With music director S.D. Burman’s 47th death anniversary coming up on October 31, we thought of compiling a list of 10 of his songs picturised on the evergreen Dev Anand. Needless to say, it was one of the most difficult lists to prepare, considering the huge number of songs both have been associated with together.
To narrow down the list, we focused on solo songs by male playback singers, though there are some which have female versions too. We also used 1965 as the cut-off period, thus missing out on later gems from Jewel Thief, Prem Pujari, Gambler and Tere Mere Sapne. On its own, each of these 10 songs is a classic, and irreplaceable in a list of greatest hits. The order is chronological.
1 Yeh Raat Yeh Chandni – Jaal (1952)
Hemant Kumar sang this gem filmed on Dev and Geeta Bali. Sahir Ludhianvi’s words were, “Yeh raat yeh chandni phir kahaan, sunja dil ki dastaan”. S.D. Burman used a wonderful melody line, and the composition was in raag Kafi. The song also had a duet version by Hemant and Lata Mangeshkar.
2 Jaaye Toh Jaaye Kahan – Taxi Driver (1954)
There were two versions of this song, sung by Talat Mahmood and Lata, respectively. The male version showed Dev contemplating on a beach. Sahir wrote, “Jaaye toh jaaye kahaan, samjhega kaun yahaan, dard bhari dil ki zubaan, jaaye toh jaaye kahaan”. The female version was filmed on Kalpana Kartik and Dev.
3 Teri Duniya Mein Jeene Se – House No 44 (1955)
Hemant Kumar sounded magical on this song composed by S.D. Burman and written by Sahir. The opening sequence showed Kalpana Kartik humming before the male voice took over. The words were, “Teri duniya mein jeene se toh behtar hai ke mar jaayein, wohi aansoon, wohi aahein, wohi gham hai, jidhar jaayein”. In the same year, 1955, Burman composed ‘Jeevan Ke Safar Mein Raahi’ for Dev and Kishore in Munimji.
4 Maana Janab Ne – Paying Guest (1957)
Dev was seen on a bicycle chasing Nutan, who held a badminton racket. The song had a melodious intro, and Kishore Kumar’s voice was perfect for the hero. Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote, “Maana janaab ne pukara nahin, kya mera saath bhi gawaara nahin, muft mein ban ke, chal diye tan ke, wallah jawaab tumhara nahin”.
5 Hum Hai Raahi Pyaar Ke – Nau Do Gyarah (1957)
This time, Dev drove a car in and on the outskirts of Delhi, as Kishore sang Majrooh’s lines, “Hum hain raahi pyaar ke, hamse kucch na boliye, jo bhi pyaar se mila, hum usi ke ho liye”. S.D. Burman’s music had a waltz flavour, and made good use of whistles. The film also starred Kalpana Kartik, and the Kishore-Asha Bhosle duet ‘Aankhon Mein Kya Jee’ was famous too.
6 Hum Bekhudi Mein – Kala Pani (1958)
Mohammed Rafi sang this ghazal in raag Chhayanat. Dev appeared on screen with Nalini Jaywant. Majrooh wrote, “Hum bekhudi mein tumko pukaare chale gaye, saagar mein zindagi ko utaare chale gaye ”. A highlight was the sarangi by Pandit Ram Narayan. The tune was filled with pathos.
7 Khoya Khoya Chand – Kala Bazar (1960)
This was a classic example of the Dev swagger, and again, Rafi’s voice suited him perfectly. S.D. Burman came up with a dream-like melody, and Shailendra wrote, “Khoya khoya chand, khula aasman, aankhon mein saari raat jaayegi, tumko bhi kaise neend aayegi”. The film also had the Rafi hit ‘Apni To Har Aah Ik Toofan Hai’, featuring Dev and Waheeda Rahman in a train compartment.
8 Na Tum Hamein Jaano – Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962)
This was in two versions – by Hemant Kumar and Suman Kalyanpur. Majrooh wrote, “Na tum hamein jaano, na hum tumhe jaane, magar lagta hai kuch aisa, mera humdum mil gaya”. The song was filmed on Dev and Waheeda. Four years before that, Hemant Kumar had also sung the Dev hit ‘Hai Apna Dil To Awara’ in Solva Saal.
9 Dil Ka Bhanwar – Tere Ghar Ke Saamne (1963)
Story has it that director Vijay Anand wanted to shoot inside Delhi’s Qutub Minar but since the cameras were too unwieldy to get the correct angles, a duplicate set was created. Rafi sang this song filmed on Dev and Nutan, with Hasrat Jaipuri writing, “Dil ka bhanwar kare pukar, pyaar ka raag suno, pyaar ka raag suno, re”.
10 Dil Dhal Jaaye – Guide (1965)
One of the eternal classics featuring the combination of S.D. Burman, Rafi and Dev, it was written by Shailendra. The words were, “Din dhal jaaye haaye, raat na jaaye, tu toh na aaye, teri yaad sataaye”. Rafi’s singing brought out the intoxication of the character in the situation. Rafi also sang ‘Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya’ and ‘Tere Mere Sapne’ for Dev in the film.
In 1965, S.D. Burman also gave music for the Dev Anand film Teen Devian. However, we had used the Kishore song ‘Khwab Ho Tum’ recently in the list of tunes with a piano on screen. That was another example of their magical combination.
