Or, to put that better: Hindi film songs that begin with the word “Aaja”.
Let me give the background for this. My daughter, ever since she was a baby, has always had an ear for music. All you had to do was turn on the music (or start singing) and she’d start wiggling her shoulders. When she began walking, the dancing became rather more vigorous—and the first song she totally fell in love with was Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera. The very first time she heard it (and she hadn’t even started talking coherently yet), she joined in at the end: “Aaja, aaja!” After that, every time she’d do a little wriggle and say “Aaja, aaja!” we knew she wanted to listen to some dance music.
So, Aaja. Literally, ‘Come!’ Though I’ve always puzzled over why aaja—which combines aa and jaa, and should create a paradox—and not simply aa? Does the imperativeness, the urgency (which is invariably a part of Hindi love songs that use aaja in the lyrics) come through more when the word is aaja and not aa?
Whatever. Just thinking over it the other day, I realized that there are several that don’t just include aaja in the lyrics; they begin with aaja. So, here we go: ten of my favourite ‘Aaja’ songs, from pre-70s films that I’ve seen. Importantly, all of them begin with the word Aaja. No Oh, no Ah, nothing; simply Aaja. These are in no particular order.
1. Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera (Teesri Manzil, 1966): Considering the reason for this post, Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera deserves to be the first song on the list. Not that that should be the only reason—this song, even otherwise, is a favourite of mine. The music’s pep at its best (RD Burman really, really shone in Teesri Manzil), and while Shammi Kapoor does look a little pudgy, he shows he can still shake a mean leg. Asha Parekh’s lovely, Edwina & Co. provide (despite none too great costumes for the girls) superb backup dancing, and Rafi and Asha are oomph and pizzazz and playfulness. My only real crib with this one is that Laxmi Chhaya’s wasted. But still: the quintessential dance floor song.
2. Aaja aayi bahaar (Rajkumar, 1964): While on the topic of Shammi Kapoor, another song which features him, and begins with Aaja. This one couldn’t be more different from Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera, despite the presence of Shammi Kapoor, some very hectic dancing, and a lovely leading lady. Sadhana’s Princess Sangeeta hasn’t the slightest idea that the love of her life is waiting around the corner (or, rather, deep in the water, with a reed sticking up as a makeshift snorkel): all she’s doing is having a swimming picnic with a bunch of friends. And spending her time calling to the man whom she’s certain awaits her. Sadhana is lovely, Shammi Kapoor is fun and the landscape (especially the cascades) is impressive but I personally don’t care for the costumes or the choreography.
3. Aaja ke intezaar mein (Halaku, 1956): Now for a complete change of pace, scene and tone. Both Aaja aayi bahaar and Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera are upbeat, fast-paced songs, very modern and set firmly in the Technicolor (or Eastman Color, whatever) world of 1960s Hindi cinema. Aaja ke intezaar mein, from a decade earlier (not that the 50s lacked peppy music) is a world apart. A song of longing, of waiting for the beloved to come. This song teeters on the brink of despair: the hero waits for his sweetheart, but will she come before his hope finally gives out?
Lovely music, and both Meena Kumari and Ajit (well before his days as a screen villain) look dishy. And suitably soulful.
4. Aaja ab toh aaja (Anarkali, 1953): The somewhat Arab-West Asian melody of Aaja ke intezaar mein finds an echo in Aaja ab toh aaja, not surprisingly, since Anarkali was a period film set during Akbar’s reign. The beautiful Bina Rai was perhaps not really suited (despite her beauty) to play the part of a dancer—she is pretty graceless through much of this song—but it’s worth a listen, anyway. Mostly because the music is lovely, and Lata’s control over her voice is admirable: what could have been a wail becomes something melodious yet yearning and desperate.
5. Aaja re main toh kabse khadi is paar (Madhumati, 1958): An absolutely gorgeous song, from a film chockfull of brilliant songs, one of Salil Choudhary’s best scores. Everything about Main toh kabse khadi is paar impresses me. The music and the words are lovely; Lata’s rendition gives me gooseflesh—and the way the song progresses, beginning slow, soft, at a distance, and then gathering speed—is perfect. Plus, the picturization. Dilip Kumar, curious, his eyes alight. Vyjyanthimala, lovely and carefree as she gazes up into the trees or trips lightly along beside the river. The mist, the pine trees, the waterfall, the rocks. All fitting in brilliantly together.
6. Aaja sanam madhur chaandni mein hum (Chori Chori, 1956): One of the few songs in this list that actually has both people—the person ‘waiting’ and the person they’re waiting for—almost together from the start of the song, and singing along. The ‘aaja’ here is not a question of physically coming; it’s more a question of opening up to the other, of accepting and giving love. On a lovely night, amidst flowering trees (so what if the flowers are patently artificial), love blooms. Gently, sweetly, believably. I love the music and lyrics of Aaja sanam madhur chaandni mein hum, and this is one of the few films in which I liked Raj Kapoor.
7. Aaja re aa zara aa (Love in Tokyo, 1966): Going a step further from Aaja sanam madhur chaandni mein hum, this one doesn’t just have the singer and the ‘sung to’ together, it has them in fairly close proximity. The singer (a very attractive Joy Mukherji, lip-synching to the deliciously seductive voice of Rafi) would however like to get rid even of the distances that remain. Aaja re aa zara aa, I have always maintained, is one of the few male solos that manage to be overtly come-hither without being cheesy, stalkerish, or trying to beat the object of the affections over the head with the ‘come on and give us some love’ stuff. This man’s just being oh, so romantic. And so uninhibited.
8. Aaja meri barbaad mohabbat ke sahaare (Anmol Ghadi, 1946): And, in a complete change of pace, tone, ethos, just about everything (the only thing that seems to be common between this song and the previous is that the “aaja” it begins with is addressed to a beloved). Noorjehan sings a song of despair, a woman in love but separated from the man she loves, and certain that her love is never going to find its happy ending. Anmol Ghadi had Naushad composing one great song after the other, and this one is a gem when it comes to songs of despairing love, of a dying hope and a desperation for the company of the beloved. Do also watch Noorjehan’s face: her eyes, in particular, are so expressive, so full of pain.
9. Aaja tujhko pukaare mera pyaar (Neelkamal, 1968): I must admit Neelkamal isn’t one of my favourite films, and for various reasons—I don’t generally care for reincarnation stories (and this one wasn’t particularly well-made); Raj Kumar is not an actor I like; and even the songs weren’t that great. This one, however, I do like. The sculptor, who has loved well but unwisely, is being bricked up alive (bang in the middle of a large hall) for this romantic transgression—and sings to his beloved, begging her to come to him one last time before he dies. I like the music in this one, and the echo effect—both at the beginning and the end (the latter also fading out slowly as he’s walled up)—is good.
10. Aaja re ab mera dil pukaara (Aah, 1953): Yes, another song from a Raj Kapoor film, and that too not one of the RK films I like (Aah went completely off the rails when it came to morbidity and utterly unnecessary depressiveness in the second half). One thing Aah did have in its favour was an excellent score, and even this song—reflecting the gloom of the second half—is good. The hero, ill and seemingly fatally so, has cut himself off from the woman he loves, but he cannot contain his plea for her company. Even if she cannot really hear him, far away as she is, in her own home—and also singing (how do they manage this?) exactly the same song, begging for him to come to her. If only to uphold the honour of the love they have for each other.
Which songs would you add to this list?
Dustedoff 
:-) Nice, nice… funnily the only song that did not come into my mind after reading the title of your post was the Anmol Ghadi one. In place of that, I would have Aaja mere pyar ke sahare (Humsaya) in it.
And while I do NOT like it, that horrid but catchy Baba Sehgal number – Aaja meri gaadi main baith ja is now refusing to leave my brain! (I am off now to listen to some good music and work.)
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Hehe. :-D Yes, Aaja meri gaadi mein baith jaa used to be very popular once upon a time, no? Truth to tell, when my daughter first began saying Aaja aaja, I sang the Teesri Manzil song to her, and then switched to the Baba Sehgal one! It’s an earworm, all right.
So, without further ado (even though, technically, it doesn’t begin with aaja):
I had forgotten about the Humsaaya song, though.
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Needless to say, Madhulika, the Aajas of Shami kapoor were my favourites! But, pssssst! What if they all had bad breath and the stench of alcohol in their breath ( for the kapoors are and were all big time boozards) caused the heroine to faint! Certainly, that would not have got filmed, whereas a slap on the face Saira Banu style would certainly have!!!!
having said that, what a lovely collection of aajas! Thank you!
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Aarrggh. That reminded me of reading somewhere that Clark Gable had notoriously bad breath, and how his co-stars flinched every time they had to kiss him! At least old Hindi cinema had that advantage – you could aao all you want, but at least you didn’t have to get that close. ;-)
Glad you liked the post, samasti!
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What a lovely inspiration for the list. I am sure she puts millions of smiles singing aaja aaja. You have really come up with very nice songs. As I was reading the post, no matter which song came to my mind, it was there on your list. You do raise an interesting point. Why “aaja” is used for “aa”. I really like the Joy Mukherji song, though neither him, nor Asha Parekh are favourites, there is something in the song that you want to hear again. Rafi ?
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Yes, she does make everybody coo over her when she sings (even better, when she starts dancing – which she does at the drop of a hat).
Even though I like both Joy Mukherji and Asha Parekh (not in all films, but definitely in Love in Tokyo), the reason I like Aaja re aa zara aa is not because of them. I think the combination of Rafi and the music is what makes it so fabulous for me. And the fact that it’s a refreshingly unusual song – considering most come-hither songs are sung by women. And this one is staunchly in the realm of come-hither.
Thank you, Neeru! Glad you liked the post.
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I hit the post button without adding the link to the song. Did I say I wasn’t too fond of Asha Parekh ? Yet, here is a song I like from Baharon ke Sapne
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Yes! As you can see from the first screenshot in the post, Aaja piya tohe pyaar doon occurred to me, too. I love this song, but since I always restrict myself to songs only from films I’ve watched (and I’ve not yet seen this one), I had to skip this. So glad you posted it.
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Yes, I too missed this one… You have included Aaja Re Aa Zara sung by Rafi in this list, one of my most favourite romantic track sung by Rafi :). I would like to mention one of my Lata favorites – Aaja Re Mere Pyar Ki Rahi from Oonchi log
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Aaja re mere pyaare ke raahi is a lovely song. Thanks for reminding me of it!
And Aaja re aa zara aa is certainly a fabulous song! So unusual, and so good. :-)
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Some of Na Ja songs are very melodious,like na ja kahin ab na ja,dil ke siva.na ja o saiya chura ke baiya,na ja ne kyo hamare dil ko tumne dil nahi samjha.
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Very true. Also Na jaa o mere humdum.
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in fact,
there are so less songs that we can instantly remember
starting with Na Jaa or Na Jaao
how about song list with the words Chale Aao?
:-)
all songs may not start with that, but can have the words in mukhda!
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Do it, please! Would love to have a post like that from you. :-)
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Hello madhuji,
yes, i will make the song list.
May be in october!
:-)
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Great! Am looking forward to it. :-)
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“aaja” always makes me smile for the same reason. As did “rukh jao” when I first heard a friend say that to her kids at a street corner. Here’s where being a learner might actually help – this from Snell’s Teach Yourself Hindi helped me get the idea
” जाना gives a sense of completeness, finality or change of state:
आना to come आ जाना to arrive”
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Ah, thank you, Stuart. Yes, that explanation does make sense. :-)
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What a sweet reason for starting this list. Give my love to your daughter.
The very first screen shot showed which song you have in the list and it is my favourite.
Since I head it for the first time in my childhood, I loved the song, aajaa piya tohe par doo and it has consistently remained one of my favourite songs.
Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera (Teesri Manzil, 1966)
“My only real crib with this one is that Laxmi Chhaya’s wasted.”
How true! They should have given her an extra song or filmed it again as her solo performance.
Love the energy and zest of the song. Eternal favourite!
The costumes of Rajkumar, particularly that of Sadhana’s. Maybe the costume designer didn’t like her much.
What a hauting song is aaja ke intezar me, love it!
I must’ve been 6 or 7, when I saw Anarkali and the slave-market scene has remained in my memory ever since. Although now I find it a bit over-done. The song is flawless. C. Ramchandra could do nothing wrong in those days, it seems.
What is there not to like about aaja sanam madhur chandani me ham. Absolutely fantastic song!
The only thing to crib about aa jaa re aa zara is that it is a party song. Such intimacy in a party is misplaced. But otherwise, jsut superb!
My contribution to the list (with only one from post 70s)
Since you have meticulously avoided anything which deviates from aaja like aa jaao, I wonder if you’ll allow this song, since it has aa and then aaja, moreover it has the line aa aaja o jaan-e-wafaa more in the refrain. and the song begins wiht other lines, but I like this song a lot, thus have included it here.
aa aa jaa aa jaa o jaan-e-wafa from Shirin Farhad
aa jaa re chandani from Chand
aaja ke bulate hain tujhe ashk hamare from Pathan
aa jaa mere pyaar aa jaa from Heeralal Pannalal (1978)
Asha version
Hemant version
aa jaa mere raajaa from Naghma
aa jaa ri aa nindiya tu aa from Do Bheega Zameen, though it doesn’t call a person but the sleep.
aa jaa sanam aa jaa sanam der naa lagaa from Mashuqa (1953)
Thanks for the list and giving us a peek in your life.
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I have a video on my phone of my daughter dancing to my singing, and even saying “Aaja, aaja”“, Harvey. Will show you when we meet next (yes, these are the hazards of meeting up with friends who are doting parents of cute babies!) :-D
Thank you for the songs you posted – I hadn’t heard several of these (the Mashuqa, Heeralal Pannalal, Naghma songs). Not even the Pathan song, which I then wished I’d heard before – because it was composed by my uncle.Really lovely song, and Talat is so good, as ever. I also especially liked the songs from Chaand and Do Bigha Zameen – the latter had been on my shortlist, though I ended up not using it.
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Very nice list, and what a charming reason for it to be written! I’m particularly fond of “Aaja sanam, madhur chandni mein hum”, “Aaja re, main to”, and “Aaja re, ab mera dil dil pukara” from your list.
Here are a couple more:
“Aaja, tujhe afsana judai ka sunaye” from Mirza Sahiba (1947), sung by Noorjehan, with music by Hunlal-Bhagatram.
“Aaja, kahin se aaja” from Samundar (1957), sung by Lata Mangeshkar, and music by Madan Mohan. Technically, this may be outside the ambit of your list because it begins with a sher unrelated to the antara and mukhdas, as quite a few Hindi film songs of that era did.
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Thank you, Milind – I’m so glad you liked the list! The song from Mirza Sahiban had been on my shortlist, but didn’t make it to the final post. But a really nice song, nevertheless.
I don’t think I’ve heard Aaja kahin se aaja before. Yes, technically it doesn’t qualify, since it doesn’t begin with aaja, but it’s a good song. Those opening bars remind me of some Western tune… can’t remember which.
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I thought, I’d posted this in my above comment, but somehow I hadn’t.
So here is aa jaa re mere pyar ke rahi from Oonche Log
One of the few Mahendra Kapoor songs, which I like.
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I don’t recall ever hearing this song before. Nice one, and Mahendra Kapoor sounds good. Some of his songs for Ravi (in Humraaz, Gumraah etc) were very good – don’t know who the MD here was.
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Chitragupta
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Thanks. I’d found that out, over the years – I have even reviewed this movie since.
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What a range of songs beginning with Aaja – a strangely paradoxical word as you have observed. Also, in many songs ‘Aaja’ is followed by ‘Re’ (what exactly does ‘Re’ mean ?). Here is one from Oonche Log whose music director was the underrated Chitragupt:
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Yes, what does ‘re’ mean? Just a sort of ‘you’? I don’t know – perhaps Stuart will enlighten us.
Harvey also posted this song from Oonce Log. Nice one!
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Just a sort of ‘you’
That’s roughly it. It’s used the same way in Marathi too. But I don’t think there’s a proper equivalent in spoken English. Just differences in the way languages are spoken, I guess. ‘Hey, you’ or ‘You’ or ‘You there’ are just plain rude in English. Essentially untranslatable, I guess.
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Yes, I agree that it seems pretty much untranslatable in English. Does happen with several Hindi words and phrases (roti-voti? How on earth do you tell someone who doesn’t know the language that it’s perfectly acceptable to tag on a rhyming nonsense word just like that?)
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May I just post five more songs?
aa jaa chhaaye kaare badra from Lajwanti
aa jaa tu aa jaa, aji na aji na from Jhumroo
aa jaa aa jaa tera intezaar hai from Sazaa
And two from post 70s, but I like both of them so much, that I couldn’t help but add them here.
aa jaa ho aaja mere dil ne tadapke from Anurodh
aa jaa o mere raja jannat ki ser from Apna Desh
So, now that I have hogged the comment section enough, I’ll withdraw myself and reply only to questions or queries and not post any more songs.
:)
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You have turned this into an encyclopedia of AAJA, Harvey! Bravo.
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No, not at all. I’ve purposely left out few of the songs, which I know. So that, others can contribute them. Many of them are even well-known.
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How very kind of you ;)
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he he he
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:-D Let’s see how many people take up the challenge! I think you’ve pretty much bunged in all the better-known (and even some not so well-known) Aaja songs there are.
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Hmm. I should’ve remembered the songs from Lajwanti and Jhumroo, since I’ve seen both films, but they somehow slipped my memory. :-) The one from Sazaa had been on my long list, but it didn’t make it to the shortlist. The only song that I really like from that film is Lootkar mera jahaan chhup gaye ho tum…
I like the two 70s songs you’ve picked too – though I never think of the first song as an Aaja song. :-)
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I can imagine your little girl dancing sweetly to Aaja aaja! *Hugs* to her.
I love all these songs.This is such a great idea for a post. If I may throw a difficult one your way – try to do something with Jaja (or even Jao) as the first word. For instance – Jaja ja re tujhe ham jaan gaye.
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or for e.g., jaa jaa jaa bewafa kaisi pyar kaisi preet re
or jaa re jaa re ud jaa re pancchi
or jaa jaa re chandaa jaa re
or …..
okay, I’ll be quiet now.
There are many songs and most of them very beautiful.
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OR you could write a ‘brother’ post on your blog! eh? how bout it? how bout it?
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I knew this would be coming, that is why I said, main chup rahunga.
You know I’ve taken a sabbatical from blogging.
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But hasn’t your sabbatical gone on long enough, Harvey? ;-)
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Your wish. But I would love to see you write.
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I second that.
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Thank you, Ava!
And yes, that’s a good idea. Not Jaaja (because I can’t think of any songs, offhand, which begin with that word), but perhaps Jaa – because I can think of some great songs that begin with that word! Thank you for the suggestion. Will do. :-)
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Looking forward to the JAA theme.. As for jaaja, 2 came to mind, jaaja ja mere bachpan, kahiin jaa ke chup nadaan and jaaja ja re tujhe hum jaan gaye, kitne paaniyan mein ho pehchan gaye, ja
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I suppose this could be interpreted in different ways. I always thought of the Junglee song as Jaa jaa jaa mere bachpan (in fact that was one of the songs I’d mentally put down for the Jaa post). So is there any difference between Jaajaa and Jaa jaa? Is Jaajaa even one word, or is Jaa inherent in Jaa jaa?
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I think you are right. It’s a poetic license when it comes to songs and lyrics to fit the tune. So when jaa jaa are sung quickly to fit the beat, it sounds like one word. As far as RE, I suppose it is like HEY as in hey you or ae. We do use it a lot, as in sun re or sun ri.
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“So when jaa jaa are sung quickly to fit the beat, it sounds like one word. ”
Yes, I suppose so.
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Is Jaajaa even one word…
As Dickens said, “there’s no sich person”. :D जाजा isn’t a word, just जा जा spoken quickly either to fit the metre, or for emphasis, or both.
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Aajare aaja lagina mora jiya from Sarhad (1960)
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Yes, lovely song. In fact, it had been on my shortlist; I’d even taken a screen shot of it and written up a description. Then, I dropped it – simply because the fact that it’s such a blatant lift from Volare tends to get in the way of my enjoyment of that song.
But, for those who aren’t familiar with it, here it is:
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Lovely post. A couple of other songs that come to mind – Aaja Re Pyar Pukare from Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya and Aaja Tujhko Pukare Mere Geet from Geet (the latter is a bit of a cheat since it starts “Mere Mitwa Mere Meet Re” but the first lines are clearly more popular as “Aaja Tujhko Pukare”)
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Thank you; I’m glad you liked the post! Yes, I do like Aaja re pyaar pukaare, but I haven’t seen the film, so had to omit it. The Geet song was on my longlist, but since I’ve never been very fond of it, it never had much of a chance of making it to the final post. ;-)
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Lovely, lovely, lovely! I knew all the songs except the one from Halaku, which sounds just vaguely familiar. I guess it was not very popular in those days. You seem to have covered all my favorites, and Neeru plugged in the only other song which came to my mind – Aaja piya tohe pyar doon …, so I guess I will just spend some time, enjoying them. Wonderful post!
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So glad you liked it, Lalitha. :-) Enjoy!
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I like the song, not sure of the picturisation, aaja mere pyar ke sahare…
And one from later years.. Noorie – aaja re mere dilbar aaja
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Aaja mere pyaar ke sahaare should’ve occurred to me, since I’ve seen the film. But I’d forgotten it. Glad you plugged it in here, Neeru – not a bad song at all.
And oh, how popular Aaja re o mere dilbar aaja used to be once upon a time! I remember hearing it just about everywhere.
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I have seen this so many times for Padmini and Vijayanthimala’s dance, had forgotten the title…
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I haven’t seen Raj Tilak, though yes, I have seen Aaja tu raja mausam-e-bahaar several times. Lovely song; but it doesn’t technically begin with Aaja, does it?
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Sorry to have created so many comments, every time I went to add the video, my existing comment would dissapear. Me and my luck in the blog land :)
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No problem, Neeru! Multiple comments don’t make a difference. :-)
Yes, someone else also mentioned the Sarhad song. It was on my shortlist, but the fact that it’s so blatant a ripoff of Volare tends to put me off a bit.
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Interesting analysis and good song selections. A couple more oxymorons in hindi:
Thoda-Bahut = Very little
Akal-mand = Intelligent (shouldn’t it be akal-tez?)
BTW, I think aa-jaa somewhat makes sense because jaa has too meanings. One is “going”, the other one is “finishing” as in “tu ban jaa sathiya” which means “become friend”.
Here’s my contribution to the list, a bit overplayed so it doesn’t sound so fresh anymore but not too bad.. Aaja Tujhko Pukare Mere Geet..
Geet (1970) – Rafi-Lata / Anand Bakshi / Kalyanji Anandji
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That thoda-bahut example is a good one, Ashish! Though I have always taken it to mean ‘middling’ – neither thoda nor bahut. For akalmand, I do have a more concrete reason: because the ‘mand‘ in that is not ‘mand‘ (lacking, or something similar) as in Sanskritized Hindi, but mand in the Persianized Urdu, in which case it means just the opposite: ‘endowed with’. Therefore, also, daanishmand, or wise. Akalmand, itself, is an Urdu word (if you want to split hairs, though some linguists would call it Hindustani).
Aaja tujhko pukaare mere geet was on my longlist, but didn’t make it far – I somehow just don’t like that song, partly because the film itself was too painful for words. :-(
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I don’t blame you. Something in that song is very depressing; I blame Rajendra Kumar for that :) an easy target of course.
:)
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:-D Yes! Offhand, I can think of only two films in which I didn’t mind Rajendra Kumar – Mere Mehboob and Jhuk Gaya Aasmaan. Geet happens to be a pet hate of mine.
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Thanks for lovely post! Nobody in the whole world can understand your daughter as I, for me Aaja Aaja mein hoon is also the dancing trigger:) The only song that I would add to your list is Aaja zara mere dil ke sahare dilruba from Ek Jhalak (1957) but I can’t find a video, there is only audio on youtube.
Above that I can add some more songs.
Aaja Karle Muqabla ye bazi pyar ki from Detective (1958) is pretty typical for 1950s but I like the visualisation – Jhonny Walker is amazing torero!
Aaja Meri Jaan from Jawab – Mehmood and Aruna work out:)
And another Aaja meru jaan from bad remake of old russian movie I love NY (2015) – this is a remix for classic RD Burman’s tune. I don’t like the film but this song is beautyful
here is non-filmic bengali original version (Panchanda himself and Asha). a bit inspired by Pink Floyd but anyway one of the best song of Burman for me.
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Thanks Anna for reviving a lost song from the oldies. It has been so many years since I heard the Ek Jhalak song. It took me back to India and family when the radio was on most of the time. ( been in US too long :( )
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And I decided I would embed the Aaja zara mere dil ke sahaare song, anyway, even if it’s only the audio and not the (correct) video. Here it is, and what a wonderful song it is:
I am certain I haven’t heard this one before, but there’s something very familiar about it. I have a feeling it’s inspired by a Western hit. Must get my parents to listen to it and see if they can recognize what the original is.
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Well, may be you had listen this tune?:)
Usually I don’t like the total tune lifting including the arrangment like this but in this case somehow I don’t mind:)
As for the woman strumming a guitar in I love NY – I think it’s the same idea as in second iconic “lady with a guitar” bollywood song Churaliya hain tumne. The leading lady in russian original of 1970s played guitar, I suppose it considered trendy and romantic at that time and now they just remake it frame-by-frame.
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Aahhh… yes, of course. Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White used to be on a CD we had when my sister and I were teenagers, and we loved it. How could I not have recognized it?! Thank you, Anna. I agree I don’t mind the listing in this case – it’s not terribly blatant. Really just an inspiration for a brief section of the song.
And yes, Chura liya hai is also certainly iconic. What a lovely song, too.
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Thank you, Anna, for those songs! I should have remembered the song from Detective, since I’ve seen the film (and the picturisation of that song is quite unforgettable!), but I did forget it. I remember the Jawaab song, but had never heard the I Love NY song – very nice, and one of the few instances (Tadbeer se bigdi hui is perhaps the iconic one) of a woman strumming a guitar onscreen in Hindi cinema.
Loved the Bengali original of the song, too – really good. :-)
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There is also a duet Aaja ya aajade ki paas from EK HASINA DO DIWANE (1972) by Asha and Kishore which can make into this list.
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Found it. Here:
Good, peppy song. :-)
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I wanted to post this song but was reluctant because it starts with a couplet before the main song. So, it breaks the rule slightly. From Rani Roopmati, aaja bhanwar.
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Yes, that starting couplet means Aaja bhanware sooni dagar doesn’t exactly fit. But a nice song, nevertheless.
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i dont know if it was used in the movie eventually but here is the original aaja meri jaan from movie of same name. This merits a place because of RD and a time when he must have been really alone perhaps…originally the melody featured as background in Saagar
aaja meri jaan (the movie) incidentally has a couple of more songs that start with Aaja…(i would include them just for RD :)
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so here it is…a reasonably pleasant sound that was a rarity growing up in 80s
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though eventually it was not credited to RD….wonder who actually composed it
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and incidentally it has Shammi Kapoor too :)
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Oh? How odd. So who was credited with it?
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Yes, this one was one of the very few songs from that period that I actually like! Good beat, and – something fairly rare for Hindi film music – good singing in parts. My daughter is fond of this one too, because I sing it too her often. :-)
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Interesting. I had not heard this slow gentle song before – I always associate Aaja meri jaan with the fast-paced version you’ve posted in your other comment. :-)
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Where do you get such post ideas, Madhu? I’m not saying I won’t be able to come up with something like this in a hundred years. I’m saying, more like, not even two hundred years. Absolutely brilliant stuff!
I thought just to cheese you off, I’ll post ‘Ja ja ja re tujhe hum jaan gaye’, a song that constitutes a precise inversion of the post’s theme. Then I saw it’s been discussed already.
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Thank you, Abhik! Glad you enjoyed that. :-) As you can see, my ideas for themes come from odd places – once I got inspired to watch a Mala Sinha film simply because I’d bought a new frying pan. Alda brand.
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Ouch!!! That was bad!
Just for that, I must tell you about the time I almost bought a Chinese-style wok from the same company. It didn’t wok out, though.
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Heh. Will keep that in mind if I ever think of buying a wok.
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I’m now looking forward to meeting your kiddo even more than I already did! :)
My humble additions – since Harvey seems to have inundated the list with aaja-s.
Aa jaao tadapte hai armaan
Aaja aaja raat dhali
(May I just say that my list on this theme had every song on this list except the one from Anmol Ghadi?)
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“(May I just say that my list on this theme had every song on this list except the one from Anmol Ghadi?)”
And why does that not surprise me? ;-)
I wouldn’t count Aa jaao tadapte hain armaan in my list, because it’s strictly not aaja (yes, I’m nitpicking here), but it’s a lovely song nevertheless.
I like the Naushervan-e-Aadil song: it had been on my longlist, but got left somewhere along the way.
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What is an old song ? I guess it’s all relative to each persons thinking and time frame.
This was listed as classic old song :)
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Good lord. I would never have classified Aaja shaam hone aayi, but then that’s just us, I guess! We’re getting old. ;-)
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I had hurt my shoulder way back in 2011, I ended up with a torn shoulder muscle, ligament…whatever. It healed but suddenly now it is troubling me once again, which is why I have not been very active on the net.
Here is something funny that I would like to narrate and that is a funny dialogue from a Hindi play. Back in the days of Doordarshan, we got to see some plays produced by the various Doordarshans. There was this play produced by Lucknow Doordarshan, in this play some men were talking about an abandoned house where some people had seen a lady moving around singing a song, when one of the men asks,”kaunsa gaana”, the other replies, “pata nahin, hoga kuch aajare aajare“. Isn’t that what our lady ghosts invariably end up singing in our Hindi films.
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I remember you hurting your shoulder back then, Shilpi. Do get well soon!
Hehe. That anecdote is so true! That is what all our lady ghosts end up singing! Which reminds me of an anecdote too. In 1981-82, my father was posted as DIG Gwalior. The DIG’s bungalow was a huge, rambling edifice from colonial times. It had three floors, two kitchens, four storerooms, and a total of 25 rooms! We, of course, used about four rooms in all and kept the rest locked up. But in the evenings, after dinner, when we went for a walk (in the driveway, which was a good half-kilometre itself), we’d look back at the white-painted facade of the house (which even had a balcony and parapet in front) and my parents would invariably say: “Now any minute a lady dressed in white will come on to that balcony and started singing a mournful song”.
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HA! HA!. I would have loved to have peek at that house must have been a beautiful mansion.
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It wasn’t particularly beautiful, but it was impressive, all right. Fairly typical colonial bungalow – and it had vast, sprawling grounds, with a huge kitchen garden at the back, chickpea fields on one side (can you imagine?! All within the bungalow’s boundary walls), and even a fairly dense copse of sheesham trees.
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This one certainly fit in strictly in the rule.
It has antara start with Aa Ja – Aa Ja Ke Din Dhale, TaaroN Se Ja Mile,Sapnon Ke Silsile, Sason Ke Taaj Pe Nagma Woh Suna……
Teri Awaz Ki Jadugari Se Na Jaane Kis Jaahan Mein Kho Gaya Hun Mein – Teri Talaas Men (1965) – Mohammad Rafi – Sapan Jagmohan
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Nice song, but it doesn’t begin with Aaja: as you mention, it’s an antara. It comes in well after the song begins. So, in fact, it doesn’t qualify.
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Since nobody mentioned this song, and I do like it (even if it doesn’t fit the timeline I imposed on myself), here is Aaja sar-e-bazaar tera pyaar bik raha hai from Ali Baba aur 40 Chor:
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I remember this song Aaja Mahi from Singh is Bling recently. It’s by Arijit Singh. It goes like this …
Ho aaja mahi aaja mahi aa soniya ve aake
Aaj mera gal lag ja tu
Aaja mahi, aaja mahi, aa soneya
Aake aaja gal lag ja tu
Lyricsted: http://www.lyricsted.com/aaja-mahi-lyrics-arijit-singh-singh-is-bling/
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Hadn’t known about this one. Thanks!
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I hope you will forgive my rather late comment here having just discovered your blog. Wonderful list! Between your list and the comments you seem to have exhausted the entire gamut of “aaja” songs. I see a lot of my favorites getting a mention.. Aaja aaja, aaja piya, aaja ke intezaar mein. Don’t think I saw this one though..
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This is why. :-)
“Importantly, all of them begin with the word Aaja. No Oh, no Ah, nothing; simply Aaja.”
But, a lovely song, from one of my favourite Dev Anand films.
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hi, a few songs
Aaja Re tera ek sahara by lata , M D-chitragupt from barat
i hope u enjoy this shakila song!
Aaja bedardi balma from shaheed
aaja panchhi akela hai, but some one must have posted it already!
then, post 70s
noori
aaja re mere dilbar aaja
and how can we forget aaja re pardesi from madhumati
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“and how can we forget aaja re pardesi from madhumati”
Yes, we didn’t forget. ;-) This is on my list.
Nice songs, the other ones. I think someone else posted the Noorie song too. .
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then,
aaja re pyar pukare from dil ne phir yaad kiya
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Yes, I remember this song. Long time since I heard it.
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hi,
just one more song,
Aaja Aaja Bhanwar from rani rupmati,
a classical based song, sung beautifully by lata.
BTW,
have u listened the songs from Ram hanuman yudhha?
its obviously a mythological film, with S N tripathi as M D, ans shailendra as lyricist!
Here u can watch, nirupa roy doing classical dance.
the rani rupmati song reminded me of this!
ths songs from the movie R H yudhha are really nice and worth listening at least once.
the solos by lata are particularly my favorite.
Mori payal binati karat
Balma o balma
suna tu man ki been par
do listen when u get time, u may like it!
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Nice song. I will try to find time to check out the songs of Ram Hanuman Yuddha– I am very short on time these days. :-(
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i am links to the songs from ram hanuman yudhha
have a look, as per ur convenience!
suna tu man ki been par
this one also fits ur string instrument theme!
mori payal binati karat
watch nirupa roy dancing classical steps!
balma o balma
i hope u enjoy them!
Anup
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The song that comes to my mind under this category is “Aaja aaja tera intezar hai” from “Sazaa” – 1951 picturised on Dev Anand and Nimmi. Superbly rendered by Lata Mangeshkar and Talat Mahmood and a great composition by S D Burman. Rajinder Krishan has penned very meaningful lyrics.
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Yes, it’s a lovely song, though I must admit I’d forgotten about it. The one song in the film that I remember is Tum na jaane kis jahaan mein.
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Madhu G , let me first appreciate U 4 d theme.
” Kya baat hai , Bahot achhe !!! ”
All d 10 songs r nice.Plus d songs suggested by d readers r nice 2.
U hav selected a song of Noor Jahan ” Aaja aaja ” of Anmol Ghadi.
Let me add 1 more song of Noor Jahan.
U hav already reviewed d film nicely , long back in 2013.
I always dream what a treat it wud hav been 2 hav Lata nd Noor Jahan,if d latter had nt left India.
In d following song , her looks , sweet voice , d way she has poured d emotions in d song , each nd every thing is remarkable.
” Aaja tujhe afsana zindagi ka sunaye ” of ” Mirza Sahibaan ” ( 1947 )
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Oh, yes. Lovely song! I loved Noorjehan in Mirza Sahiban: she portrayed the sweet demureness of Sahiban in a very believable way.
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Hi! I found your blog last year when the pandemic began, and I can totally say that I am now a big fan of old hindi cinema. I found this song a few months back, so you might want to add this to your own list. Interestingly, it’s sung by Lata ji and Manna Dey who also collaborated for “Aaja Sanam Madhur Chandni” (the first word aaja sounds similar).
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Nice! From one of those rare Madhubala films I haven’t watched.
Thank you, and thank you for the appreciation! :-)
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