The Three Reigning Queens, Albums of Madhubala, Meena Kumari & Nargis Options

[yogihit]

(Meena) Veer Ghatotkach (1949)

Meena Kumari, in her early career, played in many mythological films. This was one of them. It has some beautiful songs by Tripathi ji. These are all by the courtesy of the Forum members.

thanks SP for Taqdeer (1943)

Please upload (Meena) Veer Ghatotkach (1949)

[swarapriya]

(Meena) Veer Ghatotkach (1949)

I am uploading these songs on request...

[yogihit]

thanks a lot SP...nice album
next

(Madhubala) Mumtaz Mahal (1944)

[ShankarJaikishanFan]

(Madhubala) Dulari (1949)

Here is a beautiful album from the great Naushad ji. His greatest achievement "Baiju Bawra" is another three years away but you can see the sweetness of his compositions with the simple instruments he uses in almost every song.

Then there is Rafi Saab's solo for ages, "Suhaani Raat Dhal Chuki". An absolute beauty. It reverberates in your heart for ever. The sweetness in the voice, the melancholy in the melody, the tenderness with it was delivered, the passion with which it was parlayed, it lingers in your heart for days and days ...

I am also including this song with a heartwarming tribute to Rafi Saab from Naushad ji that appeared in the "Legends: Mohd. Rafi - The Virtuoso (CD1)" album. It is close to 70 seconds long and it deeply touches your heart. I am also including Lata's rendering of the "Suhaani Raat" song from her "Shraddhanjali-3" album with few poignant remarks about Rafi Saab. Remember, there is no Lata's version in the actual movie. Finally, I am including the version sang by Sonu Nigam of the same song from his tribute to Rafi Saab album.

Because of the number of songs in this album, I will upload these in back-to-back posts. Here is the first set of songs ...

(Nargis) Mela (1948)

Here is another great album from the musical genius of Naushadji. Every song is an absolute delight. I will upload them in back-to-back two posts. Here is the first set of songs ...

(Nargis) Barsaat (1949)

Following write up was included when I uploaded these songs earlier in my “Raj Kapoor” thread. I went back to visit this and found it is still very appropriate. I am including most of that write up here …

Raj Kapoor was just 25 year old when he made “Barsaat (1949)”. His first directorial venture, “Aag (1948)”, even though was not a financial success, established him as someone to whom people will be looking forward to in future movies for the style and showmanship that movie showed glimpses of. Raj didn’t disappoint his fans and critics.

“Barsaat” in more ways than one was trailblazing. It introduced a new actress to the Hindi screen, Nimmi. It was shot mostly outdoors in Kashmir and its surrounding places. It introduced a pair of music directors, Shankar & Jaikishan. It introduced a pair of lyricists, Shailendra & Hasrat Jaipuri. It catapulted Lata Mangeshkar, who sang 10 out of 11 songs (both solos and duets) in the movie that enabled her to compete for the number one female playback singer position with Geeta Roy who was the reigining singing nightingale at that time. It consolidated Nargis & Raj Kapoor as the hottest romantic pair of the Indian screen.

The music director Shankar had passion for tabla. Though he learnt fundamentals from known ustads of that time, it was through tireless practice and undeterred determination he was able to master fundamentals of good music. Jaikishan on the other hand loved playing harmonium. Shankar and Jaikishan met at a musical gathering and formed a strong bond of friendship even though Shankar was 10 years senior to Jaikishan. At that time Shankar was working for Prithvi Theater doing odd jobs including acting. He introduced Jaikishan to Prithviraj and was hired to work together with Shankar. They later worked as assistants to the music director duo Husnlal & Bhagatram. When Raj Kapoor was contemplating to make “Aag”, Prithviraj recommended to Raj to hire Shankar & Jaikishan for his picture. But Raj already signed Ram Ganguly to provide the music. Shankar & Jaikishan along with Dattaram assisted Ganguly in music for “Aag”. When the time came to film “Barsaat”, Raj decided to offer the music direction duties to Shankar & Jaikishan. That is how the famous music team of Shankar & Jaikishan was born.

Hasrat Jaipuri was working as a bus conductor in Bombay while writing poetry in his spare time, as poetry was his passion. Prithviraj heard Hasrat recite some of his poems in a mushaira. Impressed, he introduced him to Raj who was launching “Barsaat”. His first recording was the song “Jiya Beqaraar Hai” the music for which was composed by Shankar. Jaikishan composed his second song, a duet, “Chhod Gaye Baalam”. Shailendra was a railway clerk in Bombay. Raj Kapoor first saw him in a public meeting where Shailendra was reciting his poems. Raj offered work for him on “Aag”. But Shailendra refused thinking he will not have creative freedom. But in a year things changed. Shailendra needed money and decided to approach Raj. Raj hired him to write songs for “Barsaat” along with Hasrat Jaipuri. He wrote two songs for the film; “Patli Kamar Hai” and the title song “Barsaat Mein”. This was the birth of the famous lyricist team of Shailendra & Hasrat Jaipuri.

The team of Shankar, Jaikishan, Hasrat Jaipuri, and Shailendra that came together to contribute their respective skills for “Barsaat” went on to make magnificent musical history by churning out one hit after another. The youthful exuberance and the effervescent blend of melody they brought to “Barsaat” continued to pervade their creations for nearly 30 years. A magnificent achievement by any standards!

There are 11 songs in this movie. Each one of them was a super hit. Except for a solo by Rafi Saab, all other songs were done by Lata ji that includes two duets with Mukesh. I am also uploading extended versions of three songs. These are by the courtesy of the Forum membership. Lata had couple of CDs that were recorded during some of her live performances. I am including “Barsaat Mein” from this album. This isn’t much different from the original song except you can hear the crowd applauding in the beginning and in the end. I am also including another version of “Jiya Beqaraar Hai” with Manoj Kumar’s introduction in praise of Raj. This is from the “Legends: Raj Kapoor - The Showman (CD1)” album.

Now for details of songs from “Barsaat” and the songs themselves …

(Meena) Baiju Bawra (1952)

Baiju Bawra's music was a milestone in the film industry. It may be the most magnificent music ever composed for a film. In every song there is genius of Naushadji. In every word there is richness of lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni Saab. And there is Rafi Saab's most magnificent voice elevated to a stage that nobody ever heard before or since then. The music that takes you on a journey to worlds never seen before; sweet, melodious, and heart warming.

“Baiju Bawra” was produced and directed by Vijay Bhatt. The critic S.M.M. Ausaja describes Bhatt’s illustrious life and times as “a man’s kaleidoscopic journey towards achieving his creative nirvana”. That just about aptly describes in one simple statement this magnificent achievement that is “Baiju Bara”. Coming from humble beginnings, Vijay Bhatt he and his older brother Shankarbhai Bhatt, moved to Bombay seeking theater related work. Subsequently they ended up writing screenplays for movies. Soon after this they decided to establish their own studios. They called it “Prakash Studios” and started making movies under the banner “Prakash Pictures”.

The first movie they released in 1934 was called “Actress”. This was a huge success. Then they started making movies in both Hindi and Gujarati. Some of the movies they made were “Bombay Mail (1935)”, “Challenge (1936)”, “His Highness (1937)”, “State Express (1938)”, and “Bijli (1939)”. They launched a new hero, Zakaria Khan, who was working as a police officer at that time, renamed him Jayant (father of that great actor Amjad Khan of “Sholay (1975)” fame), in “Bombay Mail”. Jayant also starred in all subsequent movies of Prakash Pictures through 1939. Almost all these movies were financially successful.

Vijay Bhatt brought in Babubhai Mistry, a poster painter, to do trick shots for one of his movies called “Dreamland (1936)”. He made “Leatherface” in 1939 and introduced a child artiste named Mehajabeen. The child artiste grew up to be the great actress Meena Kumari.

When Bhatt visited Mahatma Gandhi at his ashram, Mahatma suggested that Bhatt make a movie on the Gujarati saint and poet Narsi Mehta. As a result he made “Narsi Bhagat” in 1940 both in Gujarati as well as Hindi. The movie became a huge hit. Buoyed by the success of “Narsi Bhagat” Bhatt turned attention to Hindu epics. He made several movies on Rama. These include “Bharat Milap (1942)”, “Ram Rajya (1943)” “Rambaan (1948)”, and “Bal Ramayan (1956)”. “Ram Rajya” is the only movie Mahatma Gandhi ever saw in his life!

He also made historical or semi-historical dramas such as “Vikramaditya (1945)”, “Baiju Bawra (1952)”, “Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1954)”, and “Angulimala (1960)”.

Bhatt also gave a major break to Naushadji. Naushadji’s debut film “Prem Nagar (1940)” was not a success. He was looking for a break when he met Vijay Bhatt. Bhatt signed him for his movie “Mala (1941)” as the music director. Subsequently he also scored music for three other Bhatt’s movies; “Dushman (1941)”, “Station Master (1942)”, and “Baiju Bawra (1952)”.

Bhatt originally planned to have Nargis and Dilip Kumar to play the lead roles in “Baiju Bawra”. But both actors were so busy that they couldn’t accommodate dates for Bhatt. Meena Kumari, whom Bhatt introduced as a child star in “Leatherface” was making mostly B-grade movies such as costume dramas or mythological movies until “Baiju”. He decided to rope in Meenaji to play the lead and signed Bharat Bhushan to play the male lead opposite her.

Bhatt was also instrumental in giving a boost to the careers of Rajendra Kumar (“Goonj Uthi Shehnnai”) and Manoj Kumar (“Hariyali Aur Rasta”).

Vijay Bhatt was active making movies for a long time. His last directorial venture was “Heera Aur Patthar” made in 1977. He was 86 when he passed away in 1993.

Naushad was already an established and a well known music director by the time he was signed to provide music for “Baiju Bawra”. He already gave music to some 30+ movies by that time. Most of these movies boasted several popular songs that are remembered even today. In his lifetime Naushadji gave music to 74 movies. By the time he was signed up to provide music for “Baiju” he already had 43% of his career work completed. “Baiju Bawra” turned out to be his monumental achievement. He garnered Filmfare’s Best Music Director award for his work. It turns out that this was the only movie for which he got this award. Naushadji was a recipient of Padma Bhushan and Dada Saheb Phalke Awards.

Shakeel Badayuni was a romantic lyricist at heart. When he was introduced to Naushadji in mid-1940’s he signed Shakeel Saab to write lyrics for his next movie, “Dard (1947)”. The songs of the movie became a huge success and Badayuni Saab arrived. In his lifetime, he wrote songs for about 60 plus movies, most of them for Naushadji. He received Filmfare award as the Best Lyricist three years in a row, in 1961 for “Chaudhvin Ka Chand”, in 1962 for “Gharana”, and in 1963 for “Bees Saal Baad”.

Ustad Amir Khan who sang several beautiful classical songs in the movie acted as an advisor for Naushadji. Ustad was born in a family of musicians but as he grew older developed his own singing style. He had many disciples during his lifetime and was a recipient of Padma Bhushan and the Sangeet Natak Academy Awards.

Pandit D.V. Paluskar (known to his close friends as Bapurao), who was part of the jugalbandi with Ustad Amir Khan in “Baiju Bawra”, was a Hindustani classical vocalist and a bhajan singer. Considered a child prodigy, Paluskar passed away at the very young age of 34.

Meena Kumari turned her career around with “Baiju”. She received the Best Actress award from Filmfare for her role in the movie. She repeated this very next year with her performance in Bimal Roy’s “Parineeta”. She won the award twice more, one for the role of Chhoti Bahu in Guru Dutt’s “Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam” and later on for “Kaajal”. After “Baiju” there was no turning back for Meenaji. One after another she portrayed some magnificent roles and established herself as the queen of tragedy. Marred with personal life tragedies, she passed away at the young age of 39.

Bharat Bhushan struggled early as an actor but as “Baiju” established himself as someone worth noticing. Even though he did manage to make an occasional good movie, such as “Basant Bahar” and “Mirza Ghalib”, Bhushan was never able to achieve the heights he scaled with “Baiju”.

It is the culmination of so many talented people that created this musical extravaganza called “Baiju Bawra” …

I will upload songs of "Baiju Bawra" in back-to-back four separate posts immediately following this post ...

Requesting re-upload of these albums..

[swarapriya]

(Madhubala) Mumtaz Mahal (1944)

I am uploading these songs on request. These songs were originally uploaded by our fellow member Mirsaji. Thank you very much Mirsaji. Appreciate it very much.

I tried to clean these songs and in the process have converted them to a lower bit rate than Mirsaji originally uploaded. Cleaning did help, but only a bit. The quality of these songs is still a big "iffy".

Here are the songs...

[ShankarJaikishanFan]

Swarapriya (or anyone else who has them), could you re-upload Dulari, Mela, Barsaat and Baiju Bawra? I missed those.

Also, I want to express my deep gratitude for all your service on this site.

[yogihit]

(Nargis) Chhoti Bhabhi (1950)

Songs from this album, originally uploaded by khn777, were recently re-uploaded by G.Nabee. The songs are still active and can be found in the following directory Hamara Forums > Legends > Music Directors > Husnlal-Bhagatram at the following address ...

http://www.hamaraforums.com/index.php?show...mp;#entry639639

Thanks a lot SP
Request to reupload "(Nargis) Chhoti Bhabhi (1950)" album

[swarapriya]

(Nargis) Chhoti Bhabhi (1950)

I am uploading these songs on request. Most of the songs are courtesy of our fellow member khn777. Many many thanks. It appears that there may be two songs missing. These are shown in red italics in the table below. I am requesting members to come forward and kindly share these songs with rest of us. Thank you.

Now for the songs...

[jpp123]

Thanks for the Gesture,

I have already downloaded, but your collection is not containing the song I wanted.

If you wish to down load to song "Ladka Aur Ladki Mile Pyar Ka Gana";

Please visit Song Page

[swarapriya]

Thanks for the Gesture,

I have already downloaded, but your collection is not containing the song I wanted.

If you wish to down load to song "Ladka Aur Ladki Mile Pyar Ka Gana";

Please visit Song Page

Thanks for the song JPP. Cheers. -S

[yogihit]

(Meena) Anmol Ratan (1950)

I have only four songs from this movie that I am uploading here. These came from various CD collections. Yet their quality is so so. Per EarthMusic I am missing some nine songs. These are shown in red italics in the table below. If anyone of you have these songs, please share. Thanks.

Here are the four songs I have ...

thanks SP for Chhoti Bhabhi , requesting for "Anmol Ratan"

This post has been edited by yogihit: Jan 6 2011, 09:47 AM

[swarapriya]

(Meena) Anmol Ratan (1950)

I am uploading these songs in two back-to-back posts on request. Several of these songs were contributed by our Forum members Faraaj and Aditya. Thank you.

Here are the first five songs...

This post has been edited by swarapriya: Jan 10 2011, 12:24 PM

[swarapriya]

Concluding Songs from "Anmol Ratan (1950)"...

Here are the rest of the songs from this album except for those shown in red italics in the table below. If indeed these songs are from this album and if you can, please kindly share them with rest of us. Thanks.

Now for the songs...

[Viraj Padhye]

(Nargis) Chhoti Bhabhi (1950)

I am uploading these songs on request. Most of the songs are courtesy of our fellow member khn777. Many many thanks. It appears that there may be two songs missing. These are shown in red italics in the table below. I am requesting members to come forward and kindly share these songs with rest of us. Thank you.

Now for the songs...

SP,

Here are the missing ones. Both 128kbps.

Viraj

[Viraj Padhye]

Concluding Songs from "Anmol Ratan (1950)"...

Here are the rest of the songs from this album except for those shown in red italics in the table below. If indeed these songs are from this album and if you can, please kindly share them with rest of us. Thanks.

Now for the songs...

Last two are not from this movie. Attaching the missing one. 128kbps.

Viraj