi na jao chhod kar (Hum Dono, 1961) – Absolutely awesome romantic duet, superbly rendered by Rafi & Asha and so convincingly picturised on Dev Anand and Sadhna.  The charming couple, the excellent rendition, Jaidev’s superb music, Sahir Ludhyanvi’s  thoughtful and yet so simple lyrics  and the beautiful depiction of two lovers unwilling to separate leave you wanting to fall in love – this is without doubt one of the best romantic song ever recorded.   When I  hear this song I feel like I am in another world, the feeling of the song is simply awesome. What a treat this is!  And for once I wished ‘A’ was the last letter of English Alphabet. Putting this song at the end would have made much more sense.

A : Ankhinyan milake zara baat karo ji (Pardes, 1950) : Striking the earlier song as I couldn’t think of any other song starting from ‘F’ other than Falsafa pyaar ka tum kya jano, picturised on Dev Anand. In his earlier years, before he had fully come into his own, Rafi sang for Ghulam Mohammed (Naushad’s protégé) a lovely duet with Lata. This one is picturised on Rehman and Madhubala and I love this  for lots of reasons: Madhubala’s striking beauty, Rafi’s deep, powerful rendition, peppy music and young and dashing Rehman!

 B : Bahut haseen hai tumhari aankhen (Aadhi Raat Ke Baad, 1965) : Very cute song…not very popular but sweet and very romantic nevertheless. Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur come together in this lovely track picturised on Sailesh Kumar and Ragini who playfully flirt and tease each other. Chitragupt’s music is soothing and pleasant.

C : Chhupa kar meri aankhon ko (Bhabhi, 1957) : My initial choice was Chal ud jaa re panchhi but couldn’t find the Balraj Sahni version of it  on youtube. I had once heard in an interview that Balraj was so sad after shooting the song. He felt he could have done it much better! It’s such a divine song. But guess I’ll go with the flow – romance and move ahead with this infectiously romantic duet featuring Jawahar Kaul and Shyama. Rafi teams up with Lata here and the rendition is magical. This is one of my all time favourite Lata-Rafi duets. I had first heard this song on Vividh Bharati years ago and always felt that it must be picturised on Meena Kumari. I somehow related the feel of the song and the name of the movie itself to Meena Kumari. But was pleasantly surprised to discover Shyama in it. I saw this film just because of it’s songs. Not a movie I am very fond of, but give me its music anyday and I would be more than happy. It has a variety of songs – Chal ud ja re panchhi, Chali chali  re patang meri chali re, Chhupa kar meri aankhon ko, Jawaan ho ya budiya, Kaa re kaa re baajra…Coming back to this song, Chitragupt’s music, Rajender Krishan’s lyrics, Lata and Rafi’s rendition is truly amazing. And check out Shyama’s expressions, esp when she lip-synchs “tumhari is adaa par bhi hamare dil ko pyaar aaye“. Haye…I just love this song!

D : Dil ki tamanna (Ghyarah Hazar Ladkiyan, 1962) : It’s Vividh Bharati again where I first heard this song. And the first thing I did after the song was over is to rush to search for it on google/youtube. Initially, I could just find the audio version of it, Rafi’s solo. And I have listened to it continuously for days, non-stop. What an intoxicating voice and there’s so much feel to it. I didn’t even know who it was picturised on then but just wished whoever it was – may his dil ki  tamanna come true! I’ve been looking for the cd/dvd of this movie ever since but with no luck. Rafi and Asha sing  Majrooh Sultanpoori’s lyrics for Bharat Bhushan and Mala Sinha, under the music direction of N. Dutta. It’s a classic composition.

D :  Dil mein chhupa ke pyaar ka ( Aan, 1952) : Striking Dil ki tamanna because I just confirmed that Ghar se toh cut chuka patta is picturised on Bharat Bhushan, though it doesn’t have a video, I don’t want to break my rule.. Here’s another lovely Rafi number featuring two actors whom I like a lot – Dilip Kumar and Nadira. Shakil Badayuni penned the lyrics for this lovely song and Naushad Ali composed the music. Rafi is heavenly and so is Dilip Kumar. There’s a color version of this video. But I find the B&W version more enchanting.  

 E : Ek tera saath hum ko (Waapas, 1969) :  Exteremely romantic song. Music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal and  lyrics  by Majrooh Sultanpuri. It is a duet sung by Rafi and Lata picturised on a newly married couple (Alka and Shekhar Purohit? Ajay?) pledging undying love and devotion to each other. I feel the essence is somehow missing in the picturisation, but just listen to it and it’s magical, such a treat to the ears!

F : Falsafaa pyaar ka tum kya jano (Duniya, 1968) : A terrific song by Rafi, composed by Shankar-Jaikishan and picturised on Dev Anand and Vyjayanthimala. “How would you grasp the philosophy of loving when you have never fallen in love before” – for once I kind of like the translation of the mukhda. I almost played around with Phoolon se dosti kaanton se yaari (Foolon se) but when I had a song starting with ‘F’, I thought I would rather go with it. Though Dev Anand looks wierd with that hair-cut and this song has the flavours of Badan pe sitare lapete hue, I  still love this number…it’s so intoxicating. This is what I call a quintessential Rafi song!

G : Ghar se toh cut chuka apna patta (Kal Hamara Hai, 1959) : I heard this song on radio last week and instantly fell in love with it. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the video.  Though imdb lists Bharat Bhushan as the lead in this film, I somehow don’t feel this song is  picturised on him. It sounds so much like a Johnny Walker kind of a song and I sincerely hope that it is. Something very catchy and lively about this song. Music is once again by Chitragupt. (P.S : I just confirmed that it is indeed picturised on Bharat Bhushan, so much for my guess work).

H : Hum toh hai tum par (Bewaqoof, 1960) – This is one very cute song rendered superbly by Rafi for I.S Johar. This movie was written and directed by I.S Johar himself. Majrooh’s lyrics and S.D Burman’s composition is beautiful. And it was R.D Burman on the Mouth Organ. The modulations in Rafi’s voice match I.S Johar’s antics so perfectly. There’s something very Shammi-sque quality to this song.

I : Itni badi duniya jahan itna bada mela (Toofan Mein Pyar Kahan ,1966) : Rafi sings this for Ashok Kumar. It’s so tender and so beautiful. There’s a softness to Rafi’s voice here which is just brilliant. “Versatile Rafi commendably modulates his voice to suit the great natural actor, Ashok Kumar, while singing on the pangs of loneliness” (Thanks Nasir for describing the song so beautifully).  Check out the picturisation for Guzre dino ka dhundla nishaan hai baanki, dil toh bujha kab se hai abh dhuaan baanki – the smoky effect is so amazing. Prem Dhawan’s melancholy lyrics, Chitragupt’s excellent music, Rafi’s magical rendition and Ashok Kumar’s brilliant performance – this couldn’t have got any better. My initial choice for a song beginning with ‘I’ was Itna haseen saathi itni haseen manzil from Aatma Aur Parmatma but couldn’t find a video to it. So settled for this one – another favourite of mine. Though not as romantic as I would have liked it to be, it’s a very beautiful song.

J : Jo baat tujh mein hai (Taj Mahal, 1963) : A timeless gem…one of my favourite songs. This one’s picturised on Pradeep Kumar. The lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi, music by Roshan and Rafi’s velvety voice is beyond this world – truly sublime!  I so very badly wanted to post Jab se hum tum baharon mein from Main Shadi Karne Chala but it’s such an irony that we don’t have videos of such lovely melodies on youtube yet. And since the basic filter criteria here is one song per actor, I don’t want to go on posting just the audios. Hopefully, somebody will upload the video soon.

K : Kahin ek masoom nazuk si ladki (Shankar Hussain, 1977) : For once, I am not relating a song to Vividh Bharati. I first heard this bollywoodondemand.com, an online radio station couple of years ago. Back then AIR, Vividh Bharati didn’t have online sites. I accidentally came across bollywoodondemand.com and I used to listen to it very regularly at work. One fine day, I heard this song and googled for it but couldn’t find it. Then, I came across the audio version of it after few months and finally found the video last year. I was rather surprised to discover Kanwaljit in it. Used to watch him in serials during my school days, Family No. 1 on Sony used to be quite popular then. Kamal Amrohi’s lyrics, Khhayyam’s music and Rafi’s rendition – it’s all so heavenly. Something very dreamy, fairy-tale like about this song. But the video somehow spoilt this for me. I love the song, can’t help not loving such a magnificient number but the picturisation is a spoiler. Chalo khat likhe jee mein aata toh hoga, magar ungliyan kap kapati toh hongi, kalam haath se chhut jaata toh hoga, umange kalam phir uthathi toh hongi, mera naam apni kitaabon pe likh kar, woh daanton mein ungli dabati toh hogi….kabhi subah ko shaam kehti toh hogi, kabhi raat ko din batati toh hogi…what an imagination! It’s so beautifully written!! I used to imagine this scene while listening to this song, but the video didn’t have any of it! Audio version didn’t have the last antarra. I heard it for the first time when I saw the video on youtube. And it took me some time to figure out what Palate is …Palate kabhi toot jaati toh hogi….

L : Le chala jidhar yeh dil chal pade (Miss Bombay, 1957) : This is Rafi singing for Ajit. in the good old days before he turned into a villian on screen. Bombay—that teeming metropolis, teeming then in the 1950s just as it is teeming today—the land of opportunities, sapno ka shehar—was masterfully captured by lyricist Prem Dhawan to composer Hansraj Behl’s tune. I had only heard this song on Bhoole Bisre geet on Vividh Bharati. Saw the video for the first time today. Half the time I kept imagining Ajit saying “Mona Darling” in between the song. 🙂 Ajit was quite a handsome man and smart too…he realized early in his career that it’s more fun being the villian than a hero!

M : Main toh tere haseen khayalon mein kho gaya (Sangram, 1965) :  My my my dear from Nagina was my first choice. I didn’t want to list Mujhe dard-e-dil ka pata na tha and Madhuban mein radhika nache re. Though I love both these songs, they have already featured many times in this blog.  And thanks to Richard for including all these songs in his list. I’m not feeling guilty about skipping them. So here I come with this lovely track from Sangram picturized on Randhawa (Dara Singh’s brother) and Swarna Kumari. I am so glad I decided to do songs from the movies that I haven’t watched. I had heard this song so many times on radio but it’s for the first time I am seeing it’s video and am so happy to discover Randhawa in it! Lala Asar Sattar music is very melodious and Rafi is fantastic in it!

N : Na kisi ki aankh ka noor hoon (Laal Quila, 1960) : I almost included Nu tu hindu banega na musalmaan banega but realized I had this song in one of my earlier posts. And this divine composition by S.N Tripathi in Laal Quila came to my mind. It’s a timeless classic, a stunning nazm. Such deeply moving lyrics! Rafi’s booming voice magnificiently amplifies the poignancy and grief expressed by Bahadurshah Zafar. Truly unforgettable!

O : O phirki wali (Raja Aur Runk, 1968) : This song takes me back to my school days. We had a cassette, Best of Mohd. Rafi volume 2 which had this song. And there was a time when I was in 9-10th when I used to listen to this song at least 2-3 times a day. It’s such a masti-bhara song that it fills my heart with happiness when I listen to it. I somehow had always imagined it to be picturised on Shammi Kapoor or Dharmendra, mainly due to the fun quotient. I was pleasantly surprised to see Sanjeev Kumar singing it to Nazima. I was listening to this after so long today and I still remember each and every word of it. I’m so pleased with myself. That’s Rafi’s magic! Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s foot-tapping music, Anand Bakshi’s fun-filled lyrics and Rafi’s flirtatious rendition topped with Sanjeev Kumar’s awesome performance makes this song immortal. I love the way Rafi sings Jubaan se and Jarra beimaan si”

P : Phir milogi kabhi (Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi, 1966) : Biswajeet was one lucky actor when it came to songs. He got to feature in some of the best songs ever. I am not fond of him as an actor, but his songs, each one is a masterpiece! Rafi and Asha are singing for Biswajeet and Sharmila in this 1966 thriller. O.P Nayyar’s music, S.H Bihari’s lyrics and Asha-Rafi rendition, it’s picturization…everything about this song  is mesmerizing. I feel captivated everytime I listen to this and never want it to end. 

Q : Quismat ke likhe ko hum mita na sake (Duniya, 1949) : This is a lovely Rafi-Surraiya duet composed by C. Ramachandra. It has Surraiya, Karan Dewan, Yakum, Shakeela in the leading role. I don’t know who it’s actually picturised on. I have only heard this song on Radio and couldn’t find a video as well. Listen to Rafi’s young voice…it’s so gentle and soft. Amazing song!!!

R : Roshan tumhi se duniya (Parasmani, 1963) : This time it’s Rafi singing for Mahipal in Parasmani, which marks the debut of Laxmikant-Pyarelal as Music Directors. Rafi at one of his romantic bests, extremely melodious number penned by Ashad Bhopali. Such an apt song in praise of a princess! What awesome lyrics, equally amazing music and Rafi’s voice is subhan-allah!!! One can feel the emotion and depth in his voice…the way he sings “Haye”, the aalap in between and the accompanying tabla and sitar is just mindblowing. Even Mahipal and Geetanjali have expressed well. One more speciality about this film is that it’s partially color. The first half is in Black&White and the second half (if you remember, Hansta hua noorani chehra) is in color. Movie is total bakwaas but it has lovely songs.

S : Sau baar banakar maalik ne (Ek Raat, 1967) : I don’t know who this song is picturized on. Spent quite sometime searching for the video but couldn’t find. There’s hardly anything about this movie available. But I love this song so much that I just couldn’t leave it out. I was addicted to it when I heard it for the first time. Have been searching for the video for quite sometime now. It usually happens that the songs that I so desparately want to see are not as good as expected. So for the time being I am content just listening to it. Yogesh’s lyrics, Usha Khanna’s music and Rafi’s divine rendition…I get so lost in this song. Till I heard this song, I thought Chaudhvai ka chaand, Roshan tumhi se duniya, Tareef karun kya uski etc were the ultimatum when it came to praising the girl’s beauty. But now, there’s one more to the list.

T : Tum toh pyar ho (Sehra, 1963) : Ideal song on Rafi’s death anniversary would have been Tum mujhe yun bhoola na paaoge but that’s too popular and has already been discussed in this blog before. Then I thought of Tum akele toh kabhi baag mein jaaya na karo from Aao Pyaar Karein.  But again, even that doesn’t have a video available. So the next I could think of was this lovely duet by Lata and Rafi picturised on Sandhya and Prashanth. Hasrat jaipuri’s lyrics tuned beautifully by Ramlal, this is a gem of a song. And the depth in Rafi’s and Lata’s voice has taken it to a different level altogether! What a romantic duet it is!

U : Unse rippy tippy ho gayi (Agra Road, 1957) :  I discovered this song few months ago and fell in love it it. It’s such a cute and fun filled number sung by Rafi and Geeta Dutt. I was actually planning to include this is Geeta Dutt special post but I reached 10 before this could come up then. So here it goes! Picturised on Vijay Anand (this is his debut film as a hero) and Shakeela. He does resemble Dev Anand a bit, esp when he’s sulking. Yoddling is a quality that we generally associate with Kishore da. Felt good to hear Rafi yoddling for a change! There are few lines in Gujarati and few in Punjabi in between. Geeta and Rafi yoddling away to Roshan’s music and Prem Dhawan’s lyrics is very delightful.

V : Vo jo chahane wale hain tere (Duniya Rang Rangili, 1957) : I couldn’t figure out who was singing this song on screen…but who cares, as long as it’s sung by Rafi in real. It’s  sweet number written by Jan Nisar Akhtar and composed by O.P Nayyar. Check out Rajendra Kumar, he looks so young and handsome.  Is the girl Chaand Usmaani?

W : Woh hum na the woh tum na the (Cha Cha Cha, 1964)  : Rafi here sings for Chandrashekhar. He is so dull,  doughy and expresssionless. I don’t like him, every time I see him I keep wondering how he became an actor. Hence I am putting Helen’s picture below. Lets forget about the movie and the actor…coming to the song, it’s an excellent track. Penned by Neeraj and composed by Iqbal Quereshi, this is a touching song brilliantly rendered by Rafi.  

X : Phir aane laga yaad wohi (Yeh Dil Kisko Doon, 1963) : Ok, so this song doesnt begin with “X” – but then, how many songs do? I will just use this letter to insert another lovely song. And this song is specially dedicated to Nasir and Richard. We had a long discussion about this song sometime back. But due to my usual restriction of not including songs from the movies that I haven’t seen, I had left this one out in Shashi Kapoor special post. But since that’s not the case this time, here it goes to you both for reminding me of this song. Shashi Kapoor’s image below is for bollyviewer. This is one of the most melodious song, beautifully picturised. Ragini’s moves are so graceful and elegant. Shashi is a darling. Rafi is magical, Qamar Jalalabadi’s lyrics and  Iqbal Qureshi’s composition is so mystical with Usha Khanna chanting those simple syllables Pyaar ka aalam, it infuses so much feel to the song.

 
Y : Yeh teri saadgi yeh tera baankpan (Shabnam, 1964) : This post has been one hell of a revelation to me! I never knew Rafi had sung this song for Mehmood! Usha Khanna’s composition and Javed Anwar’s lyrics are simple and sweet. And Rafi as usual is outstanding! He could convincingly slip under the skin of characters that were poles apart: he sang for the brooding Dilip Kumar in Deedar with the same ease with which he lent his voice to a frolicking Johnny Walker in C.I.D.  And it is so difficult for the listener to decide where Rafi excels more and who his voice suits the best!

Z : Zara ruk jaa (Sitaron Se Aaghe, 1958) : I was feeling sad that I couldn’t include a song picturised on Johnny Walker so far. So am more than happy now for being able to do so. Apart from Rafi, I remember this song for Johnny Bhai’s cycle stunt and his friends going around puncturing everybody else’s cycle tyres. Rafi and Johnny share an amazing chemistry. Each song of this combo is special and tailor-made for them – the sync between Rafi’s voice and Johnny’s acting is always so perfect! I have a broad smile on my face everytime I see Johnny perched on a tree (he looks so comfortable there) and jumping down singing Zara ruk ja…

Rafi saab was the most versatile and probably had the most mellifluous voice. His voice reflected the great energy and smartness of youth and exuded great skill and craftiness. He could sing slow, fast , semi classical, Bhajans, Qawalis, taranas, Geet, romantic numbers, sad songs – just about anything with equal zest and gusto.

Also, when I began listening to  songs of Rafi, I realized one thing – he enriched the compoistions that he sang for. Now this is quite  exceptional and rare because he did not require a great composition to create a a great song.

I feel like Kahin bekhayal hokar choo liya kisi ne when I listen to his songs. This is one song that I really missed putting up here along with Jo unki tamanna ho, Woh din yaad karo, Yeh jhuke jhuke naina and many more!!! Be it any song of his, even if I am listening to it for the very first time, I feel a sense of familiarity towards it.

I came across this blog while searching for few songs and since what was written there exactly described the songs and how I felt about them, I couldn’t help copying them. And I must admit that it did save a lot of time. Writing up about these songs do take a lot of time. And it gets quite distracting as well – I search for one song on youtube, see some other song on related link section and that leads to another song and so on (as it’s too much of a temptation to resist). So when I find few lines already written up about the song, it’s god-sent! 🙂 A big thank you to Cinema Corridor and all other fellow bloggers for all your contributions and wikipedia for providing me with so much of information always! I had acknowledged everybody in my earlier post on Shammi Kapoor but somehow I forgot about this one. Could be because it took me couple of days to finish this post and by the time I reached the end, I was just happy that I had completed the post and was in a hurry to publish it.

Love you Rafi saab!!! May your soul rest in peace.

Kishore Da’s songs coming up next. I should have done that today, but first things first. And that reminds me I still have my Mukesh special post pending!

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!