Madan Mohan- A king of Melody
Among the older generation of music directors, for me Madan Mohan, remains one of my favorites. He created some of the most melodious songs, and yet some how he could never really achieve the success of his contemporaries. Well i guess many reasons for it. For starters Madan was not backed by either the big stars or big banners, like Shankar Jaikishan was a perennial Raj Kapoor favorite, Naushad was the first choice for any Dilip Kumar movie, and for Dev Anand it was Dada Burman most of the times. Even directors like Guru Dutt, Bimal Roy quite often alternated between Dada or Salil Choudhury. Madan was generally left with movies of either second rung stars or mostly B stuff. Even a director like Raj Khosla for whom Madan Mohan gave those unparalleled masterpieces in Mera Saaya and Woh Kaun Thi, did not use him for his later movies.
Another issue was that Madan Mohan was not exactly a mass composer. Unlike Shankar Jaikishan who fused Western songs, Indian folk or O.P. Nayyar who made use of his Punjabi background , most of Madan’s music was the kind played in drawing rooms. His songs were not the foot tapping stuff, most of them were soulful introspective pieces, the kind you listen to relaxing in your home on a lazy afternoon or maybe on a longer journey. It could be due to his privileged upbringing, his father was a well known producer in the movie industry, and he was born into an aristocratic family. He served in the army for some time, before he quit it, to pursue his passion in music. And thats the reason, why he is often referred to as the master of the Ghazal, because it needed that kind of sensibility to compose those tunes. But he could still come up with a totally seeti maar number like “Jhumka Gire Re” or “Simti Si, Sharmai Si”, when given a chance. There have been many patriotic songs, but to date no song touches me the way, Madan’s “Kar Chale Hum Fida” from Haqeeqat does.
And yes his legendary association with Lata, resulting in masterpieces ranging from the sombre “Woh Bhooli Daastan” to the soft and melodious ” Naino Mein Bhadra Chaaye” to the ever alluring “Lag Ja Gaale” to the dil ko choo lene wali “Aap Ki Nazron ne Samjha”. In fact Naushad is said to have remarked that he would exchange all his songs just for Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha. Madan and Lata were a special jodi, who gave some of the best songs of all time. If i were to make a list of my favorite Lata numbers, at least 70% of them would be Madan Mohan’s. So here is a humble tribute, listing some of my favorite songs by Madan.
Aap Ki Nazaron Ne Samjha- Anpadh- Lata
Not much idea about this movie, but i know it starred Mala Sinha, Dharmendra and Balraj Sahni. This song is simply a masterpiece, so delicate, so beautiful and so melodious. It is said, that Madan Mohan used to treat every song of his with utmost care, and respect the tunes. Lata really hits the high spot, with some wonderful modulation. And the lyrics by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan are as usual a treat.
pa.D ga_ii dil par merii, aapakii parchhaaiyaa. har taraf bajane lagii.n saika.Do.n shahanaaiyaa. ha.Nsake apanii zi.ndagii me.n, kar liyaa shaamil mujhe aapakii nazaro.n ne samajhaa
Bhooli Huyein Yaadon- Sanjog- Mukesh
Very sombre, very introspective, typical Mukesh number. In fact the opening interludes is very heavy, very tragic undertone kind, giving an indication of the mood to follow.
Dil Dhoondta Hai Phir Wahi- Mausam- Bhupinder
The lyrics by Gulzar are sublime here, the musical mood quiet and introspective. Whenever i want to listen to this song, i just do one thing, i lay down on a lazy afternoon, put on the speakers. And the effect is of being transferred to the beautiful hills and valleys. Magical is all i can say. And when you have lyrics like this
barfiilii sardiyo.n me.n kisii bhii pahaa.D par
vaadii me.n guu.Njatii huii khaamoshiyaa.N sune.n aa.Nkho.n me.n bhiige bhiige se lamhe liye hue dil Dhuu.NDhataa hai phir vahii furasat ke raat din…
Hoke Majboor Mujhe- Haqeeqat(1964)- Bhupinder, Talat, Rafi, Manna De
When i first heard “Kar Chale Hum Fida” from Haqeeqat i felt no other song could ever move me so much. I was wrong, because when i heard Hoke Majboor Mujhe, i was just haunted. I mean this is a song, on which i could write an entire article by itself. To call it a masterpiece is an understatement. It is not just the understatement, it is the depth of feelings, the emotions, the sensitivity, that just touches me somwehere. And what makes it more so, is that this song perfectly expresses the feelings of the soldiers, Kaifi Saab, take a bow here. And yes the way all the 4 singers sing in perfecy synch, God this is a song, that comes once in a life time.
Watch it here
Kar chale Hum Fida- Haqeeqat(1964)- Md. Rafi
Once i was watching “Maa Tujhe Salaam” on TV, standard Sunny Deol flick, nothing special. Movie was just going on, until one scene. There is a scene, where militants attack an army post, and soldiers led by Sharat Saxena, go down fighting to their death. The scene was shot well, but what made really made an impact was the song playing in the background “Kar chale Hum Fida”. That song converted just another routine scene, into something special. No other song manages to evoke the feeling of patriotism in me, as much as this song. It is the best tribute to the Indian soldier after Lata’s “Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon”
saa.Ns thamatii ga_ii nabz jamatii ga_ii
phir bhii ba.Dhate kadam ko na rukane diyaa
kaT gaye sar hamaare to kuchh Gam nahii.n
sar himaalay kaa hamane na jhukane diyaa
marate marate rahaa baa.Nkaapan saathiyo.
raah qurbaaniyo.n kii na viiraan ho
tum sajaate hii rahanaa naye qaafile
fatah kaa jashn is jashn ke baad hai
zi.ndagii maut se mil rahii hai gale
aaj dharatii banii hai dulhan saathiyo.
Lag Jaa Gale Ki Phir Ye- Woh Kaun Thi- Lata
Woh Kaun Thi was one of the best thriller movies shot to date in Hindi cinema. It had that moody, dark, Gothic mood, and Sadhana’s ethereal beauty perfectly enhanced the mood of that movie. One of the best collaborations between Lata and Madan Mohan, it had the haunting “Naina Barse Rim Jhim” and the sombre ” Jab Hum Apni Daastan Sunaye”. But my pick would be Lag Jaa Gale, it had that wonderful alluring feel to it. Also loved the way director Raj Khosla sets up this song, to show Sadhana, trying to get her husband Manoj Kumar’s attention.
hamako milii hai.n aaj, ye gha.Diyaa.N nasiib se jii bhar ke dekh liijiye hamako qariib se phir aapake nasiib me.n ye baat ho na ho phir is janam me.n mulaaqaat ho na ho lag jaa gale ki phir ye hasii.n raat ho na ho
Naino Mein Bhadra Chaaye- Mera Saaya- Lata
Mera Saaya was the second of director Raj Khosla’s thriller trilogy of Woh Kaun Thi, Mera Saaya and Anita. Mera Saaya was more of a Hitchcockian thriller, with a woman presumed as being dead, suddenly appearing alive. Again an excellent movie, and a fabulous score. Trust me choosing my favorite in this album was a tough ask, there was the melodious title song, Asha’s seductive “Jhumka Gira Re”, Lata’s mischevious ” Naino Waali Ne” and Rafi’s sombre ” Aap Ke Pehlo Mein Aakhar Ro Diye”. Each one brilliant, but my final choice would be Naino Mein Bhadra Chaaye, if i were to do a Lata Top 50, this would surely appear in the Top 10. You can feel the purity of the voice, the sweetness, the melody, as the song just touches you somewhere in the heart. Also love the jal tarang beats.
Lata’s singing really hits a total high point here, especially when she intones “Prem Diwani Hu Mein, Sapno Ki Raani Hu Mein”, she modulates it to a higher pitch, as well as her intonations in between. Magnificient.
Watch this here
Some other favorite Madan Mohan numbers of mine
Maai Ri Main Kaise Kahoon Pir- Dastak-Lata and Madan Mohan
Milo Na Tum To Hum Ghabrayein- Heer ranjha- Lata
Raahi Ta Mein Aawara- Saheb Bahadur- Kishore
Har Tarah Ab Yahin Afsane Hai- Hindustan Ki Kasam- Manna De
Shok Nazar Ki Bijliyan – Woh Kaun Thi- Asha
Simti Si Sharmai Si- Parvana-Kishore
Zaroorat Hai, Zaroorat Hai- Manmauji-Kishore
Kabhi Na Kabhi- Sharaabi(Old)- Rafi
Hai Isi Mein Pyaar Ki Aabro- Anpadh- Lata
Hum Pyaar Mein Jalnewaalo Ko-Jailor-Lata
Yun Hasraton Ke Daag- Adalat-Lata
Woh Bhooli Daastan- Sanjog- Lata
Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho- Hanste Zakhm- Md.Rafi
Kaun Aaya Mere Man Ke Dwaare- Dekh Kabira Roya-Manna De
This is again not a very exhaustive list, there are some more too. Anyway would love to hear your Madan Mohan favorites. Also i have not included any Veer Zara songs, because i think most of them have been discussed thread bare. Also to me I would not really rate them as his best, strictly my opinion though.
Tags: Indian Film Music, Lata Mangeshkar, Madan Mohan, Raj Khosla
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Baaki almost sab cover kar hi liya hai, here are some of my favourites:
Hanste Zakhm se -
-Aaj socha to aansoo bhar aaye, muddatein ho gayi muskuraaye
- Betaab dil ki tamanna yehi hai
- Tum jo mil gaye ho
From Haqeeaqat -
-Zaraa si aahat hoti hai
-Hoke majboor mujhe
ANd I don’t remember which film this is from, but I have always loved: “Hum hain mataa-e-koocha-o-bazzar ki tarah”
Madan Mohan is one of my all-time favourites, so this article by you, is going to make me come back to make some more comments
Another point I’d like to make here is that, the lyrics of most of his songs were of very high quality. Nice Urdu, jo aajkal sunne ko hi nahin milti. (Unless you consider Himesh Reshammiya screaming some Urdu words for no reason, a million times, as Urdu…LOL!)
The songs are extremely melodious. Give me Madan Mohan, Naushad and SD any day and I’ll forget Rehman
From the list you have provided, I don’t like ‘raahi tha main aawaara’ and ‘zaroorat hai, zaroorat hai’ as much as the others. I somehow feel they are not in the same league as the others, in terms of melody. Maybe its something to do with the singer also. I have never been a great fan of Kishore Kumar.
@ Ratnakar- you’ve made me feel nostalgic once again.Madan Mohan saab was in a league of his own.
Most of the songs mentioned by you are gems.My favourites are
Kar chale hum fida ( Haqeeqat)
Dil dhoondta hai phir wohi ( mausam)
mera saaya saath hoga ( mera saaya)
zaroorat hai,zaroorat hai ( manmauji)
teri aankhon ke siva ( chiraag)
aapki nazron ne samjha ( anpadh)
naina barse rimjhim rimjhim ( woh kaun thi)
While Veer Zaara was not his best work, I was very happy to have true melody gaining popularity again in the form of Veer Zaara’s music.
I love the following in particular- tere liye, main yahan hoon, do pal !!!
A small comment on VZ music.. the thing I like about the album is the extras where you can listen to the sample compositions by the master himself…..
Thanks for the article.. makes me want to hear his music all over again…
@Debashri…totally agree with you.
Give me Madan Mohan, Naushad and SD any day and I’ll forget Rehman ….couldnt agree more.
I grew up on a staple diet of sangeet sarita, bhoole bire geet, radio ceylone par sehgal ka akhri geet every day and sainik bhaiyyon ke lie and binaca geetmaala.
Im so glad I got to hear all these thanks to a music addicted family.
These older melodies have a much much much longer shelf life than any of those being churned out today.
Uspar Rafi, mukesh aur Lata ..Its a deadly combination boss. Abhi to lyrics ki baat hi nahi hui…
Nobody can repeat that magic.
@Ratnakar
Ek Thanks comment main article padhne se pehle he post kar deta hoon,long time back , when i heard that eternal classic “Dil dhoondhta hai fir wahi, fursat ke raat din” , Madan mohan had completely swept me off from my feet. Since then i worship him !!!
Very good post Ratnakar………only yesterday i was maenting at the state of music and lyrics in Hindi film industry and u revived the magic of Madan Mohan, wah!! maza aa gaya.
I agreed with you totally that industry hasn’t given him his due. May be its because he wasn’t aligned with any of big camps that existed at that time. Still, his work speaks and how!!
I wud, as usual, put down couple of my favourites that u didn’t include in ur list —
Baiyan na dharo – Dastak
Teri aankh ke aansoo pee jaoon – Jahan Ara
Ye maana meri jaan – Hanste Jakham
masti mein ched ke taraana koi dil ka – Haqeeqat
Chhadi re chhadi kaisi gale mein padi – Mausam
Yeh duniya, yeh mehfil – Heer Ranjha
cudnt agree more… can’t add anything new…
seems once agn im late in coming to the forum..
Here are some other songs that I absolutely adore….
- Hai tere saath meri wafaa, main nahin to kya (Does anyone know this song here? If you don’t you really need to listen this one)from Hindustan ki Kasam
- Ruke ruke se kadam, ruk ke baar baar chale (Mausam)
- Tumse kahoon ek baat paron se…. (Dastak, I think)
- Meri aawaaz suno (Naunihaal…. I am not a big fan of Nehru, but its an awesome tribute to him!Lovely song!)
Does anyone share my favourites here?
I love how the song “Dil Dhoondhta Hai” evolved. First Gulzaar adapts a Ghalib verse and makes it his very own …. and then Madan Mohan proceeds to add his magic to the lyrics… What a combination! Just imagine, the best song in Veer Zaara is a scrapped version of Dil Dhoondhta Hai
… Awesome na? Why don’t we have such music and such lyrics today? The only times I love a song these days is when Gulzaar saab and Vishaal Bharadwaj team up. I loved some songs in Guru too… I wish A R Rehman would use less machines though. His songs seem too mechanized to me these days. Woh pehle studio mein recording ke time pe sab saath violin, tabla, flute bajaate the na, that was so much better!
Debashri, one thing i do like about Vishesh Films and the Bhatt camp, is that even though most of their movies are either copies or sleaze flicks, they come up with some really good songs.
Kreem was one of the best music directors, but he rarely never got his due.
Jism had some fabulous songs “Tumko Lekar”( Shreya Ghoshal is brilliant), and Kay Kay’s “Awaarapan Banjarapan”.
Also Saaya, though a really turd of a movie, had 2 really sweet melodies “Ae Meri Zindagi” and “Dil Churaliya”.
Woh Lamhe had again very soft and melodious songs. I generally dont like Pritam much, in fact my favorite from Woh Lamhe, “Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai” is a straight lift from an Indonesian song, the other songs were really melodious.
In fact most of Emraan Hashmi’s movies do have 1 or 2 really good melodious numbers.
Thank God Vishesh movies still keeps my musical sanity intact, else i would have gone nuts with all that “Makhna, Shakna” stuff.
Naah again i dont have anything against Punjabi songs. If you take Uttam Singh’s songs in Gaddar and Pinjar, they are 100% Punjab da mitti kinda songs.
“Ud Jaa Kale Kawe” from Gadar, was so lovely, it just gives that nostalgia feeling.
Even in Pinjar, “Maar Udari” and “Watana We” are lovely songs.
ARR’s songs these days are not really that great. For all the hype about Yuvvraaj and Ghajini, never felt much great about either albums. I mean nowehere close to 1947 Earth, where he beautifuly captured the native rythm, especially in “Rut Aa Gayi Re”.
@Ratnakar – I love some of the Vishesh Films songs. But I find most of their films unbearable. So, in the bargain, I lose out the songs too. But I hate that Atif Islam style of music they have now
. Trust me, everytime we go to this Egyptian restaurant here, we find a tune that Vishesh films has used … LOL! But yes, they have some lovely songs…. I think my all time favourite album -of theirs – would be Zakhm. And my favourite Vishesh film song would be – Uth meri jaan from Tamanna (a song written by Kaifi Azmi for his wife orginally)
LOL, yeah, most of Vishesh Films suck, though i must Gangster and Woh Lamhe were pretty good.
Zakhm had music by Kreem, he is really one of the better music directors, but sadly, he never made it.
Oh btw i did like Jism, no not just for the scenes, some how after a surfeit of Pyaar, Ishq, Dil stuff, it was something different. And yeah it had two of my favorite actors Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Shorey in it. Also i saw Jism after i saw the Akshay starrer “Talaash”, so u can understand, LOL.
But love that “Tumko Lekar Chale” song, yaar Shreya Ghoshal has such a sweet n seductive voice.
@ Ratnakar Cudnt agree more abt MM Kreem, and Vishesh films, but the sad part of vishesh films is the pedestrian lyrics at times. whereas, if u consider Madan Mohan songs, all the songs were even further accentuated by the soul-stirring lyrics, as u hv pointed out in your article also.
@ Debashri: the techno beats of AR Rehman and the dilution of lyrics (generally by mehboob) from Tamil to Hindi take-away a part of Rehman genius. the best bet we have today is vishal bhardwaj, with his cultural and mitti-waali treatment to the lyrics, and the fresh voices used by him.
tht quawwali song from maqbool is one of the best compositions. and maachis / hu tu tu songs…
i have heard there are still some unused Madan Mohan tunes in some archive. is it true? and can they be revived / put to good use by a worthy composer? btw, personally speaking, i liked do pal ruka yaadon ka.. in VZ more than any other.
I don’t know what’s wrong with Rehmaan these days! I hated the songs of Yuvraaj and Ghajini. I have heard that Slumdog Millionaire has good music… let’s see how that has turned out. I love a mix of great melody and good lyrics (even whacky lyrics can be good, but they have to have quality). I am not much for music that sounds like its coming out of a machine and not an instrument or person.
By the way, there is this song that I really like…’baanwra mann dekhne chala ik sapna’
Well Satyen, see Madan Mohan scored music, when lyricists were people like Kaifi Azmi, Sahir Ludhianvi, Hasrat Jaipuri, Majrooh, Shailendra, Rajendra Krishna, Raja Mehndi Ali Khan, Gulzar all of them giants.
Most of them were schooled in Hindi-Urdu poetry, and what they wrote was poetry at its best.
In sharp contrast barring Javed Akhtar and maybe Prasoon Joshi, one does not really have that great lyric writers. So they make up that deficiency, putting in Grunts and Oohs.
@ Satyen
U forgot to mention Vishaal’s score for Omkara, man that was just awesome. U know after a long time, i went and actually bought a CD , just after i listened to the songs on TV.
What a range in that album. The title track, “Beedi” song.
The soft, soothing lullaby “Jag ja re Gudiya”, the tragic sounding “Naina”.
It is Vishaal’s genius that he can come up with a “Beedi”, “Jag Ja Re” and “Naina” in one single album.
Also loved Shantanu Moitra’s score for Parineeta, it had that lovely Bong touch, and “Kaisi Paheli Hai” bought back memories of the 50’s and 60’s club songs.
Amongst the new composers, I also like Shantanu Moitra and Debajyoti Mishra (I don’t know what happened to that guy after Raincoat….). I, kind of like Pritam too….but not always. When it comes to music, I am pretty traditional, I guess
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Vishaal Bharadwaj is a genius, I’d say…. Yes, I loved the qawwaali in Maqbool. I also loved ‘Jhini mini jhini…’. I loved the way Gulzaar mixes a traditional Sufi song with his own lyrics. Its a heady blend whenever he does that (the only other example I can remember are from Dil Se: Tere Ishq nachaaya kar thayya thayya). By the way, speaking of Gulzaar and Vishaal, what do you think of the songs from ‘No Smoking’? I loved them
@Ratnakar – I loved Omkara, except for ‘Beedi Jalaaile’. Nothing wrong with the lyrics or music, but I would have prefered the earthy accents and the rustic voice of Rekha Bharadwaj to the more western sounding Sunidhi Chauhan. Sukhwinder, of course, is phenomenal…. as always
@ Well the songs in VZ were good, but the major problem was Lata herself. Yeah i know i cud get crucified here for saying this. Lata’s voice for Preity just did not gel at all. And trust me i am one of Lata’s biggest fans, but sorry was totally let down in VZ. The one i listened to in VZ , was not the same singer whose songs in Anpadh, Mera Saaya, Woh Kaun Thi, just left me spellbound.
@ Satyen – Mehboob to hai hi, but have we forgotten PK Mishra?
BTW, who wrote that classic ‘Telephone dhun mein hansne waali’?
Before I go to sleep, I have to say, I totally flipped over the music of OLLO. The lady’s done a great job! The old gentleman who sings ‘Jugni’ is mindblowing…. and the song, “Tu raja ki rajkumari” just took away my heart
. So while we don’t have Madan Mohan saab amongst us, people like Sneha Khanwalkar, and some of the others we have mentioned before, still give us some hope 
@ Debashri: “baawraa mann dekhne chala ek sapna..” isnt tht an ad-song for airtel? or is it picked up frm any movie? yeah, i think u r right abt the more-rustic voice of rekha bhardwaj suitable for beedi, but i guess Vishal had already thought of the more-naughty “namak” in rekha’s voice, and wanted some varied voice from tht, so opted for the next best rustic female voice..
btw, kaisi paheli from parineeta is a copy of a jazz song of 60’s. cant rem the name of the song..
i liked ismail darbar also in HDDCS (i abhor using these acronyms, but it saves time) & tera jaado chal gaya. but these days he’s more busy doing reality tv, probably coz he’s got an attitude problem, just like Himesh, who has also got corrupted in search of carving a genre for himself..and who’s bitten by acting-bug..
Well Namak was a 100% rustic gaana, and Rekha’s voice suited it. Beedi was not exactly a rustic song, it is more like the kinda song, which is played by those musical troupes you find at wedddings in Delhi’s Karol Bagh or Patel Nagar or East Delhi side. So i think Sunidhi’s vocie fitted there perfectly.
Sunidhi in fact is one of my favorites. For me one of my favorites has been “Dil mein Jaaga” from Sur, trust me a real tough one to sing. She is a good singer, but later one, she got this big time Britney Spears hangup, and became more focussed on that.
@ Satyen – “Baanwra mann” is a song from ‘Hazaaron Khwaahishein aisi’ and yes, I have heard the original of Kaisi Paheli
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Now this is a lovely discussion.I seriously feel the music of movies these days by and large is very much of the instant noodle type.They may be popular for a few months at the maximum- but not more than that.Everybody knows the magic of music of the 50’s,60’s & 70’s, but why go so back in time?Most of us can keep listening to songs of Aashiqui or a Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam even now right?Going by that logic I would certainly rate the music of VZ very highly.
Before “Aashiq babaya aapne” Himesh reshammaiya has given some very beautiful melodies.Kahin pyar na ho jaaye, chura liya hai tumne,Tere naam had beautiful songs.But later he jumped into irritating(alas-successful) singing mode and lost his old fan base.
I personally like Vishesh Films for being able to give importance to music.I like the music of most of their films like Raaz, Gangster,Kalyug,Woh Lamhe, Murder,Jism etc.
@ Bharat Bhushan
I agree with you say about Himesh.But once in a while even after Aashiq Banaya Aapne, he has surprised us with his original style of music in films like Ahista Ahista & Namaste London.Even in Kamalhaasan’s Dasavatharam the music was not his trademark “nasal style”
@Sethu..
I hvent heard Dasavaratham. But on other two movies i agree with you.Even in Anthony kaun hai he composed a nice song called “Cos i love you” , song by Kunal Ganjawala.
But they are very rare.
** Dasavatharam
Thanx Ratnakar. Revisiting sum of the tracks
Before bitten by the pakistani and arabic bug, Vishesh films songs were very melodic.
more specifically mahesh bhatt-Anu malik duo has given some great songs in movies like Phir teri kahani yaad aayi,Najayaj,jaanam ect.That was golden period for Anu malik.
Sir, Naaraz too had great songs. “Sun sun barsaat ki dun”, “tere bin main kuch bhi nahin”, “sambhala hai main” all lovely songs.
Vishal bhardwaj is great! That sufi song Ru-Ba-Ru in Maqbool was just devine.I could not believe when i came to know that it was sung by Tara Tara Daler Mehndi.It was so un-Daler!!
Vishal is GOD for me. Be it music, movie making or direction, he is a genius. We have a term for such people, Saraswati Putra, he is truly blessed.
@ Bharat Bhushan
Do listen to Dasavatharam- you may not like it the first time but will strike you immediately is the fact thats its completely unlike Himesh’s style.and yes listen to the tamil version-its better than the hindi version.I do agree that the Mahesh Bhatt-Anu Malik combination rocked.In fact it continued right till Murder!!!
All those rooting for songs from Jism, Is raat ki subah nahi, zakhm,rog, Paheli, I think all those were by MMKreem .extremely melodious.
kaafi donon se we havent heard more Hindi songs from him. Maybe he is giving his attention to South Indian movies these days. Another genius though.
Kreem’s real name is M.M. Keeravani, actually as of now he is not doing much movies in South either. His sister Sreelekha is doing the music for some movies. Currently he is busy doing some reality song based programs for Telugu TV channels i think. But one of the best music directors for sure.
Kreem’s Awarapan from Jism is one of my all time favs
@ Anand-43
Yes and also loved the picturization of the song, against the twilights of the Pondicherry streets, a big relief from watching those Swiss Alps songs, with those gora goris shaking their booty.
One more reason why i liked Jism, was its entirely based in Pondicherry, one of my favorite places in India. Watching the movie made me nostalgic about the days, used to drive down to Pondy from Chennai, during weekends, and spend time there.
Vishal is my fav MD and I place Vishal at a higher level than ARR(Rahman fans may not agree).But unfortunately he is Madan Mohan of 90s.He also hasn’t worked with many big banners,almost all the films for which he has given music were mega flops like Jahan Tum le Chalo,Chupke Se,Ramji Londonwale,No smoking,Hu tu tu,Blue Umbrella,Paanch(not released I think),Bhagmati etc.Jahan Tum Le Chalo had beautiful,haunting music which unfortunately didn’t get much attention
@ Sharath – I second you
. Even I think Vishaal is better than Rehman.
@ Bharat Bhushan – I have to share this with you about Daler. I was in Goa, when I heard Daler. I wasn’t too keen on going, but my Punjabi gang of friends dragged me along. But that day, Daler and his elder brother, mesmerized me. They sung their regular stuff, but they also sang real lovely folk songs, and even old film songs. Tab se, I really like Daler. He is a singer who is so much more than the ‘Ta ra ra ra’ type of songs
@ Sharath – Jahaan tum le chalo has that lovely song “Athanni si zindagi”, right?
@Debasri
Yes”Attanni si zindagi” was from Jahann Tum le Chalo which was little bit noticed when film was released.But there are better songs than that like “Shauk Khwab Ka(Lata)”,”Yeh Kaisi Chap(Rekha)”,”Dekho To(Suresh Wadker)”.One thing I like about Vishal is his association with talented Suresh Wadker whose talent I think wasn’t properly utilised by other MDs
and Ratnakar you thought your write-up on Madan Mohan would only be restricted to Madan Mohan, and the few of his gems you seem to have carefully brought up?!
We have to hate Rahman, we have to pull him down, we have to bring in Vishal Bhardwaj, pit him against Rahman, we have to call names…
No offense Ratnakar, just your thought on this, are geniuses like Madan Mohan and the ilk (sorry for the use of the word ilk) so weak that they cannot stand on their own merit? Do comparisons have to be brought in inevitably? How different is our forum different from Rediff then barring that there are no profanities out here. Is that enough?
and let us not hijack god damn every music related post, not at least these well thought out posts, by bring down reshamiyya, rahman…
posts like these need to be respected by contributing to the matter already present or better, just enjoying them and the related comments and observations others dish out.
one doesn’t have to be a fan of any of the above mentioned people to make this request.
@Santhosh
I don’t know what is wrong in comparing MDs?ARR is considered a genius because ARR fans feel that other MDs like Himesh,Vishal-Shekar,Pritam create inferior music.The value of good music will be appreciated only if there is equally bad music.As far as appreciation of music whether it is good or bad differs from person to person
How on this earth are A R Rahman related comments (those to do with quantifying his genius or otherwise) connected to a Madan Mohan related post??? What is then the sanctity of this particular post when we can compare MDs in every music related post, mostly bringing them down mercilessly? How about respecting the time of those who come back to read some valuable stuff, somethings others would have brought up, some unknown stuff about Madan Mohan, some of his unknown gems ANYTHING REMOTELY RELATED!!!
How about getting in Rahman, Anu Malik if their music had any influences of Madan, or their associations with him if any, their insights if you have heard any… If there were to be a post on John McLaughlin only and not someone else, still bringing in a Mahadevan or a Qureshi would seem apt.
Chalo then in all future music related articles let us make it a point to compare MDs irrespective of the context cushioned by the logic that MDs can be compared. give me a break!
and thanks a million for making me realize that appreciation of music whether it is good or bad differs from person to person.
Sarath – “ARR is considered a genius because ARR fans feel that other MDs like Himesh,Vishal-Shekar,Pritam create inferior music.”
Genius word is not derived by comparing two. Genius is a standalone word. Two geniuses can coexist. I am an ARR fan, but I can denounce some of his work and prefer Vishal’s work, because Vishal adds another dimension to music.
I see that most of the times, when we want to make point in favor of one thing, the inevitable way of accomplishing that is by drawing other lines smaller. What will be next topic here? Hard-core porn bhakti by writing off A-grade films!!?!? Well, why not….porn films always stay on the topic and never deviate from the scripts!! :P
I have my reservations, if i may put it tht way. It is not that the post is bad.But the songs quoted are ultra-famous and the entire post could be of use or interest to someone who has never heard Madan Mohan’s music. I mean the post is like a “Beginner’s Guide to Madan Mohan”.
I appreciate the intent, but the content could have been better.the songs mentioned are meritorious no doubt, but they are the same ones which everyone quotes.We can discuss lesser heard or rare compositions here. Something like “Chandaa Jaa” (raag Kedar) or “Dil Unko Uthaake de diya” or “Ja re badra bairi ja” or “Aaja Kahin se aaja” etc.If at all you never heard these songs (not sarcastic but genuinely asking), please do so. i shall gladly provide the film names and probably you will get to taste the legend’s genius a bit deeper. wish i had the opportunity to blog on pfc.
All in all, a good post..for people who rarely give Madan Mohan a try.
What exactly have author done here then?He has given the reasons why Madan mohan was not as successful as other MDs.Don’t u think that he has compared MDs here?I have seen a parallel with Vishal’s career to Madan Mohan’s and just highlighted it.That is all
@aakarsh –
why don’t you write a post through Projekt iView on ur thoughts about madan’s lesser known gems?
Wow, this discussion has taken one helluva spin!
I love old Hindi music, only problem is I can seldom remember the MD and lyricist. So it’s hard for me to associate artists with the music. But some of Madan Mohan’s compositions are all-time faves: Dil dhoondta hai (I love Bhupinder Singh! and I’m sure you MM junkies have heard both versions of this song. The solo Bhupinder versioin is something else together! If you include the versions in VZ, how many versions of Dil dhoondta hai do we have? Like 5??), Tum jo mil gaye ho.
Slumgog Millionaire music is here:
http://www.musicindiaonline.com/music/hindi_bollywood/s/movie_name.10198/. It’s way better than Yuvraaj and Ghajini (I have only heard these once, wasn’t so impressed but will be giving it another listen).
I’m a huge fan of the Jahan Tum Le Chalo album too (btw if anyone needs mp3’s, let me know – I know they are hard to find). A pity that it wasn’t promoted better. Whatever happened to the movie even?
@ Aakarsh – If you wish to share something, you may of course blog on PFC.
). The others are not so much of a favourite with me. I guess, everyone’s tastes differ.
Amongst the songs you have mentioned, I can’t place Chanda Jaa… can you help me out? The others I know. In fact, I love “Aaja kahin se aaja” (My dad pointed out this song to me years back, when Anu Malik had lifted this tune
one of my all time favorites is less known Lata’s song:
Rasme Ulfat ko nibhaayeen to nibhaayeen kaise.
har taraf aag hai daman ko bachaayeen kaise.
Everytime I listen this song, I forget myself…not cliche.
Keshav
Hmmm seems lot of Garama Garam stuff when i was away.
Yaar mere to ek hi advice, Andaz Apna Apna, So be Young, Have fun, drink Pepsi, aur Music ko enjoy Kaaro.
Sharath, i was not exactly doing a comparison of Madan Mohan with other MD’s of his time. My only emphasis was to show why he could not get as much success. I am as much a fan of Shankar Jaikishan, O.P.Nayyar, Dada, Hemant, Salil Choudhury as i am of Madan Mohan. There is a place for every one in the world.
@ Aakarsh-53
Sir jee, you can blog on PFC through Projekt IView, yeah i know the songs i quoted are some of my favorites and the more popular ones, and there is still a vast repertory of Madan’s songs. And sure i am right now on the search for some of the songs you had mentioned.
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Oh well when it comes to Madan Mohan, i dont mind going as deep as possible. For me Music is something where u just keep digging and digging, and keep discovering hidden gems and treasures. And eagerly awaiting ur post Sir Jee.
@ Pratik-57
Oh well i love the Bhupinder solo of Dil Dhoondta Hain. It is haunting, magical and spirits me away into the valleys and mountains. Bhupinder has been one of my favorites, one of the best singers who never really got his due. Bhupinder and Suresh Wadkar, are two singers who i feel have never really got their due, and are really underrated. It was wonderful to hear Suresh after a long time in “Jag Jaa Re Gudiya” from Omkara.
@ Tejas-53
“I see that most of the times, when we want to make point in favor of one thing, the inevitable way of accomplishing that is by drawing other lines smaller. What will be next topic here? Hard-core porn bhakti by writing off A-grade films!!?!? Well, why not….porn films always stay on the topic and never deviate from the scripts!! ”
Arre yaar, that is general human tendency. Anyway as for me, my belief is Andaz Apna Apna.
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Honestly for me i dont see any sense in comparison between ARR and Vishal, both are my favorites. Of late i have not liked ARR’s compositions, but still that does not make me overlook his brilliant ones.
“and Ratnakar you thought your write-up on Madan Mohan would only be restricted to Madan Mohan, and the few of his gems you seem to have carefully brought up?! ”
Hmm Santosh, i am afraid i cant take the moral high ground here, as i myself have been guilty of hijacking the comments space at times. See even in real, we begin to start discussing about something and it goes into something else. So i dont mind a bit of diversion, as long as it stays withing context here.
So long as the comments stick to Indian movie music, and dont drift into Mallika Sherawat vs Rakhi Sawant, its fine.
I have only heard some popular numbers by Madan Mohan.My favs are:
`
Naina barse rim jhim rim jhim
`
ye duniya, ye mehfil, mere kaam ki nahin
`
woh bhuli daastan, lo phir yaad aa gayi
`
tu jahan jahan chalega, mera saaya, saath hoga
`
teri ankhon ke siva duniya main rakha kya hai
`
ruke ruke se kadam ruk ke baar baar chale
`
Rang aur noor ki baarat kise pesh karun
`
lag jaa gale ki phir ye haseen raat
`
dil Dhoondhta hai, phir vahi fursat ke raat din
`
aapaki nazaron ne samajha
@ Debashri & Satyen
Well Daler has to do the “Tara ra ra, ra” and “Ho Jayeegi Balle Balle” stuff, to earn his daily bread. But i also love Daler’s popular numbers, they have that infectious energy and enthusiasm, which can totally lift u up.
Madan Mohan is regarded as Ghazal king of indan cinema.But above mentioned songs that i know come under Geet catagory not ghazal(except rang aur noor ki..).
Can anybody mention some of his popular ghazals.
Dil dhoondta hai – Bhupender (solo) will also fall under ghazal catagory.
anything else ??
@ Bharath
Listen to Madan Mohan’s songs from Jahan Ara, Some of the best in Ghazal variety.
Baad Muddat ki Ye Ghadi- Rafi & Suman Kalyanpur
Phir Wohi Shaam, Phir Wohi Gham- Talat Mehmood
Kisi Ke Yaad Mein Duniya Ko- Rafi
Most of Daler’s popular numbers came with Jawahar Wattal.ie..
Bolo Ta Ra Ra
Ho gayi teri balle balle
Dardi Rab Rab Kardi
Dil Mera Nal Nal Nal
Bole Ni Bole
After both split up Daler is struggling to give a decent hit.Whom should we give credit for these songs??
Aap Ki Nazhron Nei Samjha- Anpadh
Hum Pyaar Mein Jalnewalo Ko-Jailor( One of my fav Lata solos)
Hamse Aaya Na Gaya- Dekh Kabira Roya
Some which i can recall off hand, of Madan Mohan ghazal kind.
@ Bharat Bhushan
Agreed- Daler hasnt had much of success on the album front after the split with Jawahar Wattal.But I think he has been getting some good songs like in RDB as far as Bollywood is concerned of late.How many of you know that he has also sung for the latest Rajnikant movie in Tamil- Kuselan?
@ Ratnakar
right..he is getting some good work in films now-a-days.I didnt know abt Kuselan song.
He was supposed to sing the title song of Jhoom barabar jhoom.But due to his high-handedness he was thrown out and instead Shakkar mahadevan sang the song.
@ Ratnakar
Yes even I like the popular songs of Daler as they always “lift” you up when required.Its my personal opinion that after Gurdaas Maan popularised punjabi music to the rest of the Indians- there was a vaccum & then it was Daler who actually took it to the next level.
Yes I know people will talk about Malkit Singh,Jassi & lots more.But my response to that would be like this- Malkit Singh has been more popular among the Punjabis & especially abroad.Jassi,Harbhajan Mann etc have all become popular more or less in the same period or after Daler started out.
Now with bollywood also openly embracing punjabi music in a big way, Indians all over are very much exposed to punjabi music.
@Ratnakar
I know it is out of context, but can i ask you something?
As far as i know you work in some software firm in BBSR. How do you find time to contribute in PFC so proficiently !
Sethu, u mean the pseudo Punjabi pop. See the problem is most of the Pubjabi albums flooding the market, can’t go beyond “Shaava”, “Kudi”, “Makhna” and “Balle” stuff.
Jugni and title song in OLLO, have been a real welcome relief for me, after listening to the umpteen Shavas and Makhnas.
Uttam Singh was one composer, who really bought out the authentic Punjabi folk rythms in his songs. Listen to the songs in Pinjar “Maar Udari” or “Vatna Ve”, absolutely soulful and touching. And there is the song, where the singer expresses her feelings about what it means to be a woman in a male dominated society.
In fact even Gaddar had some wonderful, Punjabi folk numbers, the “Udje Kaale Kaawe” gives that nostalgia touch so wonderfully.
Hmm Bharat, if u dont mind, maybe we could take this discussion offline.
Hmm … Ok Boss!
@ Ratnakar
Bang on- I completely agree.Thats why I havent even taken many names of artistes in the popular bracket.Actually after Daler & Jassi stormed the market, I think there soon became an overkill of these “pseudo-pop” albums.And yes I liked all the songs mentioned by you.I even liked Himesh’s songs like wada tainu in his album suroor & also his work in Namaste London.
@Ratnakar
Thank You very much!
I am obliged.
Aap yun faaslon se gujarte rahe..by Lata. Is that by Madan Mohan? I have a feeling it is, going by its melody. And, which movie is this, anyone?
Aap yun faaslon se gujarte rahe..by Lata. is composed by another melody mastero..Khaiyyam same as Madan Mohan in terms of camps..Never worked under big banners except Yash Chopra..