Fading Memories…. Unforgettable Songs: July, 2017

Mohammad Rafi’s Solo Song From The FIRST Film With The Music Director: 1949

To commemorate Mohammad Rafi’s anniversaries, we commenced a series of articles on Mohammad Rafi that essentially tried to bring the solo song of Mohammad Rafi with the music director.  We had planned to take up one five-year slot in a chronological order to bring all the first films in which Mohammad Rafi had had a solo song with a music director. The first slot of 1944 to 1948 was covered in Part I and Part II in December, 2016. We will take up next five-year-slot of 1949 to 1954 this year.

 [For the sake for structured documentation, I will be following the alphabetical sequence of Film names in the post.]

1949 appears to the year of bounty in so far as Mohammad Rafi is concerned. He has several re-associations, with music directors like Husnlal Bhagatram,  Hansraj Behl, Naushad, C Ramchandra, Shyam Shundar.  Many of these songs did become evergreen hits as well. He also has plenty of maiden associations with music director who offered solo song(s) to him for the first time. Many of such associations bloomed into quite fruitfully rich associations in the future.

As we will fathom though the maiden solo songs with a music director for the year 1949, we will see that there are more unknown songs than the songs known well. The journey of Mohammad Rafi maiden solo songs, thus, continues to open more and more dimensions of the range of Mohammad Rafi solo songs as we have come to know in the period of post-1950 years – the Golden Years of Hindi Film Music – when he was to ascend to Number # 1 status, among male playback singers.

The maiden solo songs with different music director for the year 1949 are enough in numbers to justify a full length post.

Lo Rukh Badal Raha Hai Zindagi Ka, Dhara Le Kar Chali Hain Duaa, Allah Ka Sahara Khudard Ye Nazara – Banoo – Pt. Ram Prasad

The song is cast in Heer (Punjabi Folk Tune) style.

Main Zindagi Mein Hardam Rota Hi Raha Hun – Barsat- Shanker Jaikishan – Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri

Barsat was the maiden film for Shanker Jaikishan as well. As per the demands of the story, the overwhelming number of songs has gone Lata Mangeshkar. Mukesh also had exceptionally noteworthy songs in the film. That almost became the pattern for most of the RK – SJ films down the line. Remarkably, each of RK-SJ film always had at least one Mohammad Rafi song, (‘Aah, 1955 and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, 1961 are equally remarkable exceptions. The Rafi song in the RK-SJ film always had a very remarkable place. Most of the songs are well-remembered today.

Jab Yaad Kiya Ham Aane Lage, Haan Aane Lage……Tum Jhidkiyan Ham Ko Dene Lage, Ha Dene Lage – Chilman – Hanuman Prasad (Sharma)

‘Chilman’ had one more solo of Mohammad Rafi – Zahe Kismat Teri Mehfil Se. Hanuman  Prasad – Rafi had one more film in the year Daulat, which also has one Rafi solo on records  – Mohabbat Ki Sabha Mein Ham Collector Ban Ke – which is not yet available on net. HFGK notes that the songs of the fil hasve also appeared in ‘Jannat’ in the same year.

Ek Din Ek Armaan Bhara Dil Ulfat Se Do Char Hua – Garibi – Bulo C rani – B R Sharma

Bulo C Rani has used Rafi’s voice for the first time. The film had one duet with Shamshad Begum and two solos. The other solo song is: Kisi Se Hamne Poochha Mohabbat Kisko Kahate Hai

Taalim Ka Taraana Unche Suro Mein Gaa – Nai Taalim – Vasant Desai – S R Chopda ‘Saaz’

HFGK lists only two songs in the name of this film. YT’s knowledgable uploader Yashwant Vyas credits Narayan Jaago, Jaago Karunanidhan Jaago (Narsinh Avtar) to Mohammad Rafi, even as HFGK has not identified any playback singer.

Ek Dil Ne Suna Ek Dil Ne Kaha, Ek Dard Bhara Afsana, Haye Dard Bhara Afsana – Parda – Shramaji – Swami Ramanand

As is well-known to most of the Hindi Film Songs fans of the golden Perion, Sharmaji is the pseudonym of Khayyam. The film had one more solos of Rafi – Sitamgar Se Leta Hai Tu Intqam

Samay Ka Chakkar So Bal Khaye – Raaz – Malik Saradar – Meeraji

We have one more song in signature style of Mohammad Rafi. HFGK has mentioned music director as Malik Saradar, whereas most of the references on net show the name as Saradar Malik. However I am not sure whether both are the same person.

Teer Pe Teer Khaye Jaa, Zulmo Sitam Uthaaye Jaa – Rooplekha – Sajjad Hussain – Khumar Barabankvi

Mohammad Rafi opens the solo account with Sajjad Hussain. The present song can easily claim the most popular and known-till-day song in our present list.

Bhaj Man Kamal Nayan Kamlesh– Sant Janabai – Sudhir Phadke – Pt. Narendra Sharma

HFGK lists 22 songs in the film, of which playback singers have been identified in two songs. Source on net identify several songs to Mohammad Rafi. That gets us the opportunity to see Rafi in his now well-known Bhajan singing elements.

Mehmaan Banke Aaye The Armaan Ban Gaye – Shoharat – Aziz (Hindvi) – Gulshan Jharma

The song also has a duet version of this song, in which Rafi teams with Hamida Bano. The clip here has both the versions.

For the year 1949, the number of music directors who opened account of Mohammad Rafi solo songs is 10, same as in 1948. The overall tally of Mohammad Rafi’s songs for the year 1949 is 121 songs, with 21 music directors, spread over 49 films, which was 52, 25 and 21 respectively in 1948. Comparable numbers for the period 1944 to 1949 is 248 songs over 113 films. That should make 1949 as the undisputed hinge over which the floodgates of Mohammad Rafi opened in the decade of 1950.

 

We will continue our search for Unforgettable Songs that seem to Fading away from our Memories every second Sunday of the month……..

Disclaimer: All images are sourced from net. All copyrights of the respective image remain with the original owner of the image.