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Bollywood Noir

From the darker side of Bollywood – classic songs about loss and despair. These songs have the most beautiful haunting melodies, that don’t need any translation to make their power felt.

A few songs from Taxi Driver, Pyaasa, from Mughal-e-Azam and Kaagaz Ke Phool: I’m sure this is not the definitive list of tragic Bollywood songs, but what it does contain is from the great masters… and sad… wonderful.
Mughal-e-Azam’s story is about the conflict between love and duty, and the title of the main song “Pyaar kiya to darna kya” seems to translate to: “If you have love, what is there to fear?”
I remember this from the film, that I saw a while ago, in a more poetic translation: “Love cannot be controlled by chains or prisons” – but maybe that was my imagination :-)

Talat Mahmood (with cigarette) sings as Manglu the cynical cab driver, the iconic lost person, the drifter that does not belong. The song “Jaayen to jaayen kahan” (Where should we go?) was a huge hit in the rapidly changing India of 1954, and it still hasn’t lost much of its power.
Then there’s Kagaaz Ke Phool’s tale of self-destructive genius, and Geeta Dutt singing “Waqt Ne Kiyaa” (What has time done?). The world is a garden of paper flowers and broken hearts. The movie wasn’t a great success at the time, and director Guru Dutt descended into depression and suicide in 1964. The dark side of Bollywood.

playlist: Bollywood Noir

# Artist Title Year
1 Lata Mangeshkar Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya – Mughal-e-Azam 1960
2 Lata Mangeshkar Mohabbat ki jhooti kahani – Mughal-e-Azam 1960
3 Mohammed Rafi Ae mohabbat zindabad – Mughal-e-Azam 1960
4 Hemant Kumar Jane woh Kaise Log The – Pyaasa 1957
5 Geeta Dutt Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam – Kaagaz Ke phool 1959
6 Talat Mahmood Jaayen To Jaayen Kahaan – Taxi Driver 1954
7 Hemant Kumar Tum Pukar Lo Tumhara Intezar – Khamoshi 1969
8 Lata Mangeshkar Duniya Mein Hum Aaye Hain – Mother India 1957
9 Noor Jehan Rim Jhim Parey Pohaar – Koel 1961
10 Lata Mangeshkar Ae Malik Tere Bande Hum – Do Aankhen Bara Haath 1957
11 Geeta Dutt – Hemant Kumar Na Yeh Chand Hoga – Shart 1954
12 Kishore and Asha Yeh Raaten Yeh Mausam – Dilli Ka Thug 1958
13 Lata Mangeshkar Ruk Ja Raat – Dil Ek Mandir 1963
14 Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi – Chori Chori 1957
15 Lata Mangeshkar Kahin Deep Jale Kahin Dil – Bees Saal Baad 1962
16 Lata Mangeshkar Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha – Anpadh 1962
17 Mukesh Kahin Door Jab Din – Anand 1970
18 Mohd Rafi Likhay Jo Khat Tujhay – Kanyadan 1969
19 Shamshad Begum, Kishore Kumar Mere Nindon Mein Tum – Naya Andaz 1956
20 Talat Mahmood Zindagi Dene Wale Sun – Dil-e-Nadan 1953
21 Mohammed Rafi Babul Ki Duayen Leti Ja – Neel Kamal 1968
Total play length: 01:18:42

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7 comments

  1. rajnish
    on July 5, 2010 om 22:18 | link

    your Playist seems to have movie titles instead of singer names. for e.g. Anpadh, Bees Saal Baad, Khamoshi, Kagaz Ke phool, etc.
    Top right photo is Dev Anand (Talat is background singing) however. Talat photo is lower left.

    Trust me there more and better sad songs on any subject you can think of.

  2. on July 5, 2010 om 23:22 | link

    Ha, yes I know this isn’t exactly the definitive list; I see what you mean by movie titles instead of singer names though – will fix have fixed that.

  3. rajnish
    on July 6, 2010 om 03:24 | link

    FYI, #9 song is from pakistani film. Noor Jahan left India after partition in 1947, so technically not bollywood

    and #20 khayyam is Music director of that movie.

  4. on July 6, 2010 om 09:57 | link

    #20: doing stuff in great haste will get you errors like that. Glad you’re pointing them out to me. #9: technically correct, but I still love the music; don’t you?

  5. rajnish
    on July 7, 2010 om 05:21 | link

    I hadn’t heard it before but just listened to it in youtube. It is fine but not my kind of sad song.

    Unlike Hai Isi Mein Pyaar Ki Aabroo – Anpadh (1962) which one of the most sad songs ever and lyrics are just superb. Naushad said of this song that he would trade all his songs for it.

    If you need help in lyrics or finding any rare songs, you can try hamaraforums.com, only caveat is that you have to upload in order to download songs. a ratio of 0.5.

  6. rajnish
    on July 7, 2010 om 05:24 | link

    sorry here is the translation of “Hai Isi Mein Pyaar Ki Aabroo”
    Hope you like it.

  7. rajnish
    on July 7, 2010 om 05:25 | link

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