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.
