The Only Song That …..

Posted on 12/03/2023 on Trivia- The Spice of Life

Human beings are always interested in the exception than the rule. Perhaps, it is the exception that gets all the limelight rather than the rule. Come to think of it, law too evolves because of exceptional circumstances that arise in its implementation or interpretation, those which were never envisaged when it was being drafted. Thus, it is these exceptions and unique aspects of something that make it more interesting.

Lonar Crater Lake – image courtesy : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Having said that, sometimes in our over enthusiasm to market something exotic, a string of adjectives is suffixed. What immediately comes to mind is the way the Lonar crater lake was described in a memento that was given to us when we visited it more than a decade ago. It was described as the world’s only lake created with hyper velocity meteorite impact on basalt. This long description made us chuckle. While there is no discounting the fact that it is one of the most beautiful and unique sites to visit, the manner in which it was described made us feel that it could have been done better.

You may ask what the Lonar Crater Lake would have to do with a post on Hindi film songs. Well, just like the manner in which the Lonar crater lake has been described using a long string of adjectives, if one were to use five or six adjectives for a Hindi film song, then it would render every song unique – say the only song of Amitabh Bachchan that was shot in a stadium in Kolkata.

The point I am getting at is that the uniqueness of something should be established in as few adjectives as possible. At the same time, it should actually be special or distinctive. It is with this thought in mind that I am writing this post. At some level I know that I could be walking on egg shells for it is possible that the data presented here could be contested. I would take that in my stride for it would only render me more educated. Also this is a post where readers can make their own contributions by highlighting the uniqueness of any song of their choice. The more, the merrier!! I shall also try to highlight the source of the information for anyone who wants to verify or contest my description. Most of the songs of the list have been drawn based on the research done for the various posts that I have been writing and those blogs I have been following.

1) The only song that Kishore Kumar sang under Naushad’s music direction: There is only one song that Kishore Kumar ever sang under Naushad’s music direction. This is the duet – Hello Hello Kya Haal Hain from the movie Sunehra Sansar (1975) which Kishore Kumar sang with Asha Bhosle. However, this song though released on the LP was not included in the film. This was also the movie for which Naushad collaborated with Anand Bakshi for the first time.

Hello Hello Kya Haal Hain – Sunehra Sansar(1975) – Anand Bakshi – Naushad – Asha Bhosle & Kishore Kumar

(Source : https://www.cinemaazi.com/feature/aathwaan-sur-naushad)

2) The only Lata Mangeshkar song in Guru Dutt’s cinema : In none of Guru Dutt’s productions – be it Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool or Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam will one find Lata Mangeshkar singing any songs. It is said that S.D.Burman who worked closely with Guru Dutt used to find this very challenging. Even Hemant Kumar had to use only Geeta Dutt (for Meena Kumari) and Asha Bhosle (for all other female characters) in Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam. It was only in Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) that Lata Mangeshkar got to sing her one and only song in Guru Dutt’s cinema. The song Badle badle mere sarkaar nazar aate hai was composed by Ravi who insisted on Lata singing the song, as he felt only she could do justice to it.

Badle Badle Mere Sarkaar Nazar Aate Hain – Chaudvin Ka Chaand (1960) – Shakeel Badayuni – Lata Mangeshkar

(Source : https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/lata-mangeshkars)

3) The only song that Kishore Kumar sang for Shammi Kapoor : Md. Rafi was the voice of Shammi Kapoor. Think of Shammi and the voice that immediately comes to mind is that of Md.Rafi. However, there is only one song that Kishore Kumar sang for Shammi Kapoor, when Shammi was no longer playing the hero though. The song was not a solo. This was the song from Vidhaata (1982) – Saat Saheliyaan Khadi Khadi.

Saat Saheliyaan Khadi Khadi – Vidhaata(1982) – Anand Bakshi- Kalyanji Anandji – Kishore Kumar, Alka Yagnik, Anuradha Paudwal, Hemlata, Kanchan, Padmini Kolhapure, Sadhana Sargam and Shivangi Kolhapure

Here is Shammi Kapoor himself describing this song.

(Source : https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xk0g86)

4) The only Hemant Kumar – Mahendra Kapoor duet : This duet from Sambandh, 1969 – Jo Diya Tha Tumne Ek Din – sung by a son (Mahendra Kapoor for Deb Mukherjee) and father (Hemant Kumar for Pradeep Kumar) on screen is about an emotional reunion. I have not come across any more duets of Mahendra Kapoor and Hemant Kumar. This has been confirmed by AK ji of SOY fame. The link posted below has only the audio. I am sharing the video link here.

Jo Diya Tha Tumne Ek Din – Sambandh (1969) – Kavi Pradeep – O.P.Nayyar – Mahendra Kapoor & Hemant Kumar

(Source : https://www.songsofyore.com/book-review)

5) The only song where one playback singer sings for numerous actors: BA MA PhD ye diplomey ye degree from the movie Badnaam Farishtey (1971) is a solo song by Rafi, but on screen, it is performed by twelve actors who get to sing specific lines through the song. This is surely an unparalleled record of one singer singing for many actors on screen, in the same song.

BA MA PhD ye diplomey ye degree – Badnaam Farishtey (1971) – Asad Bhopali – N.Datta – Md.Rafi

(Source : https://atulsongaday.me/2012/01/02/ba-ma-phd-ye-diplomaay-ye-degree/)

6) The only song that Mahendra Kapoor and Md.Rafi sang together: Md. Rafi and Mahendra Kapoor had a pact that they would never sing together as they shared a guru-shishya relationship and their voices were very similar. However, in the movie Aadmi, they were compelled to sing together – Rafi for Dilip Kumar and Mahendra Kapoor for Manoj Kumar in a duet – Kaisi Haseen Aaj Bahaaron Ki Raat Hai. The song had earlier been recorded as a Rafi -Talat duet but since Talat Mehmood’s voice did not suit the on screen Manoj Kumar, it was re-recorded. However, the LP still carried the Talat-Rafi version. Mahendra Kapoor sought Talat’s permission and was very apologetic about re-recording the song.

Kaisi Haseen Aaj Bahaaron Ki Raat Hain – Aadmi (1968) – Shakeel Badayuni – Naushad – Mahendra Kapoor & Rafi

(Source : https://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2018/)

7) The only song that Suman Kalyanpur and Lata Mangeshkar sang together : Kabhi Aaj Kabhi Kal Kabhi Parson from the movie Chand (1959) was the only song that Lata Mangeshkar and Suman Kalyanpur sang together. Their voices gel so well that it is actually difficult to say whose voice it is. It is a pity that they never sang a duet after this. This is a lovely, fast dance song performed on stage.

Kabhi Aaj Kabhi Kal Kabhi – Chand(1959) – Shailendra – Hemant Kumar – Lata Mangeshkar & Suman Kalyanpur

(Source : https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/exclusives)

8) Only song whose tune has been repeatedly reused: If there is one song whose tune has been repeatedly used with minor tweaking here and there, it is the tune of S.D.Burman’s song Thandi Hawaaein from the movie Naujawan (1951). This soft and soothing tune has inspired songs for almost 4 decades with music directors like Roshan, Madan Mohan, R.D.Burman and Raam Laxman using the tune after making minor changes.

Thandi Hawaein – Naujawan (1951) – Sahir Ludhianvi – S.D.Burman – Lata Mangeshkar

(Source: http://arghyatext.blogspot.com & https://odishabytes.com/)

9) The only film song composed by singer Sudha Malhotra: Sudha Malhotra apart from being a singer par excellence also composed music – but for one song only – Tum Mujhe Bhool Bhi Jaaon from the film Didi (1959). The film’s music director Datta Naik had fallen ill and Sudha Malhotra was called in because the song was needed urgently.

Tum Mujhe Bhool Bhi Jaon – Didi (1959) Sahir Ludhianvi – Sudha Malhotra – Sudha Malhotra and Mukesh

(Source : https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/sudha-malhotra & http://myswar.co/song_details/didi )

10) The only song that Geeta Dutt & Suraiyaa sang together : Afsar (1950) was the first film made under the banner of Navketan Films. It featured Suraiyya and Ruma Guha Thakurta as the female leads with Dev Anand playing the male lead. The song – Preet Ka Naata Jodne Wale – sung by Geeta Dutt (for Ruma) and Suraiyaa for herself is the only duet that these two talented singers ever sang together.

Preet Ka Naata Jodnewaale – Afsar (1950) – Pt.Narendra Sharma – S.D.Burman – Geeta Dutt & Suraiyya

(Source : http://geetadutt.com/suraiya.html)

This brings me to the end of my post on some unique songs. As I said at the beginning, the uniqueness that I have looked for is something very evident and is special in the overall scheme of Hindi film music. I must also reiterate that there could be errors in the facts presented and I would be grateful if the errors are pointed out and corrected. Also the readers can add their own “only song that“, in keeping with the overall flavour of the post, which is evident from the list of ten. Also, if you ever find time, please do visit the Lonar crater lake located in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra to appreciate its uniqueness.

Disclaimer

anitamultitasker.wordpress.com claims no credit for any image, screenshots or songs posted on this site. The images and screenshots are the copyright of their original owners. The song links are shared from Daily Motion, YouTube and other platforms only to make the post audio visual. The copyright of these songs rests with the respective owners, producers and music companies. The source of information for each of the songs has also been mentioned.