Ah, well, the Valentine’s Day bandwagon and all that.
Seriously, I’ve blogged through five Valentine’s Days, and steered clear of the temptation to post something even vaguely romantic (largely because my idea of what constitutes ‘romantic’ is more often than not at odds with what old Hindi cinema, or even a lot of Hollywood, thought of as romantic). This year, however, I’ve decided to throw in the towel. Romance is in the air. And Hindi cinema, as any Hindi film buff will know, has always loved romance (especially in the 50s and 60s, when any self-respecting film had at least one romance in it, if not more).
But, since I’m a bit of a non-conformist, I’m doing this with a twist: not necessarily a serenade to a loved one, and not necessarily two lovers billing and cooing to each other. Instead, romantic love in its different forms and shapes and tones and hues. All of these songs are about romantic love (not maternal/fraternal/patriotic/devotional or other forms of the sentiment), and they’re all from pre-70s films that I’ve seen. And they’re each in a distinct mood that shows some aspect of romantic love. Enjoy!
Playful: Jaane kahaan mera jigar gaya ji (Mr and Mrs 55, 1955): I adore this song, simply and utterly adore it. Johnny Walker is hilarious, his onscreen girlfriend (played by the very prettily dimpled Yasmin, aka Veena Butt) is a delight, and together they sing one of the cutest love songs of Hindi cinema. As they dance around an office deserted for lunch, past a bemused chowkidar—and end up crawling along the floor under the desks—I can’t help but grin at the antics of these two. No wishy-washy lovebirds these, but a couple that’s probably going to continue to tease each other and play pranks even when they’re grandparents.
Defiant: Jurm-e-ulfat pe humein log sazaa dete hain (Taj Mahal, 1963): Another song that I can never have quite enough of. While most people seem to associate Taj Mahal with ‘traditional’ love songs like Jo vaada kiya woh nibhaana padega and Paaon chhoo lene do, my favourite from the film is this one: a quiet, controlled expression of defiance.
Arjumand Bano enters a royal mehfil, uninvited, and sings of her love: a love that cannot be controlled by power, cannot be cowed by thrones or bought with all the jewels in the world. This isn’t merely a song in praise of love, either; it’s an obvious challenge to Arjumand Bano’s imperious aunt Noorjehan—and it’s an affirmation of her love, too, for Noorjehan’s stepson, the heir to the throne, Khurram (later Shahjahan). As brave as Pyaar kiya toh darna kya, but less flamboyant.
Desperate: Ruk jaa raat thehar jaa re chanda (Dil ek Mandir, 1963): I have a confession to make: Dil ek Mandir is a film that’s never appealed to me, not from the first time I saw it as a child. It’s too melodramatic, too weepy and just not my type.
On the other hand, though, when I first watched this song, it moved me to tears. It still does, sometimes. Because Ruk jaa raat thehar jaa re chanda, sung by a wife for a husband who is to be operated upon the next day (and is very likely to not emerge alive from the operation), is so poignant. Meena Kumari’s character, a reluctant bride married off to a stranger while in love with another, has come to love her husband so much over the years that she now knows that if he were to die—as he almost certainly will—she will not be able to live without him. A moving and very desperate song of a love once unexpected, undesired; but now very real and very true. And facing a tragic end.
Grateful: Tumne mujhe dekha hokar meherbaan (Teesri Manzil, 1966): There is, I suppose (unless you’re extremely confident of your own likeability) an element of surprise in discovering that someone loves you. And there’s gratitude, too: not just for the other person’s love for you, but for the companionship, the joy, the support the beloved offers through their love.
There are other songs that are about gratitude being one of the aspects of love. Bahut shukriya badi meherbaani, for example, and the melodious and beautifully sung but irritatingly obsequious Aap ki nazron ne samjhaa. Tumne mujhe dekha won hands down for me, on several counts: this is one of Rafi’s best; the music is superb; and Shammi Kapoor is, as always, excellent.
And the lyrics are good, beginning with talking about how welcome and soothing it has been to meet a companion down the hot, wearying road of life—and going on to asserting how fortuitous that meeting has been. A song of gratitude that also becomes an affirmation of a mutual love. (Ironic, then, that the storyline should have come to the point where this love has developed a huge crack on one side).
Seductive: Aa je aa zara aa (Love in Tokyo, 1966): Also released in the same year as Teesri Manzil, and also featuring Asha Parekh, a song with a big difference from the ones that’ve come before in this post. This one’s a seductive song (and sensuality, even if Hindi cinema tended to usually cloak it discreetly with nodding flowers and birds, is an integral part of romantic love). Also, unusually, this is a come-hither song in which (a) it’s the man, not the more usual woman, who’s doing the seduction; and (b) it’s being done at a party, in full public view.
A sizzling song, and one I’ve always considered among Joy Mukherji’s best.
Despairing: Sambhal ae dil (Sadhna, 1958): Love, as anyone who’s seen Hindi films knows, is rarely a bed of roses. There are invariably obstacles galore: disapproving parents, lecherous villains, uncomfortable pasts and uncertain futures. The uncertain future and the uncomfortable past come together in this song—because Vyjyantimala plays a dancing girl who, having taken on (for completely mercenary reasons) the task of passing herself off as the bride-to-be of a respectable young teacher, falls in love with the man. She knows she’s a fallen woman; her past (not to mention her present) are ‘soiled’; how can she ever hope for their love to be accepted by society?
So she sings, telling her heart to beware and not be swept away by this love (useless, because she is already in love, and she knows it, or she would not be singing this). And the man she loves—who loves her in return and is oblivious of the truth—sings too, of the love that he knows is his.
Comforting: Dukh aur sukh ke raaste (Hum Dono, 1961): More often than not, romance in Hindi cinema tends to bring suffering to star-crossed lovers; suffering that they end up usually having to bear all by themselves, with perhaps some relief by way of bewailing their fate in sad songs. Occasionally, though, there’s a refreshing change: when the relationship between the lovers is so deep and sincere that the sorrow can be shared—and comfort both offered and accepted.
The song that first came to my mind in this context was Hain sabse madhur woh geet, but I’ve put that in so many lists, I decided it was time for a change. This lovely (and oft-overlooked) song from Hum Dono, therefore, with Dev Anand being at the receiving end of the comfort. His character has lost his mother, and is embroiled in a horribly uncomfortable situation, not of his making—and his sweetheart is there to tell him that she is always by his side, that she will share his pain.
Coaxing: Ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar (Junglee, 1961): The roothna-manaana motif is a very familiar one in Hindi cinema. If you fall in love, you will have fights, and if you have fights, it will be up to the guilty party (more often than not the man) to say (or sing) sorry.
While there are a loads of roothna-manaana songs in Hindi cinema (and most of them, though not all, with the men doing the manaana), this is my favourite. Not merely because Shammi Kapoor looks so wonderful or the music (and Rafi’s voice) is so good, but because of the entire way the song plays out. She’s angry with him not because of anything he’s done, but because a misunderstanding—and the humiliation she has been subjected to by his mother—has been hurtful. And so, even though he sings of his love and begs her to forgive him, he doesn’t really need to—because, anger and all, she still loves him.
Unrequited: Tum apna ranj-o-gham (Shagoon, 1964): That romantic love must be mutual is not necessary. And the love triangle is another of those staples of cinema—including, of course, Hindi cinema—that has been eternal. In Hindi films, love triangles lead to many opportunities for songs: one-upmanship songs to show off one’s lovability versus the rival; sad songs to mourn the love that can never be; self-sacrificing songs… and, more unusual, songs like this one, where the singer, though unloved, still offers her love, unconditional and surprisingly fierce. A love that, even though it’s one-sided, is not just willing to stand up for the beloved, but wants to fight for him, defies the world to crush him.
Quite a love, actually. And more impressive for the fact that it does not ask for love in return.
Romantic: Gum-sum sa yeh jahaan (Duniya Jhukti Hai, 1960): I began this list with a duet—and I’ll end it with one (interesting, isn’t it, that so many of the good romantic songs seem to be solos?) And this one is really the mood of romantic songs: a romantic mood. Two lovers, by themselves, in the serene beauty of the night, happy to be with each other, dreaming of the future, and rejoicing in the very fact of their love.
Yes, this last one was a difficult song to pick, because there are so many other lovely romantic duets out there—but this is what I chose, because it’s so melodious, and sung so beautifully (Geeta Dutt and Hemant are, individually, among my top favourites; together, they’re hard to beat). And because Shyama and Sunil Dutt combine, in their acting, everything that conveys the sweetness, the affection, and the romance of love.
Which are your favourite romantic songs? Preferably, ones with unusual angles to them? Do share!
Dustedoff 
An excellent idea for Valentine Day. You must have guessed my top favorite is Tum apna ranj-o-gham. One song that I would like to add which is at the top of my list of romantic songs is Aaj ki raat badi shokh badi natkhat hai. What label would you like to give – ‘Restlessness’? Roshan gave some of the greatest songs for Rafi. The lyrics and the song need to be savored at leisure in the tranquility of night.
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Thank you, AK.
I must admit I’d forgotten all about Aaj ki raat badi natkhat, even though I do recall – now that I’m listening to the song again – that I have heard it. Yes, I’d probably call this ‘restlessness’. A similar sort of sentiment, I think, to that expressed in Tumhe yaad karte-karte from Amrapali.
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Disgust (Bhibatsa)
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Guzre hain aaj ishq mein is more angsty and embittered than disgusted, I think… this would probably fit well in that post Anu had done on people singing to heap curses on whoever’s been (or has seemed to have been) unfaithful. I wouldn’t call it romantic, though.
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Can love get blinder?
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I’d put Husn se chaand bhi sharmaaya hai probably in the serenades category, not quite what I was thinking of. ;-) There’s a thin line (and I suppose only I’m seeing it).
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As I was thinking about it Madhu, “Pyar Kiya to Darna kya” has veer ras inbuilt isn’t?Eilaan-e-Mohabbat
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I suppose so. The entire song is full of defiance and a lot of courage, actually, so I guess you could assign veer ras to it.
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OMG how can you miss Do Sitaroon Ka Hai Milan -Kohinoor at tenth?
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“how can you miss…”
Easy. Because this is a list of my favourite songs, not anybody else’s. I’m not even saying they’re the best songs. Everything’s subjective.
For the record, I like Do sitaaron ka zameen par hai milan, but not as much as Gumsum sa yeh jahaan or even other songs like Chalo dildaar chalo or Udhar tum haseen ho. :-)
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Madhu, this may be the first time we have both done a Valentine’s Day post. But this definitely the first time we have had a post on a similar theme, and not had even one song in common. (Though Ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar and Aa jaa re aa zara were on my shortlist; I regretfully cut the first out because I had too many Shammi Kapoor songs already; and the second was shot down by my husband, who believed that since I was pulling his leg in the post, he deserved at least one veto power.)
Perhaps it is enough that we both share the same opinion of the Valentine Day’s hoopla, but gave in because the forces are too great for us. :) :)
I love your idea of the ten different moods of romance; and I love the songs you have picked. Favourites being Tum apna ranjh-o-gham, Jurm-e-ulfat, Ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar, Aa jaa re aa zara and Jaane kahan mera. In fact, as a song, I prefer Jurm-e-ulfat to Pyar kiya toh darna kya.
One song that I absolutely love is Zara si aahat by Madan Mohan. I see it as anticipation – every little sound reminds her of him. It’s a shame they cut it out of the film.
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Yes, this is such a beautiful song, Anu. I love it. Thank goodness for youtube.
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Thank you, Anu! I haven’t visited your blog today yet (and probably won’t be able to until at least the evening, when I’ll be back home), so I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve published. :-)
Zara si aahat is a lovely, lovely song. So much love and anticipation and romance there. But it is in the film. Or it is in the DVD I have.
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Sorry, Madhu, I mixed this up with Khelo na mere dil se composed for the same film. That is the song that was axed. And I’m sad – that was also such a beautiful song.
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I hadn’t ever even heard of this song, Anu, let alone hearing it! Yes, it is a beautiful song. I wish they’d retained it in the film. An interesting mood in the lyrics – apprehension?
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A lovely collection of songs to celebrate love! From naughty(Jane kahan mera jigar),Soothing(Dukh aur sukh ke raaste)and to end it with a lovely song sung by Hemant Kumar and Geeta Dutt.Among all the songs my favorites songs are #1,#2,#3,#4,#6 and 8 are my favorites. Particularly the song “Tumne mujhe dekha hokar meherbaan” deserves a special mention as Shammi Kapoor resumed shooting for the after the sad demise of his wife for this song. So poignant! :( The song from Hum Dono is my all time favorite,Asha’s voice is sooo soothing and melodious to hear. “Ehsaan tera hoga mujh par” is just lovely.Shammi Kapoor could even melt rocks by his amorous stare!
Some of my favorite songs on this subject are- ” Tujhe Pyar Karte Hain Karte Rahenge”- April Fool Year(1964)
“Meri Mohabbat Jawaan Rahegi”- Jaanwar (1965)
“Humko Tum Pe Pyaar Aaya” -Jab Jab Phool Khile
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Thank you, coolone160! I’m glad you liked these songs. Tumne mujhe dekha does deserve a special mention, I agree – the very fact that it was the first time Shammi came back on the sets after Geeta Bali’s death makes it all the more touching, that he filmed a song of such deep love after having just lost the wife he loved so much…
I like the songs you’ve picked, Meri mohabbat jawaan rahegi more than Humko tum pe pyaar. :-)
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:)
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“Tumne Mujhe Dekha”, “Ehsaan Tera Hoga”, and “Meri Mohabbat Jawaan Rahegi” are great love songs.
My absolute favorite one is “Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai” from “Amar Akbar Anthony”. Too bad it’s from the 70s, though.
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In the comments section of a post, people are allowed – and even encouraged – to gush about favourite songs and films (and actually, whatever else comes to mind), irrespective of period. So Humko tumse ho gaya hai pyaar is a perfectly valid song for inclusion in the comments!
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What a lovely list. I love all the songs here.
I love this romantic song a lot. Rain and two young people sharing an umbrella and making plans for future>
And this naughty one.
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While I don’t mind Pyaar hua ikraar hua hai, RK puts me off (as usual!). But Woh hain zara khafa-khafa is deliciously romantic. :-) Thank you for that, Ava!
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what a lovely list !!!!
Here is my favorate….
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I must admit I’d forgotten about Agar mujhe na mili tum, even though I have seen Kaajal. I like the lyrics more than the music. :-)
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I’m ignoring the valentine link, and taking the songs for what they are – romantic ones. Otherwise I’ll forever be thinking of them as valentine songs ;-)
Each and every one of them is great. Thanks DO.
Moon-support-romantic song
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Heheh. Yes, even I just used Valentine’s Day as an excuse to make a list of romantic songs.;-) Thank you so much, pacifist – I’m glad you liked this selection.
And thank you for O chaand jahaan woh jaayein – so beautifully romantic and lovely. I really should try and lay my hands on Sharda one of these days.
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Another chaand song (chand is so romantic).
Sending-message love song.
Using moon as messenger instead of texting on mobile phone makes it doubly romantic.
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Chanda jaa re jaa re is a beautiful song, but it always reminds me of the parody (was it by Kishore Kumar? I don’t recall) – something about Tu moonh dhoke aa re or something like that. It’s from some film, I’ve forgotten which one. Totally loony, in the way only Kishore can manage.
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I remembered which song parodied this one. In Ek chatur naar, a parody appears at about 2:50 in this video:
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Madhu,
Just wanted to add Kishore Kumar was a genius at subtle referencing; and parodying icons (as a way of showing his respect?). Chanda re ja re ja re from Ziddi (1948) is composed by Khemchand Prakash, who gave the first break to Kishore Kumar, in the same film (Marne ki duayen kyun maangu jeene ki tamanna kaun karen).
AK
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I had no idea it was Khemchand Prakash who gave Kishore his first break. Thank you for that bit of information! I like Khemchand Prakash a lot, partly because my uncle played for him in at least one movie – Mahal.
Talking about parodies, even Paanch rupaiyya baarah anna parodies other songs – that bit about Teri gathri mein laaga chor, for instance.
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Very classy style of ushering in the V Day moods. Extending aheartfelt appreciation to all responses… pitching in their choices to fill in this hamper…My mind also goes in for…….Mujhe kitna pyaar hai tumse (Dil Tera Deewana), Jahan tu Hai Wahan Phir Chand ko kuan Poochega(Aao pyaar Karen), Raat ek Humsafar(An Evening in Paris), Falsafa pyaar ka (Duniya),Dilme ek Jaane tamanna (Benazir),
bas begaana
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Thank you! Both for the appreciation as well as for the songs you suggested. My particular favourite out of all of those is Raat ke humsafar – I simply love that song, and it was one of the frontrunners for this list.
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Excellent presentation on a theme that is perhaps too wide to handle in a single post. Some other moods and associated songs could be:
1. Repenting: ‘Main yeh soch kar uske dar se utha tha.’
2. Nostalgic: ‘Haye re wo din kyun na aaye‘.
3. Pukaar; ‘Tu kahan yeh bata is nashili raat mein.’
4. Joy: ‘Rimjhim ke yeh pyare pyare geet liye‘.
5. Man proposes, woman disposes: ‘Meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday,’ also ‘Tere pyar ka aasra chahta hoon.’
6. Playing safe: ‘Hasinon se to bas sahab salaamat door ki achhi.’
7. Seeking permission, a la Huma Qureshi and Nawazuddin Siddiqi in ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’: ‘Pyar par bas to nahin hai mera lekin phir bhi.’
And finally:
7. Getting on: ‘Tu nahin aur sahi, aur nahin aur sahi!’
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Thank you! Yes, the different shades of romantic love is actually very vast a canvas to be covered in just one post. But, combined with the restrictions I put on myself – that the songs should be from a specific period, from films that I’ve seen, and (most importantly) songs with lyrics and tunes that I really enjoy (and, in most cases, even picturisation that I like), and it becomes much more manageable.
From the songs you’ve listed, I particularly like Pyaar par bas toh nahin – I love that song, in both its versions (the Asha version, while recorded, wasn’t in the film, as far as I recall).
I wonder if Haai re woh din kyon na aaye can be called romantic? Nostalgic, certainly, but I don’t see much romance in it. If you look at all the songs I’ve listed, they feature an expression of romantic love in some way or the other – whether it’s with gratitude, or unselfishness, or support, or whatever. But there’s always love, expressed.
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You are right about ‘Haye re wo din.’ ‘Phir wohi shaam wohi gham’ would be a better example.
I thought of another mood of romance – this one for singles: they are in a romantic mood, but haven’t yet found a partner. ‘Hai apna dil to awara’, ‘Jawaniyan yeh mast mast bin piye’, ‘Lakhon hain nigah mein’, ‘Kali ghata chhaye mora jiya tarsaye’ (not too sure about this one – Nutan sings this before or after she clicks with Sunil Dutt?) This could well be an interesting theme for a full post.
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Oh, Phir wohi shaam wohi gham is such a beautiful song. Absolutely one of my favourites. Thank you for reminding me of it!
‘In the mood for romance’ is a good idea for a list, and all the songs you’ve suggested are great ones (I can think, offhand, of a couple of others). I don’t recall whether Kaali ghata chhaaye comes before or after Nutan meets Sunil Dutt.
And thank you, again. Now I have another interesting idea for a list. :-)
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Yes, the genre of songs in which people are generally in a romantic mood and looking for someone to fall in love with is a good one! In ‘Jawaniyan yeh mast mast’ and ‘Lakhon hain nigah mein’, Shammi Kappor and Joy Mukherjee (well suited to the task) survey a large field of potential candidates. Waheeda is there in ‘Hai apna dil to awara’ so probably Dev Anand has already hit the bulls-eye.
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Yes, Dev Anand’s character very obviously already has his eye on Waheeda in Hai apna dil toh awara – it’s apparent that the song isn’t really an “I’m waiting for the right girl to come into my life” (as the other two songs are), but more like a “You’re the right girl, now come into my life”! :-)
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Wonderful list of songs, Madhu. What amazes me is how you’ve been able to identify these various shades of romantic expressions and then found such perfect songs to slot into each shade. But then I shouldn’t be amazed by anything you come up with anymore, should I? :-)
Was thinking of a couple of more shades (mainly to plug some of my own favs too :-) ):
– Culmination: Ek tera saath humko do jahaan se pyara hai (Wapas)
– Anticipation: Dheere dheere machal aye dil-e-beqaraar (Anupama).
The serenading category would be the most crowded of them all – I’d throw in “zara sun haseena-e-naazneen” for the lyrics and “tujhe kya sunaoon main dilruba” for Nutan’s expressions and eyes. :-)
And we need to find a spot somewhere for “door reh kar na karo baat kareeb aa jaao” (Amanat). :-)
Others I like include “ye reshmi zulfein” and “aaja panchhi akela hai“. The latter could also get into the “playful” shortlist, I think. :-)
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Raja, you’re being too kind! Thank you so very much. :-) I’m glad you enjoyed this list – and I really like several of the songs you’ve suggested. Dheere-dheera machal was on my longlist, but I realised that ‘Songs of anticipation’ should probably form a list of their own – there are so many of them, and a lot of them really good, too.
And the serenades are a dime a dozen too, no? Another list! (I’d also plug in Chaudhvin ka chaand ho there.
As for the playful shortlist, this little-known song from Detective, Kal talak hum theek thha:
…and another Johnny Walker song, Arre na na na tauba tauba tauba, were ones I’d considered:
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Playful romantic songs was a specialty of Johnny Walker – ‘Suno suno miss chatterji‘ (Baharein Phir Bhi Aayengi) and ‘Dekh idhar ae haseena‘ (12 O’Clock) being two more examples. And unlike many romantic songs which could became too mushy and were drenched with sweet Urdu words, Johnny Walker’s romantic songs were crackling with snappy language (a true forerunner of the Hinglish trend much in evidence today.
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Very true re: Johnny Walker’s songs being a precursor to the Hinglish songs of today – one rarely found heroes (except in some instances in Shammi’s songs) using English words in an otherwise fairly chaste Urdu song.
While we’re discussing Johnny Walker, here’s another romantic song – where he romances not one but three ladies. Tu hi meri Laxmi tu hi meri Chhaaya:
What I find interesting is that Johnny Walker has appeared in songs that reference real-life filmi people (the other song I’m specifically thinking of is Baajewaala Patialewaala from Basant).
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A great post as usual. Romantic love – what a vast arena for Hindi film music of the Golden Era. As someone else has said, there are too many variants of romantic songs to be covered in a single post. But here are some unusual angles that I can think of:
‘Apni to har aah ek toofan hai …’ (Kala Bazar) – a love song disguised as a paean to God (upar wala)
‘Aap yuhin agar hum se milte rahe‘ (Ek Musafir Ek Hasina) – the delicious promise of falling in love some time in the future (as if they are not already in love!)
‘Leke pehla pehla pyar‘ (CID) – using a third party to convey love
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I love all three songs that you’ve suggested! And Aap yoon hi agar humse milte rahe was on my shortlist. It’s such a beautiflly romantic song. Though by then, the two characters in the film were already obviously attracted to each other, even if they hadn’t admitted it. :-)
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Dustedoff,
Like you twist to romance.
Good selection of songs too.
I would like to add a song of a different angle, unfaithful love
Sahir and Rafi at their best with subdued Ravi
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Thank you. And for the song, too. Somehow, the only song of Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke that stays with me is the title song – I somehow find all the other songs forgettable, even though they’re actually quite good, as this one is.
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I know this is a post about romantic songs from Hindi films, but I can’t help remembering a non film gazal by Mehdi Hassan….”zindagi mein to sabhi pyaar kiya karte hain main to mar kar bhi meri jaan tuJhe chahoonga”. Specially these lines …. “main tasavoor bhi judaai ka bhala kaise karoon maine kimsat ki lakiron se churaaya hai tuJhe”
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Wow. Those are beautiful lines. Who’s the poet, any idea?
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Qateel Shifai
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Thanks!
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Regular reader. Never commented before but had to this time :)
My list of romantic songs can never be complete without ‘Abhi na jao chodkar’ :)
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Thank you for finally commenting! I’m so glad you did – and with such a lovely song, too. :-) It’s one of my favourites, and was on my shortlist for this post.
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Great post and a lovely collection of songs. Where would you classify – Dil tera deewana hai sanam? This is a great song for the sheer energy, exuberance. Shammi Kapoor and Mala Sinha are really a joy to watch in this song.
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Boisterous? Shammi Kapoor had a fair number of romantic songs that fall into that category, including Chaahe koi mujhe junglee kahe. :-) Dil tera deewaana hai sanam is certainly a very energetic, very boisterous expression of love!
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Madhuji, lovely list, but no Talat, no SDB! The links below compensate for those omissions.
Dil mein sama gaye sajan (Lata, Talat, Film: Sangdil; MD: Sajjad)
Chand sa mukhda (Rafi, Asha, Film: Insaan Jaag Utha; MD: SDB)
Hum aapki aankhon mein (Rafi, Geeta, Film: Pyaasa; MD: SDB)
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Thank you! And the omissions of Talat and SDB were not intentional – I was looking, after all, for moods, not specific singers or MDs. If it’s any comfort, as I mentioned, Hain sabse madhur woh geet was on my shortlist for the ‘comforting’ song.
But I’m so glad you added in all these songs. Dil mein samaa gaye sanam, Chaand sa mukhda kyon sharmaaya and Hum aapki aankhon mein is dil ko are all fabulous songs.
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Love in ten moods, sounds very promising! The first screen cap is lovely!
jaane kahan mera jigar is my childhood favourite. although I hardly listen to it now, I can still sing the whole song wihtout prompting. Really cute!
I first heard jurm-e-ulfat me in an album to commemorate Lata’s 60th birth anniversary. I wanted to have it, so I gifted it to my sis! And since then it has stuck in my mind and such beautiful words. Good you chose it over pyar kiya to darna kya, whose opening lines, I find too ordinary.
ruk jaa raat teher jaa re chanda is another fav of mine. During the time, when I didn’t know the plot, I thought he has to leave for war the next day. When I saw the film in the late 80s, I quite liked the film though a bit melodramatic, particularly Rajendra Kumar.
tumne mujhe dekha is the song, where I started liking Rafi, before that I identified him more with his angst-ridden songs but this one did the trick, must have been some time in the early 80s. Beautiful!!!!!! The irony you point out just adds to drama.
I was left wondering, when I heard aa ja re aa zara for the first, that why hadn’t I heard this before.
There was a time when sambhal ae dil was often repeated on VB or at least it appeared so to me. and love the words and why not, after all they are from Sahir!
Another Sahir song (third if I have counted right till now) dukh aur sukh ke raaste! I know it is considered as a separate song, but for my mind it was and will remain a continuation of abhi na jao choddkar, though the latte rcome is the first half and the former in the first half.
At last a song, which does not count to my utter favs. ehsaan tera hoga mujhe par is not bad, I remember humming it often when I was twelve.
Wow another Sahir song! tum apna ranjho gham reminds me of the lazy afternoons in summer, lying in bed and listening to songs.
gum-sum sa ye sama, surprises me a bit, but why not? A lovely song it is.
Entertaining post, madhu!
One romantic song full of anticipation, which I like a lot is tumhe yaad karte karte from Amrapali
Maybe it has been mentioned in the comments section, but didn’t have the time to go through all the comments.
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another anticipation song
tum pukar lo
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Thank you so much for putting Tum pukaar lo in. When the topic of ‘songs of anticipation’ cropped up in the comments, this one also occurred to me. I filed it away in my list at once. Such a phenomenal song. I can listen to it (and watch it) endlessly.
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can’t agree with you more!
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“One romantic song full of anticipation, which I like a lot is tumhe yaad karte karte from Amrapali”
Yes, there are over 50 comments, so you can be forgiven for not going through all of them! I have mentioned it in one comment, because it’s so achingly “I miss you“. Beautiful song!
I’m so glad you liked this post, Harvey! And thank you so much for – as always – taking the time to write a long and detailed comment. Makes me feel as if my effort hasn’t gone unnoticed. Bless you! Incidentally, I hadn’t even realised what a lot of Sahir songs there are in this list. Totally unintentional. Ironic, too, isn’t it, considering that most people (including me) tend to associate Sahir first with songs of revolution etc and then other types – but he wrote so many good romantic songs too.
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“Makes me feel as if my effort hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
I like to read the way you write as much as the content.
BTw, now that I’m reminded of it, how would you classify chand madham hai from Railway Platform. Is it a romantic song at all? For me it is.
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I agree with you, Harvey, about Chaand madham hai being a romantic song. Anticipation, even some restlessness, and a sort of despair too about whether or not he will come to her… incidentally, while I was listening to the song again (and paying attention to the words) I could not help but notice the layering of natural beauty and surroundings with romantic feelings – quintessential Sahir!
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Oops! I missed this post, scrolling down my email, after deleting a lot of mail I saw this update and came here right away. I posted three songs on Anu’s blog, but as you have taken on moods, I have selected this song. Here the mood is pretending to sort of reject, the lovers pretending to love someone else. I love this song
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No matter, Shilpi! As they say, Der aaye durust aaye. And kaise aaye! Such a lovely song. Even though I haven’t seen Mr X in Bombay (I’ve only seen the first half hour or so, years back on Doordarshan – I remember the electricity went after that, and I never got the opportunity to watch the rest of the film)… but I love Khoobsoorat haseena jaan-e-mann. Wonderful song.
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What about ” kora kagaz tha yeh man mera” from Aradhana. The ultimate romantic song from evergreen Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. And who can beat Rajesh Khanna? evergreen, my favorite actor for ever.
And liked Joy Mukerji’s shirt in the song “love in tokyo” off to search for a similar one now!!
Thanks for the lovely list. Enjoyed each and ever song
Girish Vaidya from Bangalore
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Thank you, Girish! I’m glad you enjoyed this post (and Joy Mukherji’s shirt ;-) – I like it too!). Kora kaagaz tha yeh mann mera is a lovely song, very romantic. Thanks for suggesting it. That reminds me, Baaghon mein bahaar hai could probably qualify for ‘teasing’ or ‘playful’.
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Finally I have been able to read your post! For some reason, my iPad crashes every time I open your site or maybe it is this post, so I am reading this in the library. I love the idea of the different types of love you have given. I will post some songs after I get my computer fixed. By the way, I love the songs too! And I am not the Valentine’s Day celebrating kind of person, either!
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” For some reason, my iPad crashes every time I open your site or maybe it is this post”
Oh, Lalitha, that’s sad. :-( I wonder why – especially as this time, most people haven’t embedded videos in the comments, so the page shouldn’t take long too load.
And I’m glad you love the songs! Am looking forward to seeing your selection. :-)
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“Khabi khabi mere dil ke khayal aatha hai” from the film Khabi Khabi is very romantic too and could have made it to the list.
Enjoyed the nice songs!!
Kavitha
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Thank you, Kavitha! I’m glad you enjoyed the songs.
Yes, Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein is a good romantic song. It wouldn’t have fitted my list, though, because (as I mentioned), I stick to pre-70s songs.
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Loved this post! Especially because I would’ve picked the same songs except for the Hum Dono one. Thanks for brightening up a miserable gray British afternoon for me.
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Thank you, Anoushka!
Things have been gray and stormy and pretty horrid in the UK, haven’t they? I keep hearing horror stories from friends and relatives in that part of the world. Stay safe and happy.
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Hello Madhu
Wonderful blog. Some of the songs are my favorites too. Happened to listen to FM radio last evening where they played Geeta Dutt songs. It seems that she had the greatest number of duets with Rafi. What a magical voice ! The RJ rightly mentioned that she was one singer who infused lots of emotion in her voice so much so that one can vicariously experience the pain or pleasure. For instance – the verve in “Mera Nam Chin Choo” or the poignant “Na Jao Saiyan Chuda Ke Baiyan”. Hers was such a brilliant voice. I don’t think anyone can match her talent in singing the songs in Anubhav. She was active from 1946 to 1972 but between the years 1964 to 1972, isn’t it sad how the fickle fickle bollywood completely forgot her… she went into a drunken spree…. so much of talent wasted ! Imagine a heartwrending situation where a mother of three, widowed at a young age, unable to come to terms with her husband’s infidelity and subsequent death… why a movie could be made on her life and times, isn’t it? It is so refreshing to hear voices like hers, Sudha Malhotra’s and Kamal Barot’s when the radio keeps on drowning us with Asha-Lata numbers
In Love in Tokyo, I am more partial to ” Oh Mere Sahekhuba” and without doubt, “Tumne Mujhe Dekha” from Teesri Manzil is a splendid number.
The Shammi Kapoor Babita number is also an evergreen one – ” Rangat teri surat si kisi mein” – I think the movie was Tumse Achcha Kaun Hai.
The :Gumsum Sa number is also an eternal favorite of mine and so is “Nazar Na Lag Jaye Kisi KI rahon mein” from Night in London.
BTW, may be you know this but Dil Ek Mandir was shot in about 30 days time by Tamil director Sridhar & this was a record because you know how Hindi movies are shot. It is also a miracle that Sridhar was able to get work done from the eccentric Raj Kumar who had a habit of coming late on the sets.
I think Tum Apna Ranjo Gham is another brilliant number by Mrs Khayyam who sang so little but whatever she sang was avant garde. It was sad to see the beauteous Nivedita (Libi Rana) reduced to playing a glorified extra in Mahmood’s Sabse Bada Rupaiya. No wonder she quit movies and never wanted to look back.
Apparently Khalid Mohammed spotted her in the Taj a few years ago and she refused to reveal her identity and only after much persuasion Nivedita accepted that she was indeed a former Bollywood star,
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When it comes to romance the expressions of emotions are very critical. This brings me to ” Main is masoom chere ko agar chulu to kya hoga‘ from Baghi Shehzada.
This song is sung by Md Rafi for Kishore Kumar on screen. It is said that KK requested Md R to help him out as KK was not confident considering his own style.
And what a masterpiece of a number…..what a style of ‘Romancing”
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I had never heard Main is maasoom chehre ko before. What a beautiful song! Thank you very much – I’m listening to it as I type this comment, and I’m enjoying it a lot.
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Thanks a ton for the pat on my back…I pull out two other gems from my archives ….. Jitni haseen ho tum utani hi bewafaa ho (film Smuggler – Sudhir & Faryal on screen) & Mujhe tumse mohabbat hain magar mein keh nahi sakta (film bachpan)……. both Md Rafi classics……a brilliant cocktail of emotions/feelings/rendition/music & ofcourse Rafi unparallel all the way….
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Thank you for those two songs. Especially loved Mujhe tumse mohabbat hai – I remember having heard this one before, but it’s been years, and I’d forgotten how lovely it was.
By the way, was Smuggler also known as Mangu Dada? The song I found with the lyrics you’d given is from Mangu Dada (and does feature Faryal, though with Sujit Kumar rather than Sudhir)…
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Sorry for the goofup… you are right… the second number is from Mangu Dada…..I bring out my archives from my memory…. & I guess age is catching up……Nevertheless is wonderfull to go down the memory lane reminencing all these movies I saw in the theatres …….Cant resist to spin out “Game hasti se bas begana hota” A MD Rafi classic with Shammi Kapoor at his trendy best..
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No problem. It happens to all of us!
I had completely forgotten all about Gham-e-hasti se bas begaana… unforgiveable, considering I’m such a Shammi Kapoor fan (and a Rafi fan).
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Thank you, Bhagyalakshmi, for that comment! I agree re: Geeta Dutt – frankly, even though I always say that I love singers based on songs – for instance, I can’t imagine anybody outdoing Lata on Aayega aanewaala or anybody but Asha singing Raat akeli hai, if anyone were to push me to name a favourite female singer, it would be Geeta Dutt. She was superb, and (what I admire a lot), very versatile too.
I love O mere shah-e-khubaan a lot too. But since I’d already plugged in Aa jaa re aa zara aa, and I always pick only one song per movie for a list, I had to regretfully drop the other one.
I hadn’t known about Dil ek Mandir being made in just 30 days. That record, of course, stood only till Ittefaq, I guess, since that was made in 28 days.
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Sorry to jump in so late, but this is a lovely post! The different moods are a great idea and I loved your comments about the songs.
Hindi films have so many beautiful love songs, it must have been tough to narrow down to just 10. I like all the songs you’ve chosen, especialy Tumne mujhe dekha, Sambhal ai dil and Tum apna ranj-o-gham.
Here are some more
For the essential fascinated/besotted phase:
Unse mili nazar from Jhuk Gaya Aasmaan (despite Rajendra Kumar!)
Sanwari surat man bhayi from Ada.
Couple in love:
Accha ji main haari from Kala Pani
Baar baar tohe kya samjhaye from Aarti
Biraha:
Mere sapne mein aana re from Rajhath
Yaad kiya dil ne from Patita
Heartbroken:
href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRqcR-7TbCE”>Main to tum sang nain milake from Manmauji
Dil todne wale from Son of India
Mitwa laagi re yeh kaisi anbujh aag from Devdas
And some more:
Tu chanda main chandni from Reshma Aur Shera
Jab jab phool khile from Shikast
Sapne mein sajan se do baatein from Gateway of India
O re maajhi from Bandini
I could go on and on …
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“I could go on and on …”
Yes, with a theme like this, it’s very difficult to resist the temptation to go on and on. :-) I had a hard time restricting myself from plugging in every romantic song I like. I do love a lot of the songs you’ve posted – especially Yaad kiya dil ne kahaan ho tum, Achchaji main haari, Unse mili nazar and Tu chanda main chaandni (which would have certainly been on this list if it had been from the 60s rather than the 70s! Such a gloriously beautiful song of love).
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One song which exemplifies a slightly negative aspect of love – jealous love – is ‘Tum agar mujhko na chaho …’ from Dil Hi To Hai. The hero’s ‘dog in the manger’ attitude as reflected in the words of the song is disturbing but honest nevertheless.
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“The hero’s ‘dog in the manger’ attitude…”
Very well described! But such a melodious song. :-)
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Oh, no, not at all. I know the lyrics make it sound like that, but the context is completely different. Both Raj and Nutan are in love, but Pran is the ‘approved’ chap, and Raj is teasing Nutan about it.There is no jealousy involved at all. Poor Pran, of course, is totally unaware of their relationship, though he does suspect something is up, especially when Nutan can be spotted smiling coquettishly at Raj right through the song.
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Thanks for clarifying. I have not seen the movie, so my comments were based purely on the words of the song. Pran, incidentally, was used as a pawn in the love games between the hero and the heroine in many a movie. The heroine would play along with Pran just to make the hero jealous, and once she made up with the hero, Pran was summarily discarded. Poor chap.
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Love reading your page, thats all the comment i can offer currently.
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Thank you!
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Some recent shades of love
Grateful/humbled love
Kaise muze tum mil Gayee from Ghazini
love in times of terrorism
Chupke se Sun from Mission Kashmir
Naam Ada likhana from Yahan
Falling in love with unwanted life partner
Moh moh ke Dhage
Jashne Bahara from Jodha Akbar
Playful
Sawar Loon from Lootera
Love moved on
Venturing out of loveless marriage
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