From 'Pyaasa' to 'Paying Guest', the many moods of Hindi film songs

Pyaasa released in 1957. The film was the first of Guru Dutt’s tragedies and was followed by Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). For Pyaasa, Guru Dutt changed the composer-lyricist duo, who had worked on Aar-Paar (1954), Mr. & Mrs. ’55 (1955) and C.I.D. (1956). Instead of OP Nayyar and Majrooh Sultanpuri, he went back to his original music director-songwriter duo of SD Burman and Sahir Ludhianvi, who had worked on Dutt’s earliest films such as Baazi (1951) and Jaal (1952).

Pyaasa’s soundtrack is something of a milepost in Indian cinema. Ludhianvi gave voice to Dutt’s politics in the film through his songs, ‘Jinhe naaz hai Hind par woh kahaan hain’ and ‘Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye toh kya hai’. There was also the memorable comic number picturised on Johnny Walker’s character (Sattarbhai), ‘Sar jo tera chakraaye’. A couple of fine romantic songs also found place in the film: ‘Jaaney kya tuney kahi?’ and ‘Hum aapki aankhon mein’. Adding to the pain and pathos of Dutt’s character, who is jilted in love, was the cathartic song, ‘Jaaney woh kaisey log thay jinkey pyaar ko pyaar mila’. In the upcoming episode of the The Golden Years: 1950-1975, Javed Akhtar says, “This is the film that made Sahir, Sahir… He became Sahir Ludhianvi after this film. He was no longer just another songwriter. He carved a new niche for himself after this film.”

Herein lies the remarkable quality of Hindi film songs from that era. They transcend the films for which they were originally composed for and have come to represent much larger motifs, moods and moments. For instance, each time there is violence in the name of furthering imperialistic ambitions, one can immediately refer to Ludhianvi’s profound lyrics in ‘Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye toh kya hai?’ from Pyaasa.

Consider Naya Daur’s ‘Yeh desh hai veer jawaano ka’ as well. Naya Daur released in the same year as Pyaasa. Where the latter was a tale of declining morality in the city, Naya Daur was about the man-machine conflict in rural India. One of the film’s best known songs is ‘Yeh desh hai veer jawaano ka’, which celebrates the zeal and bravery of Indian youth, but which has come to be sung at nearly every Indian wedding procession in the years since it was composed. Another famous song from the film, ‘Saathi haath badhaana’, with its call for unity amongst the proletariat, has since become a rallying cry for Indians when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds.

This holds true for the lighter songs, too. ‘Reshmi shalwaar kurta jaali da’, also from Naya Daur, is another favourite at Indian weddings for its naughty, flirtatious lyrics. Paying Guest, directed by Subodh Mukerji, had the charming romantic duet ‘Chhod do aanchal zamaana kya kahega’. The evergreen nature of the song’s melody saw the music group, Bombay Vikings, remixing the song and presenting it to a new, modern audience some years ago. The charm of the original Paying Guest song remains unmatched though.

Mehboob Khan’s magnum-opus Mother India, released in 1957, was an allegory of India living in its villages. Naushad had scored the music for the film, with its songs being written by Shakeel Badayuni. Every song in the film was like a carefully crafted gem. From the melancholic tenor of ‘Duniya mein hum aaye hain, toh jeena hi padega’, to the more upbeat ‘Dukh bhare din beetey re bhaiyya’, to the Holi celebration song ‘Holi aayee re Kanhayee’, Mother India’s songs were a reflection of the nation state, its farmers and Indian culture. 

But perhaps the defining song from that glorious year of Hindi film songs was from V Shantaram’s Do Aankhen Baarah Haath. The film, which detailed the story of six hardened convicts being given an opportunity to reform under the watchful supervision of an altruistic jailor, had the wonderful song ‘Ae maalik tere bandey hum’. This song, sung by Lata Mangeshkar, has become an unofficial prayer of sorts every time we are faced with a crisis situation, which needs the intervention of the Almighty. Akhtar concludes the episode on the music of 1957’s films with this very song. He sums it up best by commenting, “This is the magic of Hindi film songs that sometimes they become folk songs, sometimes they become a prayer and on other occasions they become a part of our lives. Even today when I hear ‘Ae maalik tere bandey hum’, I get gooselfesh.”

You can tunein to Zee Classic on Sunday at 8 pm to learn more about the many fine songs from 1957 in The Golden Years: 1950-1975 with Javed Akhtar. Presented by Dettol and co-powered by State Bank of India and Goodnight Fast Card.