As Dilip Kumar (Yusuf Khan) turns 87 today, here’s wishing him a great day, lots of happiness and good health!

Dilip Kumar is considered to be one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. Starting his career in 1944, he has starred in some of the biggest commercially successful films from the late 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1980s. His performances have been regarded as the epitome of emoting in Indian Cinema. He was the first actor to receive a  Filmfare Best Actor Award and holds the record for most number of Filmfare Awards won for that category (8 filmfare awards for Best Actor and 19 Nominations , now isnt that something???) !!!

He has done a wide vareity of roles  (be it romantic, comic, social, negative, historic) and is better known as the Tragedy King of Indian Cinema.

1. Ude jab jab zulfen teri (Naya Daur, 1957) : This was one of the biggest hits of the year and it grabbed 3 filmfare awards : Best Actor (Dilip Kumar), Best Music Director (O.P Nayyar) and Best Story (Akhtar Mirza). One of the most successful films of B.R Chopra, this movie was set in post-independence India where Industrialization is slowly creeps in and the impact it brings when the son of a rich landlord (Jeevan) begins operating a bus service in the town of Tangawallahs, who earn their livlihood transporting people from one place to another by Tangas(horse – carts). 

I had seen this movie long long ago (around 12 years back) but I still remember quite a lot of it. To start with, it’s music. It has some great songs, be it Ude jab jab zulfen teri , O.P Nayyar’s signature song - Maang ke saath tumhara, Yeh desh hai veer jawaanon ka, Saathi haath badhana  or Reshmi Salwar Kurta Jali Ka.  Then the starcast – Dilip and Vaijanthi  made a great pair (though originally Madhubala was signed to do the role of Rajni), Ajit, Jeevan, Leela Chitnis all were wonderful in this film.

2.  Suhana safar aur yeh mausam haseen ( Madhumati, 1958) : Directed by Bimal Roy, this movie was one of the earliest movies that dealt with the concept of reincarnation. Though Dilip sahab didnt bag an award, the movie went on to win 8 filmfare awards – Best Movie, Best Actress (Vaijanthimala), Best Director (Bimal Roy), Best Music Director ( Salil Chowdhary), Best Supporting Actor (Jhonny Walker ), Best Art Direction (Sudhendu Roy), Best Payback Singer (Lata Mangeshkar) and Best Editing (Hrishikesh Mukherjee). This movie was a musical delight.

3. Do sitaron ka zameen par hai milan (Kohinoor, 1960) :  The Tragedy King and the Tragedy Queen of Bollywood come together in this light-hearted fairy-tale movie. They both look so good in this song and it really feels great to see both of them smiling throughout. Music by Naushad is very melodious and along with this,  Madhuban mein radhika nache re   was very popular. Dilip Kumar  went on to bag a filmfare ward for Best Actor once again for his role as Rajkumar Dhivendra Pratap Bahadur Chandrabhan.

4. Tu kahe agar (Andaz, 1949) : Three reigning stars of the era in the same movie caught in a love triangle!!! I dont remember the details, but had really enjoyed watching it. Dilip Sahab in a grey shade (wont say negative) – heroes those days were expected to sacrifice their love for their beloved’s happiness. But he pursues Nargis in this movie even after he learns that she’s engaged to Raj Kapoor.

5.  Nain lad jaye hain  (Ganga Jamuna, 1961) :  Produced by Dilip Kumar himself, the film stars real life brothers Dilip Kumar and Nasir Khan as two brothers on opposing sides of the law – where Dilip Kumar plays a leader of a dreaded band of killer bandits and Nasir Khan, a Police officer (story sounds familiar???).  The music of this film is by Naushad and the lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni. It’s a beautiful composition. All the songs (Dagabaz Tori Batiyan, Dhoondho Dhoondhore Sajna, Do Hanson Ka Joda, Insaf Ki Dagar Pe, Jhanan Ghoonghar Baje) from this movie are really nice and they were big hits too.

6. Insaaf ka mandir hai ye (Amar, 1954) : I have always loved this song. Though it’s not my usual romantic, fun-filled type, it’s a great composition, beautifully rendered and brilliantly portrayed.  I just came across a comment on youtube, a fact that never struck me as such but is really amazing :

“Given the essentially Hindu ethos of the song, when you consider the fact that ALL the key people involved in the song (Writer – Shakeel Badayuni, Music Director – Naushad, and both the actors) were muslims, you have to bow your head to this demonstration of true secularism.”

7. Pyaar kiya toh darna kya (Mughal-E-Azam, 1960) : Though this movie doesnt need an  introduction, here are few facts (courtesy : wikipedia) :
It’s an Indian epic film produced and directed by K. Asif. With its lavish production, K. Asif’s magnum opus took nine years and Rs 10.5 million to finish. The film broke box office records in India when released and held the record for the highest grossing film ever until the 1975 film Sholay broke its record.

This was (counting Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas) the most expensive film ever made in Indian history. Tailors were brought from Delhi to stitch the costumes, specialists from Surat-Khambayat were employed for the embroidery, Hyderabad goldsmiths made the jewellery, Kolhapur craftsmen designed the crowns, Rajasthan ironsmiths crafted the weapons, and the elaborate footwear was ordered from Agra. For the battle sequence, 2000 camels, 4000 horses and 8000 troops were used, many of them soldiers on loan from the Indian Army. Altogether the film cost Rs. 1.5 crores (38.29 crores in present terms).

It’s not just the movie that created a history, the song “Pyar Kiya To Darna Kiya” has an unusual history to it:  it was written and re-written 105 times by the lyricist, Shakeel Badayuni, before the music director, Naushad, could approve of it; it was shot in the renowned Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors); and in those days of sound recording, editing and mixing, as there was no way to provide the reverberation of sound, Naushad had Lata Mangeshkar sing the song in a studio bathroom.

8. Saala main toh saab ban gaya (Sagina, 1974) : Not one of my best songs, but this song definitely pops up in my head when I think of Dilip Kumar.

9. Tere husn ki kya tareef karun (Leader, 1964) : An award winning performance by Dilip Kumar, yet again!!! This movie has some very romantic numbers : Aajkal Shauq-E-Deedar Hai, Ek Shahenshah Ne Banvake, Hameen Se Mohabbat

I was really confused as to which song to actually put in the list because I like all the songs in this movie. But then felt, as long as I mention them, it doesnt matter

10.  Imli ka boota (Saudagar, 1991) : One of his later successes, this movie brought back Dilip Kumar and Raj Kumar together after almost three decades (they last appeared together in Paigham in 1959).  It’s a very cute song and feels so good to see both of them so happy and cheerful singing “imli ka boota beri ka ped, imli khatti meethi ber” at this age. And their chemistry is rocking!!!

As a youth, Manoj Kumar admired Bollywood superstar Dilip Kumar so much that he decided to name himself Manoj Kumar after Dilip’s character in Shabnam (1949). Though it sounds little wierd (no offense meant), I wonder if anybody else has gone to the extent of changing his(her) name and making a mark in the same industry as Manoj Kumar did. If we look at it in one way, I think it’s the biggest tribute one actor could pay to another actor.

He’s definitely a great combination of good looks and great performance. An actor who everyone looks up to. Happy Birthday Dilip Sahab!!!

I have posted a few songs from “Vaasnaa” (1968) in the past. This movie had some nice songs in it. But considering that 1968 had a bumper crop of outstanding songs, many great songs found themselves pushed out of contention by other songs jostling for the same space. Songs of “Vaasna” fell in that category.

Here is a mujra song from “Vaasna” (1968). It is sung wonderfully well by Lata. Sahir Ludhianvi is the lyricist whereas Chitragupta composed the music.

Song-Main sadke jaaun mere sainyya (Vaasnaa) (1968) Singer-Lata,Lyrics-Sahir Ludhianvi, MD-Chitragupta

Lyrics

main sadke jaaun
mere sainyaa
tum aaye to ho
main sadke jaaun
mere sainyaa
tum aaye to ho
main sadke jaaun

jid toot gayi inkaar ki
rut jaag uthi deedaar ki
jid toot gayi inkaar ki
rut jaag uthi deedaar ki
tum aaj mere nazdeek ho
yahi jeet hai mere pyaar ho
dil leke ham deke
sharmaaye to ho
main sadke jaaun
mere sainyaa
tum aaye to ho
main sadke jaaun

tum mera haseen armaan ho
ek khoyi huyi pahchaan ho
tum mera haseen armaan ho
ek khoyi huyi pahchaan ho
kal gairon ke mehmaan the
aaj is ghar ke mehmaan ho
duniya ke ruk paake(?)
ghabraaye to ho
main sadke jaaun
mere sainyaa
tum aaye to ho
main sadke jaaun

mere dil pe tumhaara haath hai
kaisi pighli huyi ye raat hai
mere dil pe tumhaara haath hai
kaisi pighli huyi ye raat hai
kal tak jo nazar maghroor thi
wohi shauk bhari saugaat hai
tarsaake tadpaake
pachhtaaye to ho
main sadke jaaun
mere sainyaa
tum aaye to ho
main sadke jaaun
mere sainyaa
tum aaye to ho
main sadke jaaun

Andaz (misunderstanding) is the story of Dilip’s (Dilip Kumar) ill-fated love for Neena (Nargis) and the uncontrollable jealousy of Rajan (Raj Kapoor), her finance and then husband.

Director Mehboob Khan, places two misunderstandings at the heart of Andaz, neither of which is resolved happily, both leading to heartache for Nina.

That there’s no neat conclusion for any of the protagonists was one of the things I liked about the film. The tensions created along the way give the film a very watchable momentum. Looking over to Hollywood for a minute, there is something very relaxing about watching certain black and white films from the 1940s/50s. Andaz, released in 1949, with its stylish, graceful picture of monied upper-class Indian society reminded me of a certain type of Hollywood film, pictures like Philadelphia Story.

Perhaps it’s the less frenetic direction, or the appeal of black and white over colour. It’s obviously not in characters, attitudes, society etc, so perhaps it’s more down to feel. Whatever it is, Andaz shares this aspect thanks in part to Dilip Kumar’s matinee idol looks and the carefree world of mansions and afternoon horse riding Nargis’ Nina inhabits.

But there’s some irony in making this comparison. One of the film’s themes is the importance of halting the encroachment of western values on Indian society, given voice through dialogue like: “You can’t play a western song on Indian strings,” and “Indian flowers won’t bloom in western soil”.

Perhaps as such it shows Indian cinema, pre-Mother India and still just two years after independence, grasping towards its own identity.

Andaz was one of the films in a recent run of Bollywood classics shown on television. I recorded most of them and will probably have a few words on each eventually.

Just how many nice songs did a typical Bollywood movie use to have in olden days ? I have already posted three songs from “Dil Apna Aur Preet Paraayi” (1960) and it turns out that a few great songs from this movie are still left to be covered.

The fact that “ajeeb daastaan hai ye, kahaan shuru kahaan khatam” is from this movie was not known to me till today. When I read a post on favourite ‘Western” songs at Memsaab’s blog, then I came to know that this song was from “Dil Apna aur Preet Paraayi”.

The song is sung by Lata. It is picturised as a get together song. Raj Kumar, a doctor throws a wedding reception for his colleagues on his wedding to Nadira. Meena Kumari, a nurse at his clinic (who had a crush on Raj Kumar and was hoping to marry him) is asked to sing a song on the occasion. She braces herself and sings this song.

Now, this song is a party song (and a boat song too, considering that all the participants are on a boat) and such songs are not required to be memorable songs, but then lyricists and music directors of those days were not aware of this fact. Shailendra comes up with some awesome lyrics that expresses the feelings of Meena Kumari so tellingly. Sample this-
“ye roshni ke saath kyun
dhuaan uthaa chiraag se
ye khwaab dekhti hoon main
ke jag padi hoon khwaab se”

(With light, the lamp has thrown up smoke too,
am I dreaming, or have I been woken up from my dream)

I know, I know, I should provide translations for gems like this, and I am working on it. I will like to provide translations of all the songs that I post here.

Shankar Jaikishan has come up with lovely music for this song. This song, as everyone knows, is an evergereen song. I knew it too, it is just that I did not know swhich movie this song was from. Now I have that knowledge too.

Song-Ajeeb daastaan hai ye kahaan shuru kahaan khatam (Dil Apna Aur Preet Paraayi) (1960) Singer-Lata, Lyrics-Shailendra, Shankar Jaikishan

Lyrics

ajeeb daastaan hai ye
kahaan shuru kahaan khatam
ye manzilen hain kaun si
na wo samajh saken na ham
ajeeb daastaan hai ye
kahaan shuru kahaan khatam
ye manzilen hain kaun si
na wo samajh saken na ham

ye roshni ke saath kyun
dhuaan uthaa chiraag se
ye roshni ke saath kyun
dhuaan uthaa chiraag se
ye khwaab dekhti hoon main
ke jag padi hoon khwaab se
ajeeb daastaan hai ye
kahaan shuru kahaan khatam
ye manzilen hai kaun si
na wo samajh saken na ham

mubaaraken tumhen ke tum
kisike noor ho gaye
mubaaraken tumhen ke tum
kisike noor ho gaye
kisike itne paas ho
ke sabse door ho gaye
ajeeb daastaan hai ye
kahaan shuru kahaan khatam
ye manzilen hain kaun si
na wo samajh saken na ham

kisikaa pyaar leke tum
nayaa jahaan basaaoge
kisikaa pyaar leke tum
nayaa jahaan basaaoge
ye shaam jab bhi aayegi
tum hamko yaad aaoge
ajeeb daastaan hai ye
kahaan shuru kahaan khatam
ye manzilen hain kaun si
na wo samajh saken na ham

This song is of considerable historical importance as it gives us the first glimpse of Raj Kapoor and Madhubala (credited as Mumtaz in this movie) in lead roles.

This is a female solo song, and this song is sung by Raj Kumari, who was a leading female playback singer of those days. Kidar Sharma is the lyricist and the archtypical 1940s style music of this song is composed by B Vasudev.

It is a lovely song from 62 years ago from a movie that gave us two legendary actors.

Song-Kal jamuna tat pe aaoge (Neel Kamal) (1947) Singer-Raj Kumari, Lyrics-Kidar Sharma,MD- B Vasudev

Lyrics

kal jamuna tat pe
aaoge aaoge
aaoge aaoge
kal jamuna tat pe
aaoge aaoge
aaoge aaoge

more jaan bhi hamre man ke
hamre man ke
more jaan bhi hamre man ke
hamre man ke
tum aakar ise khilaaoge
tum aakar ise khilaaoge
aaoge aaoge
aaoge aaoge
kal jamuna tat pe
aaoge aaoge
aaoge aaoge

tum man ka kamal khilaaoge
tum man ka kamal khilaaoge
ham phoole nahin samaayenge
ham phoole nahin samaayenge
hamto apne Madhusoodan ke
Madhusoodan ke
Madhusoodan ke
hamto apne Madhusoodan ke
Madhusoodan ke
Madhusoodan ke
charnon mein naina bichaayenge
charno mein naina bichaayenge
aaoge aaoge
aaoge

“Panchaayat” (1958) is not a movie that will ring too many bells. This was a movie with Raj Kumar and Shyama in lead roles. If this movie deserves to be remembered, then it would be for its music. This movie had music by Iqbal Qureshi. Shakeel Badayuni was the lyricist.

Here is a song from this movie which is sung by Geeta Dutt. It is picturised on Shyama and Raj Kumar. It is a dance song of sorts, and even Raj Kumar tries to dance, not with much succeess though, in this song.

Song-Taam tai thaiyya (Panchaayat) (1958) Singer-Geeta Dutt, Rafi, Lyrics-Shakeel Numani, MD-Iqbal Qureshi

Lyrics

chanak chanak
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya

zingaani
rut suhaani
pyaar ki kahaani
ji pyaar ki kahaani
zingaani
rut suhaani
pyaar ki kahaani
ji pyaar ki kahaani
kya karegi zindagi
jo dil kahin machal gayaa
kya karegi zindagi
jo dil kahin machal gayaa
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya

ye nazaare
ye ishaare
ban gaye sahaare
ji ban gaye sahaare
ye nazaare
ye ishaare
ban gaye sahaare
ji ban gaye sahaare
jab nigaahen mil gayin
to dil pe waar chal gayaa
jab nigaahen mil gayin
to dil pe waar chal gayaa
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya

ye adaayen
dil lubhaayen
khud se bhool jaayen
ji khud se bhool jaayen
ye adaayen
dil lubhaayen
khud se bhool jaayen
ji khud se bhool jaayen
kuch khabar nahin hai
aur dil se dil badal gaya
kuch khabar nahin hai
aur dil se dil badal gaya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
chanak chanak
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya
taam tai thaiyya

“Paakeezah” (1972) which was the last movie of Meena Kumari was full of some beautiful songs. I as a pre teen disliked those retro songs at that time, but as time has passed, I find myself warming up to these songs. Indeed, these songs have grown sweeter and more melodious with passage of time.

I thought I had posted all the songs of this movie that were worth posting. I was wrong. I have so far posted just two songs from this movie. I am discovering that every song of this movie is a gem and therefore all of them must be posted. And I intend to do precisely that.

Here is a mujra song from this movie. Just note the lyrics. “Aaj ham apni duaaon ka asar dekhenge”. The lyrics are sheer poetry as I discovered while carefully going through it. The lyricist, a lesser known person called Kaif Bhopali cannot be praised high enough for this song. He in fact penned several gems for this movie.

The music director Ghulam Mohammad created magic with his music in this movie. And this song is just as magical as any other song from this movie. And let us not forget the voice of Lata.

Overall, this song is one that must go down as one of the most beautiful songs of its genre.

Song-Aaj ham apni duaaon ka asar dekhenge (Paakeezah) (1972) Singer-Lata, Lyrics-Kaif Bhopali, MD-Ghulam Mohammad

Lyrics

aaj ham apni duaaon kaa asar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge
zakhm-e-jigar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge
aaj ham apni duaaon kaa asar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge
zakhm-e-jigar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge

ho
aap to aankh milaate huye sharmaate hain
aap to aankh milaate huye sharmaate hain
aap to dil ke dhadakne se bhi dar jaate hain
phir bhi ye zid hai ke ham zakhm-e-jigar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge
zakhm-e-jigar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge
zakhm-e-jigar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge
zakhm-e-jigar dekhenge

ho
pyaar karnaa dil-e-betaab buraa hotaa hai
pyaar karnaa dil-e-betaab buraa hotaa hai
sunte aaye hain ke ye khwaab buraa hotaa hai
aaj is khwaab ki taabeer magar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge
zakhm-e-jigar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge
zakhm-e-jigar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge
zakhm-e-jigar dekhenge

jaanlevaa hai muhabbat kaa samaan aaj ki raat
shammaa ho jaayegi jal jal ke dhuaan aaj ki raat
aaj ki raat bachenge to sahar dekhenge
aaj ki raat
aaj ki raat bachenge to sahar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar dekhenge
zakhm-e-jigar dekhenge
aaj ham apni duaaon kaa asar dekhenge
teer-e-nazar

Sonali Bendre has danced appeared in an item number for the movie Lajja. Director Raj Kumar Santhoshi is specialist in creating right situations to insert item numbers in his movies. Lajja is serious drama and message oriented movie.

Manisha Koirala, Ajay Devagan and Jackie Shroff played key roles in this movie.

Sonali Bendre ’s item song Saajan Ke Ghar comes in a marriage occasion. Illairaaja has composed music for this movie. Sonali has danced with traditional dresses. The song was shot in a well decorated house set.

If S.M. Krishna’s appointment as the Union external affairs minister in the new UPA government was a bit of a surprise, even more surprising has been Krishna’s appointment of a little-known man called Raghavendra Shastry as his “advisor” in the MEA, with the rank of additional secretary.

To say that career diplomats are a little mystified would be an understatement, but correspondents on the diplomatic beat are happily reporting that the aroma of Mysore coffee (CoffeeDay™, presumably) is already wafting from the first-floor offices of Krishna’s (and Shastry’s) at South Block.

So, who is this neatly dressed, clean-shaven “longtime personal friend” of Krishna’s who has suddenly emerged as an officer on special duty (OSD) in the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) directory, and as “advisor” in the MEA telephone directory?

***

# Raghavendra Shastry is the president of GetIt Info Services, the official publishers of the Bangalore telephone directory and yellow pages. On his Linked In profile (accessed on 27 July 2009), Shastry lists his official designations as “president”, “corporate vice-president”, and “strategy and negotiation consultant”, all in the same breath.

# On his Google profile, Shastry terms himself a “consultant at GetIt Infomediary Limited”. On the official GetIt website, he is listed as president of the BizList division of the company. Getit is a company of former Congress MP Vishwa Bandhu Gupta, whose family owned the Daily Tej newspaper and Sun, the youth tabloid, before branching into yellow pages around the country. Gupta’s younger brother, Ramesh Gupta, now runs the family business.

# There are those who claim Raghavendra Shastry was introduced to Vishwa Bandhu Gupta, once chairman of the Congress’ publicity committee, by Karnataka Congress leader B.K. Hari Prasad, now a general secretary of the party. Some others say Shastry owes his Congress connections to his father, whose fortune-telling skills got him close to several politicians.

As the ambitious Bangalore head of GetIt, Raghavendra Shastry is said to have come close to S.M. Krishna in the mid-to-late 1990s, according to one version. Others say Shastry got close to Krishna only a couple years after the Congress’s 1998 victory. Some give credit to Shastry for Krishna’s telephone campaign (a technique used by Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2004).

# On his Google profile (accessed on 26 July 2009), Shastry writes that he grew up in Bangalore, but friends say he hails from Mukkur, near Puttur in South Canara, which partly explains his proximity to S.M.Krishna’s son-in-law V.G. Siddhartha, the founder of Coffee Day who hails from neighbouring Chikamagalur.

# Shastry’s rise and rise all the way to South Block is attributed to Siddhartha, who accompanied Krishna on the day of the swearing-in. Some say Krishna’s “family” is using Shastry to keep another Krishna crony, R.T. Narayan, in check.

Mysorean Narayan shares Krishna’s enthusiasm for tennis and is best known for the “permanent room” he maintains at a star hotel in Bangalore. However, Shastry is said to have accompanied Krishna on his last three trips to Wimbledon. Shastry is also said to have gone with Krishna on his post-debacle visit to China in 2004.

# On his Google profile, Shastry offers this bio:  “A highly successful Senior Executive with over 15 years of experience in administration, sales, marketing, and operations.  Very proficient in sales and business development, with proven record for increasing revenues and profits.  Outstanding managerial, decision-making, and negotiating abilities, plus excellent communication and people skills.  Well experienced in change management and in building and leading high-performance teams.  Highly motivated and dynamic go-getter.  Energetic, ambitious, and demanding, yet fair and easy to get along with.”

# Shastry is variously described as a soft-spoken, unassuming sort of person who melts into the background. He is said to have a tremendous memory, and doesn’t drink, smoke or eat non-vegetarian food. One journalist-acquaintance of Shastry’s says he works “18 hours a day”, calling him “indefatigable”. Jacob Thomas, who worked with him at Getit for 10 years, says Shastry “was a taskmaster and big brother at the same time.”

# At the launch of the Mangalore-Udupi Bizlist in March this year, Shastry, who now has to deal with embassies and high commissions, presciently said the directory included the listing of “over 150 embassies in India” along with their phone numbers and addresses.

At the same release, the DIG (western range), Gopal Hosur urged Shastry to “create a directory of all the criminals and keep a record of their addresses, so that it will help the policemen to easily trace them.”

# Shastry was holding forth in a New York Times story in May 2008 on the damage wrought by coalition politics to Karnataka. “Nothing has been done in the last four to five years and we’re worried Bangalore will lose competitiveness. Companies are expanding to other places. And it’s not Bangalore that will lose business – it’s India.” Among the others quoted in the article was Ashok Kheny of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise.

# Shastry is said to be a bachelor of science (BSc) from Bangalore University, but on his Linked In profile claims “education” in the University of Chicago’s Booth school of business (2005), Harvard business school (1999-2003) and Columbia business school (1996).

Searches on the Booth school and Columbia school websites for “Raghavendra Shastry”, “Raghavendra” or “Shastry” do not turn up any matching results.

Exhibit A: On the HBS executive education website, Shastry offers this quote for the six-day, $13,000 (Rs 6.5 lakh) course on “Leading change and organisation renewal”: “The work and study groups helped me to solve major problems in my company. As a result, I now am able to deal with the conflicts and pressures from the past—and prepare for the future by using all the tools and innovative processes of organizational problem solving.“

Exhibit B: On the website of MCS consulting, an “international investment and strategic management consulting company”, Shastry offers an almost identical certificate:  “The work and study groups really helped me to solve major problems in my company. As a result, I now am able to deal with the conflicts and pressures from the past—and discover the future using all the tools and the innovative process of organizational problem solving.“

# Shastry is effusive in gratitude even otherwise. “Dear Dr Prasad, Thank you very much for the individual reports of senior managers as well as the set of ‘inspirational keepsake’ provided by you. On behalf of the company I wholeheartedly thank you for giving the inspiration which we have already started adapting (sic) in our daily work,” he wrote to Prasad Sundararajan of the Coimbatore-based Geniuschoice Institute of Creative Management.

# During the Raj Kumar kidnapping crisis that dogged the S.M. Krishna regime, Shastry, according to reporters on the beat, was a busy player, if not the “chief negotiator”, in the negotiations that finally secured the release of the thespian from the clutches of Veerappan, by all accounts after the payment of a ransom. Some claim that Shastry dealt with Vysya Bank in person to “arrange” for the release.

Shastry  is said to be close to R. Ram Kumar, the son of former DGP R. Ramalingam, who was in the thick of things during the Raj Kumar abduction, with Veerappan even allegedly using Ram Kumar’s mobile phone to make contact with S.M. Krishna, according to former DGP C. Dinakar.

# On his Google profile, Shastry says he has conducted case studies for leading multinationals in USA and Europe; that he has been “invited” by Public Affairs International, London; China Strategy Forum, Beijing ; and China Society for Strategy and Management Research “to discuss matters on strategy and crisis management”.

Foreign secretary-designate Nirupama Rao was India’s ambassador to China till recently. Her husband Sudhakar Rao is currently chief secretary of Karnataka.

# When “Bandra Bomber” Sachin Tendulkar visited the Kukke Subramanya temple, Shastry set up a website on the temple and its rituals.  He claimed the site received 17.5 lakh hits in seven hours due to interest generated by the cricketer’s spiritual sojourn. Shastry is said to maintain and manage websites of temples at Udupi, Dharmasthala, Katil and Kollur on a “non-commercial basis”.

# In 2000, Shastry played a hand in announcing a Bangalore police foundation on the lines of New York police foundation. He initially promised Rs 3 crore from his organisation to help modernise police control rooms, but suffered a setback when he failed to get income tax exemption for the monetary contribution.

# Those who know Shastry say he is a cat at public relations (PR), with a special fondness for journalists. On his Facebook account, he has nine friends, including two working journalists and two former journalists. On his Twitter account, he follows one journalist. In the early 1990s, he donated rain jackets to every photo-journalist in Bangalore, and later also helped produce the annual diary of the Press Club of Bangalore.

Also read: S.M. Krishna on the release of Dr Raj Kumar

How Siddhartha built the Coffee Day dream cup by cup

Saudagar was a block buster hit in 1991. DIlip Kumar and Raj Kumar has acted together for this movie. Many people concentrated on this two legendary actors. But that movie introduced a top heroine Manisha Koirala to Bollywood.

She paired opposite another debut-ant actor Vivek Mushran. Story narrates the rivalry between Veeru aka Veer Singh (Dilip Kumar) and Raju aka Rajeshwar Singh (Raaj Kapoor) who has rivalry on each other. But they were best friends in childhood became enemies due to the situations. Years later their grand children Vasu (Mushran) and Radha (Manisha Koirala) falls in love. How their grand fathers responded and what happen to the young love couple is the remaining story.

Anupam Kher and Amrish Puri played key roles in this movie. It gave instant stardom to Manisha Koirala. Subhash Ghai was director fro this classic hit.

When one watches Kishore Kumar on screen, one expects him to sing in his own voice. But there are some rare cases where Kishore KUmar, like normal heroes, has sung in the voices of other playback singers.

In the past, I have posted songs where Kishore Kumar sang in the voices of Rafi and Manna Dey. To the best of my knowledge, these are the only two singers who gave playback for Kishore Kumar. In case there are more such singers, I have yet to find out about them. Can someone inform me if there are more such cases ?

Here is a song from “Shararat” (1959) where Kishore Kumar sings on a piano and sings a sad song in the voice of Rafi. One can see Raj Kumar among the listeners of the song.

Hasrat Jaipuri is the lyricist and Shankar Jaikishan composed the music.

Song-Ajab hai daastaan teri ae zindagi (Shararat ) (1959) Singer-Rafi, Lyrics-Hasrat Jaipuri, MD-Shankar Jaikishan

Lyrics

ajab hai daastaan teri ai zindagi
ajab hai daastaan teri ai zindagi
kabhi hansaa diyaa rulaa diyaa kabhi
ajab hai daastaan teri ai zindagi

tum aayi maan ki mamtaa liye to muskuraaye ham
ke jaise phir se apane bachapan me.n lauTa aaye ham
tumhaare pyaar ke
tumhaare pyaar ke
isi aanchal tale
phir se deepak jale
phir se deepak jale
dhalaa andheraa jagi roshni
ajab hai daastaan teri ai zindagi
kabhi hansaa diyaa rulaa diyaa kabhi
ajab hai daastaan teri ai zindagi

magar badaa hi sangdil hai ye maalik teraa jahaan
yahaan maan beton pe bhi log uthaate hai ungliyaan
kali ye pyaar ki
kali ye pyaar ki
jhulas ke raha gayi
har taraf aag thi
har taraf aag thi
hansaane aayi thi rulaakar chali
ajab hai daastaan teri ai zindagi

Nela and jala, coffee and kids, Raj Kumar and Jaggesh, poverty and spirituality, state and nation… all colourfully comingle on an autorickshaw that also offers free service to pregnant women and half-rates to the handicapped, at K.R. Circle in Bangalore on Thursday.

Photograph: Karnataka Photo News

“Mere Huzoor” (1968) was a nice movie on its genre ( Muslim social theme) and it had some wonderful music. I have already posted a few songs from this movie. And more songs from this movie deserve to be posted.

Here is a party (mehfil ) song from this movie. Raj Kumar is asked to sing a song in the mehfil. When he expresses his reluctance, he is told that this request is to mark the event of Jeetendra getting betrothed, then Raj Kapoor agrees to sing.

And as was usual in Bollywood movies of this genre on these occasions, he sings a poignant song that expresses the turmoil that his mind is going through. The song is sung by Rafi, written by Hasrat Jaipuri and the music is composed by Shankar Jaikishan. And so it should come as no surprise that this song has gone on to become a timeless classic.

Song-Jo guzar rahi hai mujhpar (Mere Huzoor) (1968) singer-Rafi, Lyrics-Hasrat Jaipuri, MD-Shankar Jaikishan

Lyrics

aa aa
jo guzar rahi hai mujh par use kaise main bataaun
jo guzar rahi hai mujh par use kaise main bataaun
wo khushi mili hai mujhko main khushi se mar na jaaun
wo khushi mili hai mujhko main khushi se mar na jaaun

mere dil ki dhadkanon kaa ye payaam tumko pahunche
main tumhaaraa hamnasheen hoon ye salaam tumko pahunche
use bandagi main samjhoon jo tumhaare kaam aaun
wo khushi mili hai mujhko main khushi se mar na jaaun
haan jo guzar rahi hai mujh par use kaise main bataaun

mere dil ki mahfilon mein wo muqaam hai tumhaaraa
ke Khudaa ke baad lab par bas naam hai tumhaaraa
meri aarzoo yahi hai main tumhaare geet gaaun
wo khushi mili hai mujhko main khushi se mar na jaaun
haan jo guzar rahi hai mujh par use kaise main bataaun
wo khushi mili hai mujhko main khushi se mar na jaaun

One fine day in 1970s, I went to watch an old movie called “Kaajal”. I did not expect much from the movie, considering that it had Raj Kumar and Meena Kumari in it- and they were at their tragic “best”.

After every few minutes, a song would appear on the screen, and the audience, including me would gasp- “wow, this song is from this movie !”. Such collective gasping was repeated for every song.

“Kaajal ” (1965) was that kind of a musical blockbuster. I have posted a couple of songs from this movie, and it is easy to lose track of which songs I have posted from this movie, unless I keep track of all the posted songs.

Here is this Rafi song from this movie which qualifies to be called a “Kotha ” song because Raj Kumar goes to a “kotha” in drunk condition ( as befits his tragedy king status) and sings this song to the “Kothewaali”. And guess who is the “Kothewaali”? It is none other than Helen. Seeing her not as a cabaret dancer but as a kothewaali has its own charm. And it is a rare song in which she does not get to sing.

And what a song. It is such a superb piece of shayari that Sahir Ludhianvi has come up with. It is sublime stuff really. Ravi is the music director. And together they have created an unforgettable masterpiece.

Song-Ye zulf agar khulke bikhar jaaye to achchaa (Kaajal ) (1965) Singer-Rafi , Lyrics- Sahir, MD- Ravi

Lyrics

Ye zulf agar khulke bikhar jaaye to achchaa
ye zulf agar khulke bikhar jaaye to achchaa
is raat ki taqdeer sanwar jaaye to achchaa

jis tarah se thodi si tere saath kati hai
haay
jis tarah se thodi si tere saath kati hai
baaqi bhi usi tarah guzar jaaye to achchhaa
baaqi bhi usi tarah guzar jaaye to achchhaa

duniyaa ki nigaahon mein bhalaa kyaa hai buraa kyaa
duniyaa ki nigaahon mein bhalaa kyaa hai buraa kyaa
ye bojh agar dil se utar jaaye to achchhaa
ye bojh agar dil se utar jaaye to achchhaa

waise to tumhi ne mujhe barbaad kiyaa hai
hoy
waise to tumhi ne mujhe barbaad kiyaa hai
ilzaam kisi aur ke sar jaaye to achchhaa
ye zulf agar khulke bikhar jaaye to achchaa
bikhar jaaye to achchaa

Listening to this song, one may think that it is an O P Nayyar composition. It has the typical O P Nayyar kind of music and it is sung by Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhonsle.

But I find that this song from “Pyaar Ka Bandhan” (1963) is composed by Ravi.Sahir Ludhianvi is the lyricist.

I am not sure who are the actors on whom this song is picturised. Can anyone help identify them ?
(They are Raj Kumar and Nishi Kohli. Thanks for the information, Lalitha).

Song-O zara bachke o baliye bachke (Pyaar ka bandhan) (1963)Singers-Mahendra Kapoor, Asha Bhonsle, Lyrics-Sahir Ludhianvi, MD-Ravi

Lyrics

o zaraa bach ke o baliye bach ke
kahin patli kamar naa lachke
thumak zaraa ruk-ruk ke
sun hukum hai ye sarkaari
chhin jaayegi nambardaari
naa tak mujhe jhuk-jhuk ke
o zaraa bach ke o baliye bach ke
kahin patli kamar naa lachke
thumak zaraa ruk-ruk ke
sun hukum hai ye sarkaari
chhin jaayegi nambardaari
naa tak mujhe jhuk-jhuk ke

tere do nainon ke maare tere dar pe maare naare
ke aajaa khidaki mein
ke aajaa khidaki mein
zaraa soch ke baatein karanaa bhalaa aashiq kaa kyaa marnaa
jo mar jaaye jhidki mein
jo mar jaaye jhidki mein
hoy hoy
o zaraa bach ke o baliye bach ke
kahin patli kamar naa lachke
thumak zaraa ruk-ruk ke
aha
sun hukum hai ye sarkaari
chhin jaayegi nambardaari
naa tak mujhe jhuk-jhuk ke

teraa kad hai saru kaa butaa gore rang ne tere dil lootaa
meraa to saaraa jag kho gayaa
meraa to saaraa jag kho gayaa
khush rahti jo hoti kaali gore rang ne museebat daali
ke saaraa jag bairi ho gayaa
ke saaraa jag bairi ho gayaa
o zaraa bach ke o baliye bach ke
kahin patli kamar naa lachke
thumak zaraa ruk-ruk ke
ud jaa
sun hukum hai ye sarkaari
chhin jaayegi nambaradaari
naa tak mujhe jhuk-jhuk ke

banun main bhi ik din dulhaa jale mere bhi ghar mein chulhaa
o rab ho to aisaa ho
o rab ho to aisaa ho
jude dil se dil kaa taankaa mujhe mil jaaye tujhsaa baankaa
gazab ho to aisaa ho
gazab ho to aisaa ho
haay jiyo
o zaraa bach ke o baliye bach ke
kahin patli kamar naa lachke
thumak zaraa ruk-ruk ke
haay
sun hukum hai ye sarkaari
chhin jaayegi nambaradaari
naa tak mujhe jhuk-jhuk ke

Waqt is a good family entertainer, directed by Yash Chopra. Sunil Dutt, Raj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore played the lead roles in the movie. In those days this movie received very good response. Yash Chopra received a Filmfare Award as Best Director.

Kedarnath (Balraj Sahni) who is a rich person every year celebrates his sons’ birthday. All of their birthdays fall on the same date. On one birthday celebration an astrologer warns him about his future. But he ignores his words. Later he loses all his properties because of an earth quake. A rich couple take care of Ravi (Sunil Dutt). Last son Vijay (Shashi Kapoor) stays with his mother (Achla Sachdev) only.

All these three guys come back together and realize that they are brothers. And the family reunites.

“Nausherwaan e Adil” (1957) must be an Arabian Night’s tale, going by the title. But the makers of such historical/ mythological movies were no known to care much for authenticity. Thus we find the characters dressed in Greek dresses of a different era. And the biggest faux pas is Mala Sinha is seen wearing a cross !

But the makers of such mythological movies ( Sohrab Modi in this case) targetted that section of population that did not care much about such finer details. They would not bat an eyelid if the movie showed a 10th century AD person using mobile phone and managing to get his call across.

Coming to the music of this movie, C Ramchandra was the music director of this movie and Parwez Shamsi was the lyricist.

Here is a duet from this movie sung by Rafi and Lata. This song is picturised on Rajkumar and Mala Sinha.

Song-Bhool jaayen saare gham (Nausherwaan e Adil ) (1957) Singers-Lata, Rafi, Lyrics-Parwez Shamsi, MD- C Ramchandra

Lyrics

bhool jaayen saare gham, doob jaayen pyaar mein
baj rahi hai dhun yahin, raat ke sitaar mein
bhool jaayen saare gham

hans rahe hain phool jo,gaa rahaa hai gulsitaan
gaa rahaa hai gul jahaan,gaa rahaa hai aasmaan
tu hi tu ki hai sadaa
tu hi tu ki hai sadaa
laakh mein hazaar mein
bhool jaayen saare gham doob jaayen pyaar mein
baj rahi hai dhun yahin, raat ke sitaar mein
bhool jaayen saare gham

sharm se jo hai dari, aa nahin rahi hansi
bekhudi mein bekhudi, kar rahi hai gudgudi
ham na hain karaar mein
ham naa hain karaar mein
dil na hai karaar mein
bhool jaayen saare gham doob jaayen pyaar mein
baj rahi hai dhun yahin, raat ke sitaar mein
bhool jaayen saare gham

ishq mein jagar hai, kuch hamen khatar nahin
shq mein jagar hai, kuch hamen khatar nahin
bijliyon se dar nahin
bijliyon se dar nahin
jalti jaayen aashiyaan
jalti jaayen aashiyaan
thaamkar bahaar mein
bhool jaayen saare gham

Why two of the southern States have had their political canvas consistently dotted by characters from cinema, while the rest of the Union have not, is one of the eternal mysteries of Indian politics. But that doesn’t stop bankrupt parties from trying to shine in the reflected glory of the stars.

On the strength of their recent legislative performance, T.J.S. George says box-office stardust as a ballot-box  commodity is quickly turning into dust.

***

By T.J.S. GEORGE

Film stars caused their two-paise worth of nuisance in this election. A couple of them may win but it is clear that their appeal as netas is declining steadily.

MGR and NTR meant something in politics.

Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan meant nothing.

Star-MPs in the last Parliament in fact disgraced the parliamentary system itself. Govinda failure to attend even one session showed an attitude of contempt towards Parliament. Vinod Khanna, once trumpeted by the BJP, attended only 5.5 percent of the sittings. Dharmendra’s score was 1.5 per cent.

If these guys are so high and mighty, why did they become MPs in the first place? The parties who sponsored them must be held accountable by the people who elected them.

In the South, things are somewhat better.

Actually, film stars turning to politics is a South Indian phenomenon, more specifically a Tamil phenomenon. The reasons are historical. Cinema became an integral part of the Dravida movement and therefore a serious player in politics. It was not a case of roping in pretty faces to get votes.

The anti-Brahmin movement had started earlier in Maharashtra under Jyotiba Phule. But it was Periyar Ramaswamy Naicker who gave it an ideological sweep and a cultural (Aryan-Dravidian) dimension. The revolution he wrought was turned by C.N. Annadurai into a solid political platform. Because Annadurai was the most brilliant film writer of his time, Tamil cinema became a political instrument.

Fascinating details of this union between politics and cinema are marshalled in History Through the Lens, a new book by the greatest living authority on Tamil cinema, S. Theodore Baskaran.

From the 1920s, he tells us, drama artistes were involved in the freedom struggle. In 1958 the legendary K.B. Sundrambal became India’s first film artiste to enter the legislature. After independence, film actors as a community, who had earlier been backing the cause of the Congress, moved on to support the Dravidian movement. The Congress never recovered from that.

Dravidian assertion over Brahmins did not develop in other South Indian states as intensively as it did in Tamil Nadu.

Something else happened in Andhra when that amateur Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, publicly humiliated the then chief minister of the state, T. Anjiah. It was an insult to Telugu pride, but neither Anjiah nor the Congress party was in a position to do anything about it. N.T Rama Rao rose to the occasion and rode to power on the plank of Telugu atmagauravam.

That was a spontaneous response to a moment of challenge. NTR did not have the intellectual resources to turn it into an ideological platform. Even in Tamil Nadu the inspirational pull of the Dravidian movement has lately been diluted by caste and sub-caste politics. Hence the ambivalence of wannabe netas like Rajnikanth and the uncertainties of fresh entrants like “Black MGR”, Vijaykanth.

In Andhra, Chiranjeevi has serious handicaps and dissensions in his personal circle, the absence of an ideological agenda. Whether he can do an NTR will depend on whether the people see him as a credible agent of change.

In Karnataka even a god-like figure like Raj Kumar kept out of politics. The most glamorous Kannada heroine of all time, Jayanti, was defeated by the most unglamorous opponent of all time, Ananth Kumar, in 2004.

Ambarish (in picture) is an exception that proves the rule that stars don’t shine in the politics of Karnataka. He is a strange exception the only minister in the Union Cabinet who never attended office.

That beats even Govinda.

Photograph: Karnataka Photo News

In most Bollywood movies, characters speak and sing in mainstream Hindi/ Urdu, but there are movies where they speak a bit differently. For instance, all villagers in Bollywood movies speak in a dialect that is supposedly Bhojpuri even if those villagers live in Sikkim !

Then there are more “authentic” movies that are actually supposed to be made in Bhojpuri. I am not sure whether “Godaan” (1963) was a Hindi movie or a Bhojpuri one. In any case, the singers, actors etc in this movie were those who are well known names in Bollywood.

This song from “Godaan” (1963) was sung by Mukesh and picturised on Raj Kumar.Anjaan was the lyricist and music direction was by Pt Ravishankar, the same person who is now known as a sitarist par excellence.

This song, incidentaaly, is based on Raag Tilak Kamod.

Song-Hiya jarat rahat din rain (Godaan)(1963) Singer-Mukesh,Lyrics-Anjaan, MD-Ravi Shankar

Lyrics

hiyaa jarat rahat din rain ho raamaa
jarat rahat din rain
hiyaa jarat rahat din rain ho raamaa
jarat rahat din rain

ambvaa ki daali pe koyal bole
ambvaa ki daali pe koyal bole
tanik na aavat chain O raamaa
jarat rahat din rain

baswaari mein madhur sur baaje
baswaari mein madhur sur baaje
birhi papiharaa bolan laage
madhure madhur madhu bain O raamaa
jarat rahat din rain

aas adhoori pyaasi umariyaa
aas adhoori pyaasi umariyaa
chaaye andheraa sooni dagariyaa
darat jiyaa bechain
darat jiyaa bechain O raamaa
jarat rahat din rain
hiya jarat rahat din rain O raamma
jarat rahat din rain

Mother India is one of India’s greatest films. It was released in 1957 but is still in Indian’s memories. This movie was nominated for the Oscar awards in Best Foreign Film category. It received five Filmfare awards. Nargis got the Best Actress Award at the Karlovy International Film Festival.

This movie has shown clearly about the Indian village culture and the problems which farmers are facing, as well as the affection between villagers. Nargis Dutt appeared in the character of Radha. The movie mostly revolves around this character only and shows different phases of her life and her feelings in the different situations.

Sunil Dutt who later married Nargis appeared as her son in this movie. Sanjay Dutt is the son of this couple only. Mehboob Khan directed this movie.  Naushad gave music. This movie is on the list of Bollywood Best 25 and in 3rd position in the all time greatest hits. Raj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar also played key roles in this movie.

One should not compare songs and their picturisations, but sometimes movie makers force it on audiences by their blatant inspirations.

It looks like this song and its picturisation is almost a frame by frame copy of the wonderful song “o raat ke musaafir” from “Miss Mary”. It is a pity, because otherwise this song, when not subjected to such comparisons, is a good song on its own. I guess that it is the picturisation that is to be blamed, not the song itself.

This song is sung by Lata and Subir Sen. Majrooh Sultanpuri is the lyricist and Vasant Desai composed the music. This song was picturised on Raj Kumar and Meena Kumari , and this may certainly sent shivers down the spines of many spectators, since the two of the became renowned for playing drunkard husband and his long suffering wife, respectively in several movies. Hopefully this movie, where they came together for the first time 9I think) was not one such movies. Incidentally “Ardhaangini” means Wife in Sanskrit.

Song-Pyaar me milna sanam (Ardhaangini 1959) Singers-Subir Sen, Lata, Lyrics-Majrooh Sultanpuri, MD-Vasant Desai

Lyrics

ho ho
aa aa aa ho
pyaar mein milna sanam hota hai taqdeer se
ho achchi rahengi tanhaayion me baaten teri tasweer se
ho pyaar mein

haale dil kahenge na ham
pyaar hai to kaahe ka gham
pyaar hi me gham bhi to hain
saath tere ham bhi to hain
phir bhi na jaane rukti nahin dhadkan kisi tadbeer se
ho pyaar mein

aaa
kya karen
kya karen jo mil na saken
phool kya jo khil na sake
band ho jo raahen meri
thaam ke chalo baanhen meri
tumko kasam hai baandho na hamko itni haseen zanjeer se
ho pyaar mein

chal na jaaye jaadoo kahin
ishq hai hansi to nahi
ho chal na jaaye jaadoo kahin
ishq hai hansi to nahi
kaampte hain mere qadam
ho kaampte hain mere qadam
jaao nahin rokenge ham
jaayen kahaan
jaayen kahaan
jaayen kahaan jo phirte hai
ghaayal hoke sanam tere teer se
ho pyaar mein milna sanam hota hai taqdeer se
ho achchi rahengi tanhaayion me baaten teri tasweer se
ho pyaar mein

Whenever I see Meena Kumari in a song, I dread that a melancholic song is going to follow. And I heave a big sigh of relief every time my fears turn out to be unfounded.

By now I have realised that Meena Kumari began her career with happy roles and it was only in 1960s ( second decade of her career) that she was typecast into sad roles.

The bubbly happy roles that she played in 1950s make for such pleasant watching. I have posted quite a few songs featuring Meena Kumari from 1950s.

Here is a song from a movie called “Ardhangini ” (1958) featuring that other ” dreaded” sad role playing actor viz Raj Kumar. I have no idea whether the duo began their dreadful sad careers in this movie or whether they waited for the next decade for that.

In any case, this song featuring Meena Kumari is a happy enough song. It is sung by Lata. Written by Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed by Vasant Desai, this song is a “chitthi” song. Should I call it a “jhoola” song as well duly opening a tag by this name ?

Song-Tera khat leke sanam (Ardhaangini) (1958) Singer-Lata, Lyrics-Majrooh Sultanpuri, MD-Vasant Desai

Lyrics

hahahah
hohohoho
aaaa
teraa khat le ke sanam
paanv kahin rakhte hain ham, o
kahin padte hain kadam, kahin padte hain kadam
teraa khat le ke sanam
paanv kahin rakhte hain ham, o
kahin padte hain kadam, kahin padte hain kadam

raaz jo is mein chhipaa hai wo samjhataa hai dil
aa raaz jo is mein chhipaa hai wo samjhataa hai dil
kaise bhoolegi ye khat ham se dhadaktaa hai dil
ye dil thahre zaraa
nazar thahre zaraa
hosh mein aa le zaraa ham
teraa khat le ke sanam
paanv kahin rakhte hain ham, o
kahin padte hain kadam, kahin padte hain kadam

is mein jo baat bhi hogi badi qaatil hogi
aa aa aa
aaa aa aaa
is mein jo baat bhi hogi badi qaatil hogi
teri aawaaz bhi in baaton mein shaamil hogi
ye dil thahare zaraa
nazar thahare zaraa
sune phir teri sadaa ham
teraa khat le ke sanam
paanv kahin rakhte hain ham, o
kahin padte hain kadam, kahin padte hain kadam

kyon na paa kar ise toofaan uthe seene mein aa
kyon na paa kar ise toofaan uthe seene mein
teri soorat nazar aati hai is aaine mein
ye dil thahare zaraa
nazar thahare zaraa
zaraa phir ho le fidaa ham
teraa khat le ke sanam
paanv kahin rakhte hain ham, o
kahin padte hain kadam, kahin padte hain kadam
teraa khat le ke sanam