RJGK 49 - Answers & Results
Balaji A.S. Murthy
Here we are with results of the 49th edition of RJGK - "same-sex duets".
First of we thank all the participants who sent in their entries. Here is
the list of all the entries. There were 13 entries in all, 11 competitive
and 2 non-competitive(N/C). Actually, only one entrant was explicit about
the attribution, however, one other entry was very obviously non-
competitive, we took the liberty of classifying it so.
The entries were
Ramesh Hariharan (non-competitive)
Vijay Kumar K
Tabassum Hijazi
Swarnim & Manisha Kanth
Nita Tiwari
Shashi Hariharan & Ravi Kumar
Abhay Phadnis
Arunabha Shasanka Roy
Sami Mohammed
Roopa Dhawan
Satish Kalra (non-competitive)
Afzal A. Khan
Most of the participants found the quiz to be on the tougher side. However,
they also found the idea itself appealing. A few others wrote to mention
that they found the quiz and the theme very interesting, but that the quiz
itself was too tough.
In general, in spite of the toughness of the quiz, most appeared to like
the coverage both in terms of time period covered as well the diversity of
the singers featured.
There were also some complaints (as expected) about some
inclusions/exclusions.
A little about the quiz composition.
Initially, we set out out with the following criteria
- 30 clues, 15 male, 15 female, 60 distinct singers.
- A fair distribution across the decades
- Song should be either popular, or easily available, as in audio/video
sources
Adhering to criterion #3 meant criterion #1 went out the door. We decided
to repeat singers (maximum of 2 songs), but still had a tough time getting
well known songs for males, so we ultimately reduced the male songs. In
spite of this some well known songs/singers missed out. One singer we
regret excluding is Usha Mangeshkar. She has a high enough output for her
to be included in the quiz, but the numbers game kept her out.
Some general comments by the participants
Vijay Kumar K:
As with your Piano quiz, you have come up with an excellent
chronological mix - something for everyone. The 70s & 80s with
neither recency nor memorableness to recommend it will probably be
as much an Achilles' heel for others as for me. A good mix of
singers, MDs also. Did not bother to do a lyricist analysis, but
given the period mix, even that will probably be fairly even. All
in all, a good, balanced quiz - a great job.
Tabassum Hijazi:
I can't believe it that you expect people to solve such difficult
quiz with so minimum p-stats. You should be little merciful
towards new comers like me :-) After tough RJGK 48 I was
expecting that RJGK 49 will be relieving one but after seeing
this now I feel RJGK48 was not that tough :-)
Inspite of difficulty level I cant stop myself from solving the
quiz, it was nice to find some rare pairs featured. Coverage
over period/singers/pairs was pretty good.
Shashi Hariharan:
This is my first attempt at answering a RJGK Quiz (I am attempting
the Translator's Nighmare Quiz simultaneously). Kudos to you for
all the hard work you must have put in to frame this quiz. It was
a very challenging experience.
Abhay Phadnis:
A great effort from you folks. Thanks for a fun time! And I know
I'll eat my heart out once I see the answers post and find a few
more songs I SHOULD have got!!
Sami Mohammed:
Thanks for the quiz. I did enjoy the quiz although it turned out
to be too tough for me.
Roopa Dhawan(after seeing the quiz) :
Thanks for sending the quiz. I've started on it already, and am
having fun.
Satish Kalra:
Thanks for a challenging quiz.
Vish Krishnan:
The goodness of an RJGK implementation to me has always been
summarized by the thoroughness with which the conductors
size up the space. It is this coverage I find myself focussed
on, rather than the actual selections (although the two are
connected). Then there is the practical aspect of it - song
availability and familiarity/popularity (with the occasional
zinger thrown in just to keep the quiz from becoming a blatant
gimme).
Looking at the quiz, I find all the above considerations
extremely well addressed.
Afzal A. Khan:
Actually I was debating whether to participate this time around
as I found the quiz to be rather tough. Ultimately, I decided to
do so guided by the olympic spirit ("participation is the main
thing, winning or losing does not really matter").
Same sex duets are comparatively rare and, consequently, more
difficult to remember. Also, they don't seem to make up that
significant a percentage of really memomorable songs which
comprise mostly solos (male/female) and "opposite sex" duets.
But a few of these same sex songs are no doubt worth remembering
for various reasons.
Admittedly, selecting songs for this sort of quiz must have been
difficult. Malini and Balaji deserve kudos for their painstaking
job.
Here once again we would like to acknowledge the help from Surajit Bose
who gave up a chance to participate and provided some songs to us to use
in the quiz.
Some participants had complaints about inclusion/exclusion of specific
songs
Vijay Kumar K:
The standard 'mai.n bhii quizmaster' cribs "man kyuu.N bahakaa"
was probably too commonplace to find a place here. Maybe "mere
sapano.n kii raanii" would have been a better choice for Saigal.
For funny songs, you could have gone with Rafi-Kishore's "sa re
ga ma" (chupake chupake). Or even better "ham the vah thii"
(Chalatii ka naam gaa.Dii). Also recall "aa.Nki chalii, baa.Nki
chalii" from Namkeen - wouldn't that qualify as a same-sex duet?
Some 'obvious' choices would be "ae chaa.Nd jahaan wo jaaye.n",
"zindagi badalii", "reshamii salwaar-kurtaa", "kajaraa muhabbat
waala." No tears shed on their omission. But I recall an unusual
combination, Rafi & Chitalkar in Sagai - can't recall if it is
"mohabbat jataa ke, aa.Nkhe.n la.Daake" or "tabiiyat saaf ho gayii"
- which could have found a place. Or Rafi-Mukesh' "jo bore kare
yaar ko." OP could have been accommodated with "tu hai mera prem
devataa".
Abhay Phadnis:
Two major omissions from my point of view: the Rafi-Manna Dey
duet "tu hai.n meraa prem devataa" from "kalpana" and the
Bhimsen Joshi-Manna Dey duet "ketakii gulaab juhii" from "basant
bahaar". Also, how COULD you leave out the Asha-Usha gem from
"chitralekha", "kaahe tarasaaye jiyaraa"?!
Chetan:
Thanks for the nice quiz. Love the theme. Would have loved to
see 'merii sakhii bataa' from CR's HUNGAMA. I don't think it is
included in the quiz. This song is quite unique for a number of
reasons. One, it is a Chitalkar-Rafi duet. Two, while it is
quite common for a female singer to sing the male part, I can
think of few songs where a male singer sings the female part!
Vish Krishnan:
I still can't resist trying to accommodate some obvious
candidates (SP, Sabita, Antara, and perhaps Usha? I am
not sure about Usha M. Perhaps she is already there).
What about people like Udit N, Kavita, Kumar Sanu?
It is silly to argue about choices. You could however have
gone up to 30 songs with the inclusion of Sabita and SP,
and possibly GM Durrani. Antara is interesting too. Her duets
(MINOO etc) are out of reach, else the Asha-Antara duet
would be a candidate. As would the Sabita-Ranoo M song.
In addition, Vish captured some of the issues facing us with amazing
perception.
Singer pairings walk a precarious line. One change, and the
whole graph gets perturbed. Generally speaking, if you want
a greater fan-out (never mind the hardware expression), you
pair well-known singers with lesser known ones. Contrariwise,
if you want fold in your choices thereby controlling the
number of clues, you pair high profile voices together. I
don't know if you went through a conscious exercise here, but
the end result is very interesting. Then there are cases where
you find a song just plain interesting, and must have it.
Finally, one question from Arunabha
I have a question and a request re: the title : this mysterious
alteration of "same gender" to "same-sex" . Could you throw
light on this rahasya in the answers post ?
Here is what happened. We had mentioned the topic to Ashok and Surajit.
Ashok mentioned the correct form should be 'same-sex' rather than 'same-
gender'. Surajit gave the following explanation (hope he doesn't mind us
including it here)
> I think "same-sex" is the right expression; gender is just a
> grammatical concept. Right?
Some feminist thinking says: "sex" is a biological category,
"gender" a social one; thus a woman who earns more than her
husband could make the husband feel threatened, because she
is adopting a masculine gender role (breadwinner), thereby
effeminating him. According to such thinking ideology (in
the Althusserian sense) tries to construct gender roles as
"natural" results of biology, but in fact they are socially
constructed.
More radical feminist thinking (to which I subscribe) points
out that biology is a social construct too--there's no such
thing as pure biology unmediated through social constructions
of gender roles. (All right, let's be Kantian and say, there
may be such a noumenos but we are phenomenal creatures and have
no access to that pure world.) Why make sexual difference a
natural category? What about gay men or lesbians? Are they
being against biology, and so unnatural, in their desires? What
counts as natural sexual difference is itself socially
constructed. Sex is an effect of gender, not vice-versa.
OK? :-) So you choose. I'd say "same-sex".
So according to the above, even though 'gore gore' in the quiz is a
"same-sex" duet, it really not a "same-gender" duet.
Satisfied, Arunabha :)?
Thanks to all for some very kind and generous comments.
Here are the answers. The numbers in stats are numbers of correct
answers for the numbers of entries that attempted the clue. For
some clues, the participants just guessed the movie, usually
correctly. Those entries are excluded from both counts. Also, not
included in the counts are the N/C entries.
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1 roz roz mulaaqaat achchhii nahii.n
pyaar me.n aisii baat achchhii nahii.n
tho.Daa tho.Daa milanaa, tho.Dii sii judaa_ii
sadaa chaa.Ndanii raat achchhii nahii.n
Probably one of the first songs to come to mind when one mentions same-
sex duets. Two sisters, one playing the male, the other female, play act
a typical episode between the lovers. Lata and Amirbai sing this playful
number composed by C.Ramchandra.
Song : gore gore o baa.Nke chhore
kabhii merii galii aayaa karo
Film : samaadhii (1950)
Singers : Lata, Amirbai
Music : C.Ramchandra
Lyrics : Rajinder Krishan
Stats: 11/11
Afzal:
The late Kuldip Kaur played a
vampish role (that of a traitor). If I am not
mistaken, she figures in this song too. The late
Mubarak (a character actor of merit) also played
the villain's role. Acting-wise, a great deal of
hamming. This song had led to a lot of protests by
puritan elements, much of it (I suspect) fuelled by
professional rivalry, rather than purely moral
outrage.
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2 raat ki_e hai solah si.ngaar, madiraa kii halkii hai phuhaar
maan bhii jaa_o ek baat, ab aake thaam lo ye haath
tan jhuume man jhuume dharaa dhanan pavan jhuume
saaz jaage jaam chhalake aa_o
Two accomplished classical singers combine skillfully to render this
lovely kedar composition for a 90s film about a fictional singer/dancer.
Basically a mujra, the song has two versions (identical words) with only
a slight difference in the orchestration. An aging Asha is badly shown
up in this soundtrack by Vanraj Bhatia dominated by Aarati Ankalikar.
Song : raah me.n bichhii hai.n palake.n aa_o
Film : saradaarii begum (1996)
Singers : Aarati Ankalikar, Shubha Joshi
Music : Vanraj Bhatia
Lyrics : Javed Akhtar
Stats: 8/8
Abhay:
Aarti (or Arati or Aarati - take your pick! :-)) has really done a
marvellous job in this film, especially in "chalii pii ke nagar".
But she cannot quite carry off the ghazal ("huzoor itnaa agar").
Afzal:
Very well sung by Aarti and Shubha Joshi.
Somehow I didn't see the film but the
music was a treat. Although Aarti Ankali-
kar does dominate the soundtrack, I didn't
think Asha did so badly herself. She
has sung in that special "adolescent"
voice of hers, which perhaps suited the
(young) actress on whom the song was
picturised and the situation.
Perhaps. But in a comparison in the tandem 'more kaanhaa' Asha sounds
woefully out of her depth.
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3 jhuuThii muuTii mo_ii ne raso_ii me.n pukaaraa thaa
lohe ke chimaTe se lipaTe to maaraa thaa
biibaa teraa chuulhaa jale
A recent movie on the theme of terrorism. From the words above the
identity of the poet should be very obvious. Yes, it is the newspaper
column poet who also directed the movie. The entire soundtrack became
extremly popular firmly establishing the newcomer in Vishal Bharadwaj as
a composer to reckon with. The songs featured talks about the male
bonding in the simplest surroundings of countryside of Punjab. According
to RMIM's resident expert on Gulzar, Guriji, 'biibaa' refers to Gulzar's
own puppy love.
Song : chappaa chappaa charakhaa chale
Film : maachis (1997)
Singers : Hariharan, Suresh Wadkar
Music : Vishal Bharadwaj
Lyrics : Gulzar
Stats: 10/10
Neha/Vandana:
(did you notice the alliteration?)
Good observation. Now is this a first by Gulzar :)?
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4 sajan mohe tum bin bhaa_e na zevar
jii bhaa_e na zevar, ho bhaa_e na zevar
nu jhumake, na ka.ngan, na jhuumar, na jhaa.njhar
The movie depicts the 'market' of a different kind. The song featured
here is a beautiful adaptation of a traditional composition featuring
the composer's wife with the better half of a well known director. The
late Smita Patil put in a very highly appreciated performance.
Song : chale aa_o sai.nyaa.N ra.ngiile mai.n vaarii re
Film : bazaar (1984)
Singers : Jagjeet Kaur, Pamela Chopra
Music : Khaiyyam
Lyrics : Traditional
Stats: 11/11
Arunabha had this to say:
Was Smita Patil really commended for her role in this film ? It
was a terribly disappointing film. What a waste of all those good
songs !
And this from Afzal :):
"Bazaar" was an absorbing movie,
marked by some fine performances by Smita Patil,
Naseeruddin Shah and Supriya Pathak. A pity she
too disappeared from the movie scene all too soon.
Sami:
This is one of what we call Hyderabadi "Dholak ke Geet". Khaiyyam
has adapted this very well and the lyrics have been changed
slightly from the Daccani original to Urdu.
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5 na jaanuu.N mullaa qaazii
na jaanuu.N qaabaa kaashii
mai.n to huu.N prem pyaadaa re
merii sapano.n kii ranii
hogii tumako hairanii
mai.n to teraa diivaanaa re
This movie pioneered the puppy love theme marking the debut of both the
lead stars. The song featured here has heavy portugese influence. The
hero is trying to woo the heroine by declaring he only needs an exchange
of hearts, nothing more.
Song : na chaahuu.N sonaa chaa.Ndii
Film : Bobby (1973)
Singers : Manna Dey, Shailendra Singh
Music : Laxmikant Pyarelal
Lyrics : Anand Bakhshi
Stats: 11/11
Abhay:
Same-sex?! Surely this leads into Lata's "pyaar me.n saudaa nahin".
We don't remember any Lata here. Is it so in the movie?
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6 bagiyaa me.n bha.Nvare aa_e.n, pe.Do.n par jhuule aa_e.n
Daalii par chi.Diye.n aa_ii.n, laharo.n pe lahare.n aa_ii.n
jaa re kaagaa jaake kah de tuu mere saajan se
sab aa_e ab tuu bhii aajaa, aa mil jaa birahan se
barakhaa har din aa jaa_e, rumajhum - 3
har din bas ye doharaa_e
A film alledgely depicting the real life rivalry of the Hindi film
singing's "first" sisters. Decent lyrics by Javed Akhtar. Two relatively
unknown singers sing this Bhupen Hazarika composition enjoying the
silvery rain from the clouds.
Song : badaal chaa.Ndii barasaa_e
rum jhum rum jhum rum jhum
Film : saaz (1997)
Singers : Devaki Pandit, Jyotsna Hardikar
Music : Bhupen Hazarika
Lyrics : Javed Akhtar
Stats: 6/6
Satish Kalra:
Songs with "chaandi" in its mukhda, back to back. Any particular
reason?:)
:) Just happened that way
Afzal:
.....Shabana
Azmi, in the sequences showing her recordings, was
disappointing as she lip-synched in a most easy-
going manner. Anybody who has seen the principal
singers (including Lata) at close quarters (while
they are singing), as I have done over the years,
knows how much effort is required to put over a song
and facial genuflections are unavoidable. Shabana
in most of her movies has shown a meticulous attention
to detail. But in this movie, I found her lacking.
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7 bin silii hu_ii kamiiz pe to kuchh nahii.n liyaa
silii hu_ii kamiiz pe silaa_ii chaahi_e
silaa_ii dene ke li_e paisaa chaahi_e
paisaa kamaane ke li_e phir paisaa chaahi_e
A funny title song from a very enjoyable comedy from late 70s. The MD
and his assistant (later an MD in his own right) sing this song with
Gulzar lyrics describing the topsyturvy ways of this world.
Song : gol maal hai bha_ii sab gol maal hai
Film : gol maal (1979)
Singers : R.D.Burman, Sapan Chakravarty
Music : R.D.Burman
Lyrics : Gulzar
Stats: 9/10
Neha/Vandana:
Doesnt this song also have Bhupendra in it?
No.
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8 ta.ng na karo
kyuu.Njii
paa.Nv pa.Do
achchhaa jii
ta.ng na karo, chalo chalo paa.Nv pa.Do
ke bhaabhii mushqil se ghar me.n aa_ii hai
pahanaa bahut din #bell bottom#
aaj saa.Dii pahan sharmaa_ii hai
is muhuurat pe baa.Nto miThaa_ii
ke bhaiyaa makkhan hai bhaabhii malaa_ii
Looks like the 'penance' paid off. It has resulted in such a wonderful
couple that sis-in-law is like the cream off the butter that the brother
is :) In the song the sisters are visibly excited with arrival of their
new sister-in-law and urge each other to not bother her so that she can
adjust to her new environs.
Song : bhaabhii kii u.ngalii me.n hiiraa kaa chhallaa
Film : tapasyaa (1975)
Singers : Hemlata, Chandrani Mukherji
Music : Ravindra Jain
Lyrics : M.G.Hashmat
Stats: 9/9
Abhay:
For god's sake! You included this song and left out "kaahe tarasaaye"?
Ramesh:
Useless song by ravindra Jain .. "Bhabhi ki ungli mein"
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9 saamaved kii ras ga.ngaa me.n
lahar uThaate aa_e
biinaa kii jhanakaar sunahale
banakar man me.n chaa_e
This 80s film was a remake of the Telugu superhit 'sha.nkaraabharaNam'.
Although L-P did a fairly competent job the songs just could not reach
the popularity of the Telugu originals. The song in this clue is sung by
two very well known classical singers (brothers) and is set to
malakau.Ns raaga. It is debatable as how much credit L-P deserve for the
composition.
Song : aa_e sur ke pa.nchhii aa_e
Film : sur sa.ngam (1987)
Singers : Rajan Mishra, Sajan Mishra
Music : Laxmikant Pyarelal
Lyrics : Traditional
Stats: 9/9
Abhay:
Are you sure this is a duet? IIRC, the "sur sangam" songs were sung
only by the elder brother (Rajan Mishra).
Are you sure? We have always heard this song mentioned as by Rajan-Sajan.
Afzal:
......The movie was disappoint-
ing. Probably Girish Karnad was not accepted by the
Hindi audience as a front-rank leading man. Jaya
Prada, with all her dancing talent, was wasted too.
There was a striking Bhairavi piece in the movie
"Dhanyavaad seva ka avasar paaya". "Shankarabharanam"
was a far more popular film. Somayajulu and Manju
Bhargavi gave scintillating performances. BTW,
whatever happened to Manju Bhargavi ?
Satish Kalra:
Those were the days (mid 80's) when used to hit the Fast
Forward button anytime a song came on!
:) We remember those days well. Actually, that was true with many
80s movies.
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10 san san san san jiyaa kare, jab gagarii Duube paanii me.n
apanaa mukha.Daa nayaa lage
ham jab jab, ho ham jab jab
ham jab jab dekhe.n paanii me.n
gaalo.n pe laalii aa ga_ii, haay kisane ye aag lagaa_ii re
Ah! for water, even if just two drops.This Jalal Agha-Simi movie from
70s depicts problems of famines. The village girls sing this song while
fetching the much needed water. The metallic sound of the pots is used
beautifully in the orchestration by the composer.
One of the singers is a well known for her classical & semi-classical
renderings.
Song : piital kii merii gaagarii
dila.Dii se mol ma.ngaa_ii re
Film : do buund paanii (1971)
Singers : Meenu Purushottam, Parveen Sultana
Music : Jaidev
Lyrics : Kaifi Azmi
Stats: 10/10
Sami:
wonderful song
Satish Kalra:
Minu Purshottam is also a very good classical singer, though most
of her renditions in films were light songs. Nowadays, she sings
mostly Bhajans and ghazals, set to her own music, based out of
Houston, TX.
Afzal:
Here the clues are too obvious and, perhaps, needlessly
so, for the song is a Jaidev gem and fairly well-known.
I have one question, however. When the QM talks about
"one of the singers being well-known for her semi -
classical renderings", is he referring to Minoo
Purshottam ? For, Parween Sultana is universally
acknowledged as a classical vocalist of repute.
Chetan:
I think the singer you are reffering to is Parveen Sultana.
In that case, shouldn't you refer to her as a classical
singer of repute? Especially since you liberally granted
that status to Shubha(?) Joshi in an earlier clue.
Guess we goofed up :( Firstly, didn't know about the classical prowess
of Meenu P. Secondly, I (Balaji) always associate PS more with her
semi classical renderings, as that is what I have heard more. FWIW,
the repost "corrected" the attribution to "classical singer" for
Ms Sultana :).
Thanks for all the info, all of you.
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11 vaah rii chandaniyaa vaah re chakore
raam banaa_ii ye kaisii jo.Dii
kare nachaiyaa taa thaa thaiyaa
taal pe naache la.nga.Dii gho.Dii
are dekhii
are dekhii terii chaturaa_ii
Apologies for selecting this film for the umpteenth time for an RMIM
quiz. However, we just could not leave this superb duet out of this
quiz. The hero spars in a singing duel with his lady love's music
instructor riding on the strength of his friend, a local singer. The
local singer has an answer to every move the more accomplished music
master makes.
Song : ek chatur naar, karake si.ngaar
mere man ke dvaar, ye ghusat jaat
Film : pa.Dosan (1968)
Singers : Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar
Music : R.D.Burman
Lyrics : Rajinder Krishan
Stats: 11/11
Abhay:
I have never been able to understand people's fascination with
this juvenile, racist "comedy", or with the song in question
which displays its racism and parochialism in full measure.
Strong sentiments those. Not a wrong POV though.
Satish Kalra:
You should give only half a point to those who spell it as
"Ik chatur naar" instead of "Yek". Just kidding. :)
Afzal:
I think this clue has been included for "diluting"
the overall toughness of the quiz. Apart from the main
singers, Mehmood's interpolations reflect a superb sense
of timing.
Vijay:
Can you imagine it without Mahmood's significant contribution?
Mahmood is listed as one of the playback singers in the film's
credits.
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12 aa_egaa are dekho sundar saa raajakumar
laa_egaa jab Dolii us din kaa hame.n intazaar
maa.ng me.n mere bhii taare sajaa_o
In a recent quiz we had made an enquiry about real life siblings singing
same sex duets. Although at that time we didn't receive any replies, we
were surprised to find a few more pairs. Including this song which was
very popular in its times. In this playful duet from the late 70s the
girls are urging the friendly neighbourhood mausii to step on it and get
with the groom hunting.
If it makes any difference the lead pair in the movie comprised of
Bhishma and Shyamali.
Song : haatho.n me.n mere bhii meha.ndii lagaa_o
jaldii se jaa_o meraa dulhaa leke aa_o
Film : dil se mile dil (1978)
Singers : Sulakshana Pandit, Vijayeta Pandit
Music : Bhappi Lahiri
Lyrics : Amit Khanna
Stats: 6/7
Neha/Vandana:
I have seen this song in on Chitrahaar in India and loved it. but
I had real difficulty recollecting it. Can you give me the movie
name so I can see it. Thanks for reminding me of this song. I like
it a lot.
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13 soch ke mai.n ghabaraa_uu.N, na_ii na_ii baate.n
aane hii vaalii hai.n, pyaar bharii raate.n
har ko_ii ye jaane, pyaar kare.n diivaane
har ko_ii ye jaane, pyaar kare.n diivaane
ik din to ye honaa hii thaa, phir kaisaa ghabaraanaa
a_ii a_ii yaa, lal lal la lalaa laa
An early 80s adaptation of the classic Hollywood musical Seven Brides
for Seven Brothers starring the then superstar Amitabh and Hema in the
lead roles. This song occurs early in the movie where the sisters are
revelling in the lovely season in anticipation of some enjoyable
episodes.
Song : mausam mastaanaa rastaa a.njaanaa
Film : satte pe sattaa (1982)
Singers : Asha Bhosle, Dilraj Kaur
Music : R.D.Burman
Lyrics : Anand Bakhshi
Stats: 8/8
Sami:
I don't think the 7 brides are sisters in satte pe satta
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14 merii udaas aa.Nkho.n ko
hai yaad vo waqt salonaa
jab jhuulaa thaa baaho.n me.n
mai.n banake tumhaaraa khilonaa
merii vo Kushii kii duniyaa
phir ek baar de do
Two rarities. The singers' combination. Singer - MD combination. Hemant
and Mahendra Kapoor sing for a father & son 'relationship'. The son begs
for all the love and affection of his childhood once again, now that the
father is with him again.
Song : jo diyaa thaa tumane ik din
Film : sambandh (1969)
Singers : Mahendra Kapoor, Hemant Kumar
Music : O.P.Nayyar
Lyrics : Pradeep
Stats: 4/6
Roopa:
From which recesses of memory did you unearth this song? I find
it good in an unusual sort of way, as are the other songs from
the film.
Satish Kalra:
The CD for this film does not even have the Hemant song "..Ab
to is desh ki maati hi teri maata hai.." This probably was the
only film in which Hemantda sang for OP Nayyar.
The advantage of being a QM is that one can highlight some interesting
favorites without any qualms. It is precisely the extremely rare
p-stats that makes us very interested in this. Not that the song
is half-bad either.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
15 tum na dekho to tamannaa hame.n ta.Dapaatii hai
dekhate ho to qayaamat sii guzar jaatii hai
muskuraahaT hai ke laharaatii hai bijalii jaise
dekhiye aaj to kis kisakii qazaa aatii hai
ghabaraa_ii sham-e-mahafil, paravaanaa Dagamagaayaa
One of two Khaiyyam compositions in this quiz. Yet another nondescript
60s movie with some very good music. The soundtrack is dominated by
Suman Kalyanpur, who also features in the song here. The song in this
clue is a mujra and newly arrived guest is greeted with a comparison to
the arrival of moon.
Song : mahafil me.n aap aa_e jaise kii chaa.Nd aayaa
Film : muhabbat is ko kahate hai.n (1965)
Singers : Suman Kalyanpur, Mubarak Begum
Music : Khaiyyam
Lyrics : Majrooh
Stats: 5/6
Sami:
I know this one :-(
A lovely mujra by two very talented singers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
16 na Daro.n haraso.n jab jaay la.Do.n
nishchay kar apanii jiit karo.n
A highly acclaimed movie about the 'darkness' wrought on the nation by
the partition. Om puri gave a very sensitive performance. The soundtrack
comprised almost exclusively of Gurbani and Shabads, which were composed
by Singh Bandhu. The song in this clue is drawn from a traditional
shabad sung beautifully by these venerable brothers.
Song : de he shivaa bar mohe hai
shubh karman te kabahu.N na Daro
Film : tamas (1980s)
Singers : Surinder Singh, Tejinder Singh
Music : Singh Bandhu
Lyrics : Traditional
Stats: 1/2
Clue where maximum number of entries guessed the movie correctly, but
couldn't guess the song (Satish K. guessed it, but his entry was N/C).
We expected a lot more people to get this right :(
And the one entry that did get it right, didn't get it from 'tamas' :).
Roopa:
I must admit, I didn't get this from Tamas, but from the
cassette of Nanak Naam Jahaaz Hai! Interestingly, the tune of
the first line in the Nanak version is identical to the Haryali
Aur Raastaa song wich goes something like "aur meri taqdeer
mein kya hai, mere hamsafar ab to bata."
Interesting. For a complete discussion of NNJH look up Guri's great post
on this soundtrack last November on RMIM.
Abhay:
I must really be out of touch: I did not know that "tamas" had been
made into a movie. I only know of it as a television serial!
Afzal:
Was it "Tamas" ? I remember the TV serial by that name.
Neha/Vandana:
I remember seeing it on TV in say 6 episodes or so, never knew
it was a full fledged film.
AFAWK, 'tamas' was indeed a full length feature film, which was, however,
telecast by DD in 4 (or was it 6) episodes. Corrections are welcome
though.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
17 chham chham ho paayaal, ho ghaayal dilavaale
phir bhii nahii.n maane nahii.n maane matavaale
nahii.n maane matavaale
komal tan lachake jyo.n champe kii Daalii
Another unusual combination. This song was sorely missed by several
people in the not too distant Geeta Dutt RJGK. There is amazing synergy
between the singers as Geeta teams with Suman Kalyanpur. Although we
don't know the picturisation of this song, the scene can't be far from
two young ladies on the verge of womanhood excited with what the future
holds for them. Hemant Kumar provides the score.
Song : phulavaa band mahake dekho lahake Dalii Dalii
Film : ham bhii insaan hai (1959)
Singers : Geeta Dutt, Suman Kalyanpur
Music : Hemant Kumar
Lyrics : Shailendra
Stats: 9/9
Arunabha:
An exquisite duet. Both Geeta Dutt and Suman sound exceedingly
sweet. I am amazed by Geeta's ability to combine effectively
with other female singers in same sex duets. (in the few that
I have heard) She seems to do very well.
Apply to Kalyan for Geeta Fan Club membership :)
Satish Kalra:
I maintain that everyone who likes this song has a good taste
in music. :)
Folks, time to speak up and be counted :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
18 milatii nahii.n hai #service#
bekaar phir rahe hai.n
#B.A.# kahalaane vaale
#M.A.# kahalaane vaale
For all those who talk about unemployment as a relatively recent
phenomenon, this song from 1936 puts things in perspective. K.L.Saigal
and Pahadi Sanyal sing this delightful duet describing the helplessness
of being educated unemployed.
Song : jo naukri dilaa de B.A. banaane vaale
Film : karo.Dapati(1936)
a.k.a. Millionaire
Singers : K.L.Saigal, Pahadi Sanyal
Music : R.C.Boral
Lyrics : Kidar Sharma
Stats: 2/4 (more or less expected score)
Afzal:
Pahari Sanyal was a diminutive singer-
actor who was active till the sixties. I recall
him in a cameo in the Bengali film "Aranyer Din
Raatri" where, in one sequence, he sings an
invocation in Bhairavi, without any music.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
19 ye mast raat be pi_e, nashe me.n jhuumatii hu_ii
nazar ko che.Datii hu_ii, dilo.n ko chuumatii hu_ii
yuu.N hii guzar ga_ii agar, khaTak rahegii umra bhar
hazaar chaahoge magar, chaahoge magar
Produced for Bombay talkies by the lead star Ashok Kumar, this movie is
best known for a path breaking song for the then struggling Lata. This
lesser known but wonderful duet, featuring the under-appreciated
Rajkumari with Zohrabai, is but one of other gems from this great
soundtrack. Sadly, the composer didn't live to see the success this film
brought him.
Song : chhun chhun ghu.gharavaa baaje chhun
kahaa.N hai dhyaan kisakii dhun
nazar milaa ke baat sun
ye raat phir na aa_egii
Film : mahal (1949)
Singers : Rajkumari, Zohrabai
Music : Khemchandra Prakash
Lyrics : J. Nakhshab
Stats: 6/7
Some very interesting information about the picturization was given by
Afzal Khan.
There was a big build-up
just before this song, when Ashok Kumar is made to
wait endlessly while the courtesans spruce them-
seles up to begin the mujra. For many viewers,
the dance accompanying the song may have come as
a disappointment. But, from whatever I was able
to glean from original Urdu sources, I believe
the classical pattern of dancing by Tawaifs was
the same and the director was being faithful to
the original traditions. Viewers can compare
the courtesan's dance (accompanying a Bhairavi
thumri) in Satyajit Ray's "Shatranj ke Khiladi",
when she performs in the durbar of Wajid Ali
Shah (played by the late Amjad Khan).
Surprising lack of comments by others for such a wonderful song.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
20 prem ke kaaraN premii gaave
taano.n se paatar pighalaave
jagat me.n rahe maan re
Two accomplished classical singers combine skillfully to render this
majestic desii composition for a film about a mythical singer. This song
provides the stage for the final showdown where the challenger goes on
to upstage the master when the master breaks a string on his tanpura.
This film also brought the composer the inaugural filmfare award.
Song : aaj gaavat man mero jhuumake
terii taan bhagavaan
Film : baijuu baavaraa (1953)
Singers : Amir Khan, D.V.Paluskar
Music : Naushad
Lyrics : Shakeel
Stats: 8/8
Satish Kalra:
The clue "This film also brought the composer the inaugural
filmfare award" gave it away.
Afzal:
This was virtually the swan song for the singing
hero of the forties Surendra. I do not know
whether Baiju was a mythical figure. Some of
the stories/embellishments about him may of course
be merely legends, but it is difficult to believe
the the man himself was merely the creature of
some people's (fevered ?) imagination.
The movie (baijuu baavaraa) opens with the introductory notes
which address this issue by specifically mentioning that
the existence of Baiju was quite possibly just a legend, and
concludes with the words "and what history but legend agreed
upon". Regardless, we agree with your comments.
Afzal: (some more very interesting comments)
These four films (Tansen, Baiju Bawra, Basant Bahar
and Sangeet Samrat Tansen) constitute a classic
"quadrology" of memorable musicals about music
legends. In other languages, I can think of
"Hamsa Geethe" and "Shankarabharanam". I am
sure there must be others, particularly in Bengali.
Somehow, I am reluctant to class "Sur Sangam" in
the same category.
Would be great to see some more discussion on this, especially coming
close on the heels of the lovely analysis by Ashok on KK/SST CD.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 laa_e kyaa the jo leke jaanaa hai
nek dil hii teraa Kazaanaa hai
saa.Njh hote hii pa.nchhiyaa.N gaaye.n
ab to ghar jaa_uu.N, apane ghar jaa_uu.N
A rare combination pairing up in this bhajan from this Dev-Waheeda
starrer eschewing the material wants and comforts, though the title
character goes precisely after that, albeit dishonestly. SDB provides
the score.
In one scene several well known film personalities make an appearance at
the workplace:) of the hero.
Song : na mai.n dhan chaahuu.N na ratan chaahuu.N
Film : kaalaa baazaar (1960)
Singers : Geeta Dutt, Sudha Malhotra
Music : S.D.Burman
Lyrics : Shailendra
Stats: 11/11
Afzal:
This song too tends to dilute the difficulty of
the quiz. As regards the appearance of the
film personalities "at the workplace of the hero",
it was the premiere of Mehboob's "Mother India"
at the Liberty Cinema in Bombay, known in Urdu
newspapers/magazines as "Firdaus-e-Mashriq", i.e.
"Eden of the East".
------------------------------------------------------------------------
22 aabo havaa ... vaa vaa vaa vaa
aabo havaa desh kii bahut saaf hai
qaayadaa hai qaanuun hai insaaf hai
allaa miyaa.N jaane ko_ii ji_e yaa mare
aadamii ko Kuun vuun sab maa.Nf hai
Gulzar may have heavily drawn inspiration from the song in clue #18
penned by Kidar Sharma. This song expresses near identical sentiments as
former. The current movie explored the effects of unemployment on the
youth. This song provides a few minutes of lightness in an otherwise
serious movie. And oh, the singers' combo is again quite rare; Kishore
and Mukesh.
Song : haal chaal Thiik Thaak hai
sab kuchh Thiik Thaak hai
Film : mere apane (1971)
Singers : Kishore Kumar, Mukesh
Music : Salil Chowdhury
Lyrics : Gulzar
Stats: 11/11
Satish Kalra:
Everytime I think of this film, I think of that great KK number
"Koyee hota jisko apna..".
Afzal:
I didn't get to see the
film. But I have seen the Bengali original
"Apan Jan", which starred (I think) Samit
Bhanja. I understand Meena Kumari gave
one of her best performances in the Hindi
version.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
23 ye kaun mere dil merii aa.Nkho.n me.n samayaa
ye kisakii nigaaho.n ne mujhe apanaa banaayaa
begaanaa hu_ii jaatii huu.N duniyaa kii Kabar se
Takaraa ga_ii ye kisakaii nazar merii nazar se
A Naushad composition sung by two of his discoveries, one of whom sang
her first (and the most famous) song in this 1947 film. She later went
on to become a moderately successful comidienne and her singing career
sadly vanished. One of the early songs to use the concept of two
contrasting moods expressed by two characters in a same-sex duet. One
laments the ache of love, and the other expectant for the same love.
Later Naushad composed several more in the same style, including baabul,
diidaar etc.
Song : betaab hai dil dard-e-muhabbat kii asar se
Film : dard (1947)
Singers : Suraiya, Uma Devi
Music : Naushad
Lyrics : Shakeel
Stats: 8/8
Sami:
What a wonderful song!
Satish Kalra:
In fact, since her singing career was getting nowhere, especailly
after Lata's 'arrival', Uma Devi began acting as a comedienne to
earn a living.
Afzal:
Uma Devi had a very
distinctive voice and it was really sad that her
innings as a singer was all that short. In a few
later movies, one did get to hear snatches of her
"crooning" as a part of her comic repertoire. I
remember one such scene in "Solva Saal" (in the
film studio). Was a song picturised on her in
"Bandish", starring Ashok Kumar and Meena Kumari ?
IIRC, there
was a scene in the movie where a sweet dish is
sent (from the hero to the heroine's house ?)
with the words "Salaam-e-Muhabbat" etched as some
sort of an icing, made up of dry fruits ! I recalled
the scene on the recent Id !
------------------------------------------------------------------------
24 jaan-e-tamannaa jalavaa dikhaa de
hogaa teraa ehasaan, hogaa teraa ehasaan
chashm-e-karam se kuchh to kar de
jiine kaa saamaan, jiinee kaa saamaan
sakhii kii Kair . . .
Rarely has Talat Mahmood sung a duet with other male singers. Here he is
singing for Shammi Kapoor in a classic Indian love story as Shammi joins
a band of beggars receiving alms from the princess. Of course, what he
wants is not alms, but some thing altogether different. Rafi is the
other singer in this melodious chorus, which again marks the nice
contrast between these two singers.
Song : bhar de jholii allaa naam
Film : lailaa majanuu.n (1953)
Singers : Rafi, Talat
Music : Ghulam Mohammad
Lyrics : Shakeel Badayuni
Stats: 3/6
Satish Kalra:
Was this song discussed some months ago on duets/triets?
If it was, most entrants seem to have missed it :(. We didn't see
that thread.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
25 aa_e.n, aa_e.n aur guzaratii jaa_e.n
lambii uu.Nchii niichii raahe.n
galiyaa.N aur baazaar
meraa pahiyaa aise bhaage
jaise moTar kaar
bhaage sab sa.nsaar
This 1946 block buster firmly established Naushad as a top music
director. From a film starring two highly sought after female singing
stars, however doesn't feature either of them in this song. Two
characters in the song are thoroughly enjoying this imaginary ride on a
flying ship. Naushad probably liked the opening word of this song so
much that he later used it as the title of one of his home productions.
Song : u.Dan khatole pe u.D jaa_uu.N
haay tere haath na aa_uu.N
Film : anamol gha.Dii (1946)
Singers : Zohrabai, Shamshad Begum
Music : Naushad
Lyrics : Tanvir Naqvi
Stats: 9/9
Afzal:
Another film where Naushad wrought his
magic. "Uran Khatola" too had wonderful music,
although the film suffered due to the flimsy storyline.
The latter film was released in 1956, I think, which
was a great year for film music. Off-hand, I can
recall "Chori Chori", "Devta", "Bhai Bhai", "New
Delhi", "Raj Hath", "Basant Bahar", "Halaku",
"Hum Sab Chor HaiN", "Naya Andaz" and "Miss Mary".
Few other highlights of '56 include CID(is it 57?), ra.ngiin raate.n,
Takasaal, shatara.nj etc.
In fact, we almost included the fabulous Sudha-Mubarak Begum duet from
"ra.ngiin raate.n", but deemed it a little obscure and excluded it
in the end.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
26 Gulaam uTh vatan ke dushmano.n se intaqaam le
in apane dono.n baazu_o.n se khanjaro.n kaa kaam le
chaman ke vaaste chaman ke baaGabaa.n shahiid ho
Fresh from the independence many patriotic songs were made. This great
song featuring an early Rafi with the noted Khan Mastana urge the youth
to prepare even to die for the motherland. Inspiring lyrics by Raja
Mehndi Ali Khan were put to this superb tune by Master Ghulam Haider.
Song : vatan kii raah me.n vatan ke naujavaa.n shahiid ho
Film : shahiid (1948)
Singers : Rafi, Khan Mastana
Music : Ghulam Haider
Lyrics : Raja Mehndi Ali Khan
Stats: 11/11
Afzal:
In those days, this song used to be played
all the time in restaurants and in school/
college functions.
Looks like it is still very popular. Every single entry got it
right :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
27 Singer 1 : madhur megh malhaar raag ban baraso
Singer 2 : sanan pavan sa.ng ghanan ghanan ghan baraso
Both : ghanashyaam naam shyaam shyaam tum
The master has just finished performing in the dreaded deepak raaga,
with the inevitable consequence. Now the wife is joined by another
trusted companion of the master to render megh malhar in an attempt to
invoke the rains to douse the flames the master musician is engulfed in.
The song in this clue is the result. The song, both the composition and
the singing is a fitting finale to a grand soundtrack by the Master
Composer S.N.Tripathi.
Admittedly, this song was the toughest to select in the quiz.
Song : mehaa aa_o re, ghir ghir ke chaa_o re
Film : sa.ngiit samraaT taanasen (1962)
Singers : Lata, Asha Bhosle
Music : S.N.Tripathi
Lyrics : Bharat Vyas
Stats: 5/8
Vijay Kumar:
There was a pretty long discussion about this song on RMIM.
Surajit :
Strictly speaking, I wonder whether "meghaa aao re" qualifies
as a duet. It might be considered a trio. The song begins with
a Miyan Malhar aalaap by the two sisters; Manna De chips in
with a brief aalaap in Megh Malhar; the song continues in Megh
Malhar, using the female voices again. (snip)
Unfortunately, the women do not know Megh, and so begin singing
Miyan Malhar instead. But they magically hear the Megh phrase
being sung by Swami Haridas, as though tutoring them, and so
switch to the right raaga. Hence the lop-sidedness of the song,
with Manna De contributing just a brief aalaap.
Is that why it was a difficult choice for you? The fact that it was
three voices, one male, two female? If so, this should also have
been grounds for dropping 'ik chatur naar'?
Neha/Vandana:
Why was it the toughest...?
It seems quite easy to get... But then maybe I have heard that
'rare classical gems' tape of east coast rmim meet of 96 way
too often...
Oh, the reason it was the toughest was because of the high-profile
nature of this pair, as also the huge list of songs to select. We
also intended this comment as an additional clue (since we didn't
give any clues to the identity of singers).
As regards the issue of Manna Dey in the song, the thought didn't
cross our minds, as this song is generally referred to as a duet.
Surajit also wrote to us with same comments.
Afzal:
I cannot recall the opening lines. In contrast,
I remember the entire Malhar by Khurshid in
"Tansen".
Interestingly, a couple of entries identified the song from 'taanasen'
here, which we would have thought to be less known than 'mehaa aa_o re'.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, the results...
It was a tough quiz, although the scores were well distributed, with
five entries topping the 20 mark.
Here are the top 5 spots:
Afzal A.Khan 18
Tabassum Hijazi 21
Vijay Kumar K 23
Neha Desai & Vandana 23
Vidwans
Shashi Hariharan & 25 |
Ravi Kumar | great performance by first timers
|
And with a perfect score we have
Roopa Dhawan 27 |
| The only one to write back she was
| enjoying the quiz :)
|
Thanks to all those who participated. It was great hosting this quiz.
Over to Renu and Neeraj for the golden jubilee edition of the quiz.
Thanks,
- Balaji & Malini
Balaji A.S.Murthy
Honest.
Don't ask me how it changed, when I posted :). Our apologies.
There was no Nita Tiwari who sent any entries.
Nita Awatramani...Nita Awatramani...Nita Awatramani :)
- Balaji
FHN55555 wrote:
> Hi Balaji,
>
> I did send in my reply IIRC. I don't see my name in the list of participants.
> :-) I am sure I didn't so badly that you left out my name from the participants
> list.
>
> BTW I see a Nita Tiwari in the list. Is that supposed to be me? Of course I may
> be presuming too much and there may be someone by that name who sent in her
> entry. My last name is Awatramani (or Naqvi if you want to use my husband's
> last name).
>
> Nita
>
> Visit My Urdu Poetry Page:
> http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Ginza/6631/
FHN55555
apha...@hotmail.com
fj...@cleveland.freenet.edu (Balaji A.S. Murthy) wrote:
> Some very interesting information about the picturization was given by
> Afzal Khan.
>
> There was a big build-up
> just before this song, when Ashok Kumar is made to
> wait endlessly while the courtesans spruce them-
> seles up to begin the mujra. For many viewers,
> the dance accompanying the song may have come as
> a disappointment. But, from whatever I was able
> to glean from original Urdu sources, I believe
> the classical pattern of dancing by Tawaifs was
> the same and the director was being faithful to
> the original traditions. Viewers can compare
> the courtesan's dance (accompanying a Bhairavi
> thumri) in Satyajit Ray's "Shatranj ke Khiladi",
> when she performs in the durbar of Wajid Ali
> Shah (played by the late Amjad Khan).
>
"Compare" in what sense? The "Shatranj ke Khiladi" mujraa is performed by
Saswati Sen, Birju Maharaj's star disciple and a leading Kathak dancer. It is
a beautifully executed mujraa, accompanied by Birju Maharaj singing the
thumrii ("kaanhaa mai.n tose haarii") very well. It is in no way a
"disappointment" as you say the "Mahal" mujraa is! Warm regards Abhay
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
FHN55555
>file.
All these new fangled ways of doing things is bound to create problems :-)))
>Nita Awatramani...Nita Awatramani...Nita Awatramani :)
Got my name right each time, I see. :-))
Jokes aside, I wish I had the ability to present my name like some of the poets
of yore. For example,
ko_ii naam-o-nishaa.N puuchhe to ai qaasid bataa denaa
taKhallus "daaG" hai aur aashiqo.n ke dil me.n rahate hai.n
Unfortunately, I am not even a poet. So I guess just Nita will serve me fine
:-)
Birthe & T. S. Kalsi
>
> Jokes aside, I wish I had the ability to present my name like some of the poets
> of yore. For example,
>
> ko_ii naam-o-nishaa.N puuchhe to ai qaasid bataa denaa
> taKhallus "daaG" hai aur aashiqo.n ke dil me.n rahate hai.n
>
> Unfortunately, I am not even a poet. So I guess just Nita will serve me fine
> :-)
>
> Nita
>
Nitaji here's one for you:
ko_ii naam-o-nishaa.N puuchhe to ai qaasid bataa denaa
"Nita" naam hai aur urdudaano.n ke dil me.n rahate hai.n
Regards
Tejjit
il_...@yahoo.com
apha...@hotmail.com wrote:
> In article <7a2akq$f...@news.or.intel.com>,
> fj...@cleveland.freenet.edu (Balaji A.S. Murthy) wrote:
> > Afzal Khan.
> >
> > There was a big build-up
> > just before this song, when Ashok Kumar is made to
> > wait endlessly while the courtesans spruce them-
> > seles up to begin the mujra. For many viewers,
> > the dance accompanying the song may have come as
> > a disappointment. But, from whatever I was able
> > to glean from original Urdu sources, I believe
> > the classical pattern of dancing by Tawaifs was
> > the same and the director was being faithful to
> > the original traditions. Viewers can compare
> > the courtesan's dance (accompanying a Bhairavi
> > thumri) in Satyajit Ray's "Shatranj ke Khiladi",
> > when she performs in the durbar of Wajid Ali
> > Shah (played by the late Amjad Khan).
> >
>
> Saswati Sen, Birju Maharaj's star disciple and a leading Kathak dancer. It is
> a beautifully executed mujraa, accompanied by Birju Maharaj singing the
> thumrii ("kaanhaa mai.n tose haarii") very well. It is in no way a
> "disappointment" as you say the "Mahal" mujraa is! Warm regards Abhay
I am sorry if I did not make myself clear.
Over the years, mujra songs have tended to be somewhat
cheap and vulgar. Of course, a certain amount of playfulness or
coquetry is to be expected, but many-a-time, these songs seem to
cross the limits of decency quite blatantly. And this can happen
even when the song itself is quite melodious and likeable. Two
examples come readily to mind :
"Roothe saiyyaN, hamare saiyyaN, kyoN roothe"
(Devar, Roshan, Dancer is Bela Bose)
"Chandaniya hai raat sajan rahiyo ke jaiyyo"
(Balak ?, Dancer is Jayshree T.)
Here the songs have been "vulgarized" by the dance, suggestive
movements and facial gestures etc.
The "Mahal" song would be a disappointment for those who
expect all mujra songs to be a little bit on the cheap side or
where the dancer prances around all over the floor (e.g. Helen
in "Nikle the kahaaN jaane ke liye, pahunche haiN kahaaN maaloom
nahiN"). The "Shatranj ke Khilaadi" song, although picturized
on a courtesan (in the movie) is an example of a dignified song,
somewhat like the "Mahal" song. The "comparison" I wrote about
was with regard to the similarity with respect to lack of vulgarity
and minimum "prancing about". It was not meant to indicate any
contrast. I still feel that the "Mahal" song is one of the very
few mujra songs filmed on the traditional pattern, and which are
devoid of the lewdness generally associated with mujra songs.
I don't believe the names of the two dancers were provided in the
titles. In any case, they were not established filmi dancers,
epitomised by such well-known names as Cuckoo, Helen and Kum Kum.
The last two of course were not around when "Mahal" was made.
This leads me to believe that these two dancers were real-life
Tawaaifs, who put over the mujra in the traditional style. But
I could be wrong here.
The "Shatranj ke Khiladi" song is an excellent example of superb
kathak choreography and depiction. No disrespect whatsoever was
implied for Ms. Sen.
BTW, can we begin a new thread about mujra songs ?
Afzal
apha...@hotmail.com
fj...@cleveland.freenet.edu (Balaji A.S. Murthy) wrote:
>
> Film : sur sa.ngam (1987)
> Singers : Rajan Mishra, Sajan Mishra
>
> Are you sure this is a duet? IIRC, the "sur sangam" songs were sung
> only by the elder brother (Rajan Mishra).
>
> Are you sure? We have always heard this song mentioned as by Rajan-Sajan.
Hi! I dug out the Sur Sangam tape and listened VERY carefully to this song,
as also to all the other songs credited to Rajan-Sajan Mishra. To my ears, it
is quite defintely only one person singing: the elder brother, Rajan Mishra.
Sajan Mishra has a slightly softer, sweeter voice that is not audible
anywhere in the soundtrack. I cannot see any reason for the credits to
mention both names, unless it is simply that big brother did not want kid
brother to feel left out! :-)
Warm regards
Abhay