A tribute on his death anniversary August 27
Everyone is born with a heart, but that does not make everyone a romantic. There was something special about Mukesh and ‘dil’, not only his romantic heart but his romancing the heart.
Mukesh started his journey with ‘dil’. As a young lad, while singing at his sister’s wedding in Delhi, he was noticed by his relative Motilal, who had become a well known personality in the film world by then. Motilal brought him to Bombay where he got a break in Nirdosh (1941), with Dil hi bujha hua ho to fasle bahar kya. The next song which caused a sensation and made Mukesh, the Mukesh was Dil jalta hai to jalne de. Further, you let your mind wander the Mukesh landscape and what do you get? Kabhi dil dil se takrata to hoga, Toote na dil toote na, Hum aaj kahin dil kho baithe, Teri duniya mein dil lagta nahi, Mere toote hue dil se koi to aaj ye poochhe… You go on and on and you get dil songs of incredible beauty. No one did it better that Mukesh, and it is no wonder he won the hearts of millions with his sweet and melodious voice.
There was a time in my school and college days when no other singer mattered to me. And I know there were millions of Mukesh-obsessed fans like me. Later I read learned articles about his limited range or, at times, his going off-tune, but I did not care. Though now I like several other singers tremendously, the Mukesh charm has not waned.
Mukesh was known to be a kind and large hearted person. Is God especially fond of people with a large heart? Mukesh died of heart attack at Detroit, where he had gone for a music concert, on August 27, 1976 at a young age of 53. I present my tribute to him on his death anniversary with some of his iconic dil solos.
1. Dil hi bujha hua ho to fasle bahar kya from Nirdosh (1941), music Ashok Ghosh
Mukesh was 18 when he sang this song! But his style has an amazing maturity. This song has all the Mukesh magic. I am surprised it remained relatively unknown.
2. Dil jalta hai to jalne de from Pahli Nazar (1945), lyrics Dr Safdar ‘Aah’, music Anil Biswas
This is the song which created Mukesh phenomenon, and naturally several legends have grown around it. KL Saigal remarked on listening this song, ‘I do not remember when I sang this song?’ Impressed with Mukesh, KL Saigal blessed him by gifting his harmonium. Regarded as Saigal’s inheritor, he soon developed his own style, encouraged by the doyen Anil Biswas. This song is erroneously regarded as Mukesh’s first song in Hindi films. Knowledgeable readers may clarify what is the source of this confusion and what did Mukesh do between 1941 and 1945. Here is the song which every Mukesh lover knows by heart, and which is usually the first song in any Mukesh compilation. Ironically, as per the practice those days the gramophone did not credit this song to Mukesh, but to the character lipsynching the song.
3. Kabhi dil dil se takrata to hoga by Anokhi Ada (1948), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music Naushad
By now Mukesh was in his full flow. That year, the colossus Naushad used him as the lead singer for Dilip Kumar in Mela, which incidentally had a dil song Mera dil todnewale mere dil ki dua dena. But that was a duet. This reminds me Mukesh also had equally great dil duets, which call for a separate post. In Anokhi Ada Mukesh shares singing honours with the Naushad favourite and renowned actor-singer Surendra. But he is obviously not deterred, because all the Mukesh songs in this film are eternal gems. This is picturised on Prem Adib. Only Mukesh solo is commonly known. But this song alos has a Shamshad version, and a short Mukesh-Shamshad duet. Naushad must have realized he had created an eternal gem, and harnesses it to the fullest extent.
4. Toote na dil toote na from Andaaz (1949), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music Naushad
When you think of Andaaz, you think of many things – Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Nargis, the piano, Kuckoo. But above all you think of four songs of Mukesh, each iconic, each remaining with you forever (plus another which was not used in the film, but no less endearing). I have used Hum aaj kahin dil kho baithe earlier. Toote na dil toote na is also a class by itself. It starts off with some light banter between the three main actors, Raj and Nargis encouraging Dilip Kumar to sing. Now that he is aware of the situation, songs seem to be swelling under him, songs of overt happiness, but concealing pain and sadness underneath. And what a piano picturaisation – Dilip Kumar at the keyboard, and Raj and Nargis, betrothed to each other, resting their elbows at the grand piano – there would never be a grander triangle.
5. Teri duniya mein dil lagta nahi from Bawre Nain (1950), lyrics Kidar Sharma, music Roshan
If Side A was headed by Dil jalta hai to jalne de, Side B would start with Teri duniya mein dil lagta nahi – this is the kind of status this song acquired, composed by Roshan, who just a year earlier had failed miserably in his debut film Neki Aur Badi, also directed by Kidar Sharma. Yet for all you know, this song would have never happened nor for that matter Roshan would have happened to the film music if you believe the story told to me by my friend SoI (Storehouse of Information). As the story goes, after the failure of Neki Aur Badi, Roshan was seriously contemplating committing suicide. Learning of this, Kidar Sharma in his famed no-nonsense style accosted him, Tu marnaa chaahta hai teri marzi, lekin tu zinda raha to Baawre Nain main tujhe hi doonga. Rest as they say is history. By now the followers of this blog are aware, Roshan is one of my greatest favourites – I have done exclusive posts on his songs for Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar. Even more productive was his association with Mukesh, for whom he has given many everlasting songs.
6. Ae jaan-e-jigar dil mein samane a ja from Aaraam (1951), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music Anil Biswas
Anil Biswas was recognized as the mentor of two great singers - Mukesh and Talat Mahmood. In this film he showcased both his protégés. Shukriya ae pyar tera shukriya is a Talat quintessential picturised on himself; Ae jane jigar is a quintessential Mukesh song picturised on Premnath at the piano. After Andaaz, everyone must have been wishing for a piano song, especially by Mukesh.
7. Dil tujhe diya tha rakhne ko from Malhar (1951), lyrics Kaif Irfani, music Roshan
I am speechless. Picturised on an unknown actor Arjun (not the music director C Arjun), this film was produced by Mukesh and Roshan must have been his natural choice after Bawre Nain. Mukesh was known to be ever ready to help his friends. A great Roshan – Mukesh gem.
8. Ek jhoothi si tasalli wo mujhe de ke chale mera dil le ke chale from Sheesham (1952), lyrics Zia Sarhadi, music Roshan
When I think of Mukesh’s quintessential songs, Ek jhoothi si tasalli wo mujhe de ke chale is among top of my recall. Roshan magic again.
9. Raat andheri door savera barbaad dil hai mera ho from Aah (1953), lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, music Shankar Jaikishan
This song tends to go out of our consciousness in the face of other outstanding songs of Aah such as Aa ja re ab mera dil pukara, Raja ki ayegi baraat or Ye shaam ki tanhaiyaan. Raat andheri requires more careful listening, but it grows on you once you get to the antaraa.
10. O dil na lagana jeene na dega ye zamana from Mashooqa (1953), lyrics Qamar Jalalabadi, music Roshan
Mukesh produced and also acted in this film opposite Suraiya. These forays were quite disastrous forcing him to come back to his core strength, singing. But the song has a standard Mukesh appeal.
11. Humein ae dil kahin le chal bada tera karam hoga from Chandni Chowk (1954), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music Roshan
There must have been some special bond between Mukesh and Roshan. Even if these songs were not so well known, today when we hear them, thanks to the internet, these sound extremely moving.
12. Koi dil mein hai aur koi hai nazar mein from Anurag (1956), lyrics Kaif Irfani, music Mukesh
This was an out and out Mukesh film. Produced by him, he acted opposite Usha Kiran, and composed its music. This song had everything a Mukesh lover expects from his songs. A sure entry to my list of his best ten.
13. Ae pyase dil bezubaan from Begunaah (1957), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar Jaikishan
I was always aware of this song, but never knew it had so much history behind it. As I have been able to gather from the comments on the YouTube and other sources, Begunaah was based on an English movie ‘Knock on the Wood’, without giving due credit to the original. In a suit filed by the producers of the English movie, the court banned the movie, and in quite an extreme measure, ordered destruction of all its prints. Fortunately the court did not order destruction of its gramophone records. This song was created by SJ for Mukesh to prop up his career, and in another interesting trivia, this was picturised on Jaikishan which served the dual purpose of satisfying his acting ambitions (!) and help the producer who was quite broke to pay for any other actor.
14. Ye mera deewanapan hai from Yahudi (1958), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar Jaikishan
Shankar Jaikishan’s early work had Raat andheri door savera barbaad hai dil mera, but Ye mera deewanapan hai, is perhaps the first dil song by Mukesh for SJ, which is not only exquisite, but also extremely popular. You may ask where is ‘dil’ in this song? You can’t get to Ye mera deewanapn hai, unless you start with Dil se tujhko bedili hai mujhko hai dil ka garoor. There are many famous songs which are preceded by a recital at high pitch, which gradually slide down to the mukhdaa of the main song at a lower pitch. Who says Mukesh had problem at high pitch? He glides absolutely smoothly from a very high pitch to his natural low pitch. Today the recital part has become an integral part of this song
15. Jaun kahan bata ae dil from Chhoti Bahan (1959), lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, music Shankar Jaikishan
Any dil song of Mukesh would be above a certain threshold. Here is a very well popular and pleasant song.
16. Tere pyar ko is tarah se bhulana na dil chahta hai na hum chahte hain from Maine Jeena Seekh Liya (1959), lyrics Rahil Gorakhpuri, music Roshan
There was a time when this song got stuck in my mind playing again and again. Another Mukesh quintessential, and Roshan again. In fact, for this anniversary tribute I seriously toyed with the idea of doing Mukesh songs composed by Roshan. Roshan would be far outnumbered by Shankar Jaikishan and Kalyanji Anandji in Mukesh songs. Yet in my list of the best of Mukesh, many Roshan compositions figure at the very top.
17. Mere toote hue dil se koi to aaj ye poochhe from Chhalia (1960), lyrics Qamar Jalalabadi, music Kalyanji Anandji
Kalyanji Anandji would come just after SJ as far as the most popular Mukesh songs are concerned. They developed a natural bond with Mukesh with simple hummable tunes, but retaining his pathos and sweetness. This is a representative of KA-Mukesh magic.
18. Ae dile awara chal from Dr Vidya (1962), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music SD Burman
SD Burman was one of the most versatile composers of the Golden Era. He was not only fabulous with Rafi and Kishore Kumar, he gave equally great songs with Hemant Kumar and Mukesh even if these may be in small numbers.
19. Dil jo bhi kahega manenge duniya mein hamara dil hi to hai from Dil Hi To Hai (1963), lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanvi, music Roshan
Dil song need not be always sad. If Mukesh chooses to sing a peppy song, he does it as well as anyone. Roshan had something special with Mukesh. This is their seventh song in this post, more than any other composer. No wonder my first thought was to do a Roshan-Mukesh special for this occasion.
20. Jis dil mein basa tha pyar tera from Saheli (1965), lyrics Indivar, music Kalyanji Anandji
KA-Indivar/Qamar Jalabadi became a team like SJ-Shailendra/Hasrat Jaipuri as far as Mukesh songs are concerned. This song also had a twin version in Lata Mangeshkar’s voice. Twin songs have been debated recently on Anu Warrier’s site, and earlier on my site. I can safely say Mukesh version is far superior to Lata Mangeshkar’s.
{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
There is one in Aag ‘zinda noon ..’ which has dil towards the end and another famous one in Madhumati. As usual with my knowledge of Hindi, I may be wrong.
I have spent an extremely enjoyable morning, listening to all the songs in your post while I’ve been doing my work. Thank you, AK! Loved this, and found a few ‘new’ Mukesh songs from his early years.
I have to admit that I’d never actually liked Mukesh, except for a couple of songs… until I did a post on him. And then, with the increasing number of songs people recommended (and which I discovered for myself in the course of the following days), I realised how many songs of his I really like. My favourite Mukesh song (Woh subah kabhi toh aayegi) has no dil in it (though it’s straight from the heart!), but here’s another I like a lot:
Teri yaad dil se bhulaane chala hoon from Hariyali aur Raasta:
Many purists had reservations about the technical aspects of Mukesh’s vocal chords. But magic of Mukesh’s voice would just not have failed to touch the chords of their hearts.
When placed in the hands of caring music directors – there would be hardly a music director with which Mukesh may not have a memorable song – Mukesh‘s voice has touched pinnacles of and [or shall we say the depths of hearts!
This article has so tastefully दिलसे दिलकी डोर बांध दी है {Chhaya 1961 http://youtu.be/nNdSjANwGA0 that any दिल would tune up to the emotional beauty of Mukesh’s voice.
In order not to break the दिल,Shri AKji has broken his traditional barrier of selecting ‘10”’ out of many contending songs in any given subject.> For that we thank him दिलसे.
Here is an excellent Dil song of Mukesh in Gujarati - Mara Bhola Dil No haye Shikar Karine [You have coolly hunted out my innocent heart]
And a bhajan – Jinke Hriday Shri Ram Basey – 1976 Music- Murli Manohar Swarup – Lyrics: Deepak(?) -
@gaddeswarup
You are right. Zinda hun has dil towards the end as follows:
Hothon ke paas aye hansi kya mazaal hai
Dil ka muamla hai koi dillagi nahi
Zinda hun is tarah ki gham-e-zindagi nahi
But it would be difficult to qualify it as a dil song. As for Madhumati, it has a famous duet Dil tadap tadap ke kah raha hai by Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar. As I have mentioned, his dil duets may require a separate post.
@Dustedoff
Yes, Woh subah kabhi to ayegi is a great song – he does have some fabulous duets with Asha Bhosle. Teri yaad dil se bhulane chala hun was on my radar screen. Which means, even twenty songs are not enough for Mukesh and ‘dil’. By the way, I recently watched Haryali Aur Rasta on Zee Classic. It has one of the funny tragic endings (Shashikala is made to die because she is not a good wife, leaving behind a child, so that the original lovers Manoj Kumar and Mala Sinha live happily ever after), making it a very good candidate for your review, if you have not early done so.
Thanks for your compliments. You are the first person who says she did not like Mukesh (‘until…).
@Asohk Vaishnavji
Mukesh does sing ‘dil’ songs better than anyone else. Now it turns out even twenty are not enough. That is not counting his ‘dil’ duets, which may be another big list for some other time.
Fortunately, YouTube has the Gujrati song you mentioned. (What does it mean?)
Mara bhola dil na haye shikar karne, Gujrati song by Mukesh
And thanks for refreshing our memory about his eternal bhajan.
Jinke hriday Sri Ram base, bhajan by Mukesh
The Mukesh’s song – Mara Bhola Dil No Shikar Kari Ne’ conveys the sesne of complaint, because she has walked simply walked off, having huting out ‘my’ innocent heart, with the help of connections of four eyesights.
He has repeatedly requested her to cleanse her mind and pardon him for any of his errors. But she nither no ro yes and just walks off.
He has staked his life on her just one word, but she does not even know the painful cries of his heart for his life.
But, in spite of this fight, there is still pent up loeve in both the hearts and the strings of worldly ways can stiil be joined.
Dil and Mukesh, what an ‘innovative’ combination!
Mukesh is not my fav singer, but he has sung some good songs, which I like a lot, particularly those with SDB.
I had never heard of dil hai bujha hua before.Thanks for the intro to this song. I would never have guessed that it is Mukesh.
dil jalte hai to jalne de is Mukesh, isn’t it? I could have sworn that it was filmed on Raj Kapoor, such is the Raj-Mukesh jodi imprinted in the brain. Thanks for the lesson!
Listened to kabhi dil dil se takrata after a long time. Very melancholic, very sad!
I personally feel toote na dil toote na would have been in better hands with Rafi, but that is my personal opinion!
<teri duniya me dil lagta nahin is very much of a Mukesh song! All the same I wonder how it would have sounded in Talat’s voice! He would have created magic!
ek jhooti si tasalli is indeed very beautifula nd so simple. Had never heard of it before.
had forgotten raat andheri door savera. thanks for reminding!
I had heard about his flirtation with acting but never had heard any songs from this adventures. koi dil me hai was a nice such discovery!
Interesting the anecdote about Begunnah (1957). I had read about it somewhere. Fascinating isn’t it?
Like ye mera deewanpan hai much. Very beautiful rendition! and somehow seductive as well!
jaun kahan bataye dil is a quintessential Mukesh song! Love it! Love the way he sings haay is paar to aansuon ki dagar, jaane us paar kyaa ho kise hai khabar, thokaren kha rahi har kadam par nazar
ae dil-e-awara chal is a rare Mukesh-SDB combination. I like all there songs together!
jis dil me basa tha pyar tera is a good example of the partnership between Kalyanji-Anandji and Mukesh. They also gave him good songs to sing, particularly picturised on Feroze Khan.
Here is one song from the stables of Sonik-Omi, which fulfills your criteria
Yeh dil hai mohabbat ka pyaasa from Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya
It is difficult for me to believe that there could be anyone who is not fond of Mukesh.
Thanks a lot for your detailed comments. Difficult to imagine Toote na dil toote na in Rafi’s voice, though we can visualise Teri duniya mein dil lagta nahi in Talat’s voice. Something like Ae mere dil kahin aur chal, gham ki duniya se dil bhar gaya or Zindagi denewale sun, teri duniya se dil bhar gaya or Ae dil mujhe aisi jagah le chal jahan koi na ho. Yes, Talat can also sing ‘Dil’ songs. But famous songs of every singer get so much associated in my mind with the singer that I find it impossible to visualise them with any other singer. In fact I find Lata Mangeshkar’s Shradhanjali intolerable, notwithstanding her sentiments in presenting the classics of great singers like KL Saigal, Pankaj Mullick in her voice.
Jaun kahan bata ae dil indeed is such a quintessential Mukesh song.
I love Ye dil hai mohabbat ka pyasa. Thanks for mentioning it.
@AK: Yes, I’ve already reviewed Hariyali aur Raasta, a couple of years back. Didn’t like it! – though the music is nice. Shashikala being killed off so conveniently was especially irritating.
Excellent post. The songs selected are very good, and your write has made listening to them more enjoyable. Five to six songs are new to me, starting from number one.
I wonder if there is a north Indian male born between 1950 and 1965 with any pretension of singing who hasn’t tried singing Mukesh songs in his late teens and early twenties. Mukesh had a great appeal for me and my contemporaries because of his simple, straight to heart, singing.
I would have expected ‘Dil dhoondta hai sahare sahare’ somewhere in the post and comments. Is it hiding somewhere? Anyway here is the link:
Dil dhhndta hai sahare sahare by Mukesh from Kala Aadmi, lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, music Dattaram
AK,
My apologies. Sometimes I get friends to explain to me the meanings of the lyrics but not always. At my age, it may be difficult to learn Hindi but I am still planning to. Regards,
Swarup
Please add -HAAL-E-DIL HAMARA from SHRIMAN SATYAWADI (1960) MUSIC DATTARAM and also Kabhi Kabhi mere dil main Khayal aata hai
@gaddeswarup
For someone who is not very familiar with Hindi, you have amazing understanding of Hindi film songs.
@Siddharth
Both the songs you have mentioned are great Mukesh gems. I thought twenty would cover most of the known songs, but obviously there are many more.
Haal-e-dil hamara from Shreeman Satyavadi, music Dattaram
Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal ata hai from Kabhi Kabhi, music Khayyam
I have no words to express my happiness, to listen to some of the best songs of Mukesh. I listened him personally twice and I still remember his melodious voice.
I have some nostalgic memories with some of his songs in 50′s and 60′s. and that memories have been refreshed today. Some of the music directors have misused him and spoiled his voice quality but his original vocie quality was excellent and touching the bottom of the heart. Till today his void is not filled.
Thanks.
Loved your post. I did not know about the “dil hi bujha hua” song, and that it was Mukesh’s first. Also did not know that Mukesh was related to Motilal. Glad to learn something new everyday. My favorite Mukesh song has to be his “zamaane ka dastoor” duet with Lata in Lajawab (1950).
@Niranjan Buch
Thanks a lot for your compliments. Indeed, Mukesh was incomparable.
@Nivedita
Thanks a lot for your compliments. I am a huge admirer of your blog, even though you are coming very infrequently. You are right, Zamane ka dastoor hai ye purana is a great Mukesh song. Since it is a duet, and I still have room for doing his soft duets (Earlier I did his peppy duets), some day it may figure in post.
I heartily appreciate the attempt made to bring out some of the Songs of Mukesh with ‘Dil’ as a Subject. Mukesh ji had truly contributed to Bollywood film industry by way of his heart rending sad songs, I do vouch.
However, the remark about the song ‘Jis Dil Mein Basa Tha Pyaar Tera’ that “I can safely say Mukesh version is far superior to Lata Mangeshkar’s.” is not called for, redundant and derogatory. Kindly excuse me to register my displeasure that we should better refrain from making such remarks, as this does not serve any purpose.
Lovely post, Ak. Add me to the list of ‘Mukesh is not my favourite singer’…
His range was limited and he did go besur frequently – yet there are many of his songs that I like. What I admired most about him was that his voice was so full of emotion; there was a sincerity to it that made everything else seem redundant. It made me overlook any flaws, perceived or not. I have liked many of his songs simply for that reason.
Some of my favourite Mukesh songs (they are sung from his heart) include:
1. Aansoo bhari hai from Parvarish
2. Bahaaron ne mera chaman lootkar from Devar
3. Bhooli hui yaadon from Sanjog
4. Chandan sa badan from Saraswati Chandra
5. Chin-o-arab hamara from Phir Subah Hogi
6. Ibtida-ae-ishq mein hum from Hariyali aur Rasta
7. Main pal do pal ka shaayar hoon from Kabhi Kabhie
8. Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisaar from Anadi
9. Zindagi khwaab hai from Jagte Raho
10. Nain hamaare from Annadata
You too! Now I have to accept there are people in the world who are not passionate about Mukesh.
Besur, ‘flaws’, ‘limited range’ – you have spared nothing! But beware, I am going to inflict more Mukesh on you in due course.
Beautiful collection. Thank you.
I am looking forward to a piece on Geeta Dutt. I did not find it in your singers category. It puzzles me how she was abandoned by S.D. Burman and O.P. Nayyar after Guru Dutt’s death. Until Kanu Roy gave us a glimpse of her enduring greatness in Anubhav.
As an aside, did Burman Da concentrate more on Lataji than Ashaji after the reconciliation with the former, staring with Guide?
As another aside, why did C. Ramachandra, Ravi and O.P. Nayyar produce such good stuff with Mahendra Kapoor, while both the Burmans, Naushad, Madan Mohan et all did not?
I am happy you enjoyed it. The reason there is no exclusive write up on Geeta Duttt yet, as you might have guessed it, I am not a big fan of hers. But I do like some of her songs a great deal. So, some day surely I would write on her, though several of her songs are already there in different themes.
SD Burman’s patch up with Lata Mangeshkar started two years earlier in Bandini, and he did have a terrific second innings with her. I am not a great one about statistics, but one can safely say that he was unique in creating large number of outstanding songs with Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Geeta Dutt. No other composer shows such diversity with these singers.
Yes, Mahendra Kapoor had the best deal with Ravi, OP Nayyar, and to some extent with C Ramchandra. About him, I always remember a comment of my friend that he was yet to come across a person who was passionately fond of Mahendra Kapoor. Naushad, who presided over the competition in which Mahendra Kapoor won, gave him his first break in Sohni Mahiwal (1958) with Chand chhupa aur tare doobe. Thereafter he seems to have forgotten about him until he was given a sort of duet in Aadmi (1968) with Rafi, Kaisi haseen aaj baharon ki raat hai, which was earlier recorded in the voice of Talat Mahmood, who was replaced by Mahendra Kapoor at Manoj Kumar’s insistence.
I am a great fan of Lata too, no one can touch her at her best. In fact, I prefer her version in some of the twin songs with Rafi. As you agreed, ajee rooth kar is one of them. She is equal to him in teri Ankhon ke siva duniya mein too. The same with Hemant kumar in na tum hame jaano.
In her duet with Rafi in kuhoo kuhoo bole koyaliya, there is a place where she floats around with her trills and note renditions, and Rafi (of all classicists) is hard-pressed to match her! (sad singar ritu aaye basanti followed by akArA gamakams and later sa ni dha ma da ni sa ga ma ga ma dha ni sa…)
IMO, she is also better than Mukesh in jyoth se jyoth jagaate chalo, lOt ke aa, raat aur din and Chandan sa badan
But in her Shraddanjali to Geeta Dutt, you can see the inferior rendering of waqt ne kiya. Its surprising how much it is a made for Geeta Dutt song. SDB would not be surprised
My larger point is how much life’s “losers” are neglected in our memories. Geeta Dutt’s tragic life is even more moving than Guru Dutts’. Who knows if SDB or OPN could have given her a good second innings after Guru Dutt’s death.
(Note: My short name somehow got missed in the earlier comment.)
AKji,
Superb……
I am a diehard fan of Mukeshji and sings also Mukesh songs during my collage annual cultural functions and musical evening.
I would like to reproduce one information when Raju Bharatan wrote in illistrated weekly music column that Ye mera diwana pan hai mukhdu was straight away lifted by SJ from C.Ramchandra Amardeep most poppular duet song Dekh Hame awaaz na dena… at that time C.R have already recorded this song.
Your comments please.
Only the mukhda has a similar tune. The recital part Dil ko tujhse bedili hai gives it a completely different feeling. Then antara follows a completely different tune. SJ have shown so much creativity in this song that mukhda similarity hardly looks like imitation. Of course, Mukesh solo per se would sound very different from a Rafi-Asha Bhosle duet.
I disagree with Anu Warrier’s remark that Mukesh was “BESUR”.
Mukesh was full of emotion, His songs carries a tinge of saddness, Pathos. I was in depressed state of mind for the past few days and listening to Mukesh has lifted my spirits. There is always pleasure in pain !
sharing this mukesh song”…muft huye banaam kisi se haye dil ko laga ke…”from the ajit shakila starrer “…baraat…”.it was a chitragupta composition.
Arvind
My top favourite song. Just shows ‘dil’ songs of Mukesh are endless. Thanks a lot. Chitragupta is an amzingly sweet composer. And I have come across so many of stunning songs on Ajit, I feel like compiling them in one place.
@Akji……….thanx………great compilation of mukesh’s DIL songs…newer and nice concept.
Am adding 2 Very Very Very Melodious ‘DIL’ biggies of Mukesh which r missing here. If any mukesh fan has not listened, not carefully listened or ignored them then it wd be a big loss for him.
1. Wo teekhi nazro se mere DIL par kuchh aise bijli gira rahe hai
Jalan to pehle hi thi magar ab wo dard dil me jaga rahe hai.. (Veena,48,Anilda)
2. Bahe na kabhi nain se neer, uthi ho chahe DIL me peer
Baawre yahi preet ki reet (Vidya,48,SDB)
I clearly HATE those people who say anything disrespectful abt the great Mukesh. They are LITERALLY FAKE MUSIC LOVERS AND HAVING NO EARS WHICH CAN CATCH MELODY IN VOICE.
Just try to sing ”Woh teekhi nazro se” and see how difficult to sing it !!!
And the second important point………No any singer can bcm immortal with only classical singing abilities,, otherwise suresh wadkar or sonu nigam or many others wd have overtaken Mukesh. But it didnt happen. They even didnt go near him. A singer needs sweetness in his voice to enter into a heart,, and mukesh’s voice was richest in sweetness.
MUST LISTEN CLASSIC OF ANIL BISWAS
Wo teekhi nazron se mere dil par from Veena (1948), lyrics Prem Dehlvi, music Anil Biswas
@Akji……Roshan-Mukesh pair is amazing ! Created so many unforgettables in abt 2 decades from ‘khayalo me kisi ke’ to ‘oh re taal mile’…..all r my favs which r mentioned in ur 20. Who can render ‘satayega kise tu aasman jab hum nahi honge’ so superb other than mukesh !
@Niveditaji…..giant choice ‘zamane ka dastoor’ . I appreciate. Thanx. Though it is a duet, not mentioned here by Akji but it is also a DIL song….
‘muhabbat ka anjaam zaahir tha hum par
bahot hum ne roka magar DIL na mana’ waah waah
Jignesh,
I can’t thank you enough for introducing us to these early Mukesh gems. Mukesh does have a special relationship with ‘dil’. Wo teekhi nazron se mere dil par still bears a conscious KL Saigal imprint, but his singing is totally effortless. You are right, Mukesh’s simple and effortless style of singing is deceptive, and it would be very difficult for anyone to come anywhere near him if he tries to sing this song.
The second song, from Vidya, is a more standard Mukesh fare, which he would perfect later. Quite a lovely song, but Wo teekhi nazron se is my clear favourite.
Bahe na kabhi nain se neer from Vidya (1948), lyrics Yashodanandan Joshi, music SD Burman
@Akji….thanks 4 appreciating these really deserving songs.
And this is my voice recorded with karaoke track.
MAI TO EK KHWAB HOON -HIMALAY KI GOD MEIN(1965)-by Jignesh Kotadia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uve0aNMFeQo&ft=li
Jignesh,
I liked your singing!
I Am So Amazed To See This Article On Our Beloved Mukesh Ji, I Am Die Hard Fan Of Mukesh Ji Since My Childhood, My Parent Says That I Used To Give Special Attention To Mukesh Songs On Radio In My Early Childhood. I Usually Asked My Father That Who Is Singing So Beautifully In A Great Voice … And My Father Replied … You Are Listening To Mukesh.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/mukeshmanch/
http://www.youtube.com/user/singermukesh1923?feature=watch
I have been reading some of the articles for quite some time and I have very strong objections to some of the comments on this blog. I am not sure whether negative comments are welcome here, so I have refrained from commenting. But, this thread is a good one and normally should have brought forward most of the songs related to the topic ‘dil’. But most of the people here are busy telling whether they like Mukesh or not. To those who criticise him I would like to tell them that he had a very high rate of hits and a lot of the other songs which were not hits were real quality songs and those who like and listen to Mukesh gems would hardly take heed of the classy comments by classy people like he was besura or had limited range. I would leave it at that and list some of the real quality as well as popular songs of Mukesh which have been left out.
1. mujhse poochhe bina dil men aane lage (ashiq)
2. socha tha pyar hum na karenge (bluff master)
3. chand aahen bharega phool dil tham lenge (phool bane angare)
4. tum sitam aur karo toota nahin dil ye abhi (dulha dulhan)
5. hum chhod chale hain mehfil ko (jee chahta hai)
6. tum bin jeevan kaise beeta poochho mere dil se (anita)
7. yaad aayi aadhi raat ko kal raat ki tauba (kanhaiyya)
8. mujhe tumse kuchh bhi na chahiye (kanhaiyya)
9. ruk ja o jane wali ruk ja (kanhaiyya)
10. kisi nargisi nazar ko dil denge hum (main nashe men hoon)
11. chandi ki deewar na todi pyar bhara dil tod diya (vishwas)
12. wo tere pyar ka gum ek bahana tha sanam (my love)
13. mera joota hai japani (shri 420)
14. bhoole se muhabbat kar baitha (dil hi to hai)
15. deewanon se ye mat puchho (upkar)
16. main khushnaseeb hoon mujhko kisi ka (tower house)
17. kuchh sher sunata hoon main (ek dil sau afsane)
18. dupatte ki girha men bandh lijiye (apne hue paraye)
19. naaz tha jispe mere seene men wo dil hi nahin (fareb)
20. dekh sakte nahin tumko jee bhar ke hum (ilzam)
21. jiska joota usi ka sar dil hain chhote bada shahar (guest house)
There are about a dozen more, but the list has already got long. Last 3 are really interesting. No 19 is on Dev Kumar with very beautiful lyrics and a comparable composition by Usha Khanna. The next one shows Dara Singh on piano, again by Usha Khanna and again good lyrics. The last one is on Ajit by Chitragupta mukhda ending with ‘are wah re wah re teri bambai’.
Hans,
Thanks a lot for your detailed comments, and the fabulous list of songs you have added (some of these would not fit into ‘dil’ theme, or would they?). For many of these songs one would need to jog one’s memory. Whatever his detractors may say, there was something special about his voice, which made him a heartthrob of millions for at least three decades. With a smaller number of songs, he probably gave more hits. I read somewhere that his one song in a movie would overtake four songs of a more prolific singer.
Talking of Mukesh-Chitragupta-Ajit, I can think of several of my favourites – Dekho mausam kya bahar hai etc. from Opera House. Similarly, some of Uha Khanna’s best compositions are for Mukesh. That almost all the top composers gave some of their best for Mukesh shows his versatility.
Though one has to accept that Mukesh slipped sometimes, more so in the later years, he made a splendid effect by his voice in many songs that were perfect for his range and tone; take for example, Ay pyase dil bezuban tuj ko le jaun kahan (Begunah), Jinda hun is tarah ki gam-e-zindagi nahin (Aag), Raat nikhri hui jhulf bikhri hui (Hum Hindustani), Chal ri sajni (Bambai ka babu), O jane wale ho sake to (Bandini), Dil dhoondhta hai sahare sahare (Kala Admi), Mujhe raat din ye khayal hai (Umar Kaid).. the list gets longer and longer. He excelled whiile touching lower notes, but struggled in higher octave.
His comfort in lower notes and difficulty in higher notes is a well-worn cliché about Mukesh. But see his smooth gliding from higher octave in Dil se tujhko bedili hai. In my post on his happy duets, I made a special mention of Mukesh’s excellence in higher notes – recall Thane kajaliya bana lun from Veer Durgadas (SN Tripathi), Tujhe chand kahun ya phool kahun from Sunehri Nagin (Kalyanji Anandji). In Chura le na tumko ye mausam suhana while he is outstanding at lower notes in mukhadaa, he is equally good in antaraa in higher notes. There are examples galore, and I am tempted to say – while he was excellent at lower notes, he was outstanding at higher notes.
S.N. Tripathi has used Mukesh’s voice for the throat of ultimate classical maestro Tansen in ”sangeet samrat tansen” !! According to those people (who see Mukesh a ‘besur’) S.N.Tripathi might be a ‘Big Bewacoof’ !
The largest number of my favourite songs are sung by Mukesh. That includes some solo as well as duets that he had rendered in higher octave.
Ay pyase dil bezuban (Begunah), dil loot ne wale jadugar (Madari), Suhana safar aur ye nausam (Madhumati), Bikharake jhuphen chaman men (Nazrana), Kisi nargisi nazar ko dil denge hum (Main Nashe men Hun), Chanda re mori patiyan le jaa (Banjarin),the memorable Tum mujhe bhool bhi jao (Didi, with Sudha Malhotra), all these songs required touching higher notes that Mukesh did, without slipping. Still he sometimes had problems in a few most popular and excellent songs like Jhoomti chali havaa (Sangeet Samrat Tansen), the end is a laboured attempt.
I have been reading the comments of the worthy people who truly enriched the masses and me too.
I may humbly submit my opinion for those who critically look at the ability of a singer. The professional capabilities of a singer are the subject of the music composers, (the subject of our mind for us) . We may put our mind (judgement) at a distance. The melody of the singer, for the music lovers, becomes a subject of heart, that it touches us deep in side. Sur & be-sur should not and does not play so big a role in our liking a song/singer, while the depth in voice and the emotions, floating along, do.
@Suresh maloo….absolutely right….one can not achieve that hearty ”TOUCH” in voice with even classical training of hundred yrs, what Mukesh had spontaneous….it was inborn god’s gift. When he sings ”ae jane jigar jigar dil me samane aaja” it literally pierces our hearts…only mukesh can justice such songs.
@jignesh kotadia
I listened to your song “Main To Ek Khab Hoon” on youtube. Liked your singing.
Thanks Suresh maloo…u can listen more songs of me by searching ‘jignesh kotadia’ on yt.
Dear Jignesh Bhai,
I feels good to listen to you on karaoke.
Will it be ok for you to tell me where to get these karaoke tracks.
Suresh Maloo
sureshmaloo@gmail.com
AK,
All the songs listed by me have ‘dil’ in the mukhda and all except the last 4 are well known to Mukesh lovers and have figured in various collections issued by the music companies. I hope the objective of blogs like this is to jolt people’s memories and popularise the classic songs, which should include those gems which could not gain prominence when they were released.
There is a long list of movies where his single song either solely gained popularity or was more popular than other songs. But, there are some which are more notable and surprising than others. There are two of his songs on Rajesh Khanna the first one ‘jis gali men tera ghar’ in Kati Patang and the other ‘zuban pe dard bhari dastan’ (maryada). These were the most popular of all the songs in these two films and at a time when Kishore was the settled voice for Rajesh Khanna. Another such song is ‘hum chhod chale hain mehfil ko’ picturised on Joy Mukherjee in ‘jee chahata hai’. Everybody knows Joy’s association with Rafi. Another was ‘koi jab tumhara hriday(synonym of dil) tod de’ which disengaged Manoj Kumar from Mahendra Kapoor and started his long association with Mukesh.
You have rightly said that Usha Khanna composed many gems for Mukesh. This shows your keen observation, because the general perception is that she produced gems only for Rafi. My list had two ‘dil’ songs by Usha Khanna. There are 3 more ‘dil’ songs by her ‘ga deewane jhoom ke’ (flat no 9), ‘gori tere chalne pe mera dil kurban’ (faisla) and ‘main hoon alladin, dil hai sada tabiyat hai rangeen’ (main hoon alladin). Other gems are, ‘meri jaan na zulfen kholo’ (awara badal), ‘teri nigahon pe mar mar gaye hum’ (shabnam), ‘chand ko kya maloom chahata hai use koi chakor’ (lal bangla) and ‘aaj tumse door hokar aise roya mera pyar’ (ek raat).
Hans,
I heard all the songs you have listed again. You are right, these have ‘dil’ – in some upfront, in others in the second part of mukhda, which one may not realise off hand.
At least three songs were ‘new’ to me, and all these are interesting in their own ways, as you have mentioned. Dara Singh singing soft romantic song must be a novelty. Talking of Ajit, if we compile all the songs of Mukesh on him, that would be an outstanding list. I could not recognise the actor on whom Kisi nargis nazar ko dil de ke denkhenge. Any ideas who is he?
Thanks again for adding so many Mukesh gems from ‘dil’.
AK,
Thanks for the appreciation. The actor in the song ‘kisi nargisi nazar’ is Maruti. He used to be given small roles in films, mostly in comic situations and as associate of either hero or villain. But, in Dara Singh films he was given some biggish roles and he featured in most of Dara Singh films. You are right about Dara Singh. He was very uncomfortable in song situations. Most of the songs in his films were by female singers. Whenever he was present when a female was singing, his discomfort could be seen in his expressions. He was comfortable in wrestling bouts, fights and other situations where he had to show his muscles.
Ajit was a very lucky actor who got many gems from Mukesh and Rafi and the voice of both suited him perfectly. Rafi was his main voice from the start and he has many gems like ‘ab wo karam karen ke sitam’, ‘le chala ye dil jidhar nikal pade’, ‘aaja ke intezar men’, ‘zindagi bhar gham judai ka’. He has many famous duets also by Rafi. Mukesh gave playback for him in the last period of his stint as hero. ‘Main Hoon Alladin’ was perhaps his last film as hero.
http://youtu.be/VuCb7_ZWDiw
link to …’mil na saka dil ko agar pyar tumhara ,aana padega mujhko
duniya mein dubara…’ by mukesh.
Dear All,
Please Add one more “dil” song of this great musical giant which runs thus: Gham-e- dil kisi kahoon koi bhi gham khar Nahi from movie bhool na jana composed by Daan Singh.
tnx
Gham-e-dil kis se kahun would have surely figured in this list. However, I had already used in my post on Daan Singh.