After composing for a few Bengali films, Salil Chowdhury had a successful Hindi score with Do Bigha Zamin in 1953. Whether it was through songs or background music, he’s created a huge impact on Hindi cinema, blending Indian melodies and western elements with ease.
To mark his 98th birth anniversary on November 19, we randomly select 10 great songs composed by him. Given his large repertoire, this was obviously a difficult task. With some films like Jagte Raho, Madhumati and Anand, it was tough to shortlist only one song. And in sticking to 10, we had to exclude Maya, Mere Apne and Annadata. The order is chronological.
1 Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke – Do Bigha Zamin (1953)
This was Chowdhury’s first Hindi film, and this song, filmed on Balraj Sahni, Meena Kumari and a group of farmers, was a hit. Manna Dey sang the song with a short appearance by Lata Mangeshkar. Plenty of back-up choruses were used too, as Shailendra wrote, “Dharti kahe pukaar ke, beej bichaale pyaar ke, mausam beeta jaaye”. The song was also used in the 2018 serial Sacred Games.
2 Zindagi Khwab Hai – Jagte Raho (1956)
This featured an excellent performance by Motilal in a drunken state, with Raj Kapoor looking on. Mukesh sang the song written by Shailendra. The lines went, “Zindagi khwab hai, khwab mein jhooth hai kya, aur bhala sach hai kya, sab sach hai”. The film also had hits like Lata’s ‘Jaago Mohan Pyaare’ and the Mohammed Rafi-S Balbir song ‘Main Koi Jhooth Boliyan’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KvBL3eoFM4
3 Dil Tadap Tadap Ke – Madhumati (1958)
The film had superhit songs like Mukesh’s ‘Suhana Safar’, Lata’s ‘Aaja Re Pardesi’ and the Lata-Manna Dey number ‘Bichua’, among others. On the duet ‘Dil Tadap Tadap Ke’, Mukesh and Lata sang for Dilip Kumar and Vyjayantimala who were filmed in the woods. The tune was based on an 18th century central European tune. Shailendra wrote the lyrics.
4 O Sajna – Parakh (1960)
This was a gem featuring the combination of Lata, Salil-da and Shailendra. Filmed on Sadhna in a rain sequence, it had the words “O sajna, barkha bahaar aayee, ras ki fuhaar laayee, akhiyon mein pyaar laayee”. The song made wonderful use of sitar and tabla. It has been regularly sung in rain-themed shows and used in many Lata compilations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a7l2UzZ654
5 Aaha Rimjhim Ke – Usne Kaha Tha (1960)
Talat Mahmood and Lata sang this wonderful duet picturised on Sunil Dutt and Nanda. Once again, Shailendra teamed up with Chowdhury, to write the lines, “Aaha rimjhim ke yeh pyaare pyaare geet liye, aai raat suhani dekho preet liye, meet mere suno zara hawa kahe kya, suno toh zara jhingar bole chikimiki chikimiki, rimjhim ke yeh pyaare pyaare geet liye”.
6 Ae Mere Pyaare Watan – Kabuliwala (1961)
Manna Dey sang this masterpiece filmed on Balraj Sahni, who played an Afghan dry fruit seller in this film based on a Tagore short story. Lyricist Prem Dhawan wrote, “Ae mere pyaare watan, ae mere bichde chaman, tujhpe dil qurbaan, tu hi meri aarzoo, tu hi meri aabroo, tu hi meri jaan”.
7 Aansoon Samajh Ke – Chhaya (1961)
A gem sung by Talat Mahmood with Rajendra Krishan writing, “Aansoon samajh ke kyon mujhe aankh se tumne gira diya, moti kisike pyaar ka mitti mein kyon mila diya”. The song was filmed on Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh, who also appeared on the Mozart-inspired hit ‘Itna Na Mujhse Tu Pyaar Badha’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w8KSpiLm14
8 Maine Tere Liye – Anand (1971)
Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand had some wonderful songs like ‘Kahin Door’ and ‘Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli’ penned by Yogesh and filmed on Rajesh Khanna. The song ‘Maine Tere Liye’ was written by Gulzar and sung by Mukesh. The words were, “Maine tere liye hi saat rang ke sapne chune, sapne sureele sapne”. Amitabh Bachchan, Ramesh Deo and Seema Deo also appeared on screen with Khanna.
9 Kai Baar Yunhi Dekha Hai – Rajnigandha (1974)
Mukesh won the Filmfare award for this song, featuring Vidya Sinha and Dinesh Thakur in a taxi. Chowdhury came up with a simple melody, with Yogesh writing, “Kai baar yun hi dekha hai, yeh jo man ki seema rekha hai, man daudne lagta hai, anjaani pyaas ke peeche, anjaani aas ke peeche, man daudne lagta hai”. The film’s title song was sung by Lata.
10 Na Jaane Kyon – Chhoti Si Baat (1975)
Lata sang this for Vidya Sinha in Basu Chatterji’s film. The song also featured Amol Palekar and Ashok Kumar. Yogesh wrote the words, “Na jaane kyon, hota hai yeh zindagi ke saath, achanak yeh man, kisike jaane ke baad, karke uski yaad, chhoti, chhoti si baat”. The film also had the song ‘Jaaneman Jaaneman’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILeG1kzODDM
From the list, it’s apparent that some of Chowdhury’s most memorable songs were penned by Shailendra and Yogesh. In fact, the music director’s wife Sabita suggested Yogesh’s name for some songs of Anand. In Rajnigandha and Chhoti Si Baat, the two of them got some great songs from Lata and Mukesh. These tunes are hummed even today.
