This article is written by Arunkumar Deshmukh, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in other sites without the knowledge and consent of the web administrator of atulsongaday.me, then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
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Today’s song is from the film Gumashta-1951.
Gumashta is an Urdu word. Being from and having grown up in Hyderabad, I know the meaning of this word, from my childhood. In those days the family Doctors did not charge the patients every time they visited him. Instead, he used to note his charges in a diary, where a separate page was reserved for that patient. At the end of every month, the total was done and a man was sent by the doctor to the patient’s house to collect the amount. That man was called ” Gumashta” or a Bill Collector.
Today, I doubt very much if our readers would know the meaning of this word. According to the ” Popular Dictionary of Hindustani to English ” by Rev. T. Craven, M.A. (published in 1889), the meaning of Gumashta is ” an agent” or a “bill collector ”. In later times, I believe, in non-Muslim states, its meaning changed to a clerk or a supervisor etc. This book is my prize possession. Urdu words are given in Roman script for better understanding.
Gumashta was also a Monthly rent Collector from the house owners or a money collector from a Kirana Shop. This profession is no longer existing, with the changed social set up and the ease of On-Line payments. Doctors do not believe the patients anymore. Advance payments or on the spot payments are demanded by doctors. So, no more Gumashtas !
The Hindi filmmakers never had a problem selecting a title for their films. After the word Gumashta for a film, out of curiosity, I took up the Hindi Film Title index book and had a cursory look at the titles and found, to my surprise, unlimited film titles for various professions, like Pandit ji, Munim ji etc. Let us see some Film Titles…. Pandit ji, Munim ji, Gyani ji, Gurudev ji (but not Guruji ? injustice !),Chowkidar, khazanchi, Daak Babu, Band Master, Bank Manager, Barrister, professor, School Master, Minister, Chief Minister, President, Boss, Bodyguard, CID Inspector, Inspector, Boxer, Chaandaal, Daroga ji, Daaku, Dalal, Detective, Director, Dancer, Doctor, Durban, Fauzi, Film star, Gawaiya, Gramophone singer, Hero, Heroine, Jadugar, Jagirdar, Jasoos, Jailor, Jallad, Joker, Juari, Kavi, Police, Postman, Pujari, Qaidi, Raisaheb,Senapati, Taxi Driver, Typist Girl, Ustaad etc etc.
This information only confirms that our filmmakers are very imaginative and the films made in India are on varied topics. With this kind of angle to look at the film catalogue, hitherto unthought of, provides insight into film making, surely !
The film was produced and directed by S.M.YTusuf, with music by K.Datta aka Datta korgaonkar alias Annasaheb. The cast of the film was Nigar Sultana (wife of the director0, Wasti, Kuldeep kaur, Baby tabassum, Husnbanu, murad, Tiwari, W.M.Khan, M.Ismail, Mirza Musharraf etc.
Director S.M.Yusuf was one of the few migrant directors, who became very successful in Pakistan. This was primarily due to making Pakistani remakes of his own films like film Mehndi-1958 remade there as Saheli-1960. Film Gumashta as Bahu Rani and other films like Nek Parveen etc. S.M.Yusuf , born on 20-6-1910, was originally from U.P. and started his career by assisting directors in various studios. He was one cine artist who migrated to Pakistan and became a very successful director there too.
After Partition, several artistes-heroes, heroines, Directors, Comedians, lyricists, Composers, Singers and character artistes migrated to Pakistan. Almost 90% of them failed there miserably. Some of them like Meena Shorey shone for a while but ended up in penury and anonymity. Exceptions were like Malika -e-Tarannum Noorjahan. From the successful artists,the major chunk was musicians-composers like Khurshid Anwar, Nissar Bazmi, Nashaad etc. Among the directors. S M Yusuf was one of the exceptions who succeeded. The migration of Cine artists continued till 1965,when President General Ayub Khan banned Indian actors. Shaikh Mukhtar-1963 and Kumar-64 were probably the last to migrate to Pakistan. Till then some artists like Sheila Ramani, Nasir Khan,Pran, Manorama, Composer Timir Baran etc went and worked in Pakistani films.
S.M.Yusuf started directing films in India from Bharat ke Laal-36. He directed 24 films like, Darban, Aina, Grihasthi, Saheli, Rai Saheb, Mehendi,Guru Ghantal, Bahurani, Maalik, Gujara, Hyderabad ki Nazneen,Bikhre Moti etc. He married actress Nigar Sultana. He also acted in a small role in the film Guzara-54.
In late 50’s he migrated to Pakistan with his talented son Director Iqbal Yousuf. His first film Saheli (1960) was a big hit of that time and was awarded in India also. It was a remake of his film Mehendi, made in India. He also made a remake of his film Ghumastha as Bahu Rani in Pakistan. Film Nek Perveen was a remake of same title film from India. His other films were Aulad, Dulhan, Honahar, Ashyana, Eid Mubarak, Suhagan, Zindagi aik safar hay, Shareek-e-Hayat, Bahu raani, Goonj uthi shehnai, Nek perveen and Haar gaya insaan.
When he went to Pakistan, he made his first film there Saheli, which was a ditto remake of his own Hindi film- Mehndi-1950. This film Saheli became such a great hit that it virtually grabbed all major awards including a Nigar award for S M Yusuf himself. He made about 15 films in Pakistan, before he died on 17-8-1994, at Lahore, from where he had begun his career ! In his last years, he had settled in Canada, but he came to Pakistan on a visit, as if to die in his own place.
Another interesting artist in this film was W.M.Khan. he was the only actor in India whose first Talkie film was Alam Ara-1931 and the last film also was Alam Ara-1973. He is the only actor who worked in 3 films of the same Title, having the same story and did the same role in them. Alam Ara-1931, Alam Ara-1956 and Alam Ara-1973. he even sang the same song in 2 of these films but both times, no record was made. ( There was Ashok Kumar who acted in 3 same name films- Kangan-1939, Kangan-1959 and Kangan-1972. However the stories and his roles were different. Same was with Sulochana (Ruby Meyers), who acted in Anarkali-1928, Anarkali-1935 and Anarkali-1953. However her role in the last film was different.)
W.M.Khan was a Pathan from Afghanistan. I saw him on the screen for the first time in the film Kabuliwala-61, in which he lip synched the famous song ” Aye mere pyare watan…”. W.M.Khan acted in 105 films. He sang 6 songs in 4 films, namely Alam Ara-31, Sair e paristan-34, Dard e dil-34 and after 22 years he sang his first song again in film Alam Ara-56- though no record was issued for it. W.M.Khan died on 14-10-1974, in Bombay.
Finally, K. Datta, the Music Director…..
K.Datta or Datta Korgaonkar aka D.P.Korgaonkar alias Anna saheb, was born in Sawantwadi in Konkan area on 4-6-1908. He grew up learning to sing. His mother was a Bhajan singer. He started singing on stage during Ganesh utsav melas. He formed a Music school, ” Gayan Kala Mandir”, along with another singer Sadashiv Nevrekar. When Nevrekar became a Music Director, he also decided to become one and closed the school.
He was called to Kolhapur in 1937 to give music to a Marathi film, made by General Films of Siraj Ali Hakeem- Chandrarao Morey’-38. His first break in Hindi came in 1939 with Mera Haq (Hindi and Marathi), followed by Alakh Niranjan-40 (Hindi and Marathi), Geeta-40 ( in Hindi and Marathi) and Yaad-42.
He first came face to face with Noorjehan in Naadaan-43. He was simply mesmerised with her voice and singing style. He composed 7 songs for Noorjehan. After doing Zameen-43 and Maharathi Karna-44, he again composed 4 songs for Noorjehan in the film Badi Maa-45. He also gave a break to Lata and Asha to sing in a chorus with Noorjehan. It is very sad that initially, K.Datta’s name was not mentioned on the 78 RPM records of Badi Maa. Only on the ‘re-issue’ records his name came up.
His other films were Yateem-45,Shaahkaar-47,Rangmahal-48,meri kahani-48,Daaman-51,Gumasta-51,Rishta-54,Harihar Bhakti-56 and Ajanabi-66. In all K.Datta gave independent music to just 17 films,plus one film Badmash-44,with Khan Mastana. His Marathi films were 12 from 1938 to 1965. After retirement in 1965, he spent his time in Bhakti, Pooja and Astrology. He used to have a special Pooja every Thursday,when Bhajans were sung. Many composers and other film industry people used to be his visitors. Naushad, C.Ramchandra, Madan Mohan, Sajjad Hussain etc were the regular visitors to Annasaheb. ( Only 3 people in the Hindi film Industry were called Anna Saheb. By coincidence, all 3 were MDs. They were Annasaheb Mainkar, K.Datta and C Ramchandra). He died of a heart attack in G.T.Hospital, Bombay, on 23-12-1978.
He was a Noorjehan believer to the core. To date K Datta remains the only top composer from Maharashtra to whom Noorjehan came first, Lata later. No one regretted Partition more than K Datta. Indeed, his creativity seemed to come to an end once Noorjehan left him high and dry by moving, with a song on her lips, to Pakistan. He once said, “Noor Jehan left for Pakistan and took my creativity with her”. The four Noorjehan numbers, as fashioned by K. Datta are historically most important. Because it was hearing and absorbing these four nuggets of Noorjehan, while acting with her in `Badi Maa’, that Lata Mangeshkar learnt to shape her vocal technique. If Lata came to sound a Noorjehan replica for so long, the tonal base for this was laid, just imagine, by a robustly tall Maharashtrian from the ghats called K Datta in `Badi Maa’.The last number of Noorjehan fetched him the ultimate tribute from no less a movie stalwart than Mehboob Khan, who said: “Bhai Datta, yeh gaana to aap ne Khuda ke darbar mein baithe hue banaya lag raha hai” (“It sounds as if you created this song sitting in Allah’s abode”).
K Datta used to play “Ek anokha gham ek anokhi musibat ho gayi” on a harmonium presented to him by O.P. Nayyar. How grimly significant that the one music director, O.P. Nayyar, who never in his life commissioned Lata, should have gifted that harmonium to the one Maharashtrian composer who believed only in Noorjehan!
Let us now enjoy the 74 year old duet by Shamshad Begum and G.M.Durrani….
Song- Dil de do yaa dil le jaao (Gumashta)(1951) Singers- Shamshad Begum, G M Durrani, Lyricist- Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, MD- K. Datta
Both
Lyrics
Dil de do ya dil le jaao
o dil de do ya dil le jaao
yaa ye karo yaa wo karo
yaa ye karo yaa wo karo
yaa pyaar karo yaa thhukraao
yaa pyaar karo yaa thhukraao
yaa ye karo yaa wo karo
yaa ye karo yaa wo karo
dil de do ya dil le jaao
yaa ye karo yaa wo karo
yaa ye karo yaa wo karo
ik pal ko aankh milaate ho
o o o o o
ik pal ko aankh milaate ho
muskaate ho
chale jaate ho
naazuk hai jiyaa haaye
bedard piyaa aa aa
naazuk hai jiya bedard piyaa
kyun itna hamen tadpaate ho
kya marzee tumhaaree batlaao
o o o
dil de do ya dil le jaao
yaa ye karo yaa wo karo
yaa ye karo yaa wo karo
aankhen mil ke jhhuk jaateen hain
aankhen mil ke jhhuk jaateen hain
sharmaateen hain aen
ghhabraateen hain
kuchh kehne se katraateen hain
ruk jaateen hain darr jaateen hain
kya kehteen hain aankhen batlaao
o o o
dil de do ya dil le jaao
yaa ye karo yaa wo karo
yaa ye karo yaa wo karo
bhholee maasoom jawaanee hai
ae ae ae ae ae
bhholee maasoom jawaanee hai
deewaanee hai mastaanee hai
betaab rahoon haaye
main kaise kahoon oon oon
betaab rahoon main kaise kahoon
kya baat mujhe samjhhaanee hai
kya kehtee hain zaalim batlaao
o o o
dil de do ya dil le jaao
o dil de do ya dil le jaao
yaa ye karo yaa wo karo
yaa ye karo yaa wo karo