Melody in the movies: 1972

Rajiv Vijaykar (Screen)

S.D. Burman composes and sings the single number 'Doli mein bithaike kahaar...' in Amar Prem, where the rest of the songs and the background score are done by son R.D.Burman.

Two of Dada Burman's scores, Anuraag and Yeh Gulistan Hamara hit the market, but the films will be released, and hence discussed here, in 1973. Son Rahul Dev Burman is now at his commercial and creative peak and has a bountiful year despite a few turnips like Savera, Sanjog and Rakhi Aur Hathkadi, the last noted only for Kishore-Asha's 'Acchi nahin sanam dillagi....' Gomti Ke Kinare is noted for the foot-tapping Kishore-Asha duet, 'Aao aao jaan-e-jahaan...', while Lata-Kishore's 'Jeene ka din marne ka mausam...' enjoys a short spell of popularity. Shehzada has a moderately popular score with songs like 'Rimjhim rimjhim dekho...', 'Thokar mein hai meri saara zamana...', 'Chhodo kalai...' and Rafi's 'Ho tere attharoo...' (Rafi now has now begun to make only rare forays into Pancham's music rooms).

Going in ascending order of RD's excellence and success, we next have Bombay To Goa, Seeta Aur Geeta, Apna Desh, Samadhi, Do Chor and Parichay. Bombay To Goa has the first two popular hits ever filmed on Amitabh Bachchan - 'Dekha na haaye re socha na...' and 'Dil tera hai main bhi teri hoon sanam....' The title-song sung and enacted by Kishore Kumar does not really make waves, but 'Tum meri zindagi mein...' (a Kishore-Lata duet found in the album but not in the film) is loved by connoisseurs. Seeta Aur Geeta has the chart-busting 'Hawa ke saath saath...' and 'Koi ladki mujhe kal raat sapne mein mili...', and gets the distinction of having two drunken songs in a comic subject - 'Haan jee haan, maine sharaab pee hai...'and 'Abhi to haath mein jaam hai...'.

Apna Desh finds RD-Asha doing an encore over the 1971 'Monica O my darling...' with 'Duniya mein logon ka...', while 'Sun champa sun taara...', 'Le lo re le lo babu...', 'Rona kabhi nahin rona...' and 'Kajraa lagaake...' also enjoy varying popularity.

In Samadhi, Lata's 'Bangle ke peeche...' (now reborn in remixed form as the charts-, video- and controversy-topping 'Kaanta lagaa...') earns only lukewarm popularity in the face of hit numbers like 'Jaan-e-jaana jaao kal phir aana...', 'Maine dekha ek sapna...' and even Asha's 'Jab tak rahe tan mein jeeya...'