Guest article by Shalan Lal

(After the earlier two articles covering the 1930s and 1940s, Shalan Lal concludes her three-part thesis on chorus songs with the Golden Decade of the 1950s. As we have come to expect from her, these articles do not merely present the representative songs of the period, but also take us into the evolution of the song-making system, from the birth of talkies in 1931 to the 50s, and its impact on the popular culture. She highlights the factors that make the fifties such a fascinating period. I thank her for her diligent work and valuable contribution towards studying a specific type of songs, which are generally subsumed in the general category of duets. Songs have been numbered continuously from the first part.– AK)

Three Decades of Chorus Songs
Introduction and the Third Decade 1951-60

Now we come to the enthralling, exciting and incredible fifties, i.e. the dazzling golden age of the Hindi Film songs and dances, stardust all around, gossips and the rise of filmy journals in most of the 18 states with various languages and dialects of India. Places where Gandhi and Nehru did not reach, there the Hindi films and songs and filmy stories reached, seducing the audience. Winding gramophone records played songs at religious festivals and jatras. Film posters and hoardings went up all over the place around which the monkeys and birds happily chirped and twitted.

Harmandir Singh ‘Hamraz’, in the eighties, brooded for a long time on his curiosity about the film songs and their origin and decided to find out which song was from which film, who sang it and who composed the melody etc. He made many trips to Bombay from his base in Kanpur where he was working for a bank. Only a few people had some memories and memorabilia, many film studios were in ruins and occupied by the homeless, beggars, vagabonds and all kinds of suspicious characters squatting in filth. However things were difficult, Harmandirji was not going to be put off. He found the people who would give him information and willingly part with the film booklets, posters and their memories etc.

With all the difficulties and all the stone-walls he faced he finally managed to create brick by brick some order in his information. Eventually he brought out a voluminous book about the songs of the films that were made in the 1950s. Why fifties? Because whenever a film music was played either on radio or in any roadside stall or in a shantytown or in a sophisticated residential bank quarters or some restaurants only the fifties music was played. In the seventies and eighties the film music was not that appealing in the films.

But his fifties book suddenly caught up the eyes of fans of music, journalists and those people who were once or still in the film world. He was showered with letters of praise and phone calls etc. and he became a celebrity. He then got himself busy in working on the songs of forties, then on to the sixties, and lastly on the 1930s as this was the most difficult decade to find information on. After a hiatus of some years he also brought out Volume V for the decade of 1971-80, and Volume VI for half the decade 1981-85.

His monumental six volumes of a dictionary or an encyclopaedia of the Hindi film songs is worth double doctorate from reputed universities. Without these works I would not have been able to write posts as I have done, nor so many blogs or research on film music would have been possible. So I am extremely grateful and indebted to him, and I have no hesitation in saying that he should have been given highest awards for his contribution towards information regarding Hindi film music.

Now my last lap of this post is about the “Hallucinating Fifties”!

The fifties started with full throttle in the top gear with music, songs and dances. All cinema houses got overflooded with the cinema goers rushing to see the films. More cinema houses were built with many facilities for the audience to relax and enjoy all over India in big cities and small towns. Previously there were no toilets for women. But many theatre owners considered and created them for ‘Ladies’ in newly built pleasure places for the film showrooms. Most of the English Theatres in the downtown Bombay called Fort Area had already built in ‘Ladies’ as they were for the ladies of the British Raj.

Following is the scene of the ‘Capitol Theatre’ at the right side of Bombay’s ‘Victoria Terminus’ generally known as VT in fifties. Now the VT is called a mouthful name ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus’. During the heydays of the British, the Capitol Theatre was for the opera, western music, and English plays and films for the British audiences. Inside and outside the building is an architectural wonder and heritage. But in the fifties it started showing Hindi films. It is built of stones from Rajasthan then Rajputana.

Look at the police in pagadi in the left that was yellow and the police were called ‘Pili Pagadi’.

The first most watched film of the fifties was Albela (1951), made by Bhagwan Arts, music by C Ramchandra and acted in by Bhagwan and Geeta Bali.

So far Bhagwan had made only cheap films along with his Pehlwan actor Baburao and enjoyed comical chases and what was called ‘stunt’ fights in crime thrillers. But his onetime-partner in films, C Ramchandra, who from the middle of the forties started composing music and singing in films, suggested to him to make a social film. So Bhagwan wrote the story and script of the film about a starry-eyed film addict watcher. C Ramchandra got Rajendra Krishna to write the lyrics and he composed lilting and dancing numbers. Except two or three songs out of twelve, he composed them on light tunes based on the Latin American music. The film became a huge success and to date it is remembered for its music and dances of Bhagwan.

At the end of forties Roop K Shorey wrote the story and script, and became producer-director of the film, Ek Thi Ladki (1949). The music was composed by a youthful Punjabi music director Vinod. The film had a riot of songs, chase and comedy with Meena Shorey, Motilal, Majnu etc. All songs in this film were great and one particular chorus song based broadly on the Punjabi rhythm cycle and tune, Lara lappa lara lappa laai rakhda, Aadidappa Aadidappa laai rakhadada, created a storm. The song was well choreographed and first time comically based on the differences between male and female. To date this song is remembered.

For the film Albela, C.Ramchandra composed a similar song on the comical differences between men and women. All the songs in Albela became super hit and made the film a great box office success. For my next choice I choose the song:

23. भोली सूरत दिल के खोटे by C Ramchandra, Lata Mangeshkar and chorus from Albela (1951), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music C Ramchandra

चि: भोली सूरत दिल के खोटे
नाम बड़े और दरशन छोटे, दरशन छोटे

ल: नये ज़माने के ये छैला, उजले कपड़े दिल है मैला
रंग-रंगी इनकी टाई, घर में लेकिन कड़की छाई
को: कड़की छाई, कड़की छाई, कड़की छाई
ल: रंग-रंगी इनकी टाई, घर में लेकिन कड़की छाई
फैशन में दिल इनके खोटे
नाम बड़े और दरशन छोटे …

चि: नये ज़माने की ये नारी ऊँची सैण्डल बाँकी साड़ी
नैनों में कजरा होंठों पे लाली
को: हाथ में कंगन कान में बाली, कान में बाली
चि: नैनों में कजरा होंठों पे लाली
नखरे बड़े मोटे मोटे,
नाम बड़े और दरशन छोटे …

ल : हुस्न और इश्क़ की ये लड़ाई, शुरू से जग में होती आयी
चि: ना कोई जीते ना कोई हारे, अजी क्यों न दिल मिल जायें प्यारे
दो : न हम बड़े न तुम छोटे
नाम बड़े और दरशन छोटे …

The next chorus is composed by Salil Chowdhury who spent a great deal of his early time at the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), Calcutta. He was an all-round musician, a story and script writer of many Hindi and Bengali films. There was an exhibition of the American-European films for the first time in Delhi. Nehru inaugurated it and made some snide remarks about escapist films of the Indian film makers. There was an immediate response and many producers made films that had stark realism in them. Do Bigha Zameen was one of them and very much appreciated for the great acting of Balraj Sahni.

24. हरियाला सावन ढोल बजाता आया by Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar and chorus from Do Bigha Zameen (1953), lyrics Shailendra, music Salil Chaudhary

म: धिन तक तक तक तक
तगिन तगिन गिन गिन रे ए ए
को: उड़ जग जग उड़ जग जगी

ल: हरियाला सावन ढोल बजाता आया
हरियाला सावन ढोल बजाता आया
धिन तक तक मन के मोर नचाता आया
मिट्टी में जान जगाता आया
धरती पहनेगी हरी चुनरिया
बनके दुल्हनिया
म: हे ए ए
एक अगन बुझी एक अगन लगी
मन मगन हुआ एक लगन लगी
को: या याई याई या रे
या याई याई या रे

म: बैठ न तू मन मारे
को: आ गगन तले देख पवन चले
ल: आजा मिलजुल के गाएं
जीवन क गीत नया

ल: ऐसे बीज बिछा रे
को: सुख चैन उगे दुख दर्द मिटे
म: नैनों में नाचे रे
सपनों का धान हरा

को: हरियाला सावन धोल बजाता आया..

If there was one film that made the decade dazzling like Hollywood at its zenith, with all the skills in creating a mammoth film, it had to be Aawara. Raj Kapoor catapulted himself from a failure to success with a small budget film Barsaat into the razzmatazz of the Bollywood of the tinsel town, and by the power of Aawara he parachuted himself into the International film world as the Indian ‘Orson Welles’, a great film maker of dignity.

So my next choice for the chorus song is from the film Aawara. It is very artistic and a metaphoric song that has three parts and a dream sequence never ever dreamed by any filmmaker earlier. Stage design-wise it is artistic at par with the great European modern artists’ art work.

25. Tere bina aag ye chandni (तेरे बिना आग ये चांदनी) by Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar and chorus from Aawara (1951), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar-Jaikishan

Part 1

Rita in Lata’s voice:
Aa aa aa aa
Tere bina aag ye chandni
Tu aaja tu aaja
Tere bina aag ye chandni
Tu aaja tu aaja
Tere bina besuri bansuri
Ye meri zindagi dard ki ragini
Tu aaja tu aaja
Tu aaja tu aaja
Tu aaja tu aaja

Part 2: Backed by the chorus
Raj in Manna Dey’s voice:
Ye nahi ye nahi hai zindagi
Zindagi ye nahi zindagi
Zindagi ki ye chita mein
Zinda jal raha hun haaye
Saans ke ye aag ke
Ye teer cheerte hain aar paar
Oooh  Oooh, Oooh

Mujhko ye narak na chahiye
Mujhko phool mujhko preet mujhko geet chahiye
Mujhko chahiye bahar
Mujhko chahiye bahar
Mujhko chahiye bahar
Mujhko chahiye bahar

Part 3 Chorus

Om Namah Shivay

Ghar aya mera pardesi

Part 3 continues
Rita in Lata’s voice supported by the Chorus
Aa aa aa aa aa aa
Ghar aya mera pardesi pyas bujhi meri ankhiyan ki
Tu mere man ka moti hai, in nainon ki jyoti hai
Yaad hai mere bachpan ki,
Ghar aya mera pardesi
Aa aa aa aa aa aa

Ab dil tod ke mat jana
Roti chhod ke mat jana
Kasam tujhe meri ansuwan ki
Ghar aya mera pardesi
Aa aa aa aa aa aa
(Music: Tabla and other instruments)
Aa  aa aa aa aa aa

(End of the dream sequence, choreographed and directed by Madam Simki)

My next chorus song is from the Guru Dutt film Jaal (1952).. This film made Dev Anand a glorious matinee idol and achieved the success he was chasing from his days with Guru Dutt in the Prabhat Film Company which was limping without V Shantaram.

I find it difficult to choose one chorus song from Jaal as they are so good. So do not blame me for my choice.

26. पिघला है सोना दूर गगन पर by Lata Mangeshkar and chorus from Jaal (1952), lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanavi, music SD Burman

ल: पिघला है सोना दूर गगन पर
फ़ैल रहें हैं शाम के साये

को: भगवन तेरी सुन्दर रचना कितनी प्यारी है
तेरी महिमा के गुण गाता हर नर-नारी है

ल: खामोशी कुछ बोल रही हैं
भेद अनोखे खोल रही हैं
पंख पखेरू सोच में ग़ुम हैं
पेड़ खड़े है सिर झुकाए
पिघला है सोना …

को: भगवन तेरी सुन्दर रचना कितनी प्यारी है
तेरी महिमा के गुण गाता हर नर-नारी है

धुंधले धुंधले मस्त नज़ारे
उड़ते बादल मुड़ते धारे
छुप के नज़र से जाने ये किसने
रंग रंगीले ये खेल रचाए
पिघला है सोना …

कोई भी उठता राज़ न जाने
एक हक़ीक़त लाख़ फ़साने
एक ही जलवा शाम सवेरे
भेस बदल कर सामने आए
पिघला है सोना …

The next choice is from the weird and wonderful film Udan Khatola (1955) made by Sunny Arts. SU Sunny was a close friend of Naushad and probably he was financed by Naushad himself. The film is based on an imaginary island dominated by women reminding the Prabhat film called Wahan (1937). A plane comes and crashes on this island and Dililip Kumar finds himself being looked after by pretty women – a dream of every man sitting in the stalls of the cinema houses. ‘Aage parde par dekhiye…’

HFGK calls this melody as chorus. ‘Haiya re….more sainyaji utarenge paar ho, nadiya dhire baho…. – this was a classical ditty usually sung for hours by some Khan Saheb developing all the classical khubiyan. But here Naushad made it sugar-sweet in Lata and chorus voices. All the songs in this film are of high octane and sweet. In this Naushad used all the skills he learned in his boyhood days when he was working in live orchestra for the silent films in Lucknow.

27. ओ मोरे सैंया जी उतरेंगे पार हो नदिया धीरे बहो by Lata Mangeshkar and chorus from Udan Khatola (1955), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music Naushad

(हैय्या हो हैय्या रे हैय्या, हैय्या हो)
ओ मोरे सैंया जी
ओ मोरे सैंया जी उतरेंगे पार हो
नदिया धीरे बहो
मोरे सैंया जी

को: धीरे बहो धीरे धीरे धीरे बहो नदिया हैय्या हो

चंचल धारा बहता पानी बहता पानी
(हैय्या हो हैय्या रे हैय्या)
जलथल नदिया हो जलथल नदिया
(हैय्या हो हैय्या रे हैय्या)
नाव पुरानी सर पे खड़ा मँझधार हो
(हैय्या रे हैय्या)
सर पे खड़ा मँझधार हो
नदिया धीरे बहो, मोरे सैंया जी …

दुनिया माने ओ दुनिया माने
(धीरे बहो धीरे धीरे धीरे बहो नदिया हैय्या हो हैय्या)
मन का सागर कोऊ न जाने, कोऊ न जाने
(हैय्या हो हैय्या)
मैं जानूँ या मोरा यार हो
(हैय्या रे हैय्या)
मैं जानूँ या मोरा यार हो
नदिया धीरे बहो, मोरे सैंया जी …

को: धीरे बहो …

चलती नैया रोके आँधी रोके आँधी
(हैय्या हो हैय्या रे हैय्या, हैय्या हो)
चुप चुप देखे हो चुप चुप देखे
(हैय्या हो हैय्या रे हैय्या)
बेबस माँझी छूटे जाये पतवार हो
(हैय्या रे हैय्या)
छूटे जाये पतवार हो
नदिया धीरे बहो, मोरे सैंया जी …

Now my next chorus song is from the film Jhanak Jhanak Paayal Baaje (1955). This is all colour film and right from the title song the colours are blown all over the screen if not on the audience. This film is wrongly patriotic as the Indian dances are better and spiritually on the higher plane than the corrupting Western ballroom or Latin cabaret type dances. Kathak was the main theme and Gopi Krishna, a great exponent of the Kathak, was the choreographer and hero of the film. Shantaram chose Sandhya, his third wife, as the heroine of this colourful film. Sandhya was not a dancer, nor so much an actor either, but it was pride and ego of Shantaram that he could extract best performance from any naive person or a wooden block.

This film made an end of Black and White films era in the Bollywood. Shantaram’s confidence, Sandhya’s dedication and Gopi Krishna’s exceptional dance led this film to win several awards in India and wide acclaim abroad.

28. मुरली मनोहर कृष्ण कन्हैया जमुना के तट पे विराजे हैं by Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar and chorus from Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), lyrics Diwan Sharar, music Vasant Desai

बोल : मुरली मनोहर कृष्ण कन्हैया
जमुना के तट पे विराजे हैं

मुरली मनोहर कृष्ण कन्हैया
जमुना के तट पे विराजे हैं

मोर मुकुट पर कानों में कुण्डल
कर में मुरलिया मुरलिया मुरलिया साजे है

इतने में दी दिखाई राधा
राधा राधा राधा

पनघट पर से आय रही

कतराय रही
शरमाय रही
मुसकाय रही बलखाय रही

इधर बंशी में लहर सी उठी
कृष्ण के मुख पर सजने लगी

पर आप ही आप से बजने लगी बजने लगी बजने लगी

लम्बा सा घूँघट काढ़ लिया
बंशी के सुरों पर झूम गई
हर सरत डगरिया मोह ली
मोहन की ओर ही दुमकित दुमकित दुमकित धूम गई

फिर कृष्ण कन्हैया नटखट ने
राधा की कलैया थाम लई
राधा ने पुकारा
राधा ने पुकारा
हाय दई कोई आओ सखी कोई आओ सखी
फिर हाथ छुड़ा कर बोली हटो
फिर हाथ छुड़ा कर बोली हटो
अब जावो डगरिया छोड़ मोरी
कहा कृष्ण ने चुप रह
वरना दूँगा गगरिया फोड़ तोरी

राधा तब उसकी शोख़ी पर कुछ बिगड़ी भी
मुसकाई भी
फिर कॄष्ण से पूछा
कौन हो तुम क्या नाम है जी
क्या काम है जी क्या काम है जी

म : ओ
हमें गोप ग्वाला कहते हैं -२
और कृष्ण दिया है नाम हमें नाम हमें
कोई नटवर गिरधर कहता है -२
और कोई कहे घनश्याम हमें

ल : घनश्याम नहीं तुम काले हो -२
तुम नटखट हो मतवाले हो मतवाले हो
चितचोर हो माखन चोर नहीं -२
सुख-चैन चुराने वाले हो
घनश्याम नहीं

बोल : राधा ने उनको हाथ दिया
और कृष्ण ने उनका साथ दिया
कुछ बात हुई कुछ घात हुई
इतने में सूरज डूब गया -२
राधा की पायल जाग उठी
दोनों में कला की राग उठी

अब रैन को दीप सँवारे थे
और नील गगन पे तारे थे
रैन को दीप सँवारे थे
और नील गगन पे तारे थे
राधा को विदा के इशारे
राधा को विदा के इशारे थे
राधा ने आँचल बाँध लिया
मुरली को सम्भाला माधव ने

My next song choice is from the film Naya Daur that became famous for a very unseal theme of building a road and tonga race, and patriotic pride of the Indian country etc. The story was by BR.Chopra who was famous for unusual stories and directed it as well. Earlier this picture had Madhubala as heroine and Dilip Kumar as the hero, but Madhubala’s father did not want a son of fruit seller, Dilip Kumar, hobnobbing with his daughter who was born in a shanty town of Chandani Chouk of Old Delhi that once Sanjay Gandhi tried to clear with force. Attaulla Khan had Dickensian ‘Great Expectations’ for his daughter apart from his main earning from her for the upkeep of his other daughters and his own luxuries. The affair of Dilip aka Yusuf Khan and Madhubala was mentioned in the Girgaon Court when BR.Chopra took Madhubala’s father to the court for breaking the contract of his daughter. The film also became popular for OP Nayyar’s melodious songs and music with his Punjabi stomping beat. It gave a riot of happiness to the fifties’ audience and still creates waves of joy in the fans of OP.

29. ये देश है वीर जवानों का अलबेलों का मस्तानों का by Mohammad Rafi and chorus from Naya Daur (1957), lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanavi, music OP Nayyar

ये देश है वीर जवानों का अलबेलों का मस्तानों का
ओ …
इस देश का यारों … होय!!
इस देश का यारों क्या कहना
ये देश है दुनिया का गहना

ओ… ओ…
यहाँ चौड़ी छाती वीरों की
यहाँ भोली शक्लें हीरों की
यहाँ गाते हैं राँझे … ह ओय!!
यहाँ गाते हैं राँझे मस्ती में
मस्ती में झूमें बस्ती में

ओ… ओ…
पेड़ों पे बहारें झूलों की
राहों में कतारें फूलों की
यहाँ हँसता है सावन … ओय!!
यहाँ हँसता है सावन बालों में
खिलती हैं कलियाँ गालों में

ओ… ओ…
कहीं दंगल शोख जवानों के
कहीं करतब तीर कमानों के
यहाँ नित नित मेले … ओय!!
यहाँ नित नित मेले सजते हैं
नित ढोल और ताशे बजते हैं

ओ… ओ…
दिलबर के लिये दिलदार हैं हम
दुश्मन के लिये तलवार हैं हम
मैदां में अगर हम … ह ओय!!
मैदां में अगर हम डट जाएं
मुश्किल है के पीछे हट जाएं

हुर्र हे !! हा!!
हुर्र हे !! हा!!
हुर्र हे !! हा!!

My last stop is at Tumsa Nahin Dekha. So this long journey into the ‘Chorus songs in the Hindi films’ comes to an end with delights of meeting OP Nayyar and Shammi Kapoor again with his new Yahoo image. All the credits go to the O.P.’s out of the world music and melodies. Really?

30. देखो क़सम से क़सम से कहते हैं तुमसे हाँ by Mohammad Rafi, Asha Bhosle and chorus from Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music OP Nayyar

देखो क़सम से क़सम से कहते हैं तुमसे हाँ
तुम भी जलोगे हाथ मलोगे रुठ के हमसे हाँ

रात है दीवानी मस्त है फ़िज़ाएं
चांदनी सुहानी सर्द है हवाएं
तुम भी अकेले हम भी अकेले कहते हैं तुमसे हाँ
तुम भी जलोगे हाथ मलोगे रुठ के हमसे हाँ

जाते हो तो जाओ चल दिये जी हम भी
जाते हो तो जाओ चल दिये जी हम भी
आओ या ना आओ अब नहीं है ग़म भी
आओ या ना आओ अब नहीं ग़म भी
हम भी अकेले तुम भी अकेले कहते हैं तुमसे हाँ
तुम भी जलोगे हाथ मलोगे रुठ के हमसे हाँ

क्या लगाई तुमने ये क़सम क़सम से
क्या लगाई तुमने ये क़सम क़सम से
लो ठहर गये हम कुछ कहो भी हम से
लो ठहर गये हम कुछ कहो भी हम से
बनके न चलिये तनके न चलिये कहते हैं तुमसे हाँ
तुम भी जलोगे हाथ मलोगे रुठ के हमसे हाँ

(I didn’t see or hear any chorus in the song. But since it is such a nice song, and Shalan Lal has transcribed the lyrics with such great effort, I have retained the song. – AK)

31. सर पे टोपी लाल by Mohammad Rafi, Asha Bhosle and chorus fromTumsa Nahi Dekha (1957), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music OP Nayyar