Rajendra Kumar is seriously imitating Dev here. S-e-r-i-o-u-s-l-y.
I laughed so very very hard when I watched it, but I haven’t visited it for… five-six months now. Reason being that this was the first song I was listening to on the night of 3rd December. (I snuck my iPod into the room and listened to songs!). So, yeah. But I always used to hear this on the radio. Never knew that it was Rajendra Kumar. And I never knew about the picturization!
If the whole movie is like that I’m going to watch it even if it’s terrible. I doubt it is, but.
Read some of Baburao Patel’s reviews. Very, very, very angry right now. Calling Kalpana Kartik pigeon-chested (?!!?!@$@!$%) is not very nice. Sorry if you guys like him. Will indulge in a little bashing here. Though I think he was meant to bash the films of nowadays and not the Golden Era films. He even called Rajendra Kumar stupid. Oh really, Mr. Film Critic? Want me to blast, “Bahaaron Phool Barsao” on my iPod? :/
This film critic obviously hated Guru Dutt (How can you. HOW CAN YOU?!). He says Baazi is an unholy mess (-grabs revolver-) and summed up C.I.D. with this: “C.I.D. is not merely an unpleasant crime tale. It is a stupid crime tale. It is thin as air and as unconvincing as a Russian prisoner’s confession.” How the freaking heck? LOOK. C.I.D. was (half) of the other end of the promise Dev and Guru Dutt made (Dev said if he produced a film, he’d give it to Guru Dutt to direct, and that Guru Dutt would direct him in a movie. Dev fulfilled his end of the promise with Baazi, but Guru Dutt only did half of it with this film – he produced and didn’t direct), the movie in which Rafi first sang for Dev (I counted, don’t worry. Unless some Insaniyat song springs me. But I’m too scared to go near that movie. Dev with a mouche. No. Please. -breaks down-), the first time Dev was seen with Waheeda (And also the latter’s Hindi film debut!), and guess what? Raj Khosla’s directional debut.
RAJ KHOSLA’S!
The guy who directed all those awesomely amazing films – Woh Kaun Thi, Main Tulsi Tere Angaan Ki, Bombai Ka Babu, Kala Pani, you call his directional debut, STUPID!? In one of the films that Dustedoff liked and in one of the films that Stuart liked too? Have you lost it? Something gone wrong? I shudder to even think of what he did to Nau Do Gyarah. Oh my gosh. I’d rather die before reading that Filmindia magazine. Even if there’s amazing eye candy in there, I am not going 10 feet near a copy of that magazine. Goldie and Dev must’ve been thinking, “What is this guy gonna write about our movie?”. Can you imagine that – the top film stars at the mercy of a critic?
What makes people love him anyway? What? The fact that he hates on people that people hate too? Or what? I can’t fathom why in the world he’d have so much influence. What the hell? He even called Kagaaz Ke Phool “funeral-paced”. I mean, fine, people didn’t like it, but FUNERAL-PACED?! Calling a Guru Dutt movie that? A GRAVE SIN.
To top it all off, to top it all off, Dev even said this, “He made and unmade stars. He established or destroyed a film with just a stroke of his pen. That much power he wielded then.” WHO, WHO THE HELL GAVE HIM SO MUCH POWER? IF THERE WERE FANGIRLS THAT WERE CRAZY OVER YOU, DEV, THEN THAT MEANT THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT HATED MR. FILM CRITIC. He even said Raj Kapoor’s Shree 420 was bad. WAS BAD. Fine, some people don’t like it, but he made mincemeat out of it. MY GOSH. -throws glass at wall-
He was supposed to bash SRK, not to bash Guru Dutt (Who the freaking hell would do that anyway besides a rambling lunatic?!) and all the amazing people. My gosh.
I GIVE UP. I GIVE UP.
Also, I watched Teesri Manzil today. Will let you know how I felt about it soon. I have a super-big post about Tere Ghar Ke Samne planned too. Sorry for my disappearance – am really busy at school and the debating finals are coming up soon! Not to mention exams! So, for now, shabba khair.
S.D. Burman and Dev had a long association. Navketan was responsible for bringing S.D. back from the brink of obscurity, and in turn, he gave them amazing classics. Who can forget Aankhon Mein Kya Jee or Dekho Rootha Na Karo?
I simply couldn’t keep it to five because there were too many good songs of Dev’s and S.D.’s for five. I didn’t do a hundred or else I would be in a half-zombie state by the time I was through with this. Although I’m sure that if I keep counting, I could make a hundred. Maybe another day.
So here it is, my list of my favorite SDB and Dev Anand songs. To keep things to just twenty, I’ve decided: Solos only, and pre-70′s songs only. Feel free to add your own, and discuss what you like about these songs.
(Songs are in no particular order cause I like them too much!)
1. Dil Ka Bhanwar
(Tere Ghar Ke Samne; 1963) This is one of the three songs that I like the most (the other two being Jiya O Jiya and Are Yaar Meri) And of course, it has rightfully earned its place. At first, I couldn’t see the big fuss over it, but then I was conquered – by Rafi’s amazing voice, and the genius of S.D. Burman.
Add to that Goldie’s awesome picturization in the Qutub Minar, and the wonderful pair of Dev and Nutan, and you’re set for the ride of your life. Now, do you understand why I couldn’t stop listening for a month?
2. Khoya Khoya Chand
(Kala Bazaar; 1960) Also one of my favorites, I love this for S.D. Burman’s amazing background music, and Rafi’s rendition, and not to mention, Dev! He runs up and down with such energy, and I’ve tried to do that in front of my friends. They all stared at me and thought something was wrong.
And of course, his costume! As I’ve pointed out, he had it in Baarish, this movie, Tere Ghar Ke Samne and Jewel Thief. Seriously, though, the remix is rubbish compared to this. When I’m not playing Dev’s songs in my head, I’m thinking of ways to murder the remixers. Okay, that sounded incredibly mean.
3. Hai Apna Dil To Awaara
(Solva Saal; 1958) If you don’t believe your friends who say “recommended videos get you every time”, believe me. I saw this on the recommended videos tab, and I just clicked it one day, thinking, “Hey, it’s Dev’s song anyway.” And I was confused – who was Hemant Kumar? (Google cleared things up and I learned about Bees Saal Baad, though!)
And before I knew it, I woke up in the morning and found myself listening to it. Legend has it that R.D. Burman was twelve when he played the harmonica for this song. Man, I’m jealous of my friend who gets to play the harmonica in school!
4. Maana Janab Ne Pukara Nahin
(Paying Guest; 1957) I love the way Kishore sings this with the masti in his voice. And the lyrics are awesome as well - toota phoota dil yeh humara, jaisa bhi hai ab hai tumhara. I love the way the song starts too - with all the instruments and stuff.
Of course, Dev and Nutan make an excellent pair, and the way she reacts is pretty funny. He takes her tennis racket and teases her and all that, sublime!
5. Tere Mere Sapne
(Guide; 1965) The first time I saw Guide with my grandma, she got excited over this song. She went, “Oh, there’s a very nice song here.” Well, of course it was, but I never really got addicted to it and stuff. No, nothing like the craze over “Dil Ka Bhanwar”. But then, when I learned that… -sigh- Yeah, I started listening to this and I cried a lot every night.
But on the bright side, I love how Goldie does most of the song in one shot (so Asha Parekh wasn’t kidding when she said that Goldie did lots of long shots in Teesri Manzil). He loves long shots. Look at Honton Pe Aisi Baat if you don’t believe me.
6. Yeh Dil Na Hota Bechara
(Jewel Thief; 1967) I have to admit, this was the song that introduced me to Jewel Thief. Always popping up in the recommended videos list, I decided to give this one a try one evening. Meh, wasn’t that good. But the next morning I came back. And listened and listened. Then what? S.D. Burman’s magic and Kishore’s yodelling conquered me and I started liking it so much that I wondered how I could not like it at first.
And the yodelling also helped me find out that “Babu Samjho Ishare” was from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi. Oh, this complicated world of films.
P.S. I left that comment asking the guy, “Are you hallucinating?” because I was so annoyed with his dumbness. Anna Hazare my foot.
7. Jeevan Ke Safar Mein Rahi
(Munimji; 1955) My first encounter with this song came through Google. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried, but before all the news reports and all that, there was this video (I can’t find it now) that said, “old song dev anand”. Used to show up on the first page of Google. I never really got around to clicking it, but when I went to the concert, (another one, not the horrific one mentioned here), they performed it. I liked it. :3
But I never got around to learning the name! See, I can love the song but I can’t catch the name! (Same thing happened with Dil Deke Dekho) So one fine day, I was googling his name again (I do that a lot, don’t ask why), and I realized that it was the same one I heard at the concert. So I was really happy, and lo and behold, on the recommended videos list, I also saw “Hai Apna Dil To Awaara”, which I heard at the concert too and would later go on to be addicted.
8. Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke
(Nau Do Gyarah; 1957) I always used to see this on the recommended videos list too. And I thought, “Oh, it’s from Nau Do Gyarah, so why not?” Wow. I thought he looked so different here. (I was only watching Jewel Thief at that time, so excuse me for this) But after I heard “Aankhon Mein Kya Jee”, I started loving this song too. Dev is sooo handsome.
Incidentally, on the night of 3rd December (Actually, just 4th December since it was after midnight), I was staying up late, in my room, listening to Dev’s songs on my iPod. (If you guys have owed money to your canteenwalahs, my friends and I all do this!) I had spent about two hours, and I was having a blast. Bad part was, my grandma came into the room because she wanted to sleep too. So I quickly turned off the iPod, and I was playing this song. And in the morning…
I love how the song starts only after a minute. S.D. Burman’s music is awesome. (:
9. Akela Hoon Main
(Baat Ek Raat Ki; 1962) I’m not the sporty type. Really, I’d stay at home and watch one of Goldie’s thrillers instead of run about outside and get myself drenched in sweat. So what made me get out there and accept my friend’s invitation to go cycling? This song, of course!
I had a terrible time. Number one, I only cycled when I was five, with the starter wheels. How did Dev do it?! Number two, I’m very scared of falling. Number three, I got bruises all over my legs. Next time, I’m really going to make good on my promise and stay home with my DVDs and a packet of Milo.
P.S. That guy talked about a chutney version. I’m not going to go near it with a pole. -shudders-
10. Yeh Raat Yeh Chandni
(Jaal; 1952) I don’t really remember how I landed up on this song, but once I did, I loved it. So much that when my friend and I were out at night (not really late – only about seven after the sun set), and I saw the moon, I started pretending to have a guitar.
Yeah. The guitaaaaaaaaar. I’ve pointed it out to my friends and we all had a good laugh. He’s not playing the guitar – it’s obvious, but hey, it only makes him awesomer.
And I love the music. S.D. Burman’s music again is awesome.
Okay, I just came across this poll for Filmfare Icon. I spent an hour voting again and again for Dev, and i just thought I’d led you guys know so you can vote. Please, please, after you’re done, can you go back a second time and vote for Dev? Even if you don’t like him, for me? Please? Please?
I’m really scared that SRK is going to win now. I’m very scared. And the iconic film too, I’m scared. I’m scared for everything. I just want Dev to win, but you guys, you like your own actors too, and I have to respect that. But if you don’t mind, please, please, please go back and vote for him?
And now that you’ve voted, who did you vote for? I’ve gone back to vote for Dev, and I’ve changed my choices multiple times too, so here’s whom I voted for:
Okay, well, I’m not here to get into a fight with knives and swords over holding Dev and Goldie responsible for butchering the ending, but more on the plot itself. (Seriously though, I don’t want the comments filled with hissy fits over the ending) The reason why it’s always so popular and iconic are all the mysteries that Goldie purposely leaves unanswered and how a person can make up his mind, who was right: Raju or Rosie?
The first morning after I watched it, I nearly held Rosie responsible for Raju’s death, but then again, she was right in her own place. He has changed, but so has she. Don’t hate on Dev here, save it for later. If not for him, at least think of the character Raju. Okay? Right.
Raju thinks…
She is going to go back to Marco because she suddenly starts ignoring him.
Marco is also after her. First the flowers, then the book, then the jewelry… something is wrong.
She isn’t the same anymore. She spends all her time with her dancer friends and has no time for me.
She hates my friends, but why? She’s not as understanding as before.
Surely Marco isn’t more handsome than me?
So, I don’t hold anyone responsible for it, although Marco’s return certainly aggravated Raju’s forgery. First coming to meet her, then the book, then the jewellery… Raju thinks something is definitely up and I can’t blame him.
Rosie thinks…
Why does he even drink and smoke? He didn’t do all that in the past and he was just fine.
He’s living this life of luxury only because of my hard work.
He gambles a lot and keeps taking money from me. He shouldn’t be living off my earnings. Last time, he didn’t do that and he was better like that.
Why does he have to keep such company? They always smoke and drink!
Why did he even have to forge it? Only for such a small sum of money. He could’ve asked me instead! Really, he’s changed!
But Raju argues that it’s only because of his efforts that she’s such a big star now. According to her, this might be true, but then it’s only her dancing skill that helps her get here, so really, it’s her success. And she just can’t fathom why he had to forge the signature. Poor Rosie, poor Raju. Maybe their romance just wasn’t meant to be?
Now, if you know me, you know whom I’ll support. I think they were both equally responsible, because Raju forged it only because he thought that Marco would go back to Rosie and she’d accept him because she had been turning away from him.
What do you guys think? Was any one of them responsible or was it just bad luck or something else altogether?
*No, I’m not out of my hiatus yet. Just felt compelled to post this after some people’s remarks.*
Let’s face it. Remixes are an insult to the original. And all the reasons for creating remixes are rubbish. Do you think Rafi would like to hear “Khoya Khoya Chand” sung in an elf’s voice? Or do you think Dev was appreciative of the butchery of “Dum Maro Dum”?
I don’t even understand why the hell people like remixes. Go listen to the original, will your ears drop off? Will your eyes fall out? The simple answer is no. Besides, the originals are the real stuff. It’s like getting some second-hand trash and liking it when the original is cheaper. I know this post might get me shot, but really, it’s been crossing the line lately. Dev was even about to go and file a court case against Rohan Sippy.
And there’s a certain thing called respect, which has magically dropped off the face of the earth. As Stuart has rightly pointed out, would you like to have your work turned on its head? Would you like to have your work plagiarized? Out of respect for all the film-makers and singers, can they just stop with this remix business? I swear, I’ll fly into a rage if anyone dare lay a finger on “Dil Ka Bhanwar”.
What the hell has happened to originality? Grew wings and flew off? Thrown out of the window? Are the composers of nowadays so desperate that they have to steal things already? They’re just like mangy street dogs who can’t even find food for themselves. They have to have it laid down on a silver platter in front of them. They make tall claims of idolizing Rafi and Kishore. Yeah, right. This is your idolizing. Remixing their songs and turning them into a big fat joke that you can laugh at.
Remix this, remix that. Do you think people like hearing their favorite songs being ripped to shreds with some lousy vocals and dizzying disco beats thrown in? In the guise of a revival? What the hell do they even intend to do? Make a name for themselves for being street dogs? Fine, cinema has never been 100% original, but neither does it have to be 0% original. The new generation people can just as well listen to the originals and make up their mind. No need to stuff it up their faces with disco beats trying to make it look appealing.
If they don’t want to listen to Rafi and Kishore, fine, their loss. Who cares? Neither do they even want to listen to lousy vocals with disco beats that butcher it and insult it. Contempt is the key word here. Contempt. It’s not funny or tributeish to do all this nonsense. If you really have a brain, compose something original and dedicate it. Not make a mockery out of their work.
After watching this, I have to ask, was the director a fan of Dev too? All the references to his movies made me laugh so hard that I couldn’t focus on the horror plot. There’s Rakesh, Anand, Anand is a C.I.D. inspector, the bad guy’s name is Madanlal, there’s a scene where Manoj Kumar looks like he’s wearing the same thing as Dev in Bombai Ka Babu… but then again, my friend says that I will find a reference in anything I watch.
I came across this in September last year, somehow landing up on the article of “And Then There Were None”, looking for plots. My friend had challenged me to write a 20,000 word story, so I happily went to lift a film’s plot. I found out about Gumnaam, listened to “Jaan Pehechaan Ho”, forgot about the challenge…
A few weeks ago I found out that it was on Youtube, and that too, which English subtitles! I started watching it, and finished it only yesterday because of schoolwork. Cursed history project. I didn’t know that the original novel was by Agatha Christie (I only came to know about her recently too, after someone pointed out that Nau Do Gyarah was like reading an Agatha Christie novel!), so I guess the suspense was great.
There’s this funny review about it on the Net, but here’s my two cents.
The film starts with a mysterious-looking man walking out to the balcony, at Hotel Metropole. A drunken man, Seth Sohanlal, emerges, and upon a signal by the man at the balcony, a white car starts and runs over the Seth. After he is declared dead by the passers-by, the man retreats back into his room and a series of mysterious phone calls begins.
He tells someone to prepare a death certificate, a girl to send the will to the right place, and finally reveals that his name is Khanna. Finally, he calls Seth Sohanlal’s niece, Asha (Nanda), and informs her of his death. She screams and cries, but before Khanna can say anything, another mysterious man enters his room and shoots him dead, while Asha is still on the phone, his blood dripping onto it. And then the opening credits roll.
Cut to a scene in Princes Club, and the famous song, “Jaan Pehechaan Ho” starts, the dancers dancing more vigorously than everyone in “Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyar Tera“. Incidentally, the band playing this song, “Ted Lyons and His Cubs”, has appeared in a few more Hindi films, like Jaanwar and Love Marriage (I saw the dance before that, and it looked more like they were getting electrocuted! And when Dev goes all preachy and stuff, I’m like, “BUT DEV, YOU’RE WEARING A COAT.” …Yeah. Preaching doesn’t suit him one bit. But that’s another story for another day!). And I can’t believe someone on IMDB thought that the main singer picturized was Rafi. Ever heard of playback singing, world?
A man comes and announces that since it is the silver jubilee of the Princes Club, there’s a lucky draw, and six people have won the prize – a getaway in a chartered plane for two weeks. They are: Barrister Rakesh (Pran, and again, reference!), Mr. Dharamdas (Dhumal), Mr. Kishen (Manmohan), Miss Kitty (Helen), Dr. Acharaya (Madan Puri), Mr. Sharma (Tarun Bose), and of course, Asha. By the way, the man looked like he was imitating Dev.
Everything is going well, until suddenly, the pilot claims that there is an engine failure, and they have to land the plane. This is your cue to get up from your seat and scream, “Liars!”. As you’d expect, they land on a deserted island and the plane abandons all seven passengers, and leaves their co-pilot, Anand (Manoj Kumar), behind. Reference again.
They search in vain, and after a while, a mysterious voice starts singing “Gumnaam Hai Koi“. The lyrics are a little scary… “paida hua, woh faani hai” (‘faani‘ is derived from ‘fen’, which means foam, or froth – so it basically means that he (or she) who has been born is as evanescent and short-lived as froth.) Thank you, Dustedoff! I heard it as paani, which means water. Oh yeah. If they had seen all the water conservation efforts, maybe the lyrics would’ve been different. (They even used scare tactics, trust me, it happened to my class when I was eight.) And magically, out of nowhere, a mansion springs up!
…Very convienient. And when they go inside, they find a “corpse” on the table, only to discover that it is a butler (Mehmood)! Everyone is relieved, but the butler claims that he’s been laying dead there for a week. So he knows that they were going to be abandoned on that island? Hmm… very interesting. And he knows everyone’s names too! The secret? A piece of paper, but it doesn’t have Anand’s name on it, indicating that he was left there accidentally.
At dinnertime, Anand somehow gets his hands on a suspicious-looking diary, and reads it out loud. “Everyone is a suspect here,” it proclaims. Despite this rather ominous message, they continue eating happily and in the next few days, romance blossoms. First it’s Anand and Asha (They like the letter ‘A’, I’m guessing!), and then, Rakesh and Kitty. Anand and Asha are the “good” couple – Asha is the sadhi-savitri type, and Anand doesn’t drink like Rakesh. Rakesh and Kitty are the “bad” couple – Kitty drinks and smokes, and so does Rakesh.
Well, people start getting murdered, of course, true to the diary’s word, but I won’t spoil it for you. What I will say, though, is that the characters don’t seem to be bothered about the deaths. Really, the night after the first person’s death, Anand and Asha have the nerve to go out at night, IN THE RAIN, and on top of that all, sing a song!! And after their duet, they return back, only to find the second person dead! What happens next, I’ll leave it to you to find out. Tip: Remember the starting.
My comments
As I mentioned before, the characters didn’t seem too concerned over the deaths. To illustrate another example, after three deaths, Kitty still can sing a song, and the rest all seem really happy too. WTF?! In the novel, they were paranoid, and really scared. But here they have time to find two romances, and lots of songs. The songs were really good, though. Shankar-Jaikishan never fail to weave magic. Rafi voiced for Manoj Kumar and Mehmood.
It wasn’t all bad, no, really. It didn’t follow the novel to the T, but it was still great, at least by incorporating great S-J numbers into the film and Mehmood’s comical acting. There was nothing special about the dialogue, but the cinematography and the special effects were great in the song “Hum Kale Hain To Kya Hua”.
If you like typical filmi stuff like this, then go watch it! Definitely paisa-vasool!
Note: I will be going on a semi-hiatus after this post. Maybe for two weeks or so. I’ll basically be in the background, cleaning up posts and adding tags, working on pages and sticking a bunch of old posts on one page, creating indexes… stuff like that. And when I come back, it’ll be something related to Dev! ^_^
I’m not going to try to change your mind about him, by going, “OH, YOU’RE AN IDIOT BECAUSE YOU DON’T LIKE HIM”. People have their own opinions, and I respect that. If you’re reading this post, it may be just for fun. Or just because you want to see how far a demented Dev Anand fan can go to defend him. I’m not going to try to defend his 70′s movies, they were terrible, and that’s that. I’m sorry if you’re a fan of his seventies movies, but really, they were nothing compared to his movies in the 50′s and 60′s.
I bet some of you have seen Kala Bazaar (1960) and Guide (1965), and you think of him as a preachy, narcisstic person. Fine, I agree that he comes across as preachy to some of you in these movies, but have you seen his light-hearted romantic fare? Like Tere Ghar Ke Samne? That’s the one movie that infuriates me because it’s always overlooked by people. Whenever Vijay Anand’s name is taken, the first thing that comes to mind is Guide. If you delve deeper, you’ll think of Teesri Manzil and Jewel Thief, maybe Main Tulsi Tere Angaan Ki. But no one ever thinks of Tere Ghar Ke Samne. This film delves into the genius of Goldie and shows who Dev really is – not the preachy, annoying director, but an actor-producer who can really deliver. Let’s overlook all his later movies. Forget everything after Guide. What’s left is the black and white era, one where he reigned, along with Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor.
Some of you may argue that he didn’t deserve to be in the Big Three, or he was the weakest of the trio. Think about it. Raj Kapoor was known for his “happy tramp” persona in films like Awaara and Shree 420. Also, he was a great director. Dilip Kumar is always remembered for his role in Devdas, also in Naya Daur and Mughal-E-Azam. And who can forget Ram Aur Shyam? Or Sangam? If you consult a guidebook to Hindi cinema, the most they’ll tell you about Dev is to go watch Guide and Jewel Thief and Johny Mera Naam. If they have enough space, perhaps they’ll recommend Hare Rama Hare Krishna. But as I said, forget everything after Guide. Look at his films from the same era as Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar. He has films like Taxi Driver, Munimji, C.I.D. and Solva Saal to his credit.
Vijay Anand’s directional debut, Nau Do Gyarah, also showcases the chemistry between him and his real-life wife, Kalpana Kartik. Have you seen this film? Chances are, you haven’t. Perhaps you might have heard “Aankhon Mein Kya Jee” and thought, “Oh wow, look what he became from this, to that preachy idiot in Hare Rama Hare Krishna”. But that’s it. It stops there, right? If you really cast aside your doubts for a moment, sit down and watch 9211 without the critic mindset and forget the films after Guide, you will enjoy it.
Before you click the home button, realize that I’m not trying to force the movie on you. Trust me, it is a world away from all the preachy roles and hippie stuff that came in the 70′s. Try Kala Pani and Tere Ghar Ke Samne too – form a trio with these movies and you will realize what you’ve been missing out on. You might just want to retreat to the movies of nowadays, with nary a concern for these stuffy, black and white movies which are so preachy anyway, or just go back to those Rajendra Kumar movies which you like so much better. Fine. Go ahead. But your Hindi cinema experience will never be complete if you hate one member of the trio of Bollywood. If you still hate him after that, that’s okay, that’s a matter of personal opinion then.
I’ll tell you. If you want to give it a chance, for some reason, be it Nutan or Waheeda, or the good songs that he always got (sometimes, you think it’s unfair, really), then do it. You won’t regret it. Trust me.
I just recently discovered Joy Mukherjee with the films Love in Simla, Shagird and Love in Tokyo, but I never watched any of those films. The first time I found out about him was on Wikipedia, and since one of my friends was named Joy, we had a hearty laugh and listened to one of his songs, which turned out to be “Dil Tham Chale Hum Aaj Kidhar” from Love in Simla. RIP, Joy Mukherjee. Another actor from the Golden Era passes on. With due credit to Dustedoff, this is my tribute to this star of yesteryears:
1. In a train cabin: I’ve never been on one of India’s railway trains before, though I’d surely like to try! And both of our heroes romance their heroines in a train cabin; awesome!
Dil Tham Chale Hum Aaj Kidhar (Love in Simla; 1960) Who says you need your beloved to be around to romance her? Joy here sings a song to his absent love, getting ready, and falling as the train lurches and wobbles, much unlike the songs where you can stand on a train and dance (-cough- Chaiyya Chaiyya -cough-). Beautiful scenery, a handsome and tall Joy Mukherjee, and perhaps a few bruises.
Apni To Har Aah Ek Toofan Hai (Kala Bazaar; 1960) “Is this idiot praying or flirting with our daughter?” I bet the parents of Waheeda Rehman must be thinking that. Dev manages to get in the same cabin as his lady love, and now it’s time to flirt with her, even with her parents around! The solution? A cleverly disguised song with facial expressions and Rafi’s voice. Kya kare, woh jaan kar bhi anjaan hai!
2. Insanely in love: When you fall in love, you don’t think about what the heck you are doing, and this is the result. Joy Mukherjee bumps into everyone he comes across. Dev rides on a scooter all the way from Delhi to Shimla. Lovebirds.
Japan, Love in Tokyo (Love in Tokyo; 1966) Just like kids, Joy grabs Asha Parekh’s hand and the two run all around Tokyo, even dancing and romancing each other on an overhead bridge. To the jetty, in the bar, swinging around the pole – wow, love can really make you do stuff.
Tu Kahan Yeh Bata (Tere Ghar Ke Samne; 1963) What do you do when your beloved is in Shimla and you are stuck in Delhi? Grab your scooter and ride there, of course! And sing a song because you don’t know where she is! The picturization of this song is just superb (Goldie’s genius!), and thankfully, there was no disturbing overuse of the fog. Say, Dev, don’t your legs hurt from all that riding and running around Shimla?
3. Chasing after your beloved: Now that the matter is fixed, and you’ve got the romance going, what next? The heroes have to chase after their heroines, duh? Whether it’s rootha-mana, or just trying to get a closer look, our two heroes have done it all!
Sayonara, Sayonara (Love in Tokyo; 1966) Joy thinks that they’re together – or not? Asha Parekh suddenly takes off, and he follows, trying to get a closer look. All down through the streets of Tokyo, he chases her, until finally, when they reach a cable car thingy, he stops, and waves as she sings “Sayonara, Sayonara”.
Jiya O Jiya (Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai; 1961) “So you aren’t happy that I’m here?” he demands indignantly, and she goes, “No”. So he pretends to jump out of the train, and lands right on top of a car! (You expected this, didn’t you? It’s Bollywood, after all!) First she’s relieved, and then she’s angry, but for how long? Dil ka parda khol do, he says, and finally, she forgives him, and he climbs back onto the train! Fairy-tale romance? Kinda.
4. Pushing your love around: Now that you’ve gotten her, you’ve rootha-mana’ed her, it’s time to pamper her. By singing a duet and pushing/pulling her on something. This is exactly what Dev and Joy did. How are they so strong anyway?
Haseeno Ki Sawari Hai (Love in Simla; 1960) Pulling her on a carriage, Joy runs through the streets of Shimla, and even has time to sing a duet with Sadhana! Wow, now that’s called multitasking. And she even calls him a rickshaw-wale! Wow! A fun, fast-paced song, rendered by Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur.
O Jee O Hume Aaj Koina (Funtoosh; 1956) Another thela song, much before Namak Halaal! Dev, in his randomly-stupid hat goes and pushes Sheila Ramani on the cart. And nearly lets her roll off! If you haven’t seen the movie, the scene after this song is even more hilarious. Sheila is engaged to another person called Banke Bihari, and he is worried, where she is with Dev! Just as Banke Bihari is about to make a smug comment about Dev, he comes back with Sheila – by crashing the cart right into Banke Bihari! Way to go, Dev!
Now I really can’t think of any more, really sorry! But I made this self-indulgent and tribute video to Joy Mukherjee. It’s a little monotonous, I guess, but… yeah.
But I always used to hear this on the radio. Never knew that it was Rajendra Kumar. And I never knew about the picturization! 
I have a super-big post about Tere Ghar Ke Samne planned too. Sorry for my disappearance – am really busy at school and the debating finals are coming up soon! Not to mention exams! So, for now, shabba khair. 
