Madan Mohan centenary: Lag Jaa Gale & 19 more evergreen songs of the legendary Hindi film composer

(Left) Madan Mohan with Lata Mangeshkar; and with Mohammad Rafi and Sahir Ludhianvi. (Photo: madanmohan.in via X)

The late Madan Mohan, Bollywood’s Iraq-born composer is a gift that keeps on giving. “Honey-dipped melody” is how film-music historian Pavan Jha describes Madan Mohan’s haunting, beautiful, timeless melodies: there is no other way to describe his oeuvre, whose birth centenary was observed this week on June 25. Here are 20 evergreen songs, in no particular order, by the King of Melody. As the era of the 1960s dissolved into the 1970s, the “golden melody” also started fading away. The social and political culture began to change. For the King of Melody and ghazal maestro, who had a chequered career, between 1950 and 1975, one aspect remained constant, for the most part: Lata Mangeshkar.

ALSO READ: Madan Mohan centenary: Remembering the composer, his jugalbandi with Lata Mangeshkar and his 11 ‘eye’ songs

Here is a list of 20 evergreen Madan Mohan songs:

Ae dil mujhe bata de, tu kis pe aa gaya hai (Bhai-Bhai, 1956), Geeta Dutt and Madan Mohan

The dulcet, lilting and upbeat song, a masti bhara tarana indeed, from the film Bhai-Bhai (1956), starring Ashok Kumar and Nimmi, and was sung by Geeta Dutt and Madan Mohan.

Kaun aaya mere dil ke dwaare (Dekh Kabira Roya, 1957), Manna De

“Madan Mohan tested Manna Dey early, in Raag Rageshri, with that real beauty, Kaun aaya mere mann ke dwaare, going on Anoop Kumar (playing a singer in Dekh Kabira Roya, 1957),” writes the late music journalist Raju Bharatan in A Journey Down Melody Lane (2010).

Woh bhooli dastan lo phir yaad aa gayi (Sanjog, 1961), Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar’s haunting notes continue with Rajinder Krishan’s lyrics in the Pradeep Kumar-Anita Guha-starrer Sanjog (1961), directed by Pramod Chakravorty.

Aapki nazron ne samjha, pyaar ke kaabil mujhe (Anpadh, 1962), Lata Mangeshkar

This unfading, dulcet, melancholic song of yearning was written by poet-lyricist Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, for Mohan Kumar-directed musical drama Anpadh (1962), and picturised on Mala Sinha and Dharmendra.

Kar chalein hum fida and Hoke majboor mujhe usne bhulaya hoga (Haqeeqat, 1964), Mohammad Rafi / Bhupinder, Mohammad Rafi, Talat Mahmood, Manna De 

The film saw the teaming up of Madan Mohan with poet-lyricist Kaifi Azmi. The nationalistic song Kar chalein hum fida jaan-o-tan saathiyo, ab tumhare hawale watan saathiyo, like the film it was placed in, Haqeeqat (1964), are both landmark, that paved the path for war dramas, and war songs in films, to emerge in India but none quite close to this one’s cinematic calibre and melodic and emotive timbre. With Hoke majboor (co-sung with Mohammad Rafi, Talat Mahmood, Manna De), Bhupinder makes his singing and acting debut.

Zara Si Aahat Hoti Hai (Haqeeqat, 1964), Lata Mangeshkar

The Madan Mohan and Kaifi Azmi team’s hauntingly and romantic beautiful piece of longing, Zara si aahat hoti hai toh dil sochta hai, kahin yeh who toh nahin is sung by Lata Mangeshkar, and picturised on Priya Rajvansh and Dharmendra in the war film Haqeeqat (1964). The duo will create another hauntingly romantic track for Priya Rajvansh again a decade later, in Hanste Zakhm.

Lag jaa gale / Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim (Woh Kaun Thi?, 1964), Lata Mangeshkar

The immortal love song Lag jaa gale, from Woh Kaun Thi? (1964), written by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and sung hauntingly by Lata Mangeshkar classic Lag jaa gale, composed on Raag Pahadi, has been reused in later films, most notably as Ponmeni thazhuvaamal in the Jayalalithaa-starrer Tamil film Yaar Nee? (1966) and in the Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster franchise. Avijit Ghosh notes an irony in his article in The Times of India: Lag jaa gale didn’t figure among the top 32 songs of 1964 in the annual Binaca Geetmala, while Jo humne dastan apni sunayi and Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim (in Raga Charukesi) did.

Phir Wohi Sham Wohi Gham (Jahan Ara, 1964), Talat Mehmood

With Jahan Ara (1964), Madan Mohan tried to resurrect Talat Mahmood’s flailing career, even as the producers weren’t too happy. Talat Mahmood was relegated to the wings as Mohammad Rafi hogged the limelight. It was Madan Mohan who stood by his friend from his Lucknow AIR (All India Radio) days and sealed Talat Mehmood’s reputation as king of ghazals.

Tu jahan jahan chalega / Naino mein badra chhaye (Mera Saaya, 1966), Lata Mangeshkar

A ghost stalking a lover was never this endearing until Madan Mohan set Raja Mehdi Ali Khan’s words of the title song Tu jahan jahan chalega, mera saaya saath hoga to Raag Nand (aka raga Anandi Kalyan) and Lata Mangeshkar’s voice for Sadhana in this Sunil Dutt-starrer etched the song in the listeners’ muscle memory. Naino mein badra chhaye was composed on raga Bhimpalasi.

Jhumka gira re (Mera Saaya, 1966), Asha Bhosle

This was a popular folk song in UP and Bihar, sung during weddings. This song, before Asha Bhosle rendered her voice for Sadhana in this film, has been sung by Miss Dulari (in 1932) and Shamshad Begum (in 1947) in past iterations. Sadhana plays twin roles in the film. While Lata Mangeshkar sang all the songs composed for the innocent sister, Asha Bhosle sang two songs for the wicked sister.

Ek haseen sham ko dil mera kho gaya (Dulhan Ek Raat Ki, 1967), Mohammad Rafi

Mohammad Rafi croons Raja Mehdi Ali Khan’s lyrics for a gorgeous Greek-god-like black-and-white-era Dharmendra as he woos Nutan in DD Kashyap’s Dulhan Ek Raat Ki, 1967. It is said that he composed the tune for the song on one full-moon night at a railway platform.

Teri aankhon ke siva duniya mein rakha kya hai (Chirag, 1969), Mohammad Rafi

Composed on Raag Jhinjhoti and written by Majrooh Sultanpuri, the song is picturised on Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh in Chirag, 1969. Chirag was the third film in which Madan Mohan worked with director Raj Khosla, after the success of Woh Kaun Thi? and Mera Saaya.

Baiyyan na dharo/ Maayee ree main kaase kahoon (Dastak, 1970)

With sitar and table in tow, the first song in the film is Baiyyan Na Dharo, a thumri composed in Raag Charukesi, picturised on Rehana Sultan and Sanjeev Kumar. Mayee ree, main kaase kahoon (Mother, to whom shall I convey my sadness?) is a virah geet of a woman who yearns for love, writes Nirupama Kotru in a Scroll article: “The year of Dastak’s release was filled with blockbusters such as Johny Mera Naam, Sachha Jhootha, Aan Milo Sajna, Purab Aur Paschim, Jeevan Mrityu and Sharafat – all male-centric films. Dastak, written and directed by progressive Urdu writer Rajinder Singh Bedi (a contemporary of Saadat Hasan Manto, Ismat Chughtai and Ali Sardar Jafri), explored urban alienation primarily from a woman’s viewpoint. Dastak marked Bedi’s directorial debut (he directed three more films) and is based on Bedi’s radio play Naql-e-Makaani (Migration), first performed on All India Radio in 1944.”

Rasm-e-ulfat ko nibhaye (Dil ki Rahen, 1973)

Set to Raga Madhuvanti, Lata Mangeshkar transports Naqsh Lyallpuri’s lyrics, written in four hours, to an ethereal level, picturised on Rehana Sultana in BR Ishara’s film. Story goes that Madan Mohan, who was a great cook, was so happy with the ghazal that he invited Lyallpuri to dinner and hummed the ghazal while cooking his signature mutton dish.

Tum jo mil gaye ho (Hanste Zakhm, 1973), Mohammad Rafi

Madan Mohan engendered Kaifi Azmi’s words into an exacting, timeless piece of music, Tum jo mil gaye ho for Hanste Zakhm (1973), picturised on Navin Nischol and Priya Rajvansh. Raju Bharatan notes that “even after the Kishore Kumar invasion, Madan Mohan recorded (Mohammad) Rafi” for this track, which is an instance of what Avijit Ghosh, in his Times of India article, calls “mega song”, that is an ambitious track which, “like Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, changes tempo [and chords] evoking a multitude of yearnings.”

Dil dhundta hai, phir wohi phursat ke raat din/Ruke ruke se qadam (Mausam, 1975), Bhupinder/Lata Mangeshkar

Every so often when we pause from our lives of hustling, this is one of those songs that comes easily to many. But because the words are Gulzar’s, the uninitiated often confuses this song for an RD Burman song. It is actually Madan Mohan’s composition. The film features both happy (in a duet with Lata Mangeshkar) and sad (solo male) versions, sung by the deep-throated Bhupinder, who first sang for Madan Mohan, alongside Mohammad Rafi, Manna De and Talat Mahmood, in Hoke majboor mujhe usne bhulaya hoga (Haqeeqat, 1964), in which Bhupinder acts, too. Ruke ruke se kadam, sung by Lata Mangeshkar and picturised on Sharmila Tagore, is composed in Ahiri Todi raga. Gulzar, who was also the director of the film, dedicated the film to Madan Mohan when it released in 1975. Madan Mohan had died earlier that year, at the young age of 51, succumbing to liver cirrhosis, owing to alcoholism.

Tere liye (Veer-Zaara, 2004) Lata Mangeshkar & Roopkumar Rathod

For his Shah Rukh Khan-Preity Zinta-starrer India-Pakistan love story, Veer-Zaara (2004), late filmmaker Yash Chopra in collaboration with Madan Mohan’s son Sanjeev Kohli, used the late Madan Mohan’s unused scores and tunes posthumously that were over 28 years old at the time, and the music was recorded in a style that the film industry had almost forgotten — a large orchestra recording in a studio, with live sitars, flutes, sarangis and Indian rhythms — 90 per cent of the music was acoustic, wrote Malini Nair in Mint Lounge in 2007. A closure was given to the phenomena called Madan Mohan when Lata Mangeshkar was brought on board to sing the tunes of her late raakhi brother, but by now an ageing Mangeshkar's voice had thinned and lost its earlier charm, and while the music has more of a Yash Chopra imprint, Madan Mohan does make his presence felt.