10 poetic songs by Kaifi Azmi

Poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi wrote some really memorable songs in the 1960s and 1970s. Yet, he wasn’t as prolific as some of his contemporaries, as he mainly chose films with serious subjects.

Choosing 10 songs was obviously difficult, but this shortlist reflected his class. His 103rd birth anniversary is on January 14. The order is chronological.

1 Waqt Ne Kiya – Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959)

One of Kaifi’s most memorable songs had the lines, “Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam, tum rahe na tum, hum rahe na hum”. Sung marvellously by Geeta Dutt, it was composed by S.D. Burman and filmed on Waheeda Rahman and Guru Dutt. The lines “Beqaraar dil is tarah mile jis tarah kabhi hum judaa na the, tum bhi kho gaye, hum bhi kho gaye, ek raah par, chal ke do kadam” were classic.

2 Dhadakte Dil Ki Tamanna – Shama (1961)

A beautiful song sung by the evergreen Suraiya and filmed on Nimmi, Suraiya and Vijay Dutt, it was composed by Ghulam Mohammed. Kaifi wrote the lines, “Dhadakte dil ki tamanna ho mera pyaar ho tum, mujhe qaraar nahin, jab se beqaraar ho tum”. The tune was based on raag Pilu.

3 Raah Bani Khud Manzil – Kohraa (1964)

Kaifi wrote some great songs like ‘Yeh Nayan Dare Dare’, ‘Jhoom Jhoom Dhalti Raat’ and ‘O Beqarar Dil’ in this film. ‘Raah Bani Khud Manzil’ was another gem, composed and sung by Hemant Kumar. The song was filmed on Biswajit and Waheeda in a car. The lyrics were, “Raah bani khud manzil, peeche rah gayee mushkil, saath jo aaye tum”.

4 Hoke Majboor – Haqeeqat (1964)

The film was based on the 1962 Sino-Indian War and the song was filmed on soldiers on duty. Mohammed Rafi, Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey and a young Bhupinder sang this tune composed by Madan Mohan. Kaifi’s words were “Hoke majboor mujhe usne bulaya hoga, zehar chhupke se davaa jaanke khaaya hoga”. This was considered to be one of the best war-themed songs in Hindi cinema.

5 Ya Dil Ki Suno – Anupama (1966)

Another beauty composed and sung by Hemant Kumar, it was filmed on Dharmendra in a party scene. Shashikala and Sharmila Tagore also appeared on screen. Kaifi’s brilliant lines were, “Ya dil ki suno duniya waalon, ya mujhko abhi chhup rahne do, main gham ko khushi kaise kah doon, jo kehte hain unko kehne do”.

6 Aandhi Aaya Ke Toofan – Saat Hindustani (1969)

Based on the Goan liberation movement, Saat Hindustani is recognised as Amitabh Bachchan’s first film. This rare song was sung by Mahendra Kapoor, and Kaifi got the National Award for Best Lyrics. The main lines were, “Aandhi aaya ke toofan koi gham nahin, hai yahi aakhri imtihaan saathiyo, imtihaan saathiyo”. It was composed by J.P. Kaushik, who did other films with the director K.A. Abbas.

7 Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil – Heer Ranjha (1970)

The combination of Kaifi with music director Madan Mohan yielded some magical results. Rafi sang this classic filmed on Raaj Kumar. In the mukhda, the line “Yeh duniya yeh mehfil mere kaam ki nahin” was sung in different ways. The film was also known for Lata Mangeshkar’s ‘Milo Na Tum To’ and ‘Do Dil Toote’.

8 Chalte Chalte Yunhi Koi – Pakeezah (1972)

This brilliant mujra was filmed on Meena Kumari, Kamal Kapoor and two brilliant dancers in the backdrop. Sung by Lata, it was composed by Ghulam Mohammed, with Kaifi writing “Chalte chalte yunhi koi mil gaya tha”. Other highlights were the sitar, sarangi, tabla rhythm, the repetition of the line “Yeh charagh bujh rahe hain” and the whistle of a train engine at the end.

https://youtu.be/X-40R7SfXJ4

9 Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho – Hanste Zakhm (1973)

This was another example of the great coordination between Madan Mohan, Kaifi and Rafi. The song was filmed on Navin Nischol and Priya Rajvansh in a car. The lines were, “Tum jo mil gaye ho, toh yeh lagta hai ke jahaan mil gaya, ek bhatke hue raahi ko karwaan mil gaya”. Lata sang one line in the middle.

10 Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar – Arth (1982)

Kaifi wrote two other brilliant songs in this film, namely ‘Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho’ and ‘Koi Yeh Kaise Bataye’. Singer Jagjit Singh excelled on all, including ‘Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar’, which he composed with Chitra Singh. The song was filmed on Raj Kiran and Shabana Azmi. The words were, “Jhuki jhuki si nazar, beqaraar hai ke nahin, daba daba sa sahi, dil mein pyaar hai ke nahin”.

All these songs had words with depth, and went perfectly with the cinematic situations and the tunes. Naturally Kaifi deserves a special mention among lyricists.