What a lark….

Bollywood movies ever since they evolved from the Silent Movie era have virtually almost always had songs. Movies made without any songs are truly the exception and can be counted on the digits of one’s fingers.

While most are in keeping with the situation, some appear to be a tad contrived, especially if designed to evoke a chortle, laugh or guffaw. Since we have had a number of comic heroes and comic actors, such songs are to be found aplenty. That doesn’t make them any the less enjoyable nor less memorable. Look at this song from the 50s movie by Dev Anand, Taxi Driver. A movie made by Navketan, it was written by Chetan Anand, his wife Uma and brother Vijay Anand. Chetan Anand directed this amazing musical romance. It had Dev Anand romance Kalpana Kartik and Sheila Ramani in the movie and in real life, sneak off to marry Kalpana Kartik secretly during the lunch break with a handful of friends in tow and returning nonchalantly after the deed was done.

Sachin Dev Burman had a wonderful, symbiotic, long partnership with Navketan and Dev Anand. This score won the Filmfare, for the rather introspective Talat Mahmood song, Jayen to Jayen Kahan… The movie has 4 Lata solos, 1 Talat solo, 1 Asha Bhosle solo , 1 duet between Asha Bhosle and Jagmohan Bakshi and this single Kishore Kumar song. https://youtu.be/zBTA_JPjm6o

I really love this frothy, utterly meaningless song picturized on the usual suspects. Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi’s voice pipes into the song, one that will always make you smile and laugh. Amazingly the lyrics are written by a very accomplished poet who contributed to so many meaningful, profound songs in Bollywood: Sahir Ludhiyanvi.

चाहे कोई खुश हो चाहे गालियाँ हज़ार दे
मस्त राम बन के ज़िंदगी के दिन गुज़ार दे

पी के धाँधली करे तो मुझको जेल भेज दो
सूँघने में क्या है ये जवाब थानेदार दे

भाव अगर बढ़ा भी डाले सेठ यार ग़म न कर
खाये जा मजे के साथ जब तलक़ उधार दे

धत् तेरे की!
हवा निकल गया
जैक् लगाओ
चक्का, पहिया, पम्पिंग्

बाँट कर जो खाये उसपे अपनी जान ओ दिल लुटा
अरे जो बचाये माल उसको जूतियों का हार दे

Who could have expected such lyrics from the man who gave us many a piece of profound verse? But that’s also the versatility of the man. https://youtu.be/RGasN0FvTzA

Stay safe, happy and healthy, folks. Enjoy the song as I go around town under unseasonally overcast skies that look threateningly keen to jettison their moisture at a moment’s notice. Have a wonderful day