Wishing all the readers and their families a very Happy New Year
Soulfully Yours: Ravi
Author: Manek Premchand
Published by: Blue Pencil, Delhi 2025
ISBN: 978-81-943921-4-9
Price: ₹675 (Paperback on Amazon); Pages: 455
The regulars of this blog are well-informed about old film music. How do we view Ravi? I have been quite open about my assessment of him. I don’t put him in the top 5 surely, which comprises: Naushad, C Ramchandra, Shankar-Jaikishan, SD Burman and OP Nayyar. My next 5 would start with Roshan, Madan Mohan and Chitragupta. Thereafter, it becomes very crowded: Khayyam, Hemant Kumar, Salil Chowdhury, Jaidev, Kalyanji-Anandji. So Ravi would fit in my ranking at # 11-15. I believe that was the general view, until Hans Jakhar rehabilitated him on SOY through his series of guest articles.
Manek Premchand starts his biography of Ravi, titled “Soulfully Yours: Ravi” with precisely this Ravi paradox in his article, Overview: Composer Ravi – The Man, and His Music. Giving a long list of his superhit parade, including some timeless songs, he poses a question, “Why this paradox, where Ravi’s music shines, but his name fades?” Then he proceeds to answer it in a unique psychoanalytical way: it is the gap between his Average Joe life and his vibrant compositions. He was self-effacing to a fault, he shunned limelight; away from publicity or marketing himself. He let his music speak for his talent. His simple name of two letters was an extension of his personality. There is nothing flashy or star-like in his name, and there was nothing flashy or signature style about his music. Contrast this with the year-end article on OP Nayyar – the man was flashy as was his music.
An amusing aside which corroborates this point. Manekji recently sent me a message “I have asked my publisher to send you a copy of my newest book, Soulfully Yours Ravi”. The publisher did mention the author, but she forgot to give the book’s name. Therefore, I took it as Manekji signing off with a salutation. So, I innocently replied, “Ravi? I thought you are known as Manek Premchand.” I am sure Manekji didn’t realise that my fleeting reading caused this grave faux pas. It is only the Average Joe name like Ravi which could have caused this misunderstanding that someone could use it as his nom de plume.
In the next chapter Ravi: Composer, Lyricist, Singer, the author examines the Ravi question deeper, and mentions how Ravi’s superlative music was behind the success of many films, in which many others got the Filmfare Award, such as the Best Singer, Best Leading Man or Lady, Best Movie, but he didn’t for the Best Music Director. In several years he got nominated, but finally another person got it. When he did get his first Filmfare Award for Gharana (1961) for the Best Music, some of us dismissed it as a “Sleeper Award” or were surprised, Ravi?. The world does not remember a runner-up. In recent Messi mania in India, along with him were also Luis Suarez and Rodrigo D Paul, being pushed around by the crowd.
His next chapter, Taking a Close Look at Ravi’s Top 100 Hindi Film Songs, is in many ways the meat of the book. I was curious to find if two of my top favourite Rafi songs figure in the list. Both Na jhatko zulf se paani ye moti phoot jayenge/ Tumhara kuchh na bigadega magar dil toot jayenge (Shehnai, 1964) and Ye jhuke jhuke naina, ye lat balkhati to dil kyun na mera deewana ho tera (Bharosa, 1963) were missing from the top 100 list. This can mean only two things: There cannot ever be an agreed list of top 100 songs, or Ravi’s work is so huge that even top 100 songs cannot accommodate someone’s top two Rafi favourites. Manek ji next proceeds to analyse each song in detail, its lyrics, music arrangement, significance of the raag Ravi has chosen etc. This section also lets him coin some interesting phrases. The readers of this blog are aware from my reviews of his earlier books that Manek ji is quite a wordsmith; and in this chapter his poetic instincts are in full flow. While discussing Aage bhi jaane na tu, peechhe bhi jaane na tu – and he includes several songs from Waqt (1963) – he coins a phrase The Tyranny of Time. There are other metaphors which I like, for example Wounds That Time Could Not Heal; A Poetic Mermaid in a Murder Mystery; The Architecture of Letting Go; Shadows of the Past; Smiling Through Sorrow and so on. In this chapter Manek ji also briefly dwells on the difference between a ghazal and other forms of Urdu poetry, such as a nazm. It needs to be said again and again that not every song that uses Urdu words predominantly is a ghazal.
We all have our own list of BHNW (Better Heard, Not Watched) songs. My own favourite Ye jhuke jhuke naina, ye lat balkhati, is a prime example of a BHNW song. A comprehensive analysis of 100 songs also lets the author mention several trivia and information. For example, how many are aware that Tally Ho (in Baar baar dekho, hazar baar dekho; China Town) has its origin in the British fox-hunting tradition? Manekji also briefly refers to the episode of misattribution of the lyricist of Darshan do Ghanshyam meri ankhiyan pyasi re in the multiple Oscars awarded film, Slumdog Millionaire. The lyricist is not Surdas, but the Hindi poet Gopal Singh ‘Nepali’ (Film Narsi Bhagat, 1957, music director Ravi). Manek ji also offers a possible reason for confusion – The Bhakti poet Surdas (16th century) had written a bhajan, Ankhiyan Hari darshan ki pyasi, with similar thoughts. But Nepali’s lyrics and Manna Dey’s rendering of Darshan do Ghanshyam are too good to be mauled by sloppy research.
Ravi was a master of ghazals. Manek ji has listed over 60 film ghazals, some sung in qawwali style (with rhythmic clapping added, such as Sharma ke ye sab pardanasheen aanchal ko sanwara karte hain). But the most interesting information in Ghazals Composed by Ravi is that he has set about two dozen non-film ghazals too of Mirza Ghalib for Doordarshan (1989-90). The piano has been visually featured by many music directors beautifully on the screen. Ravi is an important composer of piano songs. The author gives a list of over twenty such songs. There are some more chapters dissecting songs on different parameters: Title songs, Lori songs, Ravi’s Parodies, Mujra songs, Qawwali songs etc.
The last 160 pages would be a delight for statisticians and data lovers. These give Ravi’s Filmography with songs – films in a year are listed alphabetically, and songs in a film too appear alphabetically. This seems to me a more convenient approach. Also given are Ravi Stats with Lyricists and Poets; Ravi as a Singer; Ravi as a Lyricist; Alphabetical Song List; Ravi’s Non-film Compositions. Such huge data set is bound to throw up some interesting information. One knew that Ravi also wrote lyrics, but lyricist for 69 songs is a startling figure. Ravi gave Lata Mangeshkar less than one-fourth of the songs he composed for Asha Bhosle. Our Data Man, Hans Jakhar had hinted about Ravi’s preference for the younger sister over the mighty empress. Now I would be on the lookout for such evidence in case of N Datta, who according to him showed even more pronounced preference for Asha Bhosle.
Thus, overall this book does full justice to Ravi, which I believe was Manek ji’s primary objective. Are there any flaws in the book? I have to be really quibbling over small things. I believe Manek ji has been lazy in explaining the ‘ghazal’ as a popular form of Urdu poetry. This is what he says:
The lines of the first couplet end in AA
The lines of the second couplet end in BA
The lines of the third couplet end in CA
The lines of the fourth couplet end in DA
And so on
His illustration and explanation make it further clear that in the first couplet both the lines end with the same group of words (Humradeef). Second couplet onwards the first line has to be completely odd, such as B, C, D, but the second line of each couplet ends with the same group of words, i.e Humradeef. So far so good, but another important feature of a ghazal which lends it a charm is that the immediately preceding word (or group of words) before the Humradeef (A) has to be rhyming, i.e. Humqafia. For instance in the example given by Manek ji, Bhari duniya mein aakhir dil ko samjhane kahan jaayen, the humqafia words in the ghazal are before ‘A’ – samjhane, deewane, parwane, afsane, sukoon paane etc. Take another example of a ghazal by Shakeel Badayuni himself, but now composed by Naushad (Amar, 1954) – Na milta gham to barbaadi ke afsane kahan jaate/ Agar duniya chaman hoti to veerane kahan jaate. Look at the rhyming words (Humqafia) before the repeating words (Humradeef) Kahan jaate: Agar hoote sabhi apne to bagane kahan jaate/ Na jalti shamma mehfil mein to parwane kahan jaate/ Zamane bhar ke aage haath failane kahan jaate). I would rewrite Manek ji’s explanation as follows:
The lines of the first couplet end in Q1A-Q2A
The lines of the second couplet end in B-Q3A
The lines of the third couplet end in C-Q4A
The lines of the fourth couplet end in D-Q5A
And so on
(Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 are the rhyming words preceding the ‘A’.)
{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes.
Ravi , for most of us, comes after Number 10.
Also yes. Some brilliant evergreen numbers will keep his music immortal.
Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jaye hum dono.
Chaudhavin ka Chand ho.
Aage bhi jaane na tu.
Zindagi ittefaq hai.
Tora man darpan kahalaye.
Bachche man ke sachche.
Bhari duniya mein aakhir dil ko.
Ye raten ye mausam nadi ka kinara.
Sau baar janam lenge.
Babul ki duwayen lete jaa.
Can say these are my top 10 favourites from Ravi.
Ravi is one composer who was quite lucky to get big banners and was part of several very big hits, a luxury he enjoyed compared to several other composers of his time. Of course, it is said often that he maintained very good relations with his producers and was the preferred choice as a composer to their movies. Good to find a book about him
(maybe the first ) which I would like to read!
Dr Shetty,
You endorse my views and the author’s views. But the interesting issue is do you agree with the reasoning given by Manek Premchand. I have summarised it in my review.
KB,
Absolutely.
AK,
What a start to the new year.
Happy new year to you and all other friends on SOY.
My first reaction to this article was ordering the book, which will arrive in the next week. I will write in detail after that, but what I know of Manek Premchand as author it is likely to be great. I already have 5 of his books. Besides the great style of writing which you referred to he takes a lot of pains for details. Especially he knows how to write about a person in a balanced way. I read his book on Majrooh which was marvellous. He has another great merit of being free from bias while writing about people. Everyone has his favourites, but he does justice to each article or book he writes about different persons. And without doubt he has a great knowledge of music and related things from which I have learned a lot.
As I said I would write in detail later. But, here I would say something about N. Dutta whom you mentioned. I wrote an article on N Dutta-Asha combo naming him third musketeer for her. There I had given some stats. I give some of them here. In the first part of his career upto 1960 he had given quite a good number of songs to Lata, though Asha was his clear favourite. The ratio of Asha vs Other female singers was about 50:50 in this period. Lata got 25 songs as against 59 of Asha in this period. After 1960 Lata sang just 3 solos for him. I dont know the reason. Either it was his preferential use of Asha which made her angry or his lack of having big banners or a combination of both. So the initial period being about 2:1, was not such an acute ratio as it turned out in the end.
Hans,
Thanks a lot for your appreciation. I knew you would like the book as well as my review – Ravi being your such a great favourite. Manek ji gives a fair justice to Ravi and answers the right questions. Now that one remembers, I can point out another thing missing. It is generally known Ravi did not have a very happy personal life, relating to some dispute in joint family members.. Manek ji avoids any reference to that. You can view it in either way – an omission or a studied respect for privacy of a deceased person.
PS: I have been quite open that Ravi would figure at #11-15 in my list. Dr Shetty endorses that. You have avoided where he would appear in your list.
As I could see among male singers his clear favourite was Rafi. Next comes Mahendra Kapoor who sang about sixty songs for him. Then , Hemant Kumar (his mentor ) , Mannadey and Kishore Kumar/ Mukesh. Surprisingly, he never used Talat except for a few songs ( EK SAAL ). Someone can confirm.
KB,
You are right about Rafi being Ravi’s by far great favourite and he composed some of the career best songs for him. You are also right about Mahendra Kapoor from whom he was able to extract some absolutely melodious songs. Some are landmarks of Hindi cinema.
I congratulate Manek ji for his new book on Ravi . Maneka ji’s research and efforts is special as a lot of work has gone into this. Manek ji is a veteran of so many books on Hindi films. I doubt if I would be able to read this book as I am having a large number of TBR books pending. I am happy with book reviews now.
Many would like to rank the MDs but I would not do this as first of all, I have not studied music and each of the MDs have crores of followers. Also, there are no laid down criteria for ranking of MDs.
Out of curiosity I raised a question on an AI platform . I give the AI reply to my querry. The copied answer may not be very easy to read.
Question : Is it fair to rank the yesteryear music directors of Hindi film music …. Naushad, C Ramchandra, Shankar Jaikishan, SD Burman, OP Nayar , Madan mohan , Roshan, Chitragupt, Lakshmikant Pyarelal, Khayyam, Hemant Kumar, Salil Chowdhury, Jaidev, Kalyanji-Anandji , Ravi etc. , particularly when no criteria for ranking has been laid down?
Short answer: No—it isn’t really fair unless very clear criteria are agreed upon beforehand.
Longer answer (and why many people still try to do it anyway):
Why ranking them is inherently unfair
Art isn’t a single-axis competition
Music directors you’ve named excelled in different dimensions:
Naushad – classical depth and orchestral grandeur
S.D. Burman – folk-rooted simplicity with emotional power
Shankar–Jaikishan – scale, innovation, and mass appeal
Madan Mohan – unmatched mastery of the ghazal
O.P. Nayyar – rhythmic boldness, Punjabi/Western fusion
Salil Chowdhury – intellectual sophistication, polyphony
Roshan / Jaidev / Khayyam – refinement, poetry, restraint
Laxmikant–Pyarelal / Kalyanji–Anandji – versatility and longevity
Ranking implies a single definition of “better,” which music simply doesn’t obey. They worked in different ecosystems
Different decades
Different kinds of films
Different lyricists, singers, budgets, and audience expectations
Comparing Roshan’s limited but exquisite output with Laxmikant–Pyarelal’s vast catalogue is like comparing a miniature painting to a mural.
Influence ≠ popularity ≠ innovation
Shankar–Jaikishan dominated popularity
S.D. Burman influenced generations
Salil Chowdhury innovated structurally
Madan Mohan achieved emotional intensity
Which of these deserves the “top” rank? There’s no neutral answer.
Personal memory plays a huge role
For listeners, rankings often reflect:
When they grew up
Which songs are tied to personal moments
Which voices they love (Rafi, Lata, Kishore, Talat, etc.)
That makes rankings autobiographical, not objective.
When ranking can make sense
Ranking becomes meaningful only if criteria are clearly defined, for example:
Classical purity
Innovation
Commercial success
Consistency
Range across genres
Collaboration with poets
Long-term cultural impact
Even then, the result is a discussion framework, not a verdict.
A better way to think about them
Instead of ranking:
Think in constellations, not ladders
Or in categories of excellence
Or as voices in a shared cultural legacy
Hindi film music’s golden age exists because these composers were different—not because one was “better” than the others.
Bottom line
Without agreed-upon criteria, ranking yesteryear Hindi film music directors is more a reflection of personal taste than a fair or meaningful evaluation.
………..
I share one of the popular songs of Ravi from the movie WAQT here..
https://youtu.be/N6xxcUWZgu8?si=7rij8_uca17Z1HCd
Also , I share the instrumental version of this song by two stalwart musicians of the Hindi film industry . The songs become so much sweeter to listen to due to the efforts of so many unknown musicians .
https://youtu.be/GnDZH8kp3JM?si=JO68uBvPbahc_fLi
Thank yo so much AKji for so lucid presentation of the book – Soulfully Yours – Ravi.
Our Hans Jhakher (on SoY) and now Manek Premchand have made enough amends by opening up the great work that Ravi has done, which was hidden behind the (apparent) simplicity of his tunes.
Mr S Joseph,
The AI does give smart answers. If you are happy with the answer, go ahead with it. Some of us do it intuitively or personal perceptions. There is no right or wrong answer. If you find ranking itself abhorrent, that should also be fine. Many agree with you. On this point I may not be entirely in agreement with AI. You would notice it tailors its answer to the question asked. The AI tries to be pleasant to the person asking the question.
Ashok ji,
Well said.
AK ji
Happy new year to you and all SOY members.
I have almost the same list of favourites as yours and so Ravi comes after 10.
Ravi is a curious case because though many people like most of his popular songs ( from johara jabeen to Dil ki ye aarzoo) as a composer he does not feature in the top 5 for most of them.
I agree with Joseph ji about ranking in the sense that absolute ranking acceptable to all is a futile exercise but at the same time I concur with you everyone has his / her own list of favourites.
And as long as everyone respects the other’s choices in this regard there should not be a conflict.
Your review reinforces my first impression that the book should be a treat for Ravi fans.
AK ji,
A very good review of the book.
I liked Ravi’s many songs and I would put him in the first 10 MDs of Hindi films.
Has Manek ji mentioned about Ravi’s notable work in Malayalam Films, where he was called as “BOMBAY RAVI” ?
Thanks for introducing a good book.
-AD
Mr Muli,
Thanks a lot for your very perceptive comments. One can say many things about AI. One can use it for better searches of information, but as for opinion it echoes what the questioner is looking for. If one can accepts the ‘others’, it is a good instrument.
Arun ji,
Thanks a lot. Manek ji does mention Ravi’s work in Malayalam cinema, where he earned fame as BOMBAY RAVI.
Dear AK, thank you for such a lovely review! First off, I absolutely love your top five names; my list is precisely the same. But guess what? 99% of music lovers I have asked in the past 40 years don’t accommodate C Ramchandra in their top 5. Instead they put Madan Mohan. When I say C Ramchandra, they give me a certain look. Also RD Burman features in many people’s lists, at least in the top 10. But I can’t find him anywhere in your list, for example. The point I’d like to make is, viva la difference. It’s also possible our tastes change with time. If one is a student of classical ragas, maybe one will lean towards say Vasant Desai. That said, I believe Ravi gave us some exceptional tunes. Especially ghazals, and qawwalis. About his personal life, I have shared what little I know but I didn’t want to wash in public the fact that he and his daughters had serious issues with his son and daughter in law. I know a lot about most people I’ve interviewed. But why get into that is the way I have always felt.
Manek ji,
Thanks a lot for dropping in. I am puzzled by the mention of RD Burman’s name. Even though he debuted in 1961, I consider him a post-70s phenomenon. He does not figure in my list of Golden Era greats.
About Ravi’s personal tribulations I understand your point. No questions about great songs composed by Ravi. Thanks again for your interjection.
AK,
I wanted to write again after reading the book. So I made a general reply. It never came to my mind that you are seeking the ranking, otherwise I would have gladly given it, as I believe in giving my views clearly.
Some friends have said ranking is difficult and should not be done, which is absolutely true. But, when you gave your ranking, it must have been based on your listening experience. Similarly, my list would also based on my listening experience.
My top 10 list is as below:
1. Naushad
2. Shankar Jaikishan
3. Madan Mohan
4. Ravi
5. OP Nayyar
6. SD Burman
7. Roshan
8. Chitragupta
9. C Ramchandra
10. Laxmikant Pyarelal
So, in the top 10 we have 8 names which are common. I have Ravi and LP. I feel sorry for Hemant Kumar and Salil Choudhary whose songs I very much like. After 10 it is very difficult to rank, because besides those you mention there are SN Tripathi, Vasant Desai, Ghulam Muhammad, Hans Raj Behl, Husnlal Bhagatram, N Datta, Avinas Vyas etc.
Hans,
I agree with you – we all have our favourites. Ravi at #4 in your list is interesting. As a corollary I dare say you rank Asha Bhosle above Lata Mangeshkar. I am also very fond of LP. So we have actually 9 in top 10 common. In music that is a great overlap.
AK ji, Manekchand ji,
Wishing you and all the readers of SOY a very Happy New Year!
I had one question about the assistants of music director Ravi. Was Krishna Kamal one of his assistants? Krishna Kamal was the music director of only one film called Daku Mansoor (1961). There is a wonderful lost gem – Khoya Hua Dil Mil Gaya. Krishna Kamal from the style of music in the prelude seems to have been associated with Ravi, for the tune of the prelude seems to be similar to that of chandamama door ke from Vachan (1955) Also, the prelude music of this song from Daku Mansoor seems to have used for the tune of Ek Do Teen fromTezaab.
Also Manek ji, I would be honoured if you could visit my blog too! It is called Trivia – The Spice of Life – on WordPress.
Anita
AK ji,
Wishing you all a very happy New Year.
Thanks for a wonderful review of Manik Ji’s book.
Regardless of ranking or individual preferences,
Ravi has done a lot of excellent work. He has been one of my favourite MDs.
Anita,
I leave your question for Manek ji to bar.
Tyagiji,
Thanks a lot for your greetings and for your appreciation. Good to meet another Ravi fan.
AK,
Happy New Year to you and all the SOYkars.
Thanks to Manek Premchand for writing a book on the memorable music of a simple man who composed simple tunes with simpler orchestration.
Now it’s time to thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Ravi was one of the few MDs who could work with Sahir Ludhianvi for a long time.
You wrote
“I have been quite open about my assessment of him. I don’t put him in the top 5 surely, which comprises: Naushad, C Ramchandra, Shankar-Jaikishan, SD Burman and OP Nayyar. My next 5 would start with Roshan, Madan Mohan and Chitragupta. Thereafter, it becomes very crowded: Khayyam, Hemant Kumar, Salil Chowdhury, Jaidev, Kalyanji-Anandji. “
Are you sure about top 5 you have mentioned
Has Anl Biswas been superseded by the rest?
Mumbaikar8,
Thanks a lot for your New Year greetings which I heartily reciprocate.
On your Anil Biswas question if we shift the date back to about 1937, he makes an undisputed entry. But take it start of the 50s, he faces tough competition. But if you take him in because of quality: Arzoo, Tarana, Chhoti Chhoti Baatein etc. it makes higher ranking further difficult.
We must compliment Hans Jakhar for his steadfast support to Ravi.
Anita ji, thank you! I am not aware of Krishan Kanhai with reference to Ravi. As for your blog, I’ll be happy to visit it. Grateful! @ AK, hats off to you. What wonderful work you are doing, and music-obsessed your readers are. Salute!
Akji,
My best wishes to you, Manekji and all the members of SoY for a great year ahead.
Thank you for the review and for bringing the book to our notice.
Glad to know that Manekji has added one more book to his impressive body of work. As we know from his previous books, he gives us a profound and objective narration on the subject he choses to write about and engages the reader by providing credible insights. From your review it appears that this book too would be no different. I hope this book would restore Ravi’s legacy and his rightful place in Hindi film music.
With regards to ranking, Ravi’s name would definitely be there in the list of first 10 MDs of Hindi film music. My top 10 MD’s would include
1.Naushad, 2. S D Burman, 3. Shankar-Jaikishan, 4. O P Nayyar and 5. C Ramchandra, 6. Madan Mohan, 7. Roshan and 8.Ravi
Like K L Saigal, I would prefer to keep Anil Biswas out of any list of ranking. Though the contribution of Salil Choudhury and Hemant Kumar to HFM is no doubt impressive, I am afraid, I would be influenced by their Bengali Films and NFSs. I would prefer to include Chitragupt’s name in the list.
Happy New Year to all SOYers!
Good to see a book by the venerable Manek Premchand Ji on one of the under-rated music composers Ravi. Thanks to AK Ji for bringing this to our attention here.
As many have given their rankings, I am taking the liberty to put down my thoughts on this..please pardon me if this sounds a bit snobbish!!
The classicism of Naushad, eclectic mix of folk, western & classic in S D Burman’s songs, the brilliant tunes with equally brilliant orchestration of Shankar Jaikishan, the rhythm of O.P Nayyar, pioneering mix of classic & western flavours by C Ramachandra, intensely emotional tunes of Madan Mohan, the unpredictable travel like the Amazon river in Salil Chowdhury’s music, the sharp twists and turns with an exceptionally mastery over the qawwali genre by Roshan, the deeply haunting melodies of Hemant Kumar, the simple and elegant melodies of Chitragupt, sweet melodies of Ravi with uncanny ability to bring out the poetry in his songs , the complex notes in Jaidev’s tunes, deeply classic, but peppered with lot of folk and innovations by Vasant Desai……the list goes on…how can I “ rank “ these masters who have enriched our golden era!!
Going a step forward, the unique innovations in orchestration and usage of instruments by R D Burman , the silky -soft tunes of Khayyam, superb romantic duets of Kalyanji Anandji, thundering percussions of Laxmikant Pyarelal, “difficult to bracket in any particular style” of the most successful female composer Usha Khanna, the lone crusader to carry the baton ( pun intended) from golden era to the later decades-Ravindra Jain…
I am guilty of missing many more names—my vocabulary is limited!! and the comment would be too long.
Let us enjoy the music of all….Happy listening to all…
Venkataraman ji,
Thanks a lot for your greetings and for your appreciation. Manekji has started the book with Ravi paradox – a most appropriate subject for the man. Manek ji avoids giving his own ranking, but you get enough enough indication of his respect for him. Nice to know your ranking.
Sivanandam ji,
Thanks a lot for your greetings and appreciation, and for describing in detail the distinct styles of over 15 music directors. They are among the best of post-50s Golden Era. Gives a good perspective.
AK, @ 20
First of all, on the Lata-Asha I had given my clear view that I rank Lata above Asha in my Asha-Ravi article on SOY, and there is no chance that view will change. Asha comes as a winner in the case of songs of Ravi, OPN, N Datta and Avinas Vyas, but there is a long list of top MDs where she lags behind.
Since I gave my ranking, Venkataramanji has given his and includes Ravi in top 10 though he has given only list of 9. Arunji also states clearly that Ravi is a top 10 material. Mumbaikar8 has not given her ranking, but she being such a Rafi fan, I am sure Ravi will be among her top 10 too. You also share 9 of the top 10 with me. So I am happy that I have common lists with stalwarts. Inter se ranking may be based on personal likings but Ravi is there in the minds of everyone. You have not named the 10th specifically. I am sure if you compare the exploits of the number 10 with Ravi, you may be forced to change your view and include him in top 10.
Regarding my ranking of Ravi, he was likely candidate for the number 3, but some special considerations put Madan Mohan above him. OPN is my great favourite, but Ravi not only used Lata to good effect but also used Rafi and Mahendra Kapoor better than him and also used other male singers to good effect. OPN has a better record with duets and he also used Shamshad and Geeta in a much better way. But in the end the scale turned in favour of Ravi. Naushad and SJ are my undisputed number 1 and 2.
I will write separately about Ravi-Lata combo.
AK,
Since Ravi’s ranking is being discussed I would like to lay some facts about Ravi-Lata combo. You had posted an article on this combo about 6 years ago and had listed many songs of Lata and other friends had also posted songs. In fact Lata sang 74 songs of which 51 were solo.
Ravi used Lata in his first year in Albeli giving two songs. In 1957 he gave her 4 songs in Ek Saal, of which one you posted. Lata sang the twin song ‘sab kuchh luta ke hosh mein aaye to kya kiya’ beautifully. This film had also her duet with Hemant ‘ulajh gaye do naina’. After that he gave 8 songs to Lata in Mehndi. All of them are a listening pleasure. Somebody posted one song and Mumbaikar8 also posted a pure recital song ‘ye afsana nahin zalim’. The film also had the eternal Hemant-Lata duet ‘bedard zamana tera dushman hai to kya hai’.
Lata sang 4 of the 7 songs of Rajendra Kumar-Meena Kumari jubilee hit Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan-1959. Two of them were among the top children songs – ‘chal mere ghode tik tik tik’ and ‘tim tim karte taare- 2 versions’. These as well as ‘bada bedard jahan hai’ were all hits.
Then came the all time great ‘badle badle mere sarkar’ which was the only Lata song in Guru Dutt produced films. Then came the Ghunghat trio ‘lage na mora jiya’ – slow virah song, ‘mori chham chham baje payaliya’ – fast paced song of ecstasy and ‘meri pat rakho girdhari’ – devotional.
Now I list some top songs from the 60s.
1. Babul chhoot chala tera angana – Rakhi
2. Saiyyan chhod de baiyan – Rakhi (with Mukesh)
3. Ae mere dile nadaan – 2 versions
4. Main khushnaseeb hoon mujhko kisi ka pyar mila – Tower House – one solo and one duet with Mukesh
5. Wo dil kahan se laaun – Bharosa
6. Aaj ki mulakat bas itni – Bharosa (with Mahendra Kapoor)
7. Tumhin mere mandir – Khandan
8. Lo aa gayi unki yaad – Do Badan
9. Nari jeevan jhoole ki tarah – Aurat ( 2 versions)
10. Sapne hain sapne kab hue apne – Nai Roshni
11. Bachche man ke sachche – Do Kaliyan
12. Tumhari najar kyun khafa ho gayi – Do Kaliyan (2 versions with Rafi)
Twin songs you have mentioned, the female versions fade in comparison to the male version. Nevertheless Ravi did give some landmark songs to Lata Mangeshkar. But the number for Asha Bhosle is 4 times?
I have always found myself unable to appreciate Ravi’s music. Though I like a few of his songs.
However, many have expressed their opinion on Ranking the composers. What are the parameters? For me there are three main parameters.
1) Quality of the songs
2) Commercial success of the films. For me this means the common man has liked the songs.
3) The number of trash/ordinary songs. Here I mean those songs which you will never want to listen again. This number should be minimal.
I also feel that it’s purely subjective and respect should be given to the opinion of the person, since each of us are different.
Mr Kelkar,
Very well said. No one could take exception to what you said.
Music director Ravi was among the composers who used Asha Bhosle’s voice exceptionally well among the female singers just as Chitragupta did with Lata Mangeshkar . Songs from AADMI AUR INSAAN, PHOOL AUR PATTHAR and KAAJAL are some examples. I liked quite a few songs like title song from AI RASTE HAIN PYAR KI , Sitaron aaj to hum bhi from RAAKHI and Nadaan hai from BOMBAY KA CHOR and so on.
KB,
Absolutely. No doubt about that. But I came to know of the highly skewed distribution thanks to Hans Jakhar and confirmed by Manek Premchand’s book.
AKji,
A great start to the 2026 posts with this insightful and informative book review. 2025 had also been flagged off with a review of the book on RD Burman. A coincidence or a trend?
I have enjoyed Manek Premchand’s books, especially for his writing style and the contents. I have read 6 of them now, having recently completed And the Music Lives On. I have some comments to make on that one, which I will post on its review.
Will go for the book on Ravi once the Kindle version is available..
I am not into rankings but there are plenty of Ravi’s compositions that I am fond of, right up to Dil hi dil mein (Aaj Ki Awaz). I started liking Mahendra Kapoor more, thanks to his songs for Ravi – in Gumrah, Waqt, Humraaz and the Dhund credits song.
Dr Deshpande,
Thanks a lot for your nice words. Starting the year with a Book Review sounds nice. It shows one reads books, though I can no longer claim that I am a regular reader. I will wait for your comments on “And The Music Lives On”.
Ravi-Mahendra Kapoor is an important combination. MK’s best songs were composed by Ravi.
Hans bhai saheb,
Regarding comment no. 33, you informed us that Ravi composed 51 solos with Lata as the playback voice— I beg to add that some of these are all-time great songs in HMF history (e.g. the solos of Tower House and Khandan 1965).
Film Aankhen 1967-68 had three solo songs by Lata, I am mentioning these two:-
(a) Miltee hai zindagi mein me mohobbat kabhi-kabhi
(b) Gairon pe karam apnon pe sitam.
Regards