This is the year of Sahir Ludhianvi’s birth (March 8, 1921) centenary. As can be expected, there was an avalanche of articles in magazines, newspapers and blogs in the month of March 2021. At first glance, that gave me the impression that everything that needs to be said about Sahir Ludhianvi has been already covered in all these articles. One easily remembers many of his 724 songs, particularly of his most productive decades of 50’and ‘60s, too. As such, I was not able to figure an approach where I can get to know Sahir’s songs, in more details, more intensely, and more systematically.
As I kept pondering through the commemorative articles, two aspects attracted my attention –
- One, apart from the Golden Era music directors S D Burman, N Dutta, Ravi, Roshan, O P Nayyar, Madan Mohan, Khayyam, Jaidev or Kalyanji Anandji, Laxmikant Pyarelal and R D Burman of second generation, or Rajesh Roshan of the still next generation of music directors, he has worked with many other music directors as well.
- Two, he is generally remembered for his poems of rebel. However, as a lyricist he would certainly have written songs of pure romance as well.
These two aspects have led me to pen the present series of articles under the title, Sahir’s Songs of Romance. I plan to cover all music directors with whom Sahir Ludhianvi has worked in his career spanning from his inception to the world of HFM in 1948 till his passing away, including the films which were either released thereafter or even not released.
I have selected the songs that have different happy forms of expressions of love, whether sublime or mundane. Thus, the songs that have feelings of pathos or bitterness are excluded. I have also chosen not include qawwalis here.
I have studiedly maintained my intervention to the minimum. I have selected as much of the lyrics of first lines of the song that Sahir uses to set the tone of romance in the song. Then, I have also presented the selected lines from each song, which in my view, manifests Sahir’s versatility as poet and as a lyricist. Listening to the YT clip provides the charm of the entire song.
We will begin the series with Sahir’s Songs of Romance, composed by the music directors who had only one film association with Sahir Ludhianvi and then will proceed with ascending numbers of associations.
One Film Association(s)
Sahir Ludhianvi has penned lyrics for 122 films, spanning his association with 31 music directors. Of these 31 music directors, as many as fourteen music directors have had one film association with Sahir. Sahir’ first step into the Hindi Film Music world was in 1948, which, incidentally, happens to be a one film association with music director G D Kapoor. In his most prolific decade, 50s, Sahir had six one-film associations, the highest for any decade. Of these, three films were in 1953 only, just as he was settling into a successful association with S D Burman. 60s have only two one-film associations. The decade of 70s when Sahir had done 26 films, four were one-film associations. 80s has one one-film association. Thus, the present episode also provides us a vintage view of the entire career of Sahir Ludhianvi’s entire carrier.
Here, I have not been able to include any song, composed by G D Kapoor (Azadi Ki Raah Par, 1948), Nirmal Kumar (Lal Nishan, 1959) and Robin Chatterjee (Masoom, 1960). Azadi Ki Rah Par and Masoom had subjects wherein a romantic film had, in fact, no place. Lal Nishan has only one Sahir song, which is a qawwali. As such, the music directors of these films, G D Kapoor, Robin Chatterjee and Nirmal Kumar are not represented in this episode.
Meri NaghmoN Mein …. Un Mastaanaa Aankhon Ki Kahaani Hai, Mohabbat Hi Mohabbat Hai Jawani Hi Jawani Hai – Alif Laila (1953) – Talat Mehmood – Shyam Sundar
Mohabbat meri duniya hai
Mohabbat shaayari meri
Mohabbat mera naghmaa hai
Mohabbat zindagi meri
Mohabbat ke sahaare…
ek nayi duniyaa basaani hai
mohabbat hi mohabbat hai
jawani hi jawani hai……
Kisi Ne Nazar Se Nazar Jab Mila Di…..Meri Zindagi Ha Ha Meri Zindagi, Jhum Kar Muskara Di Meri Zindagi – Humsafar (1953) – Talat Mahmood, Asha Bhosle – Ali Akbar Khan
zubaN se to hum kuchh na bole the lekin,…
nigahoN ne dil ki kahani suna di
.. har ek sans masti me dubi huyi hai….
khuda janta ki kya se pila di
meri taza duniya pe rang aa gaya hai
kisi ne khayalo ki mehfil saza di
Ye Mausam Ye Hawaye Ye Rut Suhani Fir Na Aayegi…. Jawani Mauj-e- Dariya Hai Jawani Jo Laut Ke Na Aayegi – Shole (1953) – Hemant Kumar, Geeta Dutt – Dhaniram
nigahe mila or ek jam lele …
jawani ke sir koi lizam lele….
nigahe mila….
nigaho ke saaye me palti hai duniya….
hasino ke hamraah chalti hai duniya…
hasino ke pehlu me aaram le lo…nigahe mila…..
Aaj Kisi Ke Dil Ke Haatho Ne, Dil Ke Taaro Ko Chhed Diya – Savdhan (1954) – Asha Bhosle – Vasant Ramchandra
aaj meri tanhaai apne aap se bhi sharmaane lagi
dil ki dhadkan nagama bankar, hontho par lahraane lagi
jo saahil ko saath baha le
un dhaaro ko chhed diya
har jhokhe se mujhko unake saath ki khushbu aati hai
tanman mein ek thandi thandi aag bikharti jaati hai
jaane kisaki shokh najar ne…
angaaro ko chhed diyaa
Dil Ki Duniya Mein Aa Ke Na Jaana … Tujhe Meri Qasam Na Rulana, Ya Rabba Teri Teri… Yaad.. – Chingaari ( (1955) – Lata Mangeshkar, Unknown male voice – Manohar
aaja pyar ke tarane gaye…
aaja aisa ek jaha basaye
chand ka diya ho
jismein tare loriya sunaye….
sapno ke dole mein jhula jhulaye hamein bag-e- sama
bhigi bhigi rat ye najare
dil ki bat kahte hai sitare
aankho me nur bhar de dil me sarur bhar de
arzu yahi hai meri justzu yahi hai
na ja dilbar na ja ankhyio me aake
o mere dilruba mere dil se
na ja hai ye dil ki dua
Kashti Ka Khamosh Safar Hai, Shaam Bhi Hai Tanhayi Bhi, Dur Kinare Par Bajati Hai Laharo Ki Shahnayi Bhi ….. Aaj Mujhe Kuchh Kahena Hai – Girl Friend (1960) – Kishore Kumar, Sudha Malhotra – Hemant Kumar
kabse tumhaare raste pe main phul bichhaaye baithi huN
kah bhi chuko jo kahna hai mani aas lagaaye baithi huN
dil ne dil ki baat samajh li, ab munh se kya kahana hai
aaj nahi to kal kah lenge, ab to saath hi rahna hai
kah bhi chuko, kah bhi chuko jo kahna hai
chhodo ab kya kahna hai
Umr Huyee Tumse Miley Phir Bhi Jaane Kyun Aisa Lage Pahli Baar Mile HaiN – Bahurani (1963) – Lata Mangeshkar, Hemant Kumar – C Ramchandra
jhum uthaa tan, man me ek aisi baat aa gai
jiski thi lagan, ….
aaj vo milan ki raat aa gai
akele rah gaye, akhiyaan bah gayi
umr hui tumase mile phir bhi jaane kyo
aise lage jaise pahali baar mile hai
Chor Hamne Fasaya… Haye…. Ke Bach Na Paya, Aaha…. Pakad Mein Aaya – Bhai Ho To Aisa (1972) – Lata Mangeshkar – Sonik Omi
haye re kabhi nain ghumaye kabhi hoth chabaye
maine iska pyar bhadkane ko sabhi teer chalaye
maiN thi tak mein
kabse fasa aaj sabab se
ho ab to chakha du maja
Ab Se Pehle To Ye Dil Ki Haalat Na Thi…Aaj Kya Ho Gaya … Zindagi Dusaro Ki Amanat Na Thi – Nawab Sahib (1978) – Usha Mangeshkar – C Arjun
apne andaaz par naaz karte the hum
humko apni qasam
gair se baat karne ki fursat na thi
aaj kya ho gaya
Baahon Mein Teri Masti Ke Ghere, Saanson Mein Teri Khushboo Ke Dere – Kala Patthar (1979) – Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi — Rajesh Roshan
khvabo me jisako tanha javani baraso se takati thi,
tu vahi hai
chhune se jisako sine me meri lau jag sakati thi,
tu vahi hai
kuchh khvab mere, kuchh khvab tere
yun milate jate hai
dil khilate jate hai,
lab gun-gunate hai
sason me teri, khushabu ke dere khushabu ke dere
Ye Aankhein Dekhkar Hum Saari Duniya Bhool Jate Hain – Dhanwaan (1981) – Lata Mangeshkar, Suresh Wadkar – Hridaynath Mangeshkar
tum apni mahki mahki julf ke pecho ko kam kar do
musafir in mein girkar apna rasta bhul jaate hai
… ….. … …. ….. …. …
bahut kuch tumse kahne ki tamanna dil me rakhte hai
magar jab saamne aate ho to kahna bhul jaate hai
Mohabbat mein zuba chup ho to aankhein baat karti hai
ye kah deti hai vo baate jo kahna bhul jaate hai
With this we come to the end of the present one-film association phase of Sahir Ludhianvi’s collaboration with different music directors. As can be expected, the range of music directors, films and film subjects, is very wide. Even the span of years also spreads over Sahir Ludhianvi’s entire career. Apparently, the duets – one of the most popular and universal formats for expression of romance on the screen – is predominant in the present episode. However, we easily get to feel Sahir’s creativity, his range of words, ease of use of different languages and different forms specific to such languages.
We wil take up Sahir’s Songs of Romance with two-film association music directors in our next episode.
The world is too small? or Is it? 