The Three Reigning Queens, Albums of Madhubala, Meena Kumari & Nargis Options

[nandi]

Thanks for this marvelous collection and more so for the interest it generated
nandi

[swarapriya]

Thanks for this marvelous collection and more so for the interest it generated
nandi

You're very welcome, Nandi. Cheers. -S

[swarapriya]

(Nargis) Pyaar (1950)

Here is a beautiful early album from Burmanda. It has several great songs. Burmanda uses only three singers here for 10 songs; Geeta, Shamshad, and Kishore. Incidentally, this is the only movie in which Kishoreda lip synched for Raj Kapoor.

There are several good songs here. I love the way Geetaji sang "Aa Gayi Re". The way she streches the word "Gayi" as "Gayiiiiii ..." is absolutely heart stealing. When a song needed a "lift" or "oomph", I don't believe anyone even comes close to Geetaji. Also I love the way she starts and ends the song with humming "Bum Bum ...". Just love it. Unfortunately, qaulity of this song is a notch below average.

There are some more songs with so so average quality. "Jalti Hai Duniya-1" and "Mohabbat Ka Chhota" are these songs. Rest of the songs have pretty good quality. These songs came from various sources including the Forum members. Thank you.

Now for the songs ...

This post has been edited by swarapriya: Jan 17 2010, 10:38 AM

[Exon]

(Meena) Parineeta (1953)

I am not familiar with the work of the music director of this movie, Aroon Kumar Mukherjee. Besides this film, it appears like he gave music to “Pratima (1945)”, “Muqaddar (1950)”, “Samaaj (1954)”, and “Teen Bhai (1955)”. He seems to have sang in some movies too. “Kismat” made in 1943 was one of them. Too bad he didn’t get opportunities to provide music for more films because he proved his prowess by composing some beautiful songs for this movie. My favorite one is by Geetaji that seems to make a definitive statement. The song “Chaand Hai Wohi” is rendered with such sweetness and sung as if Geetaji put her whole soul into it. This beautiful composition is brilliant, intense, and romantic all at the same time. The listening experience of this mellifluous song leaves you totally consumed. Mannada’s both versions of the song “Chali Raadhe Rani” offer soul stirring experiences as well. Asha also has a couple of beautiful solos. Especially her song “Gore Gore Haathon Mein” is very enchanting to listen to. The song is made special the way the antaraas return to the mukhdaas in the composition with percussion instruments giving able support. Let me also mention about the song by Ashit Baran, who also starred in the movie as the “other” person in Meena Kumari’s life. His song “Toota Hai Naata” almost sounds like Hemantda’s, yet it has distinctiveness of its own. Bimalda seamlessly integrates these songs in such a way that they become part of the narrative, smooth and beautiful, but never obtrusive.

Now for the beautiful songs from this film ...

Swarapriya

Arun Kumar Mukherjee is primarily known as the playback voice for Ashok Kumar, although his playback starred a few years before the famous Dheere Dheere Aa Re of Qismat (1943). He obviously understood orchestration which led to a handful of music direction assignments upto the mid-50s.

Geeta's Chali Radhe Rani is definitely a version song.

Asit Baran was a very good and respected singer of the 40s who sang some great songs for Pankaj Mullick and RC Bhoral under the New Theatres banner in 43-45. Toota Hai Naata is not wholly original and seems inspired by Roshan's big hit from Malhar sung by Mukesh - Dil Tujhe Diya Tha Rakhne Ko.

I believe there is one more version song by Geeta Dutt, 'chali dulhaniya'; I only have Asha's version.

There is one more Asha song in this album, 'pehale tum yaad aa rahe'. The audio with me is quite noisy.

Exon

[Exon]

(Nargis) Pyaar (1950)

Here is a beautiful early album from Burmanda. It has several great songs. Burmanda uses only three singers here for 10 songs; Geeta, Shamshad, and Kishore. Incidentally, this is the only movie in which Kishoreda lip synched for Raj Kapoor.

There are several good songs here. I love the way Geetaji sang "Aa Gayi Re". The way she streches the word "Gayi" as "Gayiiiiii ..." is absolutely heart stealing. When a song needed a "lift" or "oomph", I don't believe anyone even comes close to Geetaji. Also I love the way she starts and ends the song with humming "Bum Bum ...". Just love it. Unfortunately, qaulity of this song is a notch below average.

There are some more songs with so so average quality. "Jalti Hai Duniya-1" and "Mohabbat Ka Chhota" are these songs. Rest of the songs have pretty good quality. These songs came from various sources including the Forum members. Thank you. Also, it seems like I am missing a song by Geetaji. Details are shown in red italics in the table below. If anyone of you have it, please kindly share. Thanks.

Now for the songs ...

SP,

I think, you have uploaded all songs in this album, with no songs missing. 'Chup chup' are starting words for 'aagayi re' song.

Exon

[swarapriya]

I believe there is one more version song by Geeta Dutt, 'chali dulhaniya'; I only have Asha's version.

There is one more Asha song in this album, 'pehale tum yaad aa rahe'. The audio with me is quite noisy.

Exon

Thanks Exon. Why don't you go ahead and upload them. Someone may still like to hear these songs anyway. Cheers. -S

[Exon]

I believe there is one more version song by Geeta Dutt, 'chali dulhaniya'; I only have Asha's version.

There is one more Asha song in this album, 'pehale tum yaad aa rahe'. The audio with me is quite noisy.

Exon

Thanks Exon. Why don't you go ahead and upload them. Someone may still like to hear these songs anyway. Cheers. -S

Parineeta (1953)

Asha Bhosle:
tum yaad aa rahe, kaun mere dil ko (3:14 \ 128)

The song audio originated from HF member.

Exon

[swarapriya]

Thanks for sharing the song, Exon. Cheers. -S

[swarapriya]

(Madhubala) Saqi (1952)

Here is a nice album from C. Ramchandra. Apart from all the songs from this album, I am uploading a whole bunch of music clips from this album in the second posting. Here are the songs in the first posting ...

This post has been edited by swarapriya: Jan 19 2010, 06:07 AM

[swarapriya]

Music Clips From "Saqi (1952)"

Here are several music clips from this album, all thanks to the Forum members ...

This post has been edited by swarapriya: Jan 19 2010, 06:16 AM

[swarapriya]

(Meena) Baadbaan (1954)

I am uploading four songs from this album. The quality of these songs is so so. Three missing songs are shownin in red italics in the table below. Please kindly share these if you have them. I am also uploading Lata's version song of "Kaise Koi"". This is from her album Lata's Shraddhanjaali-2".

Here are the songs ...

This post has been edited by swarapriya: Jan 24 2010, 10:47 PM

[romesh]

(Meena) Baadbaan (1954)

I am uploading four songs from this album. The quality of these songs is so so. Three missing songs are shownin in red italics in the table below. Please kindly share these if you have them. I am also uploading Lata's version song of "Kaise Koi"". This is from her album Lata's Shraddhanjaali-2".

Here are the songs ...

dear SP

here are two missing songs

1-jai deva ho humpe rakho----160kbps--2.59mts
2--jati hai jati aaj naiya mori--192kbps--2.52mts

romesh

[romesh]

(Meena) Baadbaan (1954)

I am uploading four songs from this album. The quality of these songs is so so. Three missing songs are shownin in red italics in the table below. Please kindly share these if you have them. I am also uploading Lata's version song of "Kaise Koi"". This is from her album Lata's Shraddhanjaali-2".

Here are the songs ...

dear SP

here are two missing songs

jai deva ho humpe--160kbps--2.59mts
2--jati hai jati hai aaj naiya mori--192kbps--2.52mts

romesh

[swarapriya]

dear SP

here are two missing songs

jai deva ho humpe--160kbps--2.59mts
2--jati hai jati hai aaj naiya mori--192kbps--2.52mts

romesh

Thank you very much Romesh for the songs. Appreciate it. -S

[swarapriya]

(Nargis) Awara (1951)

K.A. Abbas had a tremendous influence over the movies Raj Kapoor made early in his career. He was responsible for the proletarian ethos of the Raj’s early films. The culmination of coming together of Abbas ji and Raj was professionally strange, to speak the least. Raj was a deeply religious person. Abbas ji on the other hand was probably an agnostic but a definite rationalist. If Raj was progressive, that was veiled and became some what clearer only through his films. He didn’t adhere to any ideology and definitely was apolitical. In contrast Abbas ji was a hard core and avowed, die hard Marxist.

(See the attached photographs of Abbas Saab. The bottom three pictures need some explanation. The left one has Abbas ji with Vijaya Mulay and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Mulay, also known as "Akka", is a distinguished film personality with her traits including writing, education, research, documentary filmmaking, and film history. The middle picture made on September 17, 1944, has Abbas ji with Mahatma Gandhi where Gandhiji was appraising the progress with reporters of his talks with Mohaamad Ali Jinnah near Birla House in Bombay walking briskly on Mount Pleasant Road. The third piture, one on the bottom right, has Abbas ji discussing a point with Raj Kapoor while the journalist V.P. Sathe looks on.)

Abbas ji wrote either stories, dialogues, or screenplays for some of Raj’s best movies. These include “Awara” (1951 - screenplay and dialogue), “Shri 420” (1955 - story, screenplay, and dialogue), “Jagte Raho” (1956 - screenplay), “Mera Naam Joker” (1970 - story and screenplay), “Bobby” (1973 - story and screenplay), and “Henna” (1991 - story). Almost all these movies were smashing successes except for “Jagte Raho” and “Mera Naam Joker”. Even these two became kind of cult classics many years after their releases.

Abbas ji came from a distinguished family background. One of his forefathers was a student of Mirza Ghalib. His grandfather was one of the chief rebels of the 1857 Rebellion movement. His father was also educated and practiced Unani medicine.

After graduating Abbas ji worked as a contributing editor for various magazines. He came to Bombay as a film critic for a magazine and during this time got an opportunity to know film folks. He started writing screenplays and submitted them to various directors. Chetan Anand made “Neecha Nagar” based on one of his scripts. This movie won the prestigious Golden Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival. To date this is the only Indian movie to achieve such a distinction. Shantaram’s “Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani”, a true story, was also based on Abbas ji’s screenplay.

Later Abbas ji found his own company to make social dramas that were close to his heart. One of his films “Munna” won wide acclaim. His “Shehar Aur Sapna” won the National Film Award. Abbas ji directed well over 30 movies.

Abbas ji was a prodigal when it came to writing. He published over 70 books in Hindi, Urdu, and English. He also published several short stories. “Inquilaab” was one of his best known fictions that drew its story from communal violence. His books were translated into several Indian as well as foreign languages such as Arabic, French, German, Italic, and Russian.

Apart from writing stories and books and making movies, Abbas ji was also a weekly contributor to the Blitz magazine. He wrote the column “The Last Page” week after week for nearly 25 years. A collection of these writings were published as books.

In a lifetime that was rich with so many accomplishments to his credit, Abbas ji was showered with numerous awards throughout his distinguished career. Among them was the honor of Padma Shri that was bestowed on him by The Government of India.

Abbas ji in an interview fondly recalled his association with Raj Kapoor as follows: "While Raj Kapoor is no great ideologue, he is not allergic to ideas. Indeed, with his basic sympathy for the common man, he is more than amenable to socially progressive ideas and humanist ideals, so long as their presentation does not interfere with the popularity potential of his film".

What did Raj Kapoor thought of Abbas ji? Here is what Raj said in one interview: “Fortunately, I have from the very start been happy in my professional associations and it was quite early in my film career, when I was scarcely a film and a half old, that my association with K.A. Abbas began. That was ‘Awara’, an exciting intellectual adventure, which set off an exchange of ideas and a way of working between Abbas sahib and myself that continues to this day. ‘Awara’ embodies my earliest fashioning of the sort of universal humanity symbol which was to go on taking finer shape through a succession of films until ‘Mera Naam Joker’, where it emerged as the crystallization of my entire philosophy of life.”

The history making songs of the film next ...

This post has been edited by swarapriya: Jan 30 2010, 12:31 AM