#346    
        
        Song:   Sub kuchh lutaa ke hosh mein
                Aaye to kya kiyaa
                Din mein agar chiraag
                Jalaaye to kya kiyaa

        Film:   Ek Saal (1957)
        Music:  Ravi
        Lyrics: Prem Dhawan
        Singer: Talat Mahmood
        *ing:   Ashok Kumar, Madhubala


Another lovely strain,  which  I  think  sounds  much  better  in
Talat's  voice than Lata's. Both renditions feature in the movie,
with Lata lapsing into some rather lofty notes  towards  the  end
("Ae  maut  jald aa zaraa aaram to miley").  Though both versions
are equally melodious,  Talat's  soft  crooning  brings  out  the
penitent lament in the song much more effectively, IMHO.

I heard an interesting aside on this movie. Just before Madhubala
signed  on  this  movie,  her  doctors had advised that given her
heart condition, she would probably not live for more than a year
more. Curiously, her character in the movie was also living under
a similar death sentence,  hence  the  name  of  the  movie.  The
slightly   morbid   coincidence  resulted  in  a  very  realistic
portrayal   of   a   terminally   ill   patient   by    Madhubala
(notwithstanding  the  fact  that  she  lived for almost 12 years
after this).  This does sound a tad contrived and could well have
been fabricated on some editorial desk, but the reality could not
have been too far from this.


PS As I mentioned earlier, I will be on vacation until  June  21,
but  I'll  try  to  continue  posting to ATMJH. The frequency may
dwindle some, though.



Guest Author: Hrishi Dixit