My Favourites: Songs in Disguise

No, I do not mean the songs are masquerading as something else (what?); it's just that it made for a catchy title. On the other hand, the idea for this post came from when I was writing the post on tropes in Hindi cinema. I did make fun of the hero disguising himself to get into the villain's lair, but I also recorded that it gave us some splendid songs, and therefore that was one trope I didn't mind having around. As tropes went, that wasn't egregious at all.  

The next step, of course, was to write a post on songs sung by the hero in disguise. The question of course, was, should I limit myself to what one of my readers, Subodh, calls my 'autocratic and dictatorial' rules? Should I, for instance, restrict it to just that trope - the disguised hero in the villain's den? Or should I, would I, could I widen the scope of the theme? After all, our heroes are known to disguise themselves to woo their beloveds in front of their disapproving fathers. They also disguise themselves just to woo the disapproving heroine, who will fall in love with them soon after. Hmm... after a long time spent debating the pros and cons (all of 3.6 minutes), I decided I would, could, and should leave the theme wide open - 'why' doesn't matter.  

But so as to not disappoint Subodh, I decided there had to be some restrictions - my list would have only disguised heroes, not heroines (who could be disguised or not, if they were part of the duets), and b) the hero had to be singing, not just remain a spectator. And, oh, just for me, because I like making things difficult for myself - only one song per hero. So, here are my  picks.

1. Gustakh nazar chehre se hata (Dev Anand) 

Jaali Note (1960) 
Singers: Asha Bhosle - Mohammed Rafi
Music: OP Nayyar
Lyrics: Raja Mehdi Ali Khan  
This fits the trope of 'hero in a villain's den' very well. Only this not a 'climax' song. Dev Anand is Inspector Dinesh, who along with his faithful hound, sorry, assistant, Pandu ( Om Prakash) is on the trail of a gang of counterfeiters. Trailing a 'pandit' whom he suspects of being in cahoots with the gang, D & P land up at Hotel Shangrila, where the suspect has a quick word with 'Lily' (Helen - even the dancers' names were stereotypical, were they not?) This is a song that I like very much, even though it seemed like they just wrote a situation so they could plonk a song in; but hey, when the song is as chirpy as this, who is protesting? I like it because Helen/Lily certainly looks like she would pull off their false beards a couple of times, and D & P are forced to protect their hirsuteness from her grasping hands. And in the midst of it all is the suspect - trying very hard to escape by hiding behind the chorus. So along with the post-riposte in the song, there is also that little bit of suspense - will she? won't she? will she uncover their disguise by the time the song ends? Or will the hero catch his suspect redhanded? This being the beginning of the film, it doesn't matter much. In any case, Dev Anand is handsome (yes, even with his beard and mucchhad) and Helen is beautiful, and OP Nayyar's composition trips along merrily.  

2. Dekhoji ek bala jogi (Shammi Kapoor)

China Town (1962)
Singers: Mohammed Rafi - Minu Purushottam
Music: Ravi
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri 
If I hadn't decided to stick to the 'only one song per hero' rule, I could have probably made a 'Shammi Kapoor in Disguise' post. The man seemed to make a habit of disguising himself, if not downright impersonating someone else. In China Town, where he is already playing a double role (of Shekhar and Michael), he spends half of Shekhar's on-screen time, pretending to be Michael (amongst others). Shekar (Shammi Kapoor) is a club singer, and hence not exactly husband-material for Rita  (Shakila), the only daughter of the wealthy Raibahadur Digambar Prasad Rai (SN Bannerji). Fed up of Rita sneaking out to meet Shekhar, he decides to whisk Rita off to Calcutta so she can be married off to a man who is more 'appropriate'. Only, Shekhar has just had a job offer from Calcutta, so,  of course he is on the same train. And in disguise. As an itinerant mendicant. His persistence annoys Rita until he manages to indicate who he is, without arousing his prospective father-in-law's suspicions. (Lasts only until the song is sung, but hey...) 

 3. Aake seedhi lage  (Kishore Kumar) 

Half Ticket (1962) 
Singer: Kishore Kumar 
Music: Salil Choudhary
Lyrics:  Shailendra 
This is a scenario I didn't mention in my introduction to the post - the hero running away from the villain. Kishore Kumar, who has run away from home, and has 'disguised' himself as a little boy so he can con the ticket seller into selling him a 'half-ticket' runs into Pran, who is also on the run - from the police. Wanting to escape their scrutiny, the wily villain stashes the loot - a diamond - in Kishore's pocket. Then begins a dog-chase-cat-chase-mouse game - the police after Pran, Pran after Kishore, and Kishore, not knowing he is walking around with a priceless diamond,  on the run from both. On the way, of course, they get to disguise themselves a bit more, and sing a couple of songs. I have mentioned  Woh ik nigaah kya mili in a couple of posts before, where Pran ends up tied to the stake as Kishore pulls one over him. In this song, another laugh riot, Kishore is disguised as a woman, and Pran gets to shake a leg (and does so, quite well). Of course, Pran being Pran, he is well aware that the 'woman' is actually Kishore. But then, Kishore gets to sing both parts - male and female. And Salilda's composition ebbs and flows, in a manner quite as controlled as the chaos on screen. 

4. Laga chunri mein daag (Raj Kapoor) 

Dil Hi To Hai (1963) 
Singer: Manna Dey 
Music: Roshan
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi 
Another scenario that I had not envisaged; here, the hero, Chand (Raj Kapoor) has no ulterior motive at all. He is not running away from anyone, he is not chasing villains, there is no disapproving father, there isn't even a heroine to impress or woo... He is forced to don a disguise to help a friend in need, by pretending to be Khan Saheb, a reputed classical singer. However, this disguise will get him closer to the woman he loves. Prior to this, Jamila (Nutan) has been insisting to her fiance Yusuf(Pran) that she wants to learn music, and will only do so from Chand, a radio singer. Yusuf, not willing to let the handsome singer anywhere near his betrothed, and suspecting that Jamila's affections are more engaged than she lets on, flatly refuses. Yusuf is at the show where Chand pretends to be Khan Saheb. Eureka! What better ploy than to get this doddering old man to teach his fiancee. Little does he know that he's just dug a pit for himself. A rollicking romantic comedy, Dil Hi To Hai saw Raj Kapoor in a swashbuckling role, playing dual personalities, romancing the heroine, conning the villain, and even duelling with him to win the hand of the fair lady. Meanwhile, we get to hear this fantastic song by Manna Dey, one of many melodious compositions by Roshan. Bliss!  (Trivia: the dancer in the song is Padmini Priyadarshini - one for Dustedoff's 'Songs picturised on unknown actors' post.)

5. Zara man ki kiwadiya khol (Dilip Kumar)

Kohinoor (1960)
Singer: Mohammed Rafi
Music: Naushad
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
Ever thought you would see tragedian Dilip Kumar in a mad romp that was Kohinoor? For that matter ever thought tragedienne Meena Kumari could do anything more than grieve? Well, watch the absolutely madcap comedy that was Kohinoor to see what two great performers could do with an inspired script. While on the song, meet Sangeetkar Maharaj Kohinoor Baba, otherwise known as Rajkumar Dhivendra Pratap Bahadur Chandrabhan (Dilip Kumar) as he ventures into the villain's lair to rescue his fair princess, Rajkumari Chandramukhi (Meena Kumari). Well-knowing the propensity of Hindi film heroines to let the cat out of the bag, the wily Rajkumar sings out his warning well in advance of coming face to face with the imprisoned princess. For a change, we have an intelligent (and intrepid) princess, who not only understands his warnings, but also sees through his disguise (even if the villain cannot). This song is just the beginning, mind you. Be prepared for the prince and his sidekick (Mukri) to spout the most nonsensical dialogues, the valiant princess to begin chucking brass vases around at people (she has the most perfect aim too!) plus she shows a great propensity to hitting people over the head plus she is absolutely smashing to look at! Dilip Kumar swashbuckles with style, Jeevan is properly villainous, and everyone has a rollicking time. Fantastic!

6. Chhalke teri aankhon se (Rajendra Kumar)

Aarzoo (1965) 
Singer: Mohammed Rafi
Music: Shankar-Jaikishen
Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri
From the king to the pretender. No offence meant to Rajendra Kumar, but he, like so many others who came after him, were greatly inspired by Dilip Kumar. Here, he is just pulling wool over the eyes of his beloved's father. She, of course, not only knows who he is, but is complicit in the masquerade. Gopal/Sarju (Rajendra Kumar) has come to Usha's (Sadhana) house pretending to be her friend Salma's father, Hakeem Saheb. He even has an old man's voice to go with his disguise. (Why he has a pair of dark glasses inside a house, at night, is something I will never understand.) Only, the old man's quaver disappears once he begins singing. So, instead of Hakeem Saheb's "budhape ki aawaz", we are treated to Rafi's mellifluous rendition of a lovely ghazal.

7. Ye duniya gol hai (Johnny Walker)

Chaudvin ka Chand (1960) 
Singer: Mohammed Rafi, 
Music: Ravi
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
Yes, I know I said, 'heroes'; yes, I know Johnny Walker is not a hero. But he was no less than one, with parts being written for him, with songs being written for him, with specific lines of dialogue being written for him. He was a very, very important part of the films in which he had a role. And he commanded the same respect that was given to the top heroes of his time. Guru Dutt, for instance, couldn't dream of making a film in which Johnny Walker did not have a role. This film, made immediately after the box-office debacle of Kagaz ke Phool, was produced by Guru Dutt Films, but directed by Dutt's assistant, M Sadiq. Song picturisations, however, were still directed by Dutt himself. This Muslim social, one of the few that had me going 'what the...', 'why the...' how the...' throughout the film, nevertheless had great music, courtesy underrated composer Ravi. Once again, the disguise is purely out of the goodness of his soul - he, Shaiza, is only trying to get a photograph of Jameela (Waheeda Rehman) for his lovestruck friend, Nawab Sahib (Rehman).

 8. Tere dwar khada ik jogi (Pradeep Kumar)

Nagin (1954) 
Singer: Hemant Kumar 
Music: Hemant Kumar
Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan
In a tribal/folklore/something adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (or its many Indian versions), comes a tale set among two warring Naga tribes. Of course, the respective son and daughter have to fall in love. And of course, the fathers have to protest. The course of true love never runs smooth, and all that. And so, he, Sanatan (Pradeep Kumar) the proud son of a tribal chieftain, is forced to dress as an ascetic to go meet his beloved, Mala (Vyjayanthimala), the beautiful daughter of the rival chief, who has been betrothed to another man, villain (of course!), by her father. Of course, Sanatan is welcomed with open arms by the chief, because he helps the old man win against his son-in-law to be (who's busy fleecing his prospective sasur until Sanatan happens along). What will happen when Sanatan's masquerade ends? Will the lovers triumph? Watch the movie to find out. (Actually, don't. Just listen to the songs.)

9. Phoolon ke haar le lo (Ashok Kumar)

Inspector (1956)
Singer: Hemant Kumar
Music: Hemant Kumar
Lyrics: SH Bihari
Back to our trope of a hero in disguise in a villain's den. In a murder mystery (directed by Shakti Samanta), Inspector Shyam (Ashok Kumar) is forced by circumstances to mount an investigation against his own beloved, Varsha (Geeta Bali). Circumstantial evidence is against her (Of course it was; the dumb woman drags a corpse wrapped in sacking out of her car, and down her driveway, and plonks it against a streetlight in full view of a policeman!), and Inspector Shyam is put to more than usual effort to track down the real culprit. Of course, being blessed with more than average brains, he actually does follow police protocol (like sending the body for a post-mortem) and is more Sherlock Holmes than Hercule Poirot when it comes to sleuthing. Hence the darkened skin and the Vaishnavite forehead marks. (While I find it interesting that all murder mysteries are tracked to brothels and seedy night-clubs, I must confess that this is one film that was a rather decent watch.) 

10. Kajra muhobbatwala (Biswajeet/Babita)

Kismet (1968)
Singers: Shamshad Begum - Asha Bhosle
Music: OP Nayyar
Lyrics: SH Bihari 
Manmohan Desai helming a cockamamie thriller? Who would have thought of it? So we have Biswajeet on the run from goons (Shetty and gang) because a police informant hid a microdot containing information about bomb blasts in Biswajeet's guitar. Of which, he has no clue. He is just a singer by profession. Of course, he runs into Babita, who is running away from the gilded cage of her wealthy father. And of course, they fall in love. But much shenanigans have to be endured before truth and love triumph. 

I began with a couple of duets; this is a female-female duet, even though one of the duo on screen is so obviously a man. This is also a historic duet, because while Kajra muhobbatwala became wildly popular, it was the last song that Shamshad Begum would ever sing under OP Nayyar's baton. As he mentioned in an interview once, he owed his career to the fact that Shamshad, then at the top of her career, worked with him when he was a newcomer. He rued the fact that he had let both her and Geeta Dutt down because of his personal equation with Asha Bhosle.

Also, watching the film, one is struck by just how much Karishma Kapoor resembles her mother, both in looks and in the way she moves.  

I was going to end this post with the duet above, but I thought I would put in two more songs, one involving the first 'superstar' of Hindi Cinema, and the second, involving his successor, and one possible rival.

11. Duniya mein logon ko (Rajesh Khanna) 

Apna Desh (1972) 
Singers: RD Burman - Asha Bhonsle 
Music: RD Burman
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

This is a fantastic film. Yes, really. :) In the actual meaning of the term, of course. So, we have an honest, upright 'youth', Akash (Rajesh Khanna), who is now on the warpath after he has been fired from his job.  Well, not just that, but he has found out a dastardly conspiracy, his brother is missing and he knows the city's most respectable denizen is behind the everything bad that is happening to him and the city. So, of course, in the second half of the film, he gets to masquerade as an international gold smuggler, with a wife named Madam Lolopolita, and a henchman named Alibaba. (How an impecunious youth has the money to set up as a wealthy smuggler - well, this is a Manmohan Desai film, you're looking for logic?) But, that gave us Duniya mein logon ko, and the film was great masala fun, so who is complaining?

 12. Anhoni ho honi karde (Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor)

Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)
Singers: Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, Shailendra Singh
Music: Laxikant-Pyarelal
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Another madcap adventure from Manmohan Desai, the master of nonsense. He was absolutely at the top of his game here, and I don't think he ever matched the inspired insanity that was AAA. So even before the credits flashed, we had an attempted murder and an attempted suicide (not by the same person), a car chase, three kids abandoned, the suicide attempt foiled, the murder attempt failed, the children separated, being brought up by loving foster parents who belong to different religions, their paths crossing and criss-crossing without any of them being aware of sibling ties, culminating in all of them giving blood - at the same time - to their wounded mother (of which relationshop they are all unaware as well). Did I mention all this happens pre-credits? This is a film that demanded you suspend disbelief; what you have is a rollercoaster of madness, and it all ends with Anthony (Amitabh Bachchan) disguising himself as a priest, while Akbar (Rishi Kapoor) gets to become his own uncle, and Amar (Vinod Khanna) turns himself into a one-man wedding band. Fun, fun, fun!! We don't get films like these any more.

Do you have any favourite 'in disguise' songs? Share them, do.