Narendra Kusnur
Filmmaker B.R..Chopra had some great songs in his movies. To mark his 14th death anniversary on November 5, we choose 10 songs from films he directed.
A winner of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Chopra also produced the hit film Waqt, which hasn’t been included here as it was not directed by him, and the teleserial Mahabharata. The order is chronological.
1 Behek Chale Mere Nainwa – Chandni Chowk (1954)
Meena Kumari dazzled in this song sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Roshan composed the frothy tune. Shailendra’s words were, “Behek chale mere nainwa, haay na jaane kaisi chali hawa, kyon na lagi kal raat ko palak, mujhe yeh kya ho gaya, haay mujhe yeh kya ho gaya”.
2 Maang Ke Saath Tumhara – Naya Daur (1957)
Music director O.P. Nayyar had a hugely successful soundtrack in Naya Daur. This duet was sung by Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle. It was filmed on Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in a tonga, and the clip-clop rhythm went perfectly with the melody. Sahir Ludhianvi had a simple hook line in “Maang ke saath tumhara maine maang liya sansaar”.
3 Aurat Ne Janam Diya – Sadhna (1958)
Sahir wrote the hard-hitting lines, “Aurat ne janam diya mardon ko, mardon ne usey bazaar diya, jab jee chaaha masla kuchla, jab jee chaaha dutkaar diya”. Lata sang the song composed by N. Dutta. It featured a fantastic performance by Vyjayanthimala.
4 Aa Bhi Jaa – Gumrah (1963)
Sunil Dutt and Mala Sinha appeared in this song composed by Ravi. Mahendra Kapoor was the singer. Once again, it featured the genius of Sahir, who wrote, “Yeh hawa, yeh hawa, yeh hawa, yeh fiza, yeh fiza, yeh fiza, hai udaas jaise, dil mera dil mera dil, aa bhi jaa, aa bhi jaa, aa bhi jaa”. The film also had the hits ‘Tujhko Mera Pyaar Pukare’ and ‘Chalo Ek Baar’.
5 Na Munh Chhupa Ke Jeeyo – Hamraaz (1967)
The combination of Ravi, Mahendra Kapoor and Sahir again did some great work on this hit. Sunil Dutt and Vimi appeared on screen. The main lines were, “Na munh chhupa ke jeeyo, aur na sar jhuka ke jiyo, ghamon ka daur bhi aaye toh muskura ke jeeyo”. Mahendra Kapoor also sang the hits ‘Hey Neele Gagan Ke Taley’, ‘Tum Agar Saath Dene Ka’ and ‘Kisi Patthar Ki Murat Se’ in the film.
6 Na Tu Zameen Ke Liye – Dastaan (1972)
This evergreen gem was sung by Rafi and filmed on Dilip Kumar. Music was by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Once again, Sahir was at his peak with the lines, “Na tu zameen ke liye hai na aasmaan ke liye, tera wajood hai, tera wajood hai ab sirf dastaan ke liye”. Written in ghazal style, it had only three couplets.
7 Sansaar Ki Har Shae Ka – Dhund (1973)
One more gem from Ravi, Mahendra Kapoor and Sahir, this had the lines, “Sansaar ki har shae ka, itna hi fasaana hai, ek dhund se aana hai, ek dhund mein jaana hai”. The song was filmed on Sanjay Khan, with Zeenat Aman appearing briefly at the end.
8 Thande Thande Pani Se – Pati Patni Aur Woh (1978)
This fun song featured Sanjeev Kumar, Vidya Sinha and a child artiste, showing father and son enjoying a bath. Mahendra Kapoor and Asha sang, and music was by Ravindra Jain. Anand Bakshi wrote the situational lines, “Ho, thande thande paani se nahaana chaahiye, gaana aaye ya na aaye, gaana chahiye”.
9 Log Aurat Ko – Insaf Ka Tarazu (1980)
This song was in a similar vein to the song ‘Aurat Ne Janam Diya’, from the film Sadhna. Sahir wrote the lines, “Log aurat ko faqat jism samajh lete hain, rooh bhi hoti hai usmein yeh kahaan sochte hain”. Asha sang this for Zeenat, with Ravindra Jain providing the music. The film dealt with the subject of rape.
10 Beete Hue Lamho Ki Kasak – Nikaah (1981)
The music of Nikaah was hugely successful with hits like ‘Dil Ke Armaan’, ‘Fazaa Bhi Hai’ and ‘Dil Ki Yeh Arzoo’. The song ‘Beete Hue Lamho Ki Kasak Saath Toh Hogi’ was sung by Mahendra Kapoor and composed by Ravi. Lyrics by Hasan Kamaal had a nostalgic tinge. It was filmed on Raj Babbar in a public gathering, with Salma Agha in the audience.
Of these songs, seven were written by Sahir. His combination with Mahendra Kapoor and Ravi was magical, and Chopra made best use of it.
