Now for the finals, and the big dilemma! I absolutely love ae malik tere bande hum there’s poignancy, there’s grief, and there’s gratitude in this remarkable scene from Do Ankhen Bara Haath (1957). Why didn’t Hemant Kumar sing it himself? He’d have sung it infinitely better, and doesn’t Abhi Bhattacharya, who sings on screen, looks a bit of a Hemant clone himself?

The rapturous govinda aala re from Bluff Master (1963) with Shammi Kapoor showing his customary verve and energy and this patriotic song from Jagriti (1954), aao bachcho tumhen dikhaye with the stirring vande mataram echo one thing about this song puzzles me though. There are two more songs that I’d rather have – than not have – in my list. Finally we are not allowed to forget this eternal composition that convinces you that if Salil-da was in that mood he could do a little better than the very best mausam beeta jai from Do Bigha Zamin (1953), astounds, amazes and saddens me in equal measure. And then there’s the playful dekhne mein bhola hai from Bombai Ka Babu (1960) in which Suchitra Sen’s smile sets the screen aglow (we had to wait for Madhuri Dixit to see that glow again). There are so many other chorus songs that simply can’t be ignored: the amazing Ramayya vastavayya in which Raj Kapoor, not Ramayya, does eventually return to his love Nargis in Shree 420 (1955), and another absolutely awesome chorus, hum bhi hai, with Raj Kapoor, Padmini and others in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960). And to think Nimmi died just a few weeks ago! To complete the great triumvirate, here’s Raj Kapoor exchanging looks with Premnath as Nimmi’s mood changes from exuberance to desolation barsaat mein in Barsaat (1949). And why wait for Lata to say the utterly enticing hoi oi oi oi in the bichhua song from Madhumati (1958) that Manna couldn’t stop marvelling at even when he was 90? Vyjayantimala dances lustily while Dilip Kumar can’t take his eyes off her. Here’s the vivacious Geeta Bali dancing away to suno gajar kya gaaye as a debonair Dev Anand is bemused in Baazi (1951). I’ll start with a song that I particularly like.

I know I’m going to miss many great songs, but I’m hoping that some readers will add to this list. So why not choose chorus as today’s Mushaira theme?Įven a perfunctory Google search resulted in an avalanche of songs. There’s also anonymity in togetherness (I once participated in a group song in school, and, to my great relief, nobody noticed!).īest of all, there’s melody in togetherness.

Aye malik tere bande hum lyrics in urdu