Geeta Dutt., Discuss something about Geeta Dutt. Options

[Ashraf]

Hello all

I am new member in this forum..I want to get some information about Geeta Dutt whom I like most after Lataji among female singers..I think her voice is very melodious..though I heared only very few songs of her.Let me know more about this queen of magic voice.

[Bawra Jay]

Is this topic / thread still active ? Hope it is As when it comes to Geeta Dutt nothing should stop niether her songs nor topics about her songs...

I have some clippings and pictures of beautiful Geeta Dutt which if you all interested will post here. This clippings where saved from a very craziest fan of Geeta Dutt I must have come across ever. (thank god I saved it as the site no longer works now ) Let me know if anyone interested and I will post it here.

In the meantime a handy facts - facets on some of her songs with different MDs which is also posted on IndianMelody, unfortunately the website from where this was taken is broken , otherwise they had real good details on Geeta Dutt.

Geeta Dutt scored heavily as a singer particularly when she sang under the baton of two music directors, S.D. Burman and O.P.Nayyar.

The S.D. Factor:

S.D. Burman was among the earliest to discover the magic in Geeta Dutt's voice. In 1947 with Filmistan's DoBhai. He persuaded the producer to give her a break. The producer being unsure of Geeta made a deal with S.D. Burman. She would record a song but it would be retained only after hearing the result. The song 'Humein chod piyakis desh gaye' was recorded and played back. The rest as they say is history. Even as it lead to Geeta becoming the foremost singer of the industry by 1951 she had found herself in a position where she was regarded good only for bhajans and sad songs. It took S.D.Burman's jazzy and westernized score for Baazi which showcased Geeta's versatility, her breezy voice. S.D. Burman effectively used the Bengali lilt in her voice memorably in films like Devdas and Pyaasa. Thesong 'Aaj sajan mohe ang lagalo' from the latter is one of the finest examples of the Bengali kirtan put over on the Hindi screen. No female singer has better articulated the spirit of Burmanda's music in its early years. In fact in 1957, when he fell out with Lata, Burmanda was looking to make Geeta his main singer rather than the upcoming Asha Bhonsle. After all by then Geeta was a mature singer while Asha was still raw. But due to her troubled marriage Geeta was not free to practice in the style required by S.D.Burman who was a hard taskmaster in matter of rehearsals. He joined O.P. Nayyar in shaping Asha rather than wait for Geeta. Some memorable songs sung by Geeta under S.D. Burman's baton are:

'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya' (Do Bhai - 1947 )
'Woh sapnewaali raat' (Pyaar - 1950 )
'Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer' (Baazi - 1951 )
'Aan milo aan milo' (Devdas - 1955 ) with Manna Dey
'Aaj sajan mohe ang lagalo' (Pyaasa - 1957 )
'Hawa dhire aana' (Sujata - 1959 )
'Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam ' (Kaagaz ke Phool - 1959 )

Geeta sang 72 songs for Dada Burman of which 43 were solos. The last song she recorded for him was from the film Ziddi(1964), 'Main tere pyaar mein kya kya na bana dilbar.'

The O.P. Nayyar wave:

Geeta suited O.P. Nayyar's ebullient themes to a T. He developed the side of Geeta which had emerged with Baazi. Under his freewheeling baton Geeta developed into a really hep singer who could belt out any number - soft, sultry, happy, snappy, romantic, teasing or tragic. It was Geeta Dutt's rare gift that she could effervescently sing for both the doll and the moll. And it was O.P. who got Geeta to stop being overtly emotional in sad songs. O.P.'s comments on Geeta :

' ..........Who will deny there is a unique quality to her singing. Give her a blatantly westernized tune this momentand a complex classical composition the next, and she will do equal justice to both with an ease of expression which a singer can only be born with. She is particularly good for songs accompanying boisterous jamborees. With that tantalizing lilt and fascinating curves she puts into her singing,she is the ideal choice if it is seductive allure you want in a song........Geeta Dutt is an asset to any music director. '

Some immortal gems sung by Geeta Dutt underO.P. Nayyar's baton:

'Zara saamne aa'( Baaz - 1953 )
'Babuji dhire chalna' (Aar Paar - 1954 )
'Thandi hawa kali ghata' (Mr. & Mrs 55 - 1955 )
'Jab badal lehraya' (Chchoomantar - 1956 )
'Mere zindagi ke humsafar' (Shrimati 420 - 1956 )
'Chor, lutere, daku'( Ustad - 1957 )
'Mera naan chin chin choo' (Howrah Bridge - 1958 )
'Kaisa jadoo balam tune dara' (12 o'clock - 1958 )

This is not to say that Geeta was any less effective with other music directors. The songs she has sung for Hemant Kumar in Anandmath ( 1952 ), Bahu ( 1954 ),Ek Jhalak ( 1957 ), Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam ( 1962 ) bear testimony to this. It's just that for the sheer volume and the scaleof popularity that the songs of S.D. Burman and O.P. Nayyar reached make them special in Geeta's oeuvre.

The Best of Geeta Dutt

In early 1957 while selecting the ten best songs that she has sung, Geeta Dutt mentioned

' People have a complex that successful film songs are not necessary the best. I beg to differ. If a song catches public fancy it could only be because of all round perfection in all departments - in its music, in its writing, in its singing. Should I then list my ten best songs or my ten most popular songs? The dividing line, I feel is very thin. The songs that have stood the test of public approval and the songs that have personally appealed to me are the same. '

The ten songs she selected then represented definite landmarks in her singing career. They are:

'Mat ja mat ja jogi' (Jogan - 1950 ) This was her own personal favourite.
'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya' (Do Bhai - 1947 )
'Na yeh chand hoga' (Shart - 1954 )
'Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer' (Baazi - 1951 )
'Yeh lo main hari piya' (Aar Paar - 1954 )
'Khayalon mein kisike' (Baawre Nain - 1950 ) with Mukesh
'Aaj sajan mohe ang laga lo' (Pyaasa - 1957 )
'Jaane kya tunhe kahi' (Pyaasa - 1957 )
'Ae dil mujhe bata de' (Bhai Bhai - 1956 )
'Hai yeh duniya kaunsi' (Sailaab - 1956 )

This as mentioned was in early 1957. Citing the reason for her selections Geeta mentioned:

' I feel that a song must express human emotions in simple language and in a tune that affords the singer sufficient scope to do full justice to the thought underlying the lyric. I feel that the songs I have listed are simple enough to be appreciated by people of all ages at all times.'

Some of Geeta's best work for e.g. 'Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam' from Kaagaz ke Phool(1959), 'Chale aao, chale aao' from Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam (1962) and the songs of Anubhav (1971) were to come later and naturally they do not find a place in that list.

Thus if I were to select a list today, it might read something like this:

'Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam' ( Kaagaz ke Phool - 1959)
'Aaj ki kaali ghata' (Uski Kahani - 1966 )
'Meri jaan mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan'( Anubhav - 1971 )
'Na jaao saiyaan chudha ke baiyaan'( Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam - 1962 )
'Yeh lo main hari piya' (Aar Paar - 1954 )
'Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer' (Baazi - 1951 )
'Na yeh chand hoga' (Shart - 1954 )
'Aaj sajan mohe ang laga lo' (Pyaasa - 1957 )
'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya'( Do Bhai - 1947 )
'Ghungat ke pat khol' (Jogan - 1950 )

This is of course but a personal choice. And a most difficult one to make. For many of Geeta Dutt's songs endure in appeal even today. The discerning would ask but what about 'Hawa dhire aana' from Sujata ( 1959 ) or'Thandi hawa kali ghata' from Mr. and Mrs 55 ( 1955) or for that matter even ' Mera naam chinchin choo' from Howrah Bridge ( 1958 ) or 'Jaata kahaan hai diwaane' from C.I.D. ( 1956 ) Well try making your own list! See if you can manage to include 'Tehro zara si der' from Savera ( 1958 ) or 'Ja ja ja ja bewafaa' from Aar Paar ( 1954 ) or 'Preetam aan milo' from Mr. and Mrs 55. ( 1955 ) or even 'Aayi birha ki raat' from Navdurga( 1953 ).

Albums of Geeta Dutt Available

Cassettes:

Hindi:

Magic Moments - Geeta Dutt
Enchanting hour with GeetaDutt
The Best of Geeta Dutt
All time greats - Geeta Dutt( set of 2 )
Rare gems - Geeta Dutt (setof 2 )
The Golden Collection - Geeta Dutt ( set of 4)
Duets to remember - Geeta Dutt & Talat Mehmood
The Golden Collection - Duets of Geeta Dutt (set of 4)
Hits of Geeta Dutt
HMV ke anmol ratan - Geeta Dutt Vol 1 Babuji dheere chalna
HMV ke anmol ratan - Geeta Dutt Vol 2 Ghunghat ke pat khol
Anmol yaadein - Geeta Dutt Vol 1 Babuji dheere chalna
Anmol yaadein - Geeta Dutt Vol 2 Ghunghatke pat khol
The Golden Collection - Geeta Dutt, the irrepressible
Geeta Dutt sings for O.P. Nayyar

Gujarati:

A teetna sambharna - Geeta Dutt

Bengali :

Modern Bengali songs - Geeta Dutt
Film songs of Geeta Dutt
All time greats - Geeta Dutt ( set of 2)

CDs:

Hindi:

The Golden Collection - Geeta Dutt ( setof 2 )
Magic Moments - Geeta Dutt
Duets to remember - Geeta Dutt
Rare Gems - Geeta Dutt
The Golden Collection - Geeta Dutt, the irrepressible
Geeta Dutt - Sensuous Songs

Bengali:

The Best of Geeta Dutt