The journey has reached its final destination as this last installment gets published today, on Asha Bhosle’s 93rd birthday.
Before we go to the song list and other discussions, let me put a rough stats of their duets composer wise.
The top 3 composers
O P Nayyar – 91
Ravi – 80
Laxmikant Pyarelal – 45
(The number of duets may not be exactly accurate, but to give a rough idea)
This was closed followed by Madan Mohan (~40), Shankar Jaikishan (~38), and a tie between R D Burman and Chitragupt with around 30 songs each. The latter could perhaps be a surprise for many. Still more interesting information is that out of these 30 songs, only 7 belong to the 60s and beyond. The majority of the duets belong to the 50s, with a decline in the late 50s, perhaps corresponding to Chitragupt’s association with Lata Mangeshkar.
As we enter the post 60s era, the magic of their duets doesn’t completely fade out. Though the number of popular or memorable songs is less, nevertheless the pairing was still popular.
Now, let’s focus on today’s list.
Today’s post deals with the post 1970s era. It’s about the period after 1970 and beyond.
As I went through the songs, I could find just a handful of songs that I knew. So I had to actually listen to a number of songs, most of which I wasn’t familiar with.
In general the post Aaradhana era of Rafi’s career was a bit on the backseat. It was like a transition of male playback singing from Rafi to Kishore Kumar, though Rafi continued singing for the major composers like Laxmikant Pyarelal till his sudden death in 1980.
The prerecorded duets of Asha Bhosle and Rafi continued appearing in Hindi films throughout the 80s. Barring a few personal favourites, this period was less explored for me and hence it was challenging and exciting at the same time.
1. Dareeche Shaq – Ek Thi Reeta (1971) / Jaidev – Prem Jalandhari
The film uses the same premises as Ek Thi Ladki (1949) which was also produced and directed by Roop K Shorey. Though it wasn’t a commercial success, this duet is worth listening to, as it combines the emotions of doubt, suspicion and reassurance. The lyrics are very interesting and the orchestration is very pleasant. It was picturised on Vinod Mehra and Tanuja, though the video is not available online at present.
2. Goriya Kahan Tera Des Re – Carvan (1971) / R D Burman – Majrooh
A song with a catchy tune and excellent rendition by the singers. Mainly Asha Bhosle’s part has a lot of voice modulation and range. The song is picturised on a group of bullock carts, and lip-synched by Jeetendra and Aruna Irani. Carvan was a movie where both the Mangeshkar sisters each sang for more than one character. Asha Bhosle sang for Asha Parekh, Helen and Aruna Irani, while Lata Mangeshkar too sang for Asha Parekh and Aruna Irani.
3. Dil Use Do Jo Jaan De De – Andaz (1971) with Chorus / Shankar Jaikishan – Hasrat Jaipuri
The film is remembered more for the Kishore Kumar classic, Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana, than the other songs. I must add that I’m not particularly fond of this song, though it’s popular. Picturised at a party setting with Shammi Kapoor and Hema Malini lipsynching to the song. It was the time when Lata Mangeshkar wasn’t chosen by Shankar and Asha Bhosle, Sharda and Suman Kalyanpur were mainly offered songs.
4. Jis Din Se Maine Tujhko Dekha Haib- Parwana (1971) / Madan Mohan – Kaifi Azmi
What a beautiful melody! Definitely not a typical Madan Mohan composition. One of their best duets from the 70s, though perhaps didn’t get the popularity it deserved. The infectious guitar rhythm without a major percussion instrument makes it sound very contemporary. The tune for the line, ‘Gar Ijaazat Ho To Bata Doon’ is revealing. It tells us that it is afterall a Madan Mohan style.
5. O Rajeshwari O Parameshwari – Dil Ka Raja (1972) / R D Burman – Majrooh
I enjoyed the song so much for its catchy tune and light heartedness. Never expected Raj Kumar to behave the way he did in this song! That was a shock and a surprise! The second half of the song picturised on Bindu and Jagdeep was even more entertaining. And Asha Bhosle and Rafi have excelled in this romantic comedy song.
5. Saanson Mein Kabhi – Parchhaiyan (1972) / R D Burman – Majrooh
This film had both Rafi and Kishore Kumar singing for Vinod Khanna. This song was on one of my Rafi song lists and I couldn’t help adding it on today’s list as well. A beautiful melody, picturised on a sea shore. Beautifully composed and sung.
6. Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo – Yaadon Ki Baarat (1973) / R D Burman – Majrooh
Amidst the other western styled jazzy songs, this soft romantic melody still maintained its place. R D Burman used the sounds of glasses in the prelude, yet another innovative idea of his! One of the most popular and memorable duets by Rafi and Asha Bhosle. The song is picturised on Zeenat Aman and Vijay Arora at a party setting.
7. Raaz Ki Baat Keh Doon To – Dharma (1973) / Sonik Omi – Verma Malik
I used to listen to this qawwali right from my childhood on Doordarshan in shows like Chitrahar and Rangoli. So it was an obvious inclusion. The song has powerful lyrics and it seems the song runs during the climax or just before it. A lot of things happen during it. It’s picturised primarily on Pran and Bindu, with Ajit and Rekha in the audience. Quite an interesting picturisation. Click here for the video song.
Asha Bhosle and Rafi were ace filmy qawwali singers, and you can easily see why after watching this song!
8. Roothe Rab Ko Manana Aasaan Hai – Majboor (1974) / Laxmikant Pyarelal – Anand Bakshi
I have vague memories of watching this song on TV in childhood, though I won’t call it a favourite. The song had a typical touch of LP from the 70s. The song is picturised on Amitabh Bachchan and Parveen Babi, though the actors lipsynching to it are (most probably) Leena Das and Ravindra Kapoor. The song had the same situation as it was in Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar from CID (1956).
9. Yeh Ladka Hay Allah – Hum Kisise Kam Nahin (1977) / R D Burman – Majrooh
The song has been very popular and still maintains its popularity. Asha Bhosle opens the song and continues almost till ⅔ part, when Rafi enters and carries it till the end. The film sort of re-established Rafi, after the Kishore Kumar tsunami.
It’s picturised on Tariq and Kajal Kiran with utterly unbelievable events. But that’s how Hindi film songs behave!
10. Botal Se Ek Baat Chali Hai – Ghar (1978) / R D Burman – Gulzar
I don’t know if this song is popular or not. But I like it a lot. The song is somewhat overshadowed by other popular songs from the movie. A light hearted, playful song during the housewarming party of the couple. Rekha, Vinod Mehra, Prema Narayan etc enjoy the party. The carefree exuberance of the song is hard to miss.
11. Tere Haathon Mein Pehnake Chudiyan – Jani Dushman (1979) / Laxmikant Pyarelal – Verma Malik
Not a great song, but certainly enjoyable. Mainly the rhythm is very catchy and foot tapping. The song perhaps has a Punjabi folk base. The song is picturised on Jeetendra and Neetu Singh with other accompanying dancers.
12. O Sherowali – Suhaag (1979) / Laxmikant Pyarelal – Anand Bakshi
The song is based on a traditional garba tune and rhythm. The song prominently features even today in Garba celebrations and is very popular. The song is primarily picturised on Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan, who lip sync to the singer’s voices, with Shashi Kapoor as a police officer and Amjad Khan in disguise as a sage.
My list would have been incomplete without this one! The song still holds its popularity.
13. Kya Dekhte Ho – Qurbani (1980) / Kalyanji Anandji – Indeevar
One of their popular duets from the late 70s. The song is picturised on Feroz Khan and Zeenat Aman. The magic in his voice was still there.
14. Pal Do Pal Ka Saath Hamara – The Burning Train (1980) / R D Burman – Sahir
It’s picturised in a train on Jeetendra and Neetu Singh with a lot of other familiar faces including Rajendra Nath, Mukri, Shammi, Asha Sachdev, and a few others. Both the singers, being experts, have excelled. I consider this song as one of the most popular qawwalis of Hindi cinema.
Their duets continued to appear in Hindi films throughout the 80s posthumously. Though those songs were not musical hits, I intend to end today’s list with one of their duets released in the late 80s.
15. Baaton Mein Na Taalo Jee – Kaanch Ki Deewar (1986) / Shankar Jaikishan – Indeevar
Thanks to Rangoli and Chitrahar for introducing me to this song. I must have watched it on TV sometime in the late 80s. At that time I wasn’t aware of the details of the song, though I was attracted to the tune for sure. The song was picturised as a party song on Smita Patil, Sanjeev Kumar.
I enjoyed the entire journey. As I revisited their duets year wise and got to know their associations with the composers of that period. I hope I could show a slideshow of their duets’ journey to you.
Please add your favourites to the list within the timeline.
Disclaimer –
Mehfil Mein Meri, claims no credit for any image, screenshots or songs posted on this site. Images on this blog are posted to make the text interesting. The images and screenshots are the copyright of their original owners. The song links are shared from YouTube, only for the listening convenience of music lovers. The copyright of these songs rests with the respective owners, producers and music companies.