Anil Biswas, Naushad, C Ramchandra. Shankar-Jaikishan, SD Burman, OP Nayyar – the doyens of the Golden Era of film music. We know all about their music. We know all about them: their oppressive family, their supportive family; their happy marriage, their troubled marriage, their extra-marital affairs, their heartbreaks; their animosities, their break-ups and patch-ups; the games they played (also of the football, tennis and badminton kind). And there are others who are known only for their immortal songs. Who has not heard of Ta thaiya karte ana – one of the best female duets ever – or the quintessential Mukesh song Mujhe raat din ye khayal hai, or Rafi’s evergreen Subaha na ayi sham na ayi and Wo hum na the wo tum na the wo rahguzar thi pyar ki or Rafi’s duets like Phir aane laga yaad wohi pyar ka aalam and Ek chameli ke madwe tale. Most of the SoY-ers would know that these are composed by Iqbal Qureshi. But how many of us know about him, or how did he look like or where he came from or what happened to him? I don’t, unless I look up some source.
Iqbal Qureshi is one of the fittest candidates for my series on Forgotten Composers Unforgotten Melodies. It has a very specific connotation pertaining to those who generally flourished in the Golden Era (1950s-60s) of film music, when film songs reached the masses through the radio. Besides the stalwarts, there was also space for Iqbal Qureshis, C Arjuns, Sardar Maliks and the like. They are the embodiments of the highest ideals of life – they are gone in anonymity, but their work lives after them in glory.
Born in Aurangabad, Iqbal Qureshi was inclined towards music form very early in life, and often appeared on Aurnagabad Radio as a child artist. From Aurangabad he shifted to Hyderabad where he worked in Fine Art Academy where his friends were the film actor Chandrashekhar, and the famous leftist poet Makhoom Mohinuddin. His transferable job took him to Bombay, where impressed with his singing of Moinuddin’s ghazal, Lekhraj Bhakri offered him his first film, Panchayat (1958), which also happened to be the debut film of Manoj Kumar. It songs were very popular, which fetched him AVM’s Bindiya (1960). His next major assignment was Filmalaya’s Love in Shimla (1960) which was the launch pad for Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna. After giving some excellent music in Umar Qaid (1961), Banarasi Thug (1962) and Ye Dil Kisko Dun (1963), he reached the apogee of his creativity in Cha Cha Cha (1964). Thereafter, there is an inexplicable downfall in quality, though he continued to give music till the 1990s, composing for 28 films in all, including a Bhojpuri film.
Standing at 6’4”, he was among the tallest persons in the industry. He passed away in anonymity in Bombay. Iqbal Qureshi was always in my list for the series on Unforgettable Composers at some indeterminate time. Some time back, Rakesh Srivastava sent me the link of an unknown song composed by him, which was an exact replica of one of his well-known tunes. That became the trigger for putting it now when SoY is engaged with carrying special series on the stalwarts.
1. Aaj mausam ki masti mein gaaye pawan by Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar from Banarasi Thug (1962), lyrics Hasrat Romani
I start with the song sent by Rakesh Shrivastava which was new for me, but its tune was very familiar. Iqbal Qureshi used the same tune for Ek chameli ke madwe tale, do badan pyar ki aag mein jal gaye from Cha Cha Cha (1964), which became a roaring success. Readers may recall, on the last anniversary, I had posted an identical case of SN Tripathi’s Janam janam ka sath hamara which was an exact copy of Rafi-Lata duet Phul bagiya mein bulbul bole from Rani Roopmati.
2. Ek chmalei ke madwe tale by Rafi and Asha Bhosle from Cha Cha Cha (1964), lyrics Makhdoom Mohinuddin
While we are at it, let us hear the more well-known Ek chameli ke madwe tale.
3. Khuli khuli zulfon ko baandh bhi lo ho jaye na duniya mein sham kahin by Mukesh and Usha Mangeshkar from Banarasi Thug (1962), lyrics Aziz Qaisi
It is time to revisit another beautiful song from Banarasi Thug. This was introduced to us by Arvinder Sharmaji.
4. Ta thaiya karte ana O jadugar more sainya by Lata Mangeshkar and Geeta Dutt from Panchayat (1958), lyrics Shakeel Noomani
Let us start from the beginning. Iqbal Qureshi gives one of the greatest duets of Lata Mangeshkar and Geeta Dutt in his very first film. The beautiful song is enhanced by equally gorgeous dance by Shyama and Jabeen.
5. Mujhe raat din ye khayal hai by Mukesh from Umar Qaid (1961), lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri
Now a quintessential Mukesh song. The fact that it was in a ‘B’ grade movie, and picturised on Sudhir did not come in the way of the song’s popularity. Sudhir’s most well-known screen appearance is in Deewaar (1975) as Jaichand, a side-kick of Iftekhar.
6. Phir aane laga yaad wohi pyar ka aalam by Rafi and Usha Khanna from Ye Dil Kisko Dun (1963), lyrics Qamar Jalalabadi
From quintessential Mukesh to quintessential Rafi – Iqbal Qureshi moves seamlessly. Though a duet, Usha Khanna’s part is minimal. Therefore, the song leaves impact more as a Rafi solo.
7. Humein dam daike sautan ghar jana by Ye Dil Kisko Dun (1963), lyrics Qamar Jalalabadi
This film had an excellent mujra duet by Mubarak Begum and Asha Bhosle. Unfortunately, I could locate only its audio link on YT.
Later, thanks to the intrepid readers and music lovers, Shekhar and DP Rangan, its video link is now uploaded. Enjoy it as long as it lasts on YT.
8. Subaha na ayi shaam na ayi by Rafi from Cha Cha Cha (1964), lyrics Neeraj
Cha Cha Cha was the high point of Iqbal Qureshi’s music. We have heard one of its most famous song, Ek chameli ke madwe tale, in the beginning of this post. The film has Rafi’s two great solos. Here is a soft solo which starts with a slow recital prelude.
9. Wo hum na the wo tum na the by Rafi from Cha Cha Cha (1964), lyrics Neeraj
That Chandrashekhar was the hero of Cha Cha Cha is less of a surprise than the fact that Helen was the heroine. In this perfect ‘B’ grade setting, Iqbal Qureshi gives this A+ Rafi song.
10. Husnwale husn ka anjaam dekh by Rafi and Asha Bhosle from Qawwali Ki Raat (1964), lyrics Shewan Rizvi
It is said that the makers of this film were so impressed by qawwalis in Barsaat Ki Raat (1960), composed by Roshan, that they wanted to make a full-fledged film on qawwali. Qawwali Ki Raat was nowhere near its inspiration, but Iqbal Qureshi composes this excellent qawwali muqabala.
Acknowledgement and Notes:
1. The thumbnail of Iqbal Qureshi as well as some information about him is from Pankaj Raag’s Dhunon Ki Yatra.
2. There was another music director by the name of Iqbal. Often people mix up between the two. Since Iqbal could not get as much fame as Iqbal Qureshi, his songs were often erroneously credited to the latter. Arunji explains the difference between the two with his usual clarity and deep knowledge:
“MD IQBAL QURESHI AND MD IQBAL
Really, not many of us know that there was a MD called Iqbal, who was not Iqbal Qureshi!
Qadri Building, Irla, Bombay, was a well known address for taxi and auto drivers. Here lived the tallest (6′ 4″) Music Director of Bombay once. Apart from Shekh Mukhtar, he was the tallest person in the industry at one time.
Born and brought up in Aurangabad (Maharashtra), IQBAL QURESHI shifted to Hyderabad when it was a Nizam state. He established a ”Fine Arts Academy” to promote arts, culture and music shows. His friends in this were Chandrashekhar, the actor, and the lyricist and communist leader Makhdoom Mohiuddin.
In Hyderabad, during his schooling itself he learnt classical music from several ustads. He joined a government department as a store keeper. He was transferred to Bombay and came in contact with IPTA He started giving music to IPTA dramas. Impressed with his tunes, Lekhraj Bhakri offered him his first Hindi Film as an MD – Panchayat (1958), which was also the debut film for Hari Kishan Goswami or Manoj Kumar. Panchayat songs (Ta thaiya karte aana) became hit and he AVM called him for Bindiya (1960). His best film came from Filmalaya – Love In Shimla (1960). It made a tremendous hit and there was no looking back. The films that followed were Banarasi Thug (1962) and Cha Cha Cha (1964).
Even after giving hit songs, Iqbal Qureshi did not get the number of films he deserved and finally ended up with a tally of only 28 films in his career, including a Bhojpuri film. He never entered politics nor he went to anyone asking for work. This inevitably ended his career with Lakhpati in 1991.
After the Chinese aggression in 1962, He had composed a NFS with Mahendra Kapoor,”Chalo sipahi chalo”,which had become quite popular. He was a very kind person and helped many in their troubles. He died on 21-3-1998 in Bombay.
While Iqbal qureshi’s career spanned between 1958 to 1991, there was another MD by the name of IQBAL (Md. Iqbal), who operated between 1953 to 1975. This Iqbal was known as ”Chhota Iqbal”, probably based on the heights of these two Iqbals.
He started his career with Malika Saloni (1953). He gave music to 21 films and 2 unreleased films. His films are:
Malika Saloni (1953)
Jaadugar (1954)
Jasoos (1955)
Sakhi Lutera (1955)
Anokha Jungle (1956)
Sipahsalar (1956)
Gypsy (1957)
Chetak Aur Rana Pratap (1958)
Blackmailer (1959)
Hero No. 1 (1959)
Toofani Teerandaz (1959)
Wrong Number (1959)
Diler Haseena (1960)
Gunfight (1960)
Zaalim Jaadugar (1960)
Night Bird (1961)
Toofani Tarzan (1962)
Kaala Jaadu (1963)
Black Arrow (1965)
Fauladi Mukka (1965)
Agent 302 (1963)
Unreleased….Gypsy (1966) and Rajkumar Suraj (1975)
Iqbal never compromised on quality singers and used Rafi, Suman Kalyanpur, Asha Bhosle, Khan Mastana, Meena Kapoor, Madhubala Zaveri, Mubarak Begum, Mahendra Kapoor, Ismail Azad Qawwal, Talat Mahmood, S.Balbir, Minu Purushottam, Chandbala etc. His songs do not include, possibly, any Lata number.
After films, he composed several Muslim devotionals with Mukesh and few ghazals with Shailendra Singh. His one song from film Sipahsalar, a Talat-Asha duet is included by HMV in their Classic range.
With all this, IQBAL remained a small time composer, an action film MD, unlike his same name counterpart who bathed in the glory of hit songs. Iqbal’s only hit film, Sipahsalar is also invariably included in Iqbal Qureshi’s filmography, which is injustice to poor IQBAL! ”
{ 81 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks, AK, for this presentation on Iqbal Qureshi, who did compose some memorable songs around 1960.
As you rightly point out, he did fade away after Cha Cha Cha. Even much ‘greater’ MDs like Naushad, SJ, OPN, even Khayyam and Salil Choudhary, faded away similarly. It remains most intriguing to me, as if they only had a limited stock of creativity. I would invite comments, theories and conjectures on the phenomenon.
I particularly liked your specifying the “Golden Era” as 1950-60s. Our musical tastes now have another point of convergence!
Dinesh,
First off the block again. Thanks a lot for your appreciation. It is very encouraging. For the purpose of this series on Forgotten Composes I limit myself to 50s and 60s. But I have special fascination for 30s and 40s, too, which I call “Vintage Ëra” – this is where our paths diverge.
AKji,
I have e-mailed to you the video clip of “Humein dam daike sautan ghar jana” that I had downloaded before it was taken down.
AKji,
Iqbal Qureshi did gave some wonderful songs.
Song#6 is my absolute favourite. I think the female voice is of Usha Khanna.
Another lovely song from Love in Shimla
Yun Zindagi Ke Raaste Sanwarte Chale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RM6dGtvYaE
He did compose for few films but they flopped which is one reason why he ends up in the list of Forgotten composers.
There also seems to be a short sequel of “Wo hum na the wo tum na the” on YouTube at https://youtu.be/2oGF7deGEzU.
Shekharji
I will upload it in You Tube immedately unless copy right infringement is quoted. I have a good software for the purpose. AKji if need be I can do it.
AK Ji,
AK Ji,
The post on a great favorite underrated composer Iqbal Qureshi has pleased me no end. His style of composing was very rhythm based, and very different from OP Naiyyar. Along with Usha Khanna, the they gave some of the most beautiful compositions in low budget films, with thoroughly enjoyable music.
Some of his great melodies, sung by the three Mangeshkar sisters are here
Lata from Banarsi Banarsi Thug
Yaad suhani Teri
https://youtu.be/kcv4DythQyM
Lata from Bindiya
Itna na sata ke koi
https://youtu.be/AO9xzJ7Kmd0
Usha from Banarsi Thug
Dhagi Na tinak tin
https://youtu.be/lZ445NUZHYc
And finally Asha from Umrqaid
O piya Jana na
https://youtu.be/gYy3_4dkga8
Shekhar,
Thanks a lot for the video of Humein dam daike. I have taken the offer of Mr Rangan to upload it on YT. But the way YT behave they would surely take it out after sometime. Meanwhile I would try to embed it here, once Mr Rangan has completed it.
Wo hum na the seems to be a recurring song in the film. One does not get tired of it. Absolutely brilliant.
DP Rangan,
Thanks a lot for your offer. I used to so it some years ago. But now you have made me lazy. I have forwarded the video to you.
Mr.Jain, the idea that Khayyam , Salil Chowdhury faded away creatively isn’t quite correct. Music isn’t just a song in films and popular song does not encompass all music, and even there Khayyam never went into his dotage with film song. Salilda was composing in the last year of his death not just songs but background music for serials and films. Hindi films are not the only outlet for creativity, especially when in them music is not of any importance.
Siddharth,
Thanks for the correction of the name in song #6. It is indeed a beautiful song. Yun zindagi ke raaste is also a very good song.
Arvinder Sharmaji,
Thanks a lot for your appreciation and refreshing the memory of the songs of Banarasi Thug. I had heard these songs but I didn’t realise they are by Iqbal Qureshi. This film seems to be another Cha Cha Cha.
AK ji.
Many Thanks for this post.
The two Rafi solos in Cha cha cha are my favourites.
Two more Mukesh solos are worth enlisting.
Dar pa aaya hai kasam le from Love in Simla 1960 and
Baharo ne kiye hai sajde from Bombay by nite 1976.
I dont have access to utube. Request you to provide the links please.
SSW,
Further to support your point, if we take only film music as the context, Khayyam did not fade from till 1970s/1980s: Kabhi Kabhi, Bazaar, Umrao Jaan etc.
Mahesh,
You are welcome. Here are your two songs.
Dar pe aya hai kasam from Love in Shimla
Baharon ne kiye sajde from Bombay by Nite
AK you mentioned Makhdoom Moinuddin’s friendship with Iqbal Qureishi. One of the best anti-war poems of this century “Jaane waale sipahi se poocho” was written by Moinuddin. Salilda set it to music in “Usne kaha tha” sung by Manna Dey and Sabita Chowdhury and chorus. This version was sung by Sumangala Damodaran at JNU recently. She is a professor of economics and as an aside EMS Namboodiripaad’s grand-daughter. She had released an album years ago with eclectic songs one of which was this one .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA6KBvC8CGQ
AK Ji, Not may songs are there by Iqbal Quereshi.You have already lifted the gems and the esteemed contributors have then filled-up the gaps,were there any. Two songs are coming to my mind which deserve a mention here.These were very popular in radio days and were aired almost daily:
1. Bindiya-Main Apne Aapse Ghabra Gaya Hoon-Rafi
https://youtu.be/7Zy74i4tmmA?t=6
2.Bindiya-Dekhiye Yun Na Sharmaiyega-Usha Khanna & Mukesh
https://youtu.be/QQgFWz96uek?t=7
Befitting tribute to a forgotten composer !!
I was fond of the songs of Cha cha cha and always wondered why Iqbal Qureshi didn’t get more films.
I also like “main apne aap se”, sung by Rafi saheb from Bindia. But I didn’t know it was also Qureshi saheb’s composition.
AK Ji,
My apologies first for not thanking you, for your kind words of crediting me with the find of Khuli khuli zulfon ko in the post above.
I have very fond memories of that being my first pasting of a link in SoY, and also a lovely exchange of some opinions with mumbaikar8.
Thanks again Sir.
And now some very favorite duets of Rafi with the composer.
Rafi and Asha from Ye Dil Kis Ko Doon
Kitni haseen ho tum
https://youtu.be/cnR934kxrzk
Rafi and Geeta Dutt from Panchayat
Haal ye kar diya zalim
https://youtu.be/0Aj0AiIpdt4
Rafi and Geeta Dutt from Panchayat
Zindagi rut suhani
https://youtu.be/XbMazI-_DfU
It was time to take Forgotten Unforgettables while continuing with the less remembered gems of the Big Guns.
Iqbal Quereshi certainly was knocking the doors for quite long.
I would add my wish list that SoY does at least tow or three of such music directors and / or singers a year.
Ashok M Vaishnav ‘ji ;
I will go with you . As said we must have some mini posts on forgotten MDs in between the regular giants. Such MDs have given a very different track of melodies that are really very enjoyable . The other day I was listening to one of such song by relatively less known MD ….S Madan…and the song that I enjoyed was….Yeh raat ye fizayen phir ayen ya na ayen…..by Rafi and Asha from Batwara.
Arvinder Sharma ji , you have really opened the flood gates at one go and it will take me some time to listen and enjoy these gems one by one .
AK ji , Iqbal Qureshi was truly a well respected man . Entry into Filmalaya Production house itself was an achievement for him and he proved his worth as all the songs of Love in Simla were super hits . The same hold good for Usha Khanna who did excellent job for the same production house in Dil Deke Dekho .
AK ji , Was there any song composed by Shankar under the dummy name Suraj for Chandra Shekhar’s Cha Cha Cha ; as both were very close friends . At one moment of time Shankar had promised chandra shekhar to give at least one song free when ever he produce a film . I think for his other production Street Singer Shankar is said to have given the music under the dummy name Suraj. Presence of Sharda’s songs gives a little hint of confirmation .
Your posts and those covered by the rests are my fav. too. I will rate Love in Simla as Iqbal quereshi ‘s best creations.
Rakesh Srivastava,
Both the songs you have added from Bindiya are too good. Iqbal Qureshi seems to have two distinct phases – outstanding songs in a number of films and sudden drop.
Arvinder Sharmaji,
I didn’t realise Khuli khuli zulfein was your first link. So you have historical connection with Iqbal Qureshi. All the three songs you have added are outstanding.
Ashokji,
Among the Forgotten Composers there are not many Iqbal Qureshis. But I did want to do at least one or two every year. Insha Allah.
KS Bhatiaji,
Whenever I think of Forgotten Composers, I always think of S Madan’s Ye raat ye fizaayein. I do have some more names in my list – but there are not many like Iqbal Qureshi as I have responded to Ashokji, i.e. having 15+ outstanding songs to choose from.
About Shankar story, I have read something like that. But this is Arunji’s territory. I hope he sees it and confirms.
Somebody might have already mentioned it. I think that there was another Quereshi who was a MD, Allah Rakha Quereshi http://youtu.be/cWwR2UETFSU
Gaddeswarupji,
Alla Rakha Qureshi was a completely different person. He was more famous as a stalwart tabla player, Alla Rakkha. Incidentally, Zakir Hussain is his son.
@SSW
Thank you very much for your comment at No.9, but let me clarify. Khayyam gave hardly any noteworthy music in Hindi films – which is our context here – after Kabhi Kabhie. The high irony in this was that that even though Kabhi Kabhie music was not exactly Khayyam’s best, it was possibly his biggest hit, and surely it was his only hit movie as he himself observed. Likewise, Salil authored no big musical success, in Hindi films, after early 70s (after Ranjigandha?). Their creativity seemed to have somewhat dried up after this period as evidenced from the quality or popularity of music they produced in Hindi films.
And even if these two, among my own most favourite MDs, are to be precluded from the point of my query, the query remains in its place…
@26
Well, it is a revelation to me that Shiv-Hari were preceded by the Tabla wizard Alla Rakha as an MD, and I also discover that he too composed music for a number, however not large, of movies.
Apparently, Dil Matwala Lakh Sambhala was the most popular composition of ARQ.
Shri AKji,
Yaad Suhani teri -Lata
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBWblW4xlMY
Main Apne Aapse Ghabra Gaya Hoon-Rafi
https://youtu.be/7Zy74i4tmmA?t=6
O piya Jana na-Asha
https://youtu.be/gYy3_4dkga8
are also pure gems in addition to your wonderful outstanding choices. Well written article.
AK ji,
I read your comment about Shankar and Sooraj.
Contrary to popular belief SOORAJ is NOT a pseudonym of Shankar from S-J team.
Shri. D.O.Bhansali, sound Recordist revealed to Vish krishnan of RMIM on 12-4-1995 that Sooraj was the name taken by a team of 3 assistants of S-J, namely Dattaram,Enoch Daniels and Sebastian. They decided to give music. Shankar got them Chandrashekhar’s film “Street Singer”-1966 and they composed music for 7 songs in the film.
However, Shankar gave music to Marathi film “Tee mee Navhech”-70
under the name Sooraj ( according to Marathi Chitrapat Sangeetkar Kosh).
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SSW,
I am thoroughly impressed with the lady for her eloquence and singing. Her performance seems to be in the context of the recent Aazadi controversy at JNU. You might be aware, the word was used very differently first, and a clean spin was given post release of one of the student leaders on bail. Since SoY steers clear of contentious political issues, I would rest at that.
Among Faiz, Gorakh Pandey, Makhdoom, she also sang one Jhoom jhoom ke naacho aaj gasoline khushi ke geet. Only the first line was same as Majrooh’s, rest of the song was very different. Interesting.
Jaanewale sipahi she poochho is very poignant. Thanks for sending the link and introducing us to Sumangala.
By the way, Makhdoom is an important poet of Urdu with left leanings. Yet I find that in most discussions on the Pogressive Writers’ Movement or PWA, his name is not mentioned along with other well known names.
Shekhar, DP Rangan
Thanks a lot. With your efforts now the video link of Humein dum daike is embedded in the main post at song #7.
Madhupati Sharma,
Thanks a lot for your appreciation. The three songs have already been mentioned by Arvinder Sharmaji and Rakesh Srivastava (#7, 16). That shows that theses songs are very popular as also some other songs added by the readers.
Arunji,
Thanks a lot for settling the doubt. You have become our first resort on all such matters.
Mr.Jain, you cannot shift goal posts when talking about creativity, there is no context as far as creativity is concerned, unless you limit the definition of creativity and you seem to imply that creativity should be bounded only by Hindi film song. Even in such a case Khayyam gave many good songs after Kabhie Kabhie, Umrao Jaan, Bazaar, Razia Sultan, even in 2014 he composed songs for Bazaar e Husn and even though those seemed to have a faint Umrao Jaan hangover they were still good ghazals. Here is one song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEhI2-8NaPk
As for Salilda he was composing songs for both Bengali and Malayalam films, background music for films and television serials. A sample , the title music of Indus valley to Indira Gandhi this is a lovely piece.
http://www.salilda.com/songs/nonfilm/hindi/tvserials/indus_valley_title_music.mp3
Or if you want to stick to Hindi film song this one came in 1988 quite a complex song , it is worth watching the film for the background music too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSz6aHKK6C0
AK I have not followed the JNU controversy very closely I don’t have too much time to look at political controversies either intriguing though they may be. The song in question is one that I have on the CD that Prof.Damodaran had released some years ago. I found the live version so I put it up. Makhdoom possibly is not that familiar as he came from South India and stayed there in even in Andhra Pradesh there isn’t much to do with him.
AK Ji at #31, Makhdoom is still remembered in Telangana and Andhra for his political work as well as his poetry http://www.siasat.com/news/cpi-pays-homage-makhdoom-mohiuddin-108th-birthday-912312/
AK ji,
About the song ‘ek Chameli ke mandve Tale’ (No.2 song)….
This song has made my memories greener.The writer of this song MAKHDOOM MOHIUDDIN (not Moinuddin) was our family friend in the 50s and 60s till he died in 1969.
Our Hyderabad house was very big and my father had a beautiful garden where there was a big Chameli Mandav on which the Chameli vine was flowering in the seasons.There also was a big Zopala( a wellspread jhoola with cushions to seat 3 to 4 people).Whenever Makhdoom saab used to come,he preferred sitting under the Chameli Mandav on an easy chair.Actor,director and producer Chandrashekhar,who hailed from Hyderabad and knew Makhdoom saab well,requested for a song for his film and Makhdoomsab wrote the above song for him.But it came in the movie after a lapse of time only.
Makhdoom was a Poet,Dramatist,Teacher and in the last phase of life,a political leader with left inclinations.He was also an MLA.
His 3 more songs feature in films- 1) Jaanewale sipahi se poocho-Usne Kaha tha(1960) 2)Aapki yaad aati rahi-Gaman(1979),and Phir chhidi raat-Bazaar(1982
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Arunji,
This is tremendous. Now we know where he got his inspiration from. Thanks a lot for other detailed information.
Mr.Deshmukh that is a very nice memory, thank you for that reminiscence. The song itself is enchanting, and the way it starts
maikade pe zara duur is mod par
do badan pyaar ki aag me jal gaye
always reminded me for some reason of one of the verses in Fitzgerald’s translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
Dreaming when Dawn’s Left Hand was in the Sky
I heard a voice within the Tavern cry,
‘Awake, my Little ones, and fill the Cup
Before Life’s Liquor in its Cup be dry.’
And that should be “maikade SE zara”
No. 7 (‘Humein dam daike sautan ghar jana’ from Ye Dil Kisko Dun) is now available at https://youtu.be/qEMy-UG-Hl4, thanks to D P Ranganji.
Shekhar,
I have already embedded the video in the main post.
Arun Kumar Deshmukh ‘ ji @30 ;
Thanks for the information and clarifications on Shankar / Sooraj connection vis a vis Chandra shekhar ‘s Street singer music .
While browsing thru some of the SJ’s movie songs of the late 70s and 80s I came across some movie songs where Shankar and Aneoc Daniels names appeared as music directors . I will refresh my memory and will post that song when I am able to retrace it.
……….in continuation …….I think I got the link now as under ;
……Gori dulhan ban gayi….. Gori……Manna dey…. SJ , Enoch Daniels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh2G1AyLaAg
Now this is a 1992 movie and may be Enoch finished Shankar’s commited assignments . This needs some further observations to look for .
AK’ ji ;
There is one movie of Iqbal Qureshi which was never released and that is ….Pyar bana afsana [ 1960s]…. . This movie had some good five or six songs mostly by Asha, rafi and Krishna kalle .
A few songs from that unreleased film……
1.Shamma jali to jala parwana……Krishna Kalle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4UrsvVr3rE
2. Aaj ek bazm se….Rafi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sRkBdv_YWg
3. Diwana hun mein pyar ka…..Asha, Rafi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEWcfVkKSyI
KS Bhatiaji,
Thanks a lot for posting the songs from Pyar Bana Afsana. I was aware of only the title song by Krishna Kalle.
AK (40),
When I click on the link in the main article for that number (at no. 7), I still see the same msg (‘This video is not available’). Kindly check.
It is for this reason that I posted the direct link.
Shekhar,
I am confused. I clicked on the video link of #7. It works fine.
Arvindersharma @7
All four excellent songs, and largely obscure hitherto, thank you.
Dinesh Ji,
Many thanks for your kind words of appreciation
SSW @33
I am not aware of any goal-posts, so don’t know about shifting any! We are here at SoY, and that is the only reference frame or context I know or have. Do not take me wrong when I suggested what I did about Khayyam and Salil, for I am not au fait with their music outside Hfs. Kabhi Kabhie was of course a wrong marker, but I used that loosely. Surely in Khayyam’s case, after early 80s and the films you have mentioned, were there any other notable HF by him. The 2014 film that you have mentioned was virtually non-existent and unknown including its music. Yes, thank you, the Salil song from Trishgni is very nice and melodious, but I suppose one has to be so deeply submerged in music as you apparently are and I surely am not, to know these MDs’ larger body of work better.
But my main point remains, even if you did not agree with a couple of names I cited. People like Naushad, who our guru here, AK, swears by, was reduced to naught. The biggest example, how his supposed magnum opus, Taj Mahal, bombed, including its music that he surely would have worked very hard on as his swan song. Or SJ who churned out so much music without losing quality for 15-20 years that he was called a music factory here by someone, and then they (or he) just dried up. Now that is what I am curious about. How does or should this happen? What gives? Whatever else, dear SSW, that you say, I have, can have, no quarrel about.
Dinesh,
I don’t mean to butt in the exchange between you and SSW. May I venture that both of you are right. And to answer your general point, every stalwart has his peak and trough.
Mr.Jain I did miss the last part of your question in your earlier post that you posed as to whether the wellspring of creativity that each individual draws upon really dries up. Now that is a point of discussion that reaches into larger areas not just music and I think you are perfectly correct there. In almost all fields a lot of our best work is done within a certain period and then we tend to slow down. The reasons are varied and I am no neuroscientist to speak of those. It could be we just get comfortable with some ideas and hesitate to break out after a period of time. Creativity in most fields means thinking anew and for that you need to surround yourself with new people,new ideas because the stimulation is very often from the outside. We cannot be very good if we become Hume’s individual with no senses. In the field of film music the audience changes their tastes changes and some people do not wish to move along. With SJ I think the death of J spelt the death for S as there was compulsion to compete or support. With Naushad I am sorry, I think after Baiju Bawra tying himself to the classical bandwagon made him very formulaic. Barring a few songs here and there I prefer his body of work in the forties. Even as an audience we prefer to listen to music that we were exposed to in our formative years early teens to the twenties. After that we are loath to listen to new genres or even acknowledge that there are young musicians who are as good as the heroes of our youth. For example most of us would listen to a song like this
https://youtu.be/s1Gg8XbJgHk
and say well this is not as good as SDB or Naushad or OP Nayyar though I daresay it is as good as any of those they composed. For a musician the HFM scene is very limited in the type of songs that can be composed and most of all they are bounded by the approval of the producer etc, who knows what a different type of audience wants that might nudge you to experiment with different sounds different genres.
I type too quickly so if there are typos I am sorry besides I have to get to work. 🙂
AK (46),
When I click on the picture at Item no. 7, I get the very same blocked video as before.
@49
You have certainly posted a riddle of Sphinx, which I presume has not been solved till date. Success or failure is a relative term. How can you assess the mental faculty of individuals. Brain also has an ageing process and the grey cells may stop churning out new tunes. Even great MDs like Naushad, C Ramchandra tend to make minor twists and bring out new songs. If you were to list out all their songs in chronological sequence you will be able to draw similarity between many among them. Ravi and Chitragupta have distinct styles and the minute the stylus is placed on 78 or 45 rpm you will be able to pinpoint them. I can ramble on and on to no purpose.
I think it is the normal law of nature for any talent to grow reach a crescendo and then start descending. In case of tunes of MDs. they have to be attuned to the current preference trend of listeners and cinema audience and where it is not so, even if the tune is good would just fail to register on the box office. This is just my opinion and may be taken with a pinch of salt.
AK @ 50
You are the last person, AK, in particular on this page, who would be butting into anything, so have no fears; your comments are always “kind, necessary, true and improve on the silence”. Thanks for suggesting that we both are right, which I quite agree with, for SSW and I had no differences ever, except for a tangent factor for a short while. Peak(s) and trough(s) are alright and unexceptionable, but in my long lifespan I have seen MDs after MDs suddenly losing their mojo as it were, and that seemed – the suddenness of it – quite perplexing. Now this suddenness must be viewed in the timeframe as I did while growing up, surrounded by consistently fab music by people like SJ and OPN, seemingly ever since, and then ‘suddenly’ their unexpected – to a mind untuned to such a possibility – interminable strings of flops. Anyway, we may well leave this conundrum aside for now…
SSW @ 51
Thank you for your further comments. As I already commented, I find myself quite willing to concur with your views.
DPRangan @ 53
Thank you for adding further wisdom to the discourse. Again, I do share the drift of your views.
Shekharji
I clicked on the video you tube link posted by AK in Song No. 7 under the audio part. Thanks to you I could create a fresh You tube video. There was a copy right claim by someone, but You Tube did not withdraw it. The video opens and I am able to see video and listen to the song. Because of internet hiccup, it stalls now and then, but then resumes. I would suggest reopening SOY web site and trying to play this. Just like we restart if computer misbehaves.
KS Bhatiaji @ 42,
Here is one more song from the film Gori –
Gori Hai Kalaiyan – Kavita Krishnamurthy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtKjt8SwZ0E
This is similar to the 90’s chartbuster song.
AK ji,
About @ 42 mentioned films…
Gori- It was a 1991 film for which only Enoch Daniels is mentioned as MD.
Pyar bana Afsana- This was not an Unreleased film. This was an Uncompleted film,having recorded 7 songs and shooting done for just about 20 % film only.
-AD
Arunji,
Thanks a lot for this information.
Thanks Akji for the post on Iqbal Qureshi. Iqbal Qureshi composed some wonderful songs. I had heard many of the songs mentioned here, but had anyone asked me who was the MD, I would have faltered. Some of his songs were real gems and it is sad that his creativity dried up after 1964.Most of his songs up to this period have been posted by you and others. I would post a song, very much listenable, composed much later.
Baaje Re Payaliya Tori Chham by Mahendra Kapoor, film Sautela Pati (1985), lyics Bhushan Banamali
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puzKjeMSOVA
Venkataramnji,
Thanks a lot for the song from Sautela Pati. It is really nice. Now I realise that it was too strong a statement that his creativity died after 1964.
Dear Sir, I have been a regular reader of your marvellous blog for the last 3-4 years and decided today that I must express my gratitude to you for having enriched my knowledge of the musical geniuses of the late 4os, 50s and 60s (my favourite period) – composers, lyricists and singers. You have made me an informed listener and I thank you for that. The lively banter in your “Comments” section too is something that I read with relish. I spend a helluva lot of time on the Internet and your blog is what I return to when I want some musical solace. Kudos to you.
Raj Iyer,
Welcome to SoY and thanks a lot for your very generous words. We would be all benefitted if silent admirers start participating in the discussions.
AK,
Thanks for reviving Forgotten Composers Unforgettable Melodies before it was forgotten.
Iqbal Qureshi was knocking for a long time
Qawwali ki raat had few good songs with good qawwalis
I like this Rafi Suman duet from Qawwali ki raat.
Dil gaya dil ka aitbaar gaya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gANnDI-NhC0
A qawwali from Love in Simla.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFIce2dzIkA
Mumbaikar8,
You are welcome. I have a few more in my mind. I define the category very narrowly.
Would you call Husnwale wafa ka a qawwali? I look for a qawwal on the harmonium and rhythmic clapping.
AK,
I heard this song in audio first,
Found it like Qawwalii, yes is not pictured as Qawwali
I may be wrong.
Reg. Dinesh K Jain’s comments at sl.no.1, I wonder if the decline in creativity was due to loss of inspired assistance.For example,Naushad had Ghulam Md. as assistant.Now GMd. himself independently was an outstanding composer and so must have contributed substantially to the music when he was assistig Naushad.Loss of such an asst. would definitely affect the MD.Likewise, N.Datta was asst.to SDB and independently,N Datta gave splendid music.
This factor may have been,to some extent,true for SJ also.
If some knowledgeable person studies the films where the talented assistants were available to well known and successful MDs,perhaps something interesting may emerge!
tpk,
The role of Assistant music directors is a favourite topic of speculation. At times these have been fuelled by assistants themselves that they were the real composers of the famous songs credited to the MD concerned. Ghulam Mohammad, Jaidev and Dattaram all gave outstanding music independently, GM is specially noteworthy. But it would be wrong to attribute the principal’s decline to their assistants’ departure. It had more to do with changing style post-Aradhana and the inability of the stalwarts to adapt. SDB is an exception who reinvented himself and was as good with Kishore Kumar Part-2.
If in a couple of dozen movies , having about 200 songs , you only have six or seven songs to be remembered by, then I would assume you are an ordinary composer ……. no ?
Akber Zaidi,
Welcome to Songs of Yore. If a music director gives about a dozen everlasting songs, he deserves to be remembered in this series. Even the greatest composers gave more ordinary tunes than memorable ones.
Wonderful info on two different music directors Iqbal aana Iqbal Qureshi, the latter being one of my favorite music directors, with his distinctive rhythm.
Sorry
I’m too late to respond on this.
But today I saw Humein Dum Daike from YDKD.
Now I got why there is ‘आई गं’ in the song at the very beginning of Asha’s part. Jayashree gadkar entering the song.
Anup,
Is it something in Marathi or it is an Asha Bhosle speciality?
sorry AKji,
Again sorry, I’m late to reply again. I completely forgot this comment.
आई गं
Means remembering ones mother.
It’s same as उई माँ
It’s an expression to convey that one is hurt. Either physically or emotionally.
Great composers great admirers…Live long.. open your heart .. Share..
AK ji,
For almost a week , I have been slowly savouring one MD each under the theme ” Forgotton composers”. I realized that I enjoy reading the comments from your ” Fans ” ( and I am certainly one of them ) as much as your own analysis. Many of them contribute so nicely . I salute them. Could you give me a list of the 12 ” forgotten composers”, Lacchiram being 9. .
Mr VR Sashidhar,
Thanks a lot for your appreciation. Inded, readers are the main strength of SoY. There are twelve listed there:
1. Avinash Vyas
2. C Arjun
3. Daan Singh
4. Dilip Dholakia
5. Iqbal Qureshi
6. Jamal Sen
7. Lachchhiram
8. Pardesi
9. S Mohinder
10. Sardar Malik
11. Shailesh Mukherji
12. Vinod
Here are two Gazals sung by Madhubala Jhaveri
Film: Malika Saloni 1953
MDs : Iqbal Qureshi + Krishan Dyal
1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIbaNCPF3Ko
2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7SCE6CyLQs
Manoj,
Thanks a lot for adding these songs. Both new to me. The second ‘Katar daale hai’ is excellent.
Duet song of film Sipah Salazar by Talat-Asha “ Dil Ne Cheda Hai Tarana “ is not available in video mode. It’s a very lovely song , lovely music by Chita Iqbal and Hats off to Lyricist Faruq . Thanks
Mr Mehta,
Welcome to SoY.
Agreed fully.