1957 – Lata Mangeshkar

Let me welcome you all and extend my warm wishes on the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa, Ugadi and Yugadi.

Last month I started a new series on Lata Mangeshkar’s Hindi film songs and we visited her duets with lesser known male playback singers. But the yearly review of Lata Mangeshkar’s Hindi film songs continues.

Today let’s review her songs from the year 1957. As usual I want to add that the year corresponds to the year of censor board certification and the movie may not have been released in that year.
She was already at the top of her career and was every composer’s dream voice. Every composer wanted her to sing for him. But at the same time, during the year 1957, she had misunderstandings with S D Burman and she decided not to sing for him. Of course the songs recorded earlier did get released in the year, but no one knew that the matter would go on for five years. But it did continue for a long time.

AKji from SoY and Anitaji from Trivia asked me to present the data in a tabular format for better and easy understanding of the stats. I took the advice on board immediately and promised to act accordingly.
Let’s have a look at her films with various composers. It’s going to be a surprise, as her maximum films are with Hemant Kumar while she has just one with Roshan, Vasant Desai and Naushad. Ghulam Mohammad, Sudhir Phadke are absent.
I’ve presented it in a slightly different manner.

The tabular format did make things simpler. We can scan it at a glance and get an idea.
Similarly, I’ll present the stats for duets, making the understanding easier than before.
Of these films, the composers, Bulo C Rani (for the film, Jeevan Saathi) and Shivram (for the film, Jai Ambe) had only one song with Lata Mangeshkar in the year 1957.

Now, let’s have a look at her duets with male playback singers.

She sang one duet each with Dilip Kumar and Dilip Dholkia.

And talking about her duets with the female playback singers.

*If we count the song, Hum Panchhi Mastane, as a duet, as it’s picturised on Shubha Khote and Anita Guha. Why should there be a third voice? Though the record label mentions Seeta Agarwal as the third singer.

Also there are a couple of trios, one from Mother India and the other from Janam Janam Ke Phere.

It’s time now to go for the list of my favourites from the year 1957 by Lata Mangeshkar. As usual I am going to present the songs composer wise.

1. Hemant Kumar –
He had the highest number of films with Lata Mangeshkar in 1957, 8 films in total. It included a hit like Miss Mary. The other films were, Champakali, Ek Jhalak, Fashion, Bandi, Payal, Hill Station and Kitna Badal Gaya Insaan. Barring the last film, all the other films are well known. Lata Mangeshkar had only one song in Ek Jhalak and Bandi, while other films had a good number of her songs. It’s very interesting to note that though Lata Mangeshkar had comparatively less number of duets with Hemant Kumar, the majority are very popular and memorable. I’ve chosen one song each from five of the films.

Brindavan Ka Krishna Kanhaiya – Miss Mary (1957) with Rafi / Hemant Kumar – Rajendra Krishan
Though the film has her solos as well, I’m fond of this song right from my childhood. I love Meena Kumari’s expressions, though it’s not primarily picturised on her. Her jealousy is so cute! Jamuna does her job well too.

Chhup Gaya Koi Re – Champakali (1957) / Hemant Kumar – Rajendra Krishan
Yet another gem! I had heard the song a few decades ago, but wasn’t aware of its picturisation. Now came to know about Suchitra Sen, though she didn’t impress. What a heart touching rendition!

Baharon Se Puchho – Fashion (1957) with Hemant Kumar / Hemant Kumar – Bharat Vyas

A beautiful romantic song! And what an atmosphere it creates! I wish the song was available in a good quality.

Nayee Manzil Nayee Raahein – Hill Station (1957) / Hemant Kumar – S H Bihari
I already had the duet version on the list of my post on Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar duets. And the solo version is equally enchanting. So I added it to today’s post. Beautiful lyrics by Bihari and perfect rendition by Lata Mangeshkar.

Chalo Chale Re Sajan Dheere Dheere – Paayal (1957) with Hemant Kumar / Hemant Kumar – Rajendra Krishan
I don’t know much about the film, Paayal. But I’ve watched a few songs from the movie of late. I liked the romantic duet very much. Though not outstanding, it’s certainly enjoyable.

2. C Ramchandra –
Lata Mangeshkar had five films with C Ramchandra in 1957. The films were, Aasha, Baarish, Nausherwan e Adil, Sharda and Talash. It was almost the last years of their association. In 1957, Asha Bhosle also sang a good number of songs for C Ramchandra. And she also sang for the main lead in Aasha.
Let’s have a look at the songs,

Tu Na Aaya Aur Hone Lagi – Aasha (1957) / C Ramchandra – Rajendra Krishan
A typical C Ramchandra song! I had no idea about its being a stage performance. Nevertheless it didn’t interfere with the enjoyment of the song. A good dance by Vyjayantimala and of course an excellent rendition by Lata Mangeshkar.

Bhool Jaye Sare Gham – Nausherwan e Adil (1957) with Rafi / C Ramchandra – Parvez Shamsi
The movie has a number of beautiful melodies, with solos and duets by Lata Mangeshkar. Chitalkar has offered only a few songs to Rafi and this is one of his memorable duets.

O Chand Jahan woh Jaye – Sharda (1957) with Asha Bhosle / C Ramchandra – Rajendra Krishan
One of the most popular duets by the Mangeshkar sisters. Lata Mangeshkar sings for Meena Kumari while Asha Bhosle sings for Shyama. Both of them have sung it with perfect expressions. Asha Bhosle’s part is very vibrant and Shyama adds further charm to it. I mainly remember the film for the duet.

Phir Wohi Chand Wohi Hum – Baarish (1957) with Chitalkar / C Ramchandra – Rajendra Krishan
The film had a bunch of good songs and Chitalkar himself sang for Dev Anand. The romantic duet is picturised on ever gorgeous Nutan and Dev Anand of course. The song has a typical touch of C Ramchandra.

Qismat Ke Khel Nirale – Talash (1957) with Chorus / C Ramchandra – Rajendra Krishan
I wasn’t aware of the songs from Talash. I am adding a song picturised on Bina Rai and other dancers. Again a typical C Ramchandra song.

3. Madan Mohan –
Lata Mangeshkar had five films with Madan Mohan in 1957. She was the main singer in all the films. In Sheroo she had only one solo. The other films had a number of popular songs and it was really difficult to choose a single song per film. But I had to do that.

Do Ghadi Woh Jo Paas Aa Baithe – Gateway of India (1957) with Rafi / Madan Mohan – Rajendra Krishan
Such a beautiful song! Sublime! The song always evokes my childhood memories of watching it on Doordarshan during Rangoli or Chitrahaar. Oh! Those days! Those simple Sundays with Mahabharat in the morning and a film in the evening.

Aaja Kahin Se Aaja – Samundar (1957) / Madan Mohan – Rajendra Krishan
I’m totally mesmerized by a couple of solos from Samundar. A little fast paced Chain Nahin Aaye and this song, which is a slow paced song. Nevertheless both the songs are equally enchanting.

Tu Pyar Kare Ya Thukraye – Dekh Kabira Roya (1957) / Madan Mohan – Rajendra Krishan
The most difficult part was choosing a single song from this film. I finally decided to go for one of the three back to back songs.

Teri Chamakti Aankhon Ke Aage – Chhote Babu (1957) with Talat Mahmood / Madan Mohan – Indeevar
A cute romantic duet.

4. Salil Chowdhury –
He had three films with Lata Mangeshkar in 1957, Ek Gaon Ki Kahani, Laal Batti and Musafir.

Lagi Nahi Chhute Rama – Musafir (1957) with Dilip Kumar / Salil Chowdhury – Shailendra
It was the only song Lata Mangeshkar sang with Dilip Kumar. It’s said that Dilip Kumar had rehearsed a lot before the final take and was very excited during the recording. For me, he has sung it well.

Haay Koi Dekh Lega – Ek Gaon Ki Kahani (1957) with Talat Mahmood / Salil Chowdhury – Shailendra
A good duet with Talat Mahmood. The film is remembered more for Talat’s solos. But the other songs are good too.

Haay Jhilmil Jhilmil – Laal Batti (1957) / Salil Chowdhury – Majrooh
I must confess I heard it for the first time during the research for this post.
But it’s a very good song, with a typical Salil Chowdhury touch.

5. S D Burman –
The year 1957 proved to be a bad year for the association between Lata Mangeshkar and Burman da. It’s said that they separated because of a misunderstanding. It happened during the recording of Sitaron Se Aage. They didn’t work together for a number of years. They had just a couple of films in 1957, Paying Guest and Miss India. The former was a musical superhit, while the songs of the latter weren’t popular. In total Lata Mangeshkar sang six songs in 1957 for S D Burman.
The choices for today’s list would seem obvious,

Chand Phir Nikla – Paying Guest (1957) / S D Burman – Majrooh
One of the best of their association. The song creates a perfect aura of pathos and Nutan’s expressions make it more appealing. After separating from Sahir, Burman da started a prolonged association with Majrooh and Paying Guest was one of their early films. The film had just a couple of solos by Lata Mangeshkar.

Jaaun Main Kahan – Miss India (1957) with Manna Dey / S D Burman – Rajendra Krishan
The film is perhaps not so well known, but a few of the songs are really good. The song has a very interesting fusion of Indian and western styles. Manna Dey singing for Pradeep Kumar has a jazzy, peppy, joyous part, while Lata Mangeshkar singing for Nargis has a melancholy mood with a slow paced Indian styled music. And the two different styles and moods are so well gelled together.

6. Shankar Jaikishan –
Lata Mangeshkar had been singing for the duo since their first film, Barsaat (1949). In 1957, she had a couple of films for the duo. Kathputli was a musical superhit, the songs are still fondly remembered. Behunah was banned after release due to a copyright lawsuit filed by the producers of the original American movie. All of the prints of the movie were destroyed and perhaps no copy survived. The song, Ae Pyase Dil Bezubaan by Mukesh was picturised on Jaikishan. Alas we won’t be watching it anytime.

Bol Ri Kathputli Dori – Kathputli (1957) / Shankar Jaikishan – Shailendra
Amiya Chakraborty was the original director, who died during the making and the film was completed by Nitin Bose. The film had a number of beautiful solos. This song has two versions. I have added the happy version, while the sad version is also good though it may be less popular.

Din Albele Pyar Ka Mausam – Begunah (1957) with Manna Dey / Shankar Jaikishan – Hasrat Jaipuri
What a cute romantic duet! It has the typical touch of Shankar Jaikishan and unparalleled sweetness. I heard it for the first time but instantly loved it.

7. Anil Biswas –
Lata Mangeshkar had a couple of films with Anil Biswas in 1957. The film Pardesi was an Indorussian venture and had one solo by Lata Mangeshkar. Jalti Nishani had 6 of her songs including 4 solos and a couple of duets.
I think the choices for today’s list are quite obvious,

Rooth Ke Tum To Chal Diye – Jalti Nishani (1957) / Anil Biswas – Qamar Jalalabadi
I think the film has survived because of this song. A song with unparalleled pathos.

Na Dir Dhim Tana Dere Na – Pardesi (1957) / Anil Biswas – Prem Dhawan
The song is an audiovisual feast. A beautiful dance performance by Padmini to add more charm to the song. What a wonderful semi classical song!

8. S N Tripathi –
S N Tripathi was a talented composer, though perhaps he never actually tried to come out of the mythological or religious film composer tag. It seems he used to enjoy the films. He also directed a few Hindi films. In 1957, the films he composed for include Janam Janam Ke Phere and Ram Hanuman Yuddha. The former has an immortal song, while the latter, though not at all popular, has a bunch of beautiful melodies.

Zara Samne To Aa – Janam Janam Ke Phere (1957) with Rafi / S N Tripathi – Bharat Vyas
The song topped the yearly Binaca Geetmala in 1957. While there was tough competition from the other stalwarts, it was this song from a religious movie that was chosen by the listeners as the top song. It’s said that the song was written by Bharat Vyas, when his son had left the home and he was badly worried for him. The song has heart touching lyrics, woven in a beautiful melody and sung with utmost dedication by the singers.

Suna Tu Man Ki Been Par – Ram Hanuman Yuddha (1957) / S N Tripathi – Shailendra
Let the film be mythological and you may put a tag of B grade to it. The songs are top class. Shailendra has written beautiful songs for Tripathi in this film. I’ve put one of my favourites from the movie.

9. Chitragupt –
Chitragupt’s association with Lata Mangeshkar started in 1955 with AVM’s film, Shivbhakta. The journey continued in the 50s and the 60s, when Lata Mangeshkar sang his honey dipped melodies that became hugely popular.
She had three films with him in 1957, Bhabhi, Neel mani and Sakshi Gopal. The songs of Bhabhi became roaringly popular and are still very popular. She had three solos and a couple of duets, all of which are still remembered by the lovers of HFM.
While Sakshi Gopal sounds like an unknown movie, I’ve a couple of favourites from the movie. Let me add my favourites,

Chhupa Kar Meri Aankhon Ko – Bhabhi (1957) with Rafi / Chitragupt – Rajendra Krishan
Chitragupt’s melodies were always sweet and heartwarming. And why should this one be an exception! For me, it’s one of the best of their duets.

Tere Paiya Pade Teri Maiya – Sakshi Gopal (1957) / Chitragupt – Bharat Vyas
I’m not going to add anything. You listen to the song if you have not heard it already.

10. Naushad –
Naushad used to accept very few films in a year, as he used to need time for rehearsals to his full satisfaction before the final recording. But that’s why each and every song of his films used to be popular. Mehboob Khan’s Mother India was a remake of his own film, Aurat. He chose Naushad, who celebrated the Indian traditions and culture on screen with his immortal tunes. There were 6 songs by Lata Mangeshkar including 4 solos. While I like Nagri Nagri Dware Dware and O Mere Laal Aaja a lot, I chose her trio with her sisters.

Duniya Mein Hum Aaye Hain To – Mother India (1957) with Usha Mangeshkar & Meena Mangeshkar / Naushad – Shakeel Badayuni
A difficult philosophy of life put in a simple language. We have to be ready for the challenges that may come in our way and always be honest and dedicated. It is said, Meena and Usha Mangeshkar were called in because the chorus wasn’t thought to fit the occasion.

11. Vasant Desai –
Vasant Desai was a favourite with V Shantaram. Do Aankhen Barah Haath was a memorable film and so were Sandhya and the songs. Lata Mangeshkar sang 5 songs including one duet and 4 solos. While it was one of the toughest tasks to choose a single song, I finally chose the one that I like the most.

Saiyan Jhoothon Ka Bada – Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957) / Vasant Desai – Bharat Vyas
The song is not picturised as a stretch in the movie, but it appears in parts at different times. The video however has all the parts together. I like the song a lot, and a few of the other songs were already covered on the blog.

12. Hansraj Behl –
Hansraj Behl was a talented and underrated composer. He mostly composed for the films made under his own banner. Though he could compose by his own choice that way, perhaps it also went against him to some extent. Nevertheless his songs always had melody and he had a few fabulous songs with Lata Mangeshkar. And let me add one of those songs,

Jab Raat Nahin Katati – Changez Khan (1957) / Hansraj Behl – Qamar Jalalabadi
A fabulous song. Majority of the songs from this movie are popular and good.

13. Sardul Kwatra –
He never composed for big banners in Hindi films, but his songs too were melodious. He brought the typical Punjabi aroma with his tunes and now we do appreciate him for his melodies. Shammi Kapoor and Shyama starrer, Mirza Sahiban, won’t be a popular and well known film. But it had a gem of a song by Lata Mangeshkar. Not only are the lyrics beautiful, but the rendition and the tune are excellent too. I would strongly recommend this song for those who haven’t heard it before.

Tabiyat Theek Thi – Mirza Sahiban (1957) / Sardul Kwatra – Verma Malik
The song is picturised on Shyama, who repents for falling in love. She was alright when she wasn’t in love. Now she experiences all griefs and sorrows after falling in love. The song has very meaningful and apt lyrics and the tune and orchestration don’t overpower it. Lata’s soulful rendition in the icing on the cake.

14. Jaidev –
Jaidev Verma started in 1955 with the film Joru Ka Bhai. But he couldn’t get many films immediately. The film Anjali, though not very popular, had a few of Lata Mangeshkar’s good solos. At least I’m fond of a couple of songs, and I’m adding one of those songs,

Kis Kis Ko Deepak Pyar Karen – Anjali (1957) / Jaidev – Nyay Sharma
A beautiful melody, and it sounds heavenly in Lata’s divine voice. Just experience it!

15. Ravi –
Ravi’s first Hindi film, Vachan had no songs by Lata Mangeshkar. But, in 1957 he composed for the Madhubala starrer, Ek Saal. Perhaps the song, Sab Kuchh Lutake Hosh Mein, was the most popular song of the movie, but I’ve reserved it for a future post. For today’s list, let me present a gentle, sublime composition written and composed by Ravi. I’m totally in love with the song the moment I heard it.

Ulajh Gaye Do Naina Dekho – Ek Saal (1957) with Hemant Kumar / Ravi – Ravi
I am glad I finally found a very good quality upload of this beautiful melody. Each instrument is clearly heard. I just love the song, nothing more to say!

16. Avinash Vyas –
He had a couple of films with Lata Mangeshkar in 1957, but I doubt if anyone particularly remembers them. Though not popular, let me add a beautiful solo to end today’s list. Wouldn’t you call the song ‘A grade’?

O Chandrama Tu Bada Man Ka Kathor – Ram Laxman (1957) / Avinash Vyas – Bharat Vyas
Beautiful shuddha Hindi lyrics by Bharat Vyas, woven in a simple but ear pleasing melody, and perfect expressions.

Please add your favourites by Lata Mangeshkar from the year 1957.

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.