Sun Bairi Balam Sach Bol Re – Remembering Rajkumari Dubey

Let me first wish everyone a Happy Holi

This year I had planned to publish posts based on songs of the female playback singers of the 40s. Last month I wrote about Zohrabai Ambalewali, this month is reserved for Rajkumari Dubey.

There was yet another Rajkumari in the Hindi film industry. To avoid confusion, they started mentioning the towns they belonged to. Our Rajkumari Dubey was called Rajkumari Banaraswali, to differentiate her from another Rajkumari who was known by the name, Rajkumari Calcuttewali.

In one of her interviews, Rajkumari unfolded her story. She used to act as a theatre actress, where she used to sing too. Once Vijay Bhatt of Prakash Pictures noticed her. He liked her performance and offered her a role in his film. In the unavailability of mikes, the stage artists had to sing and talk loudly to be audible till the last row. Bhatt advised to stop theatre to avoid injury to delicate vocal cords. This is how she joined films as a singing actress. Her first film was bilingual, Hindi and Gujrati, called Sansaar Leela – Nai Duniya. She went on to act and sing for several movies, Insaaf Ki Topi (1934), Kadkati Bijli (1936), Toofan Express (1938), Rani Sahiba (1940), Mere Saajan (1941) etc.

She soon got tired of keeping a watch on her weight and figure. She mentioned that she left films after marriage. But she started playback singing. Her voice was different from her contemporaries. She had a high pitched but a thinner voice. She soon acquired skills and was able to sing dadra and thumris, though she never had a formal training in Indian classical music. She would imbibe the details of a rendition very quickly and present it perfectly. Many composers used to think of her as a trained classical singer.

Let’s have a look at her songs. I’ve arranged them in chronological order.

Chalo Chalo Ri Sakhi – Station Master (1942) with Suraiya / Naushad – P L Santoshi
Rajkumari was one of the main singers of the movie. Though this song is mentioned as a duet, there’s of course one more voice that sings for the boy. It’s interesting to watch Suraiya singing and acting with Ratnamala. A good song indeed. It was difficult to choose among many songs.

Dil Loot Liya Ji – Nai Duniya (1942) with G M Durrani / Naushad – Tanveer Naqvi
Again Naushad offered the majority of the songs to Rajkumari. In addition to solos, she sang three duets with G M Durrani. Naushad was a fan of her voice which was very popular in those days. Just listen to Rajkumari’s bubbly voice! It seems that singing such songs was her forte! In the later part of her career also, she got to sing songs of Nok jhonk. And she sounds superb. I added this cute song despite the poor audio quality.

Pardesi Ghar Aaja – Apna Paraya (1944) / Anil Biswas
A very good and melodious song. Rajkumari sang for Anil Biswas till the mid 50s. The number of songs reduced over the period. She had a couple of songs in Bahu Rani (1951) and a Mujra in Waris (1954). The latter being the last song for him.

Jo Hum Pe Guzarti Hai – Panna (1944) / Amir Ali – Wali Saheb
Rajkumari was the main singer for the movie and this song was picturised on Geeta Nizami. It’s one of her popular songs, composed by a lesser known composer, Amir Ali. I could find only two more movies he composed for, Pagli and Naya Tarana.

It’s very interesting that she sang with K L Saigal, Sar Pe Kadamb Ki Chhaiyan in Bhakta Surdas (1942). She also sang with Noorjahan, Ae Dil e Naubahar Jhoom in the film Naukar (1943). Manna Dey also had an opportunity to sing with her very early in his career. It was for the movie, Vikramaditya (1945). She has just a handful of duets with Rafi, though in comparison her duets with Mukesh would be more in number. And I must add that I heard all these duets for the first time during the research. Moving forward, let me present,

Madhur Suron Mein Gaye Chandni – Maa Baap (1944) with A R Qureshi / A R Qureshi – Rupbani
I haven’t heard much of A R Qureshi, I must admit. But what a beautiful melody! I just got lost in it. Such a smoothly flowing, soothing, fine song! I strongly recommend this one to my readers. And I should look for Qureshi’s songs soon. And I hadn’t known about his singing either.

Bhool Jate Hain Bhool Jaya Karen – Neelkamal (1947) / Snehal Bhatkar – Kidar Sharma
Rajkumari was the main singer of the movie with a couple of solos and five duets. Three of the duets were with, then newcomer Geeta Dutt. A very young Madhubala sings with a mixture of anger and anguish. Rajkumari is spot on with her expressions. The song is still quite popular.

Ye Bura Kiya Ke Maine – Suhag Raat (1948) with Mukesh / Snehal Bhatkar – Kidar Sharma
I was about to forget the song when I suddenly remembered it after adding the song from Neelkamal. What a cute and informal, conversational song it is! Kidar Sharma used to pen such types of songs. And like the one from Nai Duniya, Rajkumari again scores a sixer with her spontaneous rendition.

Aao Chale Manwa More – Amar Prem (1948) with Rafi / Dutt Thakur – Mohan Mishra
One of the few duets Rafi sang with Rajkumari. I hadn’t heard of the movie, or of the composer or the song / lyricist. Still it’s a good song with soulful rendition by the singers. And the song is full of pure Hindi words which are otherwise hardly used. I thought of Bharat Vyas while listening to it. If you haven’t heard the song, you should surely give it a try.

In the film, Mahal, Rajkumari got to sing for Madhubala as well as Vijayalakshmi. One of her solos was for Madhubala while a couple of solos were picturised on Vijayalakshmi. I had her duet with Zohrabai Ambalewali on my list last month, so wouldn’t be adding it today.
Let me add,

Ek Teer Chala Dil Pe Laga – Mahal (1949) / Khemchand Prakash – Nakshab Jarchavi
What a deep melancholy mood the song creates! And full credit goes to Rajkumari for superb expressions. She was after all an experienced singer by then. Unfortunately, her songs from Mahal were fully overshadowed by the newcomer, Lata Mangeshkar’s songs. But I think she should be given full credit for her songs. Can you ever forget this song?

Perhaps this one picturised on Vijayalakshmi was more popular than the previous one. Let’s listen to,

Ghabarake Jo Hum Sar Ko – Mahal (1949) / Khemchand Prakash – Nakshab Jarchavi
Rajkumari was remembered for this song, which she used to recite in public performances. She sang this song during the program, Mortal Men Immortal Melodies.
The futility of being alive is conveyed in an effective way, though that sounds outright pessimistic. The pain of the character that Rajkumari portrayed is unparalleled.

He Chandra Vadan, Chanda Ki Kiran – Ram Vivah (1949) / Shankar Rao Vyas – Moti
Again a song I heard for the first time and took a liking to immediately. Though Rajkumari wasn’t a trained singer, it is said that her grasping power was wonderful. She would pick up a song very fast and imbibe its nuances quickly. She hence has sung thumri and dadra very effortlessly.

Sun Bairi Balam Sach Bol Re – Bawre Nain (1950) / Roshan – Kidar Sharma
One of the most popular songs of Rajkumari. Any discussion about Rajkumari is incomplete without the song. And the song deserves to be immortal. It has a catchy tune, and rendered perfectly by Rajkumari. The movie was full of her songs which was a rarity by then. With Lata Mangeshkar’s advancing steps, the majority of the female playback singers were left without any assignments. It would be one of her last films as a lead singer. Her other solo and her beautiful duets with Mukesh are worth a treasure. This song is mainly remembered for the word, ‘Ib’ and Rajkumari.

Taaron Se Ab Chand Ki – Pagle (1950) with Talat Mahmood / Snehal Bhatkar – Qabil Amtitsari
The film had a couple of her duets with Talat Mahmood. One in a sad mood and another happy and romantic one. And it’s such a cute song. I know it’s not a well known or popular duet. But it’s worth listening to.

Koi Kis Tarah Raaz e Ulfat Chhupaye – Hulchul (1951) / Sajjad – Khumar Barabankawi
Though Sajjad left the film halfway through, he had composed this beautiful Mujra for Rajkumari. It sounds like an authentic Mujra, very well enacted by Geeta Nizami. What perfect expressions by Rajkumari. The clapping sounds appear a bit distracting, though adding to the rhythm very well.

Kajrari Matwari Madbhari Do Akhiyan – Naubahar (1952) / Roshan – Shailendra
I think though it’s her only song for the movie, it’s been popular alright. An impressive dance performance by Roshan Vajifdar, while Rajkumari sings for Kuldeep Kaur. The song has an infectious and catchy rhythm.

Jab Se Pee Sang Naina Lage – Aasman (1952) / O P Nayyar – Prem Dhawan
It’s her only song for O P Nayyar. A good semi classical song rendered well by Rajkumari. And if rumours were to be believed, the song was originally composed for Lata Mangeshkar. But somehow due to the alleged misunderstandings between Lata and the composer, Rajkumari got to sing it.

Nazaron Mein Samaane Se Qaraar – Hyderabad Ki Naznin (1952) / Vasant Desai – Noor Lakhnawi
What a beautiful song! I was aware of the song, though I haven’t paid much attention to its lyrics and Rajkumari’s rendition. The concept in the song is wonderful, so are her expressions. Nigar Sultana looks beautiful and manages to carry the song well. In the 50s, Rajkumari was restricted to obscure films.

Rajkumari had sung a few duets with Lata Mangeshkar. Among the duets, my favourites include, Zara Sun Lo Hum Apne from Bazaar
And,

Zindagi Badali Mohabbat Ka Maza – Anhonee (1952) with Lata Mangeshkar / Roshan – Nakshab Jarchavi
Anhonee featured Nargis in a double role, one good natured and one bad. The bad one is a courtesan and Rajkumari sang for her. In addition to the wonderful duet, she also has a catchy though less known solo, Sharifon Ki Mehfil Mein, to her credit. The song has two contrasting emotions and the happy part is very well portrayed by Rajkumari.

Hamri Munder Bole Kaga Sakhi – Babla (1953) / S D Burman – Sahir
It’s perhaps her only song for S D Burman. Though the song wasn’t popular initially, Burman da reused the tune for a song in Ziddi (1964) which became popular. Enjoy the beautiful melody.

Kagwa Re Ja Balma Ke Deswa – Bahadur (1953) / S Mohinder – Raja Mehdi Ali Khan
I fell in love with the song the moment I heard it. What a beautifully rendered semi classical song! Indeed a great performance for an untrained singer.

Aao Aao Ke Tumhein – Naghma (1953) / Nashad – Nakshab Jarchavi
It’s really sad that Rajkumari was sidetracked despite being talented. And actually her voice didn’t belong to the heavy, nasal type. I think she should have survived the Lata tsunami. While the majority of the songs from Naghma were offered to Shamshad Begum, Rajkumari did shine in the only song offered to her. It’s a pity she faded away from people’s memory. She once owned a Buick car and in the 50s, she had to travel by public transport.

After the initial few years of the early 50s, slowly Rajkumari’s career came to a standstill. She was unable to get new singing assignments. One of the most popular singers of the yesteryear was now out of the industry. Her financial condition also deteriorated over the years and ultimately forced her to join back as a chorus singer.
Once Naushad spotted her during one of his recordings. He was taken aback by the revelation. During his days of struggle, Rajkumari was at the top of her career. Naushad had the privilege of offering her songs in his films, Nai Duniya (1942) and Station Master (1943). She was the main singer of both the films. Naushad respectfully addressed her and promised to give a chance. She sang a song for the film Pakeezah, which was a part of its background score. The songs, though popular, couldn’t help Rajkumari re-enter the mainstream Hindi film playback. It is said that Rajkumari was well aware of the fact and had accepted the situation. At least she could maintain her dignity. She however was in a bad shape financially.

Najariya Ki Maari – Pakeezah (1972) / Naushad – traditional lyrics
A traditional thumri rendered beautifully by Rajkumari. The song runs in the background. Unfortunately it didn’t help her much as far as getting back to playback singing was concerned.

Har Din To Beeta – Kitaab (1977) / R D Burman – Gulzar
I had tears in my eyes after listening to this soulful song. Rajkumari poured her heart out in the song. It was apt for her own situation to some extent. I thank AKji from SoY for explaining the meaning of the song to me.

She moved to Versova, a suburb in Mumbai and her lifestyle deteriorated. In the 90s, she was seen as a judge in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and was adored and liked by all. She used to sing quite well even in those days, must be 70+ of age.

Actually Rajkumari’s last song was for the movie, Pyase Nain (1989) which was a duet with Bela Sagar, under the baton of composer, Snehal Bhatkar. The film was produced and directed by Kidar Sharma. The movie and its songs remained in the dark. I thank Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh for sharing this information.
Before I conclude, let me add one of her videos in later life. It’s really amazing. Even at that age, just listen to her voice quality.

She died on 18th March 2000 in Mumbai in poverty. As per Manek Premchand’s book, none from the Hindi film industry (except Chandrashekhar and Sonu Nigam) attended her funeral. Not a surprise!

Even after adding a list of 20+ songs, many of her good songs are still out of the list. Please add your favourites by Rajkumari Dubey.

Disclaimer –
Mehfil Mein Meri, claims no credit for any image, screenshots or songs posted on this site. Images on this blog are posted to make the text interesting. The images and screenshots are the copyright of their original owners. The song links are shared from YouTube, only for the listening convenience of music lovers. The copyright of these songs rests with the respective owners, producers and music companies.