Bollywood Retrospect: The best of lyricist Rajendra Krishan

Like Hasrat Jaipuri, Rajendra Krishan was another lyricist who was prolific, with more than 250 films and 1500 songs, and wrote many songs we remember fondly, but who isn’t celebrated as much as his peers. Unlike most of his peers, Rajendra Krishan was also a screenwriter and had over 50 films with writing credits. Here are my picks of his songs to remember him by on his death anniversary on September 23.

Jaag Dard-E-Ishq Jaag (Anarkali, 1953)

Anarkali was a cracker of an album by C Ramchandra with four lyricists, all legends in their own right. Other than Rajendra Krishan, the film had songs written by Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri and Jan Nisar Akhtar. Rajendra Krishan’s songs did admirably  even though there were some brilliant songs in the film jostling for attention. The film’s biggest hit and most remembered song, Yeh Zindagi Usi Ki Hai, happens to be penned by him. Of course, the song has a lot going for it other than Rajendra Krishan’s lyrics. C Ramchandra’s brilliant composition was supported by some excellent sitar play by the maestro Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan. Lata’s singing is so flawless that on hearing this song, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan is reported to have said “Kambakht, kabhi besuri nahin hoti hai.”

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Kitna Hasin Hai Mausam (Azad, 1955)

Azad, a remake of the hit MGR film Malaikallan (1954), had some light, sunny music in keeping with Dilip Kumar’s role in the film, which saw him performing comedy, in a departure from his 'Tragedy King' image. Rajendra Krishan wrote the dialogues for the film and also penned lyrics to match the music’s vibe. 'Kitna Hasin Hai Mausam' is a sweet duet with an excellent mandolin base sung by C Ramchandra and Lata Mangeshkar. C Ramchandra sang this song in Talat Mahmood’s style because Dilip Kumar wanted Talat for the song but he wasn’t available.

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Ae Dil Mujhe Bata De (Bhai Bhai, 1956)

Sung by Geeta Dutt, 'Ae Dil Mujhe Bata De' was Madan Mohan’s first hit song. The foot-tapping music and Shyama’s charm light up the screen and make this song a winner.

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Kaun Aaya Mere Man Ke Dware (Dekh Kabira Roya, 1957)

There are many Madan Mohan songs in this list because Madan Mohan and Rajendra Krishan were something of a team. Rajendra Krishan was the lyricist in almost every other film Madan Mohan composed music for. Their special bond shows in songs like 'Kaun Aaya Mere Man Ke Dware', a tune set in Raag Rageshri. This is what Madan Mohan’s son, Sameer Kohli, says about their relationship:

My father shared a special bond with lyricist Rajinder Krishan and they got along like a house on fire. For Madanji, Rajinder Krishan wrote 284 songs for 41 films. He stayed very close to our place. No wonder, day in and day out the two would meet and spend long hours in each other's company. Rajinder Krishan was so versatile that he could write a song on any given situation. Whenever my father received any of his songs, he would read it and prepare a wonderful melody within minutes.

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Chain Nahin Aaye Kahan Dil Jaaye (Samundar, 1957)

Samundar was an unremarkable film but had some excellent music by Madan Mohan. As is often the case with films that don’t succeed, its music also did not gain much attention and remains underrated in my opinion. My favorites from the film are two, poignant Lata solos, 'Chain Nahin Aaye' and 'Aaja Kahin Se Aaja'. I particularly like the way the faster tempo in 'Chain Nahin Aaye' imparts an edge, almost a sense of desperation, to the song’s mood.

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Unko Yeh Shikayat Hai (Adalat, 1958)

Adalat was easily the best joint offering of Madan Mohan and Rajendra Krishan. I had included 'Yun Hasraton Ke Dagh' in the post on Madan Mohan. This time I pick another lovely ghazal sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

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Itna Na Mujhse Tu Pyar Badha (Chhaya, 1961)

Western classical music was a great source of inspiration for Salil Chowdhury and he borrowed from them as well. 'Itna Na Mujhse..', an adaptation of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, is a widely discussed example. What tends to get overlooked is the brilliance of Rajendra Krishan’s lyrics. His words beautifully capture the playfulness of new love and perhaps the commitment issues of Sunil Dutt’s character! The simple lyrics and the ease with which the meter melds with the melody makes it impossible to not sing along when the song is playing. 

Itna na mujhse to pyar badha
Ki Main Ek Baadal Aawara
Kaise Kisi Ka Sahara Banoon
Ki Main Khud Beghar Bechara

There’s a sad, solo version of this song too, but here I pick the happy duet by Lata Mangeshkar and Talat Mahmood.

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Tumhi Meri Mandir (Khandan, 1965)

The lyrics of 'Tumhi Meri Mandir' represent an era that had very quaint, even misguided ideas about the husband-wife relationship. We may bristle today at the subservience of women represented in this song but it’s unfair to the judge the art of 1960s by today’s standards. Rajendra Krishan’s words gave voice to the idea of the ideal, virtuous woman of the time. The song made its mark on the filmgoers and music listeners of the time and won him the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist. With Ravi picking up the Best Music Director award and Lata Mangeshkar, the Best Female Playback Singer award, Khandan was the rare film that won all three awards music awards.

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Ek Chatur Naar Karke Singaar (Padosan, 1968)

Padosan was another film for which Rajendra Krishan not only wrote the lyrics, but also the script and dialogues. Padosan in general and 'Ek Chatur Naar..' in particular, owned their origin to other works but still managed to be completely original. Padosan was based on the Bengali film Pasher Bari (1952) and 'Ek Chatur Naar…' was a clever parody of three different Hindi film songs, some original music and a fair bit of improvisation. As if Rajendra Krishan’s lyrics were not already wacky enough, Kishore Kumar went further by adding last minute improvisations like the line 'O tedhe, o kede, seedhe jo ja re'. Every song in Padosan is a treat, but it was perhaps this song that did the most to help it become a cult classic.

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Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas (Blackmail, 1973)

By the 1970s, Rajendra Krishan appeared to be a spent force. While he continued to be quite prolific in the 1970s and 1980s, his songs weren’t as memorable as they used to be. Before 'Ladki Hai Ya Shola' (Silsila, 1981) which most assume to be Javed Akhtar’s work, his most popular song was 'Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas', a lovely Kalyanji – Anandji melody, rendered soulfully by Kishore Kumar. The irresistible sing-along lure of the song is another testament to Rajendra Krishan’s ability as a lyricist.

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It’s worthwhile exploring Rajendra Krishan’s work further. We may love many of his song but more often than not, we don’t associate them with him.