Naushadji & Dilip Kumar, Simple & Sweet Options

[swarapriya]

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.

[swarapriya]

Sunghursh (1968)

Here we are. At the end of this thread. This is the 15th and the last movie Naushadji was asociated with a Dilip Kumar film. It started in 1948 with "Mela" and continued for the next 20 years that ended in 1968. 20 years. Some wonderful music during this time. For the last several weeks, we lived through some of these moments through this platform provided by the Forum.

For Dilip Saab, during the phase that began with "Aadmi (1968)", some of his movies were commercially "unsuccessful." He followed "Sunghursh" and "Aadmi" both released in 1968, with "Gopi (1970)", "Dastan (1972)", "Sagina (1974)", and "Bairaag (1976)". All commercially failed products. He took a sabbatical from acting for next five years after this, and revived his career once again with Manoj Kumar's "Kranti (1981)".

Naushadji, after 1968, never collaborated with Dilip Saab in another movie in the next 37 years he lived. But even during this time, he took only limited assignments. He provided music for 10 movies only during that time. For "Pakeezah (1971)", that can be considered as a eleventh movie, his contributions were limited but very significant. He took over for his longterm friend and associate Ghulam Mohammed, when he passed away, to complete that project. He scored its background music, and composed a couple of songs for it I believe. His last film "Taj Mahal" was released in 2005.

Here are details of the songs of "Sunghursh (1968)" and the songs themselves ...