It has taken me some time to present this summing up as the mandatory step of the micro-view of the songs of 1948, the base being ‘Best songs of 1948: And the winners are? ‘ . Outwardly I would justify the procrastination on some other (so-called) pressing engagements. However, from the inner most recesses of my heart I know that my choices have already been made even before I ventured into the full scale micro-view of the Male Solo Songs.
I did listen to the songs of G M Durrani, Surendra and ‘other’ male singers a few times. However, the truth remains that I could not connect with those songs. And that is MY limitation – having been brought up listening to mostly the post-’50 songs on the radio in my formative years.
With that bias accepted, here is MY choice of the Male solo Songs for 1948:
Apart from the four male playback singers that we have covered till now, we can find fairly noticeable presence of other male singers like Ninu Mazumdar, Chitalkar, Manna Dey or Vidyanath Seth in the year 1948. In some cases, their work is more on the side of duets or in some case even when we list the songs from HFGK, these are not yet posted on net.
I have clubbed songs of any one singer here under the respective name. In all other cases, I have mentioned the name of the singer along with the song itself.
On the whole, in the retrospect, this list does present quite a kaleidoscopic picture.
Kare Badar Baras Barasa Kar Jao Bar Bar – Gopinath – Singer: Ninu Mazumdar – Ninu Mazumdar – Ram Murthy
The song seems to have a version in which Kaumudi Munshi joins in and lends a very different style to the song.
Manna Dey
Chal Tu Preet Nagariya, Preet Nagar Ke Koyal Kooke – Veena – Anil Biswas – Prem Dahelvi
Ham Tere Hai Ham Ko Na Thukarana – Hum Bhi Insaan Hai – Manna Dey, H P Das – G S Nepali
Koi Mujh Se Bhi Bole – Hum Bhi Insaan Hai – Manna Dey, H P Das – G S Nepali
Ghar Ghar Ke Diye Buzakar Bane Hai Dhanwan –Hum Bhi Insaan Hai – Manna Dey, H P Das – G S Nepali
Jay Shivshankar, Gaurishwar, Jay Rameshwar – Jay Hanuman – Bulo C Rani – Pt. Indra
Jab Se Dekha Hai Tumhein – Gopinath – Singer Not Known – Ninu Majumdar
Do Ghadi Beet Gayi, Taine Surat Nahi Dkhayee – Hum Bhi Insaan Hai – Parvez Kapadia – Manna Dey, D C Dutt, G S Nepali
(Technically speaking, this may have to be placed in female solos category. However, the song is performed by a male (adolescent) actor on the screen, so I have placed it in this list.]
Koi Sham Rang Gori – Veena – Singer: Chitalkar – C Ramchandra – Narendra Sharma
Sansar Ke Adhaar Dayaa Hampe – Anjangarh –Singer: Pankaj Mallik– R C Boral –
Tu Dar Na Jara Bhi – Anjangarh –Singer: Pankaj Mallik– R C Boral –Pt. Bhushan
Ek Bholi Bholi Gori Ne Aay Hay Dil Pe Jadoo Liya – Andho Ka Sanasar – Singer: Dost Mohammad– Sridhar Parsekar – Kesarinath Vaidya
Shankar Das Gupta
Ab Kis Nagari Jaun Re Ab Jaane Se Jaa Na Shakunga – Anajaana – D C Dutt – Vishwamitra Adil
Kisi Ka Deepak Jalta Hai, Kisi Ka Deep Bujhata Hai – Didi – Mukund Maurekar – Saraswati Kumar Deepak
Sajan Ke Ghar Jana Pagle Sajan Ke Ghar Jana – Sajan Ke Ghar –– K S Sagar – Saraswati Kumar Deepak
Suhagan Kahe Ko Tu Ansoo Bahae Karam Lekha Na Tale – Bichhade Balam – Singer: Mohammad Farooqui – Bulo C Rani – Pt Indar
Bane Hai Ham To Ghar Jawai – Ghar Ki Izzat – Singer: Ram Kamlani – Pt. Govind Ram –
Vidyanath Seth
Aaj Geet Ke Bol Bol Mein Umada Hai Tufan – Roop Rekha –– Pt. Amarnath – Harikrishna Premi
O Gori Kahe Preet Kare – Roop Rekha –Pt. Amarnath – Harikrishna Premi
Marane Ki Dua Kyon Maangu, Jene Ki Tamanna Kaun Kare – Ziddi – Singer: Kishore Kumar – Khmechand Prakash – Prem Dhawan
We will sum up Male Solo Songs for 1948 in the next episode.
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
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.
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.
We commence our detailed journey for the year 1948 with Male Solo Songs.
It is simply stating the obvious that there are far more songs that I have heard for the first time in this exercise. So, I would wait for the recap of each of the section to draw any of the personal conclusions.
Solo Songs of Mohammad Rafi
If we recall the year of 1949, we had observed that Mohammad Rafi had a fairly large number of solo songs, both in terms of number of films or number of music directors who chose Mohammad Rafi. Apperently, this can be considered as the effect of songs that Rafi had rendered in 1948 (and before that).
Like what we did for 1949, we will split the songs in two categories – one in which were popular then and are even now and the other which do merit note but fall short on the comparative yardstick of popularity.
Mohammad Rafi’s Popular Songs
Hum Apne Dil Ka Afsana Unhe Suma Na Sake – Actress- Shyam Sundar – Nakhshab Jharachavi
Aye Dil Meri Aahon Mein Itna To Asar Aaye – Actress – Shyam Sundar – Nakshab Jharachavi
Sab Kuchch Luataya Humne Aa Kar Teri Gali Mein – Chunariya – Hans Raj Behl – Mulk Raj Bhakhari
Ye Zindagi Ke Mele Duniya Mein Kam Na Hoge Afsos Hum Na Hoge – Mela – Naushad Ali – Shakeel Badayuni
Ek Dil Ke Tukde Hazar Hue Koi Yahan Gira Koi Wahan Gira – Pyar Ki Jeet – Husn Lal Bhagat Ram – Qamar Jalalabadi
Mohammed Rafi’s other noteworthy songs
These are the songs which could not measure up on the normal level of popularity.
Do Wida Do Pran Mujh Ko – Adalat – Datta Javdekar – Mahipal
Kismat To Dekho Humsafar Char Kadam Saath Chale Nahi – Adalat – Datta Javdekar – Mahipal
We will dedicate the present episode to the memory of Mukesh on his 40th death anniversary (22 July 1923 to 27 August 1976)
In quite a path breaking post, Mukesh’s vintage duets, Songs of Yore and quite active readers thereof have presented and discussed duets of Mukesh with singers of vintage era. The post has, necessarily therefore, chosen to 1949 as the cut-off year.
It so happens that 1949 has one more significance as well in so far as Hindi film songs of Mukesh is concerned. This is the year in which he had repeated, in a consecutive year, playback for the famous triad of heroes of the Golden Era – Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar. Not that he had rendered voice for each of this three upcoming Greats for the first time. In the past he had several such songs that had acquired high praise from critics and great box-office runs for the records.
For Raj Kapoor:
Baharon Ne Jise Chheda Woh Saaz-e-Jawani Hai– Sunehare Din (1949) – Gyan Dutt – Shezvan Rizvi
We do get very strong indicators of signature Mukesh as Raj Kapoor’s playback alter ego here.
Of course, we certainly shall not miss Barsaat. But as far as songs were concerned, it was more a Lata Mangeshkar show than that of Mukesh. Mukesh had two duets in the film – each one of a diametrically opposite tastes and far more different appeal. The only solo filmed on Raj Kapoor has Mohammad Rafi’s voice.
For Dev Anand:
Yeh Duniya Hai… Yahan Dil Ka Lagana Kis Ko Aata Hai– Shair (1949) – with Lata Mangeshkar – Ghulam Mohammad – Shakeel Badayuni
As we do not have any solo of Mukesh for Dev Anand, we will make an exception to include a Male Female Duet in this case.
For Dilip Kumar:
Andaz was simply a blockbuster, on any and all counts…..All songs that Dilip Kumar had enacted on screen were played back by Mukesh and were roaring hits….compared to Raj Kapoor lip-singing his songs in Mohammad Rafi’s voice with a rather tepid audience response…. Who would have imagined that the picture will be exactly reversed in so far as the default voice of each of them by the turn of the decade just a couple of years away!!!
Toote Na Dil Toote Na– Andaz (1949) – Naushad – Majrooh Sultanpuri
And that provides us the setting for revisiting Mukesh’s solo songs, right from his debut film, 1941 – Nirdosh – till 1948 – wherein he playedback songs for the great triad in one given year, for the first time.
If there is more than one solo song in a film, I have chosen only one for the purpose of today’s episode.
Dil Hi Bujha Hua Ho To Fasle Bahaar Kyaa– Nirdosh (1941) – Ashok Ghosh – Neelkanth Tiwari
If this song has the historic credit of being Mukesh’s first recorded song for Hindi Films, Nirdosh itself also has the distinction of being the film in which Mukesh also acted for the first time ever ON the screen.
In the next year, Mukesh did have a film in which he acted too – Dukh Sukh . It had two duets with Sitara. Music was composed by Khemchand Prakash. Before the sudden demise, just before his torch bearer song for the Golden Era – Aayega Aanewala- had hit the public, it seems he and Mukesh could not leave behind some solo songs for us.
In 1943, we have Adab Arz, in which Mukesh had played a character from a rich family who married gardener’s daughter in the end. Based on Urdu culture Mukesh played a Muslim role. Gyan Dutt was the music director. The film does not have any song of Mukesh though. We get the first test of their collaborative effort in terms of a solo song in Sunehare Din (1949).
1944 also had one film – Us Paar – in which Firoze Nizami had composed the music and has only one duet of Mukesh – with Kusum (Jara Bolo Ri Haan)in the album.
1945 would remain a very important milestone in the Mukesh’s singing career. Anil Biswas recorded Dil Jalata Hai, which blazed a trail on which Mukesh went on to scale great heights. The film also had one more Mukesh solo:
Tay Kar Ke Badi Door Ki Poorpech Nagariya– Pehli Nazar (1945) – Anil Biswas – Dr. Safdar ‘Aah’
1945 had another film – Moorti, in which Mukesh did get to sing for Motilal under the baton of Bulo C Rani. Hasino Ko Hasino Se Muhabbat Ho Hi Jaati Hai remains quite known. Mukesh successfully continues to clone K L Saigal. We will also listen to:
Mana Ke Tum Haseen Ho,Eh-Le Shabab Ho– Moorti (1945) – Bulo C Rani – Pandit Indra Chandra
The cloning continues into singing a Ghazal-style composition.
During 1946, we see three films in Mukesh’s bag.
Chehra had one duet, with Shamshad Begum and one solo –
Rajputani also had one duet with Hamida Banu and one solo –
Kiye Ja Pyar Kiye Jaa Na Himmat Haar, Kabhi Inkaar, Kabi Ikraar– Bulo C Rani – Pandit Indra
Rasili had only one duet, but that is a male-male duet, with Narayan. Again a first for Mukesh….
Aaghaaz Chalaa, Anjaam Chalaa, Wah Rota Hua Nakaam Chala – Raseeli (1946) – Composed and written by: Hanuman Prasad
The 1947 has 6 films that have Mukesh Songs –
Beete Din had one solo –
Arsho Pe Sitaara Hai Woh – Beete Din (1947) – Pandit Dinkar Rao – Pandit Faani / H. Tanveer (?)
Do Dil had two duets with Suraiya, one duet with Rajkumar and three solos of which have picked up only one here –
Jia Beimaan, … Bas Mein Paraye Hai, Ghadi Ghadi Bhar Aaye Hai– Do Dil – Pandit Govind Ram – D N Madhok
Neel Kamal, which had Raj Kapoor in the lead role, had two duets with Johrabai Ambalewali and one with Hamida Banu. Mukesh had one song in which Mukesh blends with chorus to sing the credit title song for the film –
Shri Kamal Netra Stotram – Neel Kamal – B Vasudev
Chhin Le Azadi had one duet with Shamshad Begum and Dak Banagla had one duet with Suraiya.
Tohafaa had two duets with Hamida Banu and three solos, of which we have picked up one solo here –
Kisne Chheda Man Ka Taar … – Tohfa – M A Rauf – Shant Aroda
With that we come to the last sections of our circle, the year 1948.
This year we see Mukesh’s presence on a far wider compass of music directors –
Anjuman had a duet with Shamshad Begum and a solo of Mukesh –
Woh Teer Kaleje Par Ik Shokh Ne Maara Hai– Anjuman – Bulo C Rani – Majrooh Sultanpuri
Ghulam Mohammad composed Grahasthi had one duet with Shamashd Begum., Pugree had one duet with Sitara (of Kanpur), Ali Husain Muradabad composed O Jaanewale had two duets with Shamshad Begum., Toote Taare (Shaukat Ali a.k.a Nashad) had two duets with Geeta Roy
Gunjan had two solos, of which we have picked up one:
Koi Din Zindagi Ke GungunakarHi Bitata Hai– Gunjan – Ashok Ghosh – Saraswati Kumar Deepak
Pardesi (Ghulam Haider) also had one duet – with Lata Mangeshkar.
Pardesi Mehmaan had one duet with Husn Bano and one solo –
Hoshiyaar Naujawaan Jag Ae Naujawan, Jal Raha Tera Makaan, Jal Raha Tera Hindostan – Pardesi Mehmaan – Hanraj Behl – Pt Indra
HFGK records two songs in Mukesh’s name for Shree Rambhakta Hanuman simply because other records may not have specifically the name of the singer.
Tum Bin Soona Jeevan Mera – Shree Rambhakta Hanuman – SN Tripathi – Pandit Indra/ B D Mishra (?)
Suhaag Raat had one duet with Rajkumai and a solo –
Lakhi Bulbul Mere Kaahe Ko Deenhi Vides – Suhaag Raat – Snehal Bhatkar – Ameer Kushro
Veena had three solos, of which we have picked up one:
