Hona hai to ho hi jayega – Of Lost Songs-II
Continuing from where we left…
BETAABI
There was something about Vishal’s music in all lesser significant films.
Betaabi was one such score. Raw. Instinctive. Full of beans. It was music with attitude, songs that would make you sit up.
Tum mere ho would never leave me, it was a healer of sorts, loved the slowly-building-up sense of rhythm, the violent symphony, the never-say-die all-at-stake emotion embedded in the lyrics and so on. I went to see the film just for this one song. And like it happens, the song and that desire truly made me pay for it.
The yeah-yeah routine by KK (I suspect)that opens the track was reminiscent of the high-pitched male-vocal-opening of Chhod aaye hum from Maachis.
(Female version)
Main tumko mehsoos karoon
Ban jaao tum ehsaas
Poochh lo khayaalon se
Baadalon ki shaalon se
Khwaahishon se sapno se
Poochho gairon ya apno se
Tum mere ho…
Lata Ji sounded like a dream as usual but the song had the typical Vishal elements in place as well. Both versions of this superbly distinctive track were a thesis in themselves – while Suresh Wadker version was long overdue and enchanting in its all-male-self-convinced-belief-phallic-desire-attitude-and-glory(much thanks also to the mood understood quite smartly by Dr. Bashir Badr), the Lata version held its own when it came to ‘attitude’.
I still remember how this song would play endlessly in some gym I went to, and all heartbroken local Romeos took to their gym routines like a 10 years-struggler given his break in a Hollywood studio biggie.
Betaabi had some more gems – Tumhari Khushboo had its own sensuality in place, another song that brilliantly exploited Wadker’s understated voice, perfectly complemented by Asha Ji’s ever-surprising rendition. The music had fantastic use of symphony and guitars(very RD) in the interludes, reminiscent of the Vishal or Maachis or Jahaan Tum Le Chalo.
The song was another proof of how intelligently a sensual/sensuous mood can be created by the subtle use of a bass. The guitars go a little Spanish-crazy post the first stanza only to reconcile in a much Vishal-dark-groove-symphony. I am trying hard not to think of Mayuri Kango, but nevermind.
Mere khwaab sulagne do…
Then there was Jhooti Moothi, the tribal outing song. Vishal went wild with this one, quite literally, with some much-welcome-in-Bollywood African voices and whatnot, but only to kill you again with Wadker’s intoxicating vocals and an infectious lazy rhythm surprisingly accompanied only by a soft piano.
But ye kya hua! KK enters from nowhere with a Chori Chori Goriyaan Kheenchey Dil ki Doriyaan! Now THAT kind of liberties are seldom taken in a film score, and that is one reason we are discussing this experiment of a music score here.
All that you can thing of – the mellow maudlin violins of Maachis, the uncomfortable antara structure of later Vishal, the not-so-familiar female vocals of any average Jatin-Lalit number, all of it and more is present in this single song. Now unless you are a Rahman, you can’t make this song go places. It doesn’t. but it’s fun nonetheless.
Gungunati Hui
Betaabi also revisited the much-lost piano-proposal genre, only here there was a musical-swayamvar-kinda setting. Two hunks competing for the most beautiful girl in the film, for different reasons of course. One of those rare songs where you can actually enjoy Kumar Sanu without making faces. But Vishal takes his own ‘sweet’ revenge with having a vocal-poetic kind of contest between the saccharine-smeared romance against the ruthless Tum-mere-ho’ed cockiness of Wadker.
AAJA SANAM MERI JAAN CHALI– KHILAAF
The song that made Chunky Pandey the sataya-hua-aashiq of early nineties, had all that LP era boasted of – grand orchestra, full-on filmy drama and climactic tension in the song, only with the addition of a delightfully real Sukhwinder. Also the ‘meri jaan chali’ in its variations lend an X factor to the otherwise high-on-emotional-atyachar song.
Tune mera dil tod diya
(tan tan tan tan taaiin)
Mujhko akela chhod diya
(tan tan tan tan taaiin)
Leke ye gham meri jan chali
Teri kasam meri jaan chali
Dard ka dariya gehra hua
Tere liye hi thehra hua
Hothon pe gham teri jaan chali
Teri kasam meri jaan chali…
And as in all great melodramatic songs of early nineties, emotional hard-work karoge to FLUTE milega, so the flute was very much present here in its divine-healing avatar.
SHAM GHANSHAM
AANDI AAI JAANDI AAI
Another brilliant Vishal score, experimental again, Sham Ghansham was like a treasure of songs that would never work back in those days.
Aandi ai jaandi ai was a fun ride all the way. A very Ghai-LP hungover track, Vishal proved his skills in grand-chorus-tracks like these with this one. I guess Bakshi Saahab would have helped being on the crew as well. The Punjabi flavour and mitti ki khushboo could be attributed to him with least inhibitions any day.
O Mundey di amma tera munda sataada ai
I guess it would one of rare film occasions when Pooja Batra actually got a matching voice(Hema Sardesai) and mood to go with.
Sukhi here reminded me of his much less spoke of Deewaney tere naam ke from Saudagar. The same rustic bass in place.
Aadha ghoonghat kholke wo dil tarsaati hai
Na chhupti hai na khulkar ke wo saamne aati hai
Kabhi latka de kabhi jhatka de
Mujhe raste se na bhatka de….
More on the Ghai factor, the song concludes in a very Ghai grandeur with everything coming together along with the theme music, takes me back to another high on personal recall Trimurti.
PREM MEIN PAAGAL HO GAYEE MEERA
A hatke Holi number, this song had lots of stuff going on – kaddoo kaat mardang banaya, a groovy treatment, a delightful Amit Kumar-ish Vishwajeet and Brahmachary, Wadker in his festive mood, Asha Ji in her inspired ‘jaa jaa re’ routines, an infectious chhed-chhad funk, and a maddening chorus. I used to trip on this song to no end. What fantastic antaras!
Hum chhedenge mat rona
Tum aaj khafa mat hona…
And the male voice enters with ‘ho gayi badi kharaabi meri hone waali bhabhi’…aajkal ye sab kahaan sunne ko milta hai..sigh.
SG also had the much famous Kumar Sanu-Alka Yagnik romantic number, O mitwa re. Perhaps the only popular track of this forgettable film, the song was high on the pahaadi romantic mood, something Vishal excels at.
————————–
SG PJ
Which song was edited from the film for showing cruelty to animals?
GILL da maamla hai!
————————–
AUR EK PREM KAHANI
I am terribly lacking on my Maestro knowledge. Trying to catch up. Always lapped up his Hindi albums with all the glee in the world. Aur ek prem kahani was one.
HONA HAI TO HO HI JAYEGA
This song, I am told, is a rehash of “Pothi vecha malliga mottu” from the Tamizh film ‘Mann vaasanai’. A fun love duet with SPB and Asha Ji, Hona hai to was simple in its set-up and quietly addictive like much of the Maestro’s songs.
Something about dubbed films and songs, not often does a song find a beautiful accident like this – hona hai to ho hi jayega, khona hai to kho hi jayega. So eloquently universal yet simple like kindergarten.
MERI ZINDAGI
Another brilliantly subtle song featuring Asha Ji, the song never felt like a dubbed outing, no compromises whatsoever.
Meri zindagi teri zindagi
Mile kya kab yahaan hai kya pata
Thodi khushiyaan thode gham thoda pyaar hai
Anjaane raaste sabhi
Manzil hai saamne dhoondo na
Chalte chal har ek pal
Dhun mein magan geet koi gungunaa
Aaj hai kal nahi
Tum ho hum nahi
Aate jaate jaate aate mausam badalte hain
NAINA BOLE NAINA
Another masterstroke, this song was high on vocal expression, considering the protagonist is a singer and this is a stage performance.
The way the mukhda comes about is simply devastating in Asha Ji’s hypnotic rendition, not to undermine the Maestro’s mystically sparse arrangement only lending a magical quality to the whole mood and effect the song creates.
KUCHH AISA JAHAAN HUM BANAYEIN – Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai
A very Jatin-Lalit number, Adesh Srivastava created a good-old-time-mellow-romantic ambience of the nineties in this soft number. Shaan sleep walks through it, so does Alka Yagnik and you don’t complain at once about his overtly smiling genre of singing.
Pehli kali ne pehli ghata se
Kya kahaa hai sun to zara
The song embodied the dreams of a young love, much like the film in its aspirational mood, there was a certain fresh air of ambition in both the film and the songs(the much popular Ye Hawaayein zulfon mein teri) in spite of the fate they were to meet.
I was discovering LP at a time when they were pretty much done with their golden age, I believe the last few grand LP outings were Tezaab and Narsimha, along with Ram Lakhan & Saudagar. Rajkumar was one of the few infamous cases of films being in production so long you could make a film on it. Its funny how some of the other delayed films of that times were also LP projects – Roop ki rani choron ka raja, Prem Granth etc. But music ka koi kya bigaadega. So Rajkumar did have something to make me happy back in those days. Not counting the costume drama turned mishap turned atrocity that this Pankaj Parasher film was, the music was typical paisa-wasool LP.
Aankhon ke aage peechhey
This Kavita number was a fine blend of LP’s grand orchestra with some western sounds thrown in. The way it opens with Kavita’s voice slowly weaving magic on either side of the head is vintage stuff (I would count it in my Top 5 tracks of hers, for the sheer art of working so smoothly with such a complex structure, something of a giant progression from her Chaalbaaz days), something you would stumble upon some day in your sixties and feel good you heard that music first day when it was out. Lovely structure, use of strings, some pycho-use of synth and pipes in the interludes, a very restrained rhythm (until the grand climax of course), the perfect use of a female-hook – ‘Saat Samundar’, the song also meanders rather amusingly into techno somewhere mid-way.
I am quite surprised revisiting this song would make me so overwhelmed with all that it offers. It is quite a misdirected track, with everything thrown in and the vocals competing with so many diverse instruments almost like a battle, but great fun nonethless, more if you catch it unplanned.
And the mixed genre/musical references of the song – I would say a happy accident. Sometimes it helps when you don’t have a ‘script’. I am sure the film had no clue of its timeline or setting hence the global effect, and thank god for that.
Great song. And Madhuri’s one of the few-rare-songs-that-ACTUALLY-had-a-dress-designer-around!
Bechain Hoon Main
Rajkumar’s OST was high on the Bass Guitar. I remember how I had asked this shop(MI Road, Jaipur for those who care) guy to test the tape out(cus that was the thing to do, to check out the song being played proudly on the shop’s ultra hi-fi system) and I was stunned not to mention(cus you would hardly get to hear the song from its beginning on radio or on TV and this was pretty much the first complete hear), listening to the way this song starts. I couldn’t ask him to stop it. But he did.
So that was then.
Coming back to the song, drum snares open it along with a wicked flute and all the possible percussion in the world soon to turn into a mundane beat which worked wonders with a no-holds-barred-back-in’ol-days Alka-Udit outing. Not much to say about the structure and stuff in this one unlike Saat Samundar, except that it has some fun percussion variations and use of the famous LP flute in the interludes.
Rajkumar also had the much-celebrated Paayal Meri with its own strengths(silent rhythm, Spanish guitars, the whole brown-toota-hua-ship-to-create-sensual-tension factor etc. and O mere Rajkumar(heroine ko satao and make her sing and dance in the hot sun in a ghaghra-choli to a painful rendition of the title song).
Coming in next edition: Yahaan, Saaz, Yalgaar, Umrao Jaan.
Tags: asha bhosle, Dr. Bashir Badr, Goldie Behl, Illaiyaraja, Lata Mangeshkar, LP, Pankaj Parashar, rajkumar, Sham Ghansham, subhash ghai, Vishal
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Good Research!
The write up will make all those people who havent heard of these songs,run out n catch up on these audio bits..
Waiting for the next edition already…agree with you on the musical score of RajKumar. Music was the only consoling factor in the movie.
wah wah wah…
at last someone has recalled the song of khilaaf. i kept singing the song and nobody seemed to recognize it.
.
lyrics of betaabi was gr8, one of the reasons being that a poet had penned it.
gungunati huyi ek nadi mil gayi
ajnabi shehar mei dosti mil gayi
tum miley kya mujhe zindagi mil gayi
—-
shayron ke liye shayari mil gayi
raat ke shehar ko chandni mil gayi
tum miley kya mujhe zindagi mil gayi
.
almost all songs of rajkumar were plagiarised from other works. that apart, the songs were good
.
good post!
Yeah, that ‘payal meri’ was ‘Faith’ by George Michael, but it really works, Crazyrals.
‘RajKumar’ definitely had grand music, but i’m biased towards LP anyway.
No one can touch ‘em.
Even today.
Even their BGM’s used to move me.
I rate them as the best we’ve had in indian cinema, ever!
I know there have been many amazing composers before & after, lekin they’ve left a HUGE impression on me, my childhood, even adult life.
Great to see ‘Khilaaf’ up there too, Tushar :-)
Tushar- good post.Most of these songs/albums can be well related to by me from my school & college days.Yes LP were the kings of commercial music & literally run machines.They could churn out hit after hit.Good to know that there are others like me who also remember all these songs.
Still remember the visuals of Chandrachur Singh trekking while the song ” Tum mere ho” plays on in Betaabi.In movies like Aur Ek Prem Kahani & Cheeni Kum Ilayaraja has recreated some of his gems from the Tamil movies done in the past.
tushar, brilliant list so far. I just read the first part too and it was surprising that someone else also liked the songs of Chamku. Whomever, I came across said I was insane to like such songs. lol.
Btw, heres my take on some of the rare and unheard Hindi melodies that I attempted last week. Do tell me what you feel about them, either here or there :
http://vimalsparadise.blogspot.com/2009/04/geetgeethamsangeetham-part-1.html
Hi Tushar, good to see a post covering Ilaiyaraja, for a change by someone NOT from the south.
On Aur Ek Prem Kahani, no offence, but it was a very low-key, very uncharactersitically plodding work by the maestro. To add to the misery, you had Mano(not SPB) slurring Honna Hey Thho Hhhoo hhhi jhayhegha. The originals with SPB and S.Janaki are not only better sung, but the orchestration is miles above this remake. You must hear it – since you liked this remake, you’ll be stunned by the original. I’ll link it if I can.
Coming to Naina Bole, that tune is a killer, and no wonder you were hooked. Again, I’d refer to the original sung by Janaki – somehow Asha in her twilight years doesnt match the original, where Janaki was at her peak. Even the orchestration is a toned down version of the original, which bursts with emotion and a masterful strings section.
I guess Meri Zindagi is a flat rendition by Asha while the original by the maestro himself and S Janaki ooze in some very apt and necessary gamakams.
In addition, the horrible Sunday Ko. I am still wondering how the mesmerising original tune Thumbi Vaa, which has 7 versions by the maestro, can be butchered thus and this is the only version that fails. Mano is a major reason for this and the orchestration is very bad too here.
So, kind of this is a Ilaiyaraja leftover album – I hope you get to hear the absolute best of IR – given that you were able to identify the nuances in this rather ordinary AEPK, I am sure you will be in trance when you hear the originals and other peak IR albums!
Its a beautiful beautiful list and I must commend you for taking the commercialism out and show that bad movies can have great songs. I thought I was the only one who couldnt get “Tum Mere Ho” out of my head… but u have reassured me thats not the case so THANKS
I personally feel Vishal’s music of Macchis and the song tum mere Ho was inspired by Floyd’s music.. The drums and the rythmn reminded me of the same.. Good song though..
Thanks again everyone for the kind comments and inputs.
@Steve, saying Payal meri was Faith is a little harsh I think. That ways so many songs are Faith, including Vaaranam Ayiram’s Mundhinam. Anyways. Even me biased towards LP big time man. Khillaaf wasn’t in my initial plans but just came up accidentally and you know when that happens. He he.
@vimu, good inclusions there in your list. I love Chandni roop ki and Dus’ OST. Have been trying to get hold of Kabhi na kabhi on the net for some time now. I try to keep Rahman away from such lists or else he will screw it all up again.
@plum, south north kuch nahi hota yaar. I keep saying this, no song is good or bad or deserving or not deserving, it’s more of our associations and memories that they incite. I have always digged mispronunciations for some reason or the other. Be it Remo or any film singer. Like a friend says, it is surreal. If you notice, even a very North Indian Asha Ji does the south Indian twang in the songs of this film. Again it is all a liberal associative thing for me so won’t go down to why’s and how’s much, but thanks for recommending the original IR stuff. I have been meaning to pick up and start listening to some of his stuff, but you know how it is searching for a Chinese outlet in Siberia(when you are an Italian), so I hope I get some help with some compilations and stuff. I did listen to some Vintage IR song collections on in.com and they were pretty cool.
I did hear the original one for Hona hai to though.
@Kajal, thanks. Tum mere ho has been haunting me for over a week now. Quite a Blast from the Past.
LP gave Madhuri some great tracks.
Loved ‘Chhoo Le’ from ‘Mahaanta’.
Can’t find that anywhere!
‘Payal Meri’ definitely has more ‘Faith’ than ‘Mundhinam’, Tushar ji.
But yeah, that guitar piece has been ’shared’ over time ;-)
Ain’t u got ‘Kabhi na Kabhi’ tracks?
I have ‘em.
Shall I send ‘em? :-)
My friend was throwing the c.d away!!
Yes, I soon put her right!
But yup, if u want, I can send to u…
Not a prob :-)
Disappointed not to see MMK’s Is raat ki subah nahin and Vishal’s Jahaan tum le chalo in the list, simply some of the bests from that era..
for me, no smoking was vishal bhardwaj’s best till date, i liked it even more than maachis and omkara. unfortunately most just disappeared, the only one which was somewhat noticed was bipasha basu’s phoonk de, which was the most ordinary of all. superb rendition of kash laga and phoonk de in male voice by sukhwinder, the terrific poetry of ashtray and jab bhi, this was one remarkable album, in quality, as good as gulaal, just that gulaal was a revelation, gulaal was hard-hitting. If no smoking was a pleasing, cool breeze in peak summer, gulaal was a gale, both equally pleasant but in contrasting manners
on vishal bhardwaj, dil pe mat le yaar had good songs as well, there was a song which never appeared in the movie, ‘haule haule’ sung by KK, it was beautiful
Super List. I love all these songs, except Aur Ek Prem kahani which I havent heard.
How about “Koi Taaza Hawa…” from Dhai Akshar Prem Ke..?
The Khilaaf song was sung by Sukhvinder who was a nobody then. Before that, he had also sung “Rutt Piya Milan” with LP in ‘Yateem’ which also has a fabulous but neglected soundtrack.
BTW Khilaaf was such an unbearably bad film…
Anyone for ‘Na Hai Zameen, Na Aasman’ from Anil-Madhuri starrer ‘Khel? Also the Bhajan/cabaret versions of ‘Ek Baat Jaan Lo Tum’ from same film?
Music was by Rajesh Roshan so originality cannot be guaranteed..!
@Sanjeev: amit kumar rocked in ‘na hai zameen’ song. picturized in ‘badal nagar, hai mera ghar’ :D … too good
.
‘ek baat jaan lo tum’ was nice. in fact when madhuri sings tat song in the school for the music teacher’s job, asha bhosle does an erotic take in the first line, then corrects herself and does a classical take…tat was fantastic
Wow! These really were lost songs! Some of the songs I never heard of until reading about them in your post, so thank you so much for reviving these songs :-)
Aandi Aai Jaandi Aai is such a fun number!
Kavita sounds AWESOME in Aankhon Ke Aagey Peechey. Didn’t really like Bechain or Tu Bijli Hai that much, though. Wow, totally forgot about Paayal Meri until reading this post. I used to really like that song. lol.
Nice to see that you briefly mentioned Bas Itnaa Saa Khwaab Hai–”Chotaa Saa Mann Hai” is also a beautiful composition.
Loved Naina Bole Naina. Thanks for sharing the video!
“One of those rare songs where you can actually enjoy Kumar Sanu without making faces” LOL!!!
Love the build-up of tension in Tum Mere Ho. It has this sort of brooding feel which reminds me of the Deewaangi track KK sings :-)
Can’t wait for Part 3 :-)
@Pavan(11): But aren’t you happy to see the rest of the songs on Tushar’s list? :-) I think he briefly mentioned Iss Raat Ki Subaah Nahin in Part 1, though.
@Rals(17): hehe, that scene really was funny :-)
That ‘Chhotta Sa Mann’ track is gorgeous!
Aadesh Srivastava really outdid himself there…
Jatin Lalit’s ‘Chand Sa Roshan Chehra’ had some typical good JL melodies
Jatin Lalit’s ‘Haasil’ A beautiful song ‘Aankhen Bhi’ by abhijeet
Vishal’s ‘Jahan Tum Le Chalo’ is a masterpiece.I think few months back there was a discussion at PFC abt Jahan Tum Le Chalo
@vishal, I think No Smoking music got its due. It was discussed at length on many forums that I know. Agree with you on Gulaal. Dil pe was a great score. Layee ja re badra, swagatam..all classics.
@Amanda, thanks. It is never too late. :-)
All ‘No smoking’ songs were excellant also title card music in the film was awesome.
Jatin Lalit’s Khoobsurat had some good songs apart from hit song ‘Khoobsoorat Ho’
i love all the songs …
bandit queen
astitava
aur ek prem kahani
saaz
raajkumar
betaabi
khilaaf
you forget some…….
1.angaar-mushkil main hain kaun kisi ka ,idhar dekho
2.muskurahat-gun gun karta aaya bhavra
3.daddy-all songs
4.prahaar-hamari hi muthi main aakash saara,dhadkan zara ruk gayi hain
5.gardish-all songs
6.yaara dildaara-wo jo kaha tha maine wo kar dikhaya na
7.anjali-anjali anjali
8.nargis-all songs
9.1947 earth-all songs
Just managed to hear ‘NAINA BOLE NAINA’!
Wow!
Initially, it made me think of ‘Chandramukhi’s ‘Raa Raa’ song, but Asha’s fantastic here!!!!
Khoobsurat had some great antaras that I loved:
Wo chehre jo roshan hain lau ki tarah
unhe dhoondne ki zaroorat nahi
meri aankhon mein jhaank kar dekh lo
tumhe aaine ki zaroorat nahi
ye rukhsaar peele se lagte hain na
udaasi ki haldi hai hat jaayegi
tamanna ki laali ko pakne to do
ye patjhad ki chhaun chhat jaegi
labon pe zabaan phero
inhein geele rehne do
Apart from other things, the title track had the typicsl J-L saxophone and melodic patterns. Miss those soft-on-ear-light-romantic compositions in these complex times. I guess Sangharsh came around the same time, and had similar sonorous quality(naaraaz savera, mujhe raat din, hum badi door etc.). In fact Tanuja Chandra scores have always had that melodic quality(Sur, Ye zindagi ka safar, dushman). Dushman is another score I will revisit some time.
Stumbled upon some more hidden treasures lately:
Ishq da rutba – Kartoos
Piya – Dus(Mukul Anand)
Aarzoo – ye kya ho raha hai
Oh, Tanuja Chandra reminds me, there was that 1 nice track in ‘Zindagi Rocks’ that Sushmita sang.
‘Humko Chhoone Paas Aayiye’.
But the rest of the album was NOISE!
But yeah, the music has been pretty good in her movies.
‘Dushman’ is hard though :-(