My Favourites: Ghoda-Gaadi Songs

I've been mulling over this list for some time now. In today's fast-paced world of cars and buses and motorbikes, the poor tonga is fast becoming an anachronism even in villages. And in cities such as Bombay, where the Victoria still holds a nostalgic hold on your heart, the phaetons have been phased out by a 2011 court order. (Or at least they were supposed to have been.) You definitely wouldn't find one of today's heroes or heroines in a ghoda-gaadi. But there was a time when the clippety-clop of the tonga meant there was a rollicking song(s) in store for us. OP Nayyar almost made that his signature tune, and Naushad (who probably introduced it) was not too far behind. Here is a post in the memory of an animal-drawn vehicle that gave us some wonderful melodies. But with some caveats. (Yes, Subodh, my 'arbitary rules' are going to come out in full force.) 

• The songs can encompass any sort of horse-drawn vehicle - carriages, phaetons, Victorias, carts.
• The whole song had to be picturised on the vehicle. (That took care of two of my favourite songs, Ye kya kar dala tune from Howrah Bridge and Sun bairi balam from Bawre Nain.)
• It had to include the hero and  the heroine, even if only one of them were singing. (I originally titled this post Ghoda, Ghodi and Ghoda-Gaadi.) That deleted two other songs from my list: Chhoti si ye zindagani re from Aah, and Jhoome re neela ambar jhoome from Ek Gaaon ki Kahani.

Yes, I like making things difficult for myself. (Not!) For instance, I desperately wanted to add the Hemant Kumar-Lata Mangeshkar song Halke halke chalo saanwre to the list, but I haven't seen the film, nor is there a video clip of the song. While the film is Tangewali, I have no way of figuring out whether the song is picturised on a tonga. But even with all these self-imposed constraints, there were a plethora of songs to choose from. My favourite troika are well-represented; Shammi is there as well (how could he not?); so, without further ado, here are my favourites from my list. 

1. Dil mein chhupake pyar ka

Aan (1952)

Singer: Mohammed Rafi

Music: Naushad

Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni

Long before OP Nayyar made the clip-clop beats of a horse-drawn chariot his own, Naushad gave us this rollicking number, not the least of its attractions being a smiling, teasing Dilip Kumar. Mohammed Rafi is back to doing what he does best, infusing the song with the gentle humour that makes you think he is laughing quietly while singing, and Dilip Kumar emphasises that laughter with the twinkle in his eyes. It is less of a 'stalking' song than one where the hero is trying to coax the heroine to join in the laughter, even if it is at her expense. Nadira, in her first outing as heroine (it was a originally role written for Nargis) looks as miffed as she should, considering she is being abducted. Even if it is by Dilip Kumar, and even if he looks good enough to eat. 

2. Yun toh humne laakh haseen dekhe hai

Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957)

Singer: Mohammed Rafi

Music: OP Nayyar

Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi

From OP Nayyar's baton comes his signature tune, in Shammi Kapoor's first major hit, the film that propelled him from a has-been to one who would rule the world of fantasy romance for many years. It is ironical that the film was in reality made to launch Ameeta into the higher echelons of stardom. Shammi had his favourite voice to playback for him, and even in the constricted confines of a horse cart, manages to bring a physicality to his performance. He is never still. (It is a complaint I always make about my younger son!) As always, he is teasing his heroine at their first meeting, having appropriated the only horse-cart to travel to his place of employment, while Ameeta has hailed it to go back home. He irritates Ameeta enough, but provides entertainment to the cart driver (Sunder), who is mucho amused at his antics. 

 3. Maang ke saath tumhara

Naya Daur (1957)

Singer: Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle

Music: OP Nayyar

Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
The OP-Sahir combo strikes again, in the trademark tonga song. To be honest, this is the song that always comes to mind when I think of tonga songs. The chemistry between the leads is crackling, Rafi and Asha are at their romantic best, the tune has just the verve needed to lift it from the merely banal to an outstanding composition, and Sahir's words make an avowal of love and support a solemn promise that touches your heart. It is a shame that OP and Sahir wouldn't work together again. Both leads also made you aware that they were actually in a moving vehicle, their bodies moving naturally with the motion of the tonga, and their hair ruffled by the breeze. Beautiful!

4. Bachpan ke din bhula na dena

Deedar (1951)
Singer: Mohammed Rafi
Music: Naushad
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni

Naushad again, teaming up again with long-time collaborator Shakeel Badayuni. This is a song that has two versions; one is a ghoda song with Shamshad Begum and Lata Mangeshkar doing the honours for Tabassum and Parikshit Sahni (as Ajay Sahni). The other is when the kids have grown up into Nargis and Dilip Kumar, with the latter mistaking his now-grown-up childhood friend's platonic friendship for love. In the film, they are travelling by the horse cart, with Nargis driving, when a child passing by on a horse triggers Dilip Kumar's memory and he sings the song that he had once sung with Nargis. She, by now affianced to Ashok Kumar, and not at all in love with Dilip, is uneasy, and his continued insistence on her not forgetting her childhood 'love' disturbs her so much that she almost loses control of the vehicle. Eventually, Ashok Kumar is forced to take the reins (but only after literally shutting Dilip Kumar up). 

5. Piya piya piya 
Baap re Baap (1955)
Singers: Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar
Music: OP Nayyar
Lyrics: Jaan Nisaar Akhtar

It is perhaps not surprising that with a theme like this, OP Nayyar should be the music director most represented on this list. Another tonga song, with Jaan Nisaar Akhtar doing the lyrical honours, the male voice is, for a change, Kishore Kumar, instead of Mohammed Rafi, isning for himself. Accompanying him is Asha Bholse, the voice of Chand Usmani. But this tonga has more than just the two of them. It has the tangewala and SN Bannerji, who is playing a very benevolent chaperone. I have mentioned the story behind this song on my blog before. In an interview, Asha Bhosle talked about how she began singing the first lines of the antara when it was Kishore who was supposed to be singing. Embarrassed (because in those days, it meant that they would have to record the whole song again), she apologised, but Kishore told her to continue. The song was to be picturised on him, and he assured her that he would make it alright. And he did, by gently closing Chand Usmani's mouth with his hand, while he continued with the rest of the verse. This is another song that is a perennial favourite. It never fails to bring a smile to my face.  

6. Sach kehta hoon bahut haseen ho 

Jaali Note (1960)
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle
Music: OP Nayyar
Lyrics: Anjaan
OP Nayyar again, this time teaming up with Anjaan as lyricist. Jaali Note is not a great film, but as with many films of that vintage, it had wonderful songs. Coupled with absolutely wonderful looking leads, even if Dev Anand has a moustache. (He managed to look rather dishy, nevertheless.) He is an undercover police inspector investigating a bunch of counterfeiters, while she is an undercover reporter masquerading as a job-seeker. It is a classic tonga beats song picturised in a Victoria, and is a very sensuous one to boot, with Dev Anand looking adequately besotted (which is not very difficult considering it is Madhubala next to him) and Madhubala looking positively adorable with that little crinkle in her nose and her megawatt smile. Perfect! 

7. Bheega bheega pyar ka sama 

Sawan (1959)

Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Shamshad Begum

Music: Hansraj Behl

Lyrics: Prem Dhawan

Now this is prime example of why I find the picturisation of Maang ke saath tumhara  so appealing. It is quite evident that though Bharat Bhushan and Ameeta are supposed to be travelling in a horse cart, they are actually stationary while the background moves. Neither of them are so good they can simulate the natural motion of being in a moving carriage either. My other problem with this song, and it is a personal peeve, I must admit, is that it is picturised on Bharat Bhushan. Somehow it does not match my perception of him as a perpetually tragic figure dressed in a dhoti or an achkan. But the song itself? A tonga song that is composed by someone other than Naushad or OP Nayyar is interesting in itself. But other than the sheer novelty of having another composer on the list is the fact that the song itself was a favourite long before I saw its picturisation. It's a lovely, breezy number sung to perfection by Mohammed Rafi and Shamshad Begum. 

8. Zara haule haule chalo 

Sawan ki Ghata (1966)

Singer: Asha Bhosle

Music: OP Nayyar

Lyrics: SH Bihari

Why Sharmila wants to woo a sulky-looking Manoj Kumar beats me, but obviously she has her own reasons. He is in a flashy red coat and matching cap (that alone would have disqualified him in my book, even without his stuffed shirt look), while she seems to be hidden, in the beginning at least, under a pile of hay. (Poor woman, I wonder how badly she itched after the shooting!) His peeved look could be because she is asking him to drive slowly, and because she insists on hanging on his shirt sleeves (Pad gayi janaab main toh aap ke gale, ab toh nibhaaye baghair na chale), but he begins to melt as her song goes on. How could he not? Sharmila looked radiant, the song is an absolute gem and Asha was wonderful, not missing a beat as she turns on the charm.   

9.O matware sajna

Faulad (1963)

Singer: Asha Bhosle

Music: GS Kohli

Lyrics: Farooq Kaiser
A lonely road, a handsome hero (Dara Singh), a long and possibly uncomfortable drive (they have to stand all the way), what better way to beguile the tedium than have a nubile young maiden (Mumtaz) burst into song? I must confess to a partiality towards Mumu. Besides, it brings back memories of long drives on empty roads with the music playing in the background. It is obviously not a well-known film, being one of the many that Mumtaz signed at the beginning of her career when she was trying to gain a foothold as a mainstream actress. She The music director is GS Kohli, an erstwhile assistant of OP Nayyar. It is no surprise that he follows in his mentor's footsteps in composing a tonga song. I like it for the verve with which Asha trills this tune; it encapsulates a young girl's sheer joy in being with the man she loves. 

10. Ae lo ji sanam hum aa gaye 

Andaz Apna Apna (1994)

Singers: Vicky Mehta, Behroze Chatterjee

Music: Tushar Bhatia

Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

I don't usually have a song from this period in my lists (unless I'm compiling one from newer films) but this has the look and feel of a 50s number. Composer Tushar Bhatia has gone on record to state his inspiration was his idol OP Nayyar. This song is a loving tribute to the maestro, and evokes pretty much the same feeling - one can quite easily imagine Mohammed Rafi and Geeta Dutt or Asha Bhosle trilling this delightful number. As songs go, this one owes its provenance not just to all OP Nayyar tonga songs, but to one in particular - Banda parwar thaam lo jigar from Phir Wohi Dil Laaya Hoon. The 'vintage song' feeling was echoed in its picturisation as well. Can't you just see Shammi Kapoor or Joy Mukherjee with one of the assorted heroines of the time being totally at home in this clip? I don't recall the Banda parwar picturisation, and haven't had the time to check it out on YouTube, but comments under this clip tell me that even the picurisation was almost similar to the classic OP Nayyar composition. 

Do you like  ghoda-gaadi songs? Do you have any favourite songs that fit this theme? 

p.s. Anyone looking for a playlist can find it here.