Pyaar Ka Mausam (1969) was an average film; it had some of the best songs like tum bin jaun kahan sung by Kishr and Mohammed Rafi, Na ja mere humdum, che khush Nazare, ni sultana re.. etc. Tum bin jaoon kahan was sung by both Rafi and Kishore. Rafi sang the same song twice for the protagonist of the movie played by Shashi Kapoor, once with mandolin and once on piano. And Kishore sang for Bharat Bhushan, the protagonist’s father played by  Bharat Bhushan. Composer, R. D. Burman got the best from both Rafi and Kishore. As I recall, Kishore Kumar version picturised on Bharat Bhushan in open area  had become more popular with the public. Yodelling rendered by Kishore as the interlude captivated the audience. Actor Bharat Bhushan proved lucky in bagging a hit song. The initial yodelling of Kishor in high pitch for this song is called falsetto. 

Falsetto is a vocal reach, or a way of singing, that allows singers to reach notes higher than their normal voice, characterized by a light, airy, and often breathy sound. Falsetto comes from the Italian word “falso” meaning “false,” refers to a vocal technique that produces a high-pitched voice, often associated with male singers, but can be used by both genders. Falsetto has a long history in music, particularly in operas, and has been used widely in popular music by various singers. 

Falsetto is often associated with its flexibility and unique tonal qualities, yet its place in Indian classical music remains disputed. Exploring its historical applications, modern adaptations, and the cultural conversations surrounding it can offer valuable insights into this intriguing vocal technique.

Tum bin jaun kahan song became famous for its all four versions sung by Rafi and Kishore – once happy and once sad. Though R.D’s composition was brilliant, the song was recorded at a bit too faster a tempo disallowing much allowance to Rafi to give expressions with his signature glissando which means a continuous slide upwards or downwards between two notes. Initially, when the film was released, Rafi’s versions were more popular than Kishore’s version. Later, Kishor’s version drew more attention from public.

In my opinion, two songs by Lata Mangeshkar in falsetto are very popular: palbhar me ye kya ho gaya from film Swami, aa jane jaan from film Intaquam. Similarly, Asha has sung many songs in falsetto style. Dum maro dum from Hare Krishna Hare Ram and Aayiye meherban from film Howra Bridge. 

Falsetto is good for building excitement that builds up in the audience when singers hit those high notes. Falsetto shows a singer’s ability to hit those tricky high notes with accuracy and control. It’s a display of their skill and mastery over their voice. Falsetto adds a unique emotional quality to a performance. It can convey vulnerability, intensity, or a heightened sense of emotion that’s not easily achieved in other vocal styles.

Director Ved Rahi’s film Prem Parbat (1973) did not release and has got forgotten by now. The film stars Rehana Sultan, Satish Kaul, Nana Palsikar, Agha and Hema Malini in a special appearance. Sadly, the print of the film got destroyed.  One major contributing factor could be usage of nitrate which is  highly flammable, and in the decades of fifties and sixties there have been several devastating fires in studios because of usage of nitrate films.  

The film has music by Jaidev with lyrics by Jan Nisar Akhtar. Though this film didn’t release, it became famous for one of its blockbuster songs. “Ye Dil Aur Unki, Nigaaho Ke Saaye”, written by Jan Nisar Akhtar and sung by Lata Mangeshkar in Pahadi Raag.   This song is engraved on minds of listeners. This song was recorded with just five musicians, all stalwarts including Shivkumar Sharma on Santoor and Hariprasad Chaurasia on Flute.

Yeh dil aur unaki song has become immortal, in my opinion it is one of the greatest compositions by Jaidev. It was on the top ten songs on Binaca Geet Mala which was a weekly countdown show of top filmi songs from Hindi movies. It was popular and had millions of listeners. Binaca Geetmala used to be broadcasted on Radio Ceylon from 1952 to 1988 and then shifted to the Vividh Bharati Service of All India Radio network in 1989 where it ran until 1994. It was the first radio countdown show of Indian film songs and has been quoted as being the most popular radio program in India during its run.

The film is the story of an orphan girl, whose loyalties are segregated between her aged husband and a young forest officer she has fallen in love with. Being the wife of the old Choudhari, she is conflicted about her love for another man. Rehana Sultan plays the orphan girl in the movie. She is one of the best actresses known for her emotive roles.

Raag Pahadi is a popular raga based on folk music. As its name suggests, it originates from the mountainous region. It resembles two other ragas which display the rich cultural heritage of folk music: Mand from the Rajasthan region and Pilu from the Hindi heartland. It is a light raga and resembles more like a ‘dhun’. It is very popular in Hindi music and sometimes simulates multiple echoes. Pahadi is mostly sung in the lower and middle octaves and the raga emotes yearning of a lover, tranquil in union, serene in separation, powerful enough to achieve eternal union, but resigned to the painful parting ruled by destiny.

Lata Mangeshkar has sung the song soulfully giving justice to Jaidev’s melody. Please listen to the song.

Mohammed Rafi could sing a ghazal, bhajan, a whacky composition, romantic song, soulful song effortlessly. He had a distinctive ability to adapt his voice with the screenplay and characters. He rendered his voice to almost all heroes and character artists in the golden era. Try to remember the phenomenal song “Sar Jo Tera Chakraye” featuring Johnny Walker. It seems Johnny Walker felt as if he himself is singing the song because Rafi managed to adapt and acclimatize Walker’s onscreen personality perfectly into his singing. The song is composed by SD Burman which apart from advertising the benefits of a head massage, is also Walker’s loving call to his audience to shed their worries and relax while taking a head massage. Jhony Walker sings the song gleefully advocating a carefree lifestyle.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjlFiCD1Vgc

Few songs from the golden era of Bollywood movies are so soulfully sung that everyone craves to listen to them. Today I am going to present few songs created by Mohamed Rafi and O.P.Nayyar. Most of the songs created by this duo are simply marvellous which you feel like listening again and again. This singer-composer duo broke all records in the industry. Some of the most popular songs from this playlist are Lakhon Hain Nigahon Mein; Roka kai bar meine; Muze dekhkar aapka muskarna; Hamdam Mere; Dil Ki Aawaaz Bhi Sun, and the list goes on and on.

It would certainly not be an exaggeration to say that some of the yesteryear heroes are known more for enacting/lip-sync Rafi’s songs rather than their performances like Bharat Bhushan – “Zindagi Bhar Nahin Bhoolegi Woh Barsaat Ki Raat” or Biswajit’s – “Pukarta Chala Hoon Main,” or Joy Mukherjifor “Banda Parwar, tham lo jigar,” and Pradeep Kumar for “jo wada kiya hai, nibhana padega.”  

Yasmin who is daughter in law of Rafi writes in her book “My Abba a Memoir” that Rafi sang almost all the songs of O.P. Nayyar for around 27 years! Only in a stray case here or there, did others, including Mukesh and Kishore Kumar, get a chance to sing under the baton of Nayyar.

Nayyar-Rafi bond is not the only notable inclusion in Yasmin’s lucidly written book. She gives a nice insight into the mind set of Shankar-Jaikishen too by revealing that the famed duo always used Mukesh as the voice of Raj Kapoor, used Rafi’s voice when they worked for other banners. So much so they used his voice in Barsaat in 1949 and later in Ek Dil Sau Afsaane too. Interestingly, Shankar-Jaikishen used Rafi’s voice for the Kishore Kumar starrer Shararat. Rafi’s song ‘Ajab Hai Dastan Teri Zindagi’ was picturised on Kishore Kumar!

Interestingly, for all those who thought Rafi gave off his best for some heroes and music directors, Yasmin has a revelation. She says, “Abba had his individual style when preparing his songs….when he sat down to practise a song, his hands and feet would keep rhythm to the soft murmur of his voice. The key to the effectiveness of his singing was that he would shoulder the entire responsibility of his songs. Nothing else matters; not who the song was picturized on, whether the music director was a giant or a newcomers, the name of the lyricist, or even the film.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ0TgHmObxA

The singer’s versatility was unmatched. There was hardly an artiste who did not sync his lips with Rafi’s voice. Kishore Kumar, another doyen of the times, held him in very high esteem. Rafi sang twice once in movie Ragini where Rafi crooned “Man Mora Banwara” to O.P. Nayyar’s music and in movie Shararat when Shankar Jaikishen composed “Ajab hai dastan teri hai zindagi”, it was Rafi who sang for Kishore.

The trademark of the notable singer was that he had great humane values as well. When Laxmikant Pyarelal embarked on their musical journey, Rafi just accepted Re 1 as token money for his first rendition under their baton, while wishing them a bright and musical future. Many of his philanthropic activities came to light post his demise as some of the beneficiaries went to his home to pay their respect. Every singer has clones but no one could ever imitate him completely because of his high rigorous standards. Even at the peak of his glory, he always rehearsed before going to the recording room.

There was a time when Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar had differences over the royalty issue, sending the entire industry into a panic mode. Shankar Jaikshen, the top most composers of the time, who also provided music for innumerable Lata hits, chose to side with Rafi when it came to recording duets. Lata was replaced by either Suman Kalyanpur or Mubarak Begum. But to everyone’s relief, the dispute was short-lived.

Rafi sometimes didn’t take his professional fees when he got variety to sing; in 1965 Rafi sang for Firoz Khan in the film ‘Oonche log’. Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote an evergreen number: Jaag dil-e-deewana, rut jaagi, vasle-yaar ki. When Rafi got to know that it was to be picturised on an anglicised and philandering Firoz Khan, he asked him, ‘Miyaan, bada rangeen gaana hai. Zara apna andaaz dikhaiyega’ (Man, it’s a very romantic song, display your charm onscreen). When the composer Chitragupt offered him Rs. 4,000 for the song, he said, ‘Shukriya. Rooh ko sukoon mila. Mujhe aur kuchh nahin chahiye’ (The soul got satisfaction. I don’t want anything else).                       

His generosity was legendary. A friend recounts that when a beggar asked him for money, Rafi gave him all the money he had. “Don’t you count the money before you give it,” asked the friend. “When God doesn’t count what he showers on me, why should I count what I give others,” he remarked.

Mohd Rafi was humble, a teetotaller, virtuous and family man. He was a role model to many upcoming singers of that era like Mahendra Kapoor, Shabbir Kumar, and Anwar etc. He was the best male playback singer of his generation and still remains the best Hindi male playback singer of all times.

Mohd Rafi ruled the film industry for almost 36 long years. He was most regarded singer; he never ever played foul with any singers, he never used his power with composers to sabotage the career of any promising and upcoming singer. In fact, he would encourage them to give their best. Rafisab used to love eating, he was foodie. He enjoyed playing badminton and carom.

I pay my heartfelt tributes to him forever.  

Sharmila Tagore won the Silver Lotus Award for her acting at the 23rd National Film Festival and the film itself was awarded the Second Best Feature Film that year. The film was nominated in eight categories at the 24^th Film fare Awards. Sanjiv Kumar was nominated for the Best Actor category but did not get it but Sharmila got her Best Actress Film fare Award for Mausam. Gulzar has mentioned in one of his interviews that the song ‘Dil Dhoondta Hai’ is one his most memorable songs and he cherishes his own lyrics.

Sanjiv Kumar broke all the myths of being actor and of stardom; he did not have the physique of a star, he was not ‘‘handsome’’ like Vinod Khanna, Dharmednra or Firoz Khan his contemporaries of the 70s and 80s, however, he did some of the best romantic roles, most challenging roles and he personified the ‘all-rounder concept’ as an actor. He left for the heavenly abode at 47….which is no age for exiting. He is remembered even today as one of the brightest talents of Hindi cine- world.

In the song DIl Dhoondata Hai…Bhupinder Singh’s voice aptly suits Sanjiv Kumar; he emotes the yearning and longing so well, his expressions of deep pining, a strong desire, tenderness and sadness in his singing. On the screen Sanjiv emotes all of this with par excellence. The flashback is captured excellently in song adding significance to the tune and lyrics of the song. Also, the younger Sanjiv Kumar and Sharmila Tagore’s onscreen romantic meetings add fantastic chemistry to the song.  Sanjiv Kumar portrays nostalgic feeling impeccably; the flashback shows shades of pleasure while his loneliness visiting the same spots where he met his love in past. Feeling nostalgic describes pleasurable emotions associated with a longing to go back to a particular period of time.

Life is a cycle of losing and gaining; we sometimes desire to live some pleasant moments of past. We all feel nostalgic sometimes but nostalgia creates dilemma. Past love especially is remembered without creating nagging doubts and niggling details. Consequently, the details of breaking the relationship for whatever reasons come back repeatedly which adds anxiety. This song shows the feelings of nostalgia so well and it tells the story of the movie.

For me, the song is melodious and timeless, I love watching the song again and again on YouTube.

The song ‘na jiya lage na’ is one of the finest songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar from the movie Anand (1970) starring Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Sumita Sanyal, Ramesh Deo, Seema Deo etc. The song is picturized on beautiful and elegant Sumita Sanyal. It is sung by Lata Mangeshkar and composed by Salil Choudhary, penned by Yogesh. The opening note of this song ‘na…….’ is very mesmeric…you can’t ignore it.

The song is very soothing showcasing Sumita Sanyal waiting for her lover to come home. Lyricist Yogesh has written the song expressing the yearning and longing of the heroine. Sumita Sanyal has portrayed the song with lot of longing she emotes her feelings very gracefully. This song is originally a Bengali song thus the Hindi version also sounds sweeter. Both Bengali and Hindi versions are sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

Salil Chowdhary could play several musical instruments. He had the magic in his hands; any instrument that he could lay his hands on he would be able to play it very comfortably. His orchestration was always symphonic with blend of complex use of the different instruments. His music never got moulded into any pattern. His flair for experimentation always lent his own signature originality to his composition. In this song sitar chords stand out accompanied by table beats.

Do you know the movie Anand was based on the friendship between Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Raj Kapoor. Hrishikesh Mukherjee was so close to Raj Kapoor that not a day passed when they didn’t meet at least once. The two were so close that Hrishida would often get gloomy thoughts about the two of them being separated by death. That’s how Anand was born. In fact Hrishida wanted to make it with Raj Kapoor playing the role that Amitabh Bachchan finally played; the fact is this movie gave a big break to Amitabh. Hrishikesh Mukherjee got to work with his best friend Raj Kapoor only once in Naukri which was a big failure.

Rajesh Khanna had no leading lady in Anand. Sumita Sanyal was cast opposite Amitabh Bachchan. Though there was no song situation for her, Hrishida created one, as he wanted at least one song by his favourite Lata Mangeshkar in the film. And, that song became a super-duper hit!!!

The song is set in raag Malgunji, and the tal of the song is Keherava. Composers like Salil Chowdhary, RD Burman, Kalyanji Anandji, Madan Mohan have composed beautiful evergreen songs in Malgunji which is a late night raga. Malgunji portrays the early realization of the reunion.   

Listen to this very beautiful song.

Phaili hui hai sapano ki baha aaja chalde kahi door…… my dreams have no boundaries, with open arms they can reach the sky, the mountains, the soaring high tree tops. This celestial song is from the 1955 film “House No. 44.” The song takes you for a quick look of the world over the rainbow. The lyrics are one of the finest of Sahir Ludhiyanvi. His style of emoting love in the surroundings of nature was simply awesome. The song shows Kalpana Kartik – the heroine of the film swinging and dancing around tall and picturesque trees surrounded with mist …..The scene is breathtaking. Every single line of the song is inspirational and stirring.

The music composed by SD Burman and song sung by Lata Mangeshkar; Burmanda has composed some of the gems for Lata Mangeshkar which were so unique. Their combination   established him as one of the greatest composers of the Golden Era regardless of whether he matched the commercial success of his peers or not. The song’s tone is identical to Bhoop Kalyan raga. Some refer Bhoop Kalyan as Shuddha Kalyan. The fact is that Shuddha Kalyan is used by very intelligent musicians as this raga is aesthetically challenging with melodic subtleties.

The team of S.D – Sahir – Lata has together given unforgettable songs. I think only S.D.Burman could give classic touch to Sahir Ludhiyanvi’s lyrics. Zoola zalkata, dhire dhire hum zhoole, amabar toh kya hai taronke bhi lab choole! How blissful the song is! Sahir Ludhiyanvi could create magical songs and Burmanda could suitably compose those songs. The song is sublime one feels like swinging in mountains and trees….just like Kalpana Kartik does. Close your eyes and this song takes you on a beautiful trip. Lata has sung the song very evocatively.

It seems Burmanda was sort of restless man; he would hardly sit down with harmonium to compose his songs. He had said in some of his interviews that his best tunes came to him in a flash of brilliance, invariably when he would visit seashores on a long walk or drive. He had soul of a poet. He had a very definite idea of what a song would eventually look like on screen and he’d set it to music accordingly. Often, he would get upset at the way certain songs of his were picturized.  Even though SD Burman was 23 years senior to Lata Mangeshkar, their debut in Hindi films was almost simultaneous. It is said that Dada Burman was so pleased with Lata’s amazing rendition of this song that he rewarded her with one of his precious paans, a gesture that was considered to be SD Burman’s ultimate sign of appreciation.

Listen to this timeless song.

Have you heard this delicate yet gratifying gazal (duet) from an offbeat film “Bazaar” (1982)? If not please hear it now.

In my opinion this song belongs to an entirely different genre. It’s quite a popular gazal (nazm). It’s written by Makhdoom Mohiuddin. The fact is Makhdoom was recognized as a serious revolutionary poet. But, while listening to this nazm, if you are an avid listener of poetries, you will realize he has penned a light, gentle and romantic poetry. Please note how many times the poet has used the word ‘phool’ and ‘phoolon ki’ in this poetry.

The on-screen singers were Farooq Shaikh and Supriya Phatak. Both look innocent, in love, yet naïve on screen. Their on screen chemistry elevates the spirit of the song.  I have watched this song many times; by avoiding watching the serious movie.  The late Farooq Shaikh had an offbeat charm about him; his screen presence was alluring. He could mesmerize the audience with his innocent looks and brilliant acting power. Supriya Pathak looks sweet and demure in the song. This song touches you – it’s a soul stirring composition.

The music was given by the great Khayyam. The ghazal is sung by Talat Aziz and Lata Mangeshkar. The film was produced under the banner of New Wave Producers and directed by Sagar Sarhadi. The tune of this song is based on one of my favorite ragas – raag Baageshri. It is a popular raga of the late night. This raga depicts the emotion of a woman waiting to meet her lover. It seems Tansen, the celebrated court singer of the Emperor Akbar in the sixteenth century first sang it in Akbar’s court and everybody who was present at that moment was moved by Tansen’s rendition.

I am sure you will hear Phir Chhidi Raat again and again and love it. Please listen to the wordings carefully to absorb the mysticism of this song. I salute Makhdoomji, Khayyamji, Talatji and Lataji for such a brilliant composition.

This is what Talat Aziz has to say about the song. “Phir chhidi raat baat: A song typical of Khaiyyam Sahab. Even today it is a ‘must sing’ in my live concerts and I love singing it again and again.

Ramchandra Narhar Chitalkar born on 12 January 1918 in Maharashtra was a renowned music composer in the cinema industry of India. He was famously known as C. Ramchandra. This genius had a multifaceted personality. Besides composing some of the brilliant songs in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telgu movies, he acted, sang, and played instruments.

It is said that C. Ramchandra introduced rock ‘n’ roll in India even before it became a rage in the west. He was influenced by the Benny Goodman style of jazz clarinet.  Benny Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician; he was clarinetist and a bandleader, known as the “King of Swing”. C. Ramchandra tried experimenting western and middle-eastern styles in his creations.  His famous number from Shehnai released in 1947 ‘Meri jaan, meri jaan ana Sunday ke Sunday’ and his songs from the movie Albela released in 1951 “Shola jo bhadake’ and ‘Ye diwana, ye parwana’ are ever unforgettable even today almost after 50-60 years. These songs are played by youngsters in parties; they are superb, toe-tapping numbers. They are composed with bongo drums, oboes, clarinets, trumpets, saxophones, etc. The spirit of these songs conveys stimulation, enthusiasm, and hilarity. They make you dance and swing. And can we ever forget his ‘Ae mere watan ke logo’ sung by Lata and written by the great Kavi Pardeep.

I want to pay tribute to this great maestro for one thing – he is the one kind of unusual, great artist who used 5-6 names (identities) in his career span. When the world is deeply driven by sense of identity, I mean it is so important for all of us to tell the world ‘who we are’ this legendry composer for various reasons had to use 5-6 names. Those days, people abided by the contracts; once contract was signed with a company, the artist could not take up other assignments till the contractual period was over. C. Ramchndra who was such versatile man, lent music while acting in Marathi and Hindi movies or even played instruments for other composures. Hence he has many identities. When we see people going to any extent to maintain their identities, here is a multi-talented man who took chances in life. He was restless, inventive man who unleashed his talent all together.

In the composer’s role, he mostly used the name C. Ramachandra, though he also used the names Annasaheb in the movies Bahadur Pratap, Matwale, and Madadgaar, Ram Chitalkar in the movies Sukhi Jeevan, Badla, Mr. Jhatpat, Bahadur, and Dosti, and Shyamoo in the movie Yeh hai duniya. Further, he often sang and acted in Marathi movies under the name R. N. Chitalkar. For his career as an occasional playback singer he used only his surname Chitalkar. Yes, this Chitalkar sang some renowned and unforgettable duets with Lata Mangeshkar such as ‘Kitna haseen hai mausam’ in film Azad or ‘Shola Jo bhadke’ in Albela.

It is noteworthy that although C Ramchandra was most commonly associated with lyricists Rajendra Krishan and Santhoshi. In Anarkali he worked with three lyricists, Krishan, Shailendra, and Hasrat Jaipuri. In his later he employed Noor Lakhnavi (Parchhain), Jan Nissar Akhtar (Yasmin), Pradeep (Nastik), Shakeel Bdayuni (Zindagi Aur Maut) and others. It is worth noting that despite the diversity of poetic sources, he maintained his original style while composing songs. I think that a good composer is essentially a sensitive person who understands poetry.  He has to understand meaning of poetry, its environment before rendering music to it, which obviously C Ramchandra was.

We often see that creativity is rarely acknowledged – this especially in cinema industry. The world suspects talent of creative people. Most people don’t actually like it. People are biased against creative people. Even people, who say they are looking for creativity, often react disapprovingly to creative ideas; because ambiguity is an inherent part of new ideas, and it’s also something that most people would do almost anything to avoid. We are a cruel society.

C. Ramchndra’s career went haphazard after mid 60s. Unfortunately his success story was cut short by many circumstances. The new entrants in the industry – new breed of composures with more energy, resources, the clout culture in cinema world all of this went against C. Ramchandra’s style of operating. Genius people have their principles – they will not go out of their way to please others. Occasionally, this brings them down; C.Ramchandra lost his ground to the newcomers. He died very young at the age of 64.

The overtly competitive film industry in the world has numerous untold, tacit stories of great brilliant artists; they die or fade away but the masterpieces created by genius people remain eternal.