Page 48 - Seniors Today -April20

Once Upon A Time | Music

Take a sad

song, and

make it better

Narendra Kusnur examines
the appeal of the melancholy

number, and chooses 20
heartbreaking hits

*14 Din Dhal Jaaye - Guide, 1965

Most followers of old Hindi film music are
fascinated by sad songs. Interestingly, they
often greet these tunes with joy, rather than
feel gloomy listening to them. The reason is
simple: these songs are sung from the heart
and soul, and their words have a depth,
relevance and nostalgia that makes them
easy to identify with. by Anil Biswas and written by Aah Sitapuri.
Over the years, there have been singers who Filmed on Motilal and Munnawar Sultana,
specialised in this style. Kundan Lal Saigal, it was one of the biggest songs of its time,
Talat Mahmood and Mukesh were regular, and has been included in many Mukesh
though Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar compilations.
sang many great songs too. For her part, Lata
Mangeshkar had a string of hits. Naturally, 2 Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya - Shahjehan, 1946
their songs were compiled and sold as
cassettes and compact discs by the record
labels under the broad banner of ‘dard bhare
naghme’.
Here, we choose 20 such songs that have
been popular over the years, cutting off our
list in the early 1980s. Like in the case of love
songs we covered in the February issue, it
was a tough task to shortlist the hits, as each
reader may miss some favourite or the other. From the A.R. Kardar film Shahjehan, this
The order of songs is chronological. is one of the most recognised and relatable
sad songs. A major hit for star and singer
1 Dil Jalta Hai Toh Jalne De Kundan Lal Saigal, it was composed
Pehli Nazar, 1945 by Naushad and written by Majrooh
This was Mukesh’s first big hit, composed Sultanpuri.

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