1953 – Lata Mangeshkar

Continuing the yearly review of Lata Mangeshkar’s songs, let’s celebrate today Lata Mangeshkar’s 92nd birthday by revisiting a few of my favorite songs sung by her in the year 1953.

She sang about 190+ songs in total from 45 films, with around 150 solos and around 40+ other songs including duets (34 with male singers and 6 with female singers) and trios (3). The ratio of solos and duets was 3.5:1.

If we consider her duets with female singers, one duet each with Geeta Dutt, Sudha Malhotra, Madhubala Javheri and Meena Kapoor. And two duets with Shamshad Begum. I think the one with Madhubala Javheri is the most popular.
Among the duets with male playback singers, she sang 6 duets with Chitalkar, of which 5 were for the film Jhamela alone. She sang 5 duets each with Rafi and Hemant Kumar, 4 duets each with Talat Mahmood and Kishore Kumar, 3 duets each with Mukesh and Manna Dey. She also sang one duet each with G M Durrani, Krishna Goel and Dhananjay Bhattacharya. I don’t know much about the singer, Dhananjay. He was known for his non-film song in Bengali. He sang for a few Hindi films including, Bhaichara (1943), which was his first Hindi film, Yadnik, Jhoothi Kasam, Kasturi etc.

Before we start the actual song list, let me put forward my observations for the year 1953

• Raichand Boral is considered the father of Indian film music. He could compose for her in just a couple of films. Both the films were censored in 1953
• Lata Mangeshkar had no songs with Naushad in the year. Naushad was very choosy and used to accept just a couple of assignments or so in a year, so perhaps he had no releases in the year
• She sang for three movies for S D Burman, Babla, Jeevan Jyoti and Shehanshah. None of the films have stood the test of time and the majority of the songs are forgotten. I don’t have a particular favourite from any of the films. Still I’ve added one song from a movie that is relatively well known
• She sang for just a couple of films each for Roshan, Husnalal Bhagatram and Madan Mohan. Though the films were not commercially successful, a couple of films are still remembered for the songs
• The major chunk of songs was formed by her films with Shankar Jaikishan (5 films), Anil Biswas (6 films) and C Ramchandra (5 films). And obviously her most memorable songs from the year belong to these films
• Salil Chowdhury was working for Bengali films already. He was invited to Mumbai by Bimal Roy to compose for his film, Do Bigha Zameen. Lata Mangeshkar sang for him for the first time for the movie. She had a solo and a couple of duets. The film is remembered for the acting of the main lead, the direction and also for its songs. Mainly Lata’s duets with Manna Dey are considered classics
• Shyam Sunder had only one release in the year. Lata Mangeshkar had differences with him in the past, but they reconciled and she sang for him again. Unfortunately he succumbed to death before he could finish the songs. The remaining songs were completed by Madan Mohan
• Vasant Desai also had a film with Lata Mangeshkar called Anand Bhawan, which I wasn’t aware of. I liked a couple of songs and decided to include one of those.

By the beginning of the year 1953, Lata Mangeshkar was already the most popular female playback singer of Hindi films. She was the first choice of most of the first rung composers. She deserved her position and could maintain the aura throughout the 50s and the 60s. Her voice was absolutely magical, it was tender yet very powerful. She could easily reach the higher octaves as desired by the composers. She was the Queen of melody.

Let’s start the list now…….

1. R C Boral –
Boral is considered the father of Indian film music. He was a prominent name of the 30s and 40s. By the end of the 40s decade, he was less active on Hindi films front. After Lata Mangeshkar began her journey, it was in the year 1953 that their first song was released. Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was perhaps released in 1954, but all the Geet kosh consider the films as per their censor year. So I’ve included it on today’s list.

Na To Din Hi Din Woh Rahe Mere – Dard e Dil (1953) / R C Boral – D N Madhok
A beautiful soulful composition to open the list! Lata Mangeshkar had a couple of solos in the movie and this one’s a popular one, at least known to the die hard fans of HFM. The song is difficult to sing, with its scale changes and a bit of an unconventional rhythm.

Kajrare Naina Chhup Chhup Ghaat – Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1953) / R C Boral – Bharat Vyas
What a wonderfully composed and excellently rendered Mujra! Exquisite song! Extremely melodious and memorable. Also pay attention to the beautiful lyrics by the underrated lyricist, Bharat Vyas. Beautiful tabla and sarangi pieces with easy on the ear ghoongru. The other two solos are slow paced sad songs. But this thumri literally stole my mind.

2. Shankar Jaikishan –
The duo started their journey with Lata Mangeshkar in 1949 with the film, Barsaat. In the 50s their choice for the main lead actress was always Lata Mangeshkar. They never ever offered songs of the main lead to any other singer. The year also marked Asha Bhosle’s entry into their musical team. She sang a solo, Chamake Bijuriya, for the film, Shikast.
Coming to Lata Mangeshkar’s association with SJ, she sang for them in 5 films. All of the movies, Aah, Aas, Aurat, Patita, Shikast had great songs. For the movie, Aurat, Lata Mangeshkar was the only singer. She sang all the nine solos, again matching with her record of the previous year, where she had 9 solos in Poonam.

Jo Main Janti Unke Liye – Aah (1953) / Shankar Jaikishan – Shailendra
The film starring Raj Kapoor and Nargis wasn’t actually a box office hit, despite having top notch songs. All the songs were popular and I was wondering about a song to choose for today’s list. At one end I had the romantic, Jane Na Nazar while the soulful duet, Aaja Re Ab Mera Dil and the heart touching, Yeh Shaam Ki Tanhaiyan were at the other end. I was also inclined to Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat. Finally I chose a happy, melodious and enjoyable song. Nargis is confessing her love for Raj Kapoor and

The song also has a sad version, which wasn’t perhaps released on records. It’s a very short song, hardly one minute long.

Dekho Ji Dekho Ek Baar – Aas (1953) with Mukesh / Shankar Jaikishan – Shailendra
I would never get enough of this song. The more I listen, the more I get enchanted. Such a cute song, I just love it. So much so that I didn’t even look at any other song from the movie for today’s list.

Dard e Jigar Thehar Zara – Aurat (1953) / Shankar Jaikishan – Hasrat Jaipuri
Lata Mangeshkar was the only singer for the movie and she recorded all the nine solos. The film is obviously full of excellent solos. Difficult situation for me! At one end I had, the playful ‘Dard e Ulfat Chhupaun Kahan’ and ‘Nainon Se Nain Hue Char’, while at the other end, the soulful, gloomy, ‘Sun Le Mere Dil Ki Pukar’ and ‘Aankhon Aankhon Mein Unko Chhupake Dekh Liya’. And it was just impossible for me to get to a song. Then I decided to go for the first song that I heard from the movie. And that was equally beautiful.

Yaad Kiya Dil Ne – Patita (1953) with Hemant Kumar / Shankar Jaikishan – Hasrat Jaipuri

One of the most popular songs from the movie. Also it’s one of the most popular romantic duets of Hindi cinema and gets a place in top five duets of Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar. What a beautiful melody and great expressions by the singers.

Kare Badra Tu Na Ja – Shikast (1953) / Shankar Jaikishan – Shailendra
I just love this fast paced song based on Raag Megh Malhar. Picturised on beautiful Nalini Jaywant, clad in a simple saree, the song always feels my soul with joy and vigour. The interlude pieces are enchanting, so is the overall musical arrangement. Blissful!
Shikast has a couple of my all time favourites. The other one is Lata Mangeshkar and Talat Mahmood’s duet, Jab Jab Phool Khile.

3. Anil Biswas –
1952 wasn’t a great year for Lata Mangeshkar when she had just a couple of solos for Anil Biswas’s only release, Do raha. But the duo was back with a bang. Lata Mangeshkar sang for AnilBiswas in six films in 1953. The films were, Aakash, Fareb, Humdard, Jaliyanwala Baag Ki Jyoti, Mehman and Rahi. And I’ve chosen five films to highlight in today’s post.

Aa Mohabbat Ki Basti – Fareb (1953) with Kishore Kumar / Anil Biswas – Majrooh
I always find the song similar to their first duet from Ziddi (1948). The tunes are not similar of course, but I think the theme is similar. Rich hero and poor heroine. The film also features some of the wonderful solos by Lata Mangeshkar.

Ritu Aaye Ritu Jaye Sakhi Ri – Humdard (1953) with Manna Dey / Anil Biswas – Prem Dhawan
A masterpiece indeed. The song is based on four classical raagas, Gaud Sarang, Malhar, Jogiya, Bahar. Shekhar is teaching his disciple, Nimmi. It’s a pure pleasure. People run away from classical music, but when one listens to a song like this, one gets completely mesmerized. And what a brilliant performance by the singers. The song should be among the top five duets of Lata Mangeshkar with Manna Dey.

Mukh Se Na Bolun – Jaliyanwala Bagh Ki Jyoti (1953) with Talat Mahmood / Anil Biswas – Uddhav Kumar
The film wasn’t successful, though a couple of songs did stand the test of time. The mentioned duet is one of those.
What a cute faux anger the lady displays! The lady threatens her man with verbal abuse if he teases her. Her faux anger is just so apparent. Lata sings her part at a fast pace and the lyrics are rhythmically rhyming making it a pleasure to listen to.

Aankhon Mein Chitchor Samaye – Mehman (1953) / Anil Biswas – P N Rangeen
Anil Biswas has used Bengali bhajan rhythm for the song. We can actually make it out quite clearly. Anil da had used a similar tune in a few other songs as well. The film has a number of good songs, but I chose the known one. What a beautiful composition!

Ek Pal Ruk Jana Ruk Jana – Rahi (1953) / Anil Biswas – Prem Dhawan
The film had a few wonderful songs. This song has a fast paced happy version and a slow paced sad version. I’ve included both the versions on the list. The film also had trios by Lata Mangeshkar, Hemant Kumar and Meena Kapoor.

Firstly the happy version

and, the sad version,

4. C Ramchandra –
Lata Mangeshkar’s association with C Ramchandra could be a separate topic. The duo just celebrated their alliance. With the majority of the light hearted songs or beautifully composed sad solos, the magic was exceptional. Lata Mangeshkar sang for five films during the year 1953. The films were Anarkali, Jhamela, Jhanjhar, Lehren and Shagufa. As I’ve already mentioned, she sang five duets with Chitalkar for the movie Jhamela. For today’s post however, I’ve chosen to highlight just three films.

Aaja Ab To Aaja – Anarkali (1953) / C Ramchandra – Shailendra
I had a tough time deciding about the song. I would have selected Yeh Zindagi Usiki Hai, or Jaag Dard e Ishq Jaag. But I didn’t. Zamana Yeh Samajha would have been a choice too, so would have Mohabbat Aisi Dhadkan Hai. But this beautifully rendered song is also my favourite and wouldn’t have appeared in the blog otherwise. So I selected it. The pathos is heart touching. The tune and orchestration is good too.

Ae Pyar Teri Duniya Se Hum – Jhanjhar (1953) / C Ramchandra – Rajendra Krishan
The pathos laden song is melodious and heart touching. It is said that the initial couplets were added later by Kedar Sharma, as the opening lines were not impactful enough. The result is obviously very satisfying. I was again caught up while choosing a song from Jhanjhar. Jhanjhar was Chitalkar’s home production and it is said that he was offering it more time and dedication than Anarkali, both of which were on the floor at the same time. No wonder the film has given me the toughest time during the song selection. Somehow I could shortlist 3 songs and ended up adding two.
The third song was, ‘Ja Ri Ja Ja Nindiya Ja’

Chhed Gayo Mohe Sapne Mein Shyam – Jhanjhar (1953) / C Ramchandra – Rajendra Krishan
It very rarely happens that I select two songs from a single movie on a list. But making an exception I’m adding yet another favourite from Jhanjhar. Couldn’t help myself . It’s one of my all time favourites. There’s something magical about the song. It touches my soul every time I listen to it.

Apna Pata Bata De – Shagufa (1953) / C Ramchandra – Rajendra Krishan
The song has almost become the identity of the film. The film has survived just on this wonderful song. The song also has two parts. Though both parts sound sad, the first part is the happier one. And the second is a bit slow paced and fully melancholic. I was happy to find both the parts together in good audio quality. A decade ago, I used to search the internet for a good audio track of this song like a lunatic. Oh! Those days!

5. Roshan –
Roshan had just one major film with Lata Mangeshkar in 1953. The film was Nutan starrer Aagosh. The other film, Malkin also had three solos and one duet. Though I’m fond of Unko Apna Bana Ke Chhod Diya from Malkin, I didn’t include it on today’s list.

Mohabbat Ek Shola Hai – Aagosh (1953) / Roshan – Shailendra
Roshan in the early 50s was really wonderful. Unfortunately he had to wait for a long time for success. Otherwise, the majority of his films in the early 50s though not commercially successful, had excellent songs. What else do I need to prove my statement? Just listen to the soulful song with deep pathos!

6. Madan Mohan –
Like Roshan, Madan Mohan also had only two films with Lata Mangeshkar in 1953. While she had 4 solos and one duet in Dhun, she sang five solos for Baghi. Though the films might have been forgotten, the songs are still popular.

Hamare Baad Ab Mehfil Mein – Baghi (1953) / Madan Mohan – Majrooh
The Ranjan and Naseem Bano starrer movie is remembered just for the song. The film had all five solos sung by Lata Mangeshkar. The meaningful song finds place in every HFM lover and quite deservingly so.

Sitaron Se Poochho Nazaaron Se Poochho – Dhun (1953) / Madan Mohan – Kaif Irfani
The film had the only song Hemant Kumar sang for Raj Kapoor, which was a duet with Lata Mangeshkar. She also had a few wonderful solos in the movie. Badi Barbadiyan Lekar would be a better known song of the movie. But I added another gem.

7. S D Burman –
As I said already, Lata had very few songs with Burman da in 1953 and they were not popular. All the books that I referred to, credit two solos to Lata Mangeshkar. One of the songs is a lullaby which has three parts in the movie. One of the parts is sung by Geeta Dutt if I’m not wrong. Though none of the songs is my favourite, I want to add a song which sounds like a forerunner of Dhalki Jaye Chundaria Hamari.

Chhai Kari Badaria Barania Ho Ram – Jeevan Jyoti (1953) with Chorus / S D Burman – Sahir
Though the song is always mentioned as a Lata Mangeshkar solo, the opening lines are definitely sung by other singers. There could be two female singers who sing those lines and then Lata Mangeshkar joins. I couldn’t recognise the voices, perhaps those singers were chosen from the chorus. At places the voice closely resembles that of Asha Bhosle’s, but I think that’s Lata Mangeshkar alright. The other songs of the movie were offered to Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle.

8. Husnalal Bhagatram –
Lata Mangeshkar was a part of a couple of films by Husnalal Bhagatram. The films were, Aansoo and Farmaish. The former had five of her songs including 3 solos and a couple of duets. The duets with Rafi are immortal and considered among their top duets. The latter had three solos and one duet. The songs were not very popular.

Sun Mere Sajna – Aansoo (1953) with Rafi / Husnalal Bhagatram – Qamar Jalalabadi
The film is remembered for the couple of duets by Lata Mangeshkar and Rafi. One of the duets is happy, but I’m fond of the other duet. So I added it.

9. Salil Chowdhury –
Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zameen was a film where the songs were a part of film’s narrative and gelled well with it. Lata Mangeshkar had one solo and a couple of duets with Manna Dey. Both the duets had been extremely popular and deserved to be.

Mausam Beeta Jaye – Do Bigha Zameen (1953) with Manna Dey & Chorus / Salil Chowdhury – Shailendra
The song reminds me of my childhood, when I heard the song Mausam Beeta Jaye in Nukkad. And my father told me about the original song. I don’t exactly remember if I heard the original song then. But what a beautiful song. The song raises your spirits. I’m sure it must be a favourite of the majority of the readers.

10. Shyam Sunder –
She had just one film with Shyam Sunder and it was his last film. The film featured four songs by Lata Mangeshkar, including a couple of duets with Rafi and a couple of solos. Though it was difficult to choose, I finally went for an iconic song.

Bahar Aayi Khili Kaliyan – Alif Laila (1953) / Shyam Sunder – Sahir
The iconic song lingers in your mind. The song has unparalleled pathos, but I won’t recommend watching the video which is not at all impressive in any way. It’s one of the songs that I believe no other singer would have sung in the same way.

11. Vasant Desai –
Lata Mangeshkar’s main film with Vasant Desai in 1953 was Anand Bhawan, which had her five solos and one duet. Though the songs are not well known, I particularly liked a song which was completely different from Desai’s usual style. Sung with a soft voice, the song is addressed to heart. Quite interesting to listen to. G M Durrani joins late and has the last verse to his credit. If you haven’t heard it before, please do listen.

Hello Hello Mr Dil – Anand Bhawan (1953) with G M Durrani / Vasant Desai – Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

12. Shivaram Krishna –
He was a trained classical singer and musician. He was spotted by V Shantaram and was offered films. Both the films were censored in 1953. Both the films had songs by Lata Mangeshkar. The film, Surang had three solos while Teen Batti Char Rasta had four of her solos. I think it’s very easy to guess my selection for today’s list.

Guzri Thi Raat Aadhi – Surang (1953) / Shivaram Krishna – Shevan Rizvi
The song has an intoxicating Matka rhythm. The song has a heart touching rendition by Lata Mangeshkar. The lyrics are good too.

Apni Ada Par Main Hoon Fida – Teen Batti Char Rasta (1953) / Shivaram Krishna – P L Santoshi
The song has already featured in one of my earlier lists. It’s picturised on Sandhya. It talks about an excellent singer, but without good looks or fair colour. The song sounds happy and playful, the audience enjoying it on the radio. The song is very melodious and has good lyrics too. The film is also remembered for the multilingual song which also featured Lata Mangeshkar.

13. V Balsara –
He was an ace musician, with a command on a number of instruments. He played piano, accordion, melodica, harmonium, and a preliminary synthesizer called, Univox.
He has composed non film songs as well, in fact he was better known for those non film songs. In 1953, he composed for a movie, Madmast which had a couple of solos by Lata Mangeshkar.

Sunayen Haal e Dil Kya Hum Hamara – Madmast (1953) / V Balsara – Madhuraj
V Balsara wasn’t a regular composer for Hindi films. But he did compose good songs whenever he got the chance.

14. Mohammad Shafi –

Mohammad Shafi composed for Dara in 1953. Though it wasn’t a A grade movie, the songs were good. I don’t know if the songs were popular or not, but presently the songs are not well known.

Do Bol Tere Meethe Meethe – Dara (1953) with Hemant Kumar / Mohammad Shafi – M Sharma
It must have been a completely different composition for that era. In the first half of the song, there are overlapping voices of Chorus, Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar. That’s an innovative idea. At least not used much in those days. And Hemant Kumar has only a supporting role, Lata Mangeshkar sings both the verses. There’s an intense emotional touch to the song. I heard it for the first time, but took an instant liking. Enjoy.

I think I have talked about most of the composers on the list. Please add your favourite.

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.