Raj Khosla 100th Birth Anniversary: 12 cult songs from the films of the prolific filmmaker

If there was anything that defined Raj Khosla, whose centenary falls on May 31, it was his terrific sense of music. The late studio baron and musical stalwart, S. Mukerji, whose film, Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962) was directed by Khosla, even advised him to direct his scenes like he did his songs—“strictly within the ambit of the sequence”! And in the musical aspect, come O.P. Nayyar, S.D. Burman, Ravi, Madan Mohan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal or even the rank newcomer Kamal Makhdoom (in Khosla’s musically-glorious swan song, Naqab, which main singer Asha Bhosle once told him would be like a second Umrao Jaan for her!), his musical acumen was just like the other legendary RK—Raj Kapoor.

 

Raj Khosla 100th Birth Anniversary: 12 cult songs from the films of the prolific filmmaker

 

Here are 12 iconic songs from his movies that live on and remain favourites across multiple generations, most of them down to GenZee. And in many cases, it was a tough choice to home in on one!

 

‘Ae dil hai mushkil’ / C.I.D. / 1956 / Mohammed Rafi

 

This was Raj Khosla’s first of many blockbusters, with music to match by O.P. Nayyar and Majrooh Sultanpuri (with Jan Nissar Akhtar coming in to write one song, ‘Ankhon hi ankhon mein’). But this Johnny Walker-enacted chartbusting satire on Mumbai has endured taller than them all, especially in its Rafi’s nuanced rendition and the comic actor’s exemplary timing.

 

Near-contenders: ‘Leke pehla pehla pyar (Rafi-Asha Bhosle-Shamshad Begum) & ‘Ankhon hi ankhon mein’ (Rafi with Geeta Dutt)

 

‘Hai apna dil to awara’ / Solva Saal / 1958 / Hemant Kumar

 

The sheer yet sober abandon of this evergreen song composed by S.D. Burman to Majrooh’s brilliant words is testimony to its lasting popularity. Dev Anand’s inimitable expressions do the rest of the magic.

 

‘Hum bekhudi mein’ / Kala Pani / 1958 / Mohammed Rafi

 

S.D. Burman-Majrooh again in a delightfully sparely-orchestrated song that delivers the all-encompassing power of love. The antaras were masterfully written (‘Tum to na kaho hum khud hi se khele / Doobe nahin hum hi yoon nashe mein akele / Sheeshe mein aapko bhi utaare chale gaye) about a man who is loving the feeling of losing himself in ardour.

 

Near-contenders: ‘Accha ji main haari’ (Rafi-Asha) ‘Nazar laagi raja’ (Asha)

 

‘Chal ri sajni ab kya soche’ / Bambai Ka Babu  / 1960 / Mukesh

 

Mukesh was the singer who had sung a song once promised to Khosla when the latter was struggling to become a singer (his original ambition). Happily, the filmmaker never kept any resentment for the giant (who never knew about this, as per the filmmaker!) and gave him terrific songs beginning with this piece de resistance, a bidaai number again created by Dada Burman and Majrooh. This was followed by other sparklers in Anita, Do Raaste and Prem Kahani.

 

‘Bahut shukriya badi meherbaani’ / Ek Musafir Ek Haseena / 1962 / Mohammed Rafi & Asha Bhosle

 

One of those typically languorous mood songs that O.P. Nayyar got Rafi to sing in many of his movies, this S.H. Bihari-written melody was at the same time a gently teasing song for Sadhana by hero Joy Mukerji, with poetic sentiments making it almost like a ghazal. And Sadhana comes in later replies in similar fashion to his romantic overtures.

 

Near-contender: ‘Aap yoon hi agar humse milte rahe’ / Mohammed Rafi & Asha Bhosle

 

‘Lag jaa gale’ / Woh Kaun Thi? / 1964 / Lata Mangeshkar

 

The immortal cadences of passion, expressed in those times in classy, understated (Raja Mehdi Ali Khan’s) verse, make this song the most haunting and revered of the three Lata Mangeshkar-Madan Mohan gems in this thriller. It towers over the literally ‘haunting’ paean, ‘Naina barse rimjhim’, which was the most popular track when the movie first released in 1964.

 

Near-contender: The abovementioned song.

 

‘Jhumka gira re’ / Mera Saaya  / 1966  / Asha Bhosle

 

Asha Bhosle’s chartbuster, again a Madan Mohan-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan creation, outclasses in longevity the other superb but sedate songs from the film like ‘Nainon mein badra chhaye’ (Lata) and ‘Aap ke pehloo mein aakar ro diye’ (Rafi). Almost six decades after the film’s release, the song has now acquired two fresh dimensions: We now know that Amitabh Bachchan’s parents, Harivanshrai and Teji Bachchan, met for the first time 25 years before this song in Bareilly and his mother described her love by stating, ‘Mera jhumka to Bareilly mein hi gir gaya tha’. The lyricist was inspired by that, as reportedly told to him by Teji.

 

The other aspect is this hit song’s respectful yet twisted reprise in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023) that also became a rage, the Amitabh Bhattacharya-written and Pritam-scored, ‘What jhumka?’.

 

‘Tum bin jeevan kaise beeta’ / Anita  / 1967 / Mukesh

 

Raj Khosla first signed Laxmikant-Pyarelal for his comeback as producer in this third of his suspense trilogies (Woh Kaun Thi? and Mera Saaya). Lyricist Raja Mehdi Ali Khan was retained. The film flopped, but the music became a rage, cementing his long association with Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Initially, two Lata numbers, ‘Na baba na baba’ and ‘Main dekhoon jis ore sakhi ri’ dominated the charts, but today, it is this Mukesh solo that primarily endures.

 

‘Bindiya chamkegi’ / Do Raaste / 1969 / Lata Mangeshkar

 

Arguably, the ‘signature tune’ (the first song thought of when a star’s name crops up) of the effervescent Mumtaz, its innovative visuals had Khosla using a pipe to create a focal effect as she teases the hero. This Rajesh Khanna blockbuster’s all-hit music score cemented not just his team with Mumtaz but also the heady Lata-Raj Khosla-L-P-Anand Bakshi combination.

 

Near Contenders: / ‘Khizaan ke phool’ (Kishore Kumar), ‘Chhup gaye saare nazaare’ (Lata-Rafi) & ‘Yeh reshmi zulfein’ (Rafi)

 

‘Maar diya jaaye’ / Mera Gaon Mera Desh / 1971 / Lata Mangeshkar

 

Gradually, (not so) slowly but surely, this song overtook the initial hit numbers of the film to garner ‘cult’ value, with its mukhda becoming like an iconic anthem! Later, Bakshi admitted that the keywords were inspired by the legendary fable of Alexander the Great and Indian king Porus! Innumerable ‘climax’ songs have been heard in Hindi cinema, but this is the Supremo among them. L-P again.

 

Near contender: Kuch kehta hai yeh sawan’ (Rafi-Lata)

 

‘Main Tulsi tere aangan ki’ / Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki / 1978 / Lata Mangeshkar

 

The classic masterpiece from Khosla’s tour de force had its first line instantaneously composed by Laxmikant (when told the title and the synopsis) but its second line thought of in an instant by a bedridden Anand Bakshi, as per Khosla. “In six everyday words, Bakshi had summarized the entire story of my film!” the filmmaker said. We would add: in the five antaras of the classic, the song managed to not only give us gooseflesh but encapsulated every feeling and emotion felt by the two heroines, Nutan and Asha Parekh!

 

‘Salamat rahe dostana hamara’ / Dostana / 1980 / Mohammed Rafi & Kishore Kumar

 

The two-hero era had arrived and Salim-Javed gave Khosla his first experience of a ‘bound script’ in this triangular romance centered around the bond (Dostana) among two men—Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha, who were childhood friends. Bakshi beautifully expressed these facets of long- standing friendship (‘Woh khwabon ke din / Woh kitaabon ke din’) in this ode to their emotions. L-P’s music and the top two male singers make this song a record perennial today, with over 7.7 million views today on YouTube!

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