Repeat of movie names is not a new phenomenon. And with the volume of our Hindi film industry’s output, it sometimes becomes a necessity as well.

In the age of FM, the announcers (or better known as RJ’s) hardly inform the film’s names of the song playing, let alone any other detail. But when I grew up listening to the ever dependable Vividh Bharti, the entire music credits were often mentioned including the always sidelined lyricists’ names. Then, it used to be disappointing to hear for example – the announcer speak out the name of Mahal, only to hear a song from the newer one (starring Dev Anand).

Blame it on my penchant for old songs, usually I prefer the older titled film’s numbers. Here is a list of films that have had similar names – again in no specific order:

Barsaat – There are three of them that I know of: 1949 film, which skyrocketed Lata Mangeshkar ‘s career to the zenith of success, established Raj Kapoor as a director par excellence and introduced Shankar Jaikishan one of the finest composers ever, in my opinion; 1990′s version which was the debut for Twinkle Khanna and Bobby Deol, and had music by the then kings Nadeem Shravan; the new millennium film which also starred Bobby Deol and had same music composers, albeit now beyond their prime time. Unarguably, the music standard declined progressively with each era’s film. The first Barsaat had such beauties like Chhod gaye baalam, Barsaat mein humse mile tum sajan, Patli kamar hai and Hawa mein udta jaaye. The second one was quite above average, and I quite like Teri adaayon pe marrta huun and Humko sirrf tum se pyaar hai. The last Barsaat hardly has anything worthwhile to mention.

Andaz – Four of them! And the first three starred one member of the Kapoor khandaan. 1949- Raj Kapoor and Nargis whipped up the passion along with the thespian Dilip Kumar; Naushadsaab composed nuggets like Tu kahe agar jeevan bhar gaata jaaoon and Hum aaj kahiin dil kho baithe. And Latadi found a toe-hold in the industry, giving stiff competition to Shamshad Begum (who sang alongside her in Darrna mohabbat karle).

The second came in or around 1972 and it starred Shammi Kapoor in the lead, but the reigning superstar Rajesh Khanna’s vivacious guest appearance stole the thunder. Shankar Jaikishan composed the bumper hit Zindagi ek safar hai suhaana (often taken as Jaikishan’s swan song, though technically and factually it isn’t true).

1994 Andaz saw the Gennext from Kapoor family Karisma starring in this David Dhawan double-entendre laden remake of Sundar Kaandam. Bappi Lahiri commandeered the music room and gave us bloopers like Khada hai khada hai and Tu maal gaadi mai driver tera!

The fourth one is the most recent one with Akshay Kumar, but better known as the debuts for Priyanka and Lara raising the mercury in their tight and tiny clothes. Nadeem Shravan s music was just about bearable.

Chori Chori -Three films! The first one is the fifties comedy based on It Happened One Night. Raj Kapoor and Nargis the industry s First Romantic Pair tickled the funny bone. And Shankar Jaikishan s music was simply scintillating. Just look at the lavish fare they gave: the eternally romantic Yeh raat bheegi bheegi, the joie-de-vivre charged Panchhi banoon uddti phiroon, the chirrupy Jahan mai jaati hoon wahiin chale aate ho, the heart-wrenching Rasik balmaa dil kyun lagaya, the silly but nevertheless funny All line clear and the syrupy Aaja sanam madhur chaandni mein hum. In the seventies, there was one more Chori Chori again with compositions by Shankar Jaikishan, but I haven’t heard any number from this film.

The last Chori Chori is the Milan Luthria flop in the nineties starring Ajay Devgan and Rani Mukerji. Sajid-Wajid’s music was despondently dull.

Seema – Two, which I know of. The first is the exceptional social drama starring power-house performers Balraj Sahni and Nutan. Again, Shankar Jaikishan gave some shimmering melodies the serene prayer Tu pyaar ka saagar hai , the hurt Kahaan jaa raha hai, the classical Manmohana bade jhoote and the optimistic Baat baat mein rootho na. It also had one of my most favorite Latadi solo Suno chhotisi gudiya kii lambii kahanii. The second Seema came in the seventies and once again had music by Shankar Jaikishan. From this Rafisaab s Jab bhi yeh dil udaas hota hai (penned by Gulzar) is exceptional.

Kathputli /Kattputli – I adore the music of the fifties version Bol ri kathputli dori kaun sang baandhi is such a marvelously magnificent number that I can hear it anytime; and a song that I fell in love with when I was a kid and had heard it on Chitrahaar. Once more, it was Shankar-Jaikishan’s creativity at its peak. And Latadi sounds so soft and sublime. There was another Kathhputli in the seventies as well, this time music by Kalyanji Anandji. Details not available with me. The last is a recent flick, produced by and starring Mink Singh, with a little twist in the title s spelling musically, it was a complete washout!

Karm/ Karam – The seventies film (starring Vidya Sinha and a rapidly losing popularity Rajesh Khanna) was an interesting critique on astrology. The music wasn t that great but Asha Bhonsle s Samay tu dheere dheere chal (with a sad version that went Samay tu jaldi jaldi chal) was a nice song. The newer Karam had the current poster boy John Abraham playing a hit-man. Musically, it was a zilch except for Alisha Chinai s effectively sung Tinka tinka zara zara.

Saajan – I grew up listening to Latadi s Saajan saajan pukaaroon galiyon mein, a typical Laxmikant Pyarelal ditty, picturised on Asha Parekh it was quite a staple on Chitrahaars. I haven’t yet seen this film. The second Saajan was a phenomenal hit, and Nadeem Shravan gave some hummable chart-busters. Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri starred in this fluke Sudhakar Bokade love triangle hit.

Baharon Ki Manzil / Baharon Ke Manzil – Both the films are not very well known. And I have seen both! The first one stars Meena Kumari and is a whodunit. Laxmikant Pyarelal gave the music in which Lata Mangeshkar was the sole singer (no male songs in this film!), of which Nigaahen kyun bhatakti hai is quite well known. However, despite no Latadi, I find the second film s music really appaudable and better. Raamlaxman scored some excellent numbers in the voices of Poornima, Udit Narayan and Amit Kumar. Meri jaan dua karna is a towering duet with lip-smacking interludes and fine singing. The film was a miserable flop and was the debut for Mona Singh (in case you don t know her, she played the wet nurse in Mangle Panday oops, Mangal Panday).

Khel – I recall two of them. The first is a decent Anil-Madhuri 1992 film, directed by Rakesh Roshan, but unfortunately was a dampener at the box-office. The music by brother Rajesh Roshan was exceptionally good. Latadi‘s duet with Mohd. Aziz Khat likhna hai par sochti huun is a hot personal favorite. Sister Asha Bhonsle displayed immense vocal virtuosity in the cabaret number Ek baat maan lo tum (with a cutely reversed and suitably toned down bhajan version as well!). And Amit Kumar’s pathos-laden Soone shaam savere is superb (though having a pretty funny picturisation). The newer Khel (Suniel Shetty, Celina Jeitly) was a musical disaster.

There was the oldest Khel as well with music composed by Sajjad Hussain. Latadi‘s Jaate ho toh jaao is a heart-achingly beautiful number. [Thanks to Madhu for the tip]

Julie – Again, I recall two of them. The first is a musical hit. Bhool gayasab kuchh is an ardent love duet and Dil kya kare jab kisise kisiko pyaar ho jaaye builds up a zealous steam. The debut heroine Laxmi might have bloated to a shrill matron (Hulchul) and the hero Vikram is lost in the annals of cinematic history, but Rajesh Roshan’s score continues to be still dew drop fresh and is remembered fondly by music-lovers. The newer Julie is more known for Neha Dhupia s bare-dare act than for its songs, but I found Himesh Reshammiya’s score very mellifluous and deserving. Ae dil yeh bataa kyun hone laga is the best number, followed by Dhadkan ho gayii tumse aashna and Hum tumse dil laga baithe.

Waqt / Waqt Race Against Time – I admit I don’t like the older film s songs too much, though Ae meri zohra jabeen is a retro-hit, and a source of many-a-remix. The philosophical title song by Rafisaab Waqt ke din aur raat is , in my opinion, the best number. Let me not beat the bush, the rest of the songs by Ravi were marred by Asha Bhonsle’s voice, which in that era had assumed a strange phlegmatic thickness, which I don’t quite appreciate.

But cut to the present times and the newer film help! The raucous Anu Mallik warbled Do me a favor let s play holly {sic} no, no, no!!! God save my ears from this painful assault!

Aankhen – Four films but again the best music is from the two oldest version (that I know of). In 1950, Madan Mohan made his debut with Aankhen that had Mukesh’s Preet lagake maine yeh phal paaya. For some reason, Latadi couldn’t sing in this one, but MM didn’t make this an ego issue, and got her on-board with the next few films (Adaa , Madhosh) – and what a team it turned out to be!

In the second film, composer Ravi gave very melodious music in this Dharam-Mala Sinha thriller. Milti hai zindagi mein mohabbat kabhi kabhi and Gairon pe karam apnon pe sitam belong to my childhood memories and are firmly etched as beautiful songs. The nineties Aankhen was a super-duper Govinda-David Dhawan combine hit; Bappi Lahiri s score was strictly functional and in sync with the film’s mood. Laal dupatte waali tera naam toh bata was the biggest hit from this film.

The fourth Aankhen (starring Amitabh Bachhan and a posse of supporting cast) hardly had any song worth mentioning – unless you prefer tepid tapori numbers like Phatela jeb sil jaayega!

Charas – After Aankhen, this is another Ramanand Sagar-Dharamendra combination thriller whose name got stolen. In the seventies film, Laxmikant Pyarelal whipped up a frenzy with the naughtily vivacious Kal ki haseen mulaqaat ke liye (Lata-Kishore) and the tranquil Ke aaja teri yaad aayi (Lata-Rafi-Anand Bakshi). There were other good numbers too Raja na jaa (Lata) and Mai ladki badnaam ho gayii (Lata). The newer film by Tigmanshu Dhulia was a cropper where music was concerned. I haven t heard a single good song from this film.

Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja – Shankar Jaikishan’s music in the older film (Dev Anand- Waheeda Rahman) was a delight. Latadi s Tum toh dil ke taar chhed kar is pure gold (with a tandem by Hemant Kumar), and the title song is quintessential S-J. Cut to the nineties film, and L-P try hard to match their senior s orchestral wizardry, but only end up with a cacophonous din. Add to this Kavita Krishnamoorthy’s shrill singing and the consequence is highly distasteful. Incidentally, both the films were huge flops!

Masoom – Now who can ever forget Gulzar s introspective lyrics in Tujhse naraaz nahii zindagi set to a terrific tune by R D Burman? Flash forward a couple of decades, and Ayesha Julka-Indra Kumar starrer is an ugly blot to the older film s title. It s only when one comes across such blasphemous use of older titles that one wishes there was a legislation stopping the re-cycling of the titles!

Golmaal – Latadi sounds ethereal in Ek baat kahuun gar maano tum, and Kishoreda makes us think in Aane waala pal jaane waala hai. Hrishida kept the funny bone forever tickled in this moustache-mania. It is a sin to even mention the recent gol-maul in the same breath as the older film. Musically, Vishal-Shekhar are just no-where remotely close to Panchamda s skill.

Geet – Kalyanji Anandji created an extraordinary love duet Mere mitwa mere meet re in the older film starring Rajendra Kumar and Mala Sinha. And then there was Latadi consoling tenderly Tere naina kyun neer bahaaye. Zoom to the nineties, and Latadi still held control in the newer Divya Bharti film, with Aap jo mere meet na hote. Regrettfully, the rest of this Bappi Lahiri album didn t have any other geet worth remembering.

Diwana / Deewana – The former is a slightly less known Raj Kapoor film with a bouquet of incredibly fragrant Mukesh melodies, composed by Shankar Jaikishan. The fare includes the bagpiper blast Taaron se pyaare armaan hamaare (Aana hi hoga tujhe aana hi hoga), the spectacularly plush Hum toh jaate apni gaaon, the brilliant Tumhari bhi jai jai humaari bhi jai jai, the lavish title song Diwana mujhko log kahein and the thought provoking Pate kii baat kahega kahega jab bhi deewana. Absolutely A-class music having flawless rhythm, interludes and singing! The second film is the nineties one, and brought current box-office badshah Shahrukh Khan into limelight. The music by Nadeem Shravan, though not matching SJ s work, is very respectable and I am very fond of Teri ummeed tera intezaar karte hain and the title song.

Dhanwaan – The criminally neglected Hridayanath Mangeshkar composed a chocolaty sweet duet Yeh aankhen dekh kar hum saari duniya bhool jaatein hain for the seventies Rajesh Khanna starrer (though picturised on Reena Roy and Rakesh Roshan). In the nineties, Anand Milind gave an energetically charged Holi song Rang di rang di preet ne rang di.

[Update on 29.01.07]

Milan – Three that I recall. The first one was in the fifties with music by Hansraj Bahl. Latadi plucked the heartstrings with Haaye jeeya roye. However, it was some two decades later that Laxmikant Pyarelal scorched the charts and stomped the hearts with bumper hits like the celebratory Bol gori bol tera kaun piya, the Madan Mohanesque Aaj dil pe koii zor chalta nahi, the melodious Saawan ka mahina pawan kare sor and the monumental Hum tum yug yug se geet milan ke - stuff that legends are made of, and remembered for yug yug! But a few more decades down the line Anand Milind’s vapid score in Mahesh Bhatt’s flop Jackie-Manisha starrer by the same name couldn’t last beyond the month the film was released in, leave alone a yug!

Gumnaam – Shankar Jaikishan gave haunting melodies in the old Agatha Christie-inspired film. Turn the century, and Nadeem Shravann come up with haunted wrecks in the lying-in-cans Dino Morea starrer. In the old film, Rafi’s Jaan pehchaan ho and Hum kaale hai toh kya hua kept the charts rocking and rolling, while Latadi‘s title number raised the goosebumps. Helen gave the requisite glamor with Iss duniya mein jeena ho toh sunlo meri baat.

Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya – I remember two films : in the first one, erstwhile Madan Mohan assistants Sonik Omi composed some sublime beauties, which bordered on their mentor’s style. While Suman Kalyanpur got the touching title song, Latadi bagged the best and the most splendid solo – Aaja re pyaar pukaare naina toh ro ro haare. More than three decades later, Latadi was still there in the newer film (Govinda, Tabu in a remake of Ramesh Talwar’s Doosra Aadmi) serenading Uttam Singh’s fluffy orchestra in Saare shahar mein charcha yeh aam ho gaya. Sadly, the rest of the score (by Aadesh Srivastava) was just average.

Saathi – I have no clue about the first one, which had music by Gulshan Soofi, lyrics by Wali Sahab and songs sung by Shamshad Begum. However, I have strong memories of the second one. Naushadsaab went western in sound with this Simi Garewal-Rajendra Kumar-Vyjanthimala film, which had the awesome Mere jeevan saathi kali thii main toh pyaasi in Latadi’s soft-as-silk voice. Then there was Yeh kaun aaya roshan ho gayi mehfil jiske naam se , Mai toh pyaar se tere piya and Aaina hoon mai tera! Mukesh and Suman Kalyanpur created romance and rhythm with Mera pyaar bhi tu hai yeh bahaar bhi tu hai. A very sensible score, indeed. Which is what I personally feel about the newest Saathi as well. Inspite of Anuradha Paudwal’s pathetic pronunciations, Saathi koii bhoola yaad aaya and Aaj hum tum o sanam are decent compositions (by Nadeem Shravan).

Guru – The older Guru starred Mithun Chakraborthy as well – at that time, in the lead role, with his then love interest Sridevi. Their ‘kiss’ at that time created quite a flurry, equivalent to the present day Guru‘s heroine’s lip lock with Hrithik in Dhoom-2. The older movie had some typical eighties cacophonous Bappi Lahiri music with songs where the heroine profoundly proclaimed I am a bad girl.But don’t hasten to write off the film just yet – because Bappida also surprised all with a very sensitive love duet Jaiiyo na jaiiyo na humse door sajan jaiiyo na (Lata Mangeshkar-Shailendra Singh). And linking up with the new age Guru is another common thread: Bappi-da returns as a playback singer for the tipsy but enjoyable number Ek lo ek muft! [Thanks to Anz for the tip]

Bees Saal Baad – After a serious bout of throat problem, which nearly rendered Lataji voice-less, she returned to the studios with a bang, hitting the soul directly with the call that defines ‘horror’ film genre songs in Kahiin deep jale kahiin dil. The song is so irrevocably stamped in every music lover’s psyche that it is impossible to imagine that there could be a newer film by the same name. But, there was! Mithun Chakraborty and Meenakshi Sheshadri tried to raise the spooks again, with Dimple floating in white amidst haunted havelis singing in a horrifying Anuradha Paudwal’s voice Kitne saawan beet gaye.

Jurmana – Hrishikesh Mukherjee created two very sensitive films with the trio of Vinod Mehra-Amitabh-Raakhi. Of these two, Bemisaal is the more known one. But Jurmana had its own strengths. One of which was RD Burman’s music. Latadi got two magnificent solos – Chhoti si ek kali khili thi and the better known Saawan ke jhoole pade. The new Jurmana is a TLV Prasadh- Mithun Chakroborty combined B-grade flick, with mu-sick by Dilip Sen Sameer Sen.

Boyfriend – The older film is a lesser known Shankar Jaikishan film, wherein Latadi did the coquettish Aise na jaao o beraham (with an ultra cute Aadab arz hai thrown in between). The newer film has the in-your-face Jatin Lalit composition Kahdo toh duniya mein aaj baja doon band!

Samundar – Three of them – the first one had music by S.Purushottam, but I have not heard any songs from this film (reportedly with songs by Asha Bhonsle). It is the second one that interests me a lot. Madan Mohan composed the classically handsome Lata Mangeshkar solo Chain nahin aaye kahan dil jaaye – in this, her rendition of the leitmotif sajanwa ho balamwa ho is exceedingly enchanting. Another fascinating solo by the diva was Aaja kahiin se aaja mere dil ka qaraar leke. Jump decades, and Latadi continued to regale under Panchamda’s baton for Rahul Rawail’s Sunny Deol-Poonam Deol film. The peppy Ae saagar kii lahron hum bhii aatein hai thehro (with Kishoreda) was the highlight song. Asha Bhonsle whipped up a creamy lather in the sensuous Yeh rang-e-mehfil badal raha hai, and Kishore Kumar naughtily charmed with Yeh kori karaari kanwaari nazar. Another unsung eighties RD Burman score, which needs to be resurrected.

Elaan- Again, three that I know of. In the seventies, Vinod Mehra starred with a podgy and dusky Rekha in this FC Mehra production about ‘invisible man’ (yes, the idea was used way before Mr. India). Shankar Jaikishan’s music didn’t cut much ice with music lovers, but there is a cute charm in Sharda’s Aath ko aath se jama karo and the duet Aap ki raay mere baare mein kya hai. In the nineties, Akshay Kumar and Madhoo romped on screen to Dilip Sen Sameer Sen’s risque Tu ru tu ru kahan se karuun main pyaar shuru. But the biggest delight in this film was Lata Mangeshkar’s breath-taking Naino ko baatein karne do – a mature and mellow duet with Kumar Sanu, which had shades of L-P’s Badalte Rishtey song Meri saanson ko jo mahka rahii hai! The last Elaan is a boring Vikram Bhatt film starring Arjun Rampal, Rahul Khanna and Lara Dutta. The music had some Anu Mallik monstroties like Aandarlu baandalru, et al.

Kartavya – L-P were at their peak in 1979, when they composed the sultry and sizzling solo Doorie na rahein koi aaj itne kareeb aao, sung splendidly by Lata Mangeshkar and picturised on the verge-of-blooming Rekha. Other solos by her included Koii aayega and Chhaila babu tu kaisa dildaar nikla. In the newer film, the perpetually wooden Sanjay Kapoor starred opposite Juhi Chawla. Dilip Sen Sameer Sen’s music was good, but just about so.

Hawas – Saawan Kumar’s take on lust consisted of Mohd. Rafi’s towering solo Teri galiyon mein na rakhenge qadam. The newer Hawas (Meghna Naidu in yet another Unfaithful remake) had two good songs – Mai yun miloon tujhe and Tera naam leke marne lenge.

[Update on 31.01.07]

Shola Aur Shabnam – In the old black-and-white film Latadi and Rafisaab sweetly acknowledged hesitant love in Jeet hi lenge baazi hum tum, under Khayyam’s baton. The song is one of the most shimmering duets from this prolific but perfect pair. Leap-forward, and in the nineties we have Govinda croaking Gore gore under Bappi Lahiri’s tutelage. What a comedown! I haven’t seen the older film, but the newer one was, otherwise, a typical David Dhawan dhamaal, with lots of slapstick humor in the first half, and ‘action-packed’ emotions in the second one.

Mohabbat – I don’t have any idea about the first Mohabbat, made by Phani Majumdar, starring the Marathi doyen Shanta Apte. However, the second one is part of my growing up years, and I will,this once, root for the much-maligned composer Bappi Lahiri. Largely for two beautiful songs in the Anil-Vijeta starrer: Kishoreda’s Saanson se nahin kadmon se nahin and Latadi’s Naina yeh barse milne ko tarse. The nineties version has Akshaye-Madhur-Sanjay Kapoor in a trite love triangle, with not-so-brilliant score by Nadeem Shravan. Worse, they blindly aped Stereo Nation’s Don’t break my heart – the original of which was in any case running simultaneously on the charts.

Chor Machaye Shor – Le jaayenge le jaayenge dilwale dulhaniya le jaayenge is a cult number, a very peppy and unlikely number from Ravindra Jain. The spectre of this mammoth melody loomed so large that Jatin Lalit confessed that they couldn’t come up with a better number when they did Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge. Kishore Kumar tugged the heart with Ghoongroo ki tarah bajta hi raha hun ( a song, which I recall reading, he had confessed looked easy, but was otherwise tough to sing). Skip decades, and we have Vinod Rathod and Anuradha Sriram locking tonsils in the terribly written Tum Tata ho ya Birla, under Anu Mallik’s command, in the David Dhawan flop by the same name.

Loafer – When Rafisaab languidly remarked Aaj mausam bada baimaan hai, the clouds drooped in appreciation; the warm L-P melody hugs you with its sensuous allure. In the newer version, we had to content with Anand Milind’s atrocities like Aao karein hum tum kahiin nain-matakka. However, from this Anil-Juhi starrer, the number Teri tirchhi nazar mein hai jaadoo was very catchy and likeable.

Love Marriage – Now what to say of this outstandingly magnificent Shankar Jaikishan score! Every song is the most supreme aural delight, tickling the heart, touching the soul, stirring the hips and hugging the lips. From the romantically romantic Dheere dheere chal chaand gagan mein to the bashful Kahe jhoom jhoom raat yeh suhani to the playful Dil se dil takraaye to the cutting critque of Teen kanastar peet peet kar gala phaar ke chillana, every number is a well polished pearl. However, the same cannot be said about L-P’s boring music in the eighties film of the same name. In this sort of sex-comedy (wherein the lovers are desperate to consummate their marriage), the only number that could be said average is the title number.

Dastak- Quality peaked when Madan Mohan sored. And in Dastak even he surpassed his own tough standards. This small budget Sanjeev Kumar-Rehana Sultana film had a big score. Lataji was ever the heart and soul – her solos Baiyyan na dharo, Hum hai mata-e-kucha-o-bazaar ki tarah and Maai ri main kaase kahuun rank amongst the best from her own mammoth ouvre. And Rafisaab did his own bit in the almost whispered Tum se kahuun ek baat paron si halki. This is an album that you can keep on listening without tiring even once. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Rajesh Roshan’s music in Sushmita Sen’s debut film, carrying the same title. Even though Rajesh Roshan’s score cannot be really termed ‘bad’ (and I quite like Abhijeet’s Tumhe kaise yeh bataaon and Alka’s Pal beet gaya yeh pal), but it cannot match up to the standards set by Madan Mohan!

Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai – Now this is one title where I can strongly say I love both the scores equally well. While S-J gave their own stamp with the frisky Jiya ho jiya kuchh bol do, Jatin Lalit held their own with the frothy O jaana na jaana yeh dil tera deewana.

Anari – Three of them, again – and like Andaaz, with some scion of Kapoor khandaan starring in them! But the most famous musically is, of course, the Shankar-Jaikishan one, starring Raj Kapoor and Nutan. Released in 1959, it boasted of such phenomenal songs like Tera jaana dil ke armaanon ka lut jaana, Sab kuchh seekha humne na seekhi hoshiyari, Kisiki muskurahaton pe ho nisaar, Woh chaand khila woh taare hanse and Dil ki nazar se. The second Anari starred brother Shashi Kapoor, but was a total washout. Music was by Laxmikant Pyarelal, but not a single song seems to have survived. The last Anari had Karisma Kapoor alongside South India superstar Venkatesh. Anand Milind’s music had one good number: Kya mausam aaya hai.

Junoon – Three, once more – and in quite a short span of time. The first is the seventies Shyam Benegal classic based on Ruskin Bond’s Flight of Pigeons. As a art-house movie, it didn’t have music the way we understand it in films, but Vanraj Bhatia’s Phir aayi kaari ghata matwaari was nice. The second Junoon was Mahesh Bhatt’s disastrous horror (more horrifying) film starring his daughter Pooja with his protege Rahul Roy and the wooden Avinash Wadhawan. This early nineties flick comprised of some ‘Gulshan Kumar-type’ music by Nadeem Shravan, with Anuradha Paudwal hogging all the limelight. Still, I would say the music was good – and O meri dilruba tu dil ke kareeb hai is a song that I love immensely. The last Junoon is a super-flop Shilpa Shetty starrer, released in 2002. Adesh Srivastava composed the score.

Lawaaris – Agreed that Kalyanji Anandji’s music in the Amitabh starrer can hardly be termed ‘great’. Yet, because of the overall cult status surrounding Big B movies of that time, we all remember the songs like Kaahe paise pe itna guroor kare ho, Apni toh jaise taise and that super-hit fun-filled number Mere angne mein tumhara kya kaam hai. In 1999, there was one more Lawaaris, and this time the score was handled by another seventies composer – Rajesh Roshan, but there wasn’t any strength in it. The film and the music were miserable flops.

Vishwaasghaat – I admit I am not aware of RD Burman’s music in the seventies Mahesh Bhatt film (Kabir Bedi, Shabana Azmi). But I am simply, madly and crazily in love with Shyam Surender’s score in the nineties flop (Suniel Shetty, Anjali Jathar) having the same name. Lata Mangeshkar sang four songs in this one and each is a complete beauty : the best is a solo Intezaar hai tera intezaar hai – an even paced song, with neat arrangements. The duet Yeh dil kyun dhadakta hai is fast but not furious. It has a loveable rhythm. Unfortunately, the music was released on a now-defunct music company, and perhaps is lost forever. I have a surviving audio cassette, and like to listen to it quite often.

Chaalbaaz – Obviously, Sridevi’s film in the eighties is a better known one. The twin-sisters-separated-at-birth saga inspired from Ram aur Shyam/Seeta aur Geeta was an absolute entertainer. However, I don’t like its loud music (Laxmikant Pyarelal). For that, I would turn to Madan Mohan’s posthumously released small-budget flop. It’s tour-de-force was Latadi’s Raat ujiyaari din andheraa tu jo sajan nahin mera hai. Jaaiye humse khafaa ho jaayiye was another wonderful song. In the fifties, there was one more film having same name, starring Nirupa Roy, but I don’t have any idea about it.

Rajkumar – Another name whereby L-P hopelessly botched up the score, and couldn’t live up to the high standards set by Shankar Jaikishan in the sixties Shammi Kapoor film. The older film had the terrific Aaja aayi bahaar, the steamy Dilruba dil pe tu yeh sitam kiye jaa and the energetic Jaane waalon zara hoshiyar, alongwith the now-almost-a-maxim Tumne pukara hum chale aaye. And the new one? Well, Payal meri tumko bulati was okayish, but I’d any day prefer to listen to the older one.

Suhaagan – Four of them – with two starring Mala Sinha-Guru Dutt! The first is a 1942 film – details unavailable. The second one released in 1954, and starred Mala Sinha. Again, I am not too aware about Vasant Desai / C Ramachandra’s music. Exactly a decade later, in 1964, Mala Sinha acted as yet another Suhaagan (once more with Guru Dutt) and this is the whose music I have. Rafisaab’s Tu mere saamne hai is a great melody, alongwith Bheegi chandni chhayi bekhudi aaja daal de baahon mein baahon ka haar. But the most remembered number is Latadi‘s Tum hi to meri pooja ho. The last Suhaagan is an eighties tearjerker starring Jeetu-Sridevi. Bappi Lahiri composed the music, and though the words slip me, it had one nice duet by Latadi.

Patita – Two films: in the fifties one Shankar Jaikishan gave great music; the duet Yaad kiya dil ne kahan ho tum is a hot romantic favorite till date, and Mitti se khelte ho baar baar kis liye was heart-wrenching. S-J also composed the most optimistic number Kisi ne mujhko apna bana ke muskurana sikha diya in Latadi‘s voice. Two decades later, Latadi was again at her sun-shine best in another happy number Baithe baithe aaj aayi mere mann ko (composed by Bappi Lahiri).

[Update on 02.02.07]

Karz / Karz -The Burden of Truth – The theme music strummed its way into your hearts – never mind if it was copied. Latadi and Kishoreda, well past their fifties, tucked their tongues firmly in cheek and giggled Mai solah baras ki/Mai satarah baras ka; Asha Bhonsle and Kishoreda raised the storm with Ek haseena thi ek deewana tha - unarguably, Laxmikant Pyarelal’s music in Subhash Ghai’s take on Reincarnation of Peter Proud was an immense hit. The newer one (Sanjeev Darshan) was – like the illogical tagline – burdensome and cumbersome score!

Talaash – Remember Rajendra Kumar questioning a wide eyed Sharmila Tagore with Palkon ke peeche se kya tumne kah daala phir se toh farmaana? Spice it up more with the folksy Khai hai rah humne qasam sang rahne kii and the sparkling choral riff of Aaj ko juneli raat ma. And we had a stupendous SD Burman score. The magic was hopelessly lost in Sanjeev Darshan’s score in the newer Akshay Kumar -Karisma starrer.

Saudagar – The new generation danced to the remix of Sajna hai mujhe sajna ke liye. And the older generation loved Tera mera saath rahe. The film was a sensitive and sensible one. In the new one, the budget was upped and the screen widened, but the music didn’t lose its charm. Teri yaad aati hai is a towering duet, and one of the finest from Laxmikant Pyarelal. The common link in both was Lata Mangeshkar’s effusive voice.

Kaali Ghata – The first is a fifties Kishore Sahu film, music by Shankar Jaikishan. The centerpoint of the album was Latadi’s Humse na poochho koi pyaar kya pyaar kya hai. Other pleasures included Madhur milan hai and Ille belle aare. The newer one is not so new – early eighties. And starred Rekha and Shashi Kapoor. I recall only one song – the two part title song Kaali ghata chhayi prem rut aayi, aayi aayi aayi teri yaad aayi, composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal. Nice song.

Baazigar / Bazigar – Believe it or faint, there are actually four of them! The first came as early as 1938 and starred Trilok Kapoor. Other details unavailable – music could be by Gyan Dutt. The next was a Nirupa Roy starrer, though again the details are not too forthcoming on this one. I suspect this is the one that has music by Chitragupt. The next one released in 1972, probably with music by Sapan Jagmohan. (Details awaited from readers). The last one is, however, the most known one which spiralled Shah Rukh Khan’s career to a dizzying height. Anu Mallik gave some nice tunes.

[Courtesy - Madhu and Juneli, for pointing out to some titles featured in the updates]

Now on to the films which are essentially legendary stories or based on the same literary source, hence forced to have same title:

Devdas – I love the newer film, but prefer the songs of the older one. S D Burman’s composition in the Dilip Kumar version had such shimmering beauties like Jisse tu qabool kar le and O aane waale. In between, there was another version that never got completed, but Latadi’s Ku hu kuh bole koyaliya is outstanding.

Sohni Mahiwal – I think there are more, but I recall two versions strongly. One, is a fifties film with music by Naushadsaab, and was (IIRC) the debut for singer Mahendra Kapoor (Chand chhupa taare doobe raat gazab kii aayii). He got the theme song, while the lion’s share went to Rafisaab. However, it is Latadidi‘s Tumhare sang mai bhi chaluungi and her duet with Rafisaab Aane waale ko aana hoga, jaane waale ko jaana hoga that are the most luminescent numbers. Overall, the music is wonderful.

However, the eighties version (Sunny Deol and Poonam Dhillon) is in my honest opinion an extremely interesting score, composed by a still-struggling Annu Mallik. In this, Anupama Deshpande won the Filmfare Best Singer Award for Sohni chenaab de kinaare. However, it was otherwise Asha Bhonsle s film, and songs like Sohni sohni meri sohni aur nahi koi honi , Bol do meethe bol sohniye and Mujhe dulhe ka sehra gaane do are steeped in Punjabi ethos, have hummable tunes, and hold pleasurable interlude music. (I love Annu Mallik’s music from this era perhaps will do a separate post on this someday).

I have yet to hear the songs of the oldest film by the same name that had music by Lal Mohammad and songs by Zohrabai Ambalewali and G M Durrani, amongst others.

Heer Ranjha – Nothing, absolutely nothing, can surpass the melodies created by the ingenious Madan Mohan in the older version (which I suspect is the middle version ). From the near whisper intonations of Meri duniya mein tum aayi to the pain lashed Do dil toote do dil haare to the effervescent Milo na tum toh hum ghabraaye to the truth-seeking Yeh duniya yeh mehfil mere kaam ki nahi – each composition is a nugget to be savored, to be enjoyed and to immerse in its deep richness. The newer film had a horribly made up Anil Kapoor romancing the talented but ill-cast Sridevi with Rab ne banaya tujhe mere liye under Laxmikant Pyarelal s musical direction. But, clearly they were past their prime. And this Latadi-Anwar duet is the only good song in the entire album.

Umrao Jaan – I have said enough here

Don – Uh oh! Too bad that they had to remix and recycle Kalyanji Anandji’s original score (which in any case wouldn t ever get placed in the top best of the duo). Still, as a stand-alone, the old film s Arre diwaanon and Jiska mujhe tha intezaar are nice numbers. And Yeh mera dil pyaar ka deewana was a rocking item number when the phrase hadn’t even been created. There was a Mithun starrer The Don as well, but let’s not even talk about it!

Taj Mahal – Despite veteran Naushad at the helm of the affairs, the new film’s music was very ordinary. Music afficiandos will never forget Roshan’s luminous score that included Paaon chhoo lene do, Jo waada kiya and Jurm e ulfat pe humein log sazaa denge.

[This is an open post, and titles will be added to it as and when I remember them or get inputs from readers. Three updates available above]

Related readings – Lata Mangeshkar and Debut Heroines, Madan Mohan and Lata Mangeshkar

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