This is a tribute to Geeta ji by one of her fans. We will be publishing several tributes over the next few days.
Song: Mujhe dekhkar woh jab muskuraayenge
Film : Zalzala (1952)
MD : Pankaj Mullick sahab
Lyrics: Ali Sardar Jafri
Singer: Geeta Roy Dutt
Whenever I see these pictures or hear this song from the film Zalzala (1952), I have this fantasy of my darling singer GEETAJI and the musicians gathered around a large microphone, which must have funneled the sounds they produced down to a diaphragm, which vibrated and moved the cutting needle & translated that acoustical energy into a groove in the wax master recording. Oh! What a rare combination of angelic delicacy and extraordinary power, that was capable of such a bravura moment as this rendering ,of my most favorite song of hers composed by my most favorite composer, the one and only Pankaj Mullick –the great !!!
Listen to the way she starts off the song…..MUJHE VO DEKHKAR JAB MUSKURAYENGE , TO KYA HOGA… tenderly ,achingly romantic, pure of voice with lush musical arrangements by the genius composer, she is so emphatically sentimental, & with such emotional singing style….she stands apart for me because ,as they say about “STYLE”…..“you’ve either got it or you haven’t got it, [and] if you’ve got it ,you stand out a mile” ….oh! that she does,…several miles apart !…in my opinion .
Already full of confidence & impeccable sense of timing, she glides effortlessly into MERI DUNIYA PE BIJILI SI GIRAYENGE TO KYA HOGA …at the end of this kya hoga ,….her voice became deeper and even richer, with her phrasing cleaved more closely to the emotional demands of the song….
With apparent frailty, innocence and a vulnerability that evokes deep passions, casual and unpretentious — almost self-deprecating….she sings… MAI UNKE SAAMNE AAYI [2] AAYI TO HU JEE KO KADA KARKE
Such articulated words of a personal anguish…ISHARON SE JO PAAS APNE BULAYENGE, TO KYA HOGA…wah!
A singer can have a note-perfect high range and no flexibility at all. What counts is the capacity to negotiate the tricky intervals, and listen to Geeta do an instantaneous jump here that can leave the words ringing as clear and open as the previous lyrics …
MERI NAZARON SE GHABARAKAR , VO [NAZARE KHUD CHUPALENGE ]-2,
what an angelically soaring journey…..
The standard item of praise for any singer is ‘breath control’ but certainly every professional singer has a certain amount of that. What Geeta ji really had was enunciation control….please listen to her start the next line thus….JHUKA KAR APNI NAZARE PHIR UTHAYENGE TO KYA HOGA
For me GEETA ji , is literally my heartbeat singer-of a persona who can make every song a story, with her characteristic signature style, so much so that her songs become more than stories rather they became epics or anthems to me…..plz listen to the rest of the song to understand my feelings……
YE MAANAA [2] UNKE AAGE APNA HAAL-E DIL CHUPA LUNGI..DIL CHUPA LUNGI
JO VO ALHAD JAWANI KO JAGAYENGE TO KYA HOGA….
UJALA HAI[2]…ANDHERI SHAB ME AANSOO KE CHARAGON SE AANSOO KE CHARAGON SE
AGAR PALKO SE AANSOO TOOT JAYENGE TO KYA HOGA…What an original sound she brought forth to the world ,memorable and undeniably addictive……..GEETA ROY/DUTT-is the kind of singer who comes along once in a lifetime—a vocal brand with a powerful style that is NONPAREIL….period!!!
Acknowledgements:
1) The photo of Geeta ji with Pankaj Mullick sahab has been taken from the official website http://pankajmullick.org/
2) We are extremely grateful to our dear friend Priya for writing this article on our special request.
Tags: Fan's, Malik, Mallik, Meri Duniya, Mullik, Pankaj, Priya, Tribute, Zalzala
Wow ! what a lovely write-up encompassing the strengths of Geeta Dutts singing so well and with an equally wonderful song @Priya Pakanati Ji !!
Very well written article Aunty. This is one of the finest song sung by Geeta ji. Thanks for sharing this beautiful article.
thank you dear arunji and nikhil….:)
GR and PM are two ABSOLUTE FAVORITES!
UNSURPASSED UM-MATCHED!
AND THIS SONG EPITOMISES THEIR WORK!
I APPLAUD EACH AND EVERY WORD IN THIS ARTICLE.
PRIYA JI DO CONTINUE TO WRITE MORE ON THIS PHENOMENAL COMPOSER AND THIS RAREST-OF-THE RARE SINGER!
PANKAJ MULLICK SAHAB INVITED GEETA ROY TO CALCUTTA WHO RECORDED THE ‘ZALZALA’ SONGS AT THE NEW THEATRES STUDIOS.
WHEN I HEAR ALL THE 5 SONGS I START WONDERING ‘KAUSNSA TARA CHAND KO PYARA’?
Wonderful writeup, Priya. I have been discovering Geeta Dutt songs recently, till now, must admit had been smitten by Asha ji songs, and had been amazed by the voice of her. It is so life-like as if the characters themselves are singing it. Recently saw 12’olock where she had sung for both Waheeda and a second lead actor with tremendous modulation in the singing. The journey to discover Geeta Dutt begins for me.
Priya Magnificent Tribute my Dear..the love for Geeta Duttji is so much showable in your tribute. Loved it, description of the song excellent..Cool to listen to this song with your ears and mindsexperience..since it is so well described. Thank you for this beautiful tribute…great song.
Thanks Priya for lovely tribute and a great selection of song to showcase. More than her ‘breath control and ‘enunciation’ ( which are also good) I am very fond of her tonal quality ( timbre). I think this sets her apart in many ways.
Another reason why I liked this song was the presence of Ali Sardar Zafri in credits!
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