Best songs of 1956

AK ji,
Brilliant idea to have the “best of the year “ series for both vintage and golden eras; I support this scheme whole heartedly.
Regards .

Nice to see the songs of 1956 which was a very prominent year with several releases having excellent songs . The selection here also is good and all the films were chosen with one or more hit songs. Hopefully we shall more such items with the other years of 1950s. All the Best !

Please accept my heartiest thanks for deciding to go through forwards in times as well. I must confess I was among the voices who wanted to cover 50s onwards as well for reasons you mentioned. Everybody (and their grandma’s uncle) knows how biased FF awards were on a number of occasions, so this series would directly challenge them and open floodgate of debate. Also, a comparison with Binaca Geetmala and discussion of the merits and demerits of their selection would also be under discussion. Looking forward, eargerly, all ear-ly.

Let me add my other choices to the list,
Other female solos
Ae Dil mujhe bata de – Geeta Dutt
Kahin pe nigaahen – Shamshad Begum
Thandi thandi sawan ki phuhar – Asha Bhosle, underated gem

Duet of the year –
Kar gaya re – Basant Bahar
Lata and Manna Dey duets from chori chori
Jhoomati Hai nazar from Hatim Tai
Do dil dhadak rahe hain – insaaf, underrated gem

I also like to mention,
O arabpati ki chhori from makkhichoos – the vibes of this song are so refreshing and cool,

And want to add to Lata solos
Guzra hua zamana aata nahin dobara
And, Mere sapne mein aana re from Rajhath

Anup
🙂

AK ji
Here are my choices
Best male solo
Rafi for
Maine chand aur sitaro ki tamanna ki thi
Though there are equally strong contenders like
KK- Dukhi man mere
Manna Dey – Bhaye bhanjana and Sur na saje
I pick this because it is an unforgettable composition by the composer who is not in the top five bracket.
Best Lata song
Gujara hua Zamana
Again I will go for the forgotten composer.
But the real reason is that the tune is simple yet a perfect blend of pathos, anguish and helplessness. Lata should have required minimum efforts to carry it through
Best other female solo
Geeta Dutt for
Aye dil mujhe bata de
MM and Geeta Dutt is not a very common combination
Best Duet
Ye wada karo chand ke samne
Best composer
SJ for Basant Bahar
A small correction
Mera nam Abdul Rahman is a duet by KK and Lata.

My choices then for each category are as follows: 1.) Male top ten Solos (in reverse order of 10-1): Two Honourable Mentions at 12 & 11.) Maine Chand Aur Sitaron Ki by N. Dutta: Very Emotive Rendering by Rafisaab. Sahir Saab later revisited his lyrics from here to even more devastating effect the following year in Pyaasa’s Jaane Wo Kaise Log They!
Aaja Aaja Ke Hum Hai Akele by Sudipto. A very authentic and lively Qawwali sung admirably well by Ismail Azad Qawwal with a Mischievous Rustic touch!

10.) Zindagi Khwab Hai by Salil C. Sweet Philosophical Moorings of Mukesh.
9.) Jaise Pani Chhipa Ghata Mein by Hemant K from Bandhan: Simply Blissful!
8.) Aaye Bahar Banke by SJ: Nobody romanced better than Rafi when it came to Shayrana Mohabbat!
7.) Aararam Tararam by Salil C from Awaaz: The popular choice might be Nakhrewali, but I think this Kishoreda number captures his joie de vivre much better- and in more melodious manner than Nakhrewali, which is a trifle loud!
6.) Dukhi Man Mere by SDB: Kishore was a Master of Sad songs as much as he was Master of the fun song!
5.) Allah Teri Khair Kare by Anil da from Heer: Rafi’s supremely evocative Rendering with a beautiful Sarangi interlude!
4.) Chali Gori Pii Se Milan Ko by Hemant K: Hemant, Majrooh, Choprasaab paid a fantastic semi- classical tribute to Pankajda’s Piya Milan Ko Jaana. Terrific orchestration too!
3.) Sur Na Saje by SJ: Sur Na Sajte huye bhi Sur Ko Sajana Bahut Kathin Karya Hai. But Mannada has pulled that off remarkably well. His Bhay Bhanjana from same film is equally effective.
2.) Dil Chhed Koi Aisa Naghma by Hemant K: Lata version is Good but Hemant’s own take on his composition is in a league of his own. Minimal orchestration, Maximum effect! One of the few songs that score high on all three areas of tune, lyrics and rendition.
1.) Nirbal Se LaDai by Vasant D: Simply outstanding! Very tough to render, but Manna Dey often makes the tough easy! This is no exception! Another rare song which is great in lyrics, tune and singing.

Female Ten Solos (Non- Lata): In Reverse order (12-1): Kahin Pe Nigahen by OPN: Shamshad’s feisty zing is ever memorable!
Duniya Kya Hai Dekho Zara by Sudipto from Ghulam Begum Badshah: Geeta Dutt’s dreamy Ditty. Rustic Trance!

10.) Soyi Hai Kahan Taqdeer by OPN from Mr. Lambu: Suraiya’s soulful Rendering. One can’t help but think that OPN later derived his Deewana Hua Badal from this composition of his!
9.) Maine Jo Li Angdai by Salil C from Jagte Raho: Sandhya M was Bengal’s Lata. If this was a pan- Indian arena, she might have wrested the number no 1 rendition crown this year for some of her great songs done in Bangla. But even within Hindi, this satirical number on “pop Hit song” is a delightful one though not in the league of her Bangla songs from the same period.
8.) O Sudarshan Chakra Wale by Chitragupt from Basant Panchami: Very Punchy! Very Modern throw! This is almost pre- Pancham throwing even before RDB! Who else but Asha Tai could have sung it!
7.) Ae Dil Mujhe Batade by Madan Mohan: Very free- flowing Melody by MM, sung with great panache by Geeta Dutt. The accompanying music is Portuguese though.
6.) Woh Raat Bhi Kya Hogi by Bulo C Rani from Aabroo: Bulo C Rani tunes often had Adaa. So did Asha Tai’s singing. This combo of both is no exception either!
5.) O Mere Kul Ke Taaran by N. Dutta from Dashera: Very inventively tuned and arranged too. Well sung by Asha Tai.
4.) Bulbul Mere Chaman Ke by Anilda from Heer: In Anilda’s best works, his songs seamlessly blend music of various regions in most original manner. Here too, the tune traverses Middle East, Punjab, Rajasthan, Western to Anilda’s own Rabindric Bengal all without any hassle in the most charming manner possible. Geeta Dutt sings it most cutely too!
3.) Thandi Sawan Ki Puhar by Salil C from Jagte Raho: Asha’s moving rendition is truly classy.
2.) Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re by OPN: Shamshad always sounds zingy and feisty. But here she sounds extremely Melodious too! A rendition to remember!
1.) Hai Ye Duniya Kaunsi by Mukul Roy from Sailaab: Hemantda version is Good too. But Geeta’s expressive singing takes it to even greater levels. This song composed by her brother is a prime example of why Geeta D was called The Queen of Bhav Gayaki!

Top 10 Duets (in reverse order of 12- 1): Ketaki Gulab Juhi from Basant Bahar: Yes Pandit Bhimsen Joshi sang it (he apparently also composed it). But those who know Panditji’s real class, know that this one isn’t quite his best. Nor is it of Manna Dey. Very good number nonetheless.
Yeh Mehfil Sitaron Ki: Very Oriental! But Sublime. The Bangla version is even better!

10.) Dekhi Dekhi by Snehal Bhatkar from Jaldeep: Vintage- styled somewhat but a timeless beauty!
9.) Nain Mile Chain Kahan by SJ: Chirpy Bouncy track by Manna- Lata!
8.) Meri Neendon Mein Tum by OPN: Heady Waltzy tune. Kishore- Shamshad aren’t a very usual pairing but they make it work!
7.) Yeh Raat Bhigi Bhigi by SJ: Romance is seldom this stylish!
6.) Sanwale Salone Aaye by Hemant K: Country styled Melody high on harmonica!
5.) Bhoool Ja by Hansraj Behl from Rajdhani: A stunning tune which is delivered equally well by Talat- Lata!
4.) Dil Ka Na Karna Aetbaar by SJ: Arabic styled number which has few peers when it comes to songs on futility of love!
3.) Jhir Jhir Jhir by Salil C: Hemant- Lata unleash a downpour of great Melody in this one!
2.) Dil Jawan Hai Arzu Jawan by Jaidev: Talat- Asha create an ambience which is best felt and less described!
1.) O Saajna by Anilda from Heer: Such a Gorgeously tuned song which goes through so many unexpected twists and turns, while never losing out on melodic and emotional appeal. No interlude on instruments either as the voices of Geeta, Hemant and Chorus play continously one after the other! Amazing stuff!

Final Choices: Best Song of the Year: Nirbal Se Ladai by Vasant Desai, Bharat Vyas and Manna Dey. One of the most inspiring songs ever made in any language!
Best Album of the year: Jagte Raho by Salil Choudhury
Best Composers for overall work: Shankar- Jaikishan
Best Musician of the year: Hemant Kumar for his combined and Unusual excellence as both composer and Singer.
Best Lyrics: Bharat Vyas for Nirbal Se Ladai (Toofan Aur Diya)
Best Male Singer: Manna Dey for Nirbal Se Ladai, Sur Na Saje and Bhay Bhanjana.
Best Female Singer: Lata Mangeshkar for O Mere Ladle (Awaaz)

AK ji,
BEST SOLO SONG OF 1956 – Lata Mangeshkar:
My comments are as follows.
In those times Lata Mangeshkar sang all her songs very well, whoever may have been the composer. Still, for SoY blog, we get down to the task of making a choice of her best song for the year. Firstly I list out some of her outstanding solo tracks which I have listened to innumerable times over the last so many decades (not in ranking order) :-
* Basant Bahar – Main Piya Teri tu mane ya na mane
* Devta – Kaise aaoon jamna ke teer
* Chori Chori – Rasik balma
* Jaagte Raho- Jaago mohan pyare
* Bhai Bhai— Kadar jaane na
– Mera chhota sa dekho ye sansar hai
* Rajhath- Mere sapne mein aana re sajna
*Shirin Farhad – Guzraa hua jamaana
* Durgesh Nandini – Kahan ke chale ho bata do musafir
Now some more very good songs which till date I had listened to much lesser number of times ; but I have searched on internet this week and eagerly listened to them (for the reason that esteemed fellow-followers of this blog have showered praise on these songs):-
# Halaaku – Yeh chaand ye sitare ye saath tera mera
# Sajni (सजनी) – जा रे चंद्र जा रे चंद्र; MD Sudhir Phadke; Lyrics by none other than Pandit Narendra Sharma, noted poet and much hailed Head of Hindi department of All India Radio.
# Awaaz (a movie from Mahboob Khan productions) – झुन झुन झुना झुन झुना झूमे Gagan झूमे पवन , O mere लाडले.
The above three songs are definitely very good. In my opinion these three are still losing out to the NUMBER ONE SOLO SONG of Lata Mangeshkar which is:
JAAGO MOHAN PYARE, Shailendra, Salil Choudhury.
A great composition, great lyrics, marvellous rendition by Lata; great support from the chorus group, brilliant sound design and sound recording, masterly picturization.
Raj Kapoor is shown exhausted no longer able to walk because of thirst, hunger, extreme fatigue and mentally drained because of hopelessness. He gets loving attention and support from a child (Daisy Irani). As Raj Kapoor stands up we hear (voice of Lata Mangeshkar) a sharp call ‘जागो’
in the background —sung beautifully in a longish alaap format. Daisy Irani lovingly signals Raj Kapoor to move out into the open courtyard, he hesitates, Daisy Irani asks डरते हो? लेकिन तुमने तो कुछ नहीं किया है।
Raj Kapoor gathers courage and fearlessness—At the same time chorus sings ‘jag re jag re jag re jag re jag re jag jag’ Now the moviegoers get to see Nargis for the first time in the movie.
In short— It is a superlative climax to an excellent movie.
Regards

AKji,
You have posted about seven special songs and given the reasons why they are special. There could be more – special to very special – but I assume you’ve set some aside for the wrap-up posts. The first one was truly special; I don’t think I’ve listened to it before. I understand the last song (#7) was special not only because it was sung by Ismail Azad, but also because of its obscure music director, Sudipt.

I could trace only 4 films for which Sudipt had scored music – “Ghulam Begum Badshah” (1956), “Taj Aur Talwar” (1956), “Silver King” (1957) and “Shan-e-Hind” (1960). Sharing another Qawwali from the 1956 film “Ghulam Begum Badshah”, composed by Sudipt and picturised on Johny Walker.

Thoda sa humko sharbat-e-dildaar chahiye by Md. Rafi, lyrics Rupbani, music Sudipt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7ccotqpeJ0

Still on a Qawwali vibe, here is another post.
Sar tere dar pe jhukane mein maza aata hai by Shankar Qawal, Shambhu Qawal & party, film “Baadal Aur Bijli”, lyrics Anjum Jaipuri, music Bipul-Babul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvGw_xVJxvE

The Lata Mangeshkar – Hemant Kumar duet, “Laut gaya gham ka zamana aayi Khushi lahraati” (#6) from “Naya Aadmi” (1956) is a nice “special” song. Besides N.T. Rama Rao (future CM of Andhra Pradesh), another would-be Chief Minister from a South Indian state was indirectly involved in these films. The 1956 Hindi film “Naya Aadmi” and its 1955 Telugu counterpart “Santosham” were remakes of the 1949 Tamil film “Velaikari” (maid servant), which was an adaptation of a play by C.N. Annadurai (who became the Chief Minister of Madras State in 1967). While these films shared similar storylines and many tunes by M.S. Viswanathan – T.K. Ramamoorthy, the Hindi version featured a couple of songs composed by Madan Mohan. “Velaikari” was also remade in Kannada as “Malli Maduve” (1963). While on the subject of Chief Ministers, the 1956 Tamil film “Rangoon Radha” featured a screenplay written by M. Karunanidhi, based on a story by his mentor, C.N. Annadurai. M. Karunanidhi later became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1969, following Annadurai’s death. But the narrative doesn’t end here. Another Chief Minister, M.G. Ramachandran, starred in the Hindi-dubbed version of the Tamil film “Gulbakaavali”. Although Gyan Dutt was credited as the music director of the dubbed Hindi version, it retained all the original tunes by M.S. Viswanathan and T.K. Ramamoorthy. Thus, there were four films released in 1956 involving future Chief Ministers.

The song ‘Mayakkum Maalai’ is one of the earliest film songs set in the Carnatic raga Bageshri. It was originally composed by K.V. Mahadevan for Ramanna’s previous film, “Koondukkili”. As that film was delayed and the song had not yet been filmed, Ramanna instead used it in “Gulebakavali”. Notably, Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy were credited as the composers instead of Mahadevan.

Posting the Hindi version of this nice duet from the film “Gul-e-Bakaavali”, picturized on M.G. Ramachandran and Varalakshmi. The song starts @ 1:00.

Aa Mera Kahan Hai Man Mera by Talat Mahmood and Jikki (aka Krishnaveni), lyrics Indeevar, music K V Mahadevan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26nUL5qVtZw

Posting another duet from this film. Both these duets from this film “Gul-e-Bakaavali” can be treated as special songs.

Bhaire maine is aalam mein paye hai insaan bahut se by Md.Rafi and Shamshad Begum, film Gul- e- Bakawali, lyrics P L Santoshi, music Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIkFSWyASyg

This male solo by Md.Rafi from the film Yahudi Ki Beti is another good song. The melody sounds somewhat familiar!
Pyaar beqarar hai, pyaar ki pukaar sun, rakh le aaj by Md. Rafi, film Yahudi ki Beti, lyrics Kaifi Azmi, nusic Kamal Mitra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHoyt3kcKwk

For now, I am taking leave. Will be back with my choices soon.

Akji,
Responding to your response, first I would like to highlight the relevant portions of my comment (@41),
“Compared to the broad statistics provided, the number/percentage of female solos in your “memorable songs” list appears low. While 23 songs out of 337 for Lata Mangeshkar is quite low, it is sufficient to choose her best 10 for 1956. However, we are left with too few options (13) for other female singers. That makes the selection either easier or more difficult, depending on how you look at it.”

and your response (@43),
“I don’t know how you misread the broad statistics. Please reverse the numbers of Lata Mangeshkar solos, and other female solos. I have also mentioned in my write-up about this ratio between Lata Mangeshkar and others 1:2.57 (131/337). If my MEMORABLE SONGS contain more of Lata Mangeshkar solos than other Female solos, you can accuse me of selection bias, or just accept that she was supreme those days. Not her fault though.”

and the corrected figures after reversal:
Broad Statistics – 1956
Lata Solos – 131 (15% of the total 855 songs)
Other Female solos – 337 (39 %)
Total Female solos – 468 (55%)
Male Solos – 158 (18%)
Duets etc. – 229 (27%)
Total songs – 855 (100%)
————————————————————
Memorable songs Statistics – 1956
Lata Solos – 23 (20% of the total 113 songs)
Other Female solos – 13 (12 %)
Total Female solos – 36 (32%)
Male Solos – 28 (25%)
Duets etc. – 49 (43%)
Total songs – 113 (100%)
——————————————————

While I acknowledge that I misread the broad statistics, this does not alter my core argument concerning the ‘other female solos,’ which I will address in my conclusion. Let me proceed point by point.

As I noted in my comment @41, the percentage of total female solos (as opposed to ‘other female solos’) in your list of ‘Memorable Songs’ appears low compared to the broad statistics provided. Reversing the figures does not change the actual count; in your broad statistics, “total female solos” account for 55%, whereas in the list of ‘Memorable Songs’, they account for only 32%.

Regarding the second part of your response: you suggested that if your list of memorable songs contained more Lata Mangeshkar solos than others, I might accuse you of selection bias or simply have to accept her supremacy. You misunderstood me there. I actually stated that while 23 out of 337 songs (a figure I misread) for Lata Mangeshkar is quite low, it is still a sufficient pool from which to choose her best ten. However, that was based on my misread figures. Percentage-wise, it is no longer low. But in terms of absolute numbers, there are likely many more high-quality Lata songs that demand attention.

Did I accuse you of selection bias, My Lord? My nickname is Raja, not Raavan Raja; I have only one head, not ten. I would not dare accuse anyone of bias, least of all regarding the undisputed supremacy of Lata Mangeshkar.

To conclude, the limited pool of 13 options for “other female singers” creates a difficult selection, or perhaps an unnaturally easy one. After the reversal, the anomaly is even more evident, with the 12% share for ‘other female solos’ being far too low.

AK ji,
You having fully recovered from recent health related event, it is the time for delving into BEST MD AWARD For 1956.

While starting the series in April 2012 and presenting a survey for the year 1955, the ground rules laid down by you, inter alia, stated that:
“ Best music director award would be given to the complete score in a movie. It may be a good idea to discuss the entire work of an MD in the calendar year in question to understand his impact “.
With the clarity in this respect; my detailed analysis is as follows.
In his comment dated 12th March 2026, Shri Raunak Roy pointed out that lot of movies had Hemant Kumar, OP Nayyar or SJ as the music directors in 1956. Madan Mohan and Salil Choudhury also had fair number of films. Other notable MDs of nineteen-fifties (e.g. Roshan and C. Ramachandra) had smaller numbers of films.
For the best album, major contenders are:
Chori Chori
Basant Bahar
C.I.D.
Jaagte Raho
Bhai Bhai
Toofan aur Diya
Rajhath
Halaaku
Parivar
Ek hi raasta
Nai Dilli
My nominations in order of ranking are:
1. C.I D.
2. Tie between Chori Chori, Jaagte Raho and Basant Bahar
5. Tie between Ek Hi Raasta , Toofan aur Diya and Bhai Bhai

Though Shankar Jaikishan have biggest number of top quality songs, yet in the year 1956 OP Nayyar made a slightly bigger impact. The total songs of OP Nayyar were having a more joyous tilt and repeat-listening value. With film C.I.D. , the team of OP Nayyar, Guru Dutt/Raj Khosla established a trend of gripping as well as entertaining films where songs played a big part in smooth flow of the story and in emphasising the mystery element in the screenplay.
Regards

Dear AK Ji,
I visited the blog after a big gap hoping something might have persuaded you to move beyond 1955, and what a pleasant surprise!!
I do listen to vintage era songs but the nasal twang is a little difficult to put up with. I think unfamiliarity also acts as a barrier.
The post and comments – what a treasure trove!! Will go through them in detail and come back with comments. Though I have heard many of them, discovering the new gems is such a pleasure. This collective effort by all is such a blessing for people like me!!

AKji,
First, I would like to make a few minor corrections/adjustments to the ‘Memorable songs’ for 1956. While they are not very serious in nature and likely have little impact, I still seek your indulgence. According to the list, there are 112 numbered entries. However, item #47 is listed against a film name rather than a song, and serial number 110 is missing. Furthermore, for serial numbers 26, 64, and 76, there are two versions of the same song listed. Therefore, with these necessary adjustments, the total number of distinct songs offered is actually 113 (112 – 2 + 3 = 113).

Out of 113 total songs, 21 solos are credited to Lata Mangeshkar. However, songs 35 (FF duet) and 105 (MF duet) are not solos. Conversely, songs 96, 108, and 109 are solo songs sung by her but are not credited to her. Therefore, after deducting the two duets and adding the three uncredited solos, the actual number of Lata Mangeshkar solos is 22. Before I post my choice of best Lata Mangeshkar songs for the year 1956, I’m going to CRUNCH some more numbers.

In 1956, Lata Mangeshkar was at the peak of her early career, establishing complete dominance over the Hindi film music industry. In the 120 films released in 1956 Lata Mangeshkar sang 206 songs—154 solos and 52 duets—across 48 of them. Roughly 55 music directors composed music for these 120 films in 1956; however, she sang these 154 solos for only 23 of them, meaning she did not lend her voice to 72 films or sing for 32 of the music directors. Here is a music director-wise breakdown. The broad statistics are within single brackets and the SoY’s selections are in double brackets.

1. Shankar-Jaikishan (7films, 35 solos, 16 duets), {SoY selection 5 films, 11 solos, 13 duets}
2. Hemant Kumar (7 films, 25 solos, 6 duets), {SoY selection 3 films, 5 solos, 2 duets}
3. Madan Mohan (4 films, 16 solos, 3 duets), {SoY selection 1 film, 2 solos, 2 duets}
4. Salil Choudhury – (2 films, 6 solos, 3 duets), {SoY selection 1 film, 1 solo, 3 duets}
5. S Mohinder – (2 films, 3 solos, 2 duets), {SoY selection 1 film, 1 solo}
6. Vasant Desai (1 film, 3 solos, 1 duet), {SoY selection 1 film, 2 solos, 1 duet}
7. C Ramchandra (3 films, 13 solos, 2 duets), {SoY selection 1 film, 1 duet}
8. Chitragupt (3 films, 6 solos, 4 duets)
9. S N Tripathi (2 films, 7 solos)
10. Husnlal-Bhagatram – (2 films, 5 solos)
11. Roshan (2 films, 5 solos, 4 duets)
12. Anil Biswas (2 films, 4 solos, 2 duets)
13. Hansraj Bahl (1 film, 6 solos, 1 duet)
14. Sudhir Phadke (1 film, 4 solos, 1 duet)
15. Mukesh (1 film, 4 solos, 1 duet)
16. Vishwanathan – Ramamurthi (1film, 2 solos,1 duet), {SoY selection 1 film, 1 duet}
17. Md.Shafi (1 film, 2 solos, 1 duet)
18. S K Pal (1 film, 2 solos,1 duet)
19. Kamal Mitra (1 film, 2 solos, 1 duet)
20. Bipin-Babul (1 film, 1 solo)
21. N Dutta (1 film, 1 solo)
22. K Dutta (1 film, 1 solo)
23. Nisar-Chic Chocolate (1 film, 1 solo, 1 duet)
24. Shanmukh Baba (1 film, 1 duet)

Total – Broad statistics (24 MDs, 48 films, 154 solos,52 duets)
Soy Selections (6 MDs, 14 films, 22 solos, 23 duets)

In 1956, Lata Mangeshkar’s work was dominated by five main music directors who composed 61% of her total songs. Shankar-Jaikishan (25%) and Hemant Kumar (15%) were the primary contributors (40%), followed by Madan Mohan (9%), C. Ramchandra (7%), and Chitragupt (5%), a further 21%.

In 1956, Hemant Kumar worked on nine films but featured Lata Mangeshkar in only seven, resulting in her singing on just 39% of his total compositions, significantly lower than her 80% involvement with Shankar-Jaikishan. Conversely, Lata was the primary playback voice for composers Roshan and Sudhir Phadke, singing 56% of Roshan’s compositions across two films and 83% of Phadke’s songs in his single film that year. Similarly, Madan Mohan did not use her in one of the five films he scored music for.

Looking at the other end of the spectrum, Lata Mangeshkar did not sing for Bulo C. Rani (across 3 films) or Iqbal Qureshi (across 3 films). Among her collaborations with other composers, she sang only 10 out of 45 songs composed by Chitragupt (across 3 out of 6 films), 7 out of 31 songs composed by Hansraj Behl (across 1 out of 4 films), 7 out of 43 songs composed by S.N. Tripathi (across 2 out of 6 films), and just 1 out of 20 songs composed by N. Dutta (across 1 out of 2 films).

Although I still find figures fun, prolonged gazing at them is stressful. After extensive number-crunching (and a lot of teeth-gnashing too), I need a break.

Will be back soon.

PS:
Extensive gazing over figures is an eternal struggle, often leaving us “starved for sights” (Or Should I say insights), despite being surrounded by figures.

AKji,
Let me resume from where we left.
@51 you wrote
“….As for Chitragupta who took to her in a big way in the 1960s, one can say that phase was a few years away. Second, N Datta, your data confirms the observation that she was not his first choice for a female playback, Asha Bhosle was.”

Yes, that phase was still a few years away. Although Chitragupt made his debut as a music director in 1946, I believe he only had the opportunity to work with Lata Mangeshkar in 1955, when she sang four solo songs for the AVM film Shiv Bhakt. Prior to 1955, Chitragupt had scored music for 31 films (if not more). In 1955 alone, he composed 71 songs across 8 films. During that year, Asha Bhosle was his primary female voice, involved in 41 songs, while others included Geeta Dutt (4), Shamshad Begum (3), and Suman Kalyanpur (1). We will discuss his other female singers for 1956 later.

N. Datta made his debut in Hindi films in 1955. He composed 16 songs that year for the films Milaap and Marine Drive. Out of these, 13 songs were sung by three female singers: Lata Mangeshkar (3), Geeta Dutt (4), and Asha Bhosle (6). Once again, the figures endorse the general view.

Like N. Datta, Jaidev also made his debut as an independent composer in 1955 after assisting veteran composer S.D. Burman. In his debut film, Joru Ka Bhai (1955), he composed ten songs, of which Lata Mangeshkar sang two. However, in Samundari Daku (1956), she did not sing for him. Although Hansraj Bahl and S.N. Tripathi’s figures for Lata Mangeshkar look impressive, she was not their main female singer in 1956. Even S.D. Burman did not use her voice in Funtoosh. Two successful playback singers, Mukesh and Manna Dey, scored music for one film each in 1956. Lata Mangeshkar did not sing for Manna Dey, whereas she was Mukesh’s main female voice. We can discuss their other female singers later.

However, Roshan’s story is different. He debuted in 1949, and in his first three films, Rajkumari was his primary female voice (9 songs), followed by Geeta Dutt (5), Ameerbai Karnataki (4), Asha Bhosle (3), Shamshad Begum (3), and Nimmi (1). From 1951 onwards, his association with Lata Mangeshkar began, and she became his main female voice. Between 1951 and 1955, out of 164 songs composed by Roshan for 18 films, Lata Mangeshkar sang 79 (nearly 50%).

You mentioned about Naushad in your post. Despite Naushad’s absence in 1956, he had an indirect presence through the 1956 Tamil dubbed release, Vaanaratham (originally Udan Khatola, 1955). The Tamil film retained Lata Mangeshkar’s original vocals for five songs, with Tamil lyrics penned by Kannadasan. I am presenting two of them.

En Ullam Vittu Odathe (Hamare Dil Se Na Jaana)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpgdsnTWoCU

Enthan Kannaalan Karai Nokki Pogiraan (Mere Saiyanji Utarenge Paar)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFfzsgfCVqw

Prior to 1956, Lata Mangeshkar had rendered 10 Bengali songs: two (Non-fillm) Rabindra Sangeet (1953), six songs for the Bengali version of the film Amar Bhoopali (1952) under the baton of Vasant Desai, and two Rabindra Sangeet for the film Bau Thakuranir Haat (1953).
She sang two Bengali songs in 1956, for the film Asamapta.
I am posting one of them; a beautiful song composed by Dr.Nachiketa Ghosh.

Rimiki Jhimiki Chhande Jamuna ke jay, lyrics Gouriprasanna Majumdar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLr0bEuE-vg

Dr. Nachiketa Ghosh and Sudhin Dasgupta were among the foremost music directors in Calcutta during the golden era [of Bengali cinema/music]. Although Dr. Nachiketa Ghosh was in Bombay for seven years, I could only find one Hindi film for which he scored music. Later, I intend to investigate what he was doing in Bombay during that time.

Thus with the addition of 7 songs, her songs sung in the year 1956 increase to a total of 213.

You have curated 22 of the most memorable solo songs of Lata Mangeshkar for our final selection. I enjoyed listening to these selected numbers, as well as a few additional tracks not in your list. Some of them were Meera Bhajans. I traced 11 Meera Bhajans, seven of which were from the film Raajraaani Meera. The other four were from Toofaan aur Diya (3) and Zindagi Ke Mele (1). One bhajan from Raajraani Meera was sung by Geeta Dutt, and the rest (10) were by Lata Mangeshkar. The music director for Raajraani Meera was S.N. Tripathi, Toofan aur Diya was Vasant Desai, and Zindagi Ke Mele was Chitragupt. All the three Meera Bhajans from Toofan aur Diya are worthy of inclusion in the best ten. Your memorable list has two Meera Bhajans from this film.

Besides, I listened to all the (Lata solos) songs of Anil Biswas, C Ramchandra, and Roshan, along with the ones mentioned by Raunakjoy ji. Even after listening to so many, “yeh dil maange more’. I will mention a few songs which are truly good; some demand inclusion, making my task difficult.

1. Ja Re Chandra Ja from Sajani, Sudhir Phadke, Narendra Sharma
This one is really a gem. Thanks to Raunakji for bringing this song to my attention.
2. Shraap Dongi Tujhko, Kathin Birah Ki Peer Vidhata from Dhola Maaru, S K Pal, Bharat Vyas
Another very good musical composition. Thanks once again to Raunakji
3. Jhun Jhun Jhuna…. Mere laadle from Aawaz, Salil Choudhury, Vishwamtira Adil
Salil Choudhury scored music for three films in 1956, Aawaaz, Parwaana and Jaagte Raho. In Jaagte Raho Lata Mangeshkar sang a solo and in Parwaana she sang two duets. In Aawaaz she had five solos and one duet. And out of the five solos, four were deleted in the final release. And “Jhun Jhuna, mere ladle” was one of them.

The song “Jhun jhun jhunaa” is based on the famous Bengali song “Ghoom aay re aay,” first recorded by Protima Bandopadhyay in 1955. Written in 1946 by renowned Bengali poet Mangalacharan Chattopadhyay, the song was composed by Salil Choudhury in two parts: a slow opening and a fast, lively second part. Salil Choudhury later adapted both parts of this song: he used the slow part to compose “Aaa jaa re aa nindiyaa tu aa” for the film Do Bigha Zameen and the fast part for “Jhun jhun jhunaa. The second part starts from 01:40.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDDiCxCJUHU

4. Bholi Bhali Pari Tu Naach Ri from Zindagi, Md.Shafi, Kaifi Azmi

The next two songs, while not written by Meerabai, make reference to her.
5. Brij Ke Nandlala Lata Mangeshkar fromTaksaal, Roshan, Prem Dhawan
6. Akhiyon Ko Asnaan Kara Ke from Rangeen Raten, Roshan, Kedar Sharma

7. Hum Jaage Jag Soye Ri Aali from Rangeen Raten, Roshan, Kedar Sharma
8. Kahan Le Chalo Ho, from Durgesh Nandini, Hement Kumar, Rajendra Krishan
9. Main To Girdhar Ke Ghar Jaoon, from Zindagi ke Mele, Chitragupt, Meerabai

I am sure you will have a set of special songs for your wrap-up post on Lata Mangeshkar. You may use some of these songs sung by her.

I’ve been dragging on this, but I really enjoyed the process. I know it may not be enjoyable for everyone—sorry, friends! I have narrowed down my choices and will post my list of the top ten Lata Mangeshkar songs next (by tomorrow). I will wait for your response to this post, especially regarding the songs that I have mentioned.

Akji @ 53,
1. Salil Choudhury’s Bengali non-filmi songs (modern songs) and earlier Bengali film compositions often served as the foundation for his iconic Bollywood tunes. O Sajna Barkha Bahaar Aayee” (Hindi – Parakh, 1960) was based on “Na Jeyo Na” (Bengali – Jiban Trishna, 1957). A song written, composed by him as a non-filmi Bangla song was reused in the Hindi film Aawaz (1956).

2. I believe you meant that her total solos for 1956 were 131 and not her total Hindi film songs. As per my count based on HFGK, her total for 1956 is 154 solos and 52 duets (spanning 48 films and 24 music directors). I mentioned this in comment @50, where I provided the music director-wise breakdown. Adding the seven solos in Tamil (4) and Bengali (3), the total comes to 213 (154+52+7). Thus, the total number of songs sung by her in 1956 is 213, not just the solos alone.

3. I thought you will respond to my request regarding the 9 songs that I have mentioned at the of comment @52

Akji @ 55,
Ok. That’s good.

I am posting my list of best ten Lata Mangeshkar’s solo songs for the year 1956:
. Jaago Mohan pyare jaago from Jaagte Raho: Lyrics Shailendra, Music Salil Chowdhury

2. Main piya teri tu maane ya na maane from Basant Bahar, lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, music Shankar-Jaikishan

3. Rasik balma, dil kyon lagaya jaise rog lagaya from Chori Chori, lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, music Shankar-Jaikishan

4. Piya te kahan gayo nehra laga from Toofan Aur Diya: Lyrics Meerabai, Music Vasant Desai

5. Murli bairan bhai, Kanhaiya teri murli bairan bhai , from Nai Dilli: Lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, Music Shankar-Jaikishan

6. Dil chhed koi aisa naghma from Inspector, Lyrics S H Bihari, Music Hemant Kumar

7. Kahan le chale ho bata do musafir, from Durgeshnandini, lyrics Rajesndra Krishna, Music Hemant Kumar

8. Ja Re Chandra Ja from Sajani: Lyrics Narendra Sharma, Music Sudhir Phadke

9. Mera chhota sa dekho ye sansar hai from Bhai Bhai, lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music Madan Mohan (3) (6)

10. Guzra hua zamana aata nahin dubara, hafiz Khuda tumhara from Shrin Farhad, lyrics Tanveer Naqvi, music S Mohindr.

And my choice of the best solo song by Lata Mangeshkar for the year 1956 is:
Jaago Mohan pyare jaago from Jaagte Raho

AK ji,
Best singer 1956— ‘other female singer’ category:
This was the year when Shamshad Begum and Geeta Dutt were still very actively engaged in Hindi film music. Asha Bhosle was steadily moving up the charts; memorable songs rendered by Sudha Malhotra and Suman Kalyanpur were just about to appear on the charts.
My vote goes to:
SHAMSHAD BEGUM, film C.I.D
Kahin pe nigaahen kahin pe nishana.

Geeta Dutt is a close second for the song – Aye dil mujhe bata de – film Bhai Bhai.
Regards,

AKji,
Returning to this post again. Now that the first wrap-up post on the best male singers of 1956 is out, I’d like to leave my ‘keyboard marks’ here before you post the follow-up on ‘other’ female singers. Skimming the list of “memorable songs,” I found a dozen solos by female singers other than Lata Mangeshkar. Expectedly, the list included songs by Asha Bhosle (4), Geeta Dutt (3), and Shamshad Begum (3). The other two on the list were one each from Sandhya Mukherjee and Rajkumari.

Actually, the Rajkumari song (#70) you mentioned (‘Dekhi Dekhi Panchhi Dekhi’ from the film Jaldeep) was not a female solo. I recall hearing this song before, and I remember there was a male voice, too. Later, I learned from Sudhirji that the male voice belonged to Snehal Bhatkar. He referred me to ‘ASAD,’ where he had written about it. I would write about “Jaldeep” later.

Thus, we have only 11 songs to choose from to make a list of the top ten best solos rendered by other female singers. Restricting myself to your list, I need to omit only one song to arrive at the top ten and decide on the Best Other Female Singer for the year 1956.

1. Ae dil mujhe bata de tu kispe aa gaya hai – Geeta Dutt, Film Bhai Bhai: Lyrics Rajendra Krishna; Music Madan Mohan
2. Kahin pe nigahein kahin pe nishana – Shamshad Begum, CID: Lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri; Music OP Nayyar
3. Boojh mera kya naam re – Shamshad Begum, CID: Lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri; Music OP Nayyar
4. Jata kahan hain deewane – Geeta Dutt, CID: Lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri; Music OP Nayyar
5. Meri aan Bhagwan, kan kan se ladi hai – Geeta Dutt, Toofan Aur Diya: Lyrics Bharat Vyas; Music Vasant Desai
6. Thandhi thandhi saawan ki phuhaar re – Asha Bhosle, Jaagte Raho: Lyrics Shailendra; Music Salil Chowdhury
7. Dil dil se mila kar dekho, nazron se laga kar dekho – Asha Bhosle, Mem Sahib: Lyrics Rajendra Krishna; Music Madan Mohan
8. Mujhko laga hai saal solvan haaye nahin chhedna – Shamshad Begum, Chandrakanta: Lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanvi; Music N Datta
9. Phool gendwa na maaro dar jaaungi – Asha Bhosle, Funtoosh: Lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanvi; Music SD Burman
10. Bade bhaiya laaye hain London se choori – Asha Bhosle, Ek Hi Rasta: Lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri; Music Hemant Kumar

And I choose Geeta Dutt as my Best Female Singer (Other).
That is all for now. I will be back soon with more.

AKji @64,
Did I really pre-empt you? I think you might have misunderstood me.
I am well aware that there will be two separate posts for Lata Mangeshkar and the other female singers, as you mentioned.
When I wrote,
‘Now that the first wrap-up post on the best male singers of 1956 is out, I’d like to leave my “keyboard marks” here before you post the follow-up on other female singers,’
I meant that I was late in posting my comments regarding the best male singers. Consequently, I had to share my views on them post-facto. And I realize I am also quite late in sharing my views on the other female singers, and I wanted to do so before that specific post was presented. I have already shared my comments and choices regarding Lata Mangeshkar much earlier. I hope this explanation is clear, and I am sorry if my previous message carried a different connotation than intended.

AKji,
You wrote,
“For one thing, the other female singers got about 2.57 times the songs of Lata Mangeshkar; my hunch is that her younger sister Asha Bhosle too got more songs than her. So much for her being under the pressure of ‘Sister Tax’.”

Asha Bhosle sang 215 solos, which is 1.40 times the number of songs by Lata Mangeshkar, proving your hunch correct.

Among the ‘other’ female singers, Asha Bhosle was gaining ground, though her solo presence in 1956 was heavily augmented by numerous B- and C-grade films. While lower in number, 1956 was a peak year for Geeta Dutt, who offered a distinct contrast, particularly under composers O.P. Nayyar and Madan Mohan. Similarly, despite fewer appearances, Shamshad Begum maintained her popularity with her distinctively resonant and powerful voice. In total, 19 female voices were used for 371 solo songs in 1956. The breakdown of contributors is as follows:

Top Performers (86%): Asha Bhosle – 215 solos (58%), Geeta Dutt – 74 solos (20%), and Shamshad Begum – 31 solos (8%).

Secondary Performers (9%): Mubarak Begum (15), Sabita Banerjee (10), Sudha Malhotra (6), and Madhubala Javeri (4).

Other Singers (5%): Suraiyya, Juthika Roy, Binota Chatterjee, and Ratna Gupta (2 solos each), alongside Meena Mangeshkar, Jikki (Krishnaveni), Bimala, M.L. Vasanthakumari, Jamuna Rani, Sandhya Mukherjee, Sulochana Kadam, and Lakshmi Roy.”

These voices proved that 1956 was a rich tapestry of different vocal textures and emotions.

Besides another 13 female voices were used for duets, triads etc.
Usha Mangeshkar, Uma Devi, Suman Kalyanpur, Sulochana Chonkar, Meena Kapoor, Bela Mukherjee, Chandbala, P Susheela, Preetibala, Lalita Phadke, Malini, Ashima Banerjee and Lakshmi Shankar.

AKji,
You have given us nearly fifty duets from which to choose our top ten. Since the majority of them are very good, listening to the duets was indeed extremely enjoyable. Let me thank you for providing such a rich tapestry. Selecting the top ten Hindi film duets is a deeply subjective, personal process. Music has the power to bring back times, places, and people in a way few other things can.

My Best eight (8) duets of 1956:
1. Ye raat bheegi bheegi ye mast fizayein – Manna Dey & Lata Mangeshkar, Film Chori Chori, Lyrics Shailendra, Music Shankar-Jaikishan
2. Aaja sanam madhur chaandni mein hum – Manna Dey & Lata Mangeshkar, Film Chori Chori, Lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, Music Shankar-Jaikishan
3. Ja main tose naahin bolun Kanhaiya – Lata Mangeshkar & Manna Dey, Film Parivar, Lyrics Shailendra, Music Salil Chowdhury
4. Jahan main jaati hun wohin chale aate ho – Lata Mangeshkar & Manna Dey, Film Chori Chori, Lyrics Shailendra, Music Shankar-Jaikishan
5. Ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahan – Rafi and Geeta Dutt, Film CID, Lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, Music OP Nayyar
6. O leke pahla pahla pyar bhar ke aankhon mein khumar – Rafi and Shamshad Begum, Film CID, Lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, Music OP Nayyar
7. Aankon hi aankhon mein ishara ho gaya baithe baithe jeene ka sahara ho gaya – Rafi & Geeta Dutt, Film CID, Lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, Music OP Nayyar
8. Garib jaan ke humko na tum mita dena – Rafi and Geeta Dutt, Film Chhoo Mantar, Lyrics Jan Nisar Akhtar, Music OP Nayyar

And any two from the following five:
9. Ye wada karo chaand ke saamne, bhula to na doge tum is pyar ko – Mukesh & Lata Mangeshkar, Film Rajhath, Lyrics Harat Jaipuri, Music Shankar-Jaikishan
10. Jhir jhir jhir jhir baadarwa barse O kaare kaare – Hemant Kumar & Lata Mangeshkar, Film Parivar, Lyrics Shailendra, Music Salil Chowdhury
11. Do dil dhadak rahe hain aur aawaz ek hai – Talat Mahmood & Asha Bhosle, Film Insaaf, Lyrics Asad Bhopali, Music Chitragupa
12. Wo dekhein to unki inayat na dekhein to rona kya – Kishore Kumar & Asha Bhosle, Film Funtoosh, Lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanvi, Music SD Burman
13. Kahta hai dil tum ho mere liye – Talat Mahmood & Asha Bhosle, Film Mem Sahib, Lyrics Rajendra Krishna, Music Madan Mohan

You may include some songs from the following list in the “Special Songs section”:
1. Ketaki gulab juhi champak ban phoole – Manna Dey & Bhimsen Joshi, Film Basant Bahar, Lyrics Shailendra, Music Shankar-Jaikishan
2. Ai wain duniya deve duhaai – Rafi, S Balbir & others, Film Jaagte Raho, Lyrics Prem Dhawan, Music Salil Chowdhury
3. Dekhi dekhi panchhi dekhi teri phulwari – Snehal Bhatkar and chorus, Film Jaldeep: Lyrics Kidar Sharma, Music Snehal Bhatkar
4. Ari koi jaao ri, piya ko bulaao re, gori ki payal baaje chhun chhana chhum chhum – Lata Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar & Meena Mangeshkar, Film Patrani, Lyrics Shailendra, Music Shankar-Jaikishan
5. Mera naam Abdul Rahman, pistawala main hun pathan – Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, Film Bhai Bhai, Lyrics Rajendra Krishna, Music Madan Mohan
6. Meri chhoti si bahan dekho gahne pahan sasural chali re ban than ke – Lata Mangeshkar & Geeta Dutt,harat Vyas) Toofan Aur Diya: Lyrics several; Music Vasant Desai