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 sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
We will discuss today a song from film Daaman-51. This song happens to be one of Lata’s favourite songs and also a Milestone song in her early career, when she was getting settled in her playback singing career. I am pleasantly surprised to note that this song still remained undiscussed here so far,thus giving me the opportunity to discuss this song now.
In the early phase of her career, Lata badly needed help in her attempt of making a place for herself amongst the playback singers. More than that it was a question of her survival, as she was looking after a family of 7 people, being the sole earner of her family. In this difficult period, a Triumvirate of “Datta s ” came to her help. But for the help of these 3 Dattas, Lata probably would not have survived those difficult times.
The first was composer Datta Davjekar ( 15-11-1915 to 19-9-2007 ). He first gave Lata an opportunity to sing in his 3 Marathi films-
1. Chimukala Sansaar-43
2. Majhe BaaL-43 and
3. Gajabhau-44 ( Marathi song-Chala chala navbala and Hindi song- Mata ke sapoot ki)
In 1945, Datta Davjekar joined H.M.V.. He recorded many private Bhaavgeets of Lata, so that she could earn some money. One of those songs “Tuj swapni paahile re Gopala” is popular even today.
Then comes the second Datta. K.Datta or Datta Korgaonkar gave Lata an opportunity to sing with Noorjehan in a chorus song, in the film “Badi Maa”- 45. In this film Lata and Asha acted and sang with Noorjehan.
The third Datta who helped her was D.C.Datta, composer of the film “Sona Chaandi”-46. The history of this film is that this film was first censored in 1946, but was not released for whatever reasons. After Independence, two more songs composed by D.C.Datta ( the original composer Tuffail Faruqi had migrated to Pakistan after Partition) were added to the film and it was censored again in April 1948. One of these songs was of Lata and the other was by Saroj Borkar.
In 1947, meanwhile,it was Datta Davjekar again who gave Lata her FIRST ever solo playback song “Pa laagoon kar jori” in the film “Aap ki sewa mein”-1947.
K.Datta or Datta Korgaonkar alias Anna saheb, was born in Sawantwadi in Konkan region 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 was called to Kolhapur in 1937 to give music to a Marathi film, Chandrarao Morey’-38. His first break in Hindi came in 1939 with Mera Haq, followed by Alakh Niranjan-40, Geeta-40 ( in Hinndi 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. It was only on the ‘re-issue’ records of this movie that his name finally found mention.
His other films were Yateem-45, Shaahkaar-47, Rangmahal-48, Meri Kahaani-48, Daaman-51, Gumaasta-51, Rishta-54, Harihar Bhakti-56 and Ajanabi-66. In all K.Datta gave music independently in just 17 films, plus one film Badmash-44, with Khan Mastana. His marathi films were 12 in number from 1938 to 1965. After retirement in 1965, he spent his time in Bhakti, Pooja and Asrology. he used to have special pooja on every Thursday, when Bhajans werof Annasaheb. he died 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. It was by 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!
Film Daaman-51 had 9 songs. It had the first duet of Lata and Asha. It also had a song, “Tirulilla” sung by Lata, in which there were words “Gaaye Lata Gaaye Lata”. This is probably the only song in the HFM history where the singer sings her own name in it. Today’s song is the 5th song to be posted. The cast of the film was Nigar, Ajit, Pran, Yashodhara katju, Agha,Hiralal etc . The story of the film was…..
Daman is the noble story of a young girl who sacrifices her love and happiness in order to vindicate the solemn traditions and dignity of her parents and her family.
Ramesh ever since his father’s death, lived with Rai Bahadur Dinanath a retired judge, and his only daughter Sheela. Sheela and Ramesh, since child-hood, lived and played together. Rai Bahadur, though liberal and progressive minded preferred Indian ways of life and culture to those of Western. He brought up and educated Ramesh like his own son and sent his daughter to England for higher studies.
On her return, the association of two grown ups developed into love, and both of them decided to marry each-other. But to disclose their intentions to Rai Bahadur who was ignorant about the affair became a knotty problem. Sheela assured Ramesh that her father would agree to their proposal and insisted that he should go to her father and explain to him everything. But Ramesh always felt himself to be under a debt of gratitude to Sheela’s father and this prevented him from mustering enough courage to go to Rai Bahadur. In the meantime Ramesh got a job of a professor in the University of Allahabad. Informing Sheela not to worry as he would write to her father and explain, he left.
Now Sheela became the first concern of her father as she was of marriageable age. Without feeling the necessity of consulting her Rai Bahadur got her engaged to be married soon to Suresh, the only son of a military Doctor, who happened, to be his friend. By that time he received a letter from Ramesh in which he had written about his love for Sheeela and their desire to get married. He was shocked and felt sorry for what he had done. He called on Sheela and explained to her the position which he was put. To undo the pledge amounted to a set back to the prestige of the family. And moreover he feared a public scandal. Sheela knew well the predicament her father was in, and sacrificing her love to maintain the dignity and honour of her family, decided to marry whom her father had engaged her to. But he received the decision of his daughter with mixed feelings of pleasure and pain as he knew well that it would wreck the happiness of his daughter.
Sheela’s decision rocked the world of Ramesh to pieces. He got heart broken when he thought of Suresh-the spoilt son of the doctor as the life partner of Sheela, his love. He could do nothing as the ways of fate were much stronger. Sheela now married, left the house to live with Suresh and a few months passed happily. She loved her husband like a true Indian wife and saw her own happiness in the happiness of her husband. Now things took a different turn. Suresh’s father called back on duty. He had loved Sheela as his own daughter. He left Suresh and the entire house in her care.
Daulat, who was a friend of Suresh with evil designs on his money succeeds in taking away Suresh from his happy domestic life and getting him entangled into the clutches of one Padma, a dancing girl of objectionable repute. Sheela though shocked by the indifference meted out to her, did not lose hope of bringing Suresh to his senses, and making him secure from the evil designs of his friend Daulat. . Rai Bahadur had grown old and was at his death-bed when he called Sheela and Ramesh, gave half of his property to Sheela and half to Ramesh and told them to live like sister and brother and breathed his last.
Suresh received the news at Padmas house He took lightly and did nothing to console Sheela at her loss. Sheela got tired of the humiliation in every day life and left her house to stay with Ramesh as his sister throughout her life. After learning about this, Ramesh insisted upon her to go to her own house and even took her in his car there, at the dead of night. But as ill luck would have it the car got disabled on the way.
Suresh while passing that way saw Sheela and Ramesh together and doubted their intentions. Hot words followed, Suresh got furious and taking his revolver, fired at Ramesh who fell down. Suresh leaving Sheela at the ghastly site, drove away. He went to Daulat and told everything. Daulat took advantage of this and asked him to hide in the house. Meanwhile Sheela took Ramesh to Hospital and treatment started. Daulat told to Suresh that Ramesh has died,but he can save him if he gives all his property on his name.
Meanwhile Sheela comes to know about this. She tells Ramesh. Ramesh is ok by now. He takes the police with him and goes to Daulat’s house,where they see and hear all his conspiracy. Daulat and Padma are arrested,Suresh rescued. This opens his eyes,but before he embraces Ramesh, Daulat fires on Suresh which Ramesh takes it and dies to save Suresh,Sheela’s husband.
Here is this Lata song from “Daaman”(1953). It is penned by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and it is composed by K Datta.
Song-Chakori ka chanda se pyaar (Daaman)(1951) Singer-Lata, Lyrics-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, MD-K Datta
Lyrics
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
pyaari pyaari aankhon pe aankhen nisaar
aankhen nisaar
aankhen nisaar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
ho o o
ye raaten suhaani
ye pyaaraa samaa
haan
ye raaten suhaani ye pyaaraa samaa
haan
muhabbat deewaani
umangen jawaan
aa aa aaaa
muhabbat deewaani
umangen jawaan
aa aa aaaa
chheen liyaa aankhon ne dil kaa qaraar
dil kaa qaraar
dil kaa qaraar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
lagan se teri hoke main choor choor
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
jaloon apni hi aag mein door door
door door
ho o o
chhote se dil mein mere armaan hazaar
armaan hazaar
armaan hazaar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
ho o o
vafaa tum karoge na maanenge ham
ho o
hamaare ho tum kaho khaake qasam
aa aa aa
haseenon ke vaadon kaa kyaa aitbaar
kyaa aitbaar
kyaa aitbaar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
chakori kaa chandaa se pyaar
