Dibar Dilse Pyaare

Film: Caravan (1971) Producer: Tahir Husain Director: Nasir Husain Lyricist: Majrooh Sultanpuri Singer: Lata Mangeshkar   There are a few songs of RD which will always remain in my playlist come what may. Musafir Hun Yaaron, Tere Bina Zindagi Se, Tum Aa gaye Ho, Aanewala Pal, Tere Bina Jiya Jaye Na forming the first few of about […]

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Raina Beeti Jaaye

  Film: Amar Prem (1970) Producer and Director: Shakti Samanta Lyricist: Anand Bakshi Singer: Lata Mangeshkar   If I’m threatened at gunpoint with a condition of listening to only one RDB song for the rest of my life, I will pull the trigger myself (claps…). On a more rational thought, I will say, give me […]

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Aisa Sama Na Hota

Film: Zameen Asmaan (1984) Producer: Film Group Director: Bharat Rangachary Lyricist: Anjaan Singer: Lata Mangeshkar   Unlike most of the Pancham fans who were in their teens in the 1970s and 1980s and discovered Pancham during that period, I was introduced to Pancham in the early 2000s when I was a teen. You know that […]

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Ek Baat Suni Hain Chachajee

  Film: Naram Garam (1981) Producer: Subhash Gupta, Uday Narayan Singh Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee Lyricist: Gulzar Singer: Shushama Shreshtha, Shatrughna Sinha   (Disclaimer: This piece is only a figment of my imagination. Please do not read anything more into this than a loving, fun-filled appreciation of Pancham.) Location Pancham’s music room. It’s past lunch time […]

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Subah: Ae Zamane Tere

Television Serial: Subah (1987) Lyrics: Mandeep Sodhi/Rahul Dev Burman Singer: Rahul Dev Burman   It would be an understatement to refer to Rahul Dev Burman as the youth icon of Indian cinema music. As a matter of fact, one of the key aspects that continues to feed into the popularity of Pancham’s music is its easy […]

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Roz roz ankhon taley

Film:  Jeeva (1986) Producer: ? Director: Raj N. Sippy Lyricist: Gulzar Singers: Asha Bhosle and Amit Kumar   The luxury of having a poet as a lyricist is only afforded by a composer who has the musical riches to match the poet’s versatility. A poet, like a free bird, soars and dives as per his will; […]

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I am falling in love with a Stranger

Film: Deewar (1975) Lyricist: R. D. Burman Producer: Gulshan Rai Director: Yash Chopra Singer: Urusula Vaz “Kisko marnaa hai jo is waqt mere saath hoga!”   Quite a few times I fail to understand what it is exactly that makes a good-looking bad guy, polished but rough, concerned yet indifferent, so irresistible! Is it his always-on-the-edge living? Or his lavish […]

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Hoton pe beeti baat aayi hai

Film: Angoor (1981) Lyricist: Gulzar Producer: Jai Singh Director: Gulzar Singer: Asha Bhosle   Filmdom is replete with adaptations of the great Shakespeare’s enduring classics. From Hollywood remakes to Hindi cinema, the prolific stalwart’s amazing work has supplied the yarn for literally thousands of rewrites. More recently, we have enjoyed a Maqbool or an Omkara trying […]

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Main Ek Chor Tu Meri Raani

Film: Raja Rani (1973) Lyricist: Anand Bakshi Producer: Jagdish Kumar Director: Sachin Bhowmik Singers: Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar   Just recalled an interesting line “Ek tawaif ek dakoo (ka) yaarana puraana” from the song “Chhup jaa chaand” (from the 1984 film Maati Maangey Khoon). I would like to add the film maker in that […]

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Jiya na lage mora

Film:  Buddha Mil Gaya (1971) Producer: L. B. Thakur Director:  Hrishikesh Mukherjee Lyricist:  Majrooh Sultanpuri Singer:  Lata Mangeshkar   Buddha Mil Gaya, released in 1971 marked the beginning of a director-composer association that was to create several masterpieces in the years to come. Pancham went on to compose music for 11 Hrishikesh Mukherjee films, highest […]

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