Mukesh and Naushad

Naushad composed approximately 23 songs for Mukesh, out of which 15 were solos and 8 were duets. Naushad used Mukesh’s voice in 2 phases. The first was late 40′s phase (1948-1949), when Naushad created some of the best gems for Mukesh including Kabhi dil dil sai takrata to hoga, Main bhanwara tou hai phool and Tu kahe agar. After 1949, Naushad started to patronize Mohammad Rafi as his main singer and Mukesh got sidelined. Naushad didn’t use Mukesh voice for the next 19 years until Saathi (1968) was released.

Mukesh’s main co-singer under Naushad’s baton was Shamshad Begum, Naushad utilized the nasalish tinge in their voices to full extent and they sang 4 duets together for Naushad, all of which are considered classics today – Bhol gaye kiyoun de ke sahara, Aai sawan rut aai, Mein Bhanwara tu hai phool and Mera dil todne wale.

Naushad on Mukesh

I used to call him Mukesh Babu. He was a singer who belonged to Kundan Lal Saigal’s school. Mukesh was excellent in low tones. There was a certain sadness in his voice but the moment he was taken to the high notes, he used to get shaken. Many music directors, including me, were guilty of asking him to sing in a higher pitch.

One particular trait Mukesh Babu had was that he could never sing without a harmonium. This was because he thought that he would go out of tune. In fact, many times I had to pad up the harmonium and whenever we did that the result was much better.

I used Mukesh Babu’s voice for my songs in two phases. First spell was during late forties when films like “Mela”, “Anokhi Ada”, and “Andaz” were made and the second phase started with “Saathi” and so on, which continued intermittently till his sad demise in 1976. The last song I recorded on him was for the film “Pukar” which Producer/Director Sohrab Modi was making in late seventies. I very clearly remember an incident that took place at the time of the song session. After recording the song everyone was being paid. Even Mukesh Babu was given his packet. Everybody was knowing that Modi Saab was passing through a very difficult financial condition. As soon as the packet was received by Mukesh babu, he returned it to Modi Saab with the words, “Take this back, make your film. When it becomes a jubilee hit, pay me double this amount”.

Mukesh-Naushad Collaboration

Mukesh sang approximately 23 songs for Naushad. Details are provided below :-

Mukesh with Raj Kapoor

Mukesh with Raj Kapoor

Mukesh with Raj Kapoor

Mukesh with Lata Mangeshkar

Mukesh with Raj Kapoor



Naushad & K.L. Saigal

Saigal sang 6 songs [1 duet, 5 solos] for Naushad. They came together for first and last time in Shah Jehan in 1946, which was one of the last films in which Saigal acted. Shah Jehan also marked the debut of lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Naushad on K.L. Saigal

Saigal was a legend to me from the day I saw his film “Pooran Bhagat” (1933). He had attracted me with the haze and glamour of heroes. More so, as he was a singing star, singing in “sur”. His songs and acting in the films of New Theatres carved a niche in my mind.

It was around 1946 I had a chance to meet him. Saigal was at the height of his popularity. D. N. Madhok and I were discussing a point of a picture at Kardar Studios. A tall bald headed figure with thick rimmed spectacles entered the room. Mr. Madhok began to talk with him informally and I receded in the background. As conversation progressed, Madhok saw that I was kept aloof and asked me if I knew the gentleman with whom he was talking. I told him I did not. Madhok looked at me with surprise and asked me, “Why you don’t know Saigal”? I jumped up. Saigal was smiling at me. i offered my apology saying that his bald head and thick rimmed spectacles were far from the boyish idea I had of the great Saigal. There was a heavy laughter from him in reply. That first meeting with Saigal left a lasting impression on me.

Saigal’s mannerisms were just plain. He had no affected accents or no studied poses. He was just a plain gentleman from Punjab. His soul was transparent just as his melodious voice. He hardly ever acted: either on or off the screen. He always went about with his roles just as he would in real life. His singing, too, was marked with the ease of this very naturalness. And that was, indeed, great about his singing.

When an occasion arose to work with him for the film “Shah Jehan” my joy knew no bounds. It was an honor. Before every formal occasion of singing, Saigal made it a point to pray. This I discovered during one of the recordings of “Shah Jehan”. As the time for the “takes” approached, he had a special mattress spread out for him, (he never sang standing or sitting on a chair) and squatting, he was muttering some prayer with a “mala” rhythmically moving between his fingers. A few minutes skipped by and his personal assistant took away the “mala”. Mr. Saigal looked at me to know if everything was all right. I nodded approval. He turned aside and called: Driver, get me ‘kaalee paanch’. Promptly his driver appeared as if from nowhere with a bottle of whisky which he casually poured out into a large glass and offered it to his boss. Saigal emptied it with a certain ease and began singing in the “sur”. He was coming to shape.

An honest appraisal of Saigal, should, of course, mention that he was a victim of alcohol. There is no irreverence about it. It was a fact. He was no less religious a man for that matter.

I went recording “take” after “take” to get the finest from the great artiste. But I noticed, too, that with every take he was having fresh “Kalee paanch”. As “takes” began to mount upon one another, Saigal’s sobriety began to dwindle. He could no more count the bars meant for interlude. He would come in singing either too early or too late. He would admit his fault every time. He was not conscious of his unconsciousness. At last I approached him and suggested that he needed rest and that we would record the song again the next day. That was the end of “kalee paanch” that night.

Saigal loved precious stones. He used to wear rings made with them. He loved “panna” stones in particular. He was fond of displaying his “panna” rings to everyone.

Saigal was a great artiste, no doubt. But he was a great man also. It was this greatness that had attracted Dr. Latiff from Kolkata to become his closest friend and personal physician. Dr. Latiff had left his wife and children, closed down his dispensary and had thrown his lot with Saigal. He literally moved along with Saigal. The doctor-friend always remained with him in the same room, carried his medical kit day and night from set to set and theatre to theatre. I had the chance once to witness the complete dedication this man had for Saigal. Once on a set the cry was heard, “Saigal Sahab has fainted, Saigal Sahab has fainted, Saigal Sahab has fainted”. I reached the spot and found that Dr. Latiff was giving him an emergency injection. After that he threw himself on the ground by Saigal’s side to comfort him.

Once I had the chance to speak to Dr. Latiff. I made it a point to inquire what made him love Saigal so much. I knew that Dr. Latiff had no liking for music or film or acting. His reply was unique: “Saigal is a good man. He is a great friend and he needs understanding”.

As I continued to work with him , I discovered that he was convinced with a false idea about himself. He thought he would never sing in “sur” without whisky. But I had noticed Saigal singing at his best when he was sober, during rehearsals, for instance. One day I took the courage to tell him about this and requested him to have takes without his driver and the bottle. He said he would try but was sure of the poor results. I insisted and he agreed, but on one condition: there must follow a recording session with his driver and the bottle. I agreed.

We had both the sessions. Both went off as I expected. When I played the recordings of both and asked him to choose which he thought the best rendition of the song, he unmistakably picked out the really good recording done without drinks. The song was “Jab dil hi toot gaya”.

That Saigal recorded songs without drinks became the news. It spread like fire among music directors. Khurshid Anwar tried it, too, for “Parwana” and was successful. But hen Dr. Latiff had to be by his side always ready with injections.

I took occasions then to tell him that someone had made a psychological fixation in him about alcohol and his singing. I insisted that it was simply untrue and that he had seen the results himself. He looked a me wistfully and said: “What a pity, Naushad Sahab…This good news is too late to be good to me. Had I met you a little earlier, I might have been a different Kundan altogether…..” By referring to a song line from “Shah Jahan” he said “Chaah barbaad karegi hamen maloom na tha”.

I wonder how many Saigal fans know what he thought about drinking. He regretted it wholeheartedly. There are many among us who like, admire and imitate him even to the point of drinking. But he would never approve of it. I am sure he would say, “We ought to imitate always the good trends in others, not the bad ones”.

He was an artiste through and through. Many incidents are told about this. Once after a night long search, a director was pleasantly surprised to find Saigal in fond embrace with an electric post at Matunga in the early hours of the morning while he was supposed to be on the set. When asked, how come, he said he lost his bearings on the way to the studio and was seeking directions from the lonely electric post.

Another day, Saigal reached home very thirsty. He walked into the kitchen and took some tea from the oven, kept a cup at his feet and poured the contents right down on his feet. The “tea” turned out to be boiling oil, which burnt his feet and hands, canceling his shooting schedule for weeks and keeping Dr. Latiff busy for months.

With the completion of “Shah Jehan” I lost the contacts with this great man. News of his death did not come to me as a surprise. i could imagine his deathbed and Dr. Latiff sitting with his medical kit saying “Mera Kundan…Mera Kundan…..”

During Saigal’s funeral, one of his relatives told me later, the music of “Jab dil hi toot gaya” from the film “Shah Jehan” was played by the band as per his wish.

Every generation has its crop of artistes. Often God replaces disappearing great men with worthy substitutes. No doubt, after Saigal, many singers have arisen in the Hindi film world. Some of them may have overtaken him in some sense, some may not have. But I feel there was none to replace Saigal. He is just….Saigal”.

It should not sound too effusive, if I say in conclusion, that Saigal outdid Tansen in popularity. Mian Tansen was, of course, the beloved of his times. But his voice was, in a way, imprisoned by palace walls and a select upper class audience. Saigal, on the other hand, had the whole nation behind him as he was the singer of the general public. He was, in fact, their Tansen.

Saigal belongs to that category of human beings, who defied death. He is alive even today. We have the proof that he is. His voice, his style, his intonation is amidst us. Saigal is immortal. In that sense he has even surpassed the legendary singer Tansen in popularity.

K.L. Saigal – Naushad Collaboration

Mukesh with Raj Kapoor

Back to Legends – Lata Mangeshkar

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Lata picks her favorite songs from her long career

Dil mera toda – Majboor (1948, Ghulam Haider)

Lata Mangeshkar

Chanda re ja re ja re – Ziddi (1948, Khemchand Prakash)

Taqdeer jaga kar aai hoon – Dulari (1949, Naushad)

Sajan ki galiyan chhod chale – Bazaar (1949, Shyam Sunder)

Tumhare bulane ko – Ladli (1949, Anil Biswas)

Chale jana nahin – Badi behan (1949, Husnalal Bhagatram)

Aaj mere naseeb ne – Hulchul (1951, Sajjad Hussain)

Bade armanoun sai rakha hai (with Mukesh) – Malhar (1951, Roshan)

Mujhse mat pooch mera ishq – Anarkali (1953, C. Ramchandra)

Jhilmil sitaroun kai tale – Naaz (1954, Anil Biswas)

Ab tera intezar kaun kare – Joru ka Bhai (1955, Jaidev)

Guzra hua zamana – Shirin Farhad (1956, S. Mohinder)

Nain so nain (with Hemant Kumar) – Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje (1956, Vasant Desai)

Kar gaya re (with Asha Bhosle) – Basant Bahaar (1956, Shankar Jaikishan)

Chand phir nikla – Paying Guest (1957, S.D. Burman)

O mora nadan balma – Ujala (1959, Shanker Jaikishan)

Do sitaroun ka zameen par – Kohinoor (1960, Naushad)

Mere manke diye – Parakh (1960, Salil Chaudary)

Mujhe mil gaya bahana – Barsaat ki Raat (1960, Roshan)

Har ek baat pe – Non Film Ghazal (1961, Faiyaz Shaukat)

Dagabaz ho banke piya (with Usha Mangeshkar) – Burmah Road (1962, Chitragupta)

Tere pyar mein dildar – Mere Mehboob (1963, Naushad)

Jurm-e-ulfat pe – Taj Mahal (1963, Roshan)

Lata Mangeshkar with Madan Mohan

Zara si aahat – Haqeeqat (1964, Madan Mohan)

Sakhi re mera man – Chitralekha (1964, Roshan)

O beqarar dil – Kohraa (1964, Hemant Kumar)

Aaj kal mein dhal gaya – Beti Bete (1964, Shankar Jaikishan)

Dil ka diya – Aakash Deep (1965, Chitragupta)

Baharoun mera jeevan bhi – Aakhri Khar (1966, Khaiyyam)

Jeevan ke do raahe pe – Chhotisi Mulaqat (1967, Shankar Jaikishan)

Kya janoon sajan – Baharan ke Sapne (1967, R.D. Burman)

Aawara aye mere dil – Raat aue Din (1967, Shankar Jaikishan)

Kareeb aai Nazar – Anita (1967, Laxmikant Pyarelal)

Ai suru mera watan Japan – Aman (1967, Shankar Jaikishan)

Thane kain kain bol – Non-Film Bhajan (1968, Hridaynath Mangeshkar)

Soch ke yeh gagan jhoome (with Manna Dey) – Jyoti (1969, S.D. Burman)

Ek meethi si chubhan – Reshma aur Shera (1969, Jaidev)

Ghiri Ghatayen – Non-Film Geet (1969, Hridaynath Mangeshkar)

Thare rahiyo – Pakeezah (1971, Ghulam Mohammed)

Jane kyon log mohabbat kiya karte hain – Mehboob ki Mehndi (1971, Laxmikant Pyarelal)

Raaton ke saye – Annadata (1972, Salil Chaudary)

Sanjh bhai ghar aaja – Non-Film Geet (1973, K. Mahavis)

Bahon mein chale aao – Anamika (1973, R.D. Burman)

Rasm-e-ulfat ko nibhayen – Dil ki Rahen (1973, Madan Mohan)

Panna ki tamanna hai (with Kishore Kumar) – Heera Panna (1973, R.D. Burman)

Apne aap ratoun mein – Shankar Hussain (1975, Khaiyyam)

Pal bhar mein yeh kya ho gaya – Swami (1978, Rajesh Roshan)

Dikhai diye yun – Bazaar (1981, Khaiyyam)

Tum aasha vishwas hamare (with Chorus) – Subah (1983, Hridaynath Mangeshkar)

Husn pahadon ka (with Suresh Wadkar) – Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985, Ravindra Jain)

Source :- My Favorites – Lata Mangeshkar – Vol -2 – Songs from Hindi Films (HMV)

Back to Legends – Lata Mangeshkar

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Talat Mahmood (Singer)

Talat Mahmood

1. Sapana Ban Saajan Aae – Shokhiyan (Jamal Sen)

2. Tum Na Jaane – Sazaa (S B Burmon)

3. Is Dil Ki Halat – Anhoni (Roshan)

4. Mukh Mod Na Dena – Aashiana (Madan Mohan)

5. Prit Ye Kaisi Bol Ri – Daag (Shankar)

6. Wo To Chale Gaye – Sangdil (Sajjad Hussain)

7. Bahar Aai Khili – Alif Laila (Pt. Shyamsundar)

8. Mitti Se Khelate Ho – Patita (Jaikishan)

9. Kaare Badara Tu Na Ja – Shikast (Shankar Jaikishan)

10. Aja Re Pardesi – Madhumati (Salil Chowdhury)

Chitragupta (Music Director)

Chitragupta

1. Dhire Se Aaja Ri – Albela (C. Ramchandra)

2. Kaare Kaare Baadara – Bhabhi (Chitragupta)

3. Tum Kya Jaano – Shin Shina Ki Bublabu (C. Ramchandra)

4. Tadpaoge, Tadapa Lo – Barakha (Chitragupta)

5. Rasik Balama – Chori Chori (Shanker Jaikishan)

6. Rang Dil Ki Dhadakan – Patang (Chitragupta)

7. Aja Re Pardesi – Madhumati (Salil Chowdhury)

8. Muskurao Ke Ji Nahi Lagata – Kangan (Chitragupta)

9. Sansaar Se Bhage Firate Ho – Chitralekha (Roshan)

10. Hae Re Tere Chanchal – Unche Log (Chitragupta)

Anil Biswas (Music Director)

Anil Biswas

1. Tumhare Bulane Ko – Ladli

2. Badali Teri Nazar – Badi Bahu

3. Aankhon Me Chitt Chor Samae – Mehmaan

4. Man Me Kisi Ki – Aaram

5. Mere Pyar Me – Maan

6. Allah Bhi Hai – Maan

7. Beimaan Tore Nainva – Tarana

8. Ik Pal Ruk Jana – Rahi

9. Ruth Ke Tumto – Jalati Nishani

10. Ja Mai Tose – Sautela Bhai

Note :- Anil Biswas gave Top 10 list of songs composed by himself.

Nalini Jaywant (Actress)

Nalini Jaywant

1. Dekho Ji Mora – Naubahar (Roshan)

2. Yaad Rakhana – Anokha Pyar (Anil Biswas)

3. Zil Mil Sitaron – Naaz (Anil Biswas)

4. Wo Paas Aa Rahe Hain – Samadhhi (C. Ramchandra)

5. Jivan Ke Safar Me – Munimjee (S.D. Burman)

6. Thandi Hawaen – Naujawan (S.D. Burman)

7. Hai Kahin Par – Aandhiyan (Ust. Ali Akbar Khan)

8. Chal Diya – Fifty Fifty (Madan Mohan)

9. Mushkil Hai Bahut – Mahal (Khem Chand Prakash)

10. Missing

Kamini Kaushal (Actress)

Kamini Kaushal

1. Chanda Re – Ziddi (Khem Chand Prakash)

2. Chanda Ki Chandani – Punam (Shankar)

3. Ye Raat Ye Chandani – Jaal (S.D. Burman)

4. Uthae Ja Unke Sitam – Andaz (Naushad)

5. Mohe Bhul Gae – Baiju Bawara (Naushad)

6. Mera Dil Ye Pukare – Naagin (Hemant Kumar)

7. Tum Na Jane – Sazaa (S.D. Burman)

8. Thandi Hawaen – Naujawan (S.D. Burman)

9. Chhed Gayo Mohe – Zanzar (C. Ramchandra)

10. Missing

Manna Dey (Singer)

Manna Dey

1. Khwab Me Koi – Razia Sultan (Khaiyyam)

2. Aaj Phir Jine – Guide (S.D. Burman)

3. Naina Barase – Woh Kaun Thi (Madan Mohan)

4. Rahen Na Rahen Ham – Mamata (Roshan)

5. Ai Dilruba – Rustam Sohraab (Sajjad Hussain)

6. Allah Tero – Ham Dono (Jaidev)

7. Rasik Balama – Chori Chori (Jaikishan)

8. Dhire Se Aja – Albela (C. Ramchandra)

9. Hae Re Wo Din – Anuradha (Pt. Ravishankar)

10. Ishwar Satya Hai – Satyam Shivam Sundaram (Laxmikant Pyarelal)

Meena Kapoor (Singer)

Meena Kapoor

1. Allah Tero Naam – Ham Dono (Jaidev)

2. Jyoti Kalash – Bhabhi Ki Chidiyan (Sudhir Phadake)

3. Jeevan Dor Tum Hi Sang – Sati Savitri (Laxmikant Pyarelal)

4. Piya Tose Naina – Guide (S.D. Burman)

5. Tu Jahan Jahan Chalega – Mera Saya (Madan Mohan)

6. Tum Kahan Ho – Naaz (Anil Biswas)

7. Na Koi Umang Hai – Kati Patang (R.D. Burman)

8. Kahin Dip Jale – Bis Sal Baad (Hemant Kumar)

9. Kaise Din Bite – Anuradha (Pt. Ravishankar)

10. Jo Tum Chhodo Piya – Zanak Zanak Payal Baje (Vasant Desai)