(Part – 4) The Bicycle Saga

First of all, let me thank readers for appreciating and supporting the theme. The fourth part of the series was not on my mind originally. But as I went through the songs and my categories, very soon I realised that not all the songs can be put in a stringent category. So I thought of compiling those songs in a separate post. Also over the period, as the previous parts unfolded, a few readers added some songs which I felt suited more to one of the categories of the fourth part. So you can find a song which you had added on one of the previous lists.

As Hindi cinema and society evolved, the trend of bicycles slowly vanished. Still in the 80s and the 90s, a few of the bicycle songs did appear on the silver screen. I can remember myself that even in the early 90s, the two wheelers used to be lesser in numbers and four wheelers were absolutely reserved for the affluent families. And I traveled on a bicycle till the 12th. In the late 90s and thereafter, bicycles became really obsolete from the Hindi films and were seen in films with a rural backdrop or maybe during a dream sequence or so! Nowadays, bicycles are used mainly for exercise, though fortunately at least the school going children do use it regularly.

Anyways, let’s move on to today’s list. I’ve divided the songs into six categories for an easier presentation. Readers are most welcome to add songs in one of the predefined categories or add a category on their own with a befitting song.

1. Singer Not on a Bicycle –
I should declare in the beginning itself that in this category the singer won’t ride the bicycle throughout the song. Otherwise any song partially picturised on a bicycle would be eligible. Also duets with one of the singers on a bicycle are not allowed. Not a common scenario I guess! As I couldn’t find many songs.

Pukarta Chala Hoon Main – Mere Sanam (1965) Rafi / O P Nayyar – Majrooh
What a beautiful melody! There’s so much romance and expressions in Rafi’s rendition. Sublime! Biswajit, driving in his open Jeep, follows Asha Parekh and company. The latter are on bicycles and they never try to either let him move ahead of them or stay behind. Both the parties follow each other and Biswajit clearly flirts with Asha Parekh. But when you’ve such a song with you, anyone would fall in love. Biswajit never gets down from the Jeep and it’s one of the most popular bicycle songs of Hindi cinema.

Zara Mud Ke To Dekh – Lalkar (1972) Rafi / Kalyanji Anandji – Kulwant Jani
Dharmenra follows Mala Sinha, who’s riding a bicycle. He always manages to catch up with her either running via a shortcut or even riding a horse. Mala Sinha appears to enjoy it all. I won’t call it one of my favourites, but the song is enjoyable. For me the main attraction was Rafi’s excellent rendition.

2. Separate Bicycles –
When I published the second part of the series, which had songs with ‘couple on a bicycle’, Anu ji from the blog, Conversations over chai added a couple of songs with the couple riding separate bicycles. But I had already added in the introduction that such songs would feature on the list of the last part. So I’m opening the category with the songs added by Anu ji.

Mere Peechhe Ek Deewana – Nazrana (1961) Asha Bhosle & Mukesh / Ravi – Rajendra Krishan
The song starts with Raj Kapoor and Vyjayantimala riding separate bicycles and the bicycles make a brief appearance of around a minute. At the end, the couple gets back to their bicycles. Quite a good song.

Chale Bajate Seeti – Zamana (1957) Asha Bhosle & unidentified male singer / Anil Biswas – Indeevar
I had the song on my list of songs with whistling and was able to recollect it for the list. And as I have mentioned earlier, Anuji added it in her comments on the second part of the series.

Aadmi Sadak Ka – Aadmi Sadak Ka (1977) Rafi / Ravi – Verma Malik
Shatrughan Sinha and Vikram both ride on separate bicycles and the latter searches for a job. It looks a bit weird that a man rides a bicycle wearing a suit. I must add that I came across this song when I was searching for the post. I wasn’t aware of it before. Please follow this link to watch it on YouTube.

Dekho Hum Dono Ki Yaari – Double Cross (1972) Kishore Kumar & Bhupinder Singh / R D Burman – Majrooh
Vijay Anand in a double role. Twin brothers riding on two separate bicycles. Again this song is new for me. I listened to it for the first time while researching for the post. Though not much interesting to watch, definitely good to listen to.

3. Triple seat on a Bicycle –
I must confess, I didn’t particularly search for songs for this category. The first song was the pioneer of the category which was obvious. The other song was added by Shelomit on one of the earlier parts.

Sanwale Salone Aaye Din – Ek Hi Raasta (1956) Lata Mangeshkar & Hemant Kumar / Hemant Kumar – Majrooh
The song was, I guess much awaited right from the first part, but it didn’t fit to any of the categories and ended up in the last part. Sunil Dutt and Meena Kumari ride a tandem bicycle with the little cute Daisy Irani on a small carrier in the front portion of the bicycle. The song has a mixture of description of nature and a gentle and subtle hint of romance. We may call it a romantic song, or it may find a place on a list that has songs praising nature.

Oonche Neeche Raaste Aur Manzil – Khuddar (1982) Lata Mangeshkar & Kishore Kumar / Rajesh Roshan – Majrooh
Sanjeev Kumar rides a bicycle with Master Ravi and Master Raju. The song is the credits song of the movie, that is the credits roll on the screen while the song runs in the background. Lata Mangeshkar sings for both the boys. The inspirational song does leave an impression on the listener’s mind.

4. Miscellaneous Bicycle Songs –
Perhaps the most awaited category. I had not included a few of the songs, though they apparently seem to fit one of the earlier parts. For me those songs had a mixture of multiple categories and would better fit in a category of Miscellaneous Bicycle Songs.

Mana Janab Ne Pukara Nahin – Paying Guest (1957) Kishore Kumar / S D Burman – Majrooh
I wanted to include it in the miscellaneous category, as Dev Anand carries his bicycle for a short while, then he rides it and then he chases Nutan around for the entire last verse and so both of them ride on separate bicycles. The song shows every possible situation with the bicycle.

Akela Hoon Main – Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962) Rafi / S D Burman – Majrooh
I had thought of this song on two occasions, initially for the first part of the series as there was a group of bicycles, though Dev Anand announced himself alone. Then for a short period he is alone and later he rides a boat. As there was a mixing of the categories, I decided to include it in the miscellaneous category.

Zara Ruk Ja – Sitaron Se Aage (1958) Rafi / S D Burman – Majrooh
This song also has mix features. There are a lot of cyclists in the song riding either alone or in groups. Johnny Walker plays a cycle repairman and he is in search of customers. For nearly half of the song, he doesn’t ride a bicycle and when he ultimately does, he shows various stunts and other acts on a bicycle. Meanwhile his friends do their job of puncturing tyres of a few of the viewers. So in all a lot of mixed activities happen here. And if you have noticed the third song in a row by S D Burman and Majrooh.

Yaaron Ki Tamanna Hai – Kahin Din Kahin Raat (1968) Mahendra Kapoor / O P Nayyar – Aziz Kashmiri
I hadn’t heard or watched the song before. Johnny Walker starts on a bicycle while Malika rides a tonga. After a while, they exchange their positions. There’s a group of bicycles as well during the second verse. Ultimately Johnny Walker and Malika are both in the tonga. The song has the typical O P Nayyar tonga rhythm. Johnny Walker looks quite old and his wig is also evident.

Chori Chori Dil Ka Lagana Buri Baat Hai – Bada Bhai (1957) Talat Mahmood & Asha Bhosle / Nashad – Prem Saxena
This song was actually added by Partha ji on one of the boat songs post. The song has a cycle-rickshaw. Anant Kumar is cycling while beautiful Amita rides in the carrier. A good song to listen to! Cycle rickshaw can be taken as an extension of the main vehicle. So I thought of including it.

5. Bicycle as a prop in Stage performances –
While I was searching for the bicycle songs, I came across a few songs where the bicycle made an appearance as a prop in a song. And I am presenting three songs in this category.

Ae Mohabbat Unse Milne Ka – Bazar (1949) Lata Mangeshkar & Rafi / Shyam Sunder – Qamar Jalalabadi
I used to love this song, but I wasn’t aware of the picturisation. I had thought of a more romantic picturisation. Shyam and Nigar Sultana perform on stage, and the bicycle plays an important role throughout the song. Nigar rides it for a few moments in the beginning.

Ek Din Lahore Ki Thandi – Sagai (1951) Rafi, Shamshad Begum & Chitalkar / C Ramchandra – Rajendra Krishan
A fun song picturised on Rehana and the duo Gope and Yakub. The duo rides a tandem bicycle in the opening portion of the song.

Bol Sach Sach Bol – Laxmi (1957) Rafi / Avinash Vyas – Qamar Jalalabadi
A western style composition by Avinash Vyas. A good song to watch and to listen to. I couldn’t recognise the main actor in the song. For a few scenes he uses a bicycle.

6. Cycle mentioned in the lyrics –
And the final category where the bicycle doesn’t make an appearance on the silver screen, but the word Cycle does make an appearance in the lyrics. Though there could be many songs, I’ve presented just a couple of songs.

Yeh Cycle Ka Chakkar – Akeli Mat Jaiyo (1963) Asha Bhosle & Rafi / Madan Mohan – Majrooh
The song is quite good and Meenu Mumtaz and Agha both do their job perfectly fine. The lyrics mention the bicycle and we can hear the cycle bell as well.

Ladki Cycle Wali De Gayi – Pati Patni Aur Woh (1980) Asha Bhosle & Mahendra Kapoor / Ravindra Jain – Anand Bakshi
Sanjeev Kumar and Vidya Sinha both look quite old. But the song is quite enjoyable. Sanjeev Kumar refers to their first meeting when they bump into each other while riding bicycles. They pull each other’s legs and the cute chhed chhad is quite fun.

Please add a befitting song.

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.