Cinema is the art of illusions. It shows us what is not there. The audience is led to believe that it is the truth. A good filmmaker is the one who makes you believe that something that doesn’t exist is the best. The situation is not different even in the case of films that have followed the conventional narrative method.
Those inside the cinema who lead the audience in pursuit of illusions have also lost themselves behind various illusions. Some have lost themselves while others have passed on causing losses to others. Here are some of the losses in the Hindi film industry.
Part One: Behind the songs though that blew us away were the wounds of a man!
Part Two: Love song hero Asha Bhosle, whose love has left him alone
Geeta Dutt was a singer who wrote her music career with tears. Geeta Ghosh Roy Chaudhary was born in Faridpur (now Bangladesh) in undivided India. Born in an old Janmi family, she migrated with her family to Calcutta and in 1942 to Bombay. Geeta became Dutt when she married director Guru Dutt after a long affair.
He sang for the first time in the 1946 film ‘Bhakta Prahlad’, composed by his music guru Hanuman Prasad. But in the 1949 film ‘Do Bhai’, written by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, SD Mera Sundar Sapna Bheet Gaya, a touching song composed by Burman, became famous. In this song, we are not hearing a young teenage girl, but an experienced singer.
With that song, she was capturing her own space in the Hindi playback singing scene. She was the only one to hold on to Lata Mangeshkar’s influence even when all the other singers left the scene. What kept them alive was their ability to sing any kind of song with the necessary talent. Ganesh Anantharaman says in his book ‘Bollywood Melodies’, which tells the history of Hindi film music, ‘We have no singers who have conveyed emotions better than this.
Geeta’s OP was the voice that Nayyar used a lot in the beginning of his film career. After early failures, the songs that led to Nayyar’s rise were in Geetha’s voice. It was actually because of Geeta Dutt’s influence that Guru Dutt decided to give Nayyar himself a chance in his film ‘R Par’ even after the series of failures. It turned out to be beneficial for Guru, Nayyar and Geeta Dutt alike. Geeta’s song ‘Babuji Dheere Chalna’ and ‘Yeh Lo Mai Hari Piya’, which we still hum today, are from this film. Their singing was excellent in Nayyar’s peppy numbers and perfect melodies. Her ability to sing any kind of song with grace is the reason why she is Nayyar’s favorite singer.
After a long courtship, she married Guru Dutt in 1953 despite her family’s opposition. Guru Dutt and Geeta Roy met in 1951 while recording the film ‘Baasi’. Guru Dutt was a struggling director in Bollywood and Geeta was a singer who had more or less marked her own place, so. Although ‘Baasi’ was a success, the two films that followed were flops. During this time their marriage takes place. It was rumored that Guru Dutt, who was struggling to hold his own in the film, married Geeta, who had already made a name for herself, because she wanted their wealth. Guru Dutt, who was naturally quick-tempered, could not bear this charge. Guru Dutt went so far as to ban Geetha from singing in other directors’ films.
After one or two failures in a row, their life was smooth again when the film ‘R Par’ became a success. They also recovered from a degree of financial hardship. But one problem after another caught them. Geeta’s life is in crisis again as her relationship with Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rahman intensify. A cloudy marriage with Guru Dutt that cost her even her career was more than she could bear. They sought refuge from alcohol.
Mr. There were songs from the films and Mrs. 55 and C.ID. is very popular. Maj Ru Sultan Puri wrote OP. Nayyar’s songs ‘Jaane Kaham Mera Jigar Gaya Ji’ and ‘Udhar Tum Haseen Ho Idhar Dil Jawa Hai’ are still heard and sung by us. These extremely popular songs were also songs that highlighted the versatility of Rafi and Geeta in their singing. Similarly, Jan Nisar Akhtar of CID wrote OP. The song ‘Ankhom Hi Ankhom Me Ishara Ho Gaya’ by Nayyar and ‘Yeh Dil Hai Mushkil Jeena Yaham’ by Majru Sultanpuri remain popular even today. It is worth mentioning the change that Rafi brings to his voice and his singing when singing for the comedian Johnnie Walker. Geetha also sang these songs standing equal to her.
In 1957, ‘Pyasa’, one of the biggest films ever in Indian cinema, was released. The film was a huge success in every sense. Sahir Ludhianvi wrote SD All the songs composed by Burman were very popular. Geeta’s voice was present in the songs sung on three different occasions. The song ‘Aaj Sajan Mohe Ang Laga Lo’ is a bhajan sung in a stage show about Radhakrishna’s love story. The song ‘Hum Aap Ki Amkhom Me’ is a duet song with Rafi for a dream scene. The song ‘Jaane Kya Tu Ne Kahi’ is a very romantic song. You said something, I heard something. But that, love, happened. song meaning It’s amazing to hear how much their singing changes in each of the three songs.
‘Kagas Ke Phool’ was a film made by Guru Dutt with not only his entire earnings but also his hopes. But the film was a huge failure, financially. Even the critics did not support the film at that time. (Another issue is the fact that later critics praised the film). The failure of the film was too much for Guru Dutt to bear. He went so far as to self-deprecate that even his name bodes ill for the film. He made a difficult decision not to direct any more films. Later films produced by his company Guru Dutt Films were directed by many others.
But the songs in the film were very popular. The song ‘Waqt Ne Kya Kya Haseen Sitam Tum Rahe Na Tum Hum Rahe Na Hum’ (What a cruel thing time has done, you couldn’t be you and I couldn’t be me) probably describes their situation at that time. That is why their singing has such emotional intensity. Songs composed by Kaifi Azmi and music composed by SD Burman himself. The verse of the song itself says that after walking a few steps together, the two lost their way.
By then, the relationship between Guru Dutt and Geeta had turned sour. Even without the knowledge of Guru Dutt, Geetha started recording because marital problems and financial difficulties put her life in crisis. When Guru Dutt used to leave home, he would go to the recording studio and come back without anyone knowing. But alcoholism and other difficulties weakened the singer in them. When S. could not fulfill his expectations. D. Burman began to rely more on Asha Bhosle. By then, Nayyar was almost completely engrossed in Asha’s voice. In 1958, OP Geetha sang for Nayyar for the last time. SD On the other hand, Burman did not use Geeta’s voice after 1959.
Guru Dutt Films’ films ‘Chand Vi Ka Chand’ and ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’ were financial successes. Guru Dutt tried to avoid Geeta from singing in ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’. But they could not be excluded from the company of which Geeta was also a part. He finally sang in that movie with the help of the law. Waheeda Rahman and Meenakumari are the female leads in the film, but Geetha did not sing the songs sung by Waheeda Rahman. Maybe on purpose.
Geeta has sung three songs written by Shakeel Badayuni and composed by Hemant Kumar in this film. One of the songs is ‘Piya Iso Jia Mai Samaye Gayo Re’, which she sings in the early days of her love affair with Lord Prabhu as she prepares to approach him. This song is full of hope in love. The song ‘Na Jao Saiya Chutake Baiya’ is sung by a drunken man to stop his lover who is about to leave him one night. Finally, the song ‘Koi Door Se Awas De Chale Aao’ is sung on the occasion of not seeing the loved one late at night. A song sung while burning with intense longing. Geetha sings these three songs after she has lost her love life in such a way that she can never get it back. It is not difficult to understand that Geetha has sung both songs in this self-composed song. ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’ was the last film produced by Guru Dutt. He later acted in one or two films but his career ended in 1964.
The last film in which Geetha sang was the 1971 release ‘Anubhav’. Anubhav was the first of Basu Bhattacharya’s three films dealing with the discomforts of marriage. The theme of the film revolves around businessman Amar’s (Sanjiv Kumar) wife Meeta (Tanuja) who feels lonely when her old lover Shashi Bhushan comes in and the problems that follow. ‘Mujhe Jaan Kaho Meri Jaan’ is the song sung by Amar and Meeta when they finally understand each other and come together. Sung beautifully by Geeta, the song is penned by Gulzar and composed by Kanu Ro. But unlike the movie, there was no understanding or unity in Geetha’s marriage. He died of severe liver disease in 1972. Aged just 42.
It was an untimely end for a wonderful singer. That was Geeta Dutt, the Vanambadi who was wounded by love and ended up never being able to fly. Guru Dutt and Geetha became Guru Dutt and Geeta, two births that ended without achieving anything due to ‘losing faith, turning face, breaking up’ like the song ‘Koi Door Se Awas De Chale Ao’ from the movie ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’ says.
Part One: Behind the songs though that blew us away were the wounds of a man!
Part Two: Love song hero Asha Bhosle, whose love has left him alone
Last Updated November 21, 2022, 6:58 PM IST
