Sunday, June 17, 2018


The horse-buggy bug...

This morning I woke up with a tune in my head. Don’t know where it came from.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuoX9FhJMX0  Rafi and Shamshad Begum sing bhiga bhiga pyar ka sama in a horse-buggy or ghoda gadi or  tonga. Generations that grew up in the 50s and 60s will identify the rhythm with O P Nayyar. By the time Hansraj Bahl[1] had composed this song for a movie called Sawan in 1958, OP Nayyar had made a brand out of this rhythm. But Hansraj was not an upstart copycat. Apparently, he was acknowledged as one of the masters.

Which was the first horse-buggy song with a matching rhythm in Indian/ Hindi cinema ever? I thought it was ankhiya milake jiya bharamake sung by Zohrabai Ambalewali and composed by Naushad 1944. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oFAKUfsdbE . But I had not thought of Pankaj Mullick singing chale pawan ki chaal in a 1941 movie called Doctor. (As I watched the clip, I was struck by the fact that a train actually passes the buggy. Unlikely that it was staged...but would love to find out what actually happened). 

As I went back in time, I came across the name of Raichand Boral (I should have known his name. He was music director for many of KL Saigal’s  well-known songs/ films.) as the originator of the horse-buggy rhythm. Here is an example with the horse as a theme of the song. Ek raje ka beta lekar udanewala ghoda sung by KL Saigal – music by RC Boral. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL9694-gbog . The horse rhythm is unmistakable but there is no buggy. It seems later directors made sure there were buggies with the rhythm until OP Nayyar made the rhythm universal in his songs.

In the movie Baap re baap 1955 Kishor Kumar and Asha Bhosle sang Piya piya piya mora jiya pukare with OP Nayyar as the music director. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmdtYWFMtFo . The same year, Shammi Kapoor starred in Taangewaali. It had to have a buggy song! Halake halake chalo seaware . But music director was Salil Chowdhary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lceEJpxiehY

In 1957, mang ke saath thumhara in Naya Daur with music director OP Nayyar had the horse-buggy and its rhythm was very clear and pronounced with Dilip Kumar- Vaijayanti Mala with a kind of subdued Rafi singing with Lata Mangeshkar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSeDDyOAosY . OP Nayyar also directed Rafi to sing yoon to hamne laakh haseen dekhen hain in an absolutely classic buggy song in the movie Tumsa Nahin Dekha starring Shammi Kapoor and Amita. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezpvc3lNLK0

A year later Howrah Bridge was released and Ashok Kumar-Madhubala’s romance was filmed in a horse carriage. OP Nayyar composed music for yeh kya kar dala toone, dil tera ho gaya.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq2MJUo0KkQ

In 1959, Shankar Jaikishen used the horse-buggy in the Chhoti Behen song main rangeela pyar ka raahi door meri manzil filmed on Mehmood and Shubha Khote.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC2YZqqFOmk Subir Sen, who sounded so much like Hemant Kumar sang with Lata Mangeshkar.

In 1960, in a little known film, College Girl- Shammi Kapoor and Vaijayantimala. Shankar Jaikishen again used the buggy – pahla pahla pyar ka ishaara. Frankly, I have no recollection of this song being played on radio in the ‘60s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hoqFvnuHig

In 1963, Mumtaz and Dara Singh on a royal chariot but still a horse-buggy music by GS Kohli- Asha Bhosle. O matware saajana, chhalak gaya mera pyaar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbYUQ4p4I9o

The same year, Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh were seen in a buggy in Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Rafi singing bandaparavar thaam lo jigar directed by OP Nayyar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFQteh1nrsM

Music director Ravi gave a more robust buggy song, also in 1963, with Rafi singing for Rajkumar in Pyar ka Bandhan. Ghoda peshawari mera.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vkkxunFP-g

In 1964, OP Nayyar did not need the horse-buggy to get the ‘clip clop’ rhythm in Kashmir ki kali. Kisi na kisi se kabhi na kabhi, kahin na kahi di lagana padega. Rafi singing for Shammi Kapoor driving a car. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8u-n6uUxFA

By 1966 the song jara holey holey chalo more sajaana music by OP Nayyar was still a hit on a horse cart with Sharmila Tagore wooing Manoj Kumar quite unconvincingly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=832PCXbQ37g

In 1975 the tonga was different and the rhythm was not the same but it was still a horse-buggy song as Dharmendra- Hema Malini acted in Sholay. RD Burman directed koi haseena jab rooth jaati hai to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-SvdkQyW8o

I could come up with 16 horse-buggy songs. I am sure I have missed some. Please add to the list if you wish.




[1] https://apnaarchive.wordpress.com/2012/12/22/hansraj-behl-a-forgotten-name/