This tribute to Madan Mohan is in continuation of my Tribute to Madan Mohan – My Own Singing and Tribute to Madan Mohan – My Own Singing – Part II.
Madan Mohan was born on 25 Jun 1924 at Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, where his father Rai Bahadur Chunilal was working as an Accountant General with the Kurdistan Peshmerga forces. Madan Mohan spent the early years of his life in the Middle East. After 1932, his family returned to their home town of Chakwal, then in Jhelum district of Punjab, British India. He joined the Army as a Second Lieutenant in the year 1943. He served there for two years until end of World War II, when he left the Army and returned to Bombay to pursue his musical interests. In 1946, he joined the All India Radio, Lucknow as Programme Assistant, where he came in contact with various artists such as Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Begum Akhtar, and Talat Mahmood.
He was very fond of singing, and so in 1947 he got his first chance to record two ghazals penned by Behzad Lucknawi, Aane Laga Hai Koi Nazar Jalwa Gar Mujhe and Is Raaz Ko Duniya Jaanti Hai. Soon after, in 1948 he recorded two more private ghazals penned by Deewan Sharar, Wo Aaye To Mahfil Mein Ithlaate Huye Aaye and Duniya Mujhe Kahti Hai Ke Main Tujhko Bhoolaa Doon. In 1948, he got his first opportunity to sing a film duet Pinjare Mein Bulbul Bole and Mera Chhotasa Dil Dole with Lata Mangeshkar under composer Ghulam Haider (composer) for the film Shaheed (1948 film), though these songs were never released or used in the film. Between 1948 and 1949, he assisted music composers SD Burman for Do Bhai, and Shyam Sundar in Actress and Nirdosh.
As Music Director, he scored his first big break with the film Aankhen in 1950. He was soon to emerge as a music director par excellence especially for ghazals. Indeed, music director OP Nayyar once said about Madan Mohan that two of his ghazals were better than all that OP Nayyar composed. Some of the best songs of Lata Mangeshkar (she fondly called him “Madan Bhaiyya”) were composed by him on the lyrics of Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and Rajinder Krishan.
Some of my favourite songs of Madan Mohan are: Aaj soch to aansu bhar aaye, Betaab dil ki tamanna yehi hai, Tum jo mil gaye ho (Hanste Zakham 1973), Aapke pehlu mein aa ke ro diye, Naino mein badra chhaye, Jhumka gira re, Tu jahan jahan chalega (Mera Saya 1966), Aapki nazaron ne samajha, Hai isi mein pyaar ki aabru, Vo dekho jala ghar kisi ka (Anpadh 1962), Aapko pyaar chhupane ki buri aadat hai, Tere paas aake mera waqt nikal jaata hai (Neela Akash 1965), Agar mujhase mohabbat hai, Main nigaahen tere chehre se hatayun kaise (Aap Ki Parchhayiyan), Ai mere dil mujhe bata de (Bhai Bhai 1946), Ari vo shokh kaliyon muskara dena vo jab aayen (Jab Yaad Kisi Ki Aati Hai 1967), Baad muddat ke yeh ghadi aayi, Haal-e-dil youn unhe sunaya gaya, Jab jab tumhe bhulaya tum aur yaad aaye, Kisi ki yaad mein duniya ko jhain bhulaye huye, Main teri nazar ka saroor hoon, Phir wohi shaam wohi gham wohi tanhaayi hai, Teri aankh ke aansu pi jaayun, Wo chup rahen to mere dil ke daag jalate hain (Jahan Ara 1964), Hamare baad mehfil mein (Baghi 1953), Bainya na dharo O balma, Ham hain mataa-e-kuchcha-e-bazaar ki tarah, Mai ri main kaase kahun, Tumse kahun ik baat (Dastak, 1970), Bairan neend na aaye mohe (Chacha Zindabad 1959), Basti basti parbat parbat gaata jaaye banjara, Chand madham hai aasman chup hai, Dekh tere Bhagwan ki haalat (Railway Platform 1955), Bhooli hui yaado mujhe itna na satayo, Vo bhooli dastaan lo phir yaad aa gayi (Sanjog 1961), Chanda ja re ja re, Main to tum sang nain mila ke (Manmauji 1962), Chhadi re chhadi kaise gale mein padhi, Dil dhoondata hai fursat ke, Ruke ruke se kadam (Mausam 1975), Chhod kar tere pyar ka daaman, Jao hamane dastaan apni sunaayi, Lag jaa gale ke phir, Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim, Shokh nazar ki bijliyan (Woh Kaun Thi 1964), Do dil toote do dil haare, Doli chadate hi Heer ne bain kiye, Milo na tum to ham ghabraayen, Ye duniya ye mehfil mere kaam ki nahin (Heer Ranjha 1970), Ham chal rahe the wo chal rahe the (Duniya Na Maane 1959), Ham pyar mein jalane waalo ko chain kahan (Jailor 1958), Hamsafar saath apna chhod chale, Tujhe kya sunayun main dilruba (Aakhri Dao 1958), Hamse aaya na gaya, Kaun aay mere man ke dwaare, Meri veena tum bin roye, Tu pyar kare ya thukraye (Dekh Kabira Roya 1957), Har taraf ab yahi afsaane hain, Hai tere saath meri wafa main nahin to kya (Hindustan Ki Kasam 1973), Hoke majbuur mujhe usne bhualaya hoga, Kar chale ham fida, Khelo na mere dil se, Main ye soch kar uske dar se, Zara si aahat hoti hai (Haqeeqat 1964), Husn haazir hai mohabbat ki saza paane ko, Is reshmi paazeb ki jhankar ke sadake, Tere dar pe aaya hoon (Laila Majnu 1976), Ik haseen raat ko dil mera kho gaya, Kabhi ai haqeeqat-e-muntazar, Sapano mein agar mere (Dulhan Ek Raat Ki 1966), Ishq ki garmi-e-jazbaat kise pesh karun. Mere mehboob kahin aur mila kar mujhase, Naghma o sher ki saugat, Rang aur noor ki baraat (Ghazal 1964), Jaa jaa re jaa saajna, Jaana tha hamse door, Unako ye shikayat hai, Youn hasaraton ke daag (Adalat 1958), Kabhi na kabhi kahin na kahin koi na koi to aayega, Mujhe le chalo aaj us jagah, Sawan ke mahine mein (Sharaabi 1964), Koi shikwa bhi nahin koi shikayat bhi nahin (Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhaare 1966), Main paagal mera manwa paagal (Aashiyana 1952), Meri yaad mein tum na aasnu bahana (Madhosh 1951), Na tum bewafa ho na ham bewafa hain (Ek Kali Muskaaye 1958), Sapne mein sajan se do baaten, Do ghadi wo jo paas aa baithe (Gateway Of India 1957), Teri aankhon ke siwa duniya mein rakha kya hai (Chirag 1969), Tumhari zulf ke saaye mein shaam kar loonga (Naunihaal 1967), Tu mere saamne hai teri zulfen hain khuli (Suhagan, 1964), and Vo jo milate the kabhi hamsase deewano ki tarah (Akeli Mat Jaiyo 1963).
When I learnt singing, I soon got to sing Madan Mohan. Here I present six more of his songs that I sang:
Song #13
Har taraf ab yahi afsaane hain
Just like J Om Prakash made many his movies’ titles starting with the letter ‘A’, Chetan Anand made many movies starting with the letter ‘H’: Haqeeqat made after the 1962 Indo China War was the first with the letter ‘H’. It ws followed by Heer Ranjha, Hanste Zakhm, and then Hindustan Ki Kasam. The last one is the 1973 movie from where I have taken this song. The movie depicts the role of Indian Air Force in the 1971 Indo Pak War, in the Western Sector.
Chetan Anand’s preferred actress Priya Rajvansh was the heroine opposite Raaj Kumar who was an IAF pilot in the movie.
As in Haqeeqat, Heer Ranjha, and Hanste Zakhm, Kaifi Azmi was the lyricist, Madan Mohan the composer.
This song was superbly sung by Manna Dey.
Please enjoy: Har taraf ab yahi afsaane hain…
Song #14
Teri Aankhon ke siwa duniya mein rakha kya hai?
This is the kind of song that I would like to sing to Lyn.
Madan Mohan composed it in Raag Jhinjhoti, Tal Dadra.
The director of the 1969 movie Chirag, from where this song is taken, made
the lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri take permission from Faiz Ahmad Faiz to use this line from Faiz’s nazm Mujhse pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob na maang made immortal by the singer Noorjehan.
Mohammad Rafi, as he always did, sang the song so well that it became unforgettable.
Please enjoy: Teri aankhon ke siwa duniya mein rakha kya hai…
Song #15
Tum jo mil gaye hao
Ultra Entertainment has blocked this song (containing snippets of original video) to be displayed here. But, you can click on ‘Watch on YouTube’ and it will take you there to watch.
This is from the 1973 Chetan Anand movie Hanste Zakhm starring Naveen Nischol and Chetan Anand’s favourite heroine Priya Rajvansh.
It is one of the most unique compositions of Madan Mohan on the lyrics of Kaifi Azmi.
The singer, once again, is Mohammad Rafi. Just one line has also been sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
Please enjoy: Tum jo mil gaye hao…
Song #16
Main teri nazar ka suroor hoon, tujhe yaad ho ki na yaad ho
The 1964 Vinod Kumar movie Jahan Ara had some of the best songs
(ghazals) of Madan Mohan. These were on the lyrics of Rajinder Krishan. Indeed, the success of this movie was largely due to these songs. Mala Sinha in the title role nearly got the Filmfare Award. She enacted emperor Shahjahan’s daughter through his most beloved of four wives: Mumtaz, in whose memory he erected one of the seven Wonders of the World: the Taj Mahal.
When Mumtaz was dying, she took a promise from Jahan Ara that she would look after the father and not marry. She was in love with Mirza Yusuf Changezi (played by Bharat Bhushan). But, their love couldn’t go further because of Jahan Ara’s promise to Mumtaz.
Hence, this song and many others in the movie portraying their predicament and sob-story; eg, Phir wohi shaam wohi gham wohi tanhayi hai, and Teri aankh ke aansu pi jayun.
In this movie, Madan Mohan favoured Taal Mahmood to sing these songs. Mohammad Rafi sang only one: Kisi ki yaad mein duniya ko hain bhulaye huye in Raag Kedar.
Please enjoy: Main teri nazar ka suroor hoon…
Song #17
Yahi hai tamanna tere dar ke saamne
This is from the 1964 Mohan Kumar movie Aap Ki Parchhaiyan starring Dharmendra and Supriya Choudhury.
Madan Mohan stunned us by composing two songs of the movie in the same Raaga and Tal: Darbari Kanada and Dadra. The songs were: Rafi’s Main nigaahen tere chehre se hatayun kaise and Lata’s Agar mujhse muhabbat hai mujhe sab apne gham de do.
Mohan Kumar’s Aap Ki Parchhaiyan suffers from the same malaise that most of the movies of that era did: the second half used to drag on and on without the end in sight. Indeed, whilst watching most of the movies now, one can see the second halves in fast-forward mode. Another such movie was DD Kashyap’s 1961 movie Maya starring Dev Anand and Mala Sinha.
Anyway, most of these had excellent songs.
This was penned by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and sung by Mohammad Rafi.
Please enjoy: Yahi hai tamanna tere dar ke saamne….
Song #18
Tum bin jeevan kaisa jeevan
This was penned by Kaifi Azmi and composed by Madan Mohan in Raag
Hemant, Tal Punjabi Theka (Sitarkhani) for the 1972 Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie Bawarchi with superstar Rajesh Khanna in the title role.
The singer was Manna Dey.
It is one of Madan Mohan’s difficult songs attempted by me.
Please enjoy: Tum bin jeevan kaisa jeevan….
So that this post won’t become too long, I shall end here today. Next time I shall give you another six songs of Madan Mohan sung by me in Part IV.
