I have celebrated Raj Kapoor in songs before; his aptitude for playing various musical instruments, for instance, or his collaboration with his 'soul', or with Mohammed Rafi, and even unlikely voices lending him playback. But no matter who lent him their voice, he looked like he was singing; he could also emote the emotions expressed by the lyrics, while doing so. That's the mark of a great song-actor.
To continue to celebrate the man, the actor, the director, a song list that follows the 'Many Moods' theme that I began with Meena Kumari. As always, the only criterion is that he lip-syncs the song on-screen.
The challenge was to find songs that didn't appear on other 'RK songs' lists, so I had to drop favourites like Dil ka haal suno dilwale and Kisi ki muskuraahaton pe ho nisaar... But I finally curated a [very subjective] list of ten Raj Kapoor songs that reflect ten different moods.
Carefree
Awara
hoon
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
An iconic song, Awara hoon presented Raj Kapoor’s best known alter-ego – the tramp, modelled after his idol, Charlie Chaplin. He’s awara, a vagabond. He has no home, and no one to love him, but none of that matter. He’s free from all entanglements, and as happy as a lark. And despite all that the world has thrown at him, he hasn’t forgotten to smile.
Aabaad nahin barbaad sahi
Gaata hoon khushi ke geet magar
Zakhmon se bhara seena hai mera
Hansti hai magar ye mast nazar
Aashiq (1962)
Singer:
Mukesh
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shahryar
A lilting, happy melody about a man in love with all that life has to offer. This is one of Mukesh’s ‘happy songs’ and the lilt in his voice is complemented by Raj’s appearance on screen. He’s a man who’s singing his cares away; nothing matters when he’s out in the open, wandering who knows where.
Chala gar safar ko koi besahaara
Toh main ho liya sang liye ektaara
Gaata hua kuchh bhulaata hua
Main aashiq hoon bahaaron ka
Nazaaron ka fizaaon ka ishaaron ka
Main mastaana musaafir hoon
Jawaan dharti ke anjaane kinaaron ka
The lyrics reflect the character’s playfulness while Mukesh and Raj Kapoor express the joie de vivre of the music in both voice and expression.
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shahryar
A lilting, happy melody about a man in love with all that life has to offer. This is one of Mukesh’s ‘happy songs’ and the lilt in his voice is complemented by Raj’s appearance on screen. He’s a man who’s singing his cares away; nothing matters when he’s out in the open, wandering who knows where.
Chala gar safar ko koi besahaara
Toh main ho liya sang liye ektaara
Gaata hua kuchh bhulaata hua
Main aashiq hoon bahaaron ka
Nazaaron ka fizaaon ka ishaaron ka
Main mastaana musaafir hoon
Jawaan dharti ke anjaane kinaaron ka
The lyrics reflect the character’s playfulness while Mukesh and Raj Kapoor express the joie de vivre of the music in both voice and expression.
Romantic
Chori Chori
(1956)
Singer: Manna Dey
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
Mukesh may have been Raj Kapoor’s soul, but Manna has been equally effective in lending his voice to the actor. This song is a particular favourite of mine, with its hint of suppressed passions and an exhortation to seize the moment.
Chaand ki bahki nazar, kah rahi hai pyaar kar
Zindagi hai ik safar kaun jaane kal kidhar
It is also poignantly bittersweet given that this would be the last time Nargis would appear opposite Raj Kapoor, except for a cameo in Jagte Raho.
Aaja sanam madhur chandni mein hum is the only duet on this list. And that is because unlike Dev Anand or his brother, Shammi Kapoor, Raj rarely, if ever, serenaded his heroines. He had never positioned himself as a romantic hero and most of his romantic songs were, like Dilip Kumar's, duets.
Philosophical
Sajan re jhoot mat bolo
Teesri
Kasam (1966)
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Shankar Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
Teesri Kasam was the story of a bullock cart driver and his chance acquaintance with an itinerant dancer. Shailendra was known for the simplicity of his lyrics which could express profound truths, and in Sajan re jhoot mat bolo, he expresses the philosophy of this simple, rustic man – do good to others and good things will happen to you; do bad things and you will reap what you sow. All accounts will be squared on earth, and when you finally meet your maker, whether you are rich or poor doesn’t matter.
Tumhaare mahal chaubaare
Yahin rah jaayenge saare
Akad kis baat ki pyaare
Ye sar phir bhi jhukaana hai
It’s a stark reminder that greed and ambition may pay off for a while but when we die, we take nothing with us.
Heartbroken
Main paagal mera manwa paagal
Ashiana (1952)
Singer: Talat Mahmood
Music: Madan Mohan
Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan
Both Talat Mahmood and Madan Mohan could distil melancholy into its purest essence and nowhere is it more evident than in this achingly beautiful song. Music and melody become one, even as the character mourns his madness – his ‘deewanapan’. What does the world know, or understand of his madness? Only someone who has loved and lost can understand the depth of his deewangi. For it’s not just his love but he, too, who teeters on the edge of insanity.
Kahe ye duniya main deewana din ko dekhoon sapne
Deewaani duniya kya jaane ye sapne hain apne
Ghaayal man ki hansi udaaye ye duniya ki reet re
Singer: Manna Dey
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
Mukesh may have been Raj Kapoor’s soul, but Manna has been equally effective in lending his voice to the actor. This song is a particular favourite of mine, with its hint of suppressed passions and an exhortation to seize the moment.
Chaand ki bahki nazar, kah rahi hai pyaar kar
Zindagi hai ik safar kaun jaane kal kidhar
It is also poignantly bittersweet given that this would be the last time Nargis would appear opposite Raj Kapoor, except for a cameo in Jagte Raho.
Aaja sanam madhur chandni mein hum is the only duet on this list. And that is because unlike Dev Anand or his brother, Shammi Kapoor, Raj rarely, if ever, serenaded his heroines. He had never positioned himself as a romantic hero and most of his romantic songs were, like Dilip Kumar's, duets.
Philosophical
Sajan re jhoot mat bolo
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Shankar Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
Teesri Kasam was the story of a bullock cart driver and his chance acquaintance with an itinerant dancer. Shailendra was known for the simplicity of his lyrics which could express profound truths, and in Sajan re jhoot mat bolo, he expresses the philosophy of this simple, rustic man – do good to others and good things will happen to you; do bad things and you will reap what you sow. All accounts will be squared on earth, and when you finally meet your maker, whether you are rich or poor doesn’t matter.
Tumhaare mahal chaubaare
Yahin rah jaayenge saare
Akad kis baat ki pyaare
Ye sar phir bhi jhukaana hai
It’s a stark reminder that greed and ambition may pay off for a while but when we die, we take nothing with us.
Heartbroken
Main paagal mera manwa paagal
Singer: Talat Mahmood
Music: Madan Mohan
Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan
Both Talat Mahmood and Madan Mohan could distil melancholy into its purest essence and nowhere is it more evident than in this achingly beautiful song. Music and melody become one, even as the character mourns his madness – his ‘deewanapan’. What does the world know, or understand of his madness? Only someone who has loved and lost can understand the depth of his deewangi. For it’s not just his love but he, too, who teeters on the edge of insanity.
Kahe ye duniya main deewana din ko dekhoon sapne
Deewaani duniya kya jaane ye sapne hain apne
Ghaayal man ki hansi udaaye ye duniya ki reet re
Cynical
Aasmaan pe hain Khuda aur zameen pe hum
Phir
Subah Hogi (1958)
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Khayyam
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
Sahir was responsible for getting Khayyam onboard the film, and Khayyam vindicated the former’s trust in him. Adapted from Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, the film chronicled the journey of Ram, a poor law student, who unwittingly commits a murder. In this song, a ‘party song’ (that occurs before the murder), he mocks a God who allows atrocities to happen unchecked.
Aasmaan pe hai Khuda aur zameen pe hum
Aaj kal woh is taraf dekhta hai kam… he rues, even as he admits that there aren’t enough Gods to check on the burgeoning population. A song that’s still relevant to this day.
Kisko bheje woh yahaan khaaq chhaan-ne
Is tamaam bheed ka haal jaan-ne
Aadmi hain anginat devta hain kam
It’s a slyly humorous song. Phir Subah Hogi also had Sahir at his satirical best in Cheeno Arab hamara in which he parodied Iqbal’s Sare jahaan se achha.
Inebriated
Ruk jaa o jaanewaali ruk jaa
Kanhaiya (1959)
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Kalyanji-Anandji
Lyrics: Shailendra
While this may sound like a romantic serenade, Ruk jaa o jaanewali ruk jaa is a ‘happy drunk’ song. Kanhaiya (Raj Kapoor) is trying to catch a runaway bottle of liquor, all the while imploring it to stop. A quasi-fable based on the myth of a woman’s adoration of God, Kanhaiya is elevated by the acting – both Raj Kapoor and Nutan bring a certain believability to their roles. While the film does require a (huge) suspension of disbelief, especially when viewed through a modern prism, the songs are one of Kalyanji-Anandji’s best scores.
Patriotic
Honthon pe sachhaii rahti hai
Jis Desh
Mein Ganga Behti hai
(1960)
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
The lyrics speak of an ideal India, in which we are loving and accepting of our differences; where each life holds value, where greed does not triumph over common humanity.
Mehmaan jo hamara hota hai woh jaan se pyara hota hai
Ziyada ki nahin laalach humko thode mein guzaara hota hai
Inspired by Vinoba Bhave and Jaiprakash Narayan who appealed to dacoits to surrender, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai is the story of a simple (not simpleton) villager who is kidnapped by dacoits who suspect him of being an undercover policeman. When he eventually escapes and informs the police about their hideout, he’s appalled that the police are as brutal as the criminals they chase.
Shailendra’s lyrics, especially in the second (shorter) version of the song are still relevant today, if only to show us how far we have come from the ideals that were expressed more than six decades ago.
Hum kal kya thhe hum aaj hain kya
Is ka hi nahin abhimaan humein
Jis raah pe aage badhna hai
Hai us ki bhi pehchaan humein
If only!
Pensive
Dost dost na raha
Sangam (1964)
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
This is a rare ‘bewafaii’ song that is not actually accusing the beloved of being unfaithful. Not yet, anyway. He has returned unscathed from war and is just pleased to be with his friend and girlfriend (whose responsibility he had entrusted to his friend while he was away). He trusts them. But an army colleague had found out the hard way that his friend, whom he had trusted, had married his beloved while he was away. How could they do that, he wonders, even as Gopal (Rajendra Kumar), lifting his glass to his lips, pauses in consternation, and Radha (Vyjayanthimala) shrinks back in her seat. For after all, Sundar (Raj Kapoor) could well be singing of her and Gopal… whom she’s been in love with all along.
Amaanatein main pyaar ki gaya thha jisko saunp kar
Woh mere dost tum hi thhe tumhi toh thhe
Gale lagiin seham sham bhare gale se boltiin
Woh tum na thhi toh kaun tha? Tumhi to thin
It’s a foreboding of what will come, a tragedy that will destroy three lives due to one man’s obsession and the other’s complicity.
The audio version has a third verse which is not there in the film.
Resignation
Sab kuch seekha humne
Anari (1959)
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
Asha (Nutan) has persuaded Rajkumar (Raj Kapoor) that she’s a poor, working-class girl. Their friendship deepens into love until one day, Rajkumar discovers that ‘Asha’ is, in fact, Aarti, his wealthy employer’s niece. His world falling apart around him, Rajkumar rues that he had never been able to learn the duplicitous ways of the world; no wonder they call him an ‘anaari’. There's sadness there; there's resignation and self-deprecatory humour that presents a façade of happiness that cracks a couple of times. Watch how myriad expressions flit across his face – the hurt he hides behind a smile, the sadness at having been deceived, an acknowledgement that he’s been a fool… watch also Nutan’s non-verbal reactions: together, they form a masterclass in acting.
[The dancer in the song is Meena Fernandez.]
Shaam se
lekar roz sahar tak,
Tere liye main har raat jali,
Maine toh haye ye bhi na jaana
Kab din duba kab raat dhali… wrote Shailendra in Aashiq (1962). These lines could easily fit Raj Kapoor’s passion for cinema – a passion for which he lived, and died. He had once told his eldest son, Randhir Kapoor, "Whenever I die, take me to my studio for it is possible that amidst the glitter of all the lights, I may get up again and shout, "Action! Action!" " That is how much he loved cinema.
For being the
creative genius who inspired everyone around you to come up with their best
work; for taking risks for the sheer love of cinema; for the countless hours of
entertainment in darkened cinema halls; for every hour spent laughing and
crying and being angry at your on-screen characters; for the bonding with my
father over your films and your music; for teaching me to appreciate cinema, my
deepest gratitude.
Aasmaan pe hain Khuda aur zameen pe hum
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Khayyam
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
Sahir was responsible for getting Khayyam onboard the film, and Khayyam vindicated the former’s trust in him. Adapted from Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, the film chronicled the journey of Ram, a poor law student, who unwittingly commits a murder. In this song, a ‘party song’ (that occurs before the murder), he mocks a God who allows atrocities to happen unchecked.
Aasmaan pe hai Khuda aur zameen pe hum
Aaj kal woh is taraf dekhta hai kam… he rues, even as he admits that there aren’t enough Gods to check on the burgeoning population. A song that’s still relevant to this day.
Kisko bheje woh yahaan khaaq chhaan-ne
Is tamaam bheed ka haal jaan-ne
Aadmi hain anginat devta hain kam
It’s a slyly humorous song. Phir Subah Hogi also had Sahir at his satirical best in Cheeno Arab hamara in which he parodied Iqbal’s Sare jahaan se achha.
Inebriated
Ruk jaa o jaanewaali ruk jaa
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Kalyanji-Anandji
Lyrics: Shailendra
While this may sound like a romantic serenade, Ruk jaa o jaanewali ruk jaa is a ‘happy drunk’ song. Kanhaiya (Raj Kapoor) is trying to catch a runaway bottle of liquor, all the while imploring it to stop. A quasi-fable based on the myth of a woman’s adoration of God, Kanhaiya is elevated by the acting – both Raj Kapoor and Nutan bring a certain believability to their roles. While the film does require a (huge) suspension of disbelief, especially when viewed through a modern prism, the songs are one of Kalyanji-Anandji’s best scores.
Patriotic
Honthon pe sachhaii rahti hai
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
The lyrics speak of an ideal India, in which we are loving and accepting of our differences; where each life holds value, where greed does not triumph over common humanity.
Mehmaan jo hamara hota hai woh jaan se pyara hota hai
Ziyada ki nahin laalach humko thode mein guzaara hota hai
Inspired by Vinoba Bhave and Jaiprakash Narayan who appealed to dacoits to surrender, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai is the story of a simple (not simpleton) villager who is kidnapped by dacoits who suspect him of being an undercover policeman. When he eventually escapes and informs the police about their hideout, he’s appalled that the police are as brutal as the criminals they chase.
Shailendra’s lyrics, especially in the second (shorter) version of the song are still relevant today, if only to show us how far we have come from the ideals that were expressed more than six decades ago.
Hum kal kya thhe hum aaj hain kya
Is ka hi nahin abhimaan humein
Jis raah pe aage badhna hai
Hai us ki bhi pehchaan humein
If only!
Pensive
Dost dost na raha
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
This is a rare ‘bewafaii’ song that is not actually accusing the beloved of being unfaithful. Not yet, anyway. He has returned unscathed from war and is just pleased to be with his friend and girlfriend (whose responsibility he had entrusted to his friend while he was away). He trusts them. But an army colleague had found out the hard way that his friend, whom he had trusted, had married his beloved while he was away. How could they do that, he wonders, even as Gopal (Rajendra Kumar), lifting his glass to his lips, pauses in consternation, and Radha (Vyjayanthimala) shrinks back in her seat. For after all, Sundar (Raj Kapoor) could well be singing of her and Gopal… whom she’s been in love with all along.
Amaanatein main pyaar ki gaya thha jisko saunp kar
Woh mere dost tum hi thhe tumhi toh thhe
Gale lagiin seham sham bhare gale se boltiin
Woh tum na thhi toh kaun tha? Tumhi to thin
It’s a foreboding of what will come, a tragedy that will destroy three lives due to one man’s obsession and the other’s complicity.
The audio version has a third verse which is not there in the film.
Resignation
Sab kuch seekha humne
Singer: Mukesh
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
Asha (Nutan) has persuaded Rajkumar (Raj Kapoor) that she’s a poor, working-class girl. Their friendship deepens into love until one day, Rajkumar discovers that ‘Asha’ is, in fact, Aarti, his wealthy employer’s niece. His world falling apart around him, Rajkumar rues that he had never been able to learn the duplicitous ways of the world; no wonder they call him an ‘anaari’. There's sadness there; there's resignation and self-deprecatory humour that presents a façade of happiness that cracks a couple of times. Watch how myriad expressions flit across his face – the hurt he hides behind a smile, the sadness at having been deceived, an acknowledgement that he’s been a fool… watch also Nutan’s non-verbal reactions: together, they form a masterclass in acting.
[The dancer in the song is Meena Fernandez.]
Tere liye main har raat jali,
Maine toh haye ye bhi na jaana
Kab din duba kab raat dhali… wrote Shailendra in Aashiq (1962). These lines could easily fit Raj Kapoor’s passion for cinema – a passion for which he lived, and died. He had once told his eldest son, Randhir Kapoor, "Whenever I die, take me to my studio for it is possible that amidst the glitter of all the lights, I may get up again and shout, "Action! Action!" " That is how much he loved cinema.
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| Pic: Courtesy - Ritu Nanda |
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