Naushadji & Dilip Kumar, Simple & Sweet Options

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Naushad Ali-Dilip Kumar Filmography

If simiplicity is charm, then we can describe Naushadji’s music as very charming. It seems like he has done so much with so few instruments. An exponent of Hindustani music, his compositions always tapped the huge reservoir of the traditional music resources. From his struggling days in Bombay to a major music maestro he maintained that simiplicity in approach to music all his life. He never deviated from this path.

In a span of 65 or so years in the film industry, he composed roughly 70 films. By any yardstick this is not a huge number. But each one of those films were a work of art and charm. In an interview circa 1982, Naushadji said, "In my 62 years in the film industry, I composed music for 66 films. These days, you come across people who have done the music 200 films in two years. What I'm saying is that, we used to agonise over every tune and phrase in music, spend sleepless nights over a song, and work on it until it was perfected. And I am still looking for perfection." That commitment to perfection, that devotion to creating a lasting melodious tune were Naushadji’s drivers in his professional career.

Naushadji was recognized with several awards during his lifetime. These include Padma Bhushan, Filmfare award for Baiju Bawra (1952), Dadasaheb Phalke award, and Sangeet Natya Academy award.

Naushadji had a special relationship with Dilip Kumar saab. Professionally he composed for 15 films in which Dilip Kumar starred. Most of them were blockbusters. All of them had that charming music that was hallmark of Naushadji.

I happen to have the CD collection of all these films with Naushadji as composer and Dilip Saab as the actor. As time permits, in the coming weeks, I will try to share this music with the Forum membership.

The filmography of Naushadji and Dilip Kumar Saab is given in the following table. I will try to upload albums in the chronological order as they appear in the table below.

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Andaz (1949)

This was one of the great movies made by the magnificent late Mehboob Khan Saab. It starred both Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar for the only time if I am correct. The story goes that Mehboob Saab asked Nargis whom she will prefer to act as her husband in the movie, either Raj Kapoor or Dilip Kumar. She recommended Raj Kapoor. After the movie was released and became a stupendous success, Dilipji thought most of the adulation was being heaped on Raj Kapoor and not enough on him. So he decided not to act with Raj Kapoor again. After several years Rajji did go back to Dilipji asking him to act in his movie "Sangam" with him. But Dilip Saab remembering the "Andaz" days, politely declined. That role eventually went to Rajendra Kumar.

During the filiming of some of the songs for this movie Naushadji found that Lataji was still lacking good Urdu diction and proper delivery. Lataji was still very young and an upcoming singer with very very sweet voice. Her mother tongue being Marathi, she initially had problems with Urdu. The perfectioninst he was, Naushadji spent countless hours coaching Lataji how to sing some of these songs. This is more evident in the ghazal Lataji sings "Uthaye Ja Unke Sitam." Lataji took the cue and went on herself to study and master both Urdu and Hindi diction and delivery to become par with other ghazal singers of her time such as Begum Akhtar.

All songs I am uploading here are from a CD except the extended version of Mukeshji's "Jhoom Jhoom Ke Nacho Aaj." This is by the courtesy of the Forum members.

Now for details of the songs and songs themselves ...