Manna Dey- An Underrated Genius
When you listen to Mehmood going into a perfect Carnatic classical tune in the zany chaos of “Ek Chatur Naar Karke Singaar” from Padosan, you could actually make out the Carnatic feel.
When you heard a group of singers in “Teesri Kasam”, belt out “Chalath Musafir Mo liyo Re”, you were transported to the hinterlands of UP, to the villages, to the sheer rustic Eastern UP atmosphere.
When Balraj Sahni reminiscences about his “Pyaare Watan”, in Kabuliwala, you feel that Afghani ethos, the dialect, the accent.
When you listened to “Laagaa Chunri Mein Daag”, you were just spellbound at his flawless rendition of a totally classical song.
You could feel the romance in his voice, when Raj Kapoor crooned “Pyaar Hua Ikraar Hua” huddled with Nargis under an umbrella. You could feel a real masti in “Aao Twist Karen” or find yourself being carried away by the sheer exeuberance of “Ae Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo”.
Be it folk, classical, Western pop, qawalli, romantic love songs, tragic songs, any genre, he could slip into as effortlessley like a fish takes to water. And yet for all his sheer genius and talent, Prabodh Chandra Dey aka Manna Dey, to date remains one of the most underrated geniuses ever to have graced the silver screen.
When i call Manna Dey a genius, its a term i award in full hindsight. It is not just those wonderful songs he sang, or the fact that he could slip into the skin of a song effortlessly. It is the sheer mind boggling range of his work. Apart from Hindi and Bengali, he has sung in Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi. In his native Bengali apart from film songs, he has been one of the finest exponents of Rabindra Sangeet, apart from other genres like Shyama Sangeet and Nazrul Geeti. And i am not even going into Madhushala here. Trying to capture the greatness of Manna Dey, is like “sooraj ko chingari dikhana” or as the cliche goes “trying to know about the ocean”.
But the sad thing is this towering genius, rarely got his due or acknowledgment. Again it had to do with the fact that Manna De, was never really identified with any of the big stars. Mukesh was Raj Kapoor’s alter ego, Dev Anand kept alternating between Kishore and Rafi, while Talat and later on Rafi, used to croon for most of Dilip Kumar’s movies. So Manna De became in effect the go to guy, like you had a song, which had to be picturized on the supporting cast, or maybe on a lesser hero, he was the choice. Or in effect you had a highly intricate song, which only he could do justice to, and then you bought him in. Manna’s greatest strength was that he could slip into the character of the song effortlessly. No two songs of his would be alike. And ironically this would prove go against him getting more recognition. The fact is you could make out a Kishore or Rafi or Mukesh song, straightaway, you knew it was sung by them. But with Manna Dey, it was hard to say, if you listened to “Har taraf abh yehi Afsane hai” it was more like Kishores, if you listened to “Poocho Na Kaisi ” it was closer to Rafi. Yet he was not an imitator, its just that he believed in totally moulding himself into the song. So when you listen to “Chalat Musafir Moh Liyo Re”, you dont hear Manna Dey, you listen to a group of rustics in some part of Eastern UP.
It was hard to find any fault in Manna Dey’s singing, because it was perfection personified. But then this was a man who was born and bought up in a musical atmosphere. His uncle KC Dey was a foremost singer actor of early Bengali cinema, and he in fact gave him the nickname of Manna., was the one instrumental in encouraging Manna’s musical career. He trained him in the nuances of music, and Manna in fact started his career as an assistant music director to his uncle. The first major Hindi movie for which he sang was Ram Rajya in 1943, where he did not voice for Ram, but for character of Valmiki. As Manna Dey put it in his own words
I got my first break at the age of 22-23, when I sang Upar Gagan Vishal for the film Ram Rajya and was immediately branded as a singer of religious songs. I was constantly approached to sing for old bearded characters in movies and I was barely in my early twenties. It was a very trying time for me. I sang the song Chali Radhey Rani Akhiyon Main Pani for well known film maker Bimal Roy. It became a big hit and Bimal Roy said Manna have you seen the song on screen? I said no, he said you must go and see for yourself how deeply it continues to move the audience. I went and what do I see: another old man with a beard singing the song and I got so mad. I was in two minds whether to return to Calcutta or to stay on and not give up.
[Editorial Note: Manna Day has been incorrectly quoted by the source.
Manna Dey's First singing in Ram Rajya (1943) had two solos "Tyagmayi Tu Gayi" and "Ajab vidhi ka lekh" but not Oopar Gagan Vishal as it was created years after in Mashaal(1951) ]
In fact the reason why Manna De rarely sung for mainstream heroes, was the fact that his deep voice was not considered suitable for younger heroes on screen. But one of the few mainstream heroes for which he did sing a good number of songs was Raj Kapoor. And that was because of Shankar Jaikishan, who exploited his talent effectively. Manna Dey could sing really romantic numbers like “Aaja Sanam”, ” Pyaar Hua Ikraa Hua” , “Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi” as well as more Westernized numbers like “Mud Mud Ke Na Deekh”. If you listen to “Mud Mud Ke na Dekh” from Shree 420, you observe one thing, Shankar Jaikishan start off the song slowly, going into a Western ball room beat kind, and then it gets into a fast tango beat kind, observe the way Manna modulates his voice, his tone for the song. Just brilliant.
But for me the best numbers Manna has sung for a Raj Kapoor movie would be two, or maybe i should say my favorite numbers. One is “Chalat Musafir Moh Liyo Re” from Teesri Kasam. The sound track of this movie is a masterpiece, in fact i would rate it as one of Shankar Jaikishan’s best sound tracks ever. As is the wont, Mukesh got to sing 3 fantastic songs for Raj Kapoor, “Duniya Banane Waali”, “Sajanve Bhairi” and “Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo”, while Asha enthralled with the nautanki number “Paan Khaye Saiyyan Hamaro”. But Chalath Musafir was something else. Its a song so rustic, so folksy, that you could actually feel yourself in the remote interiors of UP.
I had an interesting experience related to the song, some time back, i was on a trip to Dalhousie, and our driver was from Bihar. He kept us entertained with some wonderful Bhojpuri songs, and then he started to sing this song. His singing was flawless, and when i told him that i had heard it in Teesri Kasam, he mentioned to me, that this was a very common folk song in Eastern UP-Bihar areas. He also mentioned that the pinjade wale muniya was a kind of metaphor for Krishna, and the song was about Krishna’s mischievous acts in childhood, especially this part.
udd udd baithi bajajava dukaniya
aahaa!!!
udd udd baithi bajajava dukaniya
aare!
kapda ke sab ras le liyo re
pinjade wali muniya
Again this could be taken in a literal meaning as the bird running away with the garments , or the incident of Krishna stealing the gopis clothes. Anyway back to the song, its not just the way Manna De sings it, but his intonations of “he rama”, “Jiyo jiyo palakdas Jiyo” is spot on, right down to the Eastern UP accent.
And the other fabuluous song i am referring to is “Laaga Chunri Mein Daag” from Dil Hi to Hain.
A totally classical number, Manna Dey’s flawless rendition of this just leaves you spellbound. It was not just Manna De’s singing, but the superb lyrics by Sahir,and Roshan’s composing that makes this a masterpiece. The song in the movie is a situational one where Raj Kapoor disguised as a singer, sings it on stage, but the lyrics clearly portray the predicament of a woman whose honor has been stained.
ho gayi maili mori chunariyaa
kore badan si kori chunariyaa
ho gayi maili mori chunariyaa
kore badan si kori chunariyaa
aa …
jaake baabul se, nazren milaaun kaise,
ghar jaaun kaise
laagaa, chunri mein daag
chhupaaun kaise
laagaa, chunri mein daag
chhupaaun kaise
laagaa, chunri mein daag
This song is based on the Bhairavi raag and more semi classical in nature. Manna Dey indeed was a master of the classical song , be it Poocho Na Kaise mere Rain Bitayi(Ahir Bhairav), Bhor Aayi Gaya Andhiyara ( Bilawal). One more of his classical gems is from Dekh Kabira Roya, Kaun Aaye Mere Man Ke Dware, based on the Rageshri raag.
Interestingly this song was sung for Kishore’s brother Anoop Kumar. I guess this must be one of the very rare movies where Anoop came as a leading hero, he was somehow not as succesful as his more ilustrious brothers.
It was songs like these that confirmed Manna ’s reputation as one of the best singers for the semi classical genre. It also made many people apprehensive about acting his songs on screen. Pran got a break from the nasty villian roles in Manoj Kumar’s Upkaar. And coupled with his memorable portrayal of Malang Chacha , was the evergreen song Kasme Waade Pyaar Wafa. But Pran was incidentally nervous about acting this song on screen, when he knew Manna was going to sing it. As Manna Dey recounts
I remember Pranji telephoned me and told me, ‘Mannaji, this is the first time I’m being made to sing. See that you don’t put those difficult things of yours, so that I’m all at sea’.
Later on Manna De sang another super hit song for Pran, Yaari Hai Imaan Mera from Zanzeer. Here is the Upkar song, one of Manna De’s best and really soulful.
Another director with whom Manna De shared a great bond was Hrishi Da. Apart from Bhor Aayi Gaya Andhiyara in Bawarchi, he also sang another wonderful classical number for the movie Buddha Mil Gaya, Aayo Kahan Se Ghanshyam. Now in a totally light hearted entertainer, a pure classical song like that seemed incongrous. But then Hrishida picturized that song on Om Prakash singing it, so it seemed totally in place. Buddha Mil Gaya was one of Pancham’s best scores and also had one of my favorite Kishore Da songs Raat Kali Ek Khwaab Mein Aaye, but it is to Manna De’s credit that he still manages to make me remember the song. It was also due to the fact the way Hrishida manages to set the song in the context of the movie, making it play a key role.
Its a supreme irony that in his entire career Manna Dey won only one award for E Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo in Mera Naam Joker. But then he was not the kind of person who was bitter about it. He took life as it came, stuggling, making his own name, and yet managing to create magic on screen. I conclude now, with some of my favorites listed here, not an exhaustive list.
- Zindagi kaisi hai paheli- Anand
- Chunri Sambhal Gori- Bahaaron Ke Sapne
- Har Tarah ab yahi Afsane hai-Hindustan Ki Kasam
- Tu Pyaar Ka Sagar Hai-Seema
- Ei Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo- Mera Naam Joker
And mind you this is not an exhaustive list. But then one could never exhaust anything with legends like him.
Tags: Hindi film Music, Hrishi Da, Manna Dey, Manoj Kumar, Pran, Raj Kapoor, roshan, Shankar Jaikishan
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Ratnakar: expect someone so thoroughbred in the history of indian cinema like u to come up with such nostalgic reminiscences of the stalwarts virtually forgotten by today’s generation.
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very timely and fitting article on PFC, considering lately we have given the due creditto kishore & rafi in separate posts.
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i hv had the fortune of being on some of the clssical concerts of Manna Dey in Rabindra Sadan in Kolkata. he is a genius, probably with the most classically trained voice in the history of mainstream indian playback singers.
Yaar Satyen, im not such a thoroughbred, there are champs like Pavan, KCP, RK, Subrat jinke saamne mein kuch nahin hoon.
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Anyway related to Manna Dey’s concerts, did you attend them? Or were you a part of the orchestra team? If it were the latter i seriously envy you, its not often that one gets a chance to be close to God.
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He right now lives in Bangalore, and have been to some of his concerts, amazing. At his age, the sheer zest with which he sings “Ae Mere Zohrabeen” is just awesome. For a man in his 90’s, he is so fit, so energetic. And what a way of talking he has, its a delight to listen to him speak.
Ratnakar: one ofthe songs that u probably missed from bawarchi, and which is on my eternal Manna Dey fav list is: Tum Bin Jeevan Kaisa Jeevan…
the way the unspoken and unrequited love of the hero is picturised with Jaya giving one of her rare performances in between, is simply gold…
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btw, the teesri kasam setting is in Purnea, the north-east bihar, and the flavour is Maithili language
Ratnakar- a well written post on a truly deserving artiste.Yes he’s somehow never been given his due & thats really sad.Whenever I think about the interview I’ve seen of him some years ago on D.D I still look back @ pride at his proud work over the years.You have listed out most of the great songs that he’s sung- I would include one more personal favourite here-
” Manasa maine varu” from Chemmeen.The combination of the 2 bongs- Salil Chowdhary & Manna Dey simply rocked in the movie.
Surprisingly when Salil da used the same tune in Bengali a few years later, he did not use Manna Dey rather had Yesudas rendering it.A very rare case in history I guess.
Satyen, thanks for that tidbit, i often keep getting confused between Bhojpuri and Maithili. BTW from ur surname, i gather ur of Bihari origin, so which part u hail from?
“one of the most underrated geniuses ever to have graced the silver screen”
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baaki sab theek hai sir, but are we talkin about Padmabhushan Manna Dey here? genius? check. underrated? sorry, no.
Sethu have not heard that Mallu song from Chemeen, though i heard highly about it. But i did listen to another one “Kadali Oduuku Podore”(correct me on the spelling). It was fabulous.
Salil Da, Manna De, Hemant Kumar were all true Bong intellectuals.
@ Venkat we r talking about Manna Dey only, and yes i feel he has really not got the recognition he deserved, except from hard core music lovers. Not many are aware that he is the person behind “Ae Meri Zohrabeen” or “Yaari Hai Imaan Mera”.
ratnakar: nice post
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i dont think he was under-rated, also he has been given his due. he has won 2 national awards for singing, padma-bhushan, padmashri etc
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some songs tat u missed out:
aye meri zohrajabeen
aaja sanam madhur chandni mei hum
ye raat bheegi-bheegi
as already mentioned by u, he cud not become anybody’s voice. probably the producers/musicians cud not associate his voice with any face :(
he did sing quite a lot of songs for raj kapoor, but that was as a back-up singer for mukesh.
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secondly, since he was classically trained, there were those undertones in the romantic songs that he sang. even in sad songs we can feel that shiver in his voice
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thats the reason he ended up being the 2nd and sometimes 3rd choice for leads. but whenever there was a strong character[other than the hero], manna dey sang. like for mehmood in padosan, balraj sahni in waqt, pran in zanjeer and upkar
Ratnakar- the song you are referring to is
“kadalinakkare ponore” from Chemmeen- a brilliant song by another genius- Yesudas.
sir, acdg to u wut is the recognition he deserved? a grammy? plz don’t say filmfare, that wud be an insult to the genius.
yaar venkat i am not referring to his awards, i am referring to people’s awareness. He has not been as popular as Kishore or Rafi, and thats what i meant underrated.
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Anyway for me he remains one of the greatest singers in Indian cinema.
For all those interested, here is a wonderful collection of interviews with Manna Dey, which in fact also provided me some wonderful insights while i was writing the post.
http://www.suraurtaal.com/forums/aye-mere-pyare-watan-manna-dey-the-living-legend-vt367.html
Rals, interestingly for a person who sang some of the finest semi classical numbers in Hindi movies, he was not too fond of the classical stuff. This is what he said in an interview.
“You yourself seem to be fonder of sugam sangeet even though you have amazing classical range and mastery.
Learning classical music is essential for a strong foundation, but frankly I was not cut out for classical singing. I just don’t appreciate the fact that you sit there singing the same raga for 2-3 hours. It is too repetitive and really tries the patience of the listener. K.C. Dey was the greatest influence in my life and my style of singing has been aligned with his right from the beginning. I also seem to have this ability to grasp things quickly, and I could reproduce what my uncle played on tabla and sang with great accuracy. My uncle was also very particular about the company he kept and wanted me to keep. He didn’t want me around unsavory people. Good influences and wholesome friendships were very crucial and I follow that to this day.”
- Excerpt from an intv with Kavita Chibber.
@ Ratnakar: no yaar, i just happened to be in almost all of his concerts in Kolkata / Kharagpur / Bhubaneshwar. the cultural club of which i was a member used to generally arrange ot, n i used to get some passes for me n frnds. i hv shared the podium with him just once when i was introduced at the end of the program as one of the organisers. ahem..ahem..
yeah, im originally from Madhubani/Darbhanga (Bihar), but settled in Kolkata for last three generations. My mother tongue is Maithili…
Good article – two erroor: 1) Upar Gagan Vishal is from the film Mashal, not Ram Rajya, and was composed by senior Burman. 2) Meri Bina Tum Bin Roye was sung by Lata and not Manna.
He was also a very good composer – which this post does not mention – adding yet another facet to his genius.
However, I don’t think he was underrated. Compared with Rafi and Kishore, all of the other male Hindi Film singers will come out underrated.
Cheers,
Anil
[quote]Apart from Hindi and Bengali, he has sung in Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi.[/quote]
He has also sung quite a number of songs in Gujarati. That too without getting a feeling that some non-Gujarati is singing Gujarati songs
@Ratnakar
“the lyrics clearly portray the predicament of a woman whose honor has been stained.”
hmmmm I don’t agree. The meaning I always thought was more on the lines of Kabir’s ‘jhini jhini beeni chadariya’. In fact Sahir even goes on to explain the meaning in the song. Why else would he write:
“kori chunariya aatma mori
mail hai maayajaal
wo duniya more baabul ka ghar
ye duniya sasuraal”
chalat musafir is Awesome man….song for everybody. Boys love it and its raucous.
you see Balraj Sahni and you expect Manna Dey to render his songs…LIke Balraj he is unique in his rendering.
Hear his Kaun aaya you here the qualities which hemant da and Talat had…Awesome.
We need one on Talat now !!! the gentlest of the old masters.
Regarding Manna da’s first song. It is from the film Tamanna (1942) with Suraiyya. Ramrajya is not correct. An interesting story attached to it :-)
KCP u sure on that, coz from what i get,even Manna Dey claims Ram Rajya as his first movie. I think in Tamanna he sang a duet right.
Also was it as singer or composer?
KCP,
Tamanna he had small part with Baby Suraiyya (an information that Manna da shared off the record)… but he himself always consider Ram Rajya as he recorded first full fledged solo for the record.. I have asked him in Person.. and we should accept that..
btw what would you consider Kishore’s first song? Ziddi or Aath Din? or even Jhoola where he was in the chorus?
I recently, by accident, heard Laaga Chunri mein daag, and since then I’ve bought his complilations and dvd’s… so I guess if you expose such posts to the younger generations, undoubtedly the genius will receive more appreciation for what he deserves.
Ah! The age old question – did Manna get his due? In my opinion, he did. Taking nothing away from the man, Manna himself would be first to admit (as he did as late as last year in his interview in CNN-IBN) that Rafi and Kishore were more versatile, more ‘filmy’ and maybe, better singers.
Anyway, here are 5 of ‘relatively’ lesser known favorites of mine
1. Chali Radhe Rani – Parineeta
2. Tumjo Aao To – Sakhi Robin
3. Aaj Mile Man Ke Meet – Nawab Siraj-ud-Daullaa
4. Sawan Ke Rimjhim – Non film
5. Tum Gagan Ke Chandrama (duet with Lata) – Sati Savitri
And no mention of Manna without Coffe House Aada song!! Blasphemy.
This “underrated” word has become “overrated” because of the excessive use ;)
If we start using underrated word for everything which has been successful in maintaining the different individuality then almost everything will look underrated when compared with others.
Talat, Hemant Kumar and Manna Dey can not be said as underrated. Talat was the voice of Dilip Kumar for years and later turned in to Ghazal singing and left hindi playback singing on his own. He has been having a highly devoted listeners. Same is true with Manna Dey who also has been enjoying the love and admiration of hard core devotees.
For common audience Film play back singing has been heavily dependent on for whom a singer is singing. Never Manna Dey’s capability has been questioned and he got songs in almost every category. He got to sing variety of songs.
His duets with Lata like Aaja Sanam madhur chandni, jahan main jaati hun, nain mle chain kahan, ye rat bheegi bheegi have been immensley popular. Whenever special requirement has been arisen he has been invited to sing. How can such a great singer ever be underrated?
He continuously got the chances to sing the songs and even in 70s he was singing in such a beautiful manner.
Phir kahin koi phhool in Anubhav.
Ek din aur gaya haaye roke na rooka chhaya andhiyara in Door ka Raahi
Before that in Dadi Ma, he sang a duet with Mahendra Kapur, Usko nahin dekha humne kabhi… ai ma teri soorat se alag bhagwan ki surat kya hogee.
In Haqeeqat, Hoke Majboor is a classic gem where four very good singers have sung their parts. Manna Dey is one among four.
and that wonderful veer rasa song where he is reciting (singing) the story of newly wedded Rana who is under the impact of his beautiful wife Harha Rani, and thus unable to pay attention to his duties towards his kingdom and enemies have attacked his state and he is not interested in fighting. His queen sends him a gift, her own head in a plate.
Such a rare song, he has got there to sing.
His command over different types of songs made him very special singer.
Sensation could have created in the music world in India if he was asked to sing “Arambh hai prachand” in Gulaal. Who will sing is always a prerogative of music director, director and producer and budget also defines the decision but in ideal conditions Such a veer rasa song needs a singer like Manna Dey to raise the level of the song to an unprecedented height.
When Jaidev needed a singer to give voice to Dr Bachchan’s immensely popular Madhushala then he invited Manna Dey.
Manna Dey has many milestones in his career. He can never be underrated.
This is loss of those who have not listened him. In last 25-30 years many weak singers might have earned more name and money than singers of past eras but that kind of achievement does not make them better singers than stalwarts of Hindi film music.
Even when he sang last time in Prahaar (1990) , hamaaree hee mutthi mein akaash sara, then it had become a sensation.
Manna Dey has been a very special singer. He has got enough opportunities to give so many beautiful songs to music world. It is possible that if he had made him limited to sing only for lead character then music world could have remained poor. He joined a wide world and hence gave wonderful musical creations. That is the truth and things have to be seen as they have been in/through his life. It was destined to happen like this and we the music lovers became rich because of his destiny, because of his contribution.
Guys, whoever has never got any opportunity to listen to a divinely romantic duet of Lata ji and Manna Da,
Bheegi Chandni chhayee bekhudi
aaja daal de bahon mein apnee bahein,
please Listen and enjoy the intoxicating effect of the song. Lyrics, composition, singing, orchestra., everything is so finely balanced.
Lata ji still singing antara and Manna Da starts his humming in between and accompanies her singing in a suppressed manner and same is followed by Lata ji.
A music lover can not open the eyes while listening this and alike songs.
Song is in same league as duet “ye nayee nayee pret hai” sung by Lata and Talat.
He is not under-rated for sure. He has fan followings spreading across generations… If he doesn’t get covered in today’s media, doesn’t make him under-rated… that should not be the criteria to call him that.
Pavan, for me it would be Bandhan (Chal Chal Re Naujawan ) that is kishore’s first song. For it was the first time when he faced the mic and “chorus” was written on the vinyl disc. So his contribution counts. For Manna da, the case is more simple – his first playback “is” Tamanna because his name is there on the records as the main singer !!
And ues, even in his autobiography he writes that Tamanna was his first playback song.
ok Point Taken.. I meant Bandhan not Jhoola:) had to rush so couldn’t check.
I don’t really think Manna Dey is underrated, may be because I have a biased Bengali perspective.
One of the most complicated Bengali film song I remember is <b<’Baje Go Bina’ from the film Marjina Abdullah sung by Manna Dey.
Madhusala is one of my fav non-film album and glad you mentioned it.
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….But then he was not the kind of person who was bitter about it. He took life as it came, stuggling, making his own name, and yet managing to create magic on screen.
Why use past tense?
@ Anil
Yes i did hear that he was a good composer also. Have not heard his compositions much.
@ DarkNDusky
Manna, Talat were two brilliant singers of that era. Manna seemed to suit Balraj Sahni’s persona perfectly.
@ Rk
Underrated has become overrated. ;)
Ingliss is really bhery phunny language.
Yaar RK i dont think the underrated here, has anything to do with Manna’s ability. I mean to date whoever has known about Manna, has never questioned his ability. There have been people who have questioned Kishore’s ability, Mukesh’s ability, but to date i am yet to meet one who has raised doubts about Manna Dey’s ability.
Hoke Majboor is one of my favorites, and rate it as one of the finest songs ever composed.
Another Manna Dey song which i loved was Tu Pyaar Ka Saagar Hai from Seema, very moving and touching.
=35,
Whoever has been getting opportunities to do work in a given area inspite of the presence of equally competent persons can not be said as underrated and Manna Da always got very good songs to sing that is why we have hundreds of songs from his side. People become specialists in certain sub-areas or time draws boundaries around them in such a manner that they play within that boundary only. It always happens.
We can never call Manna Dey, Talat, Hemant Kumar, Dharmendra underrated as these guys always got opportunities to work in their chosen fields and were appreciated both by masses and learned audiences. Awards etc are different things.
There can be injustified approach opted by people who control the area of filmmaking as they have done with Suresh Wadekar who was better singer in all manners than weak singers emerged on singining scenario in the period after early 80s but who was not chosen to sing the songs.
But then it also can be said that weak music directors also appeared in the scene after early 80s and they decided to work with less talented singers because it suited their egos and it covered their shortcomings.
Music lovers know the worth of Suresh Wadekar so he also can not be said as underrated. He is victim of biased approach. Good music directors prefered to work with him in 80s.
we can not call biased approach of mighty filmmakers as approach of audiences also. Mighty people everywhere have their own preferences and we can say that whoever gets little power he starts bending towards personal preferences. It has less to do with underrated and overrated. They know with whom they have to work.
@ Subrat
Vis a vis Manna-Rafi, the superiority concept remains relative. I mean consider this Jaidev, a total Rafi follower, choose Manna for rendering Madhushala.
Also Manna had a slight edge over Rafi i feel, when it came to rendering semi classical songs. Thanks for giving those not so well known songs.
KUDOS!! Very good post BRO!!! MANNA DA is awesome!!
I started listening to Manna Dey (and few other ‘gems’ from the past) only recently (about 6 odd months. in my defence I am aged between 20-25) and have gradually fallen in love with his classical/semi-classical filmy songs…
Few of the songs that I love (and not mentioned here) :
Lalla Alla Tera – Abdullah
Ketaki Gulab Juhi – Basant Bahar – an ABSOLUTE AMAZING vocal duel between him and Bhimsen Joshi. Would like more recommendations of this kind actually.
Sur na Saje – Basant Bahar – the voice seems a bit different in this song actually.
Chham Chham Baje re Paayaliya – Jaane Anjaane
Jhanak Jhanak Tori Baaje Paayaliya – Mere Huzoor
I completely agree with RK.Genius? Absolutely yet. Underrated? I don’t think so. My favorite is the mellifluous song from Meri Surat Teri Aankhen: “Poochho na kaise maine rein beetayee.”
I completely agree with RK.
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Genius? Absolutely. Underrated? I don’t think so.
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BTW, my favorite Manna Dey solo is the mellifluous song from Meri Surat Teri Aankhen: “Poochho na kaise maine rein beetayee.”