Among actresses popular in the 1970s, Raakhee appeared in some of the most memorable songs. Some of them, like ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’ and ‘Kabhi Kabhie Mere Dil Mein’, went on to become eternal classics.
To mark her 75th birthday on August 15, we choose 10 songs filmed on her. Interestingly, four of them feature Amitabh Bachchan. The order is chronological.
1 Jhilmil Sitaron Ka – Jeevan Mrityu (1970)
Dharmendra teamed up with a very young-looking Raakhee in this song sung by Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar. Composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, it had Anand Bakshi’s memorable lines, “Jhilmil sitaron ka aangan hoga, rimjhim barasta saawan hoga, aisa sundar sapna apna jeevan hoga”. The song became a favourite among newlyweds.
2 Aaj Madhosh Hua Jaaye Re – Sharmilee (1971)
Raakhee was paired with Shashi Kapoor in this song sung by Lata and Kishore Kumar. S.D. Burman composed the music and Neeraj wrote, “Aaj madhosh hua jaaye re, mera mann, mera mann, mera mann; Bina hi baat muskuraye re, mera mann, mera mann, mera mann”. The film also had the hit songs ‘Khilte Hain Gul Yahaan’, ‘Megha Chaaye Aadhi Raat’ and ‘O Meri Sharmilee’.
3 Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas – Blackmail (1973)
One of the most popular love songs ever, this featured Dharmendra and Raakhee. Kishore sang the tune composed by Kalyanji-Anandji. Rajendra Krishan wrote, “Pal pal dil ke paas tum rehti ho, jeevan meethi pyaas, yeh kehti ho”. The song is regularly sung by participants at TV talent shows. The film also had the hit “Mile, mile do badan”.
4 Kabhi Kabhie Mere Dil Mein – Kabhi Kabhie (1976)
Another inmortal love song, this was based on a nazm written earlier by Sahir Ludhianvi, who wrote fresh lyrics for the film, beginning with, “Kabhi kabhie mere dil mein khayal aata hai ke jaise tujhko banaya gaya hai mere liye”. Khayyam composed the song sung by Mukesh and Lata. Raakhee appeared with Amitabh in the first half, and then with Shashi Kapoor.
5 Do Panchchi Do Tinke – Tapasya (1976)
Kishore sang for Parikshit Sahni, whereas Aarti Mukherjee lent her voice to Raakhee in this song composed by Ravindra Jain. Lyricist M.G. Hashmat wrote, “Do panchchi do tinke, kaho leke chale hain kahaan, yeh banaayenge ek aashiyaan”. Raakhee won Filmfare award for best actress for her role.
6 Chal Kahin Door – Doosra Aadmi (1977)
Rajesh Roshan composed this song sung by Kishore and Lata. Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote, “Kya mausam hai, ae deewana dil, arrey chal kahin door nikal jaaye, chal kahin door nikal jaaye; koi hamdam hai, chaahat ke kaabil, toh kis liye hum, sambhal jaaye”. The song was shot in picturesque locales with Rishi Kapoor and Raakhee.
7 Kasme Vaade Nibhayenge Hum – Kasme Vaade (1978)
Raakhee had many great songs with Amitabh. This melodious one was composed by R.D. Burman, with Kishore and Lata singing the duet. Lyricist Gulshan Bawra wrote, “Kasme vaade nibhaayenge hum, milte rahenge janam janam”. The line, “Tu hai diya, main hoon baati, aaja mere jeevan saathi” became very popular.
8 Dil To Hai Dil – Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978)
Raakhee was shown playing the piano on this Lata classic composed by Kalyanji-Anandji. Amitabh and Vinod Khanna also appeared. Anjaan wrote, “Dil to hai dil, dil ka aitbaar kya keeje, aa gaya jo kisi pe pyaar kya keeje”. In the film, Raakhee is also remembered for her appearance in ‘O Saathi Re’, sung by Kishore for Amitabh.
9 Saawan Ke Jhoole Padey – Jurmana (1979)
Once again, Raakhee and Amitabh were cast together. This melodious number was composed by R.D. Burman in raag Pahadi. Lata was immaculate on the high notes, with Bakshi writing, “Saawan ke jhoole padey, tum chale aao, tum chale aao”.
10 Jahaan Pe Savera Ho – Baseraa (1981)
The song is loved by Lata fans, simply because of her controlled singing on the higher notes. Shashi Kapoor and Raakhee appeared on screen. The song was composed by R.D. Burman, with Gulzar writing, “Kabhi paas baitho, kisi phool ke paas, suno jab mehakta hai, bahut kuch yeh kehta hai, ho kabhi gungunake, kabhi muskurake, kabhi gungunake, kabhi muskurake, kabhi chupke chupke, kabhi khilkhila ke, jahaan pe savera ho, baseraa wahin hai”.
In the 1980s, the number of hits came down, but a few like ‘Ae Ri Pawan’ (Bemisal, 1982) and ‘Mere Do Anmol Ratan’ (Ram Lakhan, 1989) made a mark. Years later, all these songs remain popular.
