Bollywood Retrospect: Top 10 songs from Roshan’s best film albums

It’s difficult limiting ourselves to a fixed list of songs when we talk about the greats of Hindi film music. To give myself a little more room, I’ll change tack this week and talk about my pick of Roshan’s 10 best film albums and one song from each. A piece of information that may help some relate better with the gentleman we’re talking about – Roshan (birth anniversary coming up on July 14) was the grandfather of Hrithik Roshan and father of actor, film-makers Rakesh Roshan and music director Rajesh Roshan.

Bawre Nain (1950)

Roshan’s career may have died before taking off if hadn’t been for film maker Kidar Sharma’s faith in him. Despite a lacklustre debut for Neki Aur Badi (1949), Kidar Sharma repeated Roshan for Bawre Nain. Roshan did not fail him this time and came up with a competent score. My pick from the film is the playful Geeta Dutt, Mukesh duet – 'Khayalon Mein Kisi Ke Is Tarah Aaya Nahin Karte'.

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Chandni Chowk (1954)

While Bawre Nain kept Roshan in business, it didn’t return the kind of opportunities that could translate to commercial success. Although he had a few decent albums like Malhar (1951), Naubahar (1952) and few odd songs that shone – like 'Main Dil Hoon Ek Armaan Bhara' (Anhonee, 1952) and 'Saari Saari Raat Teri Yaad Sataye' (Aji Bas Shukriya, 1958) – the 1950s was largely a lost decade for Roshan. BR Chopra’s Chandni Chowk had some good music but didn’t take off with the public. My pick from the film is a song Roshan adapted from an SD Burman composition, 'Thandi Hawayein' (Naujawan, 1951).
 
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Barsaat Ki Raat (1960)

Barsaat Ki Raat kicked off the most successful run in Roshan’s career. His name became synonymous with the genre of filmi qawwali. This is ironical given the background of how this film and its most iconic qawwali came to be. Producer R. Chandra had initially offered this film to Khayyam with the condition that he use the tune of a popular Pakistani qawwali for the film. When Khayyam refused to meet this condition, Roshan was brought on board. Roshan made the most of the opportunity and turned 'Na To Butkade Ki Talab Mujhe' by Ustad Fateh Ali Khan (Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s father) and Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan into 'Na Toh Karvan Ki Talash Hai'. The rest as they say is history. My pick – Rafi’s 'Zindagi Bhar Nahin Bhoolegi'.

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Aarti (1962)

Roshan was one of the few music directors who could challenge Madan Mohan’s “King Of Ghazals” title. Aarti itself has two examples of how well Roshan could do ghazals. My pick is the elegant 'Ab Kya Misaal Doon' with the gentle caress that is Rafi’s voice.

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Dil Hi To Hai (1963)

Dil Hi To Hai has massively popular songs like 'Laaga Chunri Mein Daad' and 'Tum Agar Mujhko Na Chaaho To' but my pick is a qawwali that is as good as any Roshan qawwali, or any film qawwali for that matter. 'Nigahen Milane Ko Jee Chahta Hai' is a song that marries melody and cadence superbly. For me, this song is near perfect because of Asha's flawless singing. Her singing sans instruments in the beginning and the sargam towards the end could move mountains.

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Taj Mahal (1963)

Roshan and Sahir Ludhianvi were something of a team by the early 1960s. They did eight films together and the quality their music was a testament to how well their partnership worked. Five of my ten Roshan picks have Sahir as the lyricist. Filmfare acknowledged their partnership by awarding both of them for “Taj Mahal”. This was Roshan’s only Filmfare award and one of Sahir Ludhianvi’s two. My pick – the timeless love duet by Rafi and Lata – 'Jo Wada Kya Woh Nibhana Padega'.

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Chitralekha (1964)

Roshan got together with Kidar Sharma, the director who gave him his break in films, one last time for Chitralekha. The film was a remake of the 1941 film by the same name, also directed by Kidar Sharma. One of the notable features of the film’s music was Sahir straying from his forte of Urdu poetry and excelling in Hindi lyrics. My pick from Chitralekha is the soulful, almost meditative, Rafi song 'Man Re Tu Kaahe Na Dheer Dhare' based on Raag Yaman with Sahir’s lyrics for the mukhda adapted from a Tulsidas doha.

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Mamta (1966)

Every  song in Mamta is golden. One song, in particular, is a great example of Roshan’s range and depth of talent. The song 'Vikal Mora Manwa', sung by Lata Mangeshkar, is about four minutes long but packages three completely different tunes of varying style. Each tune had the merit to be made into a full-fledged song and I marvel Roshan’s seeming nonchalance to use them in just one song. My pick from Mamta, however, is Lata’s solo version of 'Rahen Na Rahen Hum' (there is a Mohd. Rafi, Suman Kalyanpur duet as well). The song was a an adaptation of SD Burman’s 'Thandi Hawayen' (Naujawan, 1951), a tune Roshan had used earlier for Chandni Chowk. Roshan took Dada Burman’s tacit approval for this song. At the end of this post is a clip of RD Burman explaining the adaptation.

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Bahu Begum (1967)

Bahu Begum was the only film Jan Nisar Akhtar ever produced. Unfortunately, and despite some good acting by Ashok Kumar and Meena Kumari, the only redeeming feature of the film was Roshan’s music and Sahir’s lyrics. I particularly love the deeply introspective 'Duniya Kare Sawaal To Hum Kya Jawab Den'. Sahir translates some heavy emotions into simple words. The masterstroke for me though, is the uncharacteristic saxophone (played by Manohari Singh) Roshan uses to embellish and otherwise traditional arrangement of tabla, strings, sarangi and mandolin.

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Anokhi Raat (1968)

Anokhi Raat was still in production when Roshan passed away. Salil Chowdhury stepped in to compose the films background score and Roshan’s wife Ira Nagrath (credited as Associate Music Director, Ira Roshan in the film) wrapped up the songs. Details are not known but it is said that Roshan had recorded all songs except one when he passed away. It was left to Ira Nagrat to arrange and record Lata Mangeshkar’s 'Mehlon Ka Raja Mila'. My pick is 'Oh Re Taal Mile Nadi Ke Jal Mein', a folksy tune wrapped around Indeevar’s philosophical lyrics.

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