All posts by GGaurav

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About GGaurav

I am passionate about old movies, songs and trivia.

Dev Anand – Female Solo Songs

My Lists

3rd December is the remembrance day of Dev Anand, who passed away in 2011. But we remember the handsome hero through his evergreen movies and songs. His style and mannerisms, that smile, shaking of the head and dangling hands! Today’s theme is a bit different. It does not feature Dev Anand’s solos or duets but rather female solos from his movies. That is solo songs picturised on his distinguished co-stars. But they are not alone. Dev Anand features in all of them. And what is he doing? Controlling his urge to sing and keep reacting in that trademark charming (?) Dev Anand way. Enjoy and do mention your favourite Dev Anand songs in the comments.

1) Song: Tadbeer Se Bigdi Hui Taqdeer Bana Le
Film: Baazi (1951)
Credits: Sahir | S. D. Burman  | Geeta Dutt

Dev Anand with Geeta Bali. He is not in the happiest of moods due to family reasons. He is contemplating how to arrange money for his sister’s treatment. Leena (Geeta Bali) is giving him advice to do some deliberation and resolve his problem. He does so and has no option but to enter the world of gambling. Dev Anand is shown as thoughtful throughout the song before he makes the life changing decision.

Darta hai zamane ki nigahon se bhala kyun, nigahon se bhala kyun
Insaaf tere sath hai ilzaam utha le, ilzaam utha le
Apne pe bharosa hai toh yeh daav lagaale

2) Song: Jaye To Jaye Kahan
Film: Taxi Driver (1954)
Credits: Sahir | S. D. Burman | Lata Mangeshkar

Dev Anand with Kalpana Kartik. She (named Mala) is a wannabe singer and its time for both of them to part as she embarks on a career opportunity towards success. He leaves her in front of the music director’s house whom she has been trying hard to locate. But parting for both is difficult. He compels Mala to sing a song to catch the music director’s attention and she reluctantly agrees. Mala’s singing reflects the state of her fragile mind. Mangal (Dev Anand) keeps pushing her to go inside the house and leave him.

Jaane Waale Daaman Chhudake, Mushkil Hain Jeena, Tujhko Bhula Ke
Isse To Hain, Maut Aasan,
Jaaye To Jaaye Kahan, samjhega Kaun Yahan,
Dard Bhare Dil Ki Zubaan, Jaaye To Jaaye Kahan

3) Song: Mere Mann Kaa Bawara Panchhi
Film: Amardeep (1958)
Credits: Rajendra Krishan | C. Ramchandra | Lata Mangeshkar

Dev Anand plays a man who has lost his memory. Circumstances lead him to meet Roopa (Padmini), a street performer. She likes him and voices her feelings while he is confused about his identity and unable to reciprocate.

Dil Ko Lagan Hai Uski Mithi Nazar Hai Jiski,
Hum Paas Hai Tumhare Phir Dil Me Yaad Hai Kis Ki,
Tum Jo Nazar Milao, Dil Me Bahar Dole
Mere Mann Kaa Bawara Panchchi Kyu Bar Bar Dole

4) Song: Dil Laga Ke Kadar Gayi Pyaare
Film:  Kala Pani (1958)
Credits: Majrooh Sultanpuri | S. D Burman | Asha Bhosle

Probably one of Dev Anand’s finest performance was in this movie. Karan’s (Dev Anand) mission is to retrieve evidence from Kishori (Nalini Jaywant), a dancer in order to prove his father’s innocence. He impresses her with his shayari and singing and pretends to fall in love with her. She has developed genuine feelings for this fraud customer and sings a mujra addressed to him.

5) Song: Dekhne Mein Bhola Hai
Film: Bambai Ka Babu (1960)
Credits: A | S.  D. Burman| Asha Bhosle

Dev Anand with Suchitra Sen. As per the film’s plot, he is her long lost brother who has recently returned home. Her curious friends have come to “meet” her bhaiya. She runs to warn him about the village girls. And then sings this mischievous number. Dev Anand is standing and enjoying the attention showered on him.

6) Song: Sach Huey Sapne Tere
Film: Kala Bazaar (1960)
Credits: Shailendra | S.D. Burman | Asha Bhosle

Dev Anand with Waheeda Rehman. Dramatic scenes before the song lead to sorting out the path of love for the lead pair. The heroine arrives to convey the happy news to the hero and changes his mood.

Bekal mann ka dheeraj lekar mere saajan aaye,
Jaise koi subah ka bhula saanjh ko ghar aa jaye,
Preet ne rang bikhere, jhoom le o mann mere,
Chiki chiki chik chah, chah chhai
Chiki chiki chik chah,
Sach huey sapne tere

7) Song: Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai
Film: Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai  (1961)
Credits: Hasrat Jaipuri | Shankar Jaikishan | Lata Mangeshkar

Dev Anand with Asha Parekh. Differences arise between the lead pair. He is walking away hurt and behaving indifferently. She follows him trying to pacify him with some fast paced and high pitch singing. Seems the singing is effective and they come close after the song!

Tum bhee toh iss aag me jalte ho, chehre se bayan ho jata hain,
Har baat pe aahe bharte ho, har bat pe dil tharrata hai,
Jab dil pe chhuriya chalatee hain, toh chain se koi sota hai
Jiya o jiya o jiya kuchh bol do, arey o dil kaa parda khol do

8) Song: Yeh Tanhai Haye Re Haye
Film: Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963)
Credits: Hasrat Jaipuri | S. D. Burman | Lata Mangeshkar

Dev Anand with Nutan. He is a bit cross with her and she calms him down successfully. This is a confession of love song between the two. They are ready to stay together and face the challenges ahead, which are waiting to arrive soon!

Aaj Samay Aaya Maine Tujhe Paaya, Main Lata Hoon Tere Pyar Ki,
Phool Naye Laau Tujhko Mehekaau, Main Kali Hoon Tere Haar Ki,
Pyar Ki Hamaare, Amar Ho Umariya,
Thaam Lo Bahe Thaam Lo Bahe

9) Song: Raat Akeli Hai
Film: Jewel Thief (1967)
Credits: Majrooh Sultanpuri | S. D. Burman | Asha Bhosle

Dev Anand with Tanuja. A seductive Tanuja trying to woo her father’s employee. Dev Anand appears to be impressed and enjoying the show.

10) Song: Jaise Radha Ne Mala Japi Shyam Ki
Film: Tere Mere Sapne (1971)
Credits: Neeraj | S. D. Burman | Lata Mangeshkar

And the last song in this list. Dev Anand and Mumtaz enjoying their newly married life. She is blessed to have him in her life. There is great chemistry between the both.

Paa liya tujhe, paayi har khushi,
Chaahu baar baar chadhu teri palaki,
Subah sham ki yeh pyaas bade kaam ki,
Radha ne mala japi Shyam ki,
Maine odhi chunariya tere naam ki

Duniya Kari Salaam (1979)

My Reviews

Duniya Kari Salaam (The World Salutes) is a Marathi movie based on the famous Hindi proverb Duniya jhukti hai, jhukanewala chahiye meaning “the world bows, we need the one who makes that happen.” Directed by Anant Mane, the movie makes an attempt to share a social message wrapped in an entertainment package.

The Plot

Amol (Ravindra Mahajani) and Arun (Ramesh Bhatkar) are 2 unemployed postgraduates. They are looking for soft and cushy jobs and not ready for any hard or physically draining work. One day, after another unsuccessful interview, they are sitting dejected at a restaurant when they are joined by an old classmate Anand (Ashok Saraf) who had been rusticated from college. Anand joins the conversation stating hard work does not earn money. Money can be earned only by fooling people. The friends do not agree. He gives them a couple of demonstrations to show how people are gullible and it is not difficult to fool them. The title song follows.

He then takes them to a jeweler who is known to buy smuggled gold. He makes a fake deal with the jeweler to supply him gold in exchange of cash. The jeweler sends his two men in the night in a secluded area to complete the transaction. Amol and Anand complete the exchange. They get the cash but give a bag of stones in return. The 2 men attempt to chase and beat Amol and Anand. Arun, wearing a police uniform blows the whistle and the jeweler’s men are forced to run away empty handed. Anand convinces his friends that people are waiting to get fooled and they can make the most of it (i.e. get rich).

Next day, they are sitting at the same restaurant thinking of a plan. They are joined by Amol’s classmate Padma (Ranjana). Ranjana is a rich modern girl who has become a disciple of Acharya Bhajneesh. She calls herself Bhogini “Popins” and is trying to follow the path of spirituality. The 3 friends get a warning letter from the jeweler to return the money or be ready for the consequences. Anand hatches a plan to run away from the city and set up an ashram posing as sadhus (godmen). The others have no choice but to agree. Padma volunteers to join but Anand tells her she will be called later once they have settled.

So they come to a village and scout for an ideal location to set up the ashram. There is a lavani performance (Raghucha tapun basalay thawa) at the local temple in the night. The next day, the trio arrive outside the temple dressed as sadhus. They are Swami Parmanand (Amol), Swami Shivanand (Anand) and Swami Swanand (Arun). The priest and villagers approach them. They make up a story that the temple’s premises need to be purified after the song and dance performance as a sin has occurred. Anand performs a so called purification test to confirm a sin has indeed been committed and repentance is required.

The priest (Suhas Bhalekar) and villagers are convinced and they go to the Sarpanch (village head), but the Sarpanch (Jairam Kulkrani) refuses to believe them. He thinks the 3 sadhus are imposters. The 3 sadhus share an elaborate plan to complete the temple purification obviously involving a lot of expenditure. They continue to demonstrate (so called) miracles to gain the villagers’ confidence and they succeed.

Rich people start visiting the ashram, to meet and seek blessings from the godmen. Their “voluntary” contributions are most welcome.

One day, they have an unexpected visitor in the form of Anand’s wife Jyoti. The debtors are chasing her and she has no money. Anand gives her money and asks her to leave. She is adamant and he lets her stay in the ashram as a so called disciple.

The Sarpanch is not happy with the success of the sadhus. He approaches the lavani dancer Maina (Usha Naik) to entrap one of the sadhus and expose their real faces. Maina sings a song Ya dhagana laal laal and catches the attention of the sadhus. But she is unsuccessful in her mission as the sadhus are alert and are not influenced by her seducing charms. Maina is repentant of her actions and decides to join the ashram and serve the sadhus.

Meanwhile, Padma/Popins has contacted the trio and arrives in the village to a grand welcome. There is a boisterous celebration song on the occasion of Guru Pournima, Bhagawan aa raha hai. The Sarpanch is not impressed. He goes to the police station to complain about the ashram.

The sadhus have begun a new scheme where devotees are invited to confess their sins. The confessions will get recorded and the confidential information can be used to extract money from the confessor. The corrupt start arriving and confessing to their ill gotten wealth. This includes builders, doctors, government officials etc. The sadhus decide to target such corrupt people who loot the society. They begin with a builder who has stashed Rs 7 lakhs in his bathroom. The sadhus disguise themselves as income tax officers and raid the builder’s house and loot the cash. Unfortunately, the builder passes away due to shock the same night. The police come investigating and find a digging tool left behind by the robbers.

The police investigations bring them closer to the truth and they suspect the ashram and its inhabitants. They send a spy (Jyoti Chandekar) to the ashram. Will the police be able to raid the ashram and catch the perpetrators? Who will win in the end?

The Music

Veterans Jagdish Khebudkar (lyricist) and Ram Kadam (music director) share the music credits. Somehow the songs are not that effective compared to their more famous songs. The songs are quite situational. Dev jagavegala ho, dev jagavegala is melodious.

My Thoughts

Among the performances, the focus in mainly on Ashok Saraf, Ravindra Mahajani and Ranjana and they are entertaining. The others including Ramesh Bhatkar, Roohi and Usha Naik seem like supporting characters.

The film’s plot is good but fails somewhere in its execution. Right from the initial scenes, it is shown how easy it is to fool people. And the protagonists get out of tight situations very easily which is not really believable. Their transition from fraudsters to Robin Hood like sentiments is abrupt and not very convincing. As if they suddenly remembered there is a social message to be passed to the audience. It could have been a better film with the all the talent and known faces.

Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar (1973)

My Reviews

There have been many movies depicting a suspicious husband or wife leading to serious or hilarious consequences depending on the tone of the movie. Based on a Gujarathi play “Chakdhol,” Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar is a funny take on how a suspicious wife compels her husband to make up an imaginary story to save himself and the chain of events that follow. The movie is directed by Rajendra Bhatia.

The Plot

The film begins with a party scene. Sunil Mehta (Kiran Kumar) and his wife Geeta (Radha Saluja) arrive. Sunil meets Helen who behaves like an old acquaintance. This is enough to sow the seeds of suspicion in Geeta’s mind. Next day, Sunil leaves for office. He doesn’t come back in the evening. A worried Geeta goes to sleep waiting for his return. She dreams he is spending time with Helen totally ignoring Geeta’s presence. Time for a dream song Khilta hua shabab hai…

Geeta wakes up from her dream to find Sunil is still not home. Her sister Pinky (Arpana Choudhary) stays with her. Unable to sleep, she visits Pinky’s room and goes downstairs to wait on the sofa. Its almost morning. The Mehtas have an oversmart and unscruplous servant Ramji (I.S. Johar) whose habit is to keep making social commentary on current issues. Whenever he receives an order, his response is Main wohi toh karne wala tha. He has had enough of the Mehta family and is leaving them soon for a new employer.

Geeta asks Ramji if he has seen Sunil home yesterday night. He tells her no. He informs her indirectly that he is leaving them for a new employer and his new mistress may come and meet her for feedback on his conduct. An already suspicious Geeta misinterprets that Sunil is leaving her for a new mistress. Pinky comes down. Its her birthday and Geeta wishes her. She tells her about Sunil and the new mistress. Pinky calls Ramji and thankfully clarifies the matter. Pinky has a supposed to be fiance Captain Ranjit (Narendranath). For some reason, Sunil disapproves of Ranjit and leaves no chance to insult him.

Meanwhile Sunil comes home. Geeta cross questions him on his absence. Knowing her nature, Sunil knows she will not believe the truth. The simple truth is he was returning home when he saw a fun fair/exhibition. He visits the fair and takes a giant wheel ride. Unfortunately the machine develops a technical glitch and he has to spend the whole night suspended in the air. But there is a catch. Also stuck with him for company is a young woman (Manju Asrani). (He refers to her as “giant wheel lady.”) If Geeta comes to know about this, she will raise hell all over.

To get away from the situation, Sunil invents a not so convincing story. He tell Geeta that he met an old friend called Champak Bhumiya and spent the night at his house chatting about old times. Geeta further questions him and he has to invent a fake address – Boti Mansion, Damar Galli in Betegaon. Geeta is not convinced but allows him to go to their room. She books a telegram for Champak Bhumiya, requesting him to meet her as soon as he receives the telegram as her happiness is dependent on him. She also packs her bags in anticipation that Sunil is lying, the telegram will come back as the address was fake and she will go to her mom’s house. Sunil vents his feelings through a song Mujhe meri biwi se bachao.

Sunil comes down and asks Ramji for breakfast. The bell rings and unexpectedly, the “giant wheel lady” comes to meet Sunil. Apparently he has her sunglasses and she wants them back. But Sunil has gifted them to Pinky as a birthday gift. He asks the woman to meet him later.

The bell rings again. This time the visitor is Sunil’s old friend Amit Desai (Asrani). He has recently got married in Paris. His wife has come back to India. He was supposed to arrive 2 days later but managed to come earlier. However he doesn’t want to go to his home immediately. He wants to enjoy his last days of freedom before meeting his wife. A weird story which Sunil accepts and invites him to stay at his house.

Sunil informs Amit of the last night’s events and his fake story. He spots the telegram message and knows the cat will be out of the bag soon. Amit ponders and offers a solution. He will come to visit Geeta, posing as “Champak Bhumiya” and Sunil’s story will be validated. Luckily, Geeta has never met Amit. Sunil agrees. The only problem is Ramji who had opened the door for Amit. Through some bribing, Ramji becomes a part of the plan.

Thus, Amit arrives at the house again and meets Geeta. She is at first flustered to meet the man with the strange name and address. He tells her about his friendship with Sunil and how they spent the night chatting. And about his wife and 2 imaginary kids – Luv and Kush. Geeta is convinced and apologizes to Sunil about her actions.

Things are sorted. Its time to celebrate Pinky’s birthday through a song Happy birthday to Pinky. Amit helps to settle matters between Captain Ranjit and Sunil amicably. There is another song featuring Mehmood – Raat hai baat hai.

But there is a twist coming up. It appears in the form of a woman Motiya (Padma Khanna) who claims she is Champak Bhumiya’s wife. She confronts Geeta for sending the telegram and summoning her husband. Motiya leaves in a huff leaving Geeta feeling sorry for the situation she has created. Geeta tells Amit about his wife’s visit. Amit is confused and realizes there is indeed a real Champak Bhumiya and the address is real too. And that’s the reason the telegram did not return.

So we have the entry of the final character, a colorful Champak Bhumiya (Paintal) leading to more confusion. Things get complicated when the “giant wheel lady” visits again. She is none other than Amit Desai’s newly wedded wife and is upset to find him in Sunil’s house. Things get sorted when the truth comes out. All’s well that ends well.

The Music

Shankar Jaikishan and Hasrat Jaipuri share the honours. Mujhe meri biwi se bachao by Kishore Kumar is the stand out song.

My Thoughts

The movie manages to keep the viewer engaged and there are hardly any boring scenes. The situational comedy is good. Most of the cast are lesser known actors but do their job well. Asrani and I.S. Johar add flavour to their roles. There are guest appearances from Helen, Jayshree T and Mehmood in the songs. The songs could have been trimmed but well, that is the compulsion of a Hindi Movie.