Unusual songs

The World Cup mania: A song to cricket

‘She’ ne khela ‘he’ se aaj cricket match

Dev Anand-debonair cricketer When the entire country is caught in the frenzy of the One-day Cricket World Cup, I get to hear today a fun song on cricket from the film Love Marriage (1959). It is surprising I had not heard this song before. Had Vividh Bharti kept it on hold to play before the final match between India and Sri Lanka at Mumbai on April 2, 2011?

Dev Anand is the debonair cricketer on the field. Among the spectators is Mala Sinha who is surprised to see him as the star player of the opposite team. Dev Anand bugged her no end as she was persuaded into taking him as her flat mate when she was looking for a female house mate to share her rent. And as you could have guessed he rains fours and sixes taking his team to victory, and in the process winning the heart of the hostile heroine. In the after-match dancing and singing of this song amidst his admiring cronies and a giggling gang of girls, including by-now-bowled-over Mala Sinha, seeking his autographs, he proclaims with unconcealed glee क्रिकेट में तो जीत गए पर हारे प्यार का मैच.

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The ‘other’ Madan Mohan

Humse nain milana BA pass kar ke

Madan Mohan Commuting to your office could be a pain, but if your driver’s musical taste goes back to the Golden Era, ranging from Mukesh to Hemant Kumar to Talat Mehmood to Shamshad Begum to Suraiya, you look forward to the drive; the traffic jam is no longer an irritant, in fact it only lets you linger over the melodies a little longer.

I had become accustomed to these melodies playing on the car stereo. One day it was the turn of Shamshad Begum. After the familiar Kabhi aar kabhi paar, Saiyan dil mein ana re, Chandni ayee ban ke pyar, Kahe koel shor machaye re etc, I was struck by a very peppy, very light hearted number Humse nain milana BA pass kar ke.

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Mukesh not the only voice of Raj Kapur

Wonderful Rafi, Talat songs on Raj Kapur

Raj Kapur 2 When Mukesh died (in 1976), Raj Kapur said he had lost his voice. And rightly so. When you think of Raj Kapur, you think of Awara hun, Mera joota hai japani, Ruk ja o janewali ruk ja, Chhalia mera naam, Mera naam Raju gharana a-naam, and countless other Mukesh songs lip-synched by Raj Kapur on the screen.

You are also aware of the outstanding Manna Dey songs in duets such as Pyaar hua ekraar hua, Ye raat bheegi bheegi, A ja sanam madhur chandni mein hum etc. This came about when Mukesh was distracted from playback singing as he became convinced by his handsome looks that he was hero material.

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