“Parody Songs”

My Lists

Welcome to the world of parody songs which was a popular genre at one time but has slowly faded from the current generation of movies. The dictionary meaning of parody refers to a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule. How well said!

Parody songs are not “original” songs in the true sense. A parody composition replaces the original lyrics of a song with (often) funny / satirical lyrics. The tune is same but the lyrics are altered to suit the film situation. They are typically used as part of the comedy side plot where a single song or a string of songs depict the humorous or dramatic situation in the story. In older films, these songs would be commonly picturized on the supporting actors or comedians.

If done correctly, the songs are highly enjoyable and hilarious to watch (a classic example is Mr. India). The fun part is identifying the original songs and appreciating the remixed lyrics. No wonder, the lyricist has to be skilled enough to think of convincing lyrics for every song to make an impact.

I have collated 10 such songs, all from pre-90s films. The links are also shared in the song title. Hope you enjoy and let me know your favourites.

1) Song: Aaye Na Baalam, Ka Karoon Sajni
Film: Main Chup Rahungi (1962)
Credits: Rajendra Krishan | Chitragupta | Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Chorus

This is a cute song from a school drama depicting an orphaned rabbit who takes on the mighty lion. Master Babloo performs the role of the rabbit as Meena Kumari and Sunil Dutt watch the performance. The songs includes parodies of well known songs like Aaye na baalam ka karoon sajni, Yahoo, Itna na mujhse tu pyaar badha, Ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar, Dadi amma dadi amma maan jaao, Husnawale tera jawab nahi, Dhoondo dhoondo re saajana, Zara saamne to aao chhaliye.

2) Song: Jaa Raha Hoon Main
Film: Akashdeep (1965)
Credits: Majrooh Sultanpuri | Chitragupta | Manna Dey, S. Balbir and Asha Bhosle

Akashdeep was a forgettable movie in spite of big names like Ashok Kumar, Dharmendra, Nanda and Nimmi but it had good music. This song features Mehmood as the performer with his wife Shubha Khote sitting in the audience. He is fed up of his wife and thinking of marrying a second time. This thought is described in the funny song which includes parodies of Ruk jaa o janewali ruk jaa, Jo wada kiya woh, Ae gulbadan, Main to tum sang, Kabhi to milegi, Tum mujhe bhool bhi jaao, Zaroorat hai, Mujhko apne gale lagalo.

3) Song: Dheere Re Chalo Meri Langdi Bandariya
Film: Insaaf (1966)
Credits: Akhtar Romani | Usha Khanna | Johnny Whisky and Usha Khanna

Insaaf was a B Grade movie starring Prithviraaj Kapoor, Dara Singh, Helen etc. This lesser known parody track is enacted by the comedian Johnny Whisky along with Jeevan Kala. It is a typical situation where the comedian is trying to woo his love interest and she asks him to leave her alone. He calls her a monkey and she responds in kind. They sing altered versions of songs like Main kya karu Ram mujhe buddha mil gaya, Gudiya hamse roothi rahogi, Teri pyaari pyari surat ko, Mere mehboob qayamat hogi, Ek tu jo mila, Bol Radha bol sangam. Interestingly, Johnny Whisky is credited as the singer of the song; his voice resembles that of Mukesh.

4) Song: Suno Suno Kanyaon Ka Warnan
Film: Haseena Maan Jayegi (1968)
Credits: Prakash Mehra (?) | Kalyanji Anandji | Mohammed Rafi and Mahesh Kumar

Shashi Kapoor plays a college student conducting “research” about different types of girls. He presents his findings to his friends in the form of 4 parody songs. Mohammed Rafi sings the male song (Mere desh ki dharti), while Mahesh Kumar is credited for the female songs (Pardesiyon se na ankhiyaan milana, Jogan ban jaungi saiyyan tore kaaran, Ab aage teri marzi, originally sung by Lata Mangeshkar). The mimicked female voice sounds like that of Mubarak Begum. Shashi Kapoor looks cute in drag and he performs with conviction proving how good an actor he was!

5) Song: Chhahe Koi Mujhe Bhoot Kahe
Film: Waris (1969)
Credits: Rajinder Krishan | R. D. Burman | Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle

This song is picturized on Mehmood and Aruna Irani as they try to rescue Baby Sonia (Neetu Singh) from some goons. They sing parodies of numbers like Yahoo, Dil ke jharokhon mein, Tu kitni achchi hai, An evening in Paris, Mere saamne wali khidki, Aaja aaja main hoon pyar tera as they tackle the bad guys. All seem to be enjoying the scene!

6) Song: Chal Chal Re Naujawaan
Film: Ek Phool Do Mali (1969)
Credits: Prem Dhawan | Ravi | Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle

This is a comedy song enacted by the supporting characters of David, Manorama, Brahmachari and Shabnam. Manorama wants her son in law (Brahmachari) to climb a mountain. He has no intention of doing so but is coaxed by his in-laws and wife. This leads to some funny lyrics from songs like Chal chal re naujawan, Jo wada kiya woh, Dil ke jharokhon mein, Zindagi bhar nahi bhoolegi, Dil ki kahaani rang layi, Neel gagan par udte baadal, Mere saamne wali khidki mein, PArde mein rehne do and Ye Raste Hai Pyaar Ke. The singing and the acting is too good.

7) Song: Mere Saamne Wale Kamre Mein
Film: Lakhon Mein Ek (1971)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | R. D. Burman | Manna Dey and Asha Bhosle

Lakhon Mein Ek was one of the films where Mehmood played the central character. The film revolves around his character and his neighbours, who all stay in a chawl. There is a married couple played by Ramesh Deo and Shubha Khote. The wife starts singing the song to tease her husband. They sings versions of RD & SD Burman songs like Mere saamne wali khidki mein, Puchho ho na kaise maine, Ye jo mohabbat hai, Jhan jhan jhan jhan paayal baaje, Mere sapno ki rani and O mere sona re.

8) Song: Ye Kaun Hai Ye Kaun Hai
Film: Main Sundar Hoon (1971)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | Shankar Jaikishan| Mukesh, Manna Dey and Asha Bhosle

This is another film in which Mehmood plays the central character. He is Sundar, who becomes a film star. In this scene, he is part of a fund raising campaign organized by film stars. He performs a skit on family planning. Aruna Irani plays his wife. The performance is filled with parodies of songs like Wo kaun hai wo kaun hai, Teri pyaari pyaari surat ko, Roop tera mastana and Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo.

9) Song: Radha Pyaar De
Film: Insaaf Ki Awaaz (1986)
Credits: Indeevar | Bappi Lahiri | Kishore Kumar, S. Janaki and Chorus

This in one of the cringiest songs and shows everything that was wrong in 1980s cinema. There is a comedy track between a married couple Jagdeep and Aruna Irani. Her ex-lover Asrani shows up and openly flirts with her. The result is this song which depicts Asrani as Lord Krishna and Aruna Irani as Radha; they belt out parodies of Bappi Lahiri songs. The lyrics are funny but the picturization is offensive. I doubt if such a song can be imagined and executed today.

10) Song: Na Maange Sona Chandi
Film: Mr India (1987)
Credits: Javed Akhtar | Laxmikant Pyarelal | Shabbir Kumar, Anuradha Paudwal and Chorus

And finally the all time favorite song. It is a rare parody song which is picturized on the main leads. All songs parodied are compositions by Laxmikant Pyarelal. From Na maangu sona chandi (Bobby) to Om Shanti Om (Karz), it is amusing to listen to and view the classic songs in a different context.

Tu Sukhkarta (1993)

My Reviews,

Its the time of the year to welcome the elephant God Ganesha / Ganpati and I thought it was apt to write about a movie dedicated to this revered deity. Last year, I has written about Ashtavinayak, a Marathi film which revolved around the believer v/s non-believer theme. Today I am writing about a 90s film, Tu Sukhkarta (loosely translated as someone who gives or brings joy and happiness).

It is primarily a comedy film but gives a message that if you have full faith in your devotion of Ganpati, it can turn difficult challenges into achievable goals. The star cast consists of familiar faces like Ashok Saraf, Nivedita Joshi-Saraf and Laxmikant Berde among others. The film is directed by N. S. Vaidya.

The Plot

The story revolves around the Devbhakta family. Sudhir Joshi is the head of the family. His wife is Nayantara. They stay in a bungalow with their 2 children – Varsha and Manya. We don’t see any servants in the house and both husband and wife spend the whole day at home!

Varsha (Nivedita Saraf), is a science graduate. But she too stays at home immersed in the devotion of Ganpati. She is spiritually inclined. She is a vegetarian, likes to dress in traditional attire and stays away from the latest fashion trends. Her parents want her to get married soon and have been looking for a suitable match. One of the prospective grooms is Mr. Sontakke, a doctor who is moving to the US. But Varsha is rejected because she is not “modern” enough and unfit to settle in the US given her background and beliefs.

Varsha’s father is furious at her. She tries to calm him down stating that if Ganesha wants her to get married, it will happen at the appropriate time. It is the will of the God. But he has had enough. He questions her belief terming it as superstition.

Varsha’s brother is Manohar alias Manya (Laxmikant Berde). He is the working member of the family. His love interest is Aarti (Nishigandha Wad), who has recently completed a nursing course. Aarti’s aunt (played by Ashalata Wabgaonkar) is a dominating character. For some reason she despises men and is against Manya’s marriage with Aarti. This results in a comedy track between the 3 characters.

Aarti’s aunt works a matron in Siddheshwar Clinic run by Dr. Vijay (Sunil Shende). She arranges for Aarti to get a job in the clinic. Vijay is supportive and Aarti is appointed as a nurse.

Vijay is a close friend of Manya and Varsha is like a sister to him. Manya tells him about the marriage proposal rejection. Vijay recommends him a marriage bureau called “Hamkhas Vivah Mandal” which had helped him to get married. Manya immediately goes to the Hamkhas office and registers Varsha’s name. He is told that their representative will pay a visit to Manya’s house.

Dr Vijay’s clinic is called Siddheshwar Clinic whereas the Devbhakta bungalow is named Siddheshwar Niwas. As both are located very close to each other there is a frequent confusion between the patients and visitors of the two parties. This confusion leads to the arrival of a man called Vinayak Vighnaharte (Ashok Saraf) in the Devbhakta bungalow.

The family has been desperately waiting for the marriage bureau representative to visit their house. They mistakenly assume Vinayak as the man they were looking for and welcome him wholeheartedly. Vinayak tries to explain that he is looking for Dr. Vijay but the family assumes he is referring to Vijay’s recommendation of the marriage bureau. Vinayak politely explains that he cannot accept their request to arrange Varsha’s marriage. Manya and his parents are angry at this behaviour. Vinayak is about to leave when he hears Varsha singing a devotional song.

He sees her and is impressed by her simplicity, beauty and singing talent. He is surprised that such a girl is still unmarried. He accepts the challenge to get her married as soon as possible.

He meets her again in a Ganpati temple that she visits regularly. Apparently, Vinayak Vighnaharte is not a believer in spite of his weird name which literally means Lord Ganesha, the supreme leader and the remover of all obstacles and difficulties. But he doesn’t mock her belief. He handles her in a subtle way and convinces her of a makeover. Gone is the traditional attire, and a fashionable Varsha emerges much to the relief of her parents and Manya.

The Devbhakta family is impressed by Varsha’s transformation and Vinayak’s initial success. What remains is getting her to agree to a suitable match. But this is not so easy as Varsha has started liking Vinayak. They spend a lot of time together but Vinayak is reluctant to get close to her. He has his own reason for doing so.

All is fine until one day it is revealed that Vinayak has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. That is the reason he had come to meet Dr Vijay. The diagnosis has been confirmed and he has only a few months to live. The truth is revealed to Manya by accident. He goes to meet Vinayak, who is set to leave the city. He requests Manya not to tell Varsha about the real reason for his sudden departure.

But Varsha gets to know the truth eventually. She agrees to get married but the groom has to be Vinayak. She has full faith in her Lord and he will help them in this crisis. Can divine intervention cure a terminal disease?

There is another unexpected revelation made about Vinayak’s background (hint: Aarti’s aunt).

Where will this lead to? Will Varsha and Vinayak be able to unite? Will Varsha’s devotion be successful? The answer lies in the hands of the almighty Ganpati.

The Music

The songs are written by Shantaram Nandgaonkar and Varsha Desai. The music is credited to Amar Amit S. The playback singers are famous names like Ravindra Sathe, Uttara Kelkar, Vinay Mandke and Sudesh Bhosle among others. Unfortunately, the songs are forgettable and fail to leave an impact. There is a medley of Hindi film songs as well. Wish they had done it comprising of Marathi songs.

My Thoughts

The film is partly saved thanks to the casting. Ashok Saraf, Laxmikant Berde, Sudhir Joshi are entertaining as always. The women provide able support. Nivedita Saraf performs the predictable role comfortably. The songs and background music could have been better.

Tu Sukhkarta is an entertaining film until it reaches the point when the truth about Vinayak’s life threatening diagnosis is revealed. After that the plot stretches and things get boring. The sub plot involving Vinayak’s background doesn’t add anything meaningful. It would have been good if the movie had ended 30 minutes earlier. The climax seems clumsy and rushed. The film does not present the conflict of the believer v/s the non-believer. It relies more on the “your devotion will not go unnoticed” angle.

Imtihan (1974)

My Reviews,

Imtihan meaning examination or test was a commercially successful movie from the 70s. The film was produced by B A Chandiramani and directed by Madan Sinha. It tells the story of a young man who leaves his rich and comfortable background to take up a job as a lecturer in a college. His tricky experiences in the new role test his resolve time and again. How he tackles them forms the core plot of the movie. Imtihan attempts a different theme compared to the other films of its time. Vinod Khanna, Tanuja and Bindu play the key characters.

The Plot

Pramod Sharma (Vinod Khanna) is the son of a rich man (played by Murad). Pramod is all suited up with a suitcase in hand to leave his father’s bungalow. He has got the job of a lecturer in Adarsh Mahavidyalaya (college). The father is angry because he has been slogging to earn money all his life in the hope that his son will take over the family business. But his son wants to give up everything to work as an ordinary teacher. Pramod counters that for him money is not the focus rather he would like to distribute his knowledge gained among others. The father begs him to stop and reconsider his decision but Pramod has already decided his life’s mission.

The titles roll and the inspirational song Ruk jaana nahi tu kahi haar ke plays in the background. Pramod reaches the college and meets the principal (Abhi Bhattacharya). As they make a tour of the college, the principal introduces Pramod to Rita Sharma (Bindu) who is the chairman’s daughter. Rita’s reaction conveys she is awestruck by the handsome Pramod.

Rita is an important character. She dresses stylishly in modern bold clothes and her arrival in college is considered a happening event by the male students. Everyone vies for her attention probably because of her looks and influence. This behaviour is disgusting and sums up the general condition of the college.

The overaged students look as if they have been spending too many years in the college. They dress in terrible clothes and have no regard for their tutors or studies. They openly throw objects like tomatoes on their professors and play music when the lecture is in progress. The professors (like Asit Sen and C S Dubey) suffer this treatment meekly. No wonder the students have to resolve to mass scale copying during exams. In case they are caught, they openly threaten the invigilator by pulling up a knife. This is the sorry state of affairs. The college is not adarsh in any way! Wonder what the principal has been doing all these years.

Pramod has a tough task on his hand. His colleagues warn him to be careful but he is confident to step in the classroom and get on with his work as a history lecturer. The class is waiting for him to give him the most memorable welcome. But Pramod is ready. He tackles their maneuvers like a skilled player, leaving them impressed. Most importantly, he teaches a lesson to Rakesh (Abhijeet Sen).

Rakesh is the college bully. He has a say in everything and is engaged in illegal activities like supplying liqour, drugs, explicit photos of girls etc. The students are scared to oppose him. His close friend is Paul (Ranjeet in a special appearance), a photographer who aids him in his illegal activities. Rakesh is not amused when he becomes a laughing stock courtesy of Pramod. He is itching to teach a lesson to Pramod.

The story cannot be complete without a love angle. The principal has a daughter Madhu (Tanuja), a heartbroken character. Madhu was once a chirpy student and ace painter. She was in love with an air force officer. Unfortunately, one day, news come in that his plane has crashed. Madhu is unable to bear the news and falls down the stairs. The physical and emotional turmoil is too much for her. Due to the accident, she walks with a limp in one leg. She has given up painting and remains immersed in her own world.

The arrival of Pramod brings a tinge of positivity in her life. Pramod lectures her to admire the beauty around her and suggests her to start painting again. She is resentful but thaws gradually. She starts liking his company. She convinces him to be pose as a model for her painting (she is good at portraits). He agrees leading to some funny moments. He doesn’t have the patience to pose as a model and she is fed up with giving him instructions to stay composed and maintain the pose!

Pramod is instrumental in bringing her out of her self imposed shell. She starts visiting the college campus and interacting with the students. Many of the students are happy to have her in their midst. What follows is Madhu’s acknowledgment of a change in her life. She sings the memorable Roz shaam aati thi in the company of Pramod.

With one exception – Rita. Rita is infatuated by Pramod. She tries multiple ways to get closer to him. Strangely, he doesn’t tell her outright that she is a student and needs to stay within her limits. She could have been given an official warning but that doesn’t happen. Rita resents Madhu’s presence in Pramod’s life. A day comes when she realises that Pramod has fallen for Madhu and she has no chance of gaining his love. She is consumed by a bitter jealousy and vindictiveness and will do anything to teach a befitting lesson to Pramod.

This is the opportunity Rakesh had been waiting for. He poison’s Rita’s mind. The students are set to go on a college trip to a historical site. Pramod will be accompanying them. This is where Rita executes her plan and lures Pramod into a trap in the middle of the night. She accuses Pramod of molesting her. Everyone believes Rita and Pramod faces suspension from the college.

Will Pramod accept his fate or make an attempt to clear his name? Will his ideals help him to overcome the allegations? The exciting climax reveals the outcome.

The Music

The film has only 4 songs. They are written by Majrooh Sultanpuri, with music by Laxmikant Pyarelal. Ruk jaana nahin (Kishore Kumar) and Roz shaam aati thi (Lata Mangeshkar) are the well known songs. The other songs are Dekho idhar bhi jaane tamanna (by Asha Bhosle and Usha Mangeshkar) which is a kind of face off between the 2 female characters. Then there is the over the top erotic number Bujhade jal gayi (Asha Bhosle).

My Thoughts

I was expecting a film where the new lecturer is successful in reforming the rowdy students and endearing himself to them. Unfortunately it falls short on these expectations. Rakesh doesn’t change and Rita almost succeeds in her mission to defame Pramod. The ending is a bit ambiguous. What is Pramod’s state of mind? Does he consider himself at least partly successful in achieving what he had seeked?

Vinod Khanna shines as the idealistic lecturer. He has a commanding screen presence with his acting and looks. His chemistry with Tanuja is lacking. Bindu has a meaty role and gives her best. The student characters are irritating to watch. Overall, in spite of its shortcomings, the film makes for an interesting watch and leaves its impact.