One of the most handsome and stylish actors in Hindi cinema, Shashi Kapoor had some great tunes filmed on him, including some memorable love songs in the first decade of his career.
One of the most handsome and stylish actors in Hindi cinema, Shashi Kapoor made his own mark after the success of his brothers Raj and Shammi. He had some great tunes filmed on him, including some memorable love songs in the first decade of his career.
With Shashi’s 83rd birth anniversary coming up on March 18, we choose 10 songs released till 1974. As such, we exclude his later films, dominated by big budget multi-starrers, many with Amitabh Bachchan in the lead. Interestingly, six of these songs have been sung by Mohammed Rafi, though he also had some huge hits with Kishore Kumar and Mahendra Kapoor. The list is chronological.
1. Din Hai Bahar Ke – Waqt (1965)
Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhosle teamed up on this lovely duet picturised on Shashi and Sharmila Tagore. Music was by Ravi and lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi wrote, “Din hai bahar ke, tere mere ikraar ke, dil ke sahare aa ja, pyar kare; dushman hain pyar ke jab laakhon gham sansar ke, dil ke sahare kaise pyar kare”.
2 Pardesiyon Se Na Ankhiyan Milana – Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965)
A classic by Rafi, this featured Shashi in a shikhara in a locale in Kashmir, with Nanda appearing in some shots. Music directors Kalyanji-Anandji made wonderful use of flute and santoor. Anand Bakshi wrote, “Pardesiyon se na akhiyan milana, pardesiyon ko hai ek din jaana”.
3 Phool Ban Jaaoonga – Pyar Kiye Ja (1966)
Lyricist Rajendra Krishan wrote, “Phool ban jaaoonga shart yeh hai magar, apni zulfon mein mujhko sajaa leejiye”. The song, composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal in raag Yaman, was sung by Mahendra Kapoor and Lata Mangeshkar. Rajashree appeared with Shashi on screen.
4 Bekhudi Mein Sanam/ Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1968)
Shashi and Babita teamed up in this song set in hilly terrain. Rafi and Lata sang Kalyanji-Anandji’s tune with Akhtar Romani writing, “Bekhudi mein sanam, uth gaye jo kadam, aa gaye, aa gaye, aa gaye paas hum”. Interestingly, director Prakash Mehra wrote two songs in the film, with Qamar Jalalabadi writing the rest.
5 Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe/ Kanyadaan (1968)
Shankar-Jaikishen composed this song written by Neeraj and sung by Rafi. The opening lines were “Likhe jo khat tujhe, jo teri yaad mein, hazaron rang ke nazare ban gaye, savera jab hua, toh phool ban gaye, raat ayee toh sitare ban gaye”. It was an antakshri favourite.
6 Tum Bin Jaaoon Kahan/ Pyar Ka Mausam (1969)
One of the most popular songs composed by R.D. Burman, this was rendered in two versions by Rafi and Kishore Kumar. Using his trademark wordplay, Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote the words, “Tum bin jaoon kahan, ke duniya mein aake, kuch na phir chaaha sanam, tumko chaah ke”. The film starred Shashi and Asha Parekh.
7 Chale Ja Chale Ja – Jahan Pyaar Mile (1969)
This song was also in two versions sung by Suman Kalyanpur and Rafi. The latter is a sad song and both had the opening lines “Chale ja chale ja chale ja jahan pyar mile”, written by Hasrat Jaipuri. Music was by Shankar-Jaikishen. In the film, Shashi’s character is affected after losing his memory in an accident.
8 Khilte Hain Gul Yahan/ Sharmilee (1971)
A Kishore masterpiece, this featured Shashi and Raakhee. S.D. Burman composed the music and Neeraj wrote the lines, “Khilte hain gul yahan, khilke bikharne ko, milte hain dil yahan, milke bichadne ko”. The film also had the hit songs ‘O Meri Sharmilee’ and ‘Megha Chhaye Aadhi Raat’.
9 Na Koi Dil Mein Samaya/ Aa Gale Lag Ja (1973)
R.D. Burman composed this popular number sung by Kishore in his distinct style, with some yodelling added. Sahir Ludhianvi wrote, “Na koi dil mein samaya, na koi pehlu mein aaya, jaake bhi paas rahi tum hi, o jaaneman, jaanti ho”. The film, co-starring Sharmila Tagore, also had the hit ‘Tera Mujhse Yeh Pehle Ka Naata Koi’.
10 Ek Daal Par – Chor Machaye Shor (1974)
The film had other great songs like ‘Ghungroo Ki Tarah’ and ‘Le Jaayenge’, which were featured in recent columns. ‘Ek Daal Par’ is a vibrant love song composed by Ravindra Jain and sung by Rafi and Lata. Inderjeet Kumar Tulsi wrote the lyrics “Ek daal par tota bole, ek daal par maina, door door baithe hain, lekin pyar toh phir bhi hai na, bolo hai na”.
These songs were all popular on the radio after being released and continued to be heard years later. Like Shashi Kapoor, they were evergreen.
