“Fair & Lovely” Songs

There was a time, not long ago, when the biggest FMCG, Hindustan Lever/Unilever did not think twice on selling the “fairness” cream in India, as it would help girls in marriage. Our matrimonials were a sign of the times – they still are – they all wanted a convented, smart, gori girl. Sometimes, when they advertised for a working girl, they did not forget to add ‘homely’. There was a growing criticism of promoting fairness as the only idea of beauty. The company was operating all over the world, and they were quick to admit their mistake. Later, with the spread of education, and girls entering job markets, ‘Fair & Lovely’ cream was renamed as ‘Glow & Lovely’ cream.

The narrative and the video changed to a smart, confident girl walking in an interview board with confidence in a western formal dress, who impresses all, not because of her fair looks, but her confident presentation. Recently some conversation was going on about the way women’s body is presented in South Indian films. Some important actor and film-makers admitted that perhaps they had gone overboard, and they needed to show some responsibility. Some of the women presented in this manner were A-listers, who were not subject to exploitation. Greed could be the only reason for their willingness to appear in such scenes.

About the same time, the possibility of a black actor being the next James Bond post-Daniel Craig was being seriously discussed. This is a quantum jump from the black females, such as Halley Berry who were companions and a nice foil to James Bond. But a black actor being the next James Bond was a big thing. The most famous of them all, the black British actor, Sir Idris Elbe, himself was more realistic, and scotched these rumours with a dignified statement – “This character has a certain legacy, and the demographic is not ready to accept a black actor yet. I am not a woke, no question of considering that possibility”. I am a little parochial. I was thrilled to read the name of John Abraham in this list, then his name suddenly disappeared. I thought he was perfect. I have a mind to write for him to the James Bond Franchise owner.

I am amazed how similar ideas come from different directions about the same time. Some French intellectual is oft quoted, with some paraphrasing “No one can stop an idea whose time has come.” Around the same time some Indian dark-skinned girl, Bhavitha Mandava, was spotted in a New York subway in her ordinary clothes, with no attempt to fairness, and next she was creating waves in the high fashion world. Indians have natural Melanin, which gives us dark skin, as an adaptation to Ultra-Violet rays in the sunlight. The theory now goes dark skin is beautiful. Another girl, from Raipur, Bhumika Yadav, was creating similar waves in Paris.

Let us go through some songs when fair was lovely.

1. Gore gore haathon mein menhdi racha ke kaanon mein kajra daal ke by Asha Bhosle & chorus from Parineeta (1953), lyrics Bharat Vyas, music Arun Kumar Mukherjee

In this Bimal Roy film, based on Sarat Chandra’s famous novella of the same name, Asha Bhosle has sung this extremely melodious wedding song. I understand the music director is the cousin of Ashok Kumar, and he has sung several songs for him as Arun Kumar. The story is familiar. Meena Kumari (Lalita) often visits Ashok Kumar (Shekhar) and she falls in dignified love with him. At her home as her friends are singing this group song for a doll, Meena Kumari who is still walking down, imagines herself wedded to Ashok Kumar and puts the garland around her neck. Unbeknown to them, Meena Kumari’s father is in heavy debt to the landlord neighbour, who happens to be the father of Ashok Kumar. Enters a benevolent rich person Girin, which causes all round confusion, but in the end everything is sorted out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRwLzxoThSg&list=RDBRwLzxoThSg&start_radio=1

2. Gora rang chunariya kaali ki haye dil mera loot liya by Rafi & Asha Bhosle from Howrah Bridge (1958), lyrics Qamar Jalalabadi, music OP Nayyar

This duet accompanied by a chorus is sung on the street. It is a bhangra dance song performed by the brother-sister duo Mehmood and Minoo Mumtaz. Minoo Mumtaz rued that the then prudish society created big ruckus at the brother-sister duo performing this song in public. This was the only duet picturized on them. Minoo Mumtaz swore that henceforth she would not appear with Mehmood Bhaijan again in a dance-song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amAN-4JJTjI

3. Mora gora ang laike mohe shyam rang dai de by Lata Mangeshkar from Bandini (1963), lyrics Gulzar, music SD Burman

If you ask AI, it might throw up this song as the first song of Gulzar in Hindi films as a lyricist, because there is a nice story behind it, propagated himself by Gulzar in various interviews. But as I have shown in the article Gulzar and RD Burman, Gulzar wrote at least 9 songs before Bandini in different films: Choron Ki Baraat; Diler Haseena; Shreeman Satyavadi (all 1960); and Kabuliwala (1961), under the names Gulzar Deenvi or Gulzar. I have become quite sceptical now of AI even for basic information, not to speak of opinions or ‘writing skills’. Let us hear this song from Bandini, commonly touted as the first song of Gulzar as a lyricist.

4. Gora gora mukhada ye tune kahan paya hai tu hai gori chor tune chaand ko churaya hai from Bool Na Jana (1965), lyrics Indivar, music Daan Singh

The video link shows the year of the song as 1973, but this has to be wrong, the sound is very much 60s. My first article on a forgotten composer was on Daan Singh, primarily because of Mukesh songs. This song is from an unreleased film Bhool Na Jana of 1965. In my article on Daan Singh, I have erroneously written the name of the lyricist as Gulzar. This mistake must have happened because another Mukesh song in the film, Pukaro mujhe naam lekar pukaro, was written by Gulzar. Fortunately, this blog has a Daan Singh expert, Arunkumar Dehsmukh, and a Mukesh expert, Mahesh. I am confident they would fill in more details.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBbxzHKGpXg&list=RDvBbxzHKGpXg&start_radio=1

5. Gore gore mukh par kaali kaali ankhein hain by Mukesh from Anita (1967), lyrics Raja Mehadi Ali Khan, music Laxmikant-Pyarelal

This is the third of the spooky films directed by Raj Khosla after Wo Kaun Thi and Mera Saya. With Raja Mehdi Ali Khan as the lyricist, Madan Mohan would have been the music director. But by that time LP were the top dogs and they created some excellent music, including this superb gora-kala song. Good songs do not rescue a movie if the script is weak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xtb_KPNP4o&list=RD8xtb_KPNP4o&start_radio=1

6.  Gore rang pe na itna guman kar gora rang do din mein dhal jayega by Kishore Kumar & Lata Mangsehkar from Roti (1974), lyrics Anand Bakshi, music Laxmikant-Pyarelal

The fair complexion was something to be proud of, but it wears out soon. Rajesh Khanna was now ruling the cinema waves. LP had no problems in switching over to Kishore Kumar for him, and they compose this great song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA2MOxhMXtU&list=RDQA2MOxhMXtU&start_radio=1

7. Goron ki na kalon ki duniya hai dilwalon ki by Suresh Wadkar & Usha Mangeshkar from Disco Dancer (1982), lyrics Anjaan, music Bappi Lahiri

This was a famous movie of Mithun Chakravarty who was catapulted to fame because of Bappi Lahiri’s Disco music. I was surprised to see Rajesh Khanna in this song. It transpires he appeared in a ‘special role’. He does what he has done best in countless films – playing Rajesh Khanna’s typical mannerisms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC_OcVCndi8

8.  Gori hain kalaiyan to la de mujhe hari hari choodiyan by Shabbir Kumar & Lata Mangeshkar from Aaj Ka Arjun (1990), lyrics Anjaan, music Bappi Lahiri

The wrist cannot be fair without the rest of body being fair. Jayaprada wooes Amitabh Bachchan by showing off her fair complexion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBSYNez5d8o&list=RDfBSYNez5d8o&start_radio=1

9. Gore gore mukhade par kala kala chashma by Udit Narayan & Alka Yagnik from Suhaag (1994), lyrics Sameer, music Anand-Milind

Even in 90s the fair & lovely songs continued. I am told this film was a hit of the year. If this was so, it must be because of this song. Dark glasses look good on a fair face. Sameer now happens to be the person who has written most songs in Hindi films, far more than Majrooh Sultanpuri and others. I remember Anand-Milind as the sons of the melodious Chitragupt; they must have won several Filmfare Awards, including for their first film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, but for the fans of the Golden Era, Chitragupt remains melody personified.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C1jh8ND3DA&list=RD4C1jh8ND3DA&start_radio=1

10.  Hum kale hain to kya hua dilwale hain by Rafi from Gumnam (1965), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar-Jaikishan

This was a complete Mehmood show in this remake of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgeyRvKTFdc

SJ reprise this song in Brahmachari (1968). Fortunately for them, among child actors was Jr Mehmood, who does a perfect mimicry of Mehmood. I don’t think in any other film Jr Mehmood was as popular.

11. Hum kale hain to kya hua dilwale hain by Rafi from Brahmachari (1968), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar-Jaikishan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV_oVdm-rNg

In literature this issue goes back to at least 16th century, when the blind poet Surdas shows his mastery over child psychology. In one of his verses in Sursagar, मैया मोरी दाऊहि बहुत खिजायो, the child Krishna complains to the mother Yashoda against Balram that he teases the hell out of him, “who is your mother, who is your father? Nand is gora, Yashoda is gori, how come you are dark-skinned?” You can trust our films would be creative.

12. Yashomati maiya se bole Nandlala, Radha kyon gori main kyon kala by Manna Dey & Lata Mangeshkar from Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978), lyrics Pt. Narendra Sharma, music Laxmikant-Pyarelal

The same complaint, but now the child Krishna complains to his mother why Radha was fair and he, dark-skinned. Manna Dey starts the bhajan for the old man on the harmonium, played by our lovable crook Kanhaiyalal, but in his later years he started playing different roles. He soon breaks into uncontrollable coughing. The child Padmini Kolhapuri who had been accompanying her father on his assignments, takes over without a break in the voice of Lata Mangeshkar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e7e0RArZq8

This song has at least a 30-year’s old ancestry going back to the film Gopinath (1948), starring Raj Kapoor.

13. Ayi gori Radhika Braj mein balkhati bali bali jaye Jasumati maiya by Ninu Najumdar and Meena Kapoor from Gopinath (1948), lyrics Surdas, music Ninu Majumdar

It seems in this song, Radhika is no longer a child, but a grown-up woman. There is no gora-kala angle in it. Yasumati maiya, who knows Radha-Krishna relationship is very happy to meet with Radhika, and informs her that Kunwar Kanhaiya has gone to Madhuban. Raj Kapoor must have remembered this very melodious song, and told it to Laxmikant-Pyarelal. To LP’s credit, they have given a nice make-over to this song in SSS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvQCJ9YV6BA

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer
The song links from the YouTube have been given or embedded only for the listening pleasure of music lovers. This blog does not claim, directly or indirectly, any copyright over these songs which vests with the respective copyright owners.