Beautiful Duet Series
I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 23 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.
On 02 Dec 20, I gave you Beautiful Duet #2 – Meri Neendon Mein Tum, Mere Khwabon Mein Tum. So here, then, is the next one:
Song #3
Milte hi aankhen dil hua diwana kisi ka
Duets in Playback Singing
The first talkie in Hindi movies was Ardeshir Irani’s Alam Ara in 1931. Actor singer Wazir Mohammad Khan played a fakir in the movie and recorded the first solo ever in Hindi movies: De de khuda ke naam par. It was recorded with a harmonium and tabla live.
Then, I told you about the importance of director Nitin Bose. For the first time in Hindi movies he introduced the playback singing through the music director Raichand Boral. Nitin’s brother Mukul was the sound recorder who implemented the idea.
Dhoop Chhaon was the name of the movie. Pahari Sanyal and Uma Shashi recorded the first duet in playback singing: Prem ki naiyya chali jal mein mori.
I also told you that Pankaj Mullick was assistant to RC Boral in this movie.
The lyrics were by Pandit Sudarshan whom we shall be covering later (presently I am covering Pt Indra Chandra in my Great Lyricists series on my Facebook page Lyrical).
Those of you are interested may listen to it here:
Since that time, duets evolved beautifully over years. And the standard for love duets was to have it in three stanzas (eg Dil ki nazar se): first stanza by him or her, second stanza by her or him (other than the first singer) and the third stanza jointly by both.
Shakeel and Naushad, Talat and Shamshad Come up With the Most Unique Duet Ever
This happened in the 1950 movie Babul produced by the Music Director Naushad Ali and directed by SU Sunny. It starred Dilip Kumar, Munawar Sultana and Nargis.
The song was sung by Talat Mahmood as playback for Dilip Kumar and Shgamshad Begum as playback for Munawar Sultana.
What is unique about it?
Dilip Kumar is Ashok in the movie, is rich, and has a job as a Postmaster in the movie; not that he does any work as Postmaster.
Nargis as Bela, relatively poor, is in love with him. She is the daughter of the previous Postmaster.
Munawar Sultana is rich landlord’s daughter and provides quite a competition to Bela.
Learning that Ashok is good in Music and Singing, Bela tries the age-old trick of learning from Ashok. And that’s how this song is sung with him teaching her and she repeating line by line everything that he sings.
By the end of the song, as is to be expected, she has learnt about singing, life and love.
Incidentally, the first song of Shakeel – Naushad for the 1947 movie Dard was also picturised on Munawar Sultana and sung by Uma Devi (Tun Tun): Afsana likh rahi hoon. You may like to see it by clicking:
The Lyrics
मिलते ही आँखें दिल हुआ दीवाना किसीका
मिलते ही आँखें दिल हुआ दीवाना किसीका
अफ़साना मेरा बन गया, अफ़साना किसीका
अफ़साना मेरा बन गया, अफ़साना किसीका
पूछो ना मोहब्बत का असर, हाय न पूछो
हाय ना पूछो
पूछो ना मोहब्बत का असर, हाय न पूछो
हाय ना पूछो
दम भर में कोई हो गया, परवाना किसीका
दम भर में कोई हो गया, परवाना किसीका
अफ़साना मेरा बन गया, अफ़साना किसीका
मिलते ही आँखें दिल हुआ दीवाना किसीका
हंसते ही ना आ जायें कहीं, आँखों में आँसू
आँखों में आँसू
हंस्ते ही ना आ जायें कहीं, आँखों में आँसू
आँखों में आँसू
भरते ही छलक जाये ना, पैमाना किसीका
भरते ही छलक जाये ना, पैमाना किसीका
अफ़साना मेरा बन गया, अफ़साना किसीका
मिलते ही आँखें दिल हुआ दीवाना किसीका
Please enjoy: Milte hi aankhen dil hua deewana kisi ka…
I hope you liked my choice of the third beautiful duet.
Please await Beautiful Duet #4 – O neend na mujhako aaye.
