Category: Hindi Film Song

My “now” song: Zindagi mere ghar aana

Posted on by sudhagee

Do you ever have a song, an idea, a storyline, or an image stuck in your head? And it just refuses to go away? For some time at least? I have this with music—it could be a song, an instrumental piece, a jingle, etc. This becomes my “now’”song, and the “nowness”  (pardon my English here) could be for any length of time.

Yesterday was a rare day at home. I actually got control of the TV remote, and so after the first few minutes of savouring the power of having the TV remote in my hand, I got down to what one does best with it — surf channels. One of the channels I halted at was a music channel which had a programme on songs beginning with the word “Zindagi”. The half hour programme saw some of the more popular and well known “Zindagi” songs getting  discussed and screened.

As I watched the “Zindagi” songs play across the screen, a long-forgotten “Zindagi” number stirred in the depths of my memories and slowly uncoiled itself and before long I had muted the TV volume and was singing Zindagi mere ghar aana, from the 1979 film Dooriyan.

I first heard this song, which is sung by Bhupendra Singh and Anuradha Paudwal, on Binaca Geetmala around the time it was released. I had loved this song even then and would often be found humming or singing along when the song was aired. Soon other songs displaced it and this song got relegated to the deep, vast recesses of my memory. Only to have it resurrected with the programme on “Zindagi” songs. I find that I still like the lilting tune, and today I can even appreciate the simple, romantic lyrics.

So, tell me, has this post triggered off memories of any “Zindagi” song that you like? And do you have any favourite “Zindagi” song? Do share. 🙂

My “now” song: Maula maula maula mere maula

Posted on by sudhagee

Do you ever have a song, an idea, a storyline, or an image stuck in your head? And it just refuses to go away? For some time at least? I have this with music—it could be a song, an instrumental piece, a jingle, etc. This becomes my “now’”song, and the “nowness”  (pardon my English here) could be for any length of time.

My “now” song is Maula maula maula mere maula (or Arziyan) from the film Delhi 6, sung by Kailash Kher and Javed Ali with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi and music by A.R. Rehman.

This song is very special to me. Alone and homesick in London, this was a great song to calm and comfort me. It was also a song that helped me through dissertation angst and other course work as well. This song also transcended language barrier and had my Arabic- and Chinese-speaking friends hooked to it.

And back home in India, the song still continues to calm and comfort and support and inspire me as ever before.

Enjoy. 🙂

My “now” song: Apni toh har aah ik toofan hai

Posted on by sudhagee

Do you ever have a song, an idea, a storyline, or an image stuck in your head? And it just refuses to go away? For some time at least? I have this with music—it could be a song, an instrumental piece, a jingle, etc. This becomes my ‘now’ song, and the “nowness”  (pardon my English here) could be for any length of time.

My now song is “Apni toh har aah ik toofan hai” sung by Mohammad Rafi to music set by S.D. Burman for the 1960 film Kala Bazaar featuring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman.

About two nights back, Amma and I were watching a “retro Hindi film music” show on a music channel on TV. The songs being played were from the B&W films of the 1950s and 1960s, with many of the songs featuring Dev Anand. The song selection was so good that we kept postponing going to bed, and it was midnight when we finally switched off the TV.

But then, as it usually happens after a good music session, we stayed up for quite some time talking about old Hindi film music, in general, and songs featuring Dev Anand, in particular. We hummed and sang our favourite Dev Anand songs for a bit (Amma’s is “Tere mere sapne” from Guide and mine is “Apni toh har aah ik toofan hai” from Kala Bazaar). By the time we went to bed, it was nearly 1.30 am, and when we woke up at 7.00 am, it was to the news of Dev Anand’s demise. I can’t tell how strange we felt about our musical night; it was almost as if we knew what was going to happen.

And now, I have all Dev Anand’s songs playing like a non-stop record in my mind, with this particular song playing more than the others. It’s mellow, romantic melody is simply unmatchable and to me it is like Dev Anand himself—timeless and eternal.

R.I.P. Dev Anand.

My ‘now’ song: Phir wohi raaste

Posted on by sudhagee

Do you ever have a song, an idea, a storyline, or an image stuck in your head? And it just refuses to go away? For some time at least. I have this with music—it could be a song, an instrumental piece, a jingle, etc. This becomes my ‘now’ song, and the ‘nowness’  (pardon my English here) could be for any length of time.

 My ‘now’ song is Phir wohi raaste sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali from the film Ramchand Pakistani.

I first heard this song on a cold, cold day in December 2008 in London. I was surfing YouTube when I came across the title of the film. That immediately caught my attention and on exploring further, I came across this song. When I heard the flawless rendition by the incomparable Shafqat Amanat Ali, I was hooked. Every part of the song appealed to me—the lyrics by Anwar Maqsood, the music by Surya Mitra, and of course the way it was sung. Since then, Shafqat Amanat Ali has become one of my favourite singers.

At that time, the appeal in this song lay in its ability to connect with my homesickness. Today, I am back home and I am not homesick. Yet, the appeal of this song endures in a way that I cannot explain or describe here. All I can say is that if you have heard this song before, why don’t you listen to it once again here? If you haven’t, then experience this song right here.

Enjoy 🙂

My ‘now’ song: Abhi naa jao chhod kar

Posted on by sudhagee

Do you ever have a song, an idea, a storyline, or an image stuck in your head? And it just refuses to go away? For some time at least. I have this with music—it could be a song, an instrumental piece, a jingle, etc. This becomes my ’now song, and the “nowness”  (pardon my English here) could be for any length of time.

My ‘now’ song is Abhi na jao chhod kar ke dil abhi bhara nahin from the film Hum Dono.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VlDX_U2PkI

I love this duet by Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle, so beautifully filmed on Dev Anand and Sadhana. Rafi’s mellow, persuasive voice and Asha’s flirtatious response makes this song an all-time favourite. It is Rafi’s 30th death anniversary on 31st July 2010 and this is my tribute to him.

Enjoy. 🙂

My ‘now’ song: Zindagi bhar nahin bhoolegi woh barsaat ki raat

Posted on by sudhagee

Do you ever have a song, an idea, a storyline, or an image stuck in your head? And it just refuses to go away? For sometime at least. I have this with music—it could be a song, an instrumental piece, a jingle, etc. This becomes my ‘now song, and the ‘nowness’ (pardon my English here) could be for any length of time.

My ‘now’ song is Zindagi bhar nahin bhoolegi woh barsaat ki raat from the 1960 Hindi film Barsaat ki Raat.

I prefer Lata Mangeshkar’s version (featured above) to Mohammad Rafi’s, arguably more popular, version. To me, Lata’s angst-filled voice just reaches out and envelops you in a kind of bittersweet longing, not just for love, but beautiful memories, relationships…