February 2021 – The world is too small? or Is it?

Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music – February, 2021

Welcome to February 2021 edition of IX^th Volume of Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music.

We pay tributes to:

Alvida, In Memory: Bollyviewer, with a very heavy heart, to Bollyviewer, who blogged at Old is Gold, and then at Masala Punch, since 2008.

Rajiv Kapoor, actor in ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’ and director of ‘Prem Granth’, who passed way at the age of 58. He gave up acting in 1990, to focus on directing the home production Prem Granth in 1996 and producing Aa Ab Laut Chalenin 1999.

We now move on to other tributes and memories:

Kamal Swaroop on Mani Kaul: ‘A visionary and ahead of his time’ – As ‘Ashad Ka Ek Din’ turns 50, it’s time to revisit Mani Kaul’s transcendental cinema and painterly minimalism.

Mani Kaul during the shoot of Ahmaq (Idiot) in the early 1990s. Photo by Lalita Krishna.

The Greats: Pran – More often than not, he was the suave villain, clad in the gentleman’s clothing, the one who schemes to get his hands on the hero’s wealth or the hero’s girlfriend, or both. The post reminisces some of his best performances.

Nutan the poet is not known to many. The soft, sensitive poet called Nutan was far more beautiful. This poet would constantly observe the world with a keen eye. She used to make an effort to capture the life experience in words. In these efforts subconsciously she used to dwell in the spiritual world.

Remembering Madhubala, Bollywood’s Very Own Marilyn Monroe – Khalid Mohamed pays tribute to Madhubala’s incandescent performances and tragic life.

Shailendra Sharma @ Golden Era of Bollywood has posted following memorial tribute posts:

February 2021 episode of Fading Memories, Unforgettable Songs takes up Talat Mahmood: Duets with Geeta Dutt: A Rare Blend of Velvety Voice with Mellifluous Tone. To commemorate the memory of Talat Mahmood in the month of his birth runs the theme of his rare duets. Till now, this has been covered-

In 2017, an overview of Talat Mahmood’s duets receding from the memory.

In 2018, Talat Mahmood’s duets with rare co-singers,

In 2019, Talat Mahmood’s duets with Mubarak Begum and with Madhubala Jhaveri, and

In 2020, Talat Mahmood’s duets with Geeta Dutt, essentially from 1950 to 1952.

We will now take up the articles on other subjects:

How 22-year-old Vijay Anand dug in his heels to make his first film ‘Nau Do Gyarah’ – Anitaa Padhye – The film paved the way for Dev’s light comedies in the future, with songs taking the story forward. Goldie had become famous with his very first movie.The article is excerpted with permission from Goldie – The Man and His Movies, Anitaa Padhye, translated by Vikrant Pande, Amaryllis.

My Favourites: Songs About Gender Wars – Songs there are aplenty that extol the virtues of a ‘good’ woman. But here are some that fall in the category of nok-jhonk songs that run the gamut of emotions – the flirtatious, the teasing, even fighting to sell their wares – the battle is being waged for better or for verse. For example – Aji biwi ko ghar pe bithlaa ke – Minister (1959) – Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi – C Ramchandra – Rajinder Krishan.

Songs of Stairs is a corollary to post on Terrace songs in two parts. An example of the typical song on the subject is Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana – C.I.D (1956) – Shamshad Begum – O.P.Nayyar- Majrooh Sultanpur. This is a song where the stairs have a completely different role to play. The post also refers to two other interesting articles – F ilm flashback: How the staircase played a starring role in Indian cinema (chronicling the thoughts of the legendary archivist P.K. Nair) and Stairway to Accessibility: the History and Symbolism of Stairs (by The Industrial Historian).

Songs of Raja-Rani are delightful because they are history-neutral and status-neutral.

A Little About Tabla Master Zakir Hussain and His Kathak-Dancing Wife, Antonia Minnecola (who studied with Sitara Devi for three decades) – The post has two rare YT clips: Kathak Dance By Antonia Minnecola Ustad Zakir Hussain Peter Van Gelder (sitar) @ Basant Bahar Concert 1987 Berkeley California and Zakir Hussain – Kathak

Romancing the Stranger – Hindi films have Romancing the ‘Pardesi’ songs. However, one can be ‘ajnabi’ to someone with whom one has lived under the same roof for years. Nay, one can even be ajnabi to oneself

दो सहेलियाँ is a different subset of female duets that were picturised on two actresses, generally friends, one a lead actress and the other her friend, but those were not dance numbers. The list follows the rules – Stage performances, Street performances won’t be part of it. The lyrics should be directly addressed and not suggestive. For example, Dil Le Gaya Ji Koi Dil Le Gaya – Sanam (1950) – Suraiya & Shamshad Begum / Husnalal Bhagatram – Qamar Jalalabadi and Sharmake Zara Ae Mast Ada – Aladdin Aur Jadui Chirag (1952) Shamshad Begum & Asha Bhosle – S N Tripathi – Anjum Jaipuri

The lesser heard romantic duets of Manna Dey is the second and final part of the post, featuring lesser known light hearted romantic duets sung by Manna Dey with Suman Kalyanpur, Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum and Sudha Malhotra. The first part dwelt on Manna Dey’s romantic duets with the Mangeshkar sisters – Lata, Asha and Usha

In the Micro View of Songs of 1945 we have carried forward the micro view of duet songs in the form of Duets of Vintage Era (Male+) Singers, Part 1 and Part 2 and Female-Female Duets (+) to sum up with MY TOP duet songs.

All the episodes of Micro View of Duet Songs for 1945 @SoY can be read / downloaded from one file, by clicking on the hyper-link…

In continuation to our tradition of ending the post with a few songs of Mohammad Rafi, each one of which basically has a link with the topics discussed in the present post.

Unse Rippi Tippi Ho Gayi.. Yaane Baat Pakki Ho Gayi – Agra Road (1957) – with Geeta Dutt – Roshan – Prem Dhawan

Duniya Ki Nazar Hai Buri Zulfien Na Sawara Karo – Agra Road (1957) – with Geeta Dutt – Roshan – Prem Dhawan

Masti Mein Chhed Ke Taran Koi Pyar Ka – Haqueequat (1964) – Madan Mohan – Kaifi Azmi

O Lakshmi, O Sarsu, O Sheela – Kahin Le Chal (1968) (UR) – Shankar Jaikishan – Shailendra

Doobte Huye Dil Ko Tinke Ka Sahara Bhi Nahi – Kahin Le Chal (1968) (UR) – Shankar Jaikishan – Hasrat Jaipuri

Shokh Ankhe … Dekh Kar Surat Pe Pyar Aa Hi Gaya – Kahin Le Chal (1968) (UR) – with Asha Bhosle – Shankar Jaikishan – Hasrat Jaipuri

I look forward to your inputs to enrich the contents of Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music.

Disclaimer: This monthly series of posts is my best-effort-based compilation of posts on Hindi film songs that I normally visit regularly. As I record my sincere thanks to all the original creators of these posts, any other posts that I have nor covered herein shows my lack of awareness of existence of such posts and is by no means any disrespect to their work. The copyrights to the posts, images and video clips remain the properties of the original creators

Songs of 1945 @ SoY :: Duets – Summing Up : MY Top Duet Songs

For the purpose of summing up the duets, I have picked up the ones that I liked on the first hearing.

So, here is the list, in no particular order:

Mohammad Rafi, Zohrabai, Shamshad Begum – Chhoti Si Ek Banayenge Naiya – Hamara Sansar – Pt. Govind Ram – Ramesh Gupta

Manna Dey, Amirbai Karnataki – Ye Rang Birangi Dor Hai… – Mazdoor – H P Das – G S Nepali

Mukesh, Khursheed, Hamida Bano – Badariya Baras Gayi Us Paar, Liye Khadi Hai Preet Gagariya – Moorti – Bulo C Rani – Pt. Indra

Shrinath Tripath + Geeta Roy (?) – Aayee Beloonwali, Aayee Re, Koi Na Lena Mose Udhar – Aadhaar – Shrinath Tripati – M A Razi

Khan Mastana + Nirmala – Motor Gadi Chalane Wale O Balama – Chalis Karod – Pt. Govind Ram – Pt. Indra

Bulo C Ranii + Amirbai Karnataki – Asha Ko HaNsaye, Kismat Ko Banae = Preet – Bulo C Rani – D N Madhok

Surendra + Shamshad Begum – Nain Baan Se Kar Ke Ghayal, Rupvati KahaN Jaye – Ratnavali – Pt. Govindram – Brajendra Gaud

G M Durrani + Amirbai Karnataki – O Jaanewale Kuchh Kaheta Jaa, Kuchh Hamari Bhi Sunata Ja – Samrat Chandragupta – C Ramchandra – Pt. Buddhi Chandra Agrawal ‘Madhur’

Amar + Zohraba Amabalewali – Suno Ji Pyari Koyaliyan Bole, Mast Jawani Dole – Sanyasi – Naushad – Pt. Buddhi Chandra Agrawal ‘Madhur’

S D Batish + Shamshad Begum – Ye Dil, Ye Mere Pyar Ka Ghar Tere Liye Hai – Shirin Farhad – Pt. Amarnath – Mazim Panipati

K L Saigal + Suraiya – Rani Khol De Apane Dwar, Milane Ka Din Aa Gaya – Tadbir – LaL Muahammad – Swami Ramanad

Amirbai Karnataki + Zoharabai Amabalewali – Piya Ki BasuriyaHui Kaleje Paar – Chhamia – Gyan Dutt – Pt. Indra / Qabil Amrutsari

Suraiya + Hameeda Bano – Bachpan Gaya Jawani Ayee, Dil Mein Kisi ne Li Angadai – Main Kya – Neenu Mazumdar – D N Madhok

Zohrabai Ambalewali + Shamshad Begum – RatiyaN GujaruN Kaise Hay Ram – Ratanavali – Govind Ram – Ram Murti Chaturvedi

Kalyani + Zohrabai Ambalewali + Noot Jehan – Aahein Na Bhari Shikawe Na Kiye – Zeenat – Hafiz Khan – Nakshab Zarachvi

In order to select the ones that I liked most, I willleave out the duest that I have heard several times prior to the present Micro Review –

Mukesh, Khursheed, Hamida Bano – Badariya Baras Gayi Us Paar, Liye Khadi Hai Preet Gagariya – Moorti – Bulo C Rani – Pt. Indra

Amar + Zohraba Amabalewali – Suno Ji Pyari Koyaliyan Bole, Mast Jawani Dole – Sanyasi – Naushad – Pt. Buddhi Chandra Agrawal ‘Madhur’

K L Saigal + Suraiya – Rani Khol De Apane Dwar, Milane Ka Din Aa Gaya – Tadbir – LaL Muahammad – Swami Ramanad

Kalyani + Zohrabai Ambalewali + Noot Jehan – Aahein Na Bhari Shikawe Na Kiye – Zeenat – Hafiz Khan – Nakshab Zarachvi

From the rest, I have selected one song each from the three different subcategories that we have used for classifying the duets for the present Micro Review:

Manna Dey, Amirbai Karnataki – Ye Rang Birangi Dor Hai… – Mazdoor – H P Das – G S Nepali

Bulo C Ranii + Amirbai Karnataki – Asha Ko HaNsaye, Kismat Ko Banae = Preet – Bulo C Rani – D N Madhok

Suraiya + Hameeda Bano – Bachpan Gaya Jawani Ayee, Dil Mein Kisi ne Li Angadai – Main Kya – Neenu Mazumdar – D N Madhok

SoY has adjudged jointly =

Aahein na bharin, shikwe na kiye kuchh bhi na zubaan se kaam liya
Badariya baras gayi us paar
Rani khol de apne dwar, milne ka din aa gaya

as the Best Duet of 1945 in the overview Best songs of 1945: Wrap Up 3.

P.S. :

All the episodes of Micro View of Duet Songs for 1945 @SoY can be read / downloaded from one file, by clicking on the hyper link.

Carnival of Quality Management Articles and Blogs – February, 2021

Welcome to February 2021 edition of the IX^thvolume of Carnival of Quality Management Articles and Blogs.

We recapitulate that the 2021 theme for the IX^thvolume of our Carnival of Quality Management Articles and Blogs is Future of… as the basis for Creating and Maintaining Sustained Success.

Presently, we will take up a McKinsey article, The next normal arrives: Trends that will define 2021—and beyond – By Kevin Sneader and Shubham Singhal to provide us a broad over view.

Excerpts from the article:

Quote:

There is at least a faint light at the end of the tunnel—along with the hope that another train isn’t heading our way….

Barring any unexpected catastrophes, individuals, businesses, and society can start to look forward to shaping their futures rather than just grinding through the present. The next normal is going to be different. It will not mean going back to the conditions that prevailed in 2019. Indeed, just as the terms “prewar” and “postwar” are commonly used to describe the 20th century, generations to come will likely discuss the pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 eras…

The crisis has sparked a wave of innovation and launches a generation of entrepreneurs. …There’s no going back. The great acceleration in the use of technology, digitization, and new forms of working is going to be sustained.

Supply chains re-balance and shift

Think of it as “just in time plus.” The “plus” stands for “just in case,” meaning more sophisticated risk management. …When a single country or even a single factory went dark, the lack of critical components shut down production. Never again, executives vowed…. Once businesses began to study how their supply chains worked, they realized three things. First, disruptions aren’t unusual. Second, cost differences among developed and many developing countries are narrowing. In manufacturing, companies that adopt Industry 4.0 principles (meaning the application of data, analytics, human–machine interaction, advanced robotics, and 3-D printing) can offset half of the labor-cost differential between China and the United States. The gap narrows further when the cost of rigidity is factored in: end-to-end optimization is more important than the sum of individual transaction costs. And third, most businesses do not have a good idea of what is going on lower down in their supply chains, where subtiers and sub-subtiers may play small but critical roles. That is also where most disruptions originate, but two-thirds of companies say they can’t confirm the business-continuity arrangements with their non-tier-one suppliers. With the development of AI and data analytics, companies can learn more about, audit, and connect with their entire value chains.

The future of work arrives ahead of schedule

The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) estimates that more than 20 percent of the global workforce (most of them in high-skilled jobs in sectors such as finance, insurance, and IT) could work most of its time away from the office—and be just as effective…. There are two important challenges related to the transition to working away from the office. One is to decide the role of the office itself, which is the traditional center for creating culture and a sense of belonging. Returning to the office shouldn’t be a matter of simply opening the door. Instead, it needs to be part of a systematic reconsideration of what exactly the office brings to the organization….. The other challenge has to do with adapting the workforce to the requirements of automation, digitization, and other technologies. This isn’t just the case for sectors such as banking and telecom; instead it’s a challenge across the board, even in sectors not associated with remote work…In 2018, the World Economic Forum estimated that more than half of employees would need significant reskilling or upskilling by 2022.

Portfolio restructuring accelerates

In previous downturns, the strong came out stronger, and the weak got weaker, went under, or were bought. The defining difference was resilience—the ability not only to absorb shocks but to use them to build competitive advantage…. The implication is that there is a resiliency premium on recovery. Top performers won’t sit on their strengths; instead, as in previous downturns, they will seek out ways to build them.

Green, with a touch of brown, is the color of recovery

All over the world, the costs of pollution—and the benefits of environmental sustainability—are increasingly recognized.

The COVID-19 crisis has created an imperative for companies to reconfigure their operations—and an opportunity to transform them. To the extent that they do so, greater productivity will follow.

Unquote

We will now turn to our regular sections:

We now watch ASQ TV, wherein we refresh our viewpoints about–

Remote Auditing – Recent health guidelines have caused companies and independent auditors to view an online audit as a viable alternative to the on-site audit. Lance Coleman, ASQ Instructor, and Principal Consultant, Full Moon Consulting, details the benefits of online audits, how to get top management buy in and how to conduct an online audit.

We have taken up one article from Jim L. Smith’s Jim’s Gems this month :

Fail Successfully – The hallmark is that highly successful people are not afraid to try something new, set aggressive goals, and are committed to achieve success. The possibility of failure exists but they are willing to take that chance. In fact, the only real failure is not trying at all…. Failure is perceived as a negative aspect of life, but successful people believe that failure is good. Failing means that you tried something new, and the results will teach you valuable lessons that make future success possible. Another aspect of failure that falls into the beliefs of successful people is that no one cares about or remembers your failures, so do not carry them with you. Learn and move on quickly … One other thing is certain: If you do not try anything, you are guaranteed to fail.

‘From the Editor (of Quality Magazine) – by Darryl Sealand, we have

Leaders and Followers – What do you call a leader with no followers? A guy taking a walk…. In a broader sense, it begs the question of the importance of following in the footsteps of another. It is why leaders also are often referred to as trailblazers, those creating paths for others… An important part of trailblazing was—and is—documentation…Today, trailblazing and documentation take place in the form of standard operating procedures and best practices…to help their customers and others effectively and successfully use technology or follow a process…or users and practitioners to expand, innovate, and forge new paths of success.

I look forward to your views / comments / inputs to further enrich the theme of Future of… as the basis for Creating and Maintaining Sustained Success.

Note: The images depicted here above are through courtesy of respective websites who have the copyrights for the respective images.

Songs of 1945 @ SoY :: Duets – Female – Female Duets (+)

Female- Female Duets present an opportunity to listen to many of the voices that we listed to in the female solo songs, with a different perspective of – in terms of the subjects as well as style of singing these types of songs.

Barring an exception, I have picked up only those FF songs for which HFGK has identified the singers.

Minaxi, Lata Mangeshkar, chorus – Janani Janmabhoomi…Tum MaaN Ho Badi MaaN Ho – Badi Maa – Datta Koregaonkar – Anjum Panipati

Unidentified female voices – Begum Janiya Ki God Bhari, Hamari Lado Rani – Bhaijaan – Shyam Sundar – Padtau Lakhnavi

Zeenat Begum Munnavar Sultana – Doriye Ki Odhani Maim Mal Mal DhouNgi – Champa – –Lachhiram

Amirbai Karanataki + Zoharabai Amabalewali – Piya Ki BasuriyaHui Kaleje Paar – Chhamia – Gyan Dutt – Pt. Indra / Qabil Amrutsari

Naseem + Ratan Bai – Chali Pawan…. – Dharma – Sajjad Hussain

Zoharabai Ambalewali + Naseem Akhtar + Shamshad Begum + Chorus – Holi Ka Tyauhar, Aaj Rang Holi Ka – Hamara Sansar – Govind Ram – Ramesh Gupta

Shamshad Begum + Rajkumari – Naina Bhar Aaye Neer, Mere Hatheele Raja – Humayun – Ghulam Haider – Anjum Pilibhiti + Kavi Shanti

Suraiya + Hameeda Bano – Bachpan Gaya Jawani Ayee, Dil Mein Kisi ne Li Angadai – Main Kya Karoon – Neenu Mazumdar – D N Madhok

Suraiya + Hameeda Bano – Aaj Hans Hans Ke Do Do Baatein Ki Hai Sanam Ne Hamare – Main Kya Karoon – Neenu Mazumdar – D N Madhok

This song has a sad solo version by Suraiya.

Rajkumari + Hameeda Bano – May GulguN Hai Jawani Hai, Aur Rut Bh- Suhani Hai – Main Kya Karoon – Neenu Mazumdar – D N Madhok

Zohrabai Ambalewali + Shamshad Begum – RatiyaN GujaruN Kaise Hay Ram – Ratanavali – Govind Ram – Ram Murti Chaturvedi

HFGK mentions only the female singers but the song has a male voice, that of Surendra, in the song

Kalyani + Zohrabai Ambalewali + Noot Jehan – Aahein Na Bhari Shikawe Na Kiye – Zeenat – Hafiz Khan – Nakshab Zarachvi

We will take up Summing Up of Duets for 1945 in the form of MY Top Duets, in the next episode.

Fading Memories…. Unforgettable Songs: February 2021

Talat Mahmood: Duets with Geeta Dutt:

A Rare Blend of Velvety Voice with Mellifluous Tone

Talat Mahmood (B: 24 February 1924 | D: 8 May 1998), known for his velvety voice was more comfortable in lower scales. His voice required most of the music directors to adapt their styles to his singing. Geeta Dutt (born Geeta Ghosh Roy Chowdhuri; B: 23 November 1930 | D: 20 July 1972) was a gifted singer who could enliven any song with her mellifluous voice. The contrasting styles of the two contemporaries should have resulted in a larger number of duets. However, the destiny seemed to have scripted a different script for the duets of these two singers.

Statistically, the number of Talat Mahmood – Geeta Dutt duets trail those of Talat Mahmood-and Lata Mangeshkar as well as Talat Mahmood and Asha Bhosle. However, as in the case of both artists’ other songs, the numbers alone do not make the full picture. How the velvety voice of Talat Mahmood so magically blended with the mellifluous tone of Geeta Dutt can be experienced only by listening their duets.

To commemorate the memory of Talat Mahmood in the month of his birth, we have taken up the theme of his rare duets. Till now, we have explored –

In 2017, an overview of Talat Mahmood’s duets receding from the memory.

In 2018, Talat Mahmood’s duets with rare co-singers,

In 2019, Talat Mahmood’s duets with Mubarak Begum and with Madhubala Jhaveri, and

In 2020, Talat Mahmood’s duets with Geeta Dutt, essentially from 1950 to 1952.

Presently, we carry forward our journey into the memory lanes of Talat Mahmood- Geeta Dutt duets.

Kah Rahi Hain Dhadakane Pukar Kar, Chupake Chupake Dhire Dhire Pyar Kar – Laal Pari (1954) – Hansraj Behl – Asad Bhopali

To a good many of Geeta Dutt or Talat Mahmood fans, the song will ring special bells of memory. Geeta Dutt slides over changing scales across the song.

Muhabbat Ki Duniya Mein Barbad Rahena Magar Kuchh Na Kahena – Lakeeren – Hafeez Khan – Shewan Rizvi

Songs runs in a lower scale in consonance with the mood of poignancy.

Wah Re Wah Bhagwan…Hazar Haathwale Mandir Ke Dwar Khule Aur Tere Moonh Pe Taale – Maha Pooja (1954) – Avinash Vyas – Ramesh Gupta

Talat Mahmood opens on a high scale as he renders ‘sakhi’. The song then essentially plays in lower scale.

Avinash Vyas has used Geeta Dutt so effectively for Gujarati films. Here Geeta Dutt comes up very sharp variant of her tone, probably in line with a tone of complaint of the song..

Aaye To Kaise Aaye, Majbur Kar Diya Hai…Mil Jaye Koi Tumse Aake Sahar Nahi Koi – Sangam (1954) – Ram Ganguli – Hasrat Jaipuri

Geeta Dutt opens ‘sakhi’ on a higher scale which is supported by a crescendo of violins ensemble. Geeta Dutt continues in higher scale supported by Talat Mahmood in lower scale, thereby creating depth of mood of exasperation.

Raat Hai Aramaan Bhari….Aur Kya Suhani Raat Hai, Aaj Bichhade Dil Mile Hai, Tera Mera Saath Hai – Sangam (1954) – Ram Ganguli – Hasrat Jaipuri

The song opens with high scale singing by the chorus, probably the crew of the boat singing the tune in rhythm with pedaling the boat. But this itself is sufficient to set the mood of the song – a serene trip on calmly flowing river, in open moonlight and the two beloved ones together after a long time…

This was one of the hugely liked song then, which remains well remembered even today.

Dekho Dekho Ji Balam Deke Birha Ka Gam Mera Naha Sa Jiya Tadapana Na – Bahu (1955) – Hemant Kumar – S H Bihari

We have a very playful song which Geeta Dutt seems to be equally enjoying as she keeps climbing up and down the scales. We get to hear here a fast paced song that is so sweet all the way through vocal s and orchestration.

Thandi Thandi HawaoN Mein, TaroN Ki ChaaoN Mein, Aaj Balam Dole Mora Jiya – Bahu (1955) – Hemant Kumar – S H Bihari

The song is set to an easy flow pace, in consonance with the mood and the possible situation – the couple riding on some vehicle- mostly a horse cart, or even cycles as was very popular style in those years – in the open moon night.

Kya Paya Duniya Ne…Do Pyar Bhare Dil Tod Kyun Kya Paya Duniya Ne – Darbar (1956) – Hansrah Behl – Asad Bhaopali / Prem Dhawan

We have a poignant song wherein the couple questions the way the world treats the innocent love of the couple. Geeta Dutt switches over to a lower scale in a melancholy tone with a questioning tone in a higher scale.

Dono Jahan Ke Maalik, Tera Hi Aasara Hai, … Raazi Hai Hum Usi Mein Jis Mein Teri Razaa Hai – Khul Ja Sim Sim (1956) – Hansraj Behl – Asad Bhopali

Incidentally, we have a totally inverse song from the same team – seeking a reprieve from the troubles of this world in the form of a prayer in the resigned tone this time. It is Talat who scales higher scale at the beginning of each stanza.

O Arabpati Ki Chhori..Gori Gori…Dili Door Nahin – Makhichoos (1956) – Vinod – Pt. Indra

This a song of Chhed Chaad genre, very popularly used in Hindi films, this time both the parties enjoying the mutual teasing- a way of expressing the enjoyment of stealing a few moments of togetherness. It is not only rare for Talat Mahmood to playback so light song, it is equally rare for Mahipal to sing such a song on the screen, that is in fully modern suit-tie formal attire.

Saare Jag Se Nain Chura Ke Ho Gayi Main Teri – Naag Padmini (1957) – Sanmukh Babu Upadhyay – Prem Dhwan

A lovely playful romantic song, wherein if Geeta Dutt is in her elements, Talat Mahmood comfortably matches the mood.

Dil Ko Laga Ke Bhul Se Dil Ka NishaaN Mita Diye – Doctor Z – Manohar – Akhtar Romani

Here is a song that is from an unknown film, by a hardly heard named music director that showcases strong vocals of Geeta Dutt as she effortlessly. Renders alaap to support and synthesize Talat Mahood to a improvised waltz tune. The composition is quite complex to sing, but the magic blending of the two voices makes it a gem that would like to listen again and again.

Tum Sa Meet Mila Dil Ka Phool Khila, Chalta Rahe YuN Hi Sanam, KhushiyoN Ka Kaafila – Midnight (91972) – Subir Sen – ?

A low-scale vocals high scale orchestration composition, that can be considered as the last duet of Talat Mahmood and Geeta Dutt. The film was never released. So it is really very lucky to get the song on the YT.

There is a reference to a duet – Tumhari Mohabbat Ka Badla – by Daan Singh (film – Bahadur Shah Zafar), but the song does not seem to be traceable. So is a NFS duet Chanda Hanse Hans Rahi Chandani (Music: Jimmy) not traceable on YT.

A look back at Talat Mahmood – Geeta Dutt duets reveals a pattern wherein we do not find songs by the then mainstream music directors. This can be possibly because when either singer was picked up as lead singer for major banner, the other singer would be someone like Lata Mangeshkar, or even Asha Bhosle, as female playback or Mohammad Rafi as male playback. A such what we lose in terms of numbers is well compensated by a very wide range of highly talented music directors and Talat – Geeta duets of all hues and shades, leaving us with a feeling of being fully satisfied with a high-quality fare to enjoy forever.

We will continue remembering Unforgettable Songs that seem to Fading away from our Memories every second Sunday of the month next year too……..

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

P.S.: Talat Mahmood: Duets with Geeta Dutt and its Gujarati version તલત મહેમૂદનાં યુગલ ગીતો – ગીતા (રોય) દત્ત સાથે can be read / downloaded by clicking on તલત મહેમૂદનાં ગીતા (રોય) દત્ત સાથે યુગલ ગીતો । Talat Mahmood: Duets with Geeta Dutt.

Songs of 1945 @ SoY :: Duets – Duets (+) of Vintage Era (Male+) Singers [2]

We had taken up Micro View of Part [1] of the Duets (+) of Vintage Era (Male+) Singers, in the previous issue.

Paresh Bannerji + Snehprabha Pradhan – Kahe Ko Nain Milaye, Nain Milanewale – Din Raat – Dada Chandekar – Santokh Nadim

Paresh Bannerji + Snehprabha Pradhan – More Jivan Mein Aai Bahar, Kisamt Chamaki – Din Raat – Dada Chandekar – Santokh Nadim

Unknown male singer + Zeenat Begum – Daman Na Chhod Dena. – Kaise KahooN – Pt. Amarnath – Moti B A

HFGK does not have the singer for this song.

Bulo C Rani + Snehprabaha Pradahan – Bhul Na Jana … Aur Dekhoji Hansega Zamana – Preet – Bulo C Rani – D N Madhok

Bulo C Rabi + Amirbai Karanataki – Asha Ko HaNsaye, Kismat Ko Banae = Preet – Bulo C Rani – D N Madhok

Unidentified male voice – Kanan Devi –- O Kali Matwali, O Matwale Phool, Ban Ke Prani Banke Saathi – Raj Laxmi – Dhiren Mitra – Suresh Chaudhari

Surendra + Shamshad Begum – Nain Baan Se Kar Ke Ghayal, Rupvati KahaN Jaye – Ratnavali – Pt. Govindram – Brajendra Gaud

Surendra + Naseem Akhtar – Ye Mere Hai Main Unki Hun – Ratnavali – Pt. Govindram – Brajendra Gaud

G M Durrani + Amirbai Karanataki – O Jaanewale Kuchh Kaheta Jaa, Kuchh Hamari Bhi Sunata Ja – Samrat Chandragupta – C Ramchandra – Pt. Buddhi Chandra Agrawal ‘Madhur’

G M Durrani + Amirbai Karanataki – Badala Hai Jamana Hai Mera Badla Hai Jamana – Samrat Chandragupta – C Ramchandra – Pt. Buddhi Chandra Agrawal ‘Madhur’

G M Durrani + Rajkumari – Jhoom Rahi… BagoN Mein Bheegi Hui Daali – Yateem – Khursheed Anwar – Zia Sarhadi

Amar + Zohraba Amabalewali – Suno Ji Pyari Koyaliyan Bole, Mast Jawani Dole – Sanyasi – Naushad – Pt. Buddhi Chandra Agrawal ‘Madhur’

Amar + Zohraba Amabalewali – Duniya Chadhaye Phool Main Ankho Ko ChandhauN – Sanyasi – Naushad – Pt. Buddhi Chandra Agrawal ‘Madhur’

Amar + Zohraba Amabalewali – Neha Laga Ke Jo Koi YuN ChhoopJaye – Sanyasi – Naushad – Pt. Buddhi Chandra Agrawal ‘Madhur’

Amar + Zohraba Amabalewali – Peepal Ki ChhaoN Tale Main Bhi Milun, Tu Bhi Mile – Sanyasi – Naushad – Pt. Buddhi Chandra Agrawal ‘Madhur’

S D Batish + Shamshad Begum – Ye Dil, Ye Mere Pyar Ka Ghar Tere Liye Hai – Shirin Farhad – Pt. Amarnath – Mazim Panipati

K L Saigal + Suraiya – GariboN Ki Duniya – Tadbir – LaL Muahammad – Swami Ramanad

K L Saigal + Suraiya – Rani Khol De Apane Dwar, Milane Ka Din Aa Gaya – Tadbir – LaL Muahammad – Swami Ramanad

We will take up MicroView of Female-Femaale Duets for the year 1945 in our next episode.

Hemant Kumar’s Hindi Song Compositions: Male songs – [3] – ‘Other’ Male Singers

This is the third and concluding part of the article – Hemant Kumar’s Hindi Song Compositions: Male songs. The previous parts have covered Hemant Kuamr’s solo songs in the voices of Hemant Kumar |Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar |Manna Dey.

The end of the spectrum of Hemant Kumar’s solo male compositions presents quite unusual variety of, not-from-the-mainstream, male singers. Except for the first and last song, incidentally in the chronological order, all other songs can also be ascribed to not-so-usual song situations. However, one thing that stands out is the Hemant Kumar’s choice of the singer for the song – he has fully leveraged the singer’s voice quality in the first and the last song, while duly accommodating his compositions to the vocal range of the respective singer in the other songs.

Kavi Pradeep

Pradeepji was essentially a poet, but the beauty is whichever film song is recorded in his voice has become a massive hit.

Aao Bachcho Tumhe Dikhaye Jhanki Hindustan Ki – Jagriti (1954) – Lyrics: Pradeepji

When I look at the song now, I realize how imaginatively the song has been conceived, filmed, composed, and rendered. No wonder, we found the song so enchanting in our school days in the latter half of ‘50s.

Chitalkar

Chitalkar (a.k.a. C. Ramchandra) has very rarely agreed to sing a song for other music directors. However, the mutual rapport that both will have developed while working together for Anarkali (1953) seems to have tilted the scales.

Sunaoon Ik Majnu Ka Haal, Ke Ghar Pe Pakati Na Thi Daal – Lagan (1955) – Lyrics: Rajinder Krishna

The song seems to be street song. Hemant Kumar has packed in all possible variations that the situation for the song seems to have demanded and Chitalkar deftly handles his part of the deal.

Ravi

It is said that Ravi’s original plan was to make a career as a singer, as well. As such, he did pick up every possible opportunity in the beginning of the career. However, he did seem to have finally settled to focus on his music direction career.

Khol Ke Aankhein Dekh Jara…. Dekhi Teri Duniya Duniyawale – Lagaan (1955) – Rajinder Krishna

Whether it is quirk of circumstances or was Ravi’s own choice, but good many of beggar song genre songs that Ravi composed were popular.

Aside:

HFGK records Mohammad Rafi as the singer of the song ‘Dekhi Teri Duniya’ (Lagan 1955). There is a footnote saying that initially the song was recorded in the voice of Ravi.

Therefore, we may surmise that Mohammad Rafi was called in to sing the song with a view to boost the sale of records, and in turn, possibly help the performance of the film at the box office.

Balbir

Balbir (a.k.a. S. Balbir) has had a fairly long active career in the Hindi films. He is said to have sung around 120 songs in the films, but he was so typecast as a co-singer in male-male duet songs that there are hardly a dozen or so solo songs to his credit. To that extent, Hemant Kumar deserves special mention since he has used Balbir’s voice as a standalone singer in the following song, and the duet – O Lili, Yu Tham Ja Mere Aagey Aa Gayi Billi – with Geeta Dutt.

Main Mar Gaya To Likhna Ye Kabhi Mere Afsaane Mein… Arre Hamne To Saari Zindagi Gujaari Kedkhane Mein – Laalten (1956) – With chorus – Lyrics: Shewan Rizvi

Mukesh – In a Version Song

Mukesh apparently did not have solo song composed by Hemant Kumar.

Gori Chori Chori Jaana Buree Baat Hai, Teri Kismat Ki Chaavi Mere Haath Hai – Ek Jhalak (1957) – Lyrics: S H Bihari

Mukesh Geetkosh (Hindi Edition, November 2020) records this as version song, with record number FT21009

Asides:

Here is the song as it appears in the film, in the voice of Hemant Kumar

Anil Kumar

Hardly anything is known of this singer.

Rooh Pyase Hai, Pareshan Hai Oos Raat Ke Baad – Oos Raat Ke Baad (1970) – Lyrics: Gohar Kanpuri

The song is rendered in Mohammad Rafi style.in the credit titles of Oos Raat Ke Baad. The credit of the singer and the lyricist for the title song appears in a separate frame in the credit titles.

This is the video clip of the film. The titles run from the beginning till @2.19 in the clip.

Yesudas

Yesudas was playback voice for many of the songs filmed on Anmol Palekar on the screen., Probably, hence the choice.

Kise Khabar Kahan Dagar Jeevan Ki Le Jaaye – Do Ladke Dono Kadke (1979) – Lyrics: Yogesh

This film is produced by Hemant Kumar’s son, Jayanta Mukherjee. Hemant Kumar, the music director, has easily been able to rhyme in with the NextGen singer in the song.

In this Long Tail of the Other Singers Yesudas is the only exception of being a mainstream playback singer.

On the whole, this representative selection of Hemant Kumar’s male solo songs abundantly endorses the tenet that a music director knows whose voice would justice to the composition.

For the purpose of the debate of deciding whether Hemant Kumar is a better composer or a better singer, we can always have a couple of more of such samples, in the future.

Originally published on SoY as Hemant Kumar’s Male Playback Singers. This is the edited and improved-on-the-inputs-of-discussions-thereupon version.

A single file collated version of the three parts of Hemant Kumar’s Hindi Song Compositions: Male Solo Songs is available for download by clicking on the hyper link.

Songs of 1945 @ SoY :: Duets – Duets (+) of Vintage Era (Male+) Singers [1]

In our previous Micro View for the years 1948,1947 and 1946 – the so-called last few years of vintage era – we had had food many of duet songs tat could be classified in terms of the respective male singers. However, even as the overall numbers of duet songs for the year appear to be relatively less, it also appears that it may not make much sense to try to segregate these duet songs w.r.t. a male singer. Therefore, what follows is a collection of duets that has been listed in the alphabetical order of name of the film, and if required sub-grouping songs w.r.t. a male singer.

Shrinath Tripath + Geeta Roy (?) – Aayee Beloonwali, Aayee Re, Koi Na Lena Mose Udhar – Aadhaar – Shrinath Tripati – M A Razi

HFGK records this song as solo by Shehzadi

Shrinath Tripath + Geeta Roy (?) – O Mere Man Ke Meet, Aa Gaein Suhane Geet – Aadhaar – Shrinath Tripati – M A Razi

HFGK records this song as duet by Abdul and Usha

Dhirendra Kumar Mitra + Kanan Devi – Malan Bata De Kiske Liye Har Banaya – Ban Phool – Dhiren Mittar – Pt. Madhur

Dhirendra Kumar Mitra + Kanan Devi – Ye Dil Hai Tumhein Pukare, Jis Din Tumse Milan Hoga – Ban Phool – Dhiren Mittar – Pt. Madhur

Khan Mastana + Nirmala – Motor Gadi Chalane Wale O Balama – Chalis Karod – Pt. Govind Ram – Pt. Indra

Khan Mastana + Johrabai + Chorus – Jago Jago Savadhan Ho, Navyug Hamein Banana Hai – Chalis Karod – Pt. Govind Ram – Pt. Indra

Gulraj + Zeenat Begum – O SaiyaN Re SaiyaN Re… Man Achchha Ke Nain Sajana – Champa – Anupam Ghatak

HFGK does not have singer identified for this song.

K C Dey + Putul Chatrerjee – Tota Bola Mera Kanaha Kahalate Manmohan – Devdasi – Krishna Chandra Dey – Pt Narottam Vyas

K C Dey + Shrimati Ghosh – Ko Tum, Ko Tum Bolo Moy Man Mein Jaag Rahyo – Devdasi – Krishna Chandra Dey – Pt Narottam Vyas

Dhaniram, Munnawar Sultana – Apne Kothe Mein Main Khadi, Khili Chandani Rat – Dhamki – Pt. Amarnath – D N Madhok

We will take up the Micro View of rest of the Duets (+) of Vintage Era (Male+) Singers for the year 1945 in our next episode.