It’s not as if I’ve not done a Manna Dey song list before (I have, several years back). But today, when Manna Dey would have turned a hundred years old, cannot pass without my doing a tribute to the beautiful voice and the versatility of one of my favourite singers.
Born in Calcutta on May 1, 1919, Prabodh Chandra Dey (as he was formally named) was highly influenced by his uncle, the renowned singer Krishna Chandra (KC) Dey. Manna Dey trained under Ustad Dabir Khan and KC Dey, accompanying the latter to Bombay and the film industry in 1942. In the same year, Manna Dey began his career in Hindi cinema, both as a playback singer (he debuted in the film Tamanna, for which KC Dey had composed the music) and as a composer who first assisted KC Dey and then SD Burman.
Over the next five decades, Manna Dey sang thousands of songs, not just in Hindi and Bengali but in a number of other regional languages as well, including Maithili, Punjabi, Marathi, and Gujarati (and not surprisingly, considering his wife Sulochana Kumaran was from Kerala, in Malayalam). Although most people automatically associate Manna Dey with classical Hindustani music, the fact remains that though he was probably unparalleled in this field when it came to mainstream playback singing, he was also extremely versatile, singing everything from rock-and-roll to comic songs.
It has been nearly six years since Manna Dey passed away (in October 2013), but he does, in some way, live on. In hundreds of much-loved songs, in the name of a (very good) chain of Bengali restaurants. In the hearts of thousands who still swoon over his songs.
So, without any more dilly-dallying, on to the songs. The first list I had posted of my favourite Manna Dey songs had been a list of primarily solos (though there were a couple of duets there, too). This post, therefore, has a different focus: it’s a list of my favourite Manna Dey duets. And, to make this a little more challenging, no two duets are with the same singer. As always, the songs are all from pre-1970s Hindi films that I’ve watched. Note that when I talk of duets, I discount choruses. So some of these songs do have a chorus as well, but there are always two lead singers—Manna Dey and someone else.
1. Na jaane kahaan tum thhe (Zindagi aur Khwaab, 1961): With Suman Kalyanpur. One of my very favourite romantic songs, this is a really magical song—that ‘jaadoo yeh dekho’ in the lyrics is singularly apt! Dattaram Wadkar’s music is beautiful, and Kavi Pradeep shows that he was much more than just a writer of patriotic or philosophical lyrics, but a poet very capable of capturing that starry-eyed joy of love. The icing on the cake is the rendition by Manna Dey and Suman Kalyanpur: they are so perfectly matched, her voice sweet and his velvety.
2. Tu hai mera prem devta (Kalpana, 1960): With Mohammad Rafi. Manna Dey once said in an interview that when music directors were called upon to choose between various male playback singers, Manna Dey would feel offended if they chose someone over him—except in the case of Mohammad Rafi. He said he never felt slighted if a composer chose Rafi, because “Rafi could do what others could not.”
Rafi and Manna Dey sang a number of songs together, and I choose this classic one, which is not just an example of superb dancing (by Padmini and Ragini) but also a display of the vocals of two of Hindi cinema playback singing’s greatest exponents. The way both Rafi and Manna Dey sing in tandem, their voices so controlled and seeming to so effortlessly sing such a difficult song: awesome. And I mean that in the literal sense of the word: Tu hai mera prem devta evokes awe in me.
3. Dil ki gireh khol do chup na baitho (Raat aur Din, 1967): With Lata Mangeshkar. I have a confession to make. Many years ago, when all we had was a dial-up and listening to a Youtube playlist was out of the question, I built up a collection of downloaded songs from the 1950s and 60s on my computer. Some were subpar quality, and some were obviously cut (and badly too) from what must have been a recorded radio programme. That was how I came across Manna Dey’s comments on Lata Mangeshkar. “High notes or low notes…nothing! She would never be told as to what to do while singing… she was never told. She never needed to.”
Manna Dey sang some great songs with Lata, including Aaja sanam madhur chaandni mein hum, Pyaar hua ikraar hua hai, Mausam beeta jaaye, Umad-ghumadkar aayi re ghata, and Yeh raat bheegi-bheegi. And this one, the song which followed that comment I’ve quoted. A waltz, picturized on a glamorous Nargis (who plays a schizophrenic woman, here in her hip, bold alter-ego) and Feroz Khan, the man she picks up at Firpo’s. Lata dominates the song when it comes to singing time, but Manna Dey is right there with her, coming in at a crucial moment and making the song what it is: a paean to the philosophy of living in the moment.
4. Ek chatur naar karke singaar (Padosan, 1968): With Kishore Kumar. Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar had an unusual tie that bound them together—Manna Dey had actually sung playback for Kishore in the film Krorepati. But the two of them did sing several songs together too, including that almost iconic song in praise of friendship, Yeh dosti hum nahin todenge.
And this one, also iconic in its own way. Manna Dey and Kishore team up to ‘compete’ in a classical sing-off. If you see (hear?) past the exaggerated pronunciation—which, by the way, does echo Mehmood’s pronunciation in the film—Manna Dey’s singing is laudable: he’s so accomplished. And yet he manages to be so funny, too: getting into the rhythm of things and seeming to have as much fun as the clownish Kishore has onscreen and off. Hilarious, and good.
5. O meri maina tu maan le mera kehna (Pyaar Kiye Jaa, 1966): With Usha Mangeshkar. Manna Dey may be better known for his duets with Lata Mangeshkar, but one of my absolute favourites of his duets is this one with younger sister Usha. A completely whacky song from a completely whacky film (if you like comedies and haven’t watched Pyaar Kiye Jaa so far, please amend that as soon as you can—it’s a delightful film!).
O meri maina has all the fizz and bubble and pep and hilarity you’d expect of a song featuring Mehmood and Mumtaz, their characters acting out a song-and-dance sequence that will be a highlight of the blockbuster film Mehmood’s character is making (in which he’s writer, director, music director, lead, and pretty much everything else). So much fun here, and Manna Dey and Usha Mangeshkar absolutely nail the fun element in their singing. If you thought Manna Dey was good only at classical, check this one out.
6. Aan milo aan milo Shyam saanwre (Devdas, 1955): With Geeta Dutt. This song was pretty much an obvious choice on this list, because I love it so much (Aan milo aan milo Shyam saanwre has appeared on several song lists on this blog over the years). SD Burman based this tune on Baul music, and two Bengali voices—Geeta Dutt and Manna Dey’s—brought it to life in a way that makes it hauntingly beautiful. Geeta Dutt gets to sing most of the song, with Manna Dey’s voice acting as a sort of echo at the end of every line, singing again just those few last words, and their perfect co-ordination makes for a song that is truly memorable.
7. Jaanewaale sipaahi se poochho (Usne Kaha Tha, 1961): With Sabita Banerjee. Sabita Banerjee (Banerjee was her birth name; after her marriage to Salil Chowdhury, she became known as Sabita Chowdhury) sang some 60-odd songs in Hindi cinema, but was never really successful; eventually, she returned to Bengali music, which was her first love and in which she excelled.
Despite her otherwise lacklustre career in Hindi film music, Sabita Banerjee does sing (although in a somewhat muted way) in one of the most poignant anti-war songs Hindi cinema has ever seen—and she sings to a tune composed by her husband. Jaanewaale sipaahi se poochho, written by the 1940s Urdu poet Makhdoom Mohiuddin, is a stark reminder of the very personal losses borne by soldiers and their loved ones in war. Manna Dey’s voice in this song gives me gooseflesh, he sings it with so much feeling. Sabita Banerjee’s voice mostly blends in with that of the choir, but also stands out, since her notes take a slightly different course.
8. Yaaron hamaara kya (Abhilasha, 1968): With Bhupinder. Abhilasha had a pretty good score (by RD Burman), but most of the songs from the film get eclipsed by one song: the super hit Rafi rendition of Waadiyaan mera daaman (even the female version of the song, sung by Lata, pales into insignificance compared to Rafi’s song). The film however does have this infectious song, a footloose-and-fancy-free men-only song that’s sung by Manna Dey and Bhupinder. Bhupinder’s raw young voice and Manna Dey’s more rounded, more mellow voice, meld together well, and do a good job of conveying the no-worries attitude of the men singing it. Maruti pitches in now and then with a couple of words, but the real singing is done by Manna Dey and Bhupinder.
9. Yeh hawa yeh nadi ka kinaara (Ghar Sansar, 1958): With Asha Bhonsle. As with Lata Mangeshkar and Usha Mangeshkar, Manna Dey sang lots of songs with Asha Bhonsle too. Some were relatively little-known; others, like Tu chhupi hai kahaan, Saanjh dhali dil ki lagi thhak chali, and Zulfon ki ghata lekar saawan ki pari aayi, were and are still popular.
I was torn between two very romantic songs: Zulfon ki ghata lekar and Yeh hawa yeh nadi ka kinaara, and finally chose the latter, because this song has such interesting music (by Ravi). There’s a very Westernized feel to the start of the song (which is reflected in its picturization, along a swimming pool and with couples dancing by the poolside) and then segues into a rural milieu, again reflected in the picturization: Kumkum, wearing a ghagra-choli and wandering through sugar cane fields (or tall grass? I can’t tell) with Rajendra Kumar. Asha sings the first two stanzas, and is then joined by Manna Dey in a song that’s gorgeously romantic, their voices silken and beautiful.
10. Ketaki gulab juhi champak ban phoole (Basant Bahar, 1956): With Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. Bharat Bhushan seemed to be every film director’s go-to actor to play the singer or the poet: the more tormented and struggling, the better. And, in most such roles, he ended up at some point or the other, in competition with someone else, both vying to surpass the other in either vocals or shaayari, or both. In Basant Bahar, Bharat Bhushan’s character gatecrashes a music competition where his old (and very jealous) rival is ruling the roost, impressing everyone with his singing… until the hero appears.
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi sang playback for a handful of other films (including the Bengali film Tansen) and here he sings in tandem with Manna Dey. I must admit I know nothing about Hindustani classical music, but I know what impresses me—and this does. Both men sing, seemingly effortlessly, a song that sounds so complex and is so beautiful. Stunning.
(It’s interesting to note that while a lot of people were upset that Manna Dey’s singing ‘lost’ in the battle of Ek chatur naar to Kishore Kumar, few seem to appreciate that it’s Manna Dey who triumphs, or has the last word, in Ketaki gulab juhi champak ban phoole).
Thank you for the songs, Manna Dey! May your voice live on, mesmerizing future generations too.
Dustedoff 
Super List. No words are enough to show our respect to great Manna Dey. Not very “popular” among “aam janta” but all music lovers I can confidently say adore him. He was a singer’s singer. My humble to the list – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncCZV2Bx–4 – Yeh Din din hai khushi ke from Jab se tumhe dekha hai
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What a lovely song! Thank you for that. :-)
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A thoughtfully compiled list, doing justice to a cross section of Music Directors.
There are many more Manna duets which keep coming to mind but the two that I immensely like are :
1. With Lata ‘ Bhigi chaandni chhai bekhudi from Madan Mohan’s ‘ SUHAGAN ‘
And
2. With Asha Bhosle ‘ Mere jeevan me kiran banke bikharne waale ‘ from C Ramchandra’s ‘ TALAAQ.
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Thank you! Mere jeevan mein kiran banke was new to me. Lovely song, thank you for this one.
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I see you have highlighted Mannada’s duets with singers other than Lata! The following duets readily come to mind:
– Mast Bhara hai sama
Beliya beliya – both from Parvarish ( MD: Dattaram )
-Nain mile chain kahan – Basant Bahar SJ
-Jhoomta mausam mast mahina- Ujala SJ
-Sama ye pyar ka – Bhagi Sipahi SJ
– Aye kash chate milke ( with Asha ) -Manzil ,SDB
– Bheegi hawaon mein- with Suman Kalyanpur. Shriman Satyawadi. ( Dattaram)
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“I see you have highlighted Mannada’s duets with singers other than Lata!”
That is an unwarranted accusation. If you read my introduction to the post, this is what I write: “And, to make this a little more challenging, no two duets are with the same singer.” So naturally there could only have been one duet with Lata being featured. :-(
The songs you have suggested are lovely and several of them were on my shortlist.
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Excellent compilation of songs. However I missed lesser known female singers like Mubarak Begum, Sudha Malhotra and
Also Shamshad in the list. Is it possible
that Manna had no songs at all with
them?
Nadkarni
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I’m pretty certain Manna Dey sang with all of these singers – in fact, if you look at the official Manna Dey website, there’s what looks like a very comprehensive list of his songs there, with co-singers listed alongside. I couldn’t possibly have fitted in every singer he sang with, in a list that consisted of ten of my favourite songs, because there are other singers than the ones you’ve listed whose songs with Manna Dey I like a lot.
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A wonderful tribute to a singer par excellence!
You have included a lot of my favourites there, in fact all of the songs are fabulous!
Off hand,
I would add,
Usko nahin dekha from Dadi Maa, with Mahendra Kapoor
And Yeh Nashili Hawa with Suman Kalyanpur
Parda uthake Salam Ho jaye, with Asha Bhosle
Mausam beeta jaye with Lata Mangeshkar
O paise tu bhagwan nahin with Rafi from main shadi karne chala
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Thank you, Anupji – and for the songs you’ve mentioned. Some of them are new to me (at least from the title – perhaps when I listen to them, I might recall them). Mausam beeta jaaye I have mentioned in my post too, though I’ve not put it in the list per se.
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Posting manna Dey’s perhaps only duet with shamshad begum
From musafir
I came across it accidentally while I was looking for Shamshad’s duets, for my post last month.
The lyricist of the song, shailendra can be seen lipsynching to manna Dey’s voice and playing the harmonium.
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Yes, a good song! I had Tedhi-tedhi humse phire saari duniya on my shortlist, but eventually dropped it because there were other songs I liked more. (And when I’d watched it, it hadn’t struck me at all that that was Shailendra! Thank you for that titbit). :-)
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Very nice song.Is that Keshto Mukerjee
Dancing, and who is the female?
Nadkarni
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No, as the commenter (Anup) mentioned, that’s Shailendra. The lyricist. I don’t know who the female is.
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The Lady in question is HEERA SAWANT (b. 15th December 1935) who has sung and danced in the Films of the Golden Era, although mainly in B and C grade Films. Example this song from NAUSHERWAN-E-ADIL where she is featured along with SHEILA VAZ :
With warm regards
PARTHA CHANDA
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Thank you for identifying her!
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A superb collection of songs that showcases Manna Dey’s versatility! Though classical music oriented songs was his forte, he was no less when it came to romantic and comic songs.
Here are a few of my favourite romantic duets of Manna De:
With Lata – “Pyar bhari ye ghatayen” from Qaidi No. 911
With Geeta – “Hain pyar ke do matwale” from Apradhi Kaun
With Asha – “Kali anaar ki” from Chhoti Bahen
With Suman – “Yeh nasheeli hawa” from Neeli Ankhen
Many of the duets Manna Dey sang with Rafi were really fun ones. Here are three of them. In the first one, while there is the familiar Rafi – Johnny Walker combination, Manna Dey, singing for some unknown character, steals the show. The second song, incidentally, is one of the rare instances of a song being lip-synched by Mukri
“Munh se mat laga” from Johny Walker
“O babu tel maalish” from Baraat
“Yeh do deewane dil ke” from Johar Mehmood in Goa
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Thank you so much for these songs! Really good selection. It’s been ages since I heard Babu tel maalish. The same with Yeh do deewaane dil ke – such a delightful song. :-D
Of the romantic songs you’ve listed, Pyaar bhari yeh ghataayein is one I especially love. So good!
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Lata…..SATI SAVITRI
Tum Gagan ke Chandrama ho
Main Dhara ki dhool hoon…
MADHUMATI
Chad gayo paapi bichua…
BAHARON KE SAPNE
Chunri sambhal udi udi jaaye re…
Geeta Dutt….. ZIDDI
Main tere pyaar mein kya kya na bana Dilbar
Jaane ye mausam…
Asha…..AULAD
Jodi hamari banegi kaise jaani…
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Yes. :-)
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Kishore……CHALTI KA NAAM GAADI
Babu samjho ishare harran pukaare..
AMIR GARIB
Mere pyaale mein sharaab daal de..
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And yes. :-)
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Agree :)
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Lata……
SSS
Yashomati Maiya se bole Nandlala..
POST BOX 999
Mere dil mein hai ek baat…
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More yes. :-) I don’t like Yashomati maiyya se, even though it was such a smash hit.
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Aaja Sanam Madhur Chandni Mein……
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Yes. I’ve mentioned it (not listed it) in my post. Lovely song. I think Manna Dey’s voice suited Raj Kapoor a lot.
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Very good selection of songs. One of my favorites duet of Manna Dey with Lata Mangeshkar is Kanha ja re and Ja tose nahi bolun Kanhaiya….both songs are little bit similar to each other…
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Thank you for these! Both songs are lovely, though I must confess to a special love for Jaa tose nahin boloon Kanhaiya. :-) It’s one of my favourites. And a wonderful little film, too.
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Anup ji,
There is at least one more Manna Dey_ Shamshad Begum duet.
BEEAQOOF,1960
Majrooh Sultanpuri,SDB.
Are Haan dildar kamndewalon ka…
Interestingly, in the movie Manna Dey has given playback to I S Johar, Pran, Mukri and probably to Kishore Kumar ( just a line or two) in one song.
He has duets with Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhonsle as well.
In Dekh idhar dekh tera dhyan kidhar hai… where he sings for Mukri and Asha Bhonsle for I S Johar,I am curious to know the voice going on Asit Sen. More knowledgeable ones please clarify.
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This song was new to me! The situation seems really interesting. I wonder what is going on here… must try and see if I can find the movie to watch.
That actor isn’t Asit Sen, by the way. It’s Ulhas. I don’t know who’s singing playback for him, though.
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Oh yes,
The film had one song, But I had completely forgotten about it.
Here it is,
The tune reminds of ‘Woh Paas Rahe Ya door rahe’ by Suraiya.
The Antara also has a famiilar tune, which I could not make out.
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Delightful!
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What a fun song! And Edwina, of course, makes it that much better. ;-) I love her dancing.
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ye raat bhigi bhigi..(chori chori)
Pyar hua ikrar hua (Shree 420 )
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Yes. In my notes about his duet with Lata, I’ve mentioned (and linked to) both songs.
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Lots of songs I had in my mind have been covered in your post and comments above. My favourite duets of Manna Dey are with Mohd. Rafi and those I have covered too. But “O meri maina” is a special favourite. Great song and dancing. Wonderful movie overall.
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I agree! I love O meri maina as well as Pyaar Kiye Jaa. Such an absolutely delightful movie.
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The not much heard beauty from JYOTI,1969
Manna Dey,Lata Mangeshkar
Soch ke ye Gagan jhoome
Abhi Chand nikal aayega…
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Thank you for mentioning that! I love that song. It’s the one reason I want to watch Jyoti (though I’m very fond of Sanjeev Kumar, too…). Beautiful song.
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Damn – I just wrote a long comment that disappeared. :(
Nice post, Madhu, and just what I needed today. Does it surprise you that the songs on your list were on mine as well? :)
https://anuradhawarrier.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-legends-manna-dey-part-2.html
Apart from the songs you posted, and that I found in the comments here are some of my favourites:
With Geeta Dutt: Hai pyaare ke do matwale from Apradhi Kaun; music by Salilda
With Asha Bhosle: Ae kaash chalte milke from Manzil
And for the commenter who thought you overlooked Manna’s duets with Lata, here are some of my favourites (other than the one you posted – and listed):
Bheegi Chandni from Suhagan
Aa bhi jaa rasiyaan from Phoolon ki sej
Balma mora aanchra from Sangat – Salilda again
This one, because Balraj Sahni is in such a different mood. :) O gori aaja gadi wich from Sapan Suhane.
and
Ritu aaye ritu jaaye from Hamdard
Anupji said there was perhaps only one Manna-Shamshad duet; but someone already posted another one. Here’s a third – Desi kya bidesi from Lal Batti. The m music director is Salilda. (It’s just a coincidence that so many of the songs I listed are composed by Salil Choudhury.)
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Oh boy!
Then so far, three shamshad – Manna Dey duets. Thank you Anuji for this one!
I of course, hadn’t heard it before. It reminded me of, ‘vivah bhojanambu’ from Maya Bazar. Perhaps because of the ‘Aha Aha ha’, but the tune also sounds somewhat similar.
And please,
Drop the ‘ji’ from my name. A request to both the you, Madhuji and Anuji.
:-)
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Yes, that Aha aha ha does remind me of the song from Maya Bazaar!
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If that was the length of the comment you’d initially posted and which disappeared, and you wrote it all out again, I applaud your perseverance! Thank you so much, Anu. For all those lovely songs. Some of these I already had heard but had forgotten (Suhaagan, Manzil, Phoolon ki Sej, Apraadhi Kaun, but some were new to me. And all good songs, too. O gori gaddi wich baith jaa was a special discovery – lovely song, and so good to see Balraj Sahni in teasing mode. :-)
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Here is one of the finest song of Rafi-Manna Dey combo and my top favorite as below. I never understood why such a great song never became popular:
My another Manna Dey favorite is:
And one more my favorite below:
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All three good songs! While I like Ek jaanib sham-e-mehfil and Khul sim sim khullam khulla, I have a special fondness for Chhuppa chhuppi o chhuppi. That’s a really sweet song.
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Here is another Manna Day duet with Antara Choudhary (daughter of Salil Choudhary, singing here when she was really young) .. Teri Galiyon Mean Hum Aaye , from a film called Minoo
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This one was new to me!
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And of course there are countless Bengali songs with various other singers :)
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Yes. And not just Bengali, but other languages too, considering he sang in so many languages.
Since nobody else seems to have mentioned it, let me bung in another duet which I like very much. Manna Dey and Lata singing Chunri sambhaal gori udi chali jaaye re in Bahaaron ke Sapne:
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Madhu ji,
Chunri sambhal…did figure in my comment. I am not sure whether anyone has posted the SHAGIRD Rafi, Manna Dey song
Bade Miya deewane
Aise na bano
Haseena kya chahe
Humse suno
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Sorry, I had forgotten that you’d mentioned the song.
And I really like Bade miyaan deewaane. So much fun.
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Anup ji,Anu ji,
The cup overfloweth!
Here is the first ever duet of Manna Dey and Shamshad Begum.
GIRLS SCHOOL,1949.
Kavi Pradeep,
Anil Biswas.
Phoolon ke sapne dekhnewalon
Kanton pe chalna seekh lo…
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ak ji,
MINOO was the remake of the Kannada movie CHINNA NINNA MUDDADUVE( ಚಿನ್ನಾ ನಿನ್ನಾ ಮುದ್ದಾಡುವೆ),1977. Music was by Salil Chowdhury. Antara sang the original version with S P Balasubramaniam.
Interestingly,Salil Chowdhury had scored music for 3 more films of the same director,Samee Ulla and had won the best music director State award for SAMSHAYA PHALA(ಸಂಶಯ ಫಲ),1971.
Mad bhari ye hawayen is Harusha doorada meru in Kannada.
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Jaago jaago jaago
Jaago aayee Usha
Panchi bole jaago….
The Manna Dey_ Suraiya duet from TAMANNA,1942 is the very first Hindi film song that Manna Dey recorded.
B S Kalla, K C Dey.
https:// youtu.be/ BFnylTFAUlS
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Thanks for mentioning the exact song from the film.
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I was on facebook after ages, I thought I should post a link to my latest blogpost, do not know how many of my friends on facebook are interested but I thought why not. Before posting I got a bit distracted and went on scrolling through my home page and came across your link. You know I have written about this in my blog but of course you will not remember, so I will repeat it here, You see my father never lip-synced to any song, when he had to do it once, he got the director to reshoot and asked him to play the song in the background but there was one exception Manna Dey did give playback for my father. It was the Ramayan path, the reading was not just a reading it was set to a tune. So Manna Dey did the honours, the film was Bhaiyaa a film in the Maghadi language. Unfortunately, it is not there on You Tube.
By the way my fav Manna Dey song is the one from Waqt, ‘Ae mere zohra jabeen…’
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I do remember you mentioning that your father never lip-synced to any songs and that there was one song where the song ended up being a background one. I didn’t know about the Manna Dey Ramayan paath song – how interesting! I hope someone eventually uploads it on Youtube. Would you remember what year that was?
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I posted a comment do not know where it disappeared, right now I am running short of time, I will comeback later to post again, I just wanted to tell you Manna Dey gave playback for my father, tell you about this exception in my father’s career later.
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It seemed to have appeared on its own, without any intervention from me… strange are the ways of the Internet!
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Some more duets of Manna Dey I like:
“O mister suno ik baat” from Agra Road
“Keh do ji keh do” from Kismat ka Khel
“Yeh samaa hai mera dil jawan” from Samrat Chandragupta
“Tum jo aao to pyar aa jaye” from Sakhi Robin
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Thank you for these! I especially love Tum jo aao toh pyaar aa jaaye and O mister o mister.
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BUDHA MIL GAYA
Manna Dey_ Archana
Aayo kahan se Ghanshyam…
Has Archana sung any other songs?
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I hadn’t realized Archana actually sang that song and didn’t just lip-sync to it.
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Picnic mein tik tik karte jhoome masthon ki toli
Sunday ki mauj manao
Monday ko maro goli…
If I say this is from Bharat Vyas_ S N Tripathi, you wouldn’t believe it. If I further say Manna Dey does yodelling in this song, you would say,”WHAT!?!”
Well…
PIYA MILAN KI AAS,1961
Manna Dey _Geetha Dutt.
And, complete lyrics?
That’s all 😀
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Oh God!
I think, I will have to write a post on rarely heard Bharat vyas! on similar lines I did ‘rarely heard Ghulam mohammad’.
:-)
Even after three exhaustive posts on Bharat vyas, this song escaped my attention.
May be next year!
😉
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I found the song on Youtube. Here it is, a delightful one.
Ages since I heard this one.
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Oh!
What a delightful song indeed!
Just four lines repeated again and again.
And,
If Tripathi was capable of composing such songs, why he restricted himself to mythology and religious films?
Perhaps he didn’t find, peace of mind with such songs. After all, we did feel refreshed and peaceful, hearing a Indian classical based song. Don’t we?
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I don’t mind songs which aren’t based on Indian classical music – in fact, a lot of my favourite songs aren’t – but I do agree that some of Hindi cinema’s really good classical-based songs are top-notch.
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1) This duet with Asha from Laakhon Mein Ek: “Mere Samne Wale Kamre Mein”:
This song comprises of multiple parodies of songs popular back then. Most of the original songs seem to be composed by either SD or RD Burman and most of their lyrics were by Rajinder Krishen.
2) This song may be the last song Manna da sang for a Hindi film. From the 2006 film Umar, supported by Sonu Nigam and Kavita Krishnamurthy:
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Hehe. It’s been ages since I heard Mere saamnewaale kamre mein. Delightful song! And just goes to show how very versatile Manna Dey was. Amazing.
I had Duniyawaalon ko nahin kuchh bhi khabar, but never paid enough attention to it to even realize that was Manna Dey in it. For someone that old, his voice is powerful and totally in tune.
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I forgot to mention that “Duniyawalon Ko” is written by Shailendra’s son Shaily Shailendra. Thus the song has a connection to not one but two yesteryear greats.
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Ah. Didn’t know that!
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I wish you had included Shaam dhale jamuna kinare (don’t recall which film) with Lata. Normally Lata outshines the co singer in any duet, but this is a classic case of Mannada holding his own against the redoubtable Lata Mangeshkar. I won’t say he was better, but every bit as good, note for note. I hope you agree.
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Lata outshining the co-singer is not at all digestible to me. I would rather say Rafi always outshines the co-singer whether it’s Lata or anybody else and it’s a universal truth. Why and how she got Bharat Ratna is still a mystery to not just to me but to many others
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Shaam dhale Jamuna kinaare is from Pushpanjali:
It is a very good song, but I must admit that I like Dil ki gireh khol do more. All subjective, I suppose. :-)
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The lovely song is from PUSHPANJALI,1970.
AB,LP.
It had the Mukhesh beauty Jaane chale jaate hain kahan, duniya se jaanewale.
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Yes. I remember watching Pushpanjali many many years ago and thinking that it had several good songs wasted on a film that was pretty forgettable.
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Couldn’t resist posting another favourite Manna Dey duet:
“Taar taar baj raha” from School Master
It’s nice to see Manna Dey’s birth centenary being covered in mainstream media – there’s a nice back-of-the magazine article on him in the latest issue of Outlook
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I don’t think I’ve ever heard this song before! Lovely song. Thanks for this.
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Another melodious Manna Dey Song below. I thought to post it because nobody has yet posted it:
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I hadn’t heard O babu saab o memsaab before! What a delightful song. Thank you for this. :-)
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A great compilation of duets of Mannada so happy u started with na jaane kahan tum thhefr from zindagi aur khwab I had watched the film years back n the melody has stayed with me since Two more duets both my favourites I would mention here ‘tum gagan ke chandrama ho’ from Sati Savitri n ‘ soch ke ye gagan jhoome’ from Jyothi both with Lataji
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Thank you. I watched Zindagi aur Khwaab just for Na jaane kahaan tum thhe, and the song remains the best part of the film for me! I love the two songs you’ve suggested, especially Sochke yeh gagan jhoome.
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Kehti Hai Jhuki Jhuki Nazar is a very good song from the same movie by Suman Kalyanpur.
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Yes, lovely song.
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1. Budham Sharanam Gachchaami
Manna Dey-Meena Kapoor; Bharat Vyas; Anil Biswas.
ANGULIMAAL,1960.
2. Apne suron mein mere suron ko basa lo…
MD_ Usha Mangeshkar; Naqsh Llyalpuri; Madan Mohan.
DIL KI RAHEN,1973.
3. Mitwa mitwa mere man mitwa, aajaa re,aajaa re aajaa re…
MD,Vani Jayaram; Naqsh Llyalpuri; Jaidev.
PARINAY,1974.
4. Na chahoon Sona Chandi, Na chahoon heera moti…
MD, Shailendra Singh; Vittalbhai Patel;LP.
BOBBY,1973.
5. Jaaneman o Jaaneman Tum din raat mere hi saath is dil mein rehte ho..
MD_ Usha Khanna; ? S H Bihari; Usha Khanna.
HAYE MERA DIL,1968.
Check this out to see Manna da singing for Kishore da😀
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Not all of these were familiar to me!
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Since no one has mentioned this Manna Dey-Asha Bhosle duet, I though I’d add it to the collection (surprisingly, no video available)
“Boond jo ban gayie moti” from movie of the same name
A rousing Manna Dey-Rafi duet
“Chalte hi jana” from Usne Kaha Tha
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I must have heard Boond jo ban gayi moti, since I’ve seen the film (ages back, in the days of DD), but I have absolutely no recollection of this. I wonder if it was even retained in the film? Or was it a background song? Nice song, though, as is Chalte hi jaana ho.
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And to add one more to a list which is getting longer by the day . From the Film PARVARISH (1958) :
With warm regards
PARTHA CHANDA
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I had forgotten Mama o mama. I must admit I don’t care for it much, but it’s a good showcase of his versatility.
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I had such a good time going thru all the songs in the post and comments – such a fabulous variety. Manna Dey was the only one of the great male playback singers I had the pleasure of seeing in concert. It was in the early 90s and of course his voice wasn’t the same, but it was wonderful to see and hear him up close.
Most of my favorites have already been posted, but here are a couple of songs that though not quite favorites are nevertheless pleasant. And it’s nice to see Manna still getting to sing romantic songs late in the 70s/80s.
Mausam aayega jayega pyaar sada muskayega – Shayyad/Asha Bhonsle/Manas Mukherjee/Vitalbhai Patel
Sab kho diya sab paa diya – Maqqar/Lata Mangeshkar/Rajesh Roshan/Amit Khanna
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“Manna Dey was the only one of the great male playback singers I had the pleasure of seeing in concert.”
I envy you, Shalini! Wow. When I posted the link to this blog post on Facebook, someone there recalled how he used to live next door to Manna Dey and would often visit – Manna Dey would sometimes sing for him too. :-)
My first thought when I saw the names of the songs you’d posted was that I wasn’t familiar with these. When I heard them, of course, I recognized them instantly – it’s only that I never realized that was Manna Dey singing. I feel embarrassed that I didn’t recognize his voice.
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One song I would like to mention is Mohammed Rafi and Manna Dey qawwaali “Log to baat ka afsana bana dete hain” from film Shadi (1962).
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Yes, a nice song!
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I hope you had mentioned “chhupa chhupi ” a children song of Savera. How wonderfully Manna De becomes a big Billi !
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That’s a fabulous song! It was on my shortlist for this post, and though it eventually didn’t get included, it is certainly one of my favourite duets of his.
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Thanks !
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:-)
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