Bhabhi Songs Part 2: With the Nanad

Posted on Trivia – The Spice of Life on 05/03/2023

(The first part was about the songs of bhabhi and devar. Here is the link in case you wish to read it.)

It is not very easy for a woman to get along with another one. This is particularly true in the case of the bhabhi (brother’s wife) and nanad (husband’s sister). Our films also tend to portray this relationship as adversarial. While the bhabhi and the devar are usually shown as getting along well, the same is not the case with the bhabhi and nanad, especially if they are peers. The two are always shown as sizing each other up and putting each other down.

One is immediately reminded of the notorious roles of the sister-in-law essayed by Shashikala/Shubha Khote in the AVM productions. The peace of the house would be destroyed by petty fights and conspiracies hatched by the married nanad who would be parking herself in her maika. Alternately, the unmarried nanad would not be looked at very kindly by the newly wed bhabhi entering the fold. Having said that there are some movies where the two are shown as being friendly. Uljhan is a movie that comes to mind where the bhabhi Sulakshana Pandit walks a very long distance to protect her nanad (Farida Jalal) – to the extent that she is considered a murderess. Her marital life is thrown off track and her husband becomes her sworn enemy.

With this background, here is my list of ten songs of the bhabhi and the nanad. Unfortunately, most of the songs are stereotypical, with a reference to marriage and how the new bhabhi would be or should be. Also, many a song is of the vintage era as this relationship does not figure very prominently in the movies of the later years.

1) Bhabhi Aayi (Subah Ka Taara, 1954) Lyricist : Noor Lucknawi ; Music Director : C. Ramchandra ; Playback Singer : Usha Mangeshkar. Featuring Baby Rajshree as the nanad and an imaginary bhabhi, this is an adorable song. Rajshree describes the journey her bhabhi undertakes to reach her house. The song of course is very light hearted and pokes a lot of fun at her bhabhi as an amused bhaiyya (Pradeep Kumar) watches the spirited performance. This was Usha Mangeshkar‘s first song in Hindi films. Here is the video link of the song.

2) Bhabhi O Bhabhi Badlo Thoda (Gunsundari, 1948) Lyricist : Pandit Indra ; Music Director : Avinash Vyas; Playback Singer : Geeta Roy. This remake of a Gujarati movie had Nirupa Roy, the bhabhi, playing the sheet anchor role. As the name of the movie seems to suggest, the bhabhi was not just beautiful but virtuous too. This song is perhaps sung by Dulari Gautam who played the role of the nanad in the movie. The video of the song is not available. The nanad is telling her bhabhi to move ahead with the times and become fashionable. The same movie had another song where the bhabhi is complaining about the nanad – Nanadiya Maare Boli Ke Baan.

3) Meri Aayee Hai Teen Bhabhiyan (Hum Ek Hain, 1946) Lyricist : P.L.Santoshi ; Music Directors : Husnlal Bhagatram ; Playback Singers : Zohrabai Ambalewali (for the three bhabhis) & Amirbai Karnataki (for the nanad). As the name of the movie suggests, this is a film promoting national integration with the three sons (two of them adopted) bring in three wives belonging to their respective religions. Durga Khote is the benevolent Zamindarin who believes in the equality of all and thus adopts the orphans. The adopted daughter – the nanad of the three bhabhis – sings on the occasion of their marriage. The bhabhis join in making it a fun and frolic song. This movie marked the debut of Dev Anand.

4) Bhabhi Bhaiyya Ko Dhamkaae (Kavita, 1944) Lyricist : Ramesh Gupta ; Music Director : Shankar Rao Vyas; Playback Singer : Zohrabai Ambalewali (?). This light hearted song is all about the nanad listing out how completely dominating her bhabhi is and how the brother has become a complete slave. He is the one doing all the household chores as well as working to feed the family. The bhabhi is just relaxing and throwing her weight around. The lyrics of the song of course must be seen against the social beliefs of the 1940s, when the hearth was considered the sole responsibility and preserve of the woman and working for a livelihood the man’s. The video link of the song is unfortunately not available.

5) Bhabhi Ko Gudiya Banaungi (Ghar Ghar Ki Baat, 1959) Lyricist : Upendra ; Music Director : Kalyanji Veerji Shah; Playback Singer : Sudha Malhotra. Featuring in a typical tear jerker that presents the clash between tradition and modernity, this song seems to be sung by the nanad for whom the bhabhi is like a friend with whom she shares all her joys and sorrows. This is a lovely song by Sudha Malhotra. Unfortunately, neither the video link nor the audio link is available on YouTube. Here is the audio link from another site.

6) Nanadi Hui Jawaan Ei Ji Koi Var Dekho (Nanad Bhojai, 1949) Lyricist : Saraswati Kumar Deepak ; Music Director : Bulo.C.Rani ; Playback Singer : Geeta Roy. Here’s another typical song where the bhabhi wants to get her nanad married and is desperately searching for a suitable match. The bhabhi wants her nanad to be happy at her in laws place and thus wants to leave no stone unturned to find the best husband for her.

7) Kab Tak Bol Gori Aise Sharmaayegi (Raakhi, 1962) Lyricist : Rajinder Krishan ; Music Director : Ravi ; Playback Singer : Lata Mangeshkar. This movie was a remake of a very popular Tamil film Pasamalar. This song is sung by Waheeda Rehman for her brother and sister-in-law on the occasion of their marriage. She is very happy that her brother has finally married the woman he loves.

8) Ho Mori Bhabhi Ke Gaal Gulabi (Rakhi, 1949) Lyricist : Sarshar Sailani ; Music Directors : Husnlal Bhagatram ; Playback Singer : Lata Mangeshkar. The video of this song is not available. From the star cast, one can perhaps surmise that the hero’s sister (Yashodhara Katju?) sings it for her bhabhi (Kamini Kaushal). It is an adorable song, with the nanad praising the newly wed bhabhi to the skies even as she rags her.

9) Kaho Bhabhi Meri Kab Aayegi (Shadi Ki Raat, 1950) Lyricist : Sarshar Sailani (or Nazim Panipati ?) ; Music Director : Pt.Govind Ram ; Playback Singer : Lata Mangeshkar. This is yet another light hearted song, perhaps addressed to the elder brother, asking him when her sister-in-law is going to make an entry. There is innocent banter in the song.

10) Aaya Aaya Atariya Pe Koi Chor (Mera Gaon Mera Desh, 1971) Lyricist : Anand Bakshi ; Music Directors : Laxmikant Pyarelal ; Playback Singer : Lata Mangeshkar. This song is a rustic number. The dacoits are around enjoying the somewhat loud lyrics. The movie Mera Gaon Mera Desh, from which this song is, is sometimes viewed as a precursor of Sholay. The acclaimed dancer in this song is Lakshmi Chhaya. This movie had her play a significant role. She starred as Munnibai, a girl who works undercover for a dacoit. Her loyalties, however, shift in the latter part of the movie. Here, it is the imaginary bhabhi whom she calls out for help, to figure out who the trespasser is.

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