#400

        Song:   tuu nahiin aaye mora jiyaa ghabraaye
                kisko dil ki baat sunaauun
                dil ki baat sunaauun
                kisko ro ro haal bataauun

        Film:   Jalpari (1952)
        Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
        Music:  Pandit Govindram
        Lyrics: Ramesh Gupta
        *ing:   Ashok Kumar, Nalini Jaywant, Geeta Bali

        
Ashok Kumar-Nalini Jaywant have recently become my favorite  lead
pair  ;  they  are  quite a delight to watch, especially in their
early movies (from the 1949-52 period) - and a  large  number  of
these  were  released  in  this  time-frame  :  Samadhi, Sangram,
Kafila, Jalpari, etc. Didn't they  actually  have  an  off-screen
relationship  going  around  that  time  ?   (I  vaguely remember
reading something about it).

Almost all of their movies had wonderful soundtracks  too  (often
composed  by  C Ramchandra). "Jalpari" is more like a Gemini-like
fairy tale, and quite literally. The complete formula : a dashing
RobinHood-esque  erstwhile prince, a demure-at-times-intrepid-at-
others princess, an ailing king with an insidious  minister,  and
Geeta  Bali  as  a "jalpari" living at the bottom of the ocean to
complete the  triangle.  And  a  glorious  soundtrack  by  Pandit
Govindram  to  boot, probably best known for Lata's lovely "kaari
kaari andhiyaari raat mein kaare kaare baadarwa chhaaye". Today's
pick  is  my  personal favorite from the movie : a sweet, gentle,
kind-of cliched tune  made  golden  by  Lata's  early  voice.  In
addition  to a few other Lata solos and a spirited Rafi solo, the
movie has a couple of lovely Asha-Rafi duets : "banaanewaale  kya
tuune yehi duniya banaai hai" and "suno suno gagan ke taarey".

Again, I'm not sure of the lyricist here - the credits mention  4
:  Bharat Vyas, Noor Lucknowi, Qamar Jalalabadi and Ramesh Gupta.
Please correct.




Guest Author: Hrishi Dixit