When one talks of lyricist Anand Bakshi, many songs from the 1970s and 1980s come immediately to mind. After all, radio shows and TV channels still play songs from Bobby, Sholay, Amar Akbar Anthony, Ek Duuje Ke Liye, Karz, Karma and other films from that period.
With Bakshi’s 20th death anniversary coming up on March 30, we go back a decade earlier, and choose 10 great songs from the 1960s. As fans would know, Aradhana in 1969 was one of his biggest hits, but there were many other gems leading up to that, or released around that time. The order is chronological.
1 Chand Aahein Bharega – Phool Bane Angaare (1963)
Mukesh sang this classic filmed on Rajkumar and Mala Sinha in a car sequence. Kalyanji-Anandji composed the music and Bakshi wrote, “Chand aahein bharega, phool dil thaam lenge, husn ki baat chali toh, sab tera naam lenge”. The song was used in many Mukesh compilations.
2 Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi – Mr X In Bombay (1964)
An early hit for the combination of Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Bakshi, it was sung by and filmed on Kishore Kumar with Kumkum making an appearance. In one of the two versions, Bakshi wrote, “Mere mehboob qayamat hogi, aaj ruswa teri galiyon mein mohabbat hogi; Naam niklega tera hi lab se, jaane jabse is dil-e-naakaam se rukhsat hogi”.
3 Chand Si Mehbooba – Himalay Ki God Mein (1965)
The combination of Kalyanji-Anandji, Bakshi and Mukesh was in top form again. Manoj Kumar and Mala Sinha appeared on screen. The lyrics were, “Chand si mehbooba ho kab aisa maine socha tha, haan tum bilkul waisi ho jaisa maine socha tha”. The film also had songs written by Indeevar and Qamar Jalalabadi.
4 Pardesiyon Se Na – Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965)
This song was in three versions – two by Mohammed Rafi and one by Lata Mangeshkar. They were filmed in Kashmir on Shashi Kapoor and Nanda. Kalyanji-Anandji gave the music, using bansuri at the beginning, with Bakshi writing, “Pardesiyon se na akhiyan milana, pardesiyon ko hai ek din jaana”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6tTMd0v43Q
5 Suno Sajna – Aaye Din Bahaar Ke (1966)
Picturised outdoors on Dharmendra and Asha Parekh, this was a gem sung by Lata. Laxmikant-Pyarelal composed the music, using smart santoor and bansuri portions. Bakshi wrote, “Suno sajna papihe ne kaha sabse pukaar ke, sambhal jaao chaman waalon ke aaye din bahaar ke”.
6 Hum Toh Tere Aashiq Hain – Farz (1966)
This was filmed on Babita and a young Jeetendra. Mukesh and Lata sang Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s composition. The opening lines were, “Hum toh tere aashiq hai sadiyon purane, chaahe tu maane, chaahe na maane; Hum bhi zamaane se hai tere deewane, chaahe tu maane, chaahe na maane”.
7 Saawan Ka Mahina – Milan (1967)
An iconic song filmed on Sunil Dutt and Nutan in a boat, it was best known for the portion when the heroine is corrected for saying ‘shor’ instead of ‘sor’. Laxmikant-Pyarelal composed, and Bakshi used vernacular dialect on lines like, “Saawan ka mahina, pawan kare sor, jiyara re jhoome aise, jaise ban ma naache mor”.
8 Mere Sapnon Ki Rani – Aradhana (1969)
A super-hit for Kishore, it was composed by S.D. Burman. In the song, Rajesh Khanna and Sujit Kumar were seen in a jeep as Sharmila Tagore was in a toy train in Darjeeling. Bakshi’s lyrics were very relatable among young men. They were, “Mere sapnon ki rani kab aayegi tu, aayi rut mastani kab aayegi tu, beeti jaaye zindagani kab aayegi tu, chali aa, tu chali aa”.
9 Khiza Ke Phool – Do Raaste (1969)
One of Bakshi’s really heartfelt songs, it had the lines, “Khiza ke phool pe kabhi aati bahaar nahin, mere naseeb mein ae dost, tera pyaar nahin”. Sung brilliantly by Kishore, it was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz were the stars.
10 Aane Se Uske Aaye Bahaar – Jeene Ki Raah (1969)
Filmed on Jeetendra, this was sung expressively by Rafi. Laxmikant-Pyarelal composed the tune, and Bakshi wrote, “Aane se uske aaye bahaar, jaane se uske jaaye bahaar, badi mastani hai meri mehbooba, meri zindagani hai meri mehbooba”. Tanuja was the film’s heroine.
Whether it was the metaphors, the romantic nature or choice of words, one could identify the Bakshi stamp in these songs. He would continue to create magic till well into the 2000s.
