Kavi Pradeep was a seer

Dekh teri sansar ki haalat kya ho gayi bhagwan, kitna badal gaya insaan is one of the best examples of a lament.

It was penned (and sung) by Kavi Pradeep, and was one of the songs in the soundtrack of Nastik.

It means, “O God, see the current state of the world you created. How man has changed (for the worse).”

The music was composed by none other than C Ramchandra.

Although the film released in 1954, it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that the song rings truer today than it did 63 years ago.

Hemant’s voice was Devine (Nag)indeed

Eons ago, lovers preferred glimpses of their beloveds to material comforts.

This was evident from the following verse, penned by Rajinder Krishan – “Tere dwaar khada ek jogi. Na maange yeh sona chandi, maange darshan devi.”

It means, “At your doorstep stands a hermit. He neither desires gold nor silver. All he wants is a glimpse of you, lady (who has been likened to a goddess).”

It’s a pity that neither are such (Nag)innocent folk easy to encounter today, nor is Hemant Kumar (who didn’t just compose the track, but also sang it) in our midst.  

Lata (Nag)invariably dilivered the goods

Come, my heart beckons. Come, my pillar of support in these times of grief. It is wet. Where art thou at a time like this?

Pardon my attempt to translate the verse that went, “Mera dil yeh pukaare aaja, mere gham ke sahaare aaja. Bheega bheega hai sama, aise mein hai tu kahan?”

But it’s possible that women of a certain vintage (Nag)instantly recalled the song, which was penned by Rajinder Krishan, when they missed their beaus.

Mr Kumar, renowned for H(em)a(u)nting melodies, was the composer of the track, which was sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

Lata’s been there, done that

Man Dole Mera Tan Dole, (Nag)inarguably one of the most popular Hindi film songs of all time, was penned by Rajinder Krishan and rendered by Lata Mangeshkar.

The music of the instrument played by snake-charmers – the song’s highlight – has been credited to Ravi Shankar Sharma (known mononymously as Ravi) and Kalyanji Virji Shah.

While the former played the harmonium, the latter played the clavioline.

The duo, who assisted composer Hemant Kumar then, went on to become well-known music directors in their own right.

Shah teamed up with his younger brother Anandji to embellish numerous potboilers.      

Magically, Ms Mangeshkar made ‘his(s)’tory

To state that the producers of 1954’s highest-grosser (Na)g(r)inned all the way to the bank would be an understatement, and a huge chunk of the credit for the film’s success went to its music, which was composed by Hemant Kumar, who bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director in 1956.

Rajinder Krishan penned the track, “Jaadugar saiyan, chhodo mori baiyan, ho gayi aadhi raat, ab ghar jaane do” (O my beloved, who is a magician, let go of my hand. The clock has struck midnight; let me go home now.)

Lata’s rendition was M(ang)es(hkar)merising.    

The (Ra)first line was prophetic

“Hum laayen hain toofan se kashti nikaal ke” is a Hemant Kumar composition from Jagriti.

It literally means, “We have steered our boat through the storm.”

Mohammed Rafi was picked to caution future generations of Indians against becoming complacent. Needless to say, the rendition was (too)fantastic.

However, it must, unfortunately, be said that not enough attention was paid to Kavi Pradeep’s lyrics. If they had, we would be living in a better place.

Ironically, at that point, the icon of the (Ra)Fifties was probably unaware of the professional storm he would have to weather eventually.

Ms Bhosle (Ba)pulled it off

Half-a-dozen years before Jagriti released, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. But love him or loathe him, one thing is for sure: no Indian can ignore him.

Taking cognizance of that, Kavi Pradeep penned a eulogy to him – De Di Humein Azaadi Bina Khadag Bina Dhaal (With neither a sword nor a shield, you helped us achieve independence).

It was one of the songs in the soundtrack of the aforementioned film, whose music was composed by Hemant Kumar.

It was sung by none other than Asha, who went on to become a (Bhos)legend in her own right.   

  

He was (Pr)adeeply nationalistic Kavi

It can’t merely be a coincidence that Kavi Pradeep’s* nom de plume has seven letters and patriot is a word that has the same number of letters.

The two are synonymous too, as is evident from the fact that he penned and sang Aao Bachchon Tumhe Dikhaayen Jhanki Hindustan Ki from the 1954 film Jagriti.

And isn’t it appropriate that the composer’s (Hemant Kumar) first name is an anagram of anthem?

(*Note: Pradeep means light. He couldn’t have adopted a better pseudonym, because he was a leading light in the worlds of poetry and lyrics.)

Bhosle (As)had an unmistakable innocence

A great deal of care must be taken when children’s songs are being recorded. They ought to sound innocent and reflect the juvenile optimism that Nanhe munne bachche teri mutthi mein kya hai (Little kid, what’s in your fist?) – the song from Boot Polish (1954) – did so wonderfully.

The evergreen hit was penned by Shailendra and composed by Shankar Jaikishan. And with their innate ability to modulate their voices to suit the characters, there couldn’t have been a better duo rendering it than Mohammed Rafi, the man for all seasons, and the versa‘T(a)i’le Asha Bhosle.   

Dutt was an unforGe(e)t(t)able track

“Yeh lo main haari piya, hui teri jeet re. Kaahe ka jhagda baalam, nayi nayi preet re” (See, my dear, I have lost, and you have emerged the winner. What’s the point of fighting, my love? This is a new attraction) was obviously the lady’s admission of her defeat.

But from a male listener’s perspective, it sounded incredibly sensuous. And why not? After all, it was rendered by Geeta Dutt.

A(a)rdent fans of music director O P Nayyar and lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri can’t deny that this was one of the best works of that Pa(a)rtnership.

Geeta’s class needed no R(e)af(f)irmation

When a song begins with the word Sun, one has no choice but to listen to it. And if it’s Sun Sun Sun Sun Zaalima from Aar Paar, the chances of the listener playing it on a loop are as bright as the sun.

The Du(e)t(t), penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed by O P Nayyar, was rendered by Mohammed Rafi and Geeta Dutt.

When translated, it means, “Listen, o heartless one, I have fallen in love with you. Let your heart meet mine, you have my promise of love.” That’s indeed an interesting verse.    

This Rafi-Geeta Du(et(t) was amazing

Only a wordsmith of Majrooh Sultanpuri’s calibre could have written, “Mohabbat kar lo, jee bhar lo, aji kisne roka hai. Par bade gazab ki baat hai, is mein bhi dhokha hai” (Hey, who has stopped you from loving me to your heart’s content? But isn’t it interesting that there’s a risk in this too?)

The Aar Paar track, rendered by Mohammed Rafi and Geeta Dutt, is a conversation set to music by O P Nayyar.

Without an iota of doubt, it is the beloved’s suggestion – “Duniya chhod do” (Leave the world) – that takes the cake. 

Begum must’ve (Shams)had a ball

A(a)rdent Shamshad fans would say that she had a significant pa(a)rt to play in the success of Aar Paar’s soundtrack.

And they definitely weren’t wrong – the only song she sang was Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar Laaga Teer-e-Nazar (which means the arrow-like eyes sometimes found their target this side, and at other times, that side).

That is tantamount to cheating [a good reason for the lady to Beg(l)um]. But, thankfully, she enjoyed singing this O P Nayyar composition, which was penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri. Needless to say, so did countless music aficionados upon listening to it.      

Dutt was indeed (Bew)afantastic solo

How apt is it that Ja Ja Ja Ja Bewafa, the Geeta Dutt solo from Aar Paar, was penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri*?. Majrooh is Urdu for injured. A synonym for the word is hurt, the emotion that was conveyed in the O P Nayyar composition.

The next three lines of the song’s opening verse went, “Kaisa pyaar kaisi preet re, tu na kisi ka meet re, jhoothi teri pyaar ki kasam” (What love? You cannot be anyone’s mate, because your promise of love is a lie).

(*Note: His real name is Asrar ul Hassan Khan.)

Geeta’s chant impressed the nonchalant

There are those who slog for a better future, and there are those who live for the moment. The lines penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri – “Hoon  abhi main jawaan, aye dil, hoon abhi main jawaan. Behosh hoon bin piye, kal ka bhi gham kis liye” – are dedicated to the latter.

The song, sung by Geeta Dutt, translates to, “I am young now, my heart. Although I haven’t drunk, I’ve taken leave of my senses. What’s the need to worry about tomorrow?”

It was from Aar Paar, which proved to be the trendy O P Nayyar’s breakthrough.

UnD(o)u(b)t(t)edly, Geeta’s warning was sensuous

Babuji dheere chalna, pyaar mein zara sambhalna. Haan bade dhokhe hain, bade dhokhe hain is raah mein.

In 1954, a woman became the voice of all women who wanted to tell their prospective suitors to proceed slowly and be cautious, and warn them that the path to love is fraught with dangers.

The film was Guru Dutt’s Aar Paar, and the woman was his wife, Geeta Dutt, who rendered the aforementioned track. The words, penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri, were perhaps prophetic, given the disillusionment that later engulfed Mr Dutt and O P Nayyar, the composer.  

Talat brought his A(e) g(h)am(e)

When Shammi Kapoor became an A-lister, it was virtually de rigueur for him to lip-sync to the divine voice of Mohammed Rafi, who matched his on-screen joie de vivre.

But let’s hark back to 1953, when the former was a newcomer. The soundtrack of Thokar, one of his earliest films, featured a ghazal, Ae Gham-E-Dil Kya Karoon. While the male version of the song was sung by Talat Mahmood, Asha Bhosle rendered the female version.

It was penned by Majaz Lakhnawi (lyricist Javed Akhtar’s maternal uncle), and composed by Sardar Malik (composer Anu Malik’s father).      

This Hemant-Lata hit was memorable

What a way to ring in the New Year! The 1953 film Patita – which starred Bollywood’s Shareef Budmaash, Dev Anand, and Mumbai’s former sheriff, Usha Kiran, and released on January 1 – was Shankar Jaikishan’s gift to their legion of fans.

Yaad Kiya Dil Ne Kahan Ho Tum has stuck in people’s memories for two reasons – (a) it was the only duet in the film, and (b) it was the only song in the film that was penned by Hasrat Jaipuri (his peer Shailendra penned the solos).  

It was sung by Hemant Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar.

It ‘land’ed in Dey’s lap

To say that Do Bigha Zamin (1953) was a ‘land’mark film would be an understatement. It marked the Hindi film debut of music director Salil Choudhury, who also penned the story.

Dharti Kahe Pukaar Ke (The soil beckons), a song from the film, is still as relevant today as it was all those decades ago, considering India’s economy continues to be predominantly agrarian.

The song, penned by Shailendra, was sung by the Dada (Bengali for big brother) of classical music, Manna Dey, and the Nightingale of Indian film music, Lata Mangeshkar, accompanied by a chorus.  

Ramchandra exploited Mangeshkar’s (La)talent beautifully

When C Ramchandra began composing the music of Anarkali, he had immense faith in Lata Mangeshkar’s ability to pull off what he’d envisaged.

And he stood vindicated when the movie became 1953’s top grosser, and Yeh Zindagi Usi Ki Hai – inarguably the most popular song from the film – went on to top the annual list of Radio Ceylon’s countdown show, Binaca Geetmala, that year.

This immortal classic was penned by Rajendra Krishan, who formed, with Annasaheb (another of Ramchandra’s aliases), one of the greatest music director/lyricist teams in the Golden Era of Hindi film music. 

Lata’s Didication left everyone Aahing

In the 1950s, it is presumed that nobody asked what the odds of a song that began with the name of the film’s director were. The song in question? Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat from Aah, directed by Raja Nawathe.

And, call it a happy coincidence if you please, but the Shankar Jaikishan composition, penned by Shailendra and rendered by Lata Mangeshkar, is popular to date.

A line in the song, which is three minutes and 29 seconds long, went, "Rani ke maathe sindoor.” The 1997 film Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat marked Rani Mukerji’s Bollywood debut.