SOTW: Bade Achhe Lagte Hain

Song: Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
Movie: Balika vadhu (1976)
Music Director: R D Burman
Singer(s): Amit Kumar
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

When you want to express your love in simple words, this is the song you should sing. There is no mincing words here, everything is straight and to the point – bade achhe lagte hain. These simple words make this song a favorite with lovers. The singer, Amit Kumar, son of the versatile singer Kishore Kumar, sounds so much like his father that it is no surprise many people think this song has been sung by Kishoreda himself. Music is by Panchamda. Anand Bakshi has penned the words. The song is from Balika Badhu (no connection whatsoever with the Avika Gor starrer television series Balika Vadhu), which has Sachin Pilgaonkar in the lead. Sounds like an interesting movie. It is on my TBW (To Be Watched) list. If anyone has watched this movie, do let me know what you think.

This post is part of the Song of the Week series.

SOTW: Rail Gaadi

Song: Rail Gaadi
Movie: Ashirwad (1968)
Music Director: Vasant Desai
Singer(s): Ashok Kumar
Lyrics: Harindranath Chattopadhyay

While the whole country is celebrating Teacher’s Day, I would like to dedicate this song to all the little kids. This is one of those children songs which is enjoyed by the small and the big alike. The first time I heard this song, I was laughing my head off. I didn’t know that such an entertaining song existed and more importantly couldn’t believe that it was sung by Ashok Kumar. Dadamoni and singing? And for kids?

Dadamoni has packed a lot of energy in his singing. That part where he is ringing the bell for the train is so sincere. The lyrics of the song is great – you hear the names of a lot of stations.

The song is from the movie Ashirwad, which I know nothing about. I plan to watch the movie even it is just for this song and another one which is quite similar, Naani ki naav chali. This being a Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie, it will be a good watch.

There is some confusion over the lyricist of this song. Music India Online lists Gulzar as the lyricist, but the album I have ‘Remembering Hrishikesh Mukherjee’ has Harindranath Chattopadhyay as the lyricist and Earth Music agrees with this.

SOTW: Jaane Woh Kaise

Song: Jaane Woh Kaise Log The Jinke
Movie: Pyaasa (1957)
Music Director: S D Burman
Singer(s): Hemant Kumar
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi

This song reminds me of my college days, engineering college days in particular. No, don’t get me wrong. I did not experience any love disappointment, just that I rediscovered this song during those days and I would hum this song sitting in bus, waiting for my bus at the stop and sitting in class while boring lectures were going – basically all the time.

Hemantda acquired a special place in my heart after I heard this song. For a long time, I was under the wrong assumption that this song is sung by Manna Dey and when I finally realized who the real singer was, I was not surprised at all. It had to be Hemantda with his expressive voice.

The song is clearly meant for a heart-broken lover’s situation. The tune is so simple as if Hemantda is reciting those lines rather than actually singing it. There is very little background music thus giving all the importance to Hemantda’s voice. His voice is so heavy and drawn-out, you can actually feel the burden. And the words, oh my, heart-wrenching, tear-jerking words. Tell me, whose heart will not melt for the person singing these lines:

Isko hi jeena kehte hain to yuhin jee lenge
Uff na karenge lab seelenge aasoon peelenge
Gham se ab ghabarana kaisa gham sau baar mila

I love this song so much, I can go on and on about it, but let me stop here by saying I love the simplicity of this song. Simple music, simple tune, simple words but the feeling are far from being simple.

SOTW: Pyaar Ki Dastaan

Song: Pyaar Ki Dastaan
Movie: Luck By Chance (2009)
Music Director: Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy
Singer(s): Amit Paul and Mahalakshmi Iyer
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar

To add some different flavor to this series, let’s look at a relatively new song. Pyaar Ki Dastaan is a slow, romantic number from Luck By Chance and is special to my husband because it is sung by Amit Paul. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, Amit Paul was the runner up in Indian Idol 3. He lost to the undeserving Prashant Tamang, but that’s a different story. Javed Akhtar, who was one of the judges on that show, promised to give him a break and he is kept his promise through his movie.

Music is by Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy and the song is sung by Amit Paul and Mahalakshmi Iyer. Amit’s voice shines throughout this song. His voice suits songs like these – soft and melodious. Mahalakhsmi complements Amit so well that they seem to be having some kind of conversation. Lyrics don’t let the song down. I leave you with the video of this song. Enjoy!

SOTW: Piya Aiso Jiya Mein

Song: Piya Aiso Jiya Mein
Movie: Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)
Music Director: Hemant Kumar
Singer(s): Geeta Dutt
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni

In an attempt to resurrect this blog, I am starting a weekly series post: Song of the Week. Every Friday, I am going to blog about one song, old or new, popular or not, sad or romantic, be it any song, just one song which caught my attention. Hoping that readers will like this series, let’s talk about this week’s song. This is in memory of Hemant Kumar, whose birthday falls in the month of June.

Piya Aiso Jiya Mein Samaye Gayo Re is a soft, romantic song from Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. Melodious music is a characteristic of Guru Dutt’s movie and this is no exception. The song is picturized on Meena Kumari (who many will praise as beautiful, but I disagree) who is waiting for her beloved husband. Guru Dutt, who plays the ‘ghulam’ or the servant, does not appear in the song. Geeta Dutt has lent her beautiful voice to this song which makes this song even more special. Her vioce has the right amount of playfulness and love in it which the song demands. Hemantda’s music in this movie is to die for. While other more popular songs of this movie can be heard even today, this song is slightly less known. Lyrics can be easily found, so I am not posting here.

Here is a video of that song. Don’t miss the funny English subtitles.

PS: Is Meena Kumari getting a pedicure in this video?