Hemant Kumar’s Hindi Song Compositions: Female songs – ‘Other’ Singers

We have covered Hemant Kumar’s Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle’s songs earlier.

We now move over to the ‘Long Tail’ of the skewed distribution of Hemant Kumar’s female songs. Hemant Kumar has used the ‘other’ known Hindi female playback singers more as an exception only. Raj Kumari had one dance number in Anand Math (1952). Shamshad Begum has two solos and two FF duets, Sudha Malhotra has one solo, one FF duet and one (an iconic) MF duet – that we will take up discussion separately- and Suman Kalyanpur has two FF duets, and Usha Mangeshkar has one solo and two FF duets. We also have a very rare Mubarak Begum, Sulochana Kadam FF duet and a song by a classic trained singer Lakshmi Shankar, as well

Rajkumari

Dil Ka Paimana Hai, Ulfat Ka Hath Hai – Anand Math (1952) – Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri

Sheila Ramani is so gracious as lead dancer in this court dance song.

Laksmi Shankar

Kaisi Lagi Karjeawa Mein Katar – Ferry (1954) – Lyrics: Rajinder Krishna

Hemant Kumar has used a classic trained singer for Mujra Song. From the initial dialogue in the clip, it seems that the song is seen by the daughter (Geeta Bali) as her mother has to perform for such mehfils

The song is in two parts. The second part has Geeta Bali singing the song on the screen. The feeling of pathos is very clearly felt in the way song is rendered in this part. The context of this change would be clear only when one has seen the film.

Usha Mangeshkar

Kaisi Lagi…..Jiya Jaye To Jiya Jaye – Ek Hi Rasta (1956) – with Asha Bhosle – Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

The song is a duet dance song, so typically planned to celebrate special occasions.

Pyasi Hai Mamata Meri Aaja Dheere Dheere Aa – Maa Beta (1962) – Lyrics: Prem Dhawan

Hemant Kumar has so melodiously weaved lathos of mother being away from her offspring in this lullaby.

Shamshad Begum

Hemant Kumar has used Shamshad Begum for four songs, of which a duet, with Ravi, from ‘Daku Ki Ladki” (1954) do not seem to be traceable on the internet

Meri Itni Araj Hai Huzur Se, Pyar Karna Magar Door Door Se – Hamara Watan (1956) – Lyrics: S H Bihari

We have here a classic mujra song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zik26guG66o

Hum Kisi Se Na Kahenge Chup Chup Se Rahenge– Yahudi Ki Ladki (1957) – with Geeta Dutt – Lyrics: S H Bihari

The song is set to what has now become familiar Arabic dance tunes (thanks to n-number of films based on stories from that milieu) to the listeners of Hindi film songs. Both the singers have been accorded freedom to sing in their natural range.

Pyar Jata Ke Lalchaye Mora Balama –- Hum Bhi Insaan Hai (1959) – Lyrics: Shailendra

This seems to a mujra-styled dance song. Shamshad Begum is her at vintage best, even in 1959.

Sudha Malhotra

Mujhe Tarke Taaluk Samjaya Jaata Hai – Sahara (1958) – Lyrics: Bharat Vyas

Hemant Kumar has so easily been able to present a signature mujra song – with prominent tabla thaaps (beats),  beginning of the stanza without the support of any instruments and of course the use of most ubiquitous instrument of a mujra music – the sarangi.

Suman Kalyanpur

Suman Kalyanpur is present in only two FF duets. Both the duets are perfectly composed FF duets, but have differently blended the inherent vocal qualities of different singers in the respective songs.

Kabhi Aaj Kabhi Kal, Kabhi Paraso – Chand (1959) – with Lata Mangeshkar – Lyrics: Shailendra

The song appears to be public dance stage show. As such, both the performers are expected to move and sing in perfect synchronisation. Hemant Kumar has achieved this synchronization in the vocal part of the songs by perfectly blending almost similar sounding voices of Lata Mangeshkar and Suman Kalyanpur.

Phulwa Band Maheke Dekho Dali Dali – Ham Bhi Insaan Hai (1959) – with Geeta Dutt – Lyrics: Shailendra

Shailendra has captured the two points of views of friends in the song, who seem to be visiting the flower garden – both see different hues in the same settings in which both are present together. Hemant Kumar has enlivened this effect by using two naturally different voices – those of Geeta Dutt and Suman Kalyanpur.

Aside Trivia:

The song seems to have been inspired from Meghla Bhanga Rod Utheche (The Sun Rises in the Clouded Sky) – Tar Aar Par Nei. – Pratima Badopadyay – composed by Nachiketa Ghish, lyrics: Pulak Banerjee

Mubarak Begum, Sulochana Kadam

Bharat Ke Lok Geet (Fashion, 1959) is collection of folk songs from different regions.

The song can be heard by clicking on this link

https://gaana.com/song/bharat-ke-lok-geet

Other than these, he has also chosen to experiment with Bengali female playback singers, like Ratna Gupta, Pratima Banerjee, Aarti Mukherjee, his wife Bela Mukherjee and his daughter Ranu Mukhrtjee, Bula Gupta etc.

We will take up Hemant Kumar’s songs of ‘Other’ (Bengali Female Singers in the next episode.

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

Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music, December, 2018

Welcome to December, 2018 edition of Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music.

We will take up posts dedicated to commemorate 112^th birthdate of Prthviraj Kapoor.as THE topic for December, 2018.

इस एक्टर को कहा जाता है बॉलीवुड का भीष्म पितामह, एक ही फिल्म में दिखा दी थी 3 पीढ़ी – He acted in a supporting role in India’s first talkie-film Alam Ara in 1931

In an video interview, Sanjana Kapoor on Prithviraj Kapoor and his Theatre Legacy

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Remembering Prithviraj Kapoor on his 111th birth anniversary – was an excellent photo memor by Indian Express

We now move on to other birthday/ death anniversary posts for the month:

It is but expected that Mohammad Rafi is remembered so fondly in the month of his birthday.-

Mohammad Rafi – A God-gifted voice.

Rafi’s best duets by Madan Mohan

Shakeel-Naushad: Classy Confluence, Seamless Flow – 1 – Shakeel Badayuni is considered to be one of the finest romantic poets of the previous century. And Naushad among the monarchs of Hindi film music. When they teamed up, the result was classic! Vijay Kumar pays a tribute to this inimitable confluence with an exploration of the music and poetry they created together.

Remembering my father and the legend Madan Mohan – In response to SoY invitation, Sangeeta Gupta, the eldest daughter of Madan Mohan, joins in contributing a guest article on Madan Mohan’s songs ‘with other singers’ as a touching finale to the tandem series on Roshan and Madan Mohan on SoY.

Happy Birthd  Usha Mangeshkar! And Usha Mangeshkar – II are the posts in tribute to her 83^rd birthday. The former lists her Hindi and Marathi solo songs whereas the latter lists her duets.

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

• Ameen Sayani` – The grand old man of radio
• Om Prakash- Widely Remembered for his Versatile R…
• 50 years of the release of SUNGHARSH
• Raj Kapoor- The fascination of seeing his heroine…
• It was Devika Rani who gave Kohinoor to Bollywood
• Shatrughan Sinha- The Chhainu of Mere Apne
• Sharmila Tagore-The 60s stunner turns 74 today
• Dharmendra -More than just a fine-looking man
• 50 Years of Padosan (1968)
• Let’s look into the Philosphy of Dev Anand

Singer Mohammed Aziz No More , born 2^nd July, 1954, Mohammad Aziz’s maiden Hindi Film song was Mard Tangewaala main hoon

Songs ‘sung’ by people with disabilities: my favourites, lists some superb songs ‘sung’ by people with disabilities to observe the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

December, 2018 episode of Fading Memories, Unforgettable Songs is dedicated to Mohammad Rafi’s First Song with a Music Director’s  3^rd Five Year period’s year 1956.. The corresponding post for years 1954 and 1955 was published on 8 July, 2018, and for the solo songs of tears 1957 and 1958 is published on 24 December, 2018. All the three separately posted posts of Mohammad Rafi’s First Solo Song With The Music Director: 1954 -1958 can be accessed at / downloaded by clicking on the hyperlink.

And, now the posts on other subjects:

The ‘Radio Songs’ from Hindi films are the songs that have radio to a major extent. The song can be the one which is being played on radio and is also seen being recorded too.

Chariots of Verse – The older generations rues the Axial Age of our cinema, mainly the middle 1940s to the late 1960s, when cinema and music reached heights of excellence that seem unachievable today. That age was exemplified not just by a wide range of words used, but by the high use of imagery too…Sometimes, songwriters of that time used different words or sentence structures to express essentially the same idea, like he lyrics-writer Anjaan said Teri aankh mein wo kamaal hai (Rafi/Mr India, 1961).. There are many thoughts—more or less of the same kind—that have been offered differently in 3 or more songs, even if it’s sometimes the same poet in two songs. The post engages with such poetic chariots of 3 poems with similar attributes:

The Great Horse Beat Songs of Bollywood resonates in our memories even today thanks to some of the great songs composed on that rhythm.

Musically Yours, 1963: Part 3  – This is Part 3, following up Part 1 and Part 2  in a 4-part series of essays, exploring the Hindi film music of 1963, the year of birth of the writer Monica Kar. In a personal tribute to composers who gave music that makes its presence felt even after 55 years, Monica Kar explores the enduring magic of three composer-duos – Shankar Jaikishan, Kalyanji-Anandji and Laxmikant-Pyarelal.

Ten of my favourite Bharat Vyas songs lists the songs of Bharat Vyas to pay tribute in the centenary year of his birth.

If it’s a Harp, This Could be a Woman – there is a musical instrument that is mostly associated with women, and it’s an ancient instrument too, so for observation’s sake, its history can be studied in some detail. The instrument is called the harp, whose early shape was inspired by the curve of the hunting bow. It now comes in many shapes, but in all of them, it has a charming appearance. The post lists songs featured on women with harp.

Mann Kyun Behka – Utsav – Midnight Musings   Aditi and Vasantsena in Utsav (1985) bonding over their love for Charudutta share their feelings in this duet..

Two of a kind lists humkhayaal thoughts from different minds, which make a subject for a fascinating study, for example:

Jab bhi jee chaahe nayi duniya basa lete hain log
Ek chehre pe kayi chehre laga lete hain log – Lata Mangeshkar – Daag, 1973) – Laxmikant Pyarelal

And, across the border in Pakistan, the wonderfully-voiced Mehdi Hassan had rendered something similar in Saza (1969), to the poetry of Qateel Shifai:

Jab bhi chaahen ik nayi surat bana lete hain log
Ek chehre pe kayi chehre saja lete hain log

Jogi Jab Se Tu Aaya – Bandini – Under The Spell is the song that Love makes its presence felt and before you know it, you are under the spell.

SoY concluded Best songs of 1947: And the winners are? With the concluding piece Best songs of 1947: Final Wrap Up 4 adjudging Naushad and C Ramchandra as joint winners.

Micro View of Best songs of 1947: And the winners are? with the Duets of 1947, All the episodes of The Micro View of Best Songs of 1947 can be read / downloaded from one file, by clicking on the hyper link.

In our tradition of ending our post with article on Mohammad Rafi or a topical song of his, I have picked up a few songs, each one of which basically has a link with the topics discussed in the present post.

Woh Hum Na The Woh Tum Na The – Cha Cha Cha (1964) – Iqbal Qureshi – Neeraj

Maya Ka Aanchal Jale – Kinare Kinare (1964)– With Usha Mangeshkar, – Jaidev – Nyay Sharma

Baman Ho Ya Jaat – Karigar (1958) – C Ramchandra  -Bharat Vyas

Pihu Pihu Karat Papiha – Baiju Bawra 1952) – Naushad – Shakeel Badayuni

Ankhon Pe Bharosa Mat Kar Duniya Jadoo Ka Khel Hai – Detective (1958) – With Sudha Malhotra – Mukul Roy – Shailendra

I wish that 2019 remains resonant with chimes of success and happiness for you and your family.

P.S.  : All episodes of our blog carnival of articles and posts on Hindi film Songs for the year 2018 can be accessed at  / downloaded from  in single file by clicking Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music – 2018.