Q&A in songs

Q&AWe used to learn in our schools that literature is the mirror of society. As I grew, I realised this is more true of our film songs which mirror every aspect of the society and our lives. No wonder there are a large number of ‘I ask, you answer’ songs. Questioning and seeking answers is fundamental to our existence from ancient days. Our Upanishads asked, What is the Ultimate Reality, What is the Human Soul? Most Upanishads – and not only the Prashnopanishad – had Q&A between a seeker and a teacher. Puaranas talk about creation, Ye kya hua, kaise hua? The blind king Dhritrashtra asked Sanjay, who had been blessed with divine vision, to tell him exactly what was happening on the battlefield, Mujhe sach sach bata, and that became Bhagvad Geeta. As soon as someone arrives after a journey, before he gets a chance to freshen up, we crowd around him to ask where all he had been and what he saw. This is how the epic Mahabharat starts. The great sage Ugrashrava, son of Lomharshan, lands in Naimisharanya in the course of his wanderings where the assembled rishis ask him in unison, Kahan kahan gaye, kya kya dekha. Ugrashrava said, he had been to Janmejay’s snake-sacrifice where Vaishampayan narrated the wonderful tale of Mahabharat, which had been written by Vedvyas. The epic is full of Q&A, for example, Yaksha-Prashna is a very well-known episode in it.

These questions may be quite complex. But are there any simple questions? Is two plus two four? A mathematician would say, that depends. Who won the recent presidential selection in the US? Did you say, the whole world knows it? But 60 million Americans believe Trump won it and it was stolen from him by fraud. Since America is the land of justice, they stormed the Capitol to undo the wrong. Is there a Covid19 pandemic across the world caused by a virus? What a dumb question is this when millions are dead, the global economy is reeling, and millions have become jobless? But we still learn from WhatsApp University that there is no pandemic; it is a big hoax perpetrated by the greedy pharma companies, and power-hungry politicians to impose authoritarian regime over ‘We the people’: Wear mask, get vaccinated, remain indoors. Fat chance! We are the land of the Statue of Liberty.

Courts in every democratic country struggle with what questions are admissible and what are not. The judge may disallow the question on his own or, on a lawyer’s objection, bring down the gravel with ‘Objection Sustained’ in a stern voice. In real life and Bollywood the problems are of a different type. The question is permissible under the law, but the hero will accept only one answer.

In seminars (now webinars) you learn that the key to good management is you should ask the right ‘questions’. What do you do when you ask the right question, but the person is determined to give answer to another question? Today everyone is an Afghanistan expert. Please conduct an experiment, ask your learned friend, ‘Should India establish diplomatic relations with Taliban?’ It is a valid question, and it has three plausible answers: ‘Yes’, ‘No’, or ‘We have to wait and watch’. But the learned friend would most likely answer, ‘Taliban are barbaric, savage brutes. They kill dissidents, and women who study, or work, or go out unaccompanied by a male member of the family’. This is not the answer to the question asked. This is the answer to another question, ‘Is the new Taliban moderate or as intolerant as ever?’

Shastrarth (शास्त्रार्थ) in Sanskrit was a living tradition until the 1960s in marriages in the Brahmin community in my part of the country. I was also witness to its demise triggered by one such occasion in a marriage. After the baraat had settled down, the bride’s family went over to the janvasa to ritually invite them to their dwelling. One side then initiated the traditional shastrarth. The other side, which was somewhat modernised, was clueless about Sanskrit scriptures and they had none who could speak the language. It was getting quite embarrassing for them when one of the elders whispered something in the ears of a boy. The boy was visibly protesting, but for the family honour he stood up and started his fusillade in English which he had memorised for his school function: ‘India is my country. I love my country. It got Independence on …’ This was a knock-out punch and the first side had no answer. The news spread like wildfire, and people started preparing for such eventuality. Next time when one side started with ‘India is my country…’, the other side was ready with its own weapon, ‘My name is Sohan. I study in Boys High School, Chhapra. I respect my teachers. We celebrate Teachers’ Day on the 5th September…’ in धाराप्रवाह English. There was wild clapping as both the sides were evenly matched. As English literacy grew, this farce died an automatic death.

Politicians generally get away with giving irrelevant answers to inconvenient questions. Not so lucky was the inheritor of the most important surname in the country. The nasty anchor started asking out-of-syllabus questions, whereas our leader had prepared only three questions thoroughly. So to any question, whether on India’s foreign policy or economy, his answer was the same: RTI; Women’s Empowerment; Grassroots cadre. He has not been able to shake off that ignominy yet.

Some Bollywood songs do not pose any philosophical dilemma. They are pahelis like ‘Ichak dana bichak dana… Bolo kya?’ in the tradition of Amir Khusro’s riddles.

Questioning is not unique to Indian traditions. Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates was known for asking questions, for which he was willing to pay the price. His disciple and grand-disciple, Plato and Aristotle, continued the tradition. They are the fountain of Western thought. But Hollywood cannot hold a candle to Bollywood, they do not have Hindi film songs which raise questions and seek answers. Let us enjoy different types of Q&A songs.

1. Please tell me the truth, and nothing but the truth.

Mujhe sach sach bata do, Kya? by Mukesh and Rajkumari from Baawre Nain (1950), lyrics Kidar Sharma, music Roshan

Kidar Sharma claims in his autobiography that this was the first question and answer songs in films. I find this claim suspect, 1931 to 1949 is a long period, and there may be songs of Q&A type prior to this. But this is a wonderful song, and a perfect question and answer song. Every para is full of such questions and answers.

मुझे सच सच बता दो
‘क्या?’
कि कब दिल में समाये थे?
‘वो पहली बार मुझको देखकर जब मुस्कुराये थे’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saf7bwn-7z4

2. Instead of answering, retort by a question.

Ek sawal main karun ek sawal tum karo har sawal ka sawal hi jawab ho by Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar from Sasural (1961), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar-Jaikishan

Politicians seldom give straight reply to a straightforward question. They are used to retorting by asking another question. This is highly irritating. But strangely in this song, the lovebirds Rajendra Kumar and B Saroja Devi willingly suggest to each other to reply to the question by another question.

3. I don’t take ‘No’ for an answer.

Bol Radha bol sangam hoga ke nahin by Mukesh and Vyjayanthimala from Sangam (1964), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar-Jaikishan

Amitabh Bachchan famously said in the film Pink (2016) in his baritone, ‘No’ sirf ek shabd nahin hai, apne aap mein ek poora vakya hai. This is a dramatic way of saying, ‘No means no, a girl has the right to say no at any stage of the proceedings. And you have no right to infer ‘yes’ in her ‘no’ by her conduct etc.’ But what do you do when Raj Kapoor can’t take ‘No’ for an answer even when Vyjayanthimala tells him in clearest terms, ‘No, no, never.’ He wouldn’t leave her until she yields, ‘Hoga, hoga’. Those days they had not heard of “No means no”. Today any judge would throw such coercive extraction of ‘yes’ out of the court.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a-ONy8iGNQ

4. But this ‘No’ means ‘Yes’.

Baagon mein bahar hai, kaliyon pe nikhar hai, tumko mujhse pyar hai by Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar from Aaradhana (1969), lyrics Anand Bakshi, music SD Burman

‘No means no’ founders in this song. The reincarnate Rajesh Khanna is gallivanting with Farida Jalal. He tries to trip her by asking some innocuous questions before slipping in ‘Tumko mujhse pyar hai?’. But she is alert and answers ‘Na, na na, na’. However, the audience is in no doubt that it is love play, and the ‘No’ means ‘Yes’ here. Even Amitabh Bachchan would have to concede here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGvPWwfj0TA

5. Correct but meaningless answer

Baagh mein phool kisne khilaye hain, maine to nahin, maine to nahin by Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar from Night in London (1967), lyrics Anand Bakshi, music Laxmikant Pyarelal

There are some clever answers which are correct but do not convey anything. Careers in civil service are built on such inane answers which are ‘correct’, as Sir Humphrey Appleby demonstrated to his minister Jim Hacker. Closer home, the story of an inspector’s surprise visit to a school is well known. In one class when he asked, Shivji ka dhanush kisne toda?, all the boys replied, Maine to nahin. The inspector then sternly asked the teacher, this is what you have taught your class? He assured the inspector his students were very disciplined and he was sure none from his class would have done it. The principal, however, showed more concern, and assured the inspector that he would set up an enquiry and if any boy of his school was involved in breaking the bow, he would not be spared and would be asked to make good the loss of the said Shivji, and could the Inspector Sir kindly give Shivji’s contact number and a copy of his complaint? This ‘Maine to nahin’ to ‘Who has caused the flowers to bloom in the garden’ is in the same class of correct but meaningless answers.

6. Who are You, Who are You?

Ye to kaho kaun ho tum, kaun ho tum, mujhse poochhe bina dil mein aane lage by Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar from Aashiq (1962), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar-Jaikishan

‘Who are You’ paraphrases the fundamental query in the Upanishads. Naturally, there are a large number of songs based on this query. The purest is Kaun ho tum, kaun ho, kaun ho tum, kaun ho, kaun ho by Mahendra Kapoor from Stree (1961), composed by C Ramchandra. But Ye to kaho kaun ho tum cuts out all the deep philosophy, and gives a joyous dance song composed by Shankar-Jaikishan. Raj Kapoor is wonderful with his dhol and dance, with Padmini as always frothy with her movements. Beautiful singing by Mukesh and Lata Mageshkar. Another song you would recall is Tum kaun ho bataao tumhara naam hai kya (Aasra, 1966, Lata Mangeshkar, LP).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N-C-jIe0OQ

7. I am confused, I don’t know what is happening to me.

Kya hua, ye mujhe kya hua, kya pata, jaane kyun machal raha hai dil mera by Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle from Jis Desh Mein Ganga Bahti Hai (1960), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar-Jaikishan

Kya hua, ye mujhe kya hua, jaane kyun machal raha hai dil mera was exactly the condition of Arjun on the battlefield on seeing his cousins, uncles, elders, guru, and grandfather lined up on the other side. His body started trembling, hairs on his body stood on their end, his Gandeeva bow started slipping from his hand, his mind was wavering. But trust Raj Kapoor to give it a complete makeover. Padmini in love is getting strange feelings, but there is exhilaration, and does what she does best. She breaks into a gorgeous dance with her sakhi Chanchal (?). Shankar-Jaiksihan’s music is top class.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4McIJqWWww

8. I am confused, why am I like this, why am I like this?

Main aisa kyun hun, main aisa kyun hun by Shan from Lakshya (2004), lyrics Javed Akhtar, music Shankar-Ehsan-Loy

If war can leave Arjun confused and trembling, it can make an ordinary mortal, who was not sure what he wanted to do in life, disoriented.

9. I am not sure, if I ask you something, would you give me a proper reply?

Agar main poochhun jawab doge by Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar from Shikari (1963), lyrics Farooq Qaiser, music GS Kohli

Here is another type of self-doubt. The hero is not confident that the lady would give reply to his questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSyRts04yOE

10. What did you just say? ‘I don’t care, I might have just said anything.’

Ye tune kya kaha, ‘kaha hoga’/ Ye maine kya suna, ‘suna hoga’ by Mukesh and Asha Bhosle from Insaaf (1966), lyrics Akhtar Romani, music Usha Khanna

In this one the guy doesn’t care. I might have said something, so what? And whatever the lady heard is her business, ‘Suna hoga’. But this self-confidence wins the girl.

ये तूने क्या कहा?
‘कहा होगा’
ये मैंने क्या सुना?
‘सुना होगा’

11. I want to explore the stars, tell me what would be the moon like. ‘It wouldn’t be as beautiful as you’.

Na jaane chaand kaisa hoga..Tum sa haseen to nahin by Mukesh and Kamal Barot from Rocket Girl (1962), lyrics Prem Dhawan, music Chitragupta

Our resident astronomer DP Rangan would understand this desire to explore the moon and the stars. The hero gives an ‘irrelevant’ answer, but very romantic and pleasing to the ears of the lady, ‘Not as beautiful as you’. The correct answer an expert like Mr Rangan would give is that there are about 175 hitherto known ‘moons’ of different planets orbiting around their respective planets. The ‘chaand’ in this song refers to the moon of the earth, which happens to have a solitary moon. It has a cratered surface, Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon, i.e. the ‘chaand’ of our songs. And so on. I don’t know whether this correct answer would fetch him applause or booing. But the song by Mukesh and Kamal Barot is of ethereal beauty. Hats off to Chitragupta.

12. Answer a factual question straight, don’t beat about the bush.

Bol gori bol tera kaun piya by Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar from Milan (1967), lyrics Anand Bakshi, music Laxmikant-Pyarelal

In song #11, the idiomatic, but irrelevant answer works better. But there are times when beating about the bush can be very hazardous. Eli Wallach gave this lesson in his iconic line, When you have to shoot, shoot, don’t talk with telling effect. In our films, countless ladies had a messy end to their love affair just because they spoke in riddles when a straightforward answer was called for. But they don’t learn, Jamuna continues talking in riddles:

Tell me damsel, who is your lover?
‘You don’t know? I can’t believe it.
He is the one whose name the world takes every morning and evening.’
…….
(Lady! Why don’t you just tell his name, and get done with it?)

But, to be fair, I realise in this case it wouldn’t have made any difference to Pran.

13. O hero, be careful. You are crossing the line.

Kahan chal diye idhar to aao, mere dil ko na thukaraao, bhole sitamgar maan bhi jaao, maan bhi jaao Rafi from Jhuk Gaya Aasman (1968), lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, music Shankar-Jaikishan

By any yardstick, this is plain stalking, outraging the modesty of a lady and sexual harassment.

हमारी जान जाती है, अदा कहते हो तुम इसको
बड़े मासूम क़ातिल हो, सज़ा देते हो तुम मुझको

Those days perhaps this was the norm. But one question always nags me, why did this hero keep mum when another fellow was snatching his girl from him brazenly in the film Sangam?
(Note: Readers with sensitive ears must have been jarred by ‘Mere dil ko na ‘ठूकराओ’, instead of the correct ठुकराओ. But as I have illustrated in ‘व्याकरण, उच्चारण और उत्पीड़न‘, there are many such songs due to the compulsion to fit the words in the meter of the pre-composed tune.)

14. All tapori songs are not regressive.

Ae kya bolti tu, Aati kya Khandala by Aamir Khan and Alka Yagnik from Ghulam (1998), lyrics Sameer, music Jatin-Lalit

This tapori song, asking the girl bluntly if she would come to Khandala, may sound too brazen and aggressive. But if you listen carefully, you will find there is a great deal of gender equality in the song. There is a frank question and answer, the lady asks clearly why she should come to Khandala. The tapori, without sounding overbearing, gives a factual description of what all they can do there. It is clear the lady has full freedom to take a decision. This is a perfect, progressive Q&A song to end the post with.

ऐ क्या बोलती तू?
‘ऐ क्या मैं बोलूं’
सुन
‘सुना’
आती क्या खण्डाला?
‘क्या, करूं, आके मैं खण्डाला’
घूमेंगे, फिरेंगे, नाचेंगे, गायेंगे, ऐश करेंगे और क्या

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
The song links have been embedded from the YouTube only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

231 comments…read them below or add one

  1. AKji
    From where you get such wonderful themes to dwell about. It is as original as one can wish for. Devas and asuras would have given up their attempt to get amrutha when churning the milk ocean the minute your post came out and instead would probably bury the hatchet and pore through your incredible post. It will definitely tax the memory of blog followers to come up with suitable songs and we will now enjoy a feast of original ideas emanating from one and all except the undersigned who knows his limitations. Another tour de force post.

  2. The only song I can think of at present juncture is the one sung by Kishore Kumar in Amar Prem for Rajesh Khanna, set to music by Pancham R.D. Burman to the lyrics of Anand Nakshi

    Yeh kya hua kaisa hua
    https://youtu.be/I81r9C5Mk14?t=102
    It is for blog master to fit this into appropriate ledge.

  4. Mr Rangan,
    You are always very generous with praise. Songs are numerous. It is for the person to assign a meaning. ‘Kya hua, kaise hua’ can be Stephen Hawking’s Big Bang Theory or creation as described in Vishnu Puran, or other theologies. There is no limit on wild imagination. You are a scholar, I can only do such stuff.

  5. AK ji,
    Vah, Vah, क्या बात है !
    A very nice theme for a post. If one starts finding songs with a question, or question and answers, he will find them in plenty.
    You have quoted instances from Vedas, Mahabharat and other scriptures. I would add one more pertinent question which was answered with full conviction. The question was कोहम ? and the answer was अहं ब्रम्हास्मि .
    There is a drop of the Universe in every Human being, so said Lord Vishnu in Vishnu Puran.

    Here is one of the songs which came to my mind immediately, while reading this write up.
    ” Mere aye dil bata…kya karoon, kya karoon/”
    Jhanak Jhanak Paayal Baaje-1955
    Lata,
    Hasrat,
    Vasant Desai.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFREpNWSlaw
    -AD

  6. Ashokji,
    ‘Kaun ho tum kaun ho’ is a perfect ‘who are you song’. Since I have embarked on a wild imagination, this can be Arjun’s doubts on the battlefield, and Krishna removes all doubts by showing his Vishwaroop.

  9. What a delightful and humorous post, AK!!I have a question for you – what is the source of the perennial fount of ideas for innovative themes for your blog-posts?

    Here is a song that comes to my mind whenever I see paintings of abstract art that I cannot understand:

    ‘Yeh kaun chitrakaar hai?’ by Mukesh from ‘Boond jo ban gayi moti’ (1967), MD – Satish Bhatia. Lyricist – Bharat Vyas

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVEk5wxxg-0

    And now for a Q&A session that touches upon Biology, Metallurgy, Cloud Technology and Fashion Technology:

    ‘Aankhon mein kya ji’ by Asha & Kishore from ‘Nau Do Gyaarah'(1957). MD – Sachin Dev Burman, Lyricist – Majrooh Sultanpuri

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5DG-I71hB8

  10. If one changes the ‘man’ in the 1st line of this song to ‘ghar’, and the second line to ‘doorbell ko bajaate huwe’, it will be the perfect response to the sound of the doorbell:

    ‘Kaun aaya mere man ke dwaare’by Manna Dey, from ‘Dekh Kabeera Roya'(1957), MD – Madan Mohan, Lyricist – Rajinder Krishan
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGMyOX7R2o8

  13. Arunji @5,
    Thanks a lot for your appreciation. कोऽहम् – अहं ब्रह्मास्मि. Who am I? I am the Supreme Reality. In #6 I have mentioned the most appropriate song fitting this I have found so far is ‘Kaun ho tum kaun ho’ from ‘Stree’.

    What should I do is a frequent dilemma in Mahabharat, and we all face such situations everyday in life. Sometimes we have to choose between two bads, and we have to settle for the least bad solution. Often two goods are in conflict. When the Pandavas come with Draupadi from the swaymvar, they ask their mother who is inside, they have brought something very special, what should they do with it. She tells them as usual, you brothers divide it among yourselves. Honouring the mother’s words, or the girl’s honour who has chosen only Arjun?

    When Duryodhan asks his father to invite Pandavas again for gambling, should they obey the elder father, or decline it knowing the evil intent behind it?

    A song fitting such dilemma is ‘Mere ae dil bata, ….. kya karun kya karun’.
    https://youtu.be/JPew2wzxwmk

  17. Its always a pleasure to read your articles as you come up with some innovative topics. Liked the selection of song also. But being ardent fan of C Ramchandra, found one or two songs missing. ‘Bal ki khal nikalte hue… Just wanted to add one in the same genre

    “Meri Sakhi bata… Kya Batau?
    Meri Sakhi Bata, Teri Pi Bin Kaisi Gujari Raat Re” from film Hangama (1952) … sung by CR and Rafi

    https://youtu.be/QIJpjV4uc98

  19. Of course, the very first song I remembered is the classic

    Haal kaisa hai Janab ka?
    Kya qayal hai aap ka ?

    Kabhi tune socha raste mein gaye mil kyon?

    Kaho ji, kaho ji, roz tere sang yoon dil bahlaye kya ?

    Further,

    Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si
    .

    Tum hi kaho ye koi baat hai ?

    O Mannu, tera hua, ab mera kya hoga?
    In
    Hum the, woh thi …

    And, the lesser heard

    Arey, Arey, Arey..ruk jao na ji
    Aisi kya jaldi?
    ..
    Thukranewala kya sochega koi ?

    Am tempted to add

    Hum tumhare hain
    Zara ghar se nikal kar dekh lo..

    with it’s multiple ‘ kya’ s sung differently by Asha and Sudha Malhotra 4 times.

    Kya maza ishq mein hai..

  20. Arre !

    Long absence. No practice.
    Didn’t even mention the movie!

    CHALTI KA NAAM GAADI.
    Majrooh, SDB.

  21. DIL CHAHTA HAI has multiple songs fitting the theme.

    Jaane kyon log pyar karte hain?
    …..kisi pe marte hain?
    Jaane kyon? J K? JK ….?

    Pyar bin jeene mein rakka kya hai ?

    Dil chahta hai
    Kabhi na beete..

    ..
    Kaisa ajab ye safar hai
    ..
    Usko jaana kidhar hai?
    Jo waqt aaye jaane kya dikhaye?

    Tanhai Tanhai..
    ..Kyon aisi ummeed ki maine

    Kaisi hai ye rut ke jis mein..
    ..Kaise kisi ko batayen
    Kaise ye samjhaye..

    Jise doondtha hoon main..
    ..Woh ladki hai kahan?
    …
    Woh ladka hai kahan?

    Koi kahe, kehta rahe.
    ..
    Phir kis liye hichkichana?

  22. Ashwin @9,
    Thanks a lot for your generous praise. ‘Source of ideas’? You have put me in a spot, I didn’t want to admit that it was due to my illiteracy.

    ‘Ye kaun chitrakar hai’: Nice one. But ‘Ye kya chitra hai’ is more common in real life. You go to Louvre or any Museum. While swarms of tourists scurry from one gallery to another putting check mark in the museum map, some painting lover would be lost in love over a painting for hours. She knows the painter obviously but every moment she discovers a new meaning – ‘Ye kya chitra hai dosto, ye kaun si bayar hai’. Now I am not surprised if someone says that a painting brought tears to her eyes.

    Mr Bean is loaned as an expert to the Grierson Art Gallery in LA at the inaugural of a world-famous painting. When asked about his insights into appreciating a great painting, he replies, I sit and watch. There was a wild clapping at this profound answer by the great genius. Bean was truthful. He was a watchman at National Gallery, London, who was always dozing at his job. Sacking him was a bit complicated. Sending him as their expert representative was smoother. He was sure to cause hell there.

    Aankhon mein kyaji: You are outdoing yourself. ‘Cloud Technology’ is very impressive, but what if it rains, or the storm carries away the Cloud to another far location. You have to be very cautious.
    https://youtu.be/AnxrJiS5uKU

    @10, Kaun aya mere ghar ke darwaaje, doorbell bajaate huye 🙂

    @11, Ye kaun aya re kar ke ye solah singaar: Nice song.

    @12, Ye kaun aaj aya savere: Pankaj Mullick would be turning in his grave, but you have given the right reply.

  23. Ketaki Salkar @17,
    Welcome to SOY and thanks a lot for your appreciation. Meri sakhi bata, teri pee bin kaisi guzari raat re is a beautiful song. Thanks a lot for sharing. Now let me share a wonderful C Ramchandra song.

    Boloji dil loge to kya kya doge by Rafi and Shamshad Begum from Patanga (1949), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music C Ramchandra
    The lady is very businesslike. She wants to be sure that she is getting the right price in the barter.
    https://youtu.be/IBGOSZdse70

  24. Dr Shetty @19, 20,
    Your memory cells have started flowing. Haal kaisa hai janab ka/ Kya khaya hai aapka: Perfect Q&A song in which you answer a question by another question. CKNAG has a good number of Q&A song. You are the best person to answer, which film has most Q&A songs.

    @21,
    DCH: This was deservingly a cult movie. Thanks for sharing the songs. One can relate it to the theme of the movie. The three confused youth were in search of their aim in life.

  25. Yes indeed it a very good topic and also good collections of songs on the Question and Answer section in the filmy songs.

    I think there is a Marathi folk Theatre called “Tamasha”. This grew up and flourished during the Maratha Rule. Mostly grew up in the mofussil i.e. a rural or provincial area.

    This theatre often was looked down by the educated poms i.e pompous people.

    But in the Bombay’s Pila House Theatre it flourished until there were cotton mills in Bombay.

    Tamsha had one section in its built portion called “Sawal Jawab” in which a woman and man indulge in the questions and answer which only had to be in the songs.

    Hindi films got the idea. Ek Swal Mai Puchoo Eke Sawal Tu Poochho” etc.

    V. Shanaram created a film called “Ram Joshi ” which was both in Hindi and Marathi. This was based on the life and works of Ramjoshi who was a Tamasha writer.

    I like the Raj Kapoor film song “Kaun Ho Tum Kaun Ho Tum, Muze Pchebiger Dilmein Aane Lagi?

    Shalan La

  26. Mahesh @18,
    Six songs on a trot! Thanks a lot. I take your ‘No’ as ‘Yes’. Ye to kaho kaun ho tum (Aashiq) is my song #6.

  27. A beautiful write up on a very popular theme . A great songs selection most of which I have heard . Q & A is very common in HFM songs though in some cases the answers are just left to the imagination .

    Here is a very popular song where questions have been answered . It is well known that OPN managed without the services of Lata for his compositions .

    ‘ Ishaaron ishaaron…’/ 1964 / KASHMIR KI KALI / S H Bihari / OPN / Rafi , Asha

    https://youtu.be/HxZyRkqo0r0

  30. Mr.Rangan @2 & AK @4,

    ‘Yeh kya hua?’ is a song perfect for a situation when a boss besieges a team-member with questions after finding that the latter has messed up a task/project.

  33. A Nice topic and good selection especially the song from Night in London Bagh mein phool kisne which is also wonderfully picturised! I can also recollect Anjaana song Woh kaun hai woh kaun hai which can be a possible addition to this subject.

  36. Ashwin @29,
    Bean (1997) is a full-length feature film. I am sure you would have watched it. This is the one where Mr Bean is sent as an art expert to LA. If you don’t mind Rowan Atkinson’s slapstick, this is absolutely hilarious.

    @30,
    ‘Ye kya hua’: This seems to be very universal. The lady exasperated at the mess created by her newly hired cook. Or Modi’s reaction when West Bengal’s results came out. Even Didi, though she campaigned with ‘Khela hobo’, must have been pleasantly surprised at the results, ‘Ei ki holo’.

  38. Mr Joseph @32,
    Usko nahin dekha….. Ae ma teri surat se alag Bhagwan ki surat kya hogi. Nice one. The question itself contains the answer.

    @35,
    Chori chori jo tumse mili: Too good. LP’s debut in a B-grade movie was pure gold. Each song was a gem. The woman asks, the man replies.

  39. KB @33,
    Thanks a lot for your appreciation. Wo kaun hai wo kaun hai is a nice paheli song.

    @34,
    Kyun mujhe itni khushi de di ki ghabrata hai dil: Nice Q&A song in which the answer is implied in the question itself.

  41. Mr Joseph @37,
    Nice observation about pyar, mohabbat, ulfat. The man is asking a leading question. The lady confirms, but the answer was built-in in the man’s question.

  45. AK ji
    You have turned a mundane theme into a superb one. As you have mentioned in one of the comments above there is surfeit of songs on the theme that’s why it is difficult to pick the songs and classify them appropriately. But the way you have done it is simply marvelous.
    One of the oft repeated question in HFM is regarding where to go or जायेगा कहां?
    Great SDB in combination with first Sahir and then Shailendra produced two absolutely jayega kaha songs
    1 Jaye to Jaye kaha – Taxi Driver – Talat
    https://youtu.be/_6ZlWLtN0Gk
    2 Waha Kaun hai tera – Guide – SDB
    https://youtu.be/haO0ucjvxeo
    Then we have SJ with Shailendra and Manna dey on both the occasions delivering these two gems
    1 Ab kaha jaye hum – Ujaala
    https://youtu.be/FwRT_MfsPUY
    2 Kaha ja raha hai – Seema
    https://youtu.be/vc345ECcg7k
    Ironically it was left to Shailendra’s son to answer the question emphatically in Mera Naam Joker
    Jeena yaha – SJ
    https://youtu.be/sI7WLg21i80
    Post 90 the Jayega kaha songs have become rare perhaps because of advanced means ranging from mobiles to GPS the risk of losing your destination has reduced significantly or is it?

  51. Mr Joseph @40,
    Mere jeevan mein kiran ban ke sanwarne waali, bolo tum kaun ho is such a beautiful song. Answer is implied.

    @42,
    Koi bata de dil hai kahan: Nice Q&A song.

    @43,
    Aag pani mein: Nice song.

    @44,
    Pyar par bas to nahin hai…Tu bata de ki tujhe pyar karun ya na karun: Would you call him a timid, unsure man, or an extremely courteous man?

    @46,
    Dil ki duniya basa ke sanwariya….Tum na jaane kahan kho gaye: Absolutely. The man
    should have given her his forwarding address.

    @47,
    Kitna implies the answer too, ‘very much’.

    @48,
    Kahan shuru kahan khatam: sounds very profound.

    @49,
    O dildar, bolo ek baar: When two lovers in sync, each knows what answer the other would give.

    @50,
    Tum akele to kabhi…To phir kya hoga?: The purpose is not some query, but putting fear into the woman about the disaster that might befall her.

  52. Mr Muli @45,
    So true, Jayega kahan is a common query in our songs. Some are very profound, Musafir, jayega kahan. With GPS too, you have to tell your destination in the beginning. Thereafter, you don’t have to give directions – Ab idhar, ab udhar, ab yahan, ab wahan, and finally, yahi hai, yahi hai chhaon dhoop.

  53. AKji,

    A well-written post on the Sawaal-Jawaab theme.

    Though the theme is quite common, your write-up and presentation makes it interesting and stimulating.

    Songs with Q&A and more so, those with only questions, are plenty. So, I am sure we will see a large number of comments and songs posted.

    Sone Ki Chidiya 1958
    OPN – Sahir – Talat, Asha

    Sach bata tu mujhpe fida kyun hua aur kaise hua

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThyPl4O47gM

  60. Dr Deshpande @53,
    Thanks a lot for your appreciation. Sach bata tu mujhpe fida, kya hua aur kaise hua is a very nice song. If we are into etymological classification, this falls in the broad category of ‘kya hua, kaise hua’?

    @55, 56, 57,
    ‘Kaun aya’ is a nice category. A related song is Koi mere dil mein khushi ban ke aya from Andaz (1949). This is one of the clearest examples of the pitfall of speaking in riddles when a straightforward answer was called for.

  64. Mr Muli @59,
    Nice reply in Amir Garib. I think there are a good number of answer songs – ‘Main aya’ – as answer to ‘Kaun aya’.

  66. Oh!
    Great post AKji.

    How did you come up with such simple yet interesting posts?
    Why these themes don’t occur to us?
    How did you manage to add such a great bunch of songs?

    So many questions in my mind!

    And
    How the readers pour out songs like a waterfall as if you switched on thier brains?

    Jokes apart,
    I enjoyed the post and so many songs in the post and the comments.
    Still
    I managed to find a few songs, hopefully not added si far.

    Yeh kisne geet chheda

    https://youtu.be/9k06yLiFwCM

    Batao tum kaun ho from anmol

    https://youtu.be/K5BLfngmgS8

    Kaun ho tum jo from mashooq

    https://youtu.be/sZMkEtWphhI

    Kaun hai jo sapnon mein aaya

    https://youtu.be/exD5okdopWc

    Yeh kya ho raha hai

    https://youtu.be/vfuAjw23KDE

    Anup
    🙂

  70. Koi chupke se aake
    Sapne sulake mujhko jagake bole
    Ke main aa raha hoon
    Kaun aaye yeh main kaise jaanu?

    And,
    Chand sa mukhda kyun sharmaya?

    And
    Of course the song un the screen shot

    Yeh to kaho kaun ho tum from Akeli mat jaoyo

  71. SANGAM, 1964.

    1. Mehbooba likhoon?
    Haseena likhoon?
    Ya Dilruba likhoon?
    …is khat mein kya likhoon?

    2. Mere man ki Ganga..
    ..Bol Radha, Bol Sangam hoga ke nahin?

    …bhoj kabhi Kam
    …Har Mausam hai pyar ka Mausam
    …dil ye tera Nam
    ( Hoga ke nahin? )

    3. Dost dost na raha..
    ..
    Woh tum na thi toh kaun tha?
    Tumhi toh thi.

    4. O mere Sanam..
    ..
    Humne aakhir kya dekh liya?
    Kya baat hai kyon hairan hain hum ?

    5. O Mehbooba, O Mehbooba
    Tere dil ke paas hi..
    ..
    Kis baat pe naraaz ho ?
    Kis baat ka hai gam?
    Kis soch mein doobee ho ?

    6. Har dil jo pyar karega..
    ..
    Jaane kab in ankhon ka
    Sharmaana jaayega?

    7. Main ka karoon Ram
    Mujhe budda mil gaya?

  74. Ab mai kya karun, Kit jaun ……. KLSaigal
    Ai Kateebe taqdeer Mujhe Itna ….. ”
    Kahe ko Raar Machaayi…………… ”
    Karoon Kya Aas Niras bhayi…….. ”
    Kaun Buzave Tarpat moray …….. ”
    Kidhar hai tu aie meri tamanna.. ”
    Kisne… Yeh sab khel rachaya….. ”
    Kya hamne bigada hai……………. ”
    Mai Kya jaanu kya jadu hai……. ”
    Panchhi re kahe hot udaas……. ”

    Yeh kaun aaj aya sabere sabere….. Pankaj Mallick

  75. Dr Deshpande @61, 63,
    These are pure queries: ‘who has come?’

    @65,
    ‘Mehfil mein meri kaun ye deewana aa gaya? Though this also is in the form of a query, there is pre-judgment. Therefore, it is not a pure query, the answer is implied.

    @67,
    ‘Jaaun kahan bata ae dil?’: Confusion about destination is also a common phenomenon. (The rhyming has happened involuntarily, I was not trying to imitate Ashwin 🙂 )

    @69,
    Only the lady knows the answer to ‘mujhe tumse pyar kyun hai?’ But they keep asking the outside world or the object of their love.

    61-63-65-67-69: Have you been reading Ramanujan’s biography? Besides the Arithmetic Progression, is there some other special meaning in this sequence? Since this post is on Q&A, just asking? 🙂

  76. AK ji , Anup ji
    Anup ji has posted ye kisne geet cheda which leads me to number of songs in which the singer faces dilemma; to sing or not to sing
    And there are answers resolving the dilemma
    1 Q Sur na saje kya gaau main – Basant bahar – Manna Dey – Shailendra – SJ
    https://youtu.be/MI4OCBV78nM
    And equally poignant answer
    A Ga mere man ga – Lajavanti – Asha – Majrooh – SDB
    https://youtu.be/ksECojZdPMo

    2 Q Main kaunsa geet sunau kya gaau – Dillagi – Lata – Rajesh
    Roshan- Yogesh
    https://youtu.be/iJDag1rnCG8
    A Gaye ja geet milan ke – Mela- Mukesh- Naushad – Shakeel
    https://youtu.be/YdW0Vd4p-uk

    And what should be the answer to
    Sur ki gati main kya janu?
    https://youtu.be/yHCfmS8Z1HM

  77. What a delightful post, AK! Enjoyed this immensely. I won’t try posting any more Hindi songs, because I’m sure all the many comments already posted will cover those. But, since you mention Hollywood not being a patch on Bollywood when asking questions, I thought I’d add a couple of songs from English-language films.

    Who wants to be a millionaire? from High Society – seemingly come-and-grab-the-wealth sort of song, but actually romantic. I’d rather have you than millions, says Frank Sinatra.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG6UllZwj9c

    From The Sound of Music, What will this day be like?:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJYz8pyXOG4

    And from Love Story, Where do I begin?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrZ2ibWOgkM

    And more. But yes, I agree; Bollywood leaves Hollywood far behind in the asking-questions game.

  78. Anup @66,
    Thanks a lot for your generous appreciation. With so many songs pouring, my mind is working on putting them in different labelled jars.
    1. Ye kisne geet chheda: ‘Who did this?’ किसने?
    2. Bataao tum kaun ho; Kaun ho tum jo; Kaun hai jo sapnon mein aya: Who are you; Who is there/ Who has come? कौन.
    3. Ye kya ho raha hai? What? क्या?

    @68,
    4. Kya se kya ho gaya? What to what? This sounds clumsy. Let us put it in ‘क्या’ jar.
    5. Kyun mujhe itni khushi de di: Why? क्यों?
    6. Kya hua kya nahin mujhko ye pata nahin: What? क्या?

    @70,
    7. Koi chupke se aa ke…Kaun aye ye main kaise jaanu? Goes in two jars – Who? How? कौन? कैसे? (One can put a file in multiple folders.)
    8. Chaand sa mukhada kyun sharmaya? Why? क्यों? (The reason is obvious. Anyone with moonlike cratered face would wish that the Mother Earth would split and swallow her.)
    9. Ye to kaho kaun ho tum?: Who? कौन?

    @72,
    Who? What? Where?

    @73,
    Mujhe tumse hai kitne gile: Nice one. This is the first quantitative interrogative. How much? कितना?

  79. Dr Shetty @71,
    If Sangam had all the songs in Q&A form, this may be across the board. We have to only look at the entire lyrics. This might be another ubiquitous theme like ‘bhoolna/ yaad karna’. Thanks for mentioning the songs.

  80. Manoj @74,
    Thanks for the excellent list of KL Saigal/Pankaj Mullick’s ‘What, Where, Why, Who, Where?’ songs. You have also countered Kidar Sharma’s claim that Mujhe sach sach bata do, Kya? was the first Q&A song. Kya humne bigada hai, kyun humko sataate ho? is a duet between Saigal and Amirbai Karnataki, and to me sounds like a Q&A song, unless Kidar Sharma had a different criteria. It is surprising because Kidar Sharma was an in integral part of the film Bhanwra (1944).

  81. Mr Muli @76,
    Nice one. ‘Main gaaun ya na gaaun’: Would you put this under the generic category of any dilemma ‘Main idhar jaaun ya udhar jaaun?’

  82. Madhu @77,
    Thanks a lot for your appreciation. And thanks for adding sort of Q&A songs from Hollywood. I mentioned Hollywood does not have Hindi film songs. While I find their films far superior, I do not notice their songs. Cultural block. One eternal song I like is Petula Clark’s ‘Why is my heart so light/ Why are the stars so bright/ Why is the sky so blue?’ and she proceeds to give the answer herself. I was always bowled over by this song, now I am more impressed as I discover that it was written by everyone’s great favourite Charlie Chaplin. Meant for a film but could not.

  84. Mahesh,
    Thanks for mentioning it. And Dil ko tumse hai pyar kyun was Jagmohan’s first song I heard when I was not even aware of his name. He became my great favourite since then.

  86. AK @ number 31

    Thanks for your comment.

    Often people make mistakes between the two names and films as well.

    Ramshastri is a very different film made by Prabhat both in Hindi & Marathi in Poona.

    Ram Joshi is made by Rajkamal in Bombay.

    Both films had entirely different stories and characters though the main characters were very Brahmins.

    Ramshastri is about a judgment of death to A Poona Peshwa who was well know for his warier deeds during the Panipat.

    Shalan La

  88. KB,
    The purest Q&A song is between two persons. We can classify Q&A songs on various parameters. One is pure flight of imagination as I have done in the post. The other is on the basis of interrogative pronouns, adjectives and adverbs.

    Similarly, Jab dekh liya to chhupoge kahan tujhe dhoondh hi lenge kahin na kahin can be classified under different folders. Its first part is an interrogative adverb, ‘Where’. It is a solo song of auto Q&A. In the second part the hero himself furnishes the answer, ‘Wherever’, ‘Anywhere’.

  89. At 2′ 09″ into the song we can see Kishore using his palm to stop her from singing . This was the well known cover up of the mistake during song recording .

    ‘ Piya piya mora…’/ 1955 / BAAP RE BAAP / Jaan Nissar Akhtar / OPN / Kishore , Asha

    https://youtu.be/5kiZPy8Ghb8

  90. AK,
    One question. You knew this topic would be a block buster?
    All credit to you for pulling an ace from you sleeve to bring the crowd back.
    Genius of you. एक बार फिर मान गए.

    One correction song number 2 if Rafi not Mukesh with Lata.

    Q & A song pre Bawre Nain?
    Yahan Badla Wafa Jugnu
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PKNh4ceh14

    Self Q & A song
    Kooch dil ne kahaa Anupama
    https://youtu.be/69dnqIFfrnE

    Kaha Le Chale Ho – Lata Mangeshkar duresh Nandin
    https://youtu.be/yYk2b0jdtmQ

    Coming back to reality for khayalon ki duniya
    Some hard hitting questions by kavi Pradeep

    Aaj Ke Insaan Ko Yeh Kya Ho Gaya – Pradeep
    https://youtu.be/eU_6P0Zeb9w

    Last Q to who else
    Bata mujhe o jahan ke malik Ek shola(1958)
    https://youtu.be/XkvY_hYC0Sk

  98. Mr S Joseph @89,
    Piya piya mora jiya pukare: Nice Q&A song. A request, we may not remember the ‘antara’ off-hand. If Q&A is tucked inside, please draw our attention to it, so that we are able to relate the song to the theme.

    @91, Dekh tere sansar ki haalat kya ho gayi Bhagwan, kitna badal gaya insaan:
    @92, Mujhse mat pooch mere ishq mein kya rakha hai
    @96, Ab kya misal dun tumhaare shabab ki
    Nice self-Q&A songs.

    @93, 94,
    Nice Q&A songs.

    @95,
    Tumhein yaad hoga kabhi hum mile the: Q&A not in the mukhada. Location has to be to be highlighted.

  100. Mumbaikar8 @90,
    I could see Q&A had many layers. The wild connections kept occurring to me over a period of time. Obviously because it is so universal. Your adopted country is itself a very fertile ground. And funny place! We are willing to be killed by a manic shooter, but right to hold a gun is sacrosanct. And they look for elephants and snake-charmers in India!

    There must be many pre-Bawre Nain Q&A songs. Manoj has earlier posted Saigal-Amirbai Karnataki’s Kya humne bigada hai, kyun humko sataate ho?.

    Thanks for adding some very nice songs.

  102. Mr Muli @99,
    Viral video of politician? Can’t make out which one you are referring. There are many. One I remember is ‘Go, Corona, Go’.

    Ek ajanabi haseena se yun mulaqat ho gayi is a very nice song.

  109. No, you were more than clear. I must have been away from the normal world. I just read Javed Akhtar exclaiming, ‘We have a similar song in Hindi too.’

  111. AKji @75,

    I always enjoy your witty comments and sharp observations.

    And regarding 61-63-65-67-69, I am thankful to you (62,64) and Anup (66,68), for the Arithmetic Progression. Otherwise, it would have been a continuous sequence.
    And Dr. Anup has his own sequence too..

    BTW, regarding The Man Who Knew Infinity, I have read the book as well as seen the movie.

  116. Anita @110,
    Har sawal ka jawab nahin mil sakta: Reminds of a very common phenomenon in real life and complex organisations. There are people who have questions to any answers, or problems to any solutions. The problem is compounded because they have a sense of obnoxious self-righteousness and wear their ‘honesty’ as a medallion. Since government works on the principle of mistrust, these good-for-nothing Satya Harishchandra’s have a great nuisance value. Since you can’t entrust them with any work, they utilise their idle time in whistleblowing with amplifiers. I missed this important Q&A feature in the real world.

  117. Dr Deshpande @111,
    In that case you must have noticed this obvious relationship:
    61+63+65+67+69 = 35^2-30^2
    = 5^2(7^2-6^2)

    Now 5, 6, 7 (though scrambled in the above) is also an AP. The numbers have been raised to the power of 2. If you subtract 2 from them, you get 3, 4, 5 which happens to be the primary Pythagorean triplet.

    @112,
    Kya dekhate ho? is an excellent Q&A song.

    @113,
    So English is required to make them civilised!

    @114,
    And you promptly discover another one. That was a joint of sophisticated Don, so proves the point.

    @115,
    Kiska rasta dekhen: Nice Q song of dejection. From haajat the song jumps to flashback of serenading in sylvan surroundings.

  121. Dr Deshpande @118,
    What’s your problem, Kya hai tera gham bata: Now this language should make sense to the Gen X, (or Gen Z?).

    @119,
    Tu kitne baras ka
    Tu kitne baras ki
    I must say the girl is very responsible. 16-17 is still below the legal age for consent, therefore, she advises patience for a couple of years – Ek do baras zara door rahna.

    @120,
    ….Ye to bata tera naam hai kya: I think Rishi Kapoor follows the correct sequence of asking the name first, then the age. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but if he did something with a minor, cops would be after him.

  129. AK ji
    There are zillion songs on the theme. This may be because grappling with problems -trivial or serious is in the ordinary course of business.
    Why songs only , many iconic dialogues in Hindi films are questions like
    Kaun kambkhat
    Kitne aadmi the?
    Kya hai tumhare paas ? and so on .
    One of the problems faced by characters in Hindi films is what to do? Kya kare/ karu ?
    Here are few profound songs from this genre
    1 Aye gam-e- dil kya karu?
    Thokar- Talat/Asha- Majaaj – Sardar Malik
    https://youtu.be/so73yLOieZI

    2 Megha chaye aadhi raat —- bata de main kya karu?
    Sharmilee – Lata – Neeraj – SDB
    https://youtu.be/Eraw8nkEGPg

    3 Ye dil tum bin kahi —- ham kya kare?
    Ijjat – Lata & Rafi – Sahir- LP
    https://youtu.be/UbrJ0QmAxiQ

  131. Mr Muli @129,
    If you look at my response to Anup @78, the dilemma our heroes and heroines face are the whole range of interrogative pronouns, adjectives and adverbs: Who? Whom? What? Why? How? Where? When? How many (‘Kitne aadmi the’)? How much? (‘Kitna pyar hai tumse’)} You have mentioned some excellent’What’ songs.

  133. This song reminds me of the first lesson – Que’est-ce que c’est? (meaning ‘what is this?’) – in the French text book (Mauger Bleu). It was a 1-page lesson that had line drawings of objects such as a book, notebook, etc. on the left side side ,with this question printed under each object, and with the corresponding answers (C’est un livre, c’est un cahier, etc. ) on the right hand side.

    ‘Woh kya hai?’by Rafi & Lata, from ‘Anuraag’ (1972) MD – S.D.Burman, Lyricist – Anand Bakshi

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWYhxNwnKJ8

  135. Ashwin @133,
    Wo kya hai? Wo mandir hai:
    Great discovery of Quest-ce que c’est song. Our song is meant for higher classes, normally they would start with अनार, आम.
    French also have a universal answer (not for school kids though) to the above question: ‘C’est la vie’.

  136. A popular song of MD Ravi. I would say this song has many Q & A . Two of the Q & A occur at 1′ 18″ and 2′ 23″ seconds into this video .

    ‘Bikhhra ke zulfen… ‘/ 1961 / NAZRANA / Rajinder Krishan / Ravi / Mukesh , Lata

    https://youtu.be/H6V25nDXpSw

  137. Mr Joseph,
    Bikhara ke zulfein zuban pa na lana: Interesting observation about multiple Q&A. This is also a very common type. Listen to the full song #11, Na jaane Chaand kaisa hoga.. Its every stanza has a new set of Q&A.

  143. Dr Deshpande @138,
    Aap yahan aye kis liye: We were just discussing a song having multiple Q&A. And you have posted a nice one.

    @139,
    Tu kahan gayi thi, mar jaaye sanwariya?:
    Threatening suicide on such a trivial matter!

    @140,
    Ye din kyun nikalta hai, ye raat kyun hoti hai?:
    I am surprised they are asking such trivial questions. Everyone knows it is caused by the earth revolving on its axis. Didn’t they go to school.

    @141,
    Ek cheez maangte hain hum tumse pahli baar: In any agreement, the parties want to be clear about the fine print. Sanjay Khan does all his best to remove any misgivings.

    @142,
    Ek baat poochhun: Nice Q&A song.

  144. AK ji
    You bar the others from asking questions but proceed to provide answers
    1 Pucho na kaise Maine Rain beetai – Meri Surat Teri Aankhe – Manna Dey- Shailendra – SDB
    https://youtu.be/0vh8_1ruoRo

    2 Na pucho koi hame – Amanush – Kishor – Indeevar-Shyamal Mitra
    https://youtu.be/iXyEukrz-p0
    3 Pucho na hame hum unke liye
    Mitti me sona- Asha- Raja Mehdi Ali Khan-OPN
    https://youtu.be/Wj9PMW_B4Q8

    Now you instigate others to ask questions but give answers instantly.
    1 pucho jara pucho mujhe kya hua hai – Raja Hindusthani- Kumar and Alka- Sameer- Nadeem Shravan
    https://youtu.be/6ycusGncKJM

    2 Pucho to yaaro hum kaun hai – Chupa Rustoom – Manna Dey- Neeraj-SDB
    https://youtu.be/Npwk0H32l7Y

    And you mock the others for the questions asked
    1 Tum puchate ho ishq bala hai ke nahi hai – Naqali Nawab- Rafi- Kaifi Azami-Babul
    https://youtu.be/UPUeOql3w0g

    Finally you castigate others with an incisive question
    1 Maine pee sharab , tumne kya piya? – Naya Raasta- Rafi- Sahir – N Dutta
    https://youtu.be/JPQ-1rwvZ50

  147. I noticed Dustedoff’s comment @77 only now. It immediately brought to mind the following song. Misogynistic as it is, the main question that the Professor puts to Col. Pickering, and then to Mrs. Pearce can only be answered by the Creator, I suppose.

    ‘Why can’t a woman be more like a man?’ by Rex Harrison, from ‘My Fair Lady’ (1964). Music by Frederick Loewe, Lyrucs by Alan Jay Lerner

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Doz5w2W-jAY

  148. Mr Muli @144,
    This is an interesting dilemma of asking questions. I think Hum bolega to bologe ki bolta hai was an answer to this problem. But that is not the end of the matter. They wouldn’t leave you alone, ‘Unko ye shikayat hai ki hum kuchh nahin kahte.’ उस पर तुर्रा ये कि Kuchh kahne pe toofan utha leti hai duniya’.

  149. Mr S Joseph @145, 146,
    Chali kaun se desh gujariya: Whereto?
    Nanhe munne bachche teri mutthi mein kya hai: What is inside?
    Now Q&A is really turning out to be universal.

  150. One more from the same film.

    ‘Why can’t the English?’ by Rex Harrison, Marni Nixon*, Wilfrid Hyde-White

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhninL_G3Fg

    *While Marni Nixon was Audrey Hepburn’s singing voice in the film, since this song did not require the character of Eliza Doolittle to sing, it might have been Hepburn herself who ‘sang’ her lines for this song.

  155. Ashwin @147,
    Why can’t a woman be more like a man?: Nice one.

    @150,
    This dubbing cost Audrey Oscar nomination. Strange system. In that case there should be no Filmfare Award for the Best Actress.

  158. Mr S Joseph @153, @154,
    Bol meri taqdeer mein kya hai;
    Ibtida-e-ishq mein hum saari raat jaage    ;
    The two songs have an uncanny similarity. The lovers on top of the world. ‘What’ query is not a query of concern. The world looks lovely to them.

  164. Dr Deshpande @159,
    Tu chhupi hai kahan, main tadapata yahan:
    Nice song of self-isolation in Corona times.

    @160,
    Kahan chala ae mere jogi jeevaan se tu bhag ke:
    Sounds like Sansar se bhaage phirte ho.

    @161,
    Tu kahan ye bata is nasheeli raat mein:
    Fabulous song.

    @162,
    Akele hi akele chala hai kahan
    This has more prominent Q.&A.

    @163,
    Chala hai kahan duniya idhar hai teri, pyar idhar hai tera:
    Not seeking answer, but questioning his decision.

  168. AK ji
    A vintage state of confusion
    Main kya janu kya jadu hai?- Zindagi – KL Saigal – Kedar Sharma – Pankaj Mullick
    https://youtu.be/JJlHdQlw9y0

    But Asha Parekh is very clear here
    Kya janu sajan hoti hai kya gam ki sham – Baharo ke sapne – Lata – Majrooh – RDB
    https://youtu.be/ykCgasz4ScU
    And these two ladies know the answers for each other’s queries
    Janu janu ri kahe khanake hai – Insaan Jag Utha – Asha and Geeta – Shailendra- SDB
    https://youtu.be/HS6UfRY6aIE

  169. Mr S Joseph @165,
    Nice Twin song of a universal query.

    @166,
    Ayega aanewala: The two instances you have pointed are of interrogation or exclamation?

    @167,
    Nice query about the existence of God.

  173. Mr Joseph @171,
    Meri tasveer lekar kya karoge: Nice question.

    @172,
    Kaise jaaun Jamuna ke teer: She herself tells the reason for her dilemma – Paaon padun zanjeer.

  176. Ak.

    “We are willing to be killed by a manic shooter, but right to hold a gun is sacrosanct.”

    Selling message of fear is not any less in my adopted country than by my birth county☹
    It is well known that the gun lobby is behind this sacrosanct right.

    You have still not corrected the mistake in song# 2 I mentioned @ 90

    A couple of questions in confusion

    Janoo kya mera dil Ziddi Rafi SDB
    https://youtu.be/3-k3J9ilcdc

    Ay dil mujhe bata de Geeta Dutt Bhai Bhai MM
    https://youtu.be/hKcaNydkNMg

    Perfect Q & A Paheli songs

    Kaun si jagah hai khai o matwali Joru ka jhulam Lata Kishore KA
    https://youtu.be/8P-tckjfm10

    Who kaun hai who kaun hai Anjana Lata Mukesh LP

    Lastly that incomprehensible question
    Pyar se phir kyoon darta hai dil? Lata Manna Dey Shree 420 SJ
    https://youtu.be/ZsU4EkTY9Hk

  181. Mumbaikar8 @176,
    Are you being defensive about your adopted country?
    Error in song #2 since corrected. Sorry for missing it. I hope you don’t take it as another instance of slighting Rafi. 🙂
    Janoon kya mera dil: There is no confusion in the mind of Joy Mukherjee that he wants to be a poor man’s Shammi Kapoor.
    Ae dil mujhe bata de tu kispe aa gaya hai: Nice one. There would be no confusion if she and her ‘dil’ were on the same wavelength.

    Kaun si jagah hai khali O matwali: The question is rhetorical. But ‘Wo kaun hai wo kaun‘ is a pure paheli song.

    Pyar se phir kyun darta hai dil: Alas, the two protagonists are no more, who could have helped us comprehend it.

  182. Mr S Joseph
    @177,
    Deewanaon se ye mat poochho dewwanon pe kya guzri hai: Very nice song.

    @178,
    Sansar se baage phirte ho: Nice message song.

    @180,
    Ye mausam rageen samaan: Outstanding song.

    @179,
    Kaahe tarsaye jiyara: Great Roshan composition. Is Lata Mangeshkar’s voice in this song?

    @178,

  183. very well-researched blog but chart-topper is missed (?) The one song that fits perfectly into the groove is Mukesh-Lata duet from Film Anjana
    ” Woh Kaun hai Woh Kaun Hai …..” This Laxmikant PyareLal composition is KBC style song . May be KBC format is inspired by this QA song penned by Anand Bakshi . In this song a Question is asked and Answer is given in 4 possible answers that are incorrect. Finally the correct Answer is revealed by the the person posing the question .
    I think this is the Master song in this QA category . Sir I would request you to consider amend this blog to include this song . I am saying this as your blog would become reference point for generations to come . There are few irrelevant entries like Bagh mein phool kisne khilaiye hai
    (Song no 5) and Kahan Chal diye (Song No 13) as they hardly fit into the criteria .
    I would say there is no harm in releasing updated version of the blog .
    I have no hesitation in giving my email id for communication in case anyone wants to communicate/share his views information on personal basis . I am also willing to offer help as per my limited knowledge that I had gathered in 50s and 60s being ardent Music Lover . Info compiled by me is of Non Google Non Internet era and most of my post is based on my personal information . That is why I am not able to post links to the You Tube video of the above song . I have lyric books of film songs that were sold ouside cinema houses showing the films . Songs of popular film songs like Mughal e Aza or Jis desh mein ganga behti hai used to be aavailable through out the years . Another hot place was now defunct famous and iconic Delhi Sunday book bazar held at Darya Gunj .

  184. Avinash Kumar @183,
    Thanks a lot for your appreciation and very detailed analytical comments. Your participation in the last few days indicates beginning of a beautiful relationship with SOY.

    I appreciate your comments about song #5 and 13. Perhaps you are looking for some utilitarian reason for a blog’s raison d’etre. There are some blogs which play that role. Not mine. I enjoyed writing about those songs the most. Earlier I used to use the term स्वान्त: सुखाय. For regulars, this would now sound hackneyed. But since you are a new visitor, I can use it.

    It is nice to know about your deep interest in old film music. We might tap into it from time to time.

  188. Mr Muli @185,
    Hai apna dil to awara, na jaane kis pe aayega
    Kis kis ko pyar karun?
    Other end of the spectrum? I thought both face the same dilemma.

  189. Mr S Joseph @186,
    Hum aapki aankhon mein:
    Nice Q&A song with a difference. The lady in her answer counters the man’s all propositions.

    @187,
    Jogi O jogi: Mehmood was also a star those days demanding songs for himself.

  200. AK ji
    My view is different. So we agree to disagree.
    Now few songs expressing simmilar philosophical predicament ;
    1 Ganga aaye kaha se?
    Kabuliwala- Guljar- Salil Chowdhury – Hemant Kumar
    https://youtu.be/_HNsAq85ju8
    2 Oh re taal mile nadi ke jal me- Anokhi Raat- Roshan-Indeevar – Mukesh

    3 Ye neer kaha se barase – Prem parbat- Padma Sachdeva – Jaidev – Lata
    https://youtu.be/6CsxIsksYXE

  202. Dr Deshpande @190,
    Ye zulf kaisi hai: Perfect Q&Q song. Answer given in the form of a song.

    @191,
    Jaan-e-jaan dhoondhata phir raha, main yahan tum kahan: Now Jaya Bhaduri decides to give a factual answer, Main yahan.

    @192,
    Bhali bhali si ek soorat: Answer in riddles.

    @193,
    Mere rang mein rangnewali….mere sawaalon ka jawab do: Salman keeps asking questions, but I don’t know why the lady does not answer, though she is there with him.

    @194,
    Kya hua tera wada: Q song of remonstration?

    @195,
    Bol bol kya naam hai tera: Interesting Q&A song. The answer comes after some quizzing.

    @196,
    Ai gham-e-yaar bata kaise jiya karte hain: Heard for the first time. Self Q.

    @197,
    Pahle pahle pyar ki mulaqatein yaad hain: New song for me. Fits in Q&A.

    @198,
    Dekho maina dekha hai ye ek sapna….Main ayi ayi ayi ayi ayi: Nice physical answer.

    @199,
    Maine poochha chaand se ki dekha hain kahin: Nice Q song of asking a celestial object.

  207. AK ji,

    Bebus (1950) under composer S K Pal (potential candidate for Forgotten Composers) and Pt Ganpat Rao had 3 solos and one duet with Geeta Roy by Mukesh amongst other songs in it.

    One solo namely “do dil ho, do dilon ka ulfat” is not available with anyone. It had a line at the fag end asking “maalum nahin ab KYA anjaam hamara ho ?.

    The other two solos and the duet are as below; all having questions in them.

    https://youtu.be/URPZSJO7O3A

    https://youtu.be/eXe0KeeJuus

    https://youtu.be/EoNNPgPUq6I

  208. Mahesh,
    SK Pal I immediately recalled for Baadbaan (1954) with Timir Baran, and Pt Ganpat Rao for KL Saigal’s Kurukshetra (1945), each had some immortal songs. Nice discovery. But if you permit me, in the second song in the list Tum jabse milkar chhot gaye, the music director has made Mukesh sing at such a low scale that it does not sound musical, with antara it becomes better. Singing at ultra-low scale is always difficult.

    ‘Forgotten Composers’: I have to discover their more songs.

  209. AKji,
    Coming after a long absence, let me right away start with two QA songs.
    Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Aan Milo Sajna (1970), Anand Bakshi, Laxmikant-Pyarelal

    Achchha to ham chalte hain
    phir kab miloge
    jab tum kahoge
    jumme raat ko
    haan haan aadhi raat ko
    kahaan
    vaheen jahaan koi aata jaata nahi

    And the QA meeting continues…….
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeUyzVMwJTI

    Mukesh, Lata Mangeshkar, Rajesh Khanna, Raja Raani (1973), Anand Bakshi, R D Burman
    Aasama pe chandani ka ek dariya bah raha tha
    Haan To Main Kya Keh Raha Tha
    ….aaj ,aaj kaun sa din hai
    ….aaj kaun si tarikh hai
    ….are ha ye kaun sa mahina hai
    ….ye police kyun ghumti hai

    Lag rah hai sab sawal sirf bahana tha.!!!!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_Cjt2PDX4w

    Just quickly browsed through the comments section, hope the songs are not posted yet.
    Needless to say another ‘out of the of box post’ from the grand master.

  210. Venkataramanji,
    Welcome back after your long furlough. Thanks a lot or your appreciation of the post. Your first song Achcha to hum chalte hain is in the mould of perfect Q&A song. to me it sounds as the dignified version of the Tapori song, Aati kya Khandala. The second song was new for me. Haan to main kya kah raha tha – surprising that Rajesh Khanna should have short-term memory loss problem at such a young age.

  214. Dr Deshpande @211,
    Kishore Kumar in suit. Ye dard bhara afsana: Nice discovery. Thanks, if there is a question, someone has the answer. There might be more.

    @212,
    Suno, kaho; kaha, suna; kuchch hua kya: Perfect Q&A. Staccato style question answer songs seems to be a separate category by itself.

    @213,
    Both the songs from Kaash show interesting inquisitive mind of a child who is ever seeking answers to his queries.

  218. AKji @214,

    Yes, I too believe that there are more songs of Kishore Kumar in suit.

    Such as:
    Meri neendon mein tum – Naya Andaz
    Mere Mehboob qayamat hogi – Mr. X in Bombay

  224. Mr S Joseph @215,
    O haseena zulfonwali
    Excellent Q&A song.

    @216,
    Din hain bahar ke. Nice Q&A song in the form of Q&Q.

    @217,
    Sambhal ae dil:
    Excellent song again. Q&A in the form of Q&Q.

  225. Dr Deshpane @218,
    Very prompt additions of KK in a suit.

    @219,
    Ye kaun hai jiske aane se: It is interesting to see so many Q&A songs where the answer is in the form of another rhetorical question.

    @220,
    Kyun uda jata hai aanchal: Nice Q song?

    @221,
    Film DAPP had nice self Q songs.

    @222,
    Ae ji kaho kya haal hai: Nice Q&A song.

    @223,
    Kaho kahan chalein, jahan tum le chalo: Too new for me, but a classic Q&A song.

  226. AK ji
    In the recent posts there are number of Q&A songs. This takes me to the age-old Marathi folk theatre called as Tamasha.
    Tamasha is famous for lavani but it also had a separate section for Q&A songs called as Sawal Jawab .
    It is in the form of quiz competition between 2 rival Tamasha parties in which each party throws a lyrical riddle to be answered by the other. Needless to add the party of the heroine wins and often with the help of the hero.
    Many of the Marathi films prior to 1970 had Tamasha oriented themes, Pinjara – debut film of Dr Shriram Lagoo being a prime example(it was made in Hindi also).
    The last notable film woven around Tamasha was Natrang in which Atul Kulkarni gave scintillating performance .
    Here is a song from Pinjara in the form of Q& A ( though not a formal Sawal Jawab)
    Mala lagli Kunachi uchaki – Jagdish Khebudkar – Ram Kadam – Usha Mangeshkar and Chorus.
    When someone gets hiccups ( hichaki, I belive is the Hindi word), it is believed that someone dear to the person is remembering him or her.
    Here the heroine is asking question
    Who is remembering her?
    https://youtu.be/75vcFGDBM7Y

  227. Mr Muli,
    Thanks a lot for this information on Tamasha. Beyond knowing the name of the form, I had no idea what it contains. It shows Q&A had been ubiquitous in different performing art forms and different walks of life. Qawwali muqaabla also had Q&A form. The Marathi Tamasha song is excellent.

  230. AK,
    I am so late that the topic has stopped receiving comments. This is a nice topic. I had an inkling that someday it will come, because you mentioned Q&A songs in comments more than once. But, the write up has covered many aspects including shashtrarth. The story given in para 5 was enacted in a different style in the film Guide, when Dev Anand becomes Swami and the two pandits confront him.

    Kidar Sharma’s claim is interesting. I dont know what definition he set for this category, because in Roshan’s first film Neki aur Badi, he had written the song ‘kyunji scent lagaya hai’ sung by Firoz Dastoor and Amirbai.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC8nf0_jPKw

    You were perhaps in a great mood when you wrote this. What a fitting connection of the Shiv dhanush story with the song. And this naughty question, what the hero was doing when the other was snatching his heroine in Sangam. We regularly pass such comments when watching films together and that adds to the fun. About the song ‘kahan chal diye’ Rajendra Kumar was perhaps the hero who made this heroine teasing theme so common. Look at this one ‘mehka mehka roop tumhara’ ending with a question ‘tumhara naam kya hai’ in Ganwaar. Absolute mishandling of the heroine.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRU7pULdJF0

    You created so many categories most of them with funny twist. We encounter the question ‘main kahan hoon’ in our films so many times after some accident or something like it. But, what is Sunil Dutt doing here asking ‘main kaun hoon main kahan hoon’ – Main Chup Rahungi.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx6iNizyzZU

  231. Hans,
    Thanks for your appreciation and thanks that you gave your comments even though you came late. Kidar Sharma’s claim I always felt was a little too categorical, but I find his general style in “The One And Lonely Kidar Sharma” a bit narcissistic. No disrespect intended, the book takes you to a journey to the New Theatres and early Bombay days.

    Heroine-teasing preceded Rajendra Kumar by several years. If we have to anoint a pioneer the credit should go to Shammi Kapoor and Kishore Kumar. Those days Rajendra Kumar used to stand first in BA exams, ‘Ma, main pass ho gaya‘, and seek his Ma’s blessings. At times he became a doctor who used to sacrifice his life in treating his patient of some incurable disease. Thoroughly a Good Boy.

    In inebriated state too, one can be disoriented about one’s location.

    I don’t have the felicity to ‘plan’ to write humour, but some funny connections start coming to mind and then the whole write up starts flowing. Yes, I enjoyed writing it. I feel happy when the output is humour.

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