Posts Tagged ‘Tribute’

Radio Cylone tributes to Geeta ji

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2015

Geeta Dutt

Today Radio Ceylon paid a tribute to Geeta ji in their Film Sangeet programme. Here is the song detail thanks to Narsingh D Agnish ji:-
Film Sangeet (in memory of Geeta Roy/Dutt on her death anniversary)
1. Non-film bhajan – Geeta Dutt – jamuna ke teer kaa.nha aavo जमुना के तीर कान्हा आवो
2. Mr & Mrs 55 (1955) – Geeta Dutt – preetam aan milo – OP Nayyar (Saroj Nayyar) प्रीतम आन मिलो [originally issued as a private song by CH Atma]
3. Milaap (1955) – Geeta Dutt – chhahay bhi jo dil jaana na wahaa.n – N Dutta (Sahir Ludhianvi) चाहे भी जो दिल जाना ना वहाँ
4. Savera (1958) – Geeta Dutt – thehro zara si dair to – Sailesh (Prem Dhawan) ठहरो ज़रा सी देर तो आख़िर चले ही जाओगे
5. Baaz (1953) – Geeta Roy – ae dil-e-diwanay (3) aag laga li kyo.n daman mei.n – OP Nayyar (Majrooh Sultanpuri) ऐ दिल ऐ दीवाने (3) आग लगा ली क्यों दामन में
6. Aar Paar (1954) – Geeta Dutt – ja ja ja ja bewafa, kaisa pyar kaisi preet re – OP Nayyar (Majrooh Sultanpuri) जा जा जा जा बेवफ़ा, कैसा प्यार कैसी प्रीत रे, तू ना किसी का मीत रे
7. Baadbaan (1954) – Geeta Dutt – kaise koyi jiye (2) zahar hai zindagi utha toofaan – Timir Baran & SK Pal (Indivar) कैसे कोई जिये (2) ज़हर है ज़िन्दगी उठा तूफ़ान
8. Sailab (1956) – Geeta Dutt – hai ye duniya kaun si ae dil mujhay kya ho gaya – Mukul Roy (Majrooh Sultanpuri) है ये दुनिया कौन सी ऐ दिल मुझे क्या हो गया, जैसे मन्ज़िल पर कोई आके मुसाफ़िर खो गया
9. Kaagaz Ke Phool – Geeta Dutt – waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam, tum rahay na tum – SD Burman (Kaifi Azmi) वक़्त ने किया क्या हंसीं सितम, तुम रहे ना तुम हम रहे ना हम

Here is the programme audio thanks to Ashwani Kumar ji:-

Last Saturday also Radio Ceylon had paid tribute in their Ek Aur Anek Programme. Here are the details again thanks to Agnish ji:-
Part 1. Ek Aur Anek (Geeta Roy/Dutt with other singers)
1. Banwre Nain (1950) – Geeta Roy & Mukesh – khayalo.n mei.n kisi ke iss tarah aaya nahi kartay – Roshan (Kedar Sharma) ख़यालों में किसी के, इस तरह आया नहीं करते, किसी को बेवफ़ा आ आ के तड़पाया नहीं करते
2. Karwat (1949) – Geeta Roy & SD Batish – mei.n angoor ki bail piya – Hans Raj Bahal (Saif-ud-din Saif) मैं अंगूर की बेल पिया
3. Pyaase Panchhi (1961) – Geeta Dutt & Manna Dey – babu bol kaisa rokaa hum ne dhoondha kaisa mauka – Kalyanji Anandji (Qamar Jalalabadi) बाबू बोल कैसा रोका हम ने ढूँढा कैसा मौका
4. Shararat (1959) – Geeta Dutt & Kishore – tu ne mera dil liya, teri baato.n ne jadoo kiya – Shankar Jaikishan (Hasrat Jaipuri) तू ने मेरा दिल लिया तेरे बातों ने जादू किया, हाय न जाने क्या कर दिया
5. Manzil (1960) – Geeta Dutt & Rafi – chupkay se milay pyaase pyaase kuchh hum kuchh tum – SD Burman (Majrooh Sultanpuri) चुपके से मिले, प्यासे प्यासे कुछ हम कुछ तुम, क्या हो जो घटा बरसे खुल के रुम-झुम रुम-झुम
6. Police (1958) – Geeta Dutt & Hemant Kumar – chalei.n hum kahaa.n kaho – Hemant Kumar (Majrooh Sultanpuri) चलें हम कहाँ कहो चलें हम कहाँ
7. Doctor Z (1959) – Geeta Dutt & Talat – dil ko lagaa ke bhool se dilka nishan mita diya – Manohar (Akhtar Romani) दिल को लगा के भूल से दिल का निशां मिटा दिया
8. Pareeksha (1963) – Geeta Dutt & Mahendar Kapoor – gham ki aag mei.n hum to jaltay yahaa.n – SN Tripathi (SR Saaz) ग़म की आग में हम तो जलते यहाँ

This is the song audio thanks to Ashwani ji:-

Heartfelt tribute from a young fan

Tuesday, July 21st, 2015

Geeta Dutt

Sautrik Bhattacharya:

On the eve of her death anniversary it is very natural to feel sad on our parts being very faithful fans of our beloved singer Geeta Dutt. I feel myself extremely lucky to be able to apprehend the sweetness of her voice, the serenity of her vox and heartfelt emotions of her singing when my age mates and friends take pride in defaming old melodies and praising the likes of Honey singh. From a very childhood the beauty of old songs have attracted me beyond attraction, but Geeta ji’s songs have always been special. I don’t know actually how she silently captured the apex position in the kingdom of melody of my mind, but I have always felt a deep sense of connection from the very first time I remember listening her.

Her voice was such a fine actress, that I just can’t stop admiring the genius, playing roles from a little boy to a mother, sister, leader, lover, teacher, fighter, devotee, wife, friend and many more including a fruit seller. She could have played many more roles but may be we were not lucky to behold those acts. Though people give reasons for her early demise I think she had come on earth borrowing the voice of God thus departed early. But still among her short stay among us she gifted us ample songs to make peace with our souls. I do want to live long and one reason for that is simply to listen her. May God grant me a small luck that whenever I leave this melodious earth I may leave with peace and satisfaction in heart and Geeta ji’s songs in ears.

Tributes from music lovers

Tuesday, July 21st, 2015

Geeta Dutt

Today on 20th July, some music lovers on social networking site Facebook offered their tributes to Geeta Dutt ji. The tributes were from songs different languages, film and non-film songs. Some were songs from the 40s and some were from early 70s. The moods of the songs ranged from sad, club, romantic, devotional, lullaby and so on. Many were rare songs and some others were very popular ones. All this clearly indicates the wide range and versatility of Geeta ji’s singing. We are sharing some of such tributes here.

Lakshmi Priya:

Do we need to know the language to enjoy such songs. This is the 1st bengali song my father made me hear. Decades later I found it again on you tube . Those days doordarshan used to now and then air such songs
My father was derilious with joy hearing this.Eai Nishi Raat…… Bengali film song By Geeta Dutta from the movie Prithibi Amarey Chai

Sudarshan Pandey:

Dedicating this song to Geeta ji. It is like Gangaajal se Ganga Pooja. If you listen to this song either in afternoon or in night it is more powerful and heart piercing voice of Geeta Dutt ji which will take you to another world of pain. She was the lady who felt the brunt of Guru Dutt’s unfolded moods. None of us can find a better answer for Guru Dutt’s state of mind to be in such mysterious mood. But it is really easy to understand her mental position to live with a genius and mysterious Guru Dutt. I always feel that there is very real Geeta ji in this song, instilling her passion, her agony, her confusion or state of mind into this song.

Parag Sankla:

First post on this theme dedicated to my most beloved voice, Geeta ji. The very touching melodious song expresses my feelings. Jab tum nahin toh chaand sitaare main kya karun, yeh phool yeh chaman yeh nazaare main kyaa karu , Film – Kitna Badal Gaya Insaan 1957, MD – Hemant Kumar, Lyricist – S.H.Bihari, Singer – Geeta Dutt

Parag Sankla:

Third post. True magic in less than 3 minutes long audio. The maestro composer Pandit S N Tripathi ji, lyricist Ramesh Chandra Pandey, actress Meena Kumari and singer Geeta Roy creates this near perfect melody for the film Laxmi Narayan (1951). Gayi birhaa ki raat aaya hain naya prabhaat

Deepa Buty:

I wonder why this song & how a song like this can be deleted from the movie. Each time you listen to it & you feel the power in her voice as well as the intoxication she spreads through singing.

Meeta Mukherjee:

My third post is a mujra sung by Geeta Dutt from the movie Savera (1958) penned by Prem Dhawan which was composed by my father in law Shree Sailesh Mukherjee…She used to come to my in law’s residence for rehearsals.

Rajendra Bora:

This song of Geeta Ji is full of pathos. The words, the music and top of all her voice goes straight to deep in your heart. It is from unreleased film ‘Bhool Na Jaana’. The song was written by Ghanshyam Aacharya and melodiously composed by late Daan Singh, both belonging to Jaipur (Rajasthan).

Kailash Mundra:

CID : I dedicate this song to Geeta Duttji & Bombay (Mumbai) . I have been visiting Mumbai since the 50’s and feel nostalgic whenever I see such songs depicting Bombay ! The old clear roads, the royal feeling of riding in Victoria (buggie).
This is a fantastic song which was on top of Binaca Geetmala in 1956 and love the rhythm of this memorable song . Majroohsaab’s words are applicable in Mumbai even today ” beghar ko awaara yahan kehte has has, khud katey galey sabke kahe isko business”. Thing to note is Geeta ji makes an appearance only at the end of the song but leaves her impact

Nikhil E Iyer:

Geeta ji sang so many wonderful duets with Hemant Kumar from which their best song cannot be easily categorized..This is one such song from Bhagwat Mahima(1955) composed by Hemant Da and penned by Pt Madhur…’Har Dukh Ka Savera Hai, Par Shaam Nahi Hai,
Bhagwan Teri Duniya Mein Aaram Nahi Hai’..

Gajendra Khanna:

Another adored non-film by Geeta ji which I can never get over is “Hum Ban Rahe The Jinke Woh Ban Gaye Hamaare”. I discovered this few years back and have been enamoured ever since.
Its composed by Kanu Ghosh and the lyrics are by Madhukar Rajasthani. Just give a listen to this song. Can anyone sound sweeter!

Gajendra Khanna:

Geeta Roy was a singer par excellence and its not surprising that Sajjad Hussain used her singing in quite a few of his films. Enjoy this delightful song, one of my favourites, from movie Sangdil picturised on the lovely Madhubala (who are a great combination!). Enjoy Darshan Pyaasi Aayi Daasi Jagmag Deep Jalaaye to appreciate the pathos that Geeta Roy could deliver, seemingly effortlessly (but try singing it!)

Gajendra Khanna:

I am quite fond of her songs as some of you know. This non-film Hindi song is one of my favourites. It was composed by V Balsara and is called Gaayein Gaayein Naye Tarane Gaayein. Its a quite delightful song.

Nikhil E Iyer:

My first song for the Theme is this soothing melody rendered by Geeta Dutt from Husn Ka Chor(1953)..There was a time when I heard these songs continuously for hours and hours. Even now when i listen this song, I get tears. Though this is a wonderful composition by Bulo C Rani and penned by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, but for me this song is only Geeta Dutt song..Its been made for her.. God gifted her a beautiful voice, but it was she who made that divine gift eternal.

Aditya Pant:
Sharing a recent discovery of an extremely rare song on Geeta Dutt’s death anniversary… based on a popular folk tune.
Naach Rahi Naach Rahi Champakali – Awara Shahzadi (1956) – Geeta Dutt & Chorus – Jimmy – Khawar Zaman

Suman Vinod:

Two Voices that will Always Vibrate in our hearts—Two Lovely Singers—Two Careers Cut Short due to different reasons—yet what we Got will last us Many Lifetimes—

Archisman Mozumder:

A song of Geeta Dutt, on her death anniversary, with the lady who operated in a somewhat similar domain of song-genre – Asha Bhonsle.

This sprightly song is a visual treat as well. Vijay Anand’s deft camera-work, Shashikala’s fetching expressions & most importantly, Helen’s ebullient yet graceful movements.

The crisp musical orchestration & arrangement (most probably) is Anthony Gonsalves’… An indication of how vital they are, to enhance the beauty of a song. Lovely and crooning accordion for the languid and sensual part of Geeta ji and the bubbly brass /trumpets for busy part of Asha ji.

Lalita Chidambaram:

Remembering Geeta Dutt on her death anniversary.This particular song happened to be sung by me for the next two generations.Still it is as fresh as it was when I heard it for the first time!

Amitabh Nigam:

Remembering Geeta Dutt today on her death anniversary. Sad songs conveyed the pain more effectively in her voice. This Shailendra song composed by Mukul Roy is a case in point. The yearning in her voice made songs pathos-laden and has been unmatched.

Darkndusky Hoon (Bharathi):

batao kya karungi mai jab gham ki raat aayegi
jo ghum ki raat aayegi mai chaand banke aaunga
tamam rat khwab me tumhare jagmagaunga

dikha sakoge khwab kya jo nind hi na aayegi
na aaye nind ghum nahi mai neend ban ke aaunga
aur aake in gulabi ankhdiyon ko choom jaunga

and so it goes ….Sweet lyrics by Kaifi Azmi and SDB’s dhun . Geeta and Rafi saab’s voices just tug at your heart strings…Have been wantign to post this song for an eon now ….Long Live GD ….

Archana Gupta:

Lovely, rarer song and reminds me very strongly of “Tum to dil ke taar chhed kar” – not just music, not just lyrics, not just the “style” but the complete package. Mukhda also took me to this one for some unexplicable reason though there is no real similarity beyond GD smile emoticon (and maybe I was simply in the mood to post this one today and am too lazy to write a real post – yes I should and pay a fitting tribute to the lady but for now will add this one here smile emoticon ) Love this song and the effect of longing and anticipation that Geeta Dutt produces with her inflection as she sings

Venkata Raman G:

The Banner depicting a Naiyya in the Sea inspires me to Post this song as a tribute to the one and only GEETA DUTT nee Geetā Ghosh Roy Chowdhuri (23 November 1930 – 20 July 1972) Prolific & Prominent Indian Playback singer, on her Death Anniversary today

Maaji Albele (Pyaar Ka Kanta Man Ki Machariya)
Geeta Dutt
O P Nayyar
Majrooh Sultanpuri
Baaz (1953)

Vijay Kumar:

Remembering Geeta Dutt. Hoon abhi main jawan ai dil..

Geeta’s voice chases as no other voice, leaving one soaked in the song sentiment for a while longer. A few instances : the pining in a climbing resonance of koi door se awaj de chale aao….., the ‘sobbing’ rendition in mera sunder sapna toot gaya…. or the resignation inherent in waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam……My post though is live-the-moment number – hoon abhi main jawan ai dil. But please give another look to the lyrics. It seems to be summing up the pain, the poignance or even the ecstasy in Geeta’s life. Perhaps, Geeta-Guru was a classic case of complementing tragedies !

Hoon Abhi Main Jawaan Ae Dil, Hoon Abhi Main Jawaan

Dibyendu Dey:

My Tribute to the immortal Singer on her death anniversary…A less-heard song from the bengali movie Sathihara
lyrics- Gouriprasanna Mazumdar, Music- Hemant kumar.

Arvinder Sharma:

Of Jogan songs, there’s not much to say for me, as countless pages must have been devoted by Geeta Dutt fans, who are prolific writers, and understand the music better than me.
But if initially I was swept over by the great Bhajans of this film, it was later on that other Geeta Dutt songs, the playful ones, caught my attention. And I find them no less beautiful.
Odhni pe bijliyon Ki kook, a stanza, I used to rewind my cassette player just enough to listen to it again, still can’t get over. What a rendering. RIP GEETA DUTT !

Acknowledgments:

1) Geeta ji’s son-in-law Naushad Memon ji (who is married to Geeta ji’s daughter Neena ji) shared this wonderful photo today. Thank you Naushad ji for this lovely photo.

2) We are grateful to all the music lovers for their tributes.

Yaad karoge yaad karoge – Fan’s tribute : Usha Harlalka

Sunday, July 19th, 2015

Geeta Dutt

Remembering Geeta Dutt on her 43rd death anniversary on 20th July, her melodious that immortalized songs like Waqt ne kiya and Jaane kya tune kahi, continues to enthrall listeners and remain in our heart and soul forever.

1) One of her song that I love to listen is from the film Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam (1960) . It’s a different flavor of love, where the lady is waiting for her beloved to arrive . Geeta Dutt’s sultry voice is just perfect for this song. Playfulness, naughtiness, coyness, sweetness everything is on display in her voice.
The lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni and the masterpiece composition by Hemant Kumar captures the feelings of a newly married typical Indian woman of those days beautifully. Hence we find a touch of “Sharang” or being more specific, “Brindabani Sharang”. The song only partially follows the notes of the “Kafi Thaat” to which the particular Raaga belongs to. Hence we can not refer to it as a Raga-Based song despite the influence of “Sharang” !

2) Another nostalgia and one of the early songs sung by Geeta Roy was “Mera Sunder Sapna Beet Gaya…” in Do bhai 1946 . The music is by the legendary S D Burman, and the lyricist was Raja Mehndi Ali Khan . The prelude of the song starts with the guitars which makes it just too good ! The song is based on Raag Bilawal .

3) This is a very sweet duet song to listen to. In fact, the movie “Baawre Nain “(1950 ) was full of memorable songs. The music director was Roshan and the songs were penned by Kidar Sharma who was also the producer and director of the film .The song “Khayaalon mein kisi ke” is sung by Geeta Dutt and Mukesh and their collaboration makes this masterpiece remembered fondly to this day. The voice of Geeta Dutt sounds so refreshing and melodious in this song.

4) One of the immortal bhajans is from “Jogan” (1950). It is sung by Geeta Dutt and this bhajan is one of the most memorable songs of her career. Bulo C Rani was the music director . The lyrics of this song by Meera Bai .

This song is easily one of the iconic songs of bollywood that has led to countless variations and versions, but I like Geeta Dutt version only . It is based on raag Darbari Kanada .

5) Here is a song, a timeless classic from the movie “Baadbaan” (1954) ” .Both Geeta Dutt and Hemant Kumar versions have been rendered with deep pathos, but to me, GD’s rendition touches to the core and is incomparable , the piano sounds heavenly .

Indeewar is the lyricist and music was composed by Timir Baran and S K Pal.

6) This is one of the best peppy songs from old classic suspense movie Mujrim (1958) . Geeta Dutt is singing for Geeta Bali . This song is filmed on Club . Geeta Bali made a special appearance in this film starring her real life husband Shammi Kapoor and Ragini. Clapping sounds and trumpets makes it very enjoyable to watch and listen .

Music Director was O P Nayyar and lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri

7) Here is a very delightful song from Basu Bhattacharya’s Anubhav (1971). Considering that this movie was released in 1971 and Geeta Dutt passed away around the same time, this must be the final time when her wonderful voice was heard in a Bollywood movie.

Music Director is Kanu Roy and the song is penned by Kapil Kumar and sung by Geeta Dutt.

8) This song is quite romantic setting song from the movie Jaan Pehchaan 1950. The song is sung by Talat Mehmood and Geeta Dutt. Shakeel Badayuni is the lyricist. Music is composed by Khemchand Prakash .

9) Another gem from the movie Dilruba 1950 . This song sung by Geeta Roy and G M Durrani .Awesome composition by Gyan Dutt and penned by S.H. Bihari. It is filmed on the romantic pair of Rehana and Dev Anand.

10) One of the best and peppy song from the golden treasure of the melody queen Geeta Dutt is Chand ghatne laga, raat dhalne lagi, Aarzoo mere dil ki machalne lagi . This peppy Geeta Dutt number is a sheer joy to listen to. A dance number, it nevertheless talks of love and her heart’s desires, and how it is unaffected by the waning of the moon and the passing of the night.

The song is written by S H Bihari. Music is composed by Hemant Kumar from the movie Shart 1954.

Acknowledgement: We sincerely thank our friend and Geeta ji’s fan Usha Harlalka ji for writing this tribute on our special request.

Program on Geeta ji’s songs in Delhi on 1st October 2013

Monday, September 23rd, 2013

Program invite

Your gracious presence is requested at the Celebration of JASHN-E-TAJURBAAT a Cultural program dedicated to Senior Citizens on Tuesday, 1st October 2013 at sharp 6pm at Indira Gandhi Kala Kendra, Noida Office Complex, Sector–6, Noida.

Under the music direction of Mr. Pavan Naidu, famous singer Ms. Sheetal Gupta will sing immortal melodies of Late play back singer GEETA DUT, a star of Golden era of Indian film music. Beside Sheetal Mrs. Anjila Gugnani, Mr. OP Khanna, Mr. LR Bhalla, Mr. Vinay Sethia, Mrs Achla Srivastava and eminent singer and founder of Malhar Sngeet Kala Kendra Mrs. Parminder Chaddha will also perform on this occasion. Dancing numbers will performed under the auspices of Mrs. Stuti, Mr. Rajnikant Thakur & Mrs. Antima Verma.

This special program is being organised for the last many years by Om Vishranti Charitable Society and Navratan Foundations. Thanks to Ashok Srivastava ji for sharing the program invite.

Main toh Giridhar ke ghar jaaoon…

Sunday, July 21st, 2013

Geeta Dutt

City- Bombay (Now Mumbai)
Date- 20th july 1972
Place- Harkissondas Hospital,Bombay

Few people were standing in the corridor . Anxiety,sorrow,helplessness and a little hope was clearly writ on their faces.They were all quiet.No one was talking to anyone.Their body language gave away their agony and restlessness.

Suddenly,a Doctor came out of a patient’s room.All ran to him and then stopped.The Doctor’s face and the tears in his eyes told them what they were afraid of.
No one said anything.No one asked anything. The Doctor said, ” I am sorry.She is no more.” He left, dragging his heavy feet.

The end of an Angel had come !
Geeta Dutt was left us for ever !!
Only her memories and the inimitable voice was left behind !!!

Born on 23-11-1930 at Idlapur in Fareedkot District of East Bengal,to a big Zamindar,Devendranath Roy Chaudhury and Amiya Roy Chaudhury,Geeta inherited her mother’s love for music.She learnt Classical Music from Pt.Hirendranath Chaudhury,while studying in an Anglo-Bangla school.

When she was just 12 year old,the family had to run away from East Bengal,to save their lives-leaving all property behind- to Bombay. In Bombay,we all know how Pt. Hanuman Prasad,MD(ex husband of Lalita Pawar) discovered her for playback in Hindi films. Later when S D Burman her her singing,he knew instinctively that this was the voice which make him successful and establish in Bombay. Till then Burman had not succeeded much to his satisfaction. To give her songs in ‘ Do Bhai ‘, he had to convince Chunilal of Filmistan,with great difficulty.

Geeta did not disappoint.’ Mera sunder sapna beet gaya” and ” Yaad karoge” made history and put both Geeta and Burman in Top league overnight.

Do Bhai made other famous composers to sit up and take notice of this new voice. They lined up to give Geeta ‘ Gaaon’-47(Khemchand Prakash), Leela,Shehnai and Saajan-47 ( C.Ramchandra),Geet Govind-47(Gyan Dutt),Actress-48(Shyamsunder),Chunariya-48(Hansraj Behl),Padmini-48(Ghulam Hyder) and Ek thi Larki-49(Vinod).

1950 was Geeta’s year.Many hits came Banwre nain,Har har mahadev and Jogan solidified her position on Top.Composers felt she was inevitable,for their success.

Before recording,Geeta used to sit with Lyricist,understand the words and the implied meanings,then hear the tune from the composer and then sing in her own style. Basically,Geeta was very Gifted and hence with just one rehearsal,she could record the song to the entire satisfaction of all concerned.This made her the darling of the Composers.

Now,the newer MDs like,Hemant kumar,Vasat desai,madan Mohan and O P Nayyar also vied with each others to take Geeta. While doing Baazi,she met Guru Dutt and they got married on 26-5-1953. She was earning thousands of rupees in singing,but that time Guru Dutt was not that successful.Some magazines and Papers,saidthat he married Geeta for her money. Guru Dutt was furious and asked Geeta NOT to sing for others,restricting her to only his films.This supposedly suffocated her and she rebelled aginst it,which affected their relationship further.

Geeta had a liking and flair for acting. In Calcutta,she had acted as a Heroine in bangla film-‘ Badhu baran”. She did get some more offers but once she decided to settle in Bombay she refused all offers. Few people know that in Bombay a Hindi film- ‘ Tera saath hai Pyaara ‘,with Geeta as a Heroine had started,but unfortunately,after few reels,the film got shelved. To give a chance to her and to mend their relationship,Guru Dutt started filming ‘ Gauri” with Geeta as a heroine, a bi-lingual in Bengali and Hindi. However due to resons not known to us,Guru Dutt shelved this Bangla film after shooting a few reels. This made the couple more distanced from each others. We all know the story’s end…..

Somewhere in 1971,there was a programme ” Yaaden Shakeel ki” in Bhaidas Hall,Parle. I had gone to that programme and I saw Geeta Dutt there. Many singers had come there-Rafi,mukesh,mahendra kapoor,Chandru Atma and Lata. When Lata was to come for singing there was a flurry of activity on the stage with everybody trying to please Lata. Lata came,sang and left like a Queen. When geeta came on the stage,hardly anyone did anything for her. This is how this world is ! geeta came,drew Harmonium near her and sang a Gazal of Shakeel Badayuni “Ujaale apni yaadon ke”. When she finished,there was a clapping louder that what Lata had received,from the Audience-people knew her value !!

Geeta was optimistic even in the year 1971. She used to say, ‘ If 2 hit songs in Aradhana can take Kishore Kumar to the Top, even 2 Hit songs for me will do the same.” But it was not to be. Even the regular composers like O P Nayyar already turned their backs on her. The Destiny decided to call her back !!!

One of my regrets was that if only Naushad had supported Geeta,she would have gained eminence for his songs for ever,like Saigal,Surendra,parul Ghosh,Zohrabai,Amirbai,Naseem Akhtar,Shamshad,Noorjehan,Suraiya,UmaDevi,talat,mukesh,Rafi and Lata….but Geeta’s name was not in this list. I am not a statistician,so I can not say how many songs she sang for Naushad,but i am sure it was almost nothing except a half song in Dillagi (1949) and a club song in Son of India (1962).

Geeta’s voice was typical Bengali.She sang all kinds of songs wonderfully but was truly a master at melancholies. Burman da who gave her emotional songs in Do Bhai,also gave her peppy club songs in Baazi,to make use of the sexy tinge in her voice.Further O P Nayyar fully exploited this special feature in Geeta’s voice. Her voice was sometimes sweet sometimes namkeen. It had a deapth. In this case Geeta was one step ahead of Lata. Geeta’s voice was different for every situation. When she sang,’ Baat chalat nayee chunari’, you felt she would have been a better singer classical singer that Laxmishankar. When she sang,’ Main to Giridhar ke ghar jaoon ‘, you felt Oneness with God,hearing her Bhaktiras dripping voice.

Juthika Roy was famous for meera Bhajans,but I always felt that her voice was same in any Bhajan,while Geeta’s Bhajans exuded different emotions in every bhajan.

While singing Club songs,Geeta was a different person. Just recall that ‘Hey hey hey hey befor Tadbeer se bigdi hui taqdeer bana le song or listen to O Babu O Lala or mera naam chin chin chu,then you will realise what I am saying !

One very important point in Geeta’s singing is not highlighted by many. In Hindi films there are many Male and female versions of songs called as Tandem songs and many singers have sung them. While singing such female version songs,Geeta never lost to the male singers ! All Geeta versions were more popular than the Male versions.

Both Asha and Lata have not a great record on this count.

You will remember Kishore’s ” Jeevan ke safar me raahi” but not Lata’s version.You will remember Talat’s ” Aye gham-e-dil kya karoon’ but not Asha’s version. Kishore was better than Asha in ” Zindagi ek safar hai Suhana” versions and also Kishore was better than Lata’s version of ” Khilte hai gul yahan’.

When it comes to Geeta,she never lost to male versions. C H Atma’s ” Preetam aan milo” is remembered by less people that Geeta’s ” Preetam aan milo” from mr. and Mrs.55 (same song.written by Saroj Mohini Nayyar,O.P.’s wife). Geeta’s “Kaise koi jiye (Baadbaan)” is much better than Hemant Kumar’s version. Similarly,” Hai ye duniya kaun si'(Sailaab) and ‘ Na ye chand hoga”(Shart).In both songs,Geeta is superior and more popular than Hemant kumar. (There is a story behind the song-Na ye chaand Hoga. Once a jilted young lover committed suicide under train at Patna. In his pocket these lines were written on a paper-Tumhare liye hain,tumhare rahenge,Na ye chand hoga,na tare rahenge,magar hum hamesha tumhare rahenge. Lyricist S.H.Bihari used these lines in his song).

On 22nd July 1972,just 2 days after Geeta’s death,there was a preplanned programme of Juthika Roy in Birla Matoshri Sabhagriha,Bombay. i had booked my tickets well in advance,so I went there. In the beginning everyone paid respects to Geeta Dutt,by standing for 2 Minutes. Talat,jagmohan and Surendra were also there. Then Juthika Roy came on stage,drew Harmonium near her and started singing ‘ Pag ghungaroo bandh…” .

I was lost in Geeta’s memory and saw Geeta with a Harmonium singing ” Main to Giridhar ke ghar jaoon’………………….

Acknowledgements:
We are grateful to our friend Shri Arunkumar Deshmukh ji for writing this articles as a tribute to Geeta ji in spite his busy schedule.

Tan Mann Mera Tarase…A tribute by Archana Gupta

Saturday, July 20th, 2013

Geeta Dutt

Geeta Dutt is a singer I never thought about as I was growing up. My familiarity with her was fairly limited – I was most familiar with her work for her husband’s films and to my childish mind, I had her firmly pegged her into “rota-dhota” slot with songs like “Na jaao saiyyan “, “Waqt ne kiya kya haseen Sitam”, “Koi door se aawaaz de”, “Preetam aan milo”, and even “Aaj sajan mohe ang laga lo” as “proofs”! Of course, I was also aware of her other popular numbers like “Babuji dheere chalna”, “Hum aapki aankhon mein”, “Piya aiso jiya mein”, “Jaane kahan mera” but for some reason, her sadness is what stayed with me far more. Even the night club singer image did not penetrate my “impressions” till much later.

It was much later that I actually had the chance to listen to her wide range of songs and realized the vast variety in her repertoire – frankly a journey of discovery and wonder that still continues. A few things have stood out for me from time to time about her singing. For one, her voice has a curious innocence to it, no matter what she sings, even the so called night club songs, she seems to have an undertone of innocence. Sometimes it is just like a young girl dressing up in mommy’s clothes to appear too grown up and it is just as endearing. Even when she injects oomph into a number, it never appears overdone and I credit this undertone of innocence for the same.

The second striking quality to her singing is the inherent emotion that comes across so loud and clear. And in that respect, her range is endless. Whether its raw grief of a separated lover, wild exuberance of youth, unrestrained joy of a woman in love, a mother’s adoration for her child, hesitant exploration of a taboo emotion, wistfulness or yearning, whimsical self-exploration, selfless devotion, or even the unabashed titillation – she consistently delivers the right emotion with the appropriate amplitude as per the demand of the song. Today, it is this aspect of her singing that I would like to explore a bit with examples from some of my favorite Geeta Dutt Solos. I was asked to stay in the realm of Non-Guru Dutt movies so that is what I have tried to do for the most part. Also, I have never seen the picturization of some of these songs so my comments are purely based on what I hear in the lyrics and singer’s expression.

Finally, and this one is purely personal to me and somewhat related to the last one, a good reason why her songs resonate with me is that for many of her songs, it seems to me that she is singing about her own life and her own circumstances. The singing is straight from the heart and the mood and tone of songs match what I imagine the joys, sorrows and travails of her life would have been at different points. She is a woman who experienced a lot in life and I think her experiences reflect in her singing and serve to heighten the emotional content – appeals to people like me who shoot straight from the gut…

Now, without any more ado, let us delve into many moods of Geeta Dutt…

1. Sad –

To me, Geeta Dutt was a total queen of sad and unbearably tragic songs. The impression sure has a lot to do with the early exposure but the number I have chosen today is a song with a relatively unknown composer for an unreleased film and it is my absolute favorite song of this composer. Yes, its Daan Singh’s composition for unreleased film “Bhool Na Jaana”. Hearing this song is pure heartbreak. The pathos in her rendition is unbearable, one can almost imagine it being filmed on a dying woman whose only desire is to be held by her separated lover/mate for one last time, but this is likely a woman who realizes that this wish will probably remain unfulfilled. Dr. Hariram Acharya’s words simply come to life and when she mouths
ये तेरा मिलन ये तेरा क़रम, है मुझे हयात से कम नहीं
तू है सामने तो मेरे सनम, मुझे मौत का भी अलम नहीं

You so totally believe her …

The second song in this category is from Detective, a 1958 release, penned by Shailendra and composed by her brother Mukul Roy. This is a song that falls in the third category for me – it always seems that GD is pouring her own heart out and recounting her own life. She simply seems to live it and you hear it clearly. As she mouths the words, one can map them to what one imagines her life must have been

दो चमकती आँखों में कल ख़्वाब सुनहरा था जितना
हाय, ज़िंदगी तेरी राहों में आज अँधेरा है उतना

हम ने सोचा था जीवन में फूल, चाँद और तारे हैं
क्या ख़बर थी साथ में इनके काँटे और अंगारे हैं
हम पे क़िस्मत हँस रही है कल हँसे थे हम जितना

इतने आँसू इतनी आहें दिल के दामन पे लेकर
जाने कब तक चलना होगा सूनी सूनी राहों पर
ऐ मुक़द्दर ये तो बता दे मुझको सहना है कितना

2. Happy and Carefree

My absolute favorite Geeta song in this genre is the Mr.&Mrs. 55’s lovely solo “Thandi Hawa, kali ghata aa hi gayi jhoom ke” but the song I have chosen for this article is technically a duet with Asha Bhonsle but is practically a solo as Asha only hums a little. It’s the forever fresh, buoyant, pristine song from Sujata that takes one back to those “Bachpan ke Din” in a jiffy. And Geeta Dutt sounds so angelic, almost celestial under S.D. Burman’s baton for “Sujata” with the childlike innocence coming across so clearly.

3. Sweet and Romantic
I have two songs for this category. My first pick is “Tan man mera tarse” from 1952 movie Paataal Bhairavi. I really like this song mostly for the rendition. GD’s voice rings out crisp, clean and pristine. It has none of the full throatedness or oomph. Here again she worked with a gentleman who does not have a vast repertoire in HFM as MD but this song with Geeta Dutt is simply breathtaking. Ghantshala is the MD and Pt. Indra is the lyricist.

The second one is a more typical representative of GD’s romantic solos – playful, bubbly, quixotic and utterly enchanting. “De Daalaa, Dil De Daalaa” from Musafirkhaana penned by Majrooh and composed by OPN fits right in that mould.

4. Devotional
Now GD has a wide range of work in this genre – a lot of her work in the 40s was for mythological films and those gave her ample scope for devotionals. The crown jewel for her in this respect is the soundtrack of Jogan . Here it is a toss-up between “Ghoonghat ke pat khol” and “Ae ri main to prem diwani…” and the later is my pick today – simply because it’s a more versatile bhajan that can be taken in non-Godly context also and simply describes a woman’s yearning perfectly. While the singer can claim no credit for the words, that belongs to another remarkable lady, her rendition does make this bhajan memorable. And though I have heard various versions of this bhajan, this rendition remains my favorite and is inevitably the first to come to mind. Again, GD’s voice rings out pure and clear but with an undefinable extra element – not exactly pain but something akin to it that makes its sound like a song of yearning but with a calmness to it that keeps it firmly in the devotional range. Bulo C. Rani is the MD here with poetry credited to Meera Bai.


5. Comic or ridiculous

I think some of the best work Geeta Dutt has done in this genre is reflected in her duets – those with G.M. Durrani and perhaps S.D. Batish are prime examples of it – that is where her sense of comic timing and extreme playfulness comes into play. But today, we will restrict ourselves to solos, so in this category, my pick is this delightful song from “Darogaji” that is outwardly a simple fun song but is actually also a political comment on corruption in public service (but that is the lyricist’s credit and is material for another discussion, another day ☺ ). This one is penned by Manohar Lal Khanna and composed by Bulo C. Rani

6. Motherly Love
While GD has a few loris to her credit, the one that comes to mind first is always the Sujata song. In fact, talk of loris in general in HFM and this one is bound to figure amongst the top few. Here you hear none of the exaggerated oomph which Geeta Dutt is often associated with – you simply hear a mother’s love for her child flow and the rendition is suitable toned and aptly “innocent”. Again this one has Geeta singing Majrooh Sahib’s words under S.D. Burman’s baton.


7. Wistful or yearning

Here is a genre that GD simply ruled, imho, just by virtue of her voice quality, especially in the later years of her career. Every time I listen to songs like “Meri jaan, Mujhe jaan na kaho…” or “Koi chupke se aake”, or even “Koi door se aawaaz de chale aao…”, the primary emotion that I hear is that of dreamy, wishful yearning though the underlying flavor varies a little in each case from reflective to melancholy. My pick for this genre today is “Aaj Ki kali ghata, mast matwaali ghata…” from Uski Kahani – interestingly, majority of the songs that came to mind today are tuned by Kanu Roy so may be it’s the MD’s magic also that is responsible for bringing out this facet of GD’s singing. Now I have no clue as to what is the story of this movie, how the character fits in and what is the situation of this song but as I listen to her mouth the lyrics penned by Kaifi Azmi (which are excellent in their own rights and certainly are my clues to the rest of the rambling ☺ ), I get a strong feeling that this is a character on the brink of admitting / acknowledging or responding to feelings that are somehow taboo. Now can’t say in what way – may be this is a bored/abused wife on the brink of infidelity, or maybe she is a widow for whom this admittance is prohibited (yeah, I am, prone to being fanciful) or may be there is a third very different cause but the uncanny feeling I get is that this song is about a love pleasurable yet forbidden in some way. As the mukhda starts, and one hears

आज की काली घटा, मस्त-मतवाली घटा
मुझसे कहती है कि प्यासा है कोई
कौन प्यासा है, मुझे क्या मालूम

We know right away, this one is about a newly-blossoming or just budding relationship as opposed to an established one and note the slight hesitation in “Kaun pyaasa hai” and “mujhe kya maloom” – as if maaloom to hai par kah nahin sakti (and its she herself too). The antara of course, is what first brings in the feeling that this is a relationship that has some contentions and lyrics play a major role but her intonation also brings out the struggle – hear the “Kyun samaayaa hai koi” and note the stress on “kyun” and it is clear that while the feelings are there, she is not comfortable at all with them

प्यास के नाम से जी डरता है
किसी इल्ज़ाम से जी डरता है
शौक़-ए-बदनाम से जी डरता है
नीची नज़रों में समाया है कोई
क्यों समाया है, मुझे क्या मालूम

Moving on to the next antara, the forbidden fruit feeling just gets stronger – falling in love is like “ladkhadaana” and may be her non-responsiveness is the “bevajah shikaayat”, may be not. Aur koi dil kii dahleez tak hii aayaa hai, dil mein nahin – again lyrics and delivery are so in sync, she seems to feel what she is singing.

प्यासी आँखों में मुहब्बत लेके
लड़खड़ा जाने की दावत लेके
मुझसे बेवजह शिकायत लेके
दिल की दहलीज़ तक आया है कोई
कौन आया है, मुझे क्या मालूम

Now this next one is where the tone changes – both in lyrics and a little in the rendition also – there is a hesitant admission that this is pleasurable (clearer in lyrics) emotion but there is an underlying wistfulness (much more in the rendition) also as if she wishes this was more acceptable or that she was free to admit her feelings openly – that there was no fear ki koi afsaanaa na ban jaaye – and that tone gets stronger in the in antara after too.

कुछ मज़ा आने लगा जीने में
जाग उठा दर्द कोई सीने में
मेरे एहसास के आइने में
इक साया नज़र आता है कोई
किसका साया है, मुझे क्या मालूम

ज़िन्दगी पहले ना थी इतनी हसीन
और अगर थी तो मुझे याद नहीं
यही अफ़साना ना बन जाये कहीं
कुछ निगाहों से सुनाता है कोई
क्या सुनाता है, मुझे क्या मालूम

Now of course, all of the above is what I hear and is pure speculation – the actual use of the song may be really very different but the song is a pleasure to hear and a lot of it is on account of the singing.

8. Whimsical
This is a strange category and not too many songs would be generally placed in this one. My prime example is the Anubhav song, penned by Gulzar and once again tuned by Kanu Roy. This is a song that has minimal orchestration and GD simply carries it on the strength of her voice. It is a song of a woman’s self-exploration, a song of what if’s – so wonder and reflection underlined with both a mild regret and a strong sense of relief and GD’s rendition reflects all these feelings appropriately at the apt time. I’ll leave a detailed stepping through for another day…

9. “Night Club” songs
This is supposedly the genre that Geeta Dutt is most identified with. To my mind this one is remarkable on account of her amazing ability to infuse these so called Club songs with a plethora of different emotions. On the surface, they all are the seductive, come hither ones but some of them just surprise you with an undertone or overtone that seems to indicate something different. Also noticeable is that innocence, that first quality of her voice in some of them. Some sure have an exaggerated oomph to them but most are very tastefully executed (and I mean singing – no comments on any picturization – haven’t seen many nor do I really want to in some cases). I will go into what I call special cases in this category and will largely ignore the majority of regular club songs.

First set of songs in this category are ones that I believe are likely filmed on a second lead, perhaps of dubious character but sure a woman who is in love with the man she is singing for – these don’t seem to be undirected at all. A prime example, imho, is “Mujhe huzoor tumase pyar hai…” from Son of India, composed by Naushad and penned by Shakeel Badayuni.

The full audio (including the stanzas from the film soundtrack and the 78 rpm record) is available here

The second category is that of songs that pack a philosophical / meaningful punch under the guise of being a club song – two examples here – note the seemingly gay abandon along with the tone of challenge in the first and pay attention to the slight undertone of regret – It is a Madan Mohan – Rajendra Krishan combo from Pocketmaar and makes me wish that the lady had heard herself and taken her own advice – we would have likely had much more music from her to enjoy.

Next one is another Madan Mohan – Rajendra Krishan combo, this time from Chandan. Again a song that is overtly an invitation but hides some philosophy (on part of lyricist) and perhaps regret and fear masked as carefree abandon (on part of the singer)

Final subcategory in this category are songs that are songs that are curiously innocent despite there come hither lyrics – are not really club songs but have the flavor of them too. Here my pick is this lovely Milap (1955) number which I had never seen till a few months ago though I had heard it innumerable times and pretty much “knew” it. I did not know that it was picturized on Geeta Bali but if I had to guess, she would have been my first guess. I also did not know where it was picturized – for all its overt sensuousness, it had undertones of innocence and naughtiness that made it unsuitable for a club like setting, the overtones and the lyrics certainly carried a suggestiveness (note the chutkis for effect :-)) that ruled out a simple picnic or song sung by a traditional “heroine” of the movie. The song strongly suggested that the character lip-synching this must have some shades of gray, can’t be a ‘holier than thou’ leading lady, nor should be an outright vamp (though that is more possible as this lady is out to seduce). My guess prior to watching the song was a kind-hearted gangster’s moll is likely, possibly trying to entrap an unsuspecting or even disguised hero. A later viewing confirmed its partial correctness. This time yrics are by Sahir and MD is N. Dutta

Acknowledgements:
We are grateful to our dear friend Archana Gupta for this wonderful tribute to Geeta ji on her death anniversary today.

A fan’s tribute : Priya Lakshmi

Saturday, July 20th, 2013

Geeta Dutt

GEETA DUTT FANS – Also called a GEETA ROY aficionados or supporters, are people like us who are enthusiastically devoted to HER & constitute her fanbase or fandom. We show our enthusiasm by being members of a group formed for her called THE MAGICAL VOICE OF GEETA DUTT holding fan conventions, creating fanzines or creating an awesome website , promoting her all the time marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion by posting her songs on various music groups on Facebook .

The degree of devotion to her ranges from a simple crush to the deluded belief that we have a special relationship with her . In a nutshell we ALL suffer from the CELEBRITY WORSHIP SYNDROME !.Aaaah ! what a wonderful suffering it is to be associated with our beloved singer thus ! Over a period of time on Facebook music groups [ though my role is often limited to enjoying the hardwork & efforts of the REAL people behind the forming of her website or uploading her songs on you tube etc.

I simply enjoy these benefits like a gift given to me on a platter] I have observed a few of us Geeta Roy worshippers like Parag Sankla, Tushar Bhatiaji, Sounak Gupta[ god bless this boy!] etc. All of us share the same feeling towards her in different degrees of passion. Here are a few lines , [all taken from her the lyrics of songs ]which apply to us – all done in a light hearted manner not meant to offend anyone or anything …

GEETA DUTT-[ SHARARAT] Dekh aasmaan mein chaand muskuraaye Woh keh rahe hai pyaar kar lo pyaar kar lo
Dekh woh sitaare gagan mein jhilmilaaye
Woh keh rahe hai pyaar kar lo pyaar kar lo


PRIYA-{ JAAN PEHCHAAN ]
Araman bhare dil kee lagan tere liye hai
Luta hai mere dil ne mohabbat kaa khajana
Jo teree kahanee hai vahee mera fasana
Yeh phul yeh khushbu yeh chaman tere liye hai


GEETA DUTT-[ PARINEETA ]
Chaand hai wohi, sitaaren hain, wohi gagan
Phir bhi kyon udaas hai, udaas meraa man
Kaun thaa milaa mujhe, jo mil ke kho gayaa
Kaun mere paas aa ke, door ho gayaa
Aaj mere man ki baansoori bhi maun hai
Jis ko dhoondhate mere nayan woh kaun hai
Raag hai wohi, paraag hai wohi pavan
Phir bhi kyon udaas hai, udaas meraa man
Udaas meraa man, chaand hai wohi


PARAG SANKLA-[ LAL PARI]

Kah rahee hain dhadakane pukar kar
Chupake chupake dhire dhire pyar kar
Tum ko paya apane dil ko har kar
Chhup naa jana jindagee sanvar kar
Tu jo kahe la du abhee aasaman se chand ko utar kar
Chhup naa jana jindagee sanvar kar


GEETA DUTT-{ DO BHAI]
Mera sundar sapna bit gaya, mai prem me sab kuchh har gayee
Bedard jamana jit gaya, mera sundar sapna bit gaya
Kyun kalee badariya chayee hai, kyun kalee kalee muskayee hai – (2)
Meree prem kahanee khatm huyee, mere jivan kaa sangit gaya
Mera sundar sapna bit gaya


TUSHAR BHATIA-{JOGAN]

Mat ja, mat ja, mat ja jogee, panv padu mai toree
Prem bhaktee ko panth hee nyaro, ham ko gyan bata ja
Chandan kee mai chita rachau, apne hath jala ja
jal jal bhayi bhasm kee dheree, apne ang laga ja jogee

GEETA DUTT –[ JOGAN]
Pyare darashan dee jo aaye, tum bin raho na jaye
Jal bin kamal chandra bin rajanee, aise tum bin sunee sajanee
Aakul byakul phiru mai birahan, biraha kalejo khaye
Pyare darshan dee jo aaye
Kyon tarasao antarayamee, aan milo kripa karo swamee


SOUNAK GUPTA –[ From Thandee Thandee Hava Puchhe Unaka Pata –film Johnny Walker]
Tum ho aisee ada jis pe duneeya fida
Hai woh kitana hasin jis pe tum ho fida

Dil se puchhu mere uss me kya bat hai
Woh umango bharee chandanee rat hai
Chand jab jab utha usako dekha kiya
Har sitare ka dil phir toh dhadaka kiya
Yu na tadapao jee abb bata do hame
La ke tasavir hee tum dikha do hame
Dard badhane laga sina jalane laga
Dil hamara bhee dekho machalane laga

Acknowledgements:

We are grateful to our dear friend Priya Lakshmi for this wonderful tribute to Geeta ji.

याद रखना मुझे याद रखना

Saturday, July 20th, 2013

Geeta Dutt

“कोई दूर से आवाज़ दे चले आओ “………………..

ऐसा लगता है जैसे किसी ने ख्वाब के बीच में ही नींद से जगा दिया हो। अभी तो उस मखमल से भी अधिक मुलायम आवाज़ में कुछ और तराने सजने बाकी थे। गीता दत्त जी को हमारे बीच से गए हुए चालीस बरस बीत गए, लेकिन ऐसा लगता है कि वे कहीं आस-पास ही मौजूद हैं और उनकी कसक भरी आवाज़ हर वक़्त कानों में शहद घोलती सी लगती है। गीता जी गले से नहीं दिल से गाती थीं और इसीलिए उनके गीत हमेशा सोज़ भरे होते थे और एक एक शब्द से मानो दर्द और पीड़ा रिसती थी।

गीता जी ने संगीतकार हनुमान प्रसाद जी के निर्देशन में फिल्म “भक्त प्रह्लाद” में एक कोरस गीत में दो पंक्तियाँ गाकर संगीत के अपने सफ़र की शुरुआत की। उनके इसी गीत को सुनकर संगीतकार एस. डी बर्मन दा ने उन्हें फिल्म “दो भाई” में गाने का मौका दिया और पहली ही फिल्म से इस रेशमी आवाज़ ने सुनने वालों को दीवाना सा कर दिया। इस फिल्म के गीत “मेरा सुंदर सपना बीत गया” ने तो रिकॉर्ड बिक्री के अगले पिछले सारे कीर्तिमान ध्वस्त कर दिए. इसके बाद तो गीता जी ने एक के बाद एक कर्णप्रिय गीतों की झड़ी सी लगा दी। “जोगन”, “बावरे नैन”, “शर्त”, “बाज़ी”, “जाल”, “आनंदमठ”, “अनारकली”, और “आर पार” गीता जी के शुरूआती दौर की कुछ फिल्में हैं, और इन फिल्मों के गीत गवाह हैं उनकी बेमिसाल गायन प्रतिभा के। गीता जी की संगीत साधना ने सिने दर्शकों को “देवदास”, “साहिब, बीवी और गुलाम”, “प्यासा”, “हावड़ा ब्रिज”, “अदालत”, “कागज़ के फूल”, “कला बाज़ार”, “सुजाता” और “अनुभव” जैसी सुंदर संगीत से सजी फिल्मों की अनुपम सौगात दी है।

गीता जी ने अपने फ़िल्मी सफ़र में 1500 से भी अधिक गीत अपने नाम किये हैं। उनकी ख़ास बात यह थी कि वे हर तरह के गीत गाने के लिए खुद को तैयार कर लेती थीं। चाहे भक्ति गीत हो, नृत्य गीत हो, ग़ज़ल हो अथवा लोरी गीत, गीता जी की आवाज़ में ढलकर हर गीत कुछ ख़ास बन जाता था। यह गीता जी की गायन प्रतिभा का कमाल ही है कि उन्होंने हिंदी और बंगला के अतिरिक्त अन्य भारतीय भाषायों में भी खूबसूरत गीत गाये हैं। साथ ही कई गैर फ़िल्मी गीत भी उन्होंने गाये हैं। किसी ठंडी बयार की तरह बहती गीता जी की आवाज़ में सजा हर गीत सुनने वाले को शीतलता का अहसास करा जाता है। संगीतकार ‘ओ. पी. नय्यर जी ने गीता जी के बारे में एक बार कहा था कि ” पश्चिमी और भारतीय ध्रुपद संगीत, दोनों को ही अपनी दिलकश आवाज़ से गीता जानदार बना देती थीं। कैबरे संगीत से लेकर तो पॉप गीत तक, अपनी गायकी की इस विविधता के चलते गीता हर संगीतकार की ज़रुरत बन बैठी थीं। वे हमारे लिए एक संपत्ति की तरह थीं”.

लेकिन फ़िल्मी दुनिया एक माया नगरी की तरह है और कोई नहीं जनता कि यहाँ कब किसका पलड़ा दूसरे से भारी पड़ जाये। 1947 से 1959 तक, सिने जगत पर एकछत्र राज करने वाली गीता जी को भी प्रतिद्वंदिता और परिस्थितियों ने परास्त कर दिया। वैवाहिक जीवन की जटिलता और पति गुरु दत्त की असमय मृत्यु ने गीता जी को तोड़कर रख दिया। उसी दौर में लता मंगेशकर और आशा भोसले जैसी गायिकाओं के आने से गीता जी के फ़िल्मी करिअर पर प्रतिकूल प्रभाव पड़ा। इसे पेशेवर जगत की विडम्बना ही कहिये कि कभी उनकी आवाज़ के दीवाने रहे सचिन देव बर्मन और ओ पी नय्यर जैसे संगीतकारों ने भी उन्हें बिसरा दिया।

गीता जी की असमय मृत्यु ने एक कालजयी कलाकार को हमेशा के लिए हमसे दूर कर दिया। जीवन के महज़ 41 वसंत देखने वाली इस फनकार ने इतने कम समय में भी सुमधुर गीतों का ऐसा अनमोल खज़ाना संगीत प्रेमियों को बख्शा है, जिसे पाना और सहेजना हर संगीत प्रेमी के लिए गुरूर का सबब है।

आभार : इस हृदय लेख के लिए हम अजित सिधु जी के हार्दिक आभारी है

हमको छोड़ के कहा जाओगे

Friday, July 19th, 2013

Geeta Dutt

अगर मैं सवाल करू के, भारतीय सिनेमा की वर्सेटाइल गायिका कौन? तो ज्यादा तर लोगों की राय होगी, आशा भोसले| जी हाँ! क्यों नहीं? आशा जी जरुर एक अष्टपैलू गायिका है| लेकिन अगर मैं सवाल थोडा बदल दूं, जैसे के भारतीय सिनेमा की पहिली वर्सेटाइल गायिका कौन? तो क्या जवाब होगा? हा, इसलिए आपको भारतीय सिनेमा संगीत की ज्यादा जानकारी होनी चाहिए, जरा मेहेनत के बाद आप जरुर समझ जायेंगे के वो गायिका कोई और नहीं, गीता दत्त जी है, जिनकी इकतालीसवी पूण्यतिथि आज के दिन है|

१९४६ में रिलीज हुवी फिल्म भक्त प्रल्हाद में उन्होंने सिर्फ १६ साल की उम्र में अपना करियर बतौर गायिका के नाम से शुरू किया| लेकिन गीता जी की दखल ली गयी, १९४७ में, फिल्म का नाम था दो भाई| मेरा सुंदर सपना बीत गया, और याद करोगे जैसे नायाब गीतोंसे गीता जी की आवाज भारत के हर एक कोने में पहुंची| बाद में उन्होंने हुस्नलाल-भगतराम, बुलो सी रानी(जोगन-१९५०), पंकज मालिक, नय्यर, बर्मन दा, हंसराज बहल, रवी, सलिल चौधरी, खेमचंद प्रकाश(तमाशा-१९५२), मदनमोहन(भाई भाई-१९५७) जैसे बड़े संगीतकारों के साथ काम किया|

गीता जी की आवाज में एक अजीब सी मिठास, खनक, दिलकश दिलकशी, नजाकत, एक जादू भरी नशा थी| उनकी गानोंकी, आवाज की वो जादू, वो नशा सुननेवालों को अलग ही दुनिया में ले जाती है| अजी ओ सुनो तो, रात मोहे मीठा मीठा सपना, हमको छोड़ के कहा जाओगे, जैसे गीत उन्होंने कुछ और ही अंदाज़ से गाये, वही दूसरी तरफ मेरा सुंदर सपना, याद करोगे, जैसे दुखी गीत, दर्शन प्यासी आई दासी, तोरा मनवा क्यों घबराये जैसे भक्ति गीत, हेरी मैं तो प्रेम दीवानी-जोगन, चले आओ चले आओ जैसे बिरह गीत, देखो जादू भरे मोरे नैन, जैसे शास्त्रीय गीत, कैसे कोई जीये, वक़्त ने किया, आज की काली घटा जैसे आर्त गीत, मानजात नात दुवा जैसे तात्विक गीत, आई रे घिर घिर, न ये चाँद होगा जैसे भावुक गीत भी गाये| उनकी आवाज में हर एक रंग का हर एक ढंग का गाना खुल गया, प्रेम गीतों में प्रेम की भावना, दुखी गीतों में दुःख की भावना, भक्ति गीतों में भक्ति की भावना, सुननेवाले जरुर महेसुस करते है|

किशोर, हेमंत, तलत साहब के साथ उन्होंने कई कर्णमधुर द्वंद्व गीत गाए, लेकिन रफ़ी साहब के साथ गाये गीतों में कुछ और ही जादू था| रफ़ीसाहब की कमाल की मधुर आवाज,और गीता जी की एक दिलकश आवाज जब भी मिलती गयी, तब आखों ही आखों में इशारा, सुन सुन सुन सुन जालिमा, उधर तुम हसीं हो, चल दिए बन्दा नवाज़, रिमझिम के तराने, तुम जो हुवे मेरे हमसफ़र, यहाँ हम वहा तुम, जैसे बेमिसाल गीत बनते गए|गीता जी ने १९४७ से १९६२ तक लता जी के बाद सबसे ज्यादा लोकप्रिय गायिका बनकर तमाम संगीत रसिकों के दिलों पर राज किया|
उनकी नशीली आवाजमें वो जादू थी, के आशा जी ने भी उनकी गायकी की शैली को अपने शुरुवाती दौर मै कॉपी किया, आशा जी की आवाज पर गीता जी की नशीली आवाज का प्रभाव है इसमें कोई शक नहीं|

साहिब बीवी और गुलाम(१९६२) के बाद गुरु दत्त बैनर जैसे ही दत्त साहब की चले जाने से बंद हुवा, और एक वर्सेटाइल, कामयाब,लोकप्रिय गायिका होनेके बावजूद गीता जी का करिअर डूबता चला गया, १९६६ मै प्रदर्शित हुवी फिल्म ‘बहारें फिर भी आएँगी’ मै उनका कोई गीत नहीं था| तनाव भरी जिंदगी का असर उनके करिअर पर हो रहा था, जमाना भी बदल गया था, नय्यर साहब ने आशा जी को साथ दिया| बर्मन दा और लता जी का भी समेट हुवा था तब तक| गीताजी की आवाज का बखूबी इस्तेमाल करनेवाले संगीतकार उन्हें फिर ना मिले, वैसी फिल्मे ना मिली| बाद में उन्होंने स्टेज पर कार्यक्रम किये, चंद बंगाली फिल्मों मै भी काम किया, और अम्बा बाई का जोगवा, जय मार्तंड जय मल्हार, मुक्या मनाचे बोल, जा सांग लक्ष्मणा जैसे मराठी गीत भी गाये| हिंदी गीतों की बात की जाए तो १९६६ में कनु रॉय ने उनसे आज की काली घटा, १९६७ में रत्नदीप हेमराज जी ने लट उलझी है, जैसे लाजवाब गीत गवाए, लेकिन उन्हें फिर से वो स्थान न मिल सका|


फ़िल्मी दुनिया में कोई एक बार गिरा तो गिरता ही जाता है, और इन्हें कोई नहीं पूछता, ना काम देखनेवाले, ना काम देनेवाले! फिल्म लाइन की यही रित है|(कागज़ के फूल-१९५९) ये अल्फाज़ गीता जी के बारे में बिलकुल सही साबित हुवे|१९७१ में आई फिल्म अनुभवमें फिर एक बार कनु रॉय ने उनसे मेरी जां मुझे जा न कहो, कोई चुपके से आके, मेरा दिल जो मेरा होता,जैसे लाजवाब गीत गवाए| अनुभव फ्लॉप हुवी लेकिन ये तीनो गीत आज तक याद किये जाते है|

जिसका मैं बार बार जिक्र कर रहा हूँ, वो जादू, वो अजीब सा नशा उनकी आवाज में उनके अंत तक मौजूद थी | वक़्त ने किया में जो आर्त भाव या फिर चले आओ में जो बिरह की भावना थी वोही भावना कोई चुपके से आके में मौजूद है| न जाओ सैया में जो भाव है वोही मेरी जां मुझे जा न कहो में मौजूद है|

अनुभव प्रदार्शित होने के बाद गीता जी के किस्मत की ज्योत जल कर जरुर उनकी तकदीर रौशन हुवी, उनके चाहनेवाले चाहते जरुर खुश हो गए लेकिन वो रौशनी बुझते दिए की आखरी रौशनी ही साबित हुवी, और गीता जी महेज ४२ साल की उम्र में आज ही के दिन १९७२में लिव्हर सिरोयसिस की वजह से चल बसी| एक नशीली आवाज, एक वर्सेटाइल आवाज हमेशा के लिए खामोश हुवी|

आभार : इस विशेष लेख के लिए हम हमारे प्रिय मित्र श्री स्वप्निल सहस्त्रबुद्धे जी के अत्यंत आभारी हैं.