Raat – Duets

My Lists

Raat (night) – appears in so many forms in cinema. It can be a frightening aspect. A night of separation, longing. One that brings negativity. On the other hand, it can be a night of togetherness and romance. It makes way for the positive tomorrow. Hindi cinema has made use of raat in many songs. Ye hawa ye raat ye chandni, Suhani raat dhal chuki, Raat ka sama, Raat bhi hai kuch bheegi bheegi, Ye raat ye chandni phir kahan, Raat akeli hai, Raat bhar ka hai mehmaan are some of the interpretations resulting into great songs. They make use of the night and its accompanying elements like the moon, moonlight, the sky, the stars to bring out the emotions of the onscreen character.

Today’s post is about duet songs all talking about “raat.” All from different music directors. Which songs would you add here?

1) Song: Ye Raat Bheegi Bheegi
Film: Chori Chori (1956)
Credits: Shailendra | Shankar Jaikishan | Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar

A rich heiress (Nargis) and a reporter (Raj Kapoor) become fellow travelers and are forced to spend the night together. Its about to rain. He starts singing describing the moist atmosphere and she joins in. The lyrics are suggestive, is love in the air….or the weather?

Ithlati hawa nilam sa gagan, kaliyo pe ye behoshi ki nami,
Aise me bhi kyun bechain hai dil, jivan mein na jane kya hai kami,
Kyun aag si laga ke gumsum hai chandani,
Sone bhi nahi deta mausam ka ye ishara,
Ye raat bheegi bheegi ye mast fizaye,
Utha dheere dheere wo chaand pyara pyara…

2) Song: O Raat Ke Musafir
Film: Miss Mary (1957)
Credits: Rajendra Krishan | Hemant Kumar | Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar

Miss Mary is a story of 2 people who are forced to behave as a married couple in order to get a job. They keep bickering a lot. One night, after another fight, the hero Gemini Ganeshan steps out and addresses the moon to help him out. The heroine Meena Kumari mellows down and joins him with her perspective.

O chaand aasman ke dam bhar zameen pe aaja,
Bhula huaa hai raahi tu raasta dikha jaa,
Bhataki hui hai naiyaa saahil ise dikha de
Mera qusur kya hai, tu faisla suna de

3) Song: Ye Raatein Ye Mausam
Film: Dilli Ka Thug (1958)
Credits: Shailendra | Ravi | Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle

This is one of the softer songs of Kishore Kumar. Here he romances with Nutan as they describe the night and their romantic feelings.

Ye kya baat hai aaj ki chaandni mein,
Ke ham kho gaye pyaar ki raagini mein,
Ye baahon mein baahen, ye behaki nigaahen,
Lo aane laga zindagi ka maza,
Ye raatein ye mausam nadi ka kinaara ye chanchal hawa…

4) Song: Aadha Hai Chandrama Raat Aadhi
Film: Navrang (1959)
Credits: Bharat Vyas | C. Ramchandra | Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhosle

This is a dream song sequence set in the night. Halfway in the night, the film’s protagonist poet (Mahipal) meets his imaginative muse Mohini (Sandhya). The overall song talks about incompleteness and parting. This is probably one of the most difficult choreographed songs with the heroine balancing multiple pots on her head, singing and dancing in sync.

Piyaa aadhi hai pyaar ki bhaashaa,
Aadhi rahne do man ki abhilaashaa,
Aadhe chhalke nayan aadhe dhalke nayan,
Aadhi palkon ki bhi hai barsaat aadhi,
Aadhaa hai chandramaa…

5) Song: Do Sitaron Ka Zameen Par Hai Milan Aaj Ki Raat
Film: Kohinoor (1960)
Credits: Shakeel Badayuni | Naushad | Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar

The two stars (sitaare) here are Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari who are converging together slowly towards their meeting place. The heavenly night setting and the feeling of anticipation is beautifully described and enacted here.

Husnwale teri duniya mein koi aaya hain,
Tere deedar ki hasarat bhi koi laya hain,
Tod de tod de parde ka chalan aaj ki raat,
Muskurata hain ummeedo ka chaman aaj ki raat,
Do sitaron ka zameen…

6) Song: Zindagi Bhar Nahi Bhoolegi Woh Barsaat Ki Raat
Film: Barsaat Ki Raat (1960)
Credits: Sahir | Roshan | Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar

The solo version is more famous but the duet has its own charm too. Madhubala has run away from her home to meet Bharat Bhushan. He asks her to return home. She starts singing the song, he completes the duet and they agree to stay together come what may. This is one of those songs where it is difficult to decide whether its the lyrics, music or the singing that outshine each other. And Madhubala (!)

Haay jis raat mere dil ne dhadakna seekha,
Shokh jazbaat ne seene mein bhadakna seekha,
Meri taqdeer se nikli wahi sadmaat ki raat,
Zindagi bhar nahin bhoolegi…

7) Song: Dhalti Jaaye Raat
Film: Razia Sultana (1961)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | Lachchiram | Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle

Jairaj and Nirupa Roy are the lovers in this song but two unknown(?) singers are singing the song and bringing out the emotions of the lead pair. Definitely, a musical gem from one of the lesser known composers.

8) Song: Aaj Ko Junili Raat Maa
Film: Talash (1969)
Credits: Majrooh Sultanpuri | S. D. Burman | Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar

This melodious song is set in a village. Junli raat means the night of the full moon. This is a celebratory song. The lead pair Rajendra Kumar and Sharmila Tagore have decided to get married and voice out their joy together.

9) Song: Raat Suhani Jaag Rahi Hai
Film: Jigri Dost (1970)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | Laxmikant Pyarelal | Mohammed Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur

Jeetendra and Mumtaz get romantically involved in a fantasy song. The song is a weird combination of set pieces, dance steps and costumes considering it is meant to be a romantic song!

10) Song: Hum Tum Gumsum Raat Milan Ki
Film: Humshakal (1974)
Credits: Anand Bakshi | R. D. Burman | Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle

And to end the list, a romantic song with a haunting quality. Newly weds Rajesh Khanna and Moushumi are in a fishermen’s colony, they sing the duet and come closer.

Jhoke pawan ke khidki se jhake chedo na tum balma,
Sunle na koi zalima, zalima re,
Bajne lage hai mere kangna jhun jhun,
Jhumna Jhumna Jhumna Jhumna….
Hum tum gumsum raat milan ki…

Sur Sangam (1985)

My Reviews,

Sur Sangam (literally the confluence of musical notes) is a Hindi movie which can be best described as a celebration of Indian classical music. This is a remake of the Telugu classic Sankarabharanam (1980) directed by K. Viswanath. Through his deft handling of the story, human emotions, accompanied by great music, the movie manages to leaves its impact.

The Plot

Sur Sangam is the story of 2 individuals, Pandit Shivshankar Shastri (Girish Karnad) and Tulsi (Jaya Prada) who are bound by the common thread of music. Pandit Shastri is an accomplished classical singer, a purist. He is highly principled and fully dedicated to his art. Whatever be the reason, he will not compromise his principles.

The movie begins with Tulsi and her son Shankar alias Bittu (Akash Singh) travelling in a steamer. They have a marriage party for company. Bittu moves around the steamer and creates rhythmic sounds and the others join him making use of pots, utensils, jewellery, sticks etc. All this is complemented by the steamer’s puffing sound. This is a wonderful musical start to the movie as the title credits start rolling.

Tulsi and Bittu reach their destination. A thoughtful Tulsi stops near the river bank. She is waiting for someone. After some hours, she sees Pandit Shastri and her mind goes in to a flashback.

There is a grand musical program. The renowned Pandit Shastri is performing raag Malkans. Tulsi is sitting in the audience with her mother Ratnabai (Tabassum). Tulsi is a follower of art and is a dedicated dancer and singer. She is mesmerized by Panditji’s singing and imagines herself dancing in response to his expressive singing.

Ratnabai, on the other hand has no interest in the performance. She is awaiting the arrival of the local zamindar (Bhushan Tiwari). Panditji’s singing has reached the crescendo when he is distracted by the zamindar’s sudden appearance. The zamindar pulls up a chair and starts chatting with Ratnabai.  A miffed Pandit Shastri leaves the stage.

At home, his tabla accompanist Gopal (Paintal) tells the cook (Sulbha Deshpande) about the incident. She says he is so committed to music that he once delayed attending his ailing wife after his daughter’s birth. Unfortunately, the wife had passed away by the time he completed his recital and was made aware of her condition.

The next morning Pandit Shastri and his daughter Sharda (Baby Mamta) are rehearsing on the river bank. Tulsi is nearby and attracted by the sheer power of Panditji’s music. She is unable to control herself and joins with some unrestrained singing and dancing. Pandit Shastri is impressed. They part without a word said.

Back home, there is a visitor who invites Pandit Shastri to Karnataka, where he will be felicitated and gifted a toda (anklet). Facilitating the conversation is Pandit Shastri’s lawyer friend Madhav (Deven Verma). He is a friend and well-wisher of the family. Pandit Shastri accepts the invite and prepares to leave by train. And guess who joins him? Tulsi!

Tulsi is a prostitute’s daughter and her mother wants to offer her to the zamindar. Tulsi overhears the plan and runs away to the railway station. She boards the train compartment to find Pandit Shastri seated. Again, no dialogue is shown between the two. After reaching the destination, the organizers and Gopal are surprised to see Pandit Shastri and Tulsi together. The felicitation takes place followed by Pandit Shastri’s performance. But Ratnabai and her brother reach the venue and take back Tulsi forcibly.

Madhav’s wife (Bharati Acharekar) highlights to him that people in the village have started talking about Pandit Shastri’s relationship with Tulsi. He is a high class brahmin, she a prostitute. Madhav counters they have a strict teacher – student relationship. Both respect each other and there is no point in speculating anything. He is fully supportive of Pandit Shastri’s actions.

Tulsi is in a delightful mood. She practices at home listening to Pandit Shastri’s records. But the bliss is short lived. The zamindar arrives to “claim” her. He rapes her. She manages to attack him in revenge and runs away to Pandit Shastri’s house.

There is a court case. Madhav argues in favour of Tulsi and wins the case. Ratnabai is taken to jail. Outside the court, Tulsi’s uncle attempts to grab her but Pandit Shastri steps in and gestures her to come with him. And Tulsi enters his house officially.

But the entry is not very welcoming. The cook leaves the house immediately. Poor Sharda has to manage everything. When Pandit Shastri performs at the local temple, Tulsi sits down to accompany him on the tanpura. But Gopal, the other musicians and the audience boycott the performance. Pandit Shastri addresses Lord Shiva venting out his frustration. He sings and dances in the torrential rain. Tulsi has had enough. She does not want Pandit Shastri to suffer on her account and leaves the house and the village.

There are more hardships in store for her. She finds out she is pregnant (courtesy the zamindar). She gives birth to Bittu and raises him single-handedly. Thankfully, he is blessed with her musical talent. Tulsi’s aim is to take him back to the village and hand him over to Pandit Shastri, who can be his mentor and sharpen his talent. Hopefully, the son will achieve what the mother could not.

And what about Pandit Shastri? He suffers too. There is dwindling interest in classical music. People are influenced by western music. He has to vacate his palatial house and settle in a lesser accommodation. Money is hard to come by, he is forced to take loans.

His grown up daughter Sharda (Sadhana Singh) worships him. He is worried about her future. Madhav makes attempts to find a suitable match for Sharda but Pandit Shastri rejects every proposal citing some reason. One of the potential grooms is Kanneshwar (Sachin) who comes with his grandmother (Dina Pathak) to visit Pandit Shastri and Sharda.

Will Panditji accept Bittu as his disciple? Will he and Tulsi meet again? Will he make any compromise?

The Music

The music is the soul of the movie. Vasant Dev (lyrics) and Laxmikant Pyarelal (music) do a commendable job to belt out some delightful classical fare using varied ragas. Each composition is a gem. Aaye sur ke panchhi aaye (Malkans), Jaaoon tore charan kamal par waari (Bhoopali), Aayo prabhat sab mil gaao (Bhatiyaar), Mai ka piya bulave apne mandirwaa (Kalavati), He Shiv Shankar (Sohani), Saadh re Man Sur Ko (Kirwani), Dhanya Bhaag Seva Ka (Bhairavi) are some of the standout compositions. The voices are lent by Pt Rajan Sajan Mishra, Lata Mangeshkar, S. Janaki, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Anuradha Paudwal and Suresh Wadkar.

My Thoughts

Sur Sangam could not achieve the success that its Telugu original did in spite of the good story, music, direction and acting standards. This is not a typical hero-heroine-villain-song and dance Hindi movie! One can see some commercial compulsions creeping in the song picturization keeping in mind the Hindi audience. Unfortunately these do not work out in the film’s favour. Music wise, this was the disco and ghazal era of the 1980s. And the heavy classical music compositions were not accepted by the audience.

Performance wise, Jaya Prada steals the show. There is no direct interaction shown between her and Pandit Shastri. Its always through facial gestures and body language. Her expressions and not to forget her classical dancing skills leave a lasting impact. On the other hand, Girish Karnad is effective as the perfectionist, devoted artiste. His arguments in favour of classical music and its purity are convincing. However, as an actor he maintains the same stern expression throughout the movie. It would have been interesting to show different dimensions of his personality when he is dealing with different people like his daughter, friend, disciple etc. Sadly that does not happen. And there is no reason provided why he avoids a direct interaction with Tulsi.

Deven Verma, Dina Pathak, Sachin, Sadhana Singh, Paintal are all good in their supporting roles. Asrani and Urmila Matondkar appear in a funny special appearance.

Pedgaonche Shahane (1952)

My Reviews,

Pedgaonche Shahane (The Shahanes of Pedgaon) is a Marathi comedy movie produced and directed by Raja Paranjape. He also plays the main role(s). The movie is based on a theme very common in cinema – long lost siblings, twins in this case. A mix of well written dialogues, general goofiness and some serious situations deliver a satisfying movie. There are some drawbacks but those can be ignored considering the era when the film was made.

Trivia – Pedgaonche Shahane is a Marathi phrase attributed to a historical incident which took place in Pedgaon in the 17th century. The Moghuls were tricked and looted by the Maratha army without a battle or bloodshed. The defeated Moghul Sardar was deemed as aati-shahana (i.e. oversmart or foolish) and hence the term Pedgaonche Shahane. In the movie, it refers to the family named Shahane and the events occur in Pedgaon.

The Plot

The movie starts with a scene in the mental asylum/hospital in Pedgaon. An aged Dr Shahane (Raja Paranjape) moves around and meets the patients. He enters Dr Manohar’s room in the hospital premises. Soon, Dr. Manohar enters with a nurse.

We come to know that Dr Shahane is a patient at the hospital. He was a well known surgeon. One day he was asked to operate on a close relative named Malati. Dr Shahane was not willing to operate, but she insisted and he had to agree. As fate would have it, he loses concentration during the operation when he picks the surgical scissors. There is darkness in front of his eyes. He is unable to complete the operation and Malati dies. Dr Shahane blames himself for the incident and is mentally impacted. Ever since, he has been living in the mental hospital. He is otherwise normal but reacts whenever he sees a pair of scissors. One night, he manages to run away from the hospital.

The scene moves to a bungalow. This is the house of Balwantrao Shahane (G.D. Madgulkar) who works in a bank. His wife is Sarla (Nalini?). Sarla is keen to learn music. She aims to make their family modern as in “America.” They have 3 children. The elder son Ranga (Chittaranjan Kolhatkar) has completed his studies and is employed. Their daughter is Prema alias Baby (Nayana?). Prema takes daily dance lessons from Chandrabhushan (Prasad Sawkar). The younger son is school going Babu alias Bob (Master Dwarkanath). Another house member is a singer from the South – Sarang Bua/Mama (Dhumal), he is Sarla’s music teacher.

The opening scene is entertaining as we get introduced to the characters. Sarla, Ranga and Sarang are chatting on the breakfast table. Sarla is reading the newspaper and mentions the patient who has escaped from the mental hospital. But Ranga is more interested in the coverage of the horse races. He spends his time betting on horses and playing rummy on Sundays.

Suddenly there is a loud sound from the kitchen and all of them rush in to find Babu meddling with the stove. He is a mischievous boy and a keen experimenter, who has the habit of “exploring” and “fixing” things like a stove, radio and so on.

And then we have the young couple Prema and Chandrabhushan. They are upstairs singing and dancing on a Hindi song Muze dejaa rumaal.

Balwantrao is ready to leave for the bank. He asks his wife timidly if he can get a cup of tea if their (implying his family’s) “cinema” routine is over. Sarla lectures him that she is struggling to make their family modern and he is not appreciative at all. She will do as she wants. Just then the bell rings and all members (except Balwantrao) rush to open the door. A telegram has arrived confirming that Kakasaheb (uncle) will be arriving today as informed in his letter.

Balwantrao is confused and asks if any letter had come. Babu says yes, a letter had come from Africa and he has added the foreign stamp to his collection. A meek Balwantrao requests to hand over the letter. After deliberation by the members, it is discovered that the letter has been kept in a locked drawer. But the key is missing as all family members are “busy” in their activities.

Babu takes the lead in opening the drawer with a screw driver. Again there is a hilarious scene as the family gathers to open the drawer and retrieve the letter. Finally, the letter reaches Balwantrao who utters a sigh of relief. The letter is from his step uncle Kakasaheb Shahane who is returning from Africa. Apparently, he is a rich businessman with lakhs of rupees. He plans to spend the rest of his life with Balwantrao’s family. The family is excited to have a rich relative staying with them. Balwantrao instructs Sarla to go to the railway station and receive the relative.

Meanwhile Dr Shahane (after escaping from the mental hospital) has reached the railway station to catch a train and run away from Pedgaon. The police are also on the station to foil his plans and take him back to the mental hospital. The train arrives with Kakasaheb Shahane (also Raja Paranjape) and a comedy of errors follows. The police mistake the Africa returned Kakasaheb as Dr. Shahane and take him forcibly to the mental hospital. (Here, Kakasaheb mentions in passing that he had a twin brother who had gone missing many years back. But the police are in no mood to listen to his imaginary stories!).

Sarla meets Dr Shahane, assumes he is Kakasaheb and requests him to come home. He is puzzled at the woman’s behaviour and mention of his nephew. He reluctantly agrees and they arrive at the bungalow. He is introduced to the children, Sarang Mama and Chandrabhushan. Needless to say, their first impression is not very remarkable on the old man.

At the hospital, Dr. Manohar is relieved to have his patient back. Kakasaheb keeps insisting they have made a mistake, he is a businessman from “Zanzibar.” The word Zanzibar catches the fancy of the other patients who keep repeating it.

That evening, Balwantrao returns from the bank and meets Kakasaheb. He has an open chat with his uncle. Apparently its only Balwantrao who is the bread earner in the family. Ranga has lost his job. There are unnecessary expenses in the form of the music teacher, dance teacher, Ranga’s hobbies, special food demands by every member etc. He is finding it difficult to satisfy everyone and even taken a loan. He is glad that an elderly relative has arrived at his house and looks upon Dr Shahane as his saviour.

Dr Shahane agrees to put things in order. He is a disciplinarian and gets on to the task immediately. He starts taking harsh decisions much to the discomfort of the family members and to Balwantrao’s delight. Restrictions are imposed. The music teacher and cook are sacked. Sarla will manage the cooking everyday. Food will be brought from the ration shop only and so on.

The family accepts his decisions grudgingly. But gradually, he endears himself to them, and earns their genuine respect.

And what about the real Kakasaheb in the hospital? He is surrounded by entertaining specimens around him. The patients sing a delightful song – Duniya vedyancha bazaar….Zanzibar.

We know where all this will lead to. The twin brothers are destined to meet one day. Which they do, leading to a happy reunion and a sad farewell at the end.

The Music

Raja Paranjape’s movies are generally associated with great or rather all time hit music tracks. The music of this film is not bad. G. D. Madgulkar (Ga Di Ma) is the lyricist. Datta Dawjekar composes the tunes in line with the times. The problem is the story line does not offer much scope for songs especially the romantic tracks. They come and go, boring the viewer. The mental hospital song Zanzibar is the all time hit song. The lyrics are as rubbish as they can be and Vasantrao Deshpande’s singing is awesome.

My Thoughts

Movies depicting long lost siblings who meet after many years is not a novelty in cinema. But it would have been a fairly new concept when Pedgaonche Shahane was made. And also the fact that the look alike siblings are older in age (65+ ?), make it different from the usual lost and found plots.

Raja Paranjape is comfortable in both the roles. Rest of the cast are adequate. We see some veteran actors who are very young in this movie such as Sharad Talwalkar, Chittaranjan Kolhatkar, Prasad Sawkar and Madhu Apte and are difficult to recognize if you are not very observant! Special mention is G. D. Madgulkar who plays the helpless owner and has no say in his house. He is also the story, dialogues and song writer. His collaboration with Raja Paranjape is legendary and shines in this movie.

The initial part is funny as the family is introduced and the fake uncle settles down in his new residence. The solutions he offers may not seem very convincing today but that can be ignored. The later scenes in the mental hospital could have been funnier depicting the discomfort of the real uncle in those unexpected surroundings. Also, it seems very easy to run away from the hospital, so much for security. Nevertheless, the film is entertainment guaranteed. Raja Paranjape remade it in Hindi as Chacha Chowdhury (1953) and he played the role of the chacha.