Salil Chowdhury Quiz - Post 4
Vish Krishnan
RJGK-34 Followup: Posts #4
Presented here are the remaining (and songwise) comments from RJGK-34.
Some add-on info is presented in some places, mostly mindless trivia.
This is the last of our RJGK-34 related posts. Thanks for all your
help and participation.
Pradeep
Vish
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1. jaago mohan pyare, jaago - Jaagte Raho (1956)
Vandana: A very nice beginning to the quiz.
Suneeta: Lovely Song to begin with! I remember, there was a nice song in the
movie picturized on Motilal's wife. Unfortunately, I have not seen a
recording of it so far.
Hosts: We almost included the Asha song you are trying to remember ("ThanDi
ThanDi saawan ki phuhaar").
Anand: This movie is directed by theatre legend Shambhu Mitra and Amit
Moitra. There is a very interesting story about the film which i shall not
tell because it becomes film related (sacrilege! on RMIM!!)
Hosts: You could have written more about these movie makers. We would not
mind AT ALL.
Ketan: Wonder why RK switched to Salil for just 1 movie. Proves that he was
tone deaf to go for the less melodious SJ. :) No discussions please..
Snehal: The last I saw this movie was in 1989 or 1990, not sure, in Sadhana
Talkies in Vadodara, when they screened maestros films after his death. It
was no surprise for me, to see only few old aged gentlemen and couple of
"old" young ones like me. :) Towards the end, when the song appears, amidst
the dawn and accompnying Sunlight, the effect of this it (set in Bhairav), in
the cinema hall (near empty, and hence allowing nice echo effect too) was so
profound that each and every one feeled as if the dawn had really set in!
Even while writing this, I am excited and have become little emotional. Great
direction by the Bengali theatre's 'Bhishma Pitamah' Shambhu Mitra and
equally great performance by Raj Kapoor, who silenced all his critics by this
unforgett- alble performance. Hats to him for, taking up the project
too. Shashi (or was it Shammi?) Kapoor in one interview told, it was only Raj
who could dare taking up such an art-film project then, despite knowing well
it doesn't and won't sell. This would easily figure in, in any top 5 films of
Indian Cinema history.
Availability: The Hindi song is available on references 6, 7, 21. Reference
21 does not have the complete version. The equivalent Bengali song "jaago
mohan preetam" (from the movie EK DIN RAATRE) is available on reference #32.
Ashok had this to say about reference #21: "HMV Execs ought to be caned for
mixing 2 "Jagte Raho" songs with inferior films, but ought to be drawn and
quartered for not including all the songs even though they were not close to
the CD limit of 74 minutes..."
We have given up trying to understand the HMV algorithm after the discovery
of the MUSAAFIR-CHHALIA cassette. Also, after we discovered reference #6,
the frustration level did come down a bit.
2. aa jaa ri aa nidnidyaa tu aa - Do Bigha Zameen (1953)
Snehal: Thanks for including this lori. My favourite Lata lori. Shailendra
has penned a great lyrics.
Hosts: The Bengali version came along in the mid '50s as Pratima Banerjee
sang "ghum aaye re aaye". Somewhere half-way, the song swiches to "ghum
aashchey na", the original for Lata's "jhun jhunjhunaa", a gem from AAWAAZ.
Availability: Again, there have been a few releases as shown above.
References 4 and 20 are relevant. The Pratima Banerji version "ghum aaye re
aaye" can be found on reference #40.
3. Aa ja re pardesi - Madhumati (1958)
Anand: (Agar yeh gaana nahin include kiya hota
to main protest karta calcutta type RMIM par)
Ambrish and Sandeep: Madhumati..... Or should we say "Guddi" ? :)
Ketan: This is so beautifully composed, the way the instruments, intertwine
etc. The effect is really breathtaking.
Availability: Numerous releases, particularly 1,2,3, although none of them
contain the following rare insert for this song (have to get the movie for
that purpose):
ghir aayee raat andheraa chhaaya,
mujhse bichaD gayee meri kaaya.....
4. ga.ngaa aaye kahaa.n se - Kabuliwala (1961)
Clue: Calcutta fans who have seen this film will recognize the Hooghly in the
background, and yet, the song is about another river. A great movie based on
a wonderful story by a Nobel Laureate............
Ashok, Chetan, Shalini: I am mystified by the reference to "another river."
There is a Buddhist maxim that you never enter the same river twice,
connoting that things change over time. Is your point similar: that it is
not the same river in two different places? :) I suppose only a part of the
river is really 'ganga' with all the associations we have with it, but isn't
it the same river, geographically speaking?
Suneeta: The song IS about Hugli, just uses a better known name for it. How
could Vish Krishnan miss this?? I thought he used to live in Calcutta :)
Ambrish, Sandeep - Isn't the Hooghly a tributary of the Ganga? My geography
is poor, and so please correct me if I am wrong.
Harish Suvarna: (Don't recall his words, but he also sent a message with the
same question).
Hosts: Is the Hooghly really the same as the Ganga? You tell us. A couple
of 100 Kms east of Bhagalpur, the Ganga splits. The bulk of the water goes
further east, enters Bangla Desh, and becomes the Padma (Padda, as the song
"Gangaa amaar maa" addresses it). The rest of the Ganga, about 1/3 of the
original water, goes almost directly south through W. Bengal under the name
Bhaagirathi. Around Nawabdweep, the river Jalangi merges into the
Bhaagirathi, and this confluence marks the beginning of what we know as the
Hooghly. Now, is it the same as the Ganga? We thought it was not. But we
will take refuge under the Buddhist maxim if we have to :)
Ashok, Chetan, Shalini: BTW, I would have welcomed it with equal vigour, had
you chosen the Rafi song: "o sabaa kehnaa mere dildaar ko".
Hosts: Wish we had, not instead of, but in addition to "gangaa..".. It would
have added to the eclectic spectrum.
Prince, Neeraj: Any rmimers who had doubts about Hemant singing high notes, -
as discussed on RMIM sometime back - should just listen to this stanza )
Vandana: Clever clues about the Nobel Laureate and the song being about
another river. Such clues make the quiz more interesting ...........
Hosts: Although this is the first released song for Sampooran Singh "Gulzar",
his first recorded piece was "moraa goraa ang lai le".
Availability: References 5, 20
5. o sajanaa, barakhaa bahaar aai - Parakh (1960)
Anand: (mujhe ek baar bhagwaan Lata ji ki awaaz de de to main yahi
gaana gaaonga. Kya mithaas hai.
Sach mein Saraswti jee bol rahin hain)
Ketan: Perfecto by Lata. Only bettered by her own bengali version IMHO!
Availability: Numerous cassette and CD releases have it. Our recommendation
would be references 7, 8, 19.
Please note that a specific version of "Bansi kyon gaaye" is available on
8,19. This one is a high treble rendition - sounds like a different
recording from another version that starts with a faster flute piece, and
sounds better because of a lower treble level.
"naa jeo naa", the original, is available on a few releases, particularly 28,
33, and more than one Bengali cassette release listed in the references.
6. koi sone ke dilwaala - Maya (1961)
Anand: Koi sone ke dil waala, Maya (Guru) Dev ki film. Guru dev ko mera shat
shat pranaam
Ambrish - Jaa re jaa re ud jaa re panchhi.....Comparable to O sajnaa barkhaa
bahaar aayee in its exquisiteness. Arguably, two of the best songs turned out
by Lata in her career.
Balaji, Malini: Nice selection, though 'Zindagi hai kya' would have been
better.
Snehal: There are few Rafi solos with SC. The only other good one (that I
know) is that Madhumati number 'Tute Hue Khwabon Ne'. But, IMO, this is the
best Rafi song for him.
Hosts: This and the Afghaani song from KAABULIWAALA were the other choices.
Did not think of including "zindagi hai kyaa" although that is a great song
too. Somehow, Rafi's mouthing of English words (ice kareem waala???) doesn't
sit well.
Availability: At least two places - references 9, 16. Number 9 is a good one
to buy because, yes, as you guessed, it has all the songs. In particular,
the Rafi swinger "sanam tu chal diyaa rastaa mere binaa" is there as well as
a non-descript Asha chorus. This cassette is also plagued by the high treble
movie soundtrack syndrome. The songs also seem to be running at a higher
than necessary speed.
We have never heard a Bengali version of "koi sonay ke dil waala". Does one
exist?
7. jhoome re, neela ambar jhoome - Ek Gaaon Ki Kahaani (1957)
Balaji, Malini: And people say Talat only sings sad songs!!
Availability: Was released on reference #7, and perhaps at least one
Talat cassette release. Anybody know about the Bangla version?
8. Aha rimjhim ke ye pyaare pyaare geet liye - Usne Kahaa Thaa (1960)
Ashok, Chetan, Shalini: The interludes are very pretty in the song, it's
true. I do find it a bit too rich (like a cheesecake; looks and tastes very
nice, but I end up eating much less than when I set out!). It somewhat
ill-fits Talat here, unlike in the 'Chhaya' nazm.
Ketan: hmm, did u two notice, how the interludes, and the instruments undergo
a slight modification in the Shyamal Mitra version. Still sounds great
though.
Hosts: The Bengali original ("aha oi ankaa bankaa je paath..") by Shyamal
Mitra, as mentioned by Ketan, seemed less focussed on the orchestration.
That was the general trend for Sir Salil through the '50s and even the next
decade. It was for the Hindi versions that he fortified the concert hall, so
to speak. We had a tough time identifying the one song that would stand
above the rest in the area of orchestral counterpoint. There are several
candidates.
Availability: Again, several places. References 7, 8, 19 for sure. The
Shyamal Mitra version is available on reference #28, and on some cassettes as
well.
9. chhoTaa saa ghar hogaa - Naukri (1954)
Ambrish, Sandeep - The Bengali version of this song "Ek je chhilo raajaa" was
sung by Antara Chowdhury, right guys?
Ketan: hats off to Pradeep. His singing this song made me run out and buy the
CD immediately.
Hosts: Antara Chowdhury has sung a number of "ek je chhilo..." songs, and
some of them are available in her "Bengali Nursery Rhymes" release (reference
#31). Not this song though.
Availability: Exists on reference #7. We have heard only one other NAUKRI
song on an EMI release (a Geeta Dutt solo on the 2-pack reference #13).
10. Saathi re, tujh bin jiyaa udaas re - Poonam Ki Raat (1965)
Anand: Bore film but what a song. Film mat dekhiyega!
Ketan: What an interlude! IMHO the most melodious piece there ever will be.
Ambrish, Sandeep: A very rarely used word "unbujh" appears in the song.
Poetic license?!?!?! ....
Hosts: The word seems etymologically derivable within the bounds of language
rules. Haven't heard it used elsewhere though.
Balaji, Malini: Another song with connections to 31(b) :)
Ashok, Chetan, Shalini: I liked the interludes (brilliant) more than the
vocal melody in this song......Kishor Sahu tried out a new heroine, the very
photogenic Sindhi belle Kumud Chhugani. Didn't click. .......
Hosts: Sir Salil's movies had to have been low-budget affairs, and even the
music composer was probably not financially rewarded as much.
A point of difference between the musical approaches taken by Bombay and
Hollywood. Indian music makers have historically NOT taken the low profile
when it came to murder and suspense. They had to stuff the waves with loud
orchestration . Our American friends on the other hand have realized and
utilized the power of silence. Don't recall if POONAM KI RAAT was also loud
in this regard, but one would surely like to see a change in trend with Hindi
cinema music when it comes to handling delicate or intrigue-ridden
situations.
Availability: On reference #7, and perhaps on a 15 year old release called
HAUNTING MELODIES - Lata. The movie has a little bit of background music
that is quite impressive, and has not made it to the available versions on
record.
11. Oy ai.nwe duniyaa dewe duhaai - Jaagte Raho(1956)
Snehal: Agree, Agree, Agree! I would have really loved if you had included
'Maine Jo Li Angdaai... O Lucy Bye-Bye' by Sandhya Mukherjee. Great song.
Hosts: A potential reason for including that song could have been to increase
the singer coverage. We would have gone to Geeta Dutt (well, well) before
picking Sandhya M. Nothing against her. She is, after all, a powerful force
that did not or could not penetrate Bombay's machinations. Let us blame that
one on everyone's favourite wicked witch! That seems to be the "in" thing
these days.
Availability: Reference #6.
12. Roj akeli aaye, roj bechaari jaaye - Mere Apne (1971)
Ashok, Chetan, Shalini: You mean Lata saying 'roj' and not 'roz'? She also
seems to say 'bhikaaran, with a 'k' rather than with 'kh.'......... BTW, I
find the second line of the mukhaDaa a disaster, lyrics-wise!
Vandana: 'Adorable' clue about the mispronounciation. :)
Balaji, Malini: We thought, this song was from Mere Apne. But, the song
was nowhere in the movie when we watched the video.
Snehal: Oh, so this was ths song, in favour of which, you surrendered that
song from Poonam Ki Raat! I dismiss the calim by this song 'to be better
song' among 'bhatakati atma' songs (seriously). I don't think Gulzar is
really as big as he is projected on RMIM (I am talking about Gulzar-the
lyricist). He should be (and will be) remembered for introducing a new
definition of symbolism into lyrics of Hindi film songs, with a great deal of
success. This is the reason it appeals to most of intellectuals (of *this*
age), and not all, and in particular , a lay man; unlike a Shailendra or a
Majrooh (who I guess is respected in both the circles) or a Sahir (for in him
lived two persons, much like Faiz or Majrooh : a poet and a
socialist/communist) peotry that attracts all.
Hosts: No Snehal, the POONAM KI RAAT song surrendered to "aa ja re pardesi",
not "roj akeli aaye..".....True, this stanza is NOT in the movie, kind of a
reverse situation, not that uncommon when start counting the number of such
cases.
Availability: Reference #17. The corresponding Nazrul Geet (sung by Manna
Dey) "Meghlaa Nishi Bhoray" has been released on reference #39.
13. Naa, jiyaa laage naa - Anand (1970)
Ambrish, Sandeep: Refer Chitrahaar 11 post on results for my comments about
the movie. Have watched it 66 times so far and will watch many more
times...no doubt about that...
Snehal: Great song! Muze aise geet sunkar 'diabetic' ho jaane ka dar rehata
hai :) Pradeep's influence is visible here. Otherwise why should a song like
'Kahin Door Jab' by Yogesh can't make to the quiz? :)
Hosts: The quiz was not exactly lacking in Yogesh entries. In fact, the one
lyricist we missed altogether was Prem Dhawan. If we had included any other
song from KAABULIWAALA, that problem would have been solved.
Availability: Numerous releases, but from the reference list, it is #17. The
Bangla song "na mono laagey na" can be had from Reference #34.
14 Jaan-e-man, jaan-e-man - Chhoti si baat (1976)
Vandana: The issue you have raised in the clue is one I wonder about often.
Similarly about why Salil Chowdhary and C. Ramchandra preferred Talat over
Rafi, and why they chose Rafi when they did. For eg. in "Saaqi", CR uses
both Talat and Rafi for the same hero......"Aa gayi hai ishq pe bahaar, katm
hua hai intezaar" is by Rafi and Lata, and "Kise maaloom thha ek din muhabbat
bezubaan hoga" is by Talat and Lata. I think Talat also has a solo in the
movie.
Hosts: Getting right down to it, again using quantity as a measure, one
becomes less sure about Talat's profile in the maestro's work. How many
songs DID he sing after all? Other than CHHAAYA and EK GAAON KI KAHAANI,
does anything else come to mind? All right, then. He has some duets -
AAWAAZ (1), USNE KAHAA THAA (1), PREM PATRA (2). Is that not then the extent
of his stats? A total of 11 songs (5 solos, 6 duets)? Let us, just for the
fun of it, compare this with the number of Rafi songs. Quite a few more
solos will emerge. Starting right with DO BIGHA ZAMEEN (1), we have BIRAAJ
BAHU (1), MADHUMATI (2), AAWAAZ (1), TAANGEWAALI (1), KAABULIWAALA (1), MAAYA
(3), CHHAAYA (1), POONAM KI RAAT (1), NETAJI SUBHASH (1), and onward. As for
duets, we have to look at JAAGTE RAHO (1), USNE KAHAA THAA (2), MAAYA (1),
JHOOLA (1), CHAAND AUR SOORAJ (1), NETAJI SUBHASH (1) etc. So, while Talat's
voice dominated two movies, and Rafi's didn't represent any 1 single film,
his SC output, for what it is worth, is higher. Admittedly though, Talat's
songs will be better remembered.
The real constancy was provided by Mukesh, Hemanta, Manna Dey, or even
Kishore for that matter!
Availability: Reference #18
15. aa.nsoo samajh ke - Chhaaya (1961)
Ketan: Hey guys! The opening title music of Chhaya sounds like Bach's-- Fur
Elise piece. Is it?
Hosts: Don't know. Haven't seen the movie. From the way you describe it, we
should be off the video store right now!
Snehal: Good choice. Of course the 'Chham Chham Nachat Aai Bahar', a Bahar
based song, is the most beautiful number (from film). What surprises me for
this film, is Salil's choice of Mukesh for only one song with Lata! Of course
the choice is beyond any doubt a right one, do you know why that exception ?
Hosts: Is this really an exception? There have been a few movies where
Mukesh sings one or half of one song. JHOOLA is one such. Dominated by Lata
solos, it has one Lata-Mukesh duet ("door bahut aabaadi se"). CHAAND AUR
SOORAJ has but one Mukesh solo ("kisi ne jaado kiyaa"), and that has been
dropped from the movie. Something similar happened with PREM PATRA. Isn't
there a Mukesh duet in MEM DIDI as well?
Availability: Some Talat releases will definitely have this song, as does
reference #2. Lata sings the exotic Bengali version ("Ki je kori..") , a far
superior rendition. That can be found on reference #s 33, 37 and probably
others.
16. munna baDaa pyaara - Musaafir (1957)
Clue: .....The song ends abruptly....but...
Ashok: Why the "but"? Given the context in the film, it was very appropriate
for the song to come to an abrupt halt, right?
Hosts: No semantics associated with the "but". Probably just constructed the
sentence that way.
Vandana: I am having trouble finding a clean copy of the Dilip Kumar/Lata
duet. Does one exist?
Hosts: Even the MUSAAFIR audio tape (Reference 10) is not very good. The
movie copy normally available on video shelves is even worse. Sorry.
Snehal: Yahan tak to SuperFast train ki tareh aa gaye. Lekin ab dekhiye ki
gaadi kitane signalon par rukati hai ? :-) Kai jagahon par to kai der tak
ruke par dimaag ke darwaaze se na koi aaya na koi gayaa :-)
Availability: Reference #10.
17. haalchaal TheekThaak hai - Mere Apne (1971)
Clue: The amount of symbolism used in this song is unparallelled, except
perhaps by this lyricist's own another song. This movie was about youth
unrest under the direction of a respected lyricist G.
Ashok: Where is the symbolism? G hits us on the head giving both the actual
objects and the metaphors. You perhaps mean you like the imagery?
Hosts: Probably that.
Availability: Reference #17 (although the stanza in the clue is not on this
audio - need the movie version for that).
18. jhirjhir jhirjhir badarvaa barsay, ho kaare kaare - Parivaar (1956)
Clue: A duet from the '50s whose starting bars got reused in another Salil
gem from the same decade.......
Ashok: I hope you will tell us the song where the bars got reused in the
results post.
Hosts: Lata's solo from TAANGEWAALI ("rimjhim jhim jhim badarvaa barsay")
opens with music set to the starting tune of "jhirjhir....". TAANGEWAALI
could well have happened before PARIVAAR. We are not really sure, but they
must have been really close to each other. Now, that song is definitely
available on one of the 24 volumes of reference #44, but we have not seen
this collection in any US store.
Ajay, Veena: The movie is of course Parivaar or PARIVAAR (in Vishwrite)
Vish: OF COURSE :) :) :)
Ketan: Only Salil seems to have made Lata hum the way she does in this song,
as also in the Usne kahan tha, and there is a Lata/Talat or Lata/Mukesh in
"Honeymoon' in which she does is brilliantly too.
Vandana: Beautiful song.....nostalgia!
Snehal: Great song! Were any other songs popular from the film ? (Other than
this and 'Ja Tose Nahi Bolun Kanhaiya'.)
Hosts: Perhaps the most popular song, after "jaa to se nahin.." was Kishore
Kumar's sidesplitting "kuen mein kood ke mar jaana, yaar tum shaadi mat
karnaa".
Availability: Only readily available release is Reference #7 (from what we
could find). There have also been several Lata-Hemanta releases, and it is
inconceivable that this song didn't make it to any of them.
19. saawan ki raato.n mei.n, aisaa bhi hotaa hai - Prem Patra (1962)
Clue: With apologies for repeating a clue that has appeared in a recent
quiz..
Ambrish, Sandeep: Don't have to feel sorry for including this lovely song,
even it is for the nth time.
Balaji, Malini: Another well known composition in Jhaptaal (not by SC) is the
'Yeh raateN, yeh mausam' - non-film By Punkaj Mullick....But Jhaptaal, per
se, is probably not very common in Hindi film songs.
Ashok: .. can relate to your finding this song irresistible
Vandana: Irresistible song, like you said. And a good thing that you
included it, after all the purpose of the quiz is to share music you enjoy.
Everytime I hear this song though I wish someone other than Talat had done
the recitation part.
Hosts: Agree with that assessment.
Availability: References # 8, 19
20. cheel cheel chillaa ke kajri sunaay - Half Ticket (1962)
Clue: Perhaps the most absurd movie led by this singer-hero, it had his voice
in ALL the songs....
Ashok, Chetan, Shalini: .....And a Kishore-Kishore duet, with KK giveing
playback to Pran wih his normal voice and to himself (disguised as female)
with falsetto singing!
That line of the 'Half Ticket' song is picturized on a young girl. Whoever
sings it, does so with great confidence and the girl on the screen also
carries it off with aplomb. Perhaps some MD daughter? (Chetan says that
according to you Antara wasn't yet born.) Interestingly, the song seems to
carry Pran's voice saying "kya beTa?" !
Balaji, Malini: Probably the only avoidable clue!
Hosts: Well, well, well! The movie just HAD to be included in the quiz, and
in retrospect, we should have gone for the Geeta Dutt duet with Kishore.
Ketan: Love the way KK goes operatic in the "are wah wah wah" parts.
Prince, Neeraj: Perhaps this is the song where that unidentified young voice
is ? There are kids in the train and the older girl sings 'cheel
cheel'. Frankly, always struck me as a young Kavita Krishnamurti for some
reason.
Hosts: Yes, this was indeed the song with the unidentified voice. Two teams
zeroed in on that, or at least explicitly stated that. Still don't know who
the singer is. Our guess is that it is the voice of a 7-9 year old, and
given that the movie was made in 1960, that person is in his/her '40s today
in 1996. Can't be Kavita K., or for that matter, can't be Antara Chowdhury
either. Thought about Ranu Mukherjee, but then she sang "naani teri morni
ko.." around the same time as HALF TICKET. That doesn't compute. So the
mystery remains.
Availability: Reference #22. According to Ashok, there is also a HALF TICKET
and SHRIMAAN FUNTOOSH cassette release.
21. Mere khwaaboN meiN khayaaloN mein chhupe - Honeymoon (1961)
Ambrish, Sandeep : Beautiful song. Simple tune wonderfully rendered by Mukesh
and Lata.
Vandana: Does Lata actually sing any words in this song ? Again clever clue
for those who have heard the song and observed Lata's role.
Hosts: No, Lata only does a Sabita Chowdhury here, along with the background
orchestra.
Availability: Reference #15 (the only source we could find). According to
Ashok, it was also released on reference #46.
22. chal de wahaa.n, tujhko milay, pyaar jahaa.n - Annadaata (1972)
Ambrish, Sandeep: Too many Sabita Chaudhry songs in the quiz.
Availability: Reference #18. Won't be surprised if this song too is Russian
in original inspiration.
23. Hum nahiN dukh se ghabraayeNge - Jeena Yahaan (1979)
Prince, Neeraj: The best part of the quiz was to discover a gem of Sabita
Chowdhary in this movie. My ( Neeraj ) whole family fell in love with the
song and her voice !
Hosts: This is also the main reason for including Sabita Chowdhury in the
quiz.
Availability: Reference #45. According to Ashok, it is also available on a
YESUDAS GOLDEN COLLECTIONS release.
24. Aayee ghir ghir saawan ki kaali kaali ghaTaaye.n - Anokhaa Dhaan (1972)
Prince, Neeraj: :( Wish, could have found more songs by her - but given 2
video stores with dismal cassettes/CD collection.......)
Hosts: The movie, an ANNADAATA contemporary, was probably not worthwhile, but
it almost seemed as though Sir Salil, realizing the depreciation in Lata's
voice, tried to capture the last bit of goodness. Her 2 solos are very
collectible IF YOU CAN FIND THEM. Also featured are two choruses ('maanaa ke
hai zindagi ek safar" and "humraahi, manzil pe..") both reminiscent of the
maestro's IPTA days.
Availability: Sorry. Could not find any audio. The video has been seen in
some parts of the country. The Bengali version of this song is a beautiful
Sabita Chowdhury solo, and is available on reference #24 (request for Ketan
to supply the serial number).
25. chalte hi jaana, ho chalte hi jaana - Usne Kahaa Thaa (1960)
Prince, Neeraj: Movie was disaster ? Gosh, have watched it 5 - 6 times ! Do
have a bone to pick with Bimal Roy though - while the 2 Bengalis ( BR & SC )
have kept to a true flavour of Punjab - the marriage scene has the Dulha
dressed as Bengali ? No where in Punjab you will see the 1 string sehra
donned as ---- this.
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Hosts: The movie was very intelligently done, and as Ashok indicated in some
recent post as well, the whole business of war and killing has been seen from
the soldier's eyes. Gratifying movie, great music. Didn't amount to much in
box- office terms.
Availability: References 8 and 19.
26. Meri aur unki preet puraani - Chaand Aur Sooraj (1965)
Ashok, Chetan, Shalini : Isn't it overly dramatic to say "made history" for
just using Suman in a duet with Rafi (perhaps during the period when Rafi and
Lata did not sing together)?
Hosts: Perhaps we overstated it. The thinking was along the lines that Rafi
and Sabita Chowdhury have probably never done a Salil Chowdhury duet. She
has been singing Hindi movie songs since the early '50s, and we won't be at
all surprised if there is actually a Rafi-Sabita duet around. However, it
has not happened under the maestro's baton. This song would have presented
that opportunity.
Availability: Another video candidate. The movie is available (quite
readily, we hear).
27. Ek samay par do barsaateiN - Jhoola (1962)
Snehal: Excellent song. Manna it's! This melody is just lost today.
Hosts: The song has snatches of more than just 2 Malhars. Dinkar Kaikini of
Vividh Bharati's SANGEET SARITA played it once to illustrate Sur Malhar.
Other Malhar variants showing up here are Megh Malhaar and Miyaan Ki Malhaar
(for just a brief moment).
Availability: The video is available, and thanks to a pointer from Ashok,
reference 14 has it too.
28. chaa.nd kabhi thaa baa.nho.n mei.n - Sapan Suhaane (1961)
Ashok, Chetan, Shalini: Lovely song. The only Hindi solo of Sabita I
remember hearing. Interestingly, till I heard the song for the quiz, my
memory of the voice could not distinguish between Sabita and Lata. I suppose
this one could very well have been sung by Lata.
Hosts: Among Salil Chowdhury's best orchestral pieces, the song makes one
wonder why Sabita Chowdhury did not get to sing more solos.
Availability: The video is the only source as far as we know.
29. Janmabhoomi maa - Netaji Subhashchandra Bose (1966)
Ashok, Chetan, Shalini: What I remember of the song "janmabhoomi maa"
(whether or not that is the answer!) in its stanzas merges in my mind with
"aye mere pyaare watan". ... The other song would be "dushmanoN saavadhaan,
shatruoN saavadhaan". Might be the only Hemant-Rafi duet......From your
comments, Hemen Gupta was in the INA. What else has he done in the film
world?
I have some memories of the poster of the film, Abhi Bhattacharya in a pose
of military salute. I also have vague memories of the film being banned some
time after the release, because of the objection of Bose's family.
(Something like, the film showed Bose actually getting married to the
Austrian woman and Bose's family objected to the portrayal.) I think because
of the same issue, Bose's daughter gave up trying to settle in India.
Ambrish: BTW, is Netaji Subhashchandra Bose a full length feature film or is
it a short film/documentary?
Hosts: It was indeed a full-length feature film, but is now forgotten even by
filmographers. We did not realize that the movie had been temporarily banned
by the Indian Government. Yes, NSC Bose was married to an Austrian lady
Emilie Schenkel by name, and as Ashok mentions, they did have a daughter (
born in the late '30s?).
In his ground-breaking analysis of Calcutta's past (book title: CALCUTTA),
author Geoffery Moorhouse does seem to take a suspicious view of Bose's
overall leadership skills, and his level of sincerity. After all, a very
large number of INA soldiers died of starvation and disease well before they
ever faced an Allied army. Perhaps they were trapped in the South East Asian
jungle under awful conditions. At any rate, the book does not dedicate more
than 3 pages to Bose, and yet, Moorhouse's attitude becomes quite clear.
Hemen Gupta, the director for this movie, was Bose's right-hand man, and knew
the INA code well. How he escaped hanging at the hands of the British is
simply amazing. After 1947, Hemen Gupta, one of the few INA survivors with
this high a profile, was somewhat associated with the IPTA, and his first few
movies, all Bengali, came out of that association. BHULI NAI and '42 both
had music done by Hemanta Mukherjee as did AANAND MATH, perhaps Hemen Gupta's
best remembered creation. Following that, he did FERRY, his first Hindi
venture. The music was by Hemanta M. once again, and that was probably the
last Hemen-Hemanta partnership (was it?). We do believe Hemen Gupta has a
couple of Roshanlal movies to his credit (TAKSAAL, BAABAR etc). It was in
1960 that Bimal Roy invited him to direct KAABULIWAALA - an Indian movie
classic. The Bengali original was done by Tapan Sinha (music by
Pt. Ravishankar).
It was only appropriate that Hemen Gupta finished his tribute to the INA
Chief just before he himself passed on. NETAJI... was the second time the
master director collaborated with Salil Chowdhury, and the maestro rekindled
the INA spirit. For the longest time, Bose's birthday was celebrated in
Calcutta with the military band playing standard INA marching tunes like
"Jhankaro jhankaro...". Sir Salil adapted it into Hindi, and the result was
the Hemanta-Sabita chorus:
Jhankaro jhankaro jhananana jhan jhan, jhankaro agni beena
aazaad ho ke bandhuo.n jiyo, ye jeena, kyaa jeena, ye jeena, kyaa jeena
Clue #29 was probably the toughest one in the quiz (please see availability
section). The great team of Harmesh Kaur and Surjit Singh cracked it
nevertheless.
Availability: Don't know. We have not been able to locate even the video for
this movie.
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