This post is ten days late. January 4, 2025 marked the 100th birth anniversary of an actor who, in an industry dominated by Punjabis, was one of just a handful of Bengali leading men. And, unlike—say, Biwasjit or Joy Mukherjee—to have a respectably long innings as an actor, playing lead roles right through the 50s and 60s, and then continuing as a character actor up to the last years of the 1900s. Impressive.
I have to admit that I am not a great fan of Pradeep Kumar. His acting skills weren’t anything out of the ordinary, but what put me off was the look, in later years. Early Pradeep Kumar (in Nagin, for example, or Anarkali) was handsome; but he gained weight quickly, becoming puffy-faced and tubby-bodied within a matter of a few years. As if to compensate, the makeup artists he came up against universally seemed to slather on the greasepaint with a heavy hand. Pradeep Kumar, especially in colour films, appears generally with too much eye makeup and too pronounced lipstick—looking much older than the sort of man he was playing.
But. There is a reason I am devoting a post to him, remembering this birth centenary, albeit belatedly: Pradeep Kumar lip-synced to some wonderful songs. He acted in some popular films with one-hit-after-another scores (Taj Mahal, Anarkali, Adalat, Meri Soorat Teri Aankhein, etc), but even in relatively forgettable films—especially B-grade crime thrillers like Zindagi aur Maut, Detective, Police, etc—he had the good fortune to ‘sing’ some amazing songs.
Here they are, then: ten of my favourite Pradeep Kumar songs, all from pre-1970s Hindi films that I’ve seen. These are a mix of solos and duets, my only criterion in this aspect being that Pradeep Kumar lip-syncs at least in part to the song.
1. Sau baar janam lenge sau baar fanaa honge (Ustaadon ke Ustaad, 1963): While most of the songs in this list are in no particular order, if I were asked to pick one special favourite, this would be it. You actually don’t see Pradeep Kumar up close and ‘singing’ until almost the end of the song, but what a song this is. Asad Bhopali’s lyrics, Ravi’s music and Mohammad Rafi’s voice blend together seamlessly to create a song that is magical in its sense of the eternal, the ‘lovers-for-all-ages’ theme that is played out here. And Rajendra Malone’s inspired cinematography (those shadows, the light streaming through the mist, the flowing water) is the icing on the cake.
2. Hum intezaar karenge tera qayamat tak (Bahu Begum, 1967): One of Pradeep Kumar’s most enduring onscreen pairings was with Meena Kumari: they worked in a number of films together, both historical/period (Adl-e-Jahangir, Noorjehan, Chitralekha) and not (Bahu Begum, Aarti, Bheegi Raat, Bandhan). Equally enduring was the actor who more often than not formed the third wheel in this jodi: Ashok Kumar, who played the unwanted suitor in film after film where Meena Kumari’s character actually loved Pradeep Kumar’s character.
… like Bahu Begum, where she ends up ‘married’ (not really; it’s some weird technicality) to Ashok Kumar, and out of a misplaced sense of duty, stays on for the sake of his family. Meanwhile, her old lover pines for her, and assures her that he will wait. Hum intezaar karenge appears in two versions, a duet (Rafi and Asha) and this solo by Rafi, both beautifully melodic and romantic.
3. Dil jo na keh saka wohi raaz-e-dil (Bheegi Raat, 1965): From another film that was a Pradeep Kumar-Meena Kumari-Ashok Kumar love triangle comes another song that appeared in two versions in the film. In Bheegi Raat, Pradeep Kumar played an artist whose love interest ends up (seemingly, to him) engaged to another man, proving thus that she’s completely faithless, having forgotten all the promises she made to him on a long-ago rain-soaked night. In an anguished song that mirrors, in tune if not in sentiment, her words, he sets out to show her what he thinks of her. A bitter, sad and desperate song, but a beautiful one nonetheless.
4. Mann re tu kaahe na dheer dhare (Chitralekha, 1964): Before I move on to other fellow actors, one last song from a film that starred, alongside Pradeep Kumar, Meena Kumari and Ashok Kumar yet again. One of the rare Hindi films set in ancient India, Chitralekha revolved around a courtesan who finds herself the object of the affection and/or lust of two very different men: a prince and a would-be ascetic. Pradeep Kumar, as Prince Beejgupt, got to lip-sync to one of Mohammad Rafi’s most polished renditions here, as he mulls over the puzzle that is the human heart.
5. Dil lagaakar hum yeh samjhe (Zindagi aur Maut, 1965): Besides carving a niche for himself in period films, Pradeep Kumar, by the mid-1960s had begun acting in a number of B-grade crime thriller films (perhaps the big budget films were becoming fewer, and these offered a chance to keep going?) Most of these were marked by incoherent scripts, poor direction and an indifferent cast (Wahan Ke Log, Anjaan, and Zindagi aur Maut are all unhappy examples), but most of them, at least, had good music. Dil lagaakar hum yeh samjhe is a case in point: a beautifully romantic song (composed by C Ramachandra) in a film that was otherwise pretty much a train wreck. This song appeared in two versions, as male and female solos, with the male version (sung by Mahendra Kapoor) coming first, followed much later in the film by the sad version sung by Asha Bhonsle.
6. Zameen se humein aasmaan par bithaake (Adalat, 1958): One of Pradeep Kumar’s more successful films was Adalat, which featured him opposite Nargis (who also acted with Pradeep Kumar in her last film, Raat aur Din, released in 1967). Adalat was a story of ups and downs, a romance between a college girl and a wealthy man which leads to marriage—and then distrust, suspicion, separation. A thoroughly tedious and eventually regressive film, Adalat is not one of my favourites. But its music, composed by Madan Mohan, is one of the music director’s best scores: one wonderful song after another. Of these, Pradeep Kumar lip-synced to the frothy picnic song Jab din haseen dil ho jawaan; and this gloriously romantic one, of two lovers pledging eternal love in the moonlight. Soothing, sweet, thought sadly ironic when you know what happens later in the film.
7. Mujhko tum jo mile yeh jahaan mil gaya (Detective, 1958): Even more than Zameen pe humein aasmaan par, I like this other love song sung in the night. Detective was an indifferent sort of thriller film, not very good, with Pradeep Kumar cast as an unusual hero, a magician. Where Detective shone was in its lovely music, composed by Mukul Roy (brother of Geeta Dutt). This wonderful song, sung by Geeta and Hemant (whose voice had an uncanny resemblance to Pradeep Kumar’s) is so mellifluous and oozing romance, it ranks as one of my top romantic songs ever. If only Pradeep Kumar hadn’t been in a dressing gown!
8. Paaon chhoo lene do phoolon ko (Taj Mahal, 1962): Taj Mahal, one of several Mughal-era period films that starred Pradeep Kumar, outshone the others in that it had such a stellar score by Roshan. While there were a few songs (Na na na na re na na haath na lagaana; Jurm-e-ulfat pe humein, Chaandi ka badan sone ki nazar) that weren’t really all about romance, the bulk of the songs exemplified the love between Khurram/Shahjahan and Arjumand Banu/Mumtaz Mahal. The repeated Jo vaada kiya woh nibhaana padega; Jo baat tujhmein hai—and this lyrical, beautiful offering to the beloved. Let your feet touch the flowers I have strewn for you; it will be a favour bestowed on these flowers. Exquisite, and Pradeep Kumar’s expression echoes the softness of Sahir’s lyrics and Rafi’s voice.
9. Ab kya misaal doon main tumhaare shabaab ki (Aarti, 1962): Pradeep Kumar with Meena Kumari, yet again. And in a film that (yet again!) starred Ashok Kumar as the third wheel, the man who resents the fact that his fiancée has fallen in love with (and married) another, and will now stop at nothing to get her back—or to avenge what he perceives as an insult to himself. Things, of course, go all haywire before the couple get their Happily Ever After. Before all that turmoil happens, though, there’s this song: a besotted husband singing a serenade to his beautiful bride, describing every aspect of her beauty, of why he finds her so irresistible. Anu, by the way, listed Ab kya misaal doon in her post on Rafi’s love songs, and her description of it is so good, I couldn’t hope to improve on it.
10. Saaz-e-dil chhed de (Passport, 1961): To end the list, another song featuring Pradeep Kumar as a character romancing his sweetheart on a beautiful moonlit night. Madhubala was another of the top actresses—along with Meena Kumari, Vyjyanthimala, Mala Sinha, Nargis, et al—who acted opposite Pradeep Kumar in several films each. Madhubala starred with him in Passport, Gateway of India (which had Pradeep Kumar in an unusual role as a playboy villain), Raj Hath, Shirin Farhad, etc. Passport was a so-so film about trade union activities, big business, and the usual mix of romance, villainy, and more: not much there that was memorable, except for this lovely love song.
Do you like Pradeep Kumar? Which are your favourite songs of his? Do share.
Dustedoff 
all songs in your list are excellent !
interestingly, 5 of 10 are set to tune by Roshan !
pradip Kumar had the fortune of getting the best songs with the best of heroines. One particular song picturised on him that I like is a gazal from little known film ‘ Mulzim ‘. The words are ‘ deewana kah ke aaj mujhe fir pukariye “. Music was by Ravi and lyric by Shakeel Badayuni.
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I hadn’t even realized that half of these songs were composed by Roshan! Interesting observation.
Thank you, too, for Deewana kehke aaj mujhe phir pukaar lo – this was new to me. Beautiful song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJZ28pTYYJU
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Not a great fan of Pradeep Kumar, the actor, but he did have a regal presence that complemented so many of the regal roles that were part of his filmography.
And yes, I agree with you that he ‘sang’ so many wonderful songs. Your list has several of my favourites, so here are my additions. (I’m not linking the songs because then my comment disappears into oblivion.)
Bhooli hui yaadon mujhe itna na sataao from Sanjog (Mukesh for Madan Mohan)
Ae meri zindagi tujhe doondhoon kahaan from Adl-e-Jehangir (Talat Mahmood for Husnlal Bhagatram)
Aaye bahaar ban ke lubhaakar chale gaye from Rajhath (Mohammed Rafi for Shankar-Jaikishan)
Tere dwaar khada ik jogi from Nagin (Hemant Kumar for Hemant Kumar)
Hum chal rahe the from Duniya Na Mane (Mukesh for Madan Mohan again)
Jaaoon main kahan ye zameen ye jahaan chhod ke from Miss India (Lata, Manna Dey for SD Burman)
Ye zindagi ka mausam from Ghunghat (Asha, Rafi for Ravi)
O baby, mudko zara from Police (Hemant Kumar, Geeta Dutt for Hemant)
And for alternate songs from the films you have listed:
Aankhon se bharosa mat kar from Detective (Rafi, Sudha Malhotra for Mukul Roy)
Raat aur din diya jale from Raat aur Din (Mukesh for SJ)
Chha gaye baadal nil gagan par from Chitralekha (Asha, Rafi for Roshan)
Aap ne yaad dilaaya from Aarti (Rafi, Lata for Roshan)
Lovely list, Madhu (and thank you for the appreciation; means much coming from you).
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Anu, yours is such a gorgeous list! (and you won’t be surprised, I know, to discover that a lot of these songs were in my longlist or shortlist too). One song that I really like but had completely forgotten about was Aaye bahaar banke – what a beautiful song; how could I have missed that one?!
Thank you for these – made my day. :-)
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I don’t like Pradeep Kumar, but the songs you’ve mentioned are really good ones (I don’t recognize the 5th, 6th, and 7th ones. Need to check).
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To me Pradeep Kumar is like Bharat Bhushan, Biswajeet, and Rajendra Kumar – not an actor I like, but oh, what wonderful songs! I guess it’s because that period saw very few bad songs, anyway. There was a huge amount of talent in the area of film music, so everybody (including scarcely known actors or extras) ended up lip-syncing to superb songs.
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Wonderful songs!
I have to agree with you that Pradeep Kumar had a lot of memorable and melodious songs to lipsync to.
The list and the comment by Anuji covers the most of my favourites. Will add songs if I remember others.
:-)
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Yes, Anu’s comment certainly covers many of Pradeep Kumar’s best songs! Glad you enjoyed these, and if you think of any others you like, do post. I am sure you will have some obscure ones up your sleeve. :-)
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1 Ye mausam rangeen sama from Modern girl
2 Ye kisne geet chheda from MSTA
3 Aap jabse qareeb Aaye hain from Noorjahan
4 Hazaaron rang badlega Zamana
5 Mat maaro shyam pichkari
6 Gar tum bura na mano
7 Tum kitni khoobsurat ho from Wagan ke log
You have watched the movie I think and Tanuja looks absolutely gorgeous.
The list got a bit longer! But I’m sure you know most of these songs.
:-)
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I have to admit I had to listen to most of these songs to recall them – except the one from Wahan ke Log, and Yeh mausam rangeen sama (which I like a lot) – so thank you for that, Anupji! Enjoyed these songs a lot.
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For me no Pradeep Kumar song list is complete without the outstanding Vande Mataram…. ANAND MUTT, 1953
Later days, I like the SAMBANDH, 1969 duet ( Mahendra Kapoor ) Jo diya tha tumne ek din…
One was Hemant Kumar ‘s Mumbai beginning and the next, his very rare outing with the tunesmith OPN.
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I have to admit I don’t much like Jo diya thha tumne, but Vande mataram is a gem. It was on my shortlist, so especially glad to see it here.
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Beautiful songs. But then that was the basis of your post. One song in a Pradeep Kumar starrer movie that I like very much is Aa neele gagan tale pyar hum karen. But not having seen the movie I do not know whether Pradeep Kumar lip syncs to it in the film.
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Yes, Aa neele gagan tale is a beautiful song – but as you point out, one can’t be absolutely sure that Pradeep Kumar lip-syncs to it (though I think we can be reasonably sure).
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Aankhon mein tumhare jalwe hain from Shirin Farhad is also a very good song. And you get to see Madhubala’s beautiful face in it.
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Oh, yes. Very nice song. I have to admit I remember, offhand, only Guzra hua zamaana from that film, so I had to go and search this one out to listen to it again.
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One reader observed five are Roshan songs I observed eight are Rafi songs.
Dil jo na keh saka from “Bheegi Raat” is an iconic song of Rafi, which is perfect for several themes such as best songs of Roshan, Majrooh, Rafi etc. I would rather go for Jane wo Kaun hain kya naam hai in ankhon ka from the same movie, what a song.
Secondly Baar baar tohe kya samjhaye, from Aarti, I would rate amongst ten best duets of Rafi and Lata.
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Thank you, beautiful songs, both of these. I especially have a soft spot for Baar-baar tohe kya samjhaaye, so seeing you post it makes me particularly happy. :-)
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It’s no secret that Pradeep Kumar is no favourite of mine. And it is no secret either that he got to lip sync some of the best songs of the golden era. Hum Intezaar Karenge & Dil Jo Na Kah Saka from your list are my all time favourites.
Mostly Rafi & Mahendra Kapoor’s voice suited best for his personality. But strangely Mukesh’s voice in ‘Jis Dil Mein Basa Tha‘ from Saheli also worked. And even Pradeep Kumar on screen could not diminish it’s magic.
He also got to romance most of the lovely leading ladies of the cinema world. Madhubala in Yeh Wada Karo Chand Ke Samne in Rajhath.
Now technically Pradeep Kumar is not lip syncing to the song but one of musical hit of time – Anarkali must not be cast aside. Pradeep Kumar is featured in the movie and when he did not try to twist his facial muscles he did look quite regal in the song. Plus song is an appeal to him if I am not wrong. Hence I plead to add sonorous Jag Dard E Ishq, though it was lip synched by someone else. (wise choice perhaps?)
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I really love Jaag dard-e-ishq jaag, and Pradeep Kumar looks really dashing there. So worth watching (and even more worth listening to), even if it’s technically not one of this songs. :-)
Thank you, especially, for reminding me of the song from Saheli. I have watched the film, but had completely forgotten about it.
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If only Pradeep Kumar hadn’t been in a dressing gown!
>>> Actually he is the one who could carry dressing gown in later years of his career. But of course, you wouldn’t want to romance anybody, forget Mala Sinha wearing that.
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Exactly! A dashing suit is far more becoming. :-)
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I thought to add a couple of songs of Pradeep Kumar below which I don’t find in the above list.
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A very special thanks for Gaya andhera hua ujaala! I like this song a lot, but had never seen it before and didn’t know it was a Pradeep Kumar song.
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Madhuji,
Your post establishes the fact that luck has a lot to do with the kind of songs that you get to lip sync on screen. Otherwise, what explains some of the best of songs being sung by Biswajeet, Bharat Bhushan, Rajendra Kumar …..?
Here is a duet – Manna De and Suman Kalyanpur from Jabse Tumhe Dekha Hai (1963) – Yeh Din Din Hain Khushi Ke, featuring Pradeep Kumar and Geeta Bali.
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I don’t think I’d heard this song before – beautiful song, Anitaji. Thank you for this one.
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