Geeta Dutt - Musical Association with O P Nayyar

(1930 - 1972)

O P Nayyar

Omkar Prasad (or O.P. as he is famously known as) Nayyar is the undisputed "Rhythm King" of Hindi Film music. The irony is that he is remembered more for what he did not do (record a song for melody queen Lata Mangeshkar) than what he did (composed memorable music for many films). O.P. Nayyar's music, evocative of folk melodies and swinging rhythms, robust and redolent of earthiness, went against the grain of the established pedigree of Hindi film music, but the immense popularity of his tunes is proof enough that he knew how to tap into the pulse of his listeners. Though classically untrained, his unerring ear for melody and rhythm resulted in a distinct style and he was one of the most successful music directors to date.

His collaboration with Geeta Dutt gave us the signature songs of Geeta, the songs which the public remembers her by; we won't go into the arguments about stereotyping or typecasting, we can only point out as to what finally endured.

O.P. was a young man from Punjab who was fascinated by "Diya jalakar aap bujhaya", the famous song composed by K. Dutta (Korgaonkar) and sung by the famous singer-actress Noor Jehan. The film was Badi Maa (1945) and O.P. wanted to shine on the sky of the Hindi film music as he was greatly inspired by this song. His initial years to get a foothold in Hindi films were a lot of struggle. He composed the background music for the film Kaneez (1949). Finally the producer Dalsukhlal Pancholi gave O.P. his first break as the solo composer for his film Aasmaan (1952). The film starred Nasir Khan, Shyama , Veena , Lalita Pawar and Asha Parekh (as Baby Asha Parekh).

O.P.’s association with the young Geeta began with his debut film, just a year after S.D. Burman had unearthed the sultry, seductive aspect of Geeta's voice in Baazi. What S.D. Burman’s music had managed to initiate, Geeta’s voice found full expression and blossomed into singing some of the most seductively simple melodies of O.P. Nayyar. Aasmaan flopped miserably at the box office, but the music remains in the hearts of listeners, the vibrant tunes of ‘pom pom pom baaja bole’, ‘arey kyaa hoon main’, ‘dekho jaadoo bhare more naina’ and the stunningly beautiful ‘dil hai deewana’..

But the lack of commercial success meant that they weren't to work together till Geeta recommended O.P. Nayyar to Guru Dutt for Baaz (1953). She sang heart rendering beautiful solos ‘zara saamne aa, zaraa aankh milaa’ and ‘aye dil aye deewane, aag lagaa li kyun daaman mein’. Even though Baaz also failed to stir up the box office, the music still remains as a great example of the sort of magic that OPN and Geeta Dutt wove in their early days.

Then came Aar-Paar in 1954 and each song in this movie was a little piece of heaven. The numbers remain evergreen and retain their freshness even after more than fifty years. ‘yeh lo main haari piyaa’, ‘Babuji dheere chalna’, ‘hoon abhi main jawaan’ are amazing examples of Geeta's vocal dexterity. ‘jaa jaa jaa jaa bewafaa’ is a classic example of how an Western-inspired piece attained new heights and became more than its original both in terms of melody and emotion.

Who doesn't remember the classic songs from Mr. and Mrs. 55 (1955), another landmark movie in the careers of Geeta Dutt and OPN? Her duets with Mohammad Rafi ‘chal diye banda nawaaz’ and ‘jaane kahan meraa jigar’ epitomize her naughty, playful self, while her vocal stamp is unmistakable in solos like ‘thandi hawaa kaali ghata’ and ‘neele aasmani’. Two more songs in Musafirkhana (1955) are a solo ‘dil de daala nazraana’ and the duet ‘achha jee maaf kar do’ with Mohammad Rafi. The duet is a perfect example of a frothy and sweet number.

Miss Cocacola (1956) had her singing the very sweet piece ‘sach sach bol nahin batiyaan banaa’ and the romantic ‘teri kaafir nigaah kar gayi dil ko tabaah’. Another lesser-known movie Chhoomantar also had quite a few lovely Geeta Dutt numbers, especially the swinging ‘jab baadal lehraayaa jiya jhoom jhoom ke gaya’ and ‘raat nasheeli rang rangeeli mast hawa’.

With CID (1956), Geeta Dutt and Mohammad Rafi gave two much-loved duets - the romantic ‘aankhon hee aankhon mein’ and the ode to Mumbai ‘aye dil hai mushkil’ with Mohd. Rafi. The latter was number one song in the Binaca Geetamala (A popular weekly program on Radio Ceylon based onTop-20 Hindi Film songs) that year. But this less-known piece remains the most melodically innovative: ‘jaata kahaan hai deewane’ where the refrains of ‘kuchh tere dil mein fifi, kuchh mere dil mein fifi’ are both trendy and fun.

She sang three solos for Shrimati 420 which melodically are typical O. P. Nayyar, ‘meri zindagi ke humsafar phenkna yahaan bhi ek nazar’, ‘hum ko chhor ke kahaan jaaoge saiyyan’ and ‘badi rangili zindagi hai’. In the song “Humko chhodke kahan jaaoge” Geeta does the singing and Mohd. Rafi only says a few words like “Achcha”, “Oh ho” etc.

Come 1957, and O. P. Nayyar had started the task of grooming Asha Bhonsle and this started the gradual phasing out of Geeta Dutt from OPN compositions. This was when Geeta made the now-famous phone call to OPN to ask, "What have I done to you that you now don’t send for me at all?" Though he still retained his respect and appreciation for her abilities as a singer and a person, as this extract from an interview published sometime in July 1957 would attest.

A lovely lady, whose appearance proclaims that she has good taste in clothes and jewelry. So gaily is she bedecked that, for a moment, I think a nymph has risen from the swirling waves. But I know, of course, that the limpid look and that smooth carriage can belong only to Geeta Dutt !Cultured, comely and well-read, Geeta could as easily be a leading lady as she is a top playback singer. But she sincerely believes that she has found her niche in the realm of ghost-singing. And who will deny that there is a unique quality in her singing? Give her a blatantly westernized tune this moment and a complex classical composition the next, and she will do equal justice to both with an ease of expression which a singer can only be born with.

She is especially good for songs accompanying boisterous jamborees. With that tantalizing lilt and the fascinating curves she puts into her singing, she is the ideal choice if it is seductive allure you want in a song. Remember the gay abandon of those early songs, hits all of them, which I composed for her: "Zara samne aa" in Baaz and "Ye lo main haari Piya" in "Aar Paar"? Since then, she has sung many other hits for me, including the two best selling duets in "CID".

A linguist, sober and serious by nature, of a thoughtful disposition, very considerate of others, and punctilious to a fault, Geeta Dutt is an asset to any music director.

But the sad truth remains that at least in the musical horizons of O.P. Nayyar, Geeta Dutt was a setting star. In ‘Duniya rang rangeeli’, while Asha Bhonsle sang six songs, Geeta Dutt got only ‘kyaa yeh tune kiyaa ishaaraa’. This was also the year that gave us the sizzling ‘chor, lutere, daaku’ in Ustad. But other than these, she mostly sang duets with Mohd. Rafi and Asha Bhosle in Mr. Cartoon MA, Johnny Walker and Maai Baap.

Yet 1958 gives us 12’O’Clock, the Guru Dutt starrer where Geeta Dutt made magic with ‘kaisaa jaadu balam tum ne daara’, ‘aji o suno to nahin tum ne humein pehchana’ and ‘arre tauba tauba yeh teri adaa’. The duet ‘tum jo huye merey humsafar’ with Mohammad Rafi remains a lovely reminder of the sweetness and innocence that Geeta Dutt's voice exemplified. And then came Geeta's swan song for O. P. Nayyar in Howrah Bridge, the song which is still as popular today as it was when it was composed, the foot-tapping ‘meraa naam Chin-Chin-Choo’, the song which ended a short but amazingly productive collaboration, the song which gave both singer and composer a permanent place in the hearts of listeners of Hindi film music.

List of songs sung by Geeta Dutt

Please note that this list may not be complete

Year	Song	Film	Co-Singer
1952	Are kya hoon main	Aasmaan	-
1952	Pom pom baja bole	Aasmaan	-
1952	Dekho jaadu bhare more nain	Aasmaan	-
1952	Dil hain deewana	Aasmaan	-
1953	Taarey Chaandni Afsaaney	Baaz	-
1953	Cham cham ghungrar baje..Jago Jago	Baaz	-
1953	Aye Dil Aye Diwane	Baaz	-
1953	Har zaban ruki aye watan ke	Baaz	-
1953	Pyar Ka Kanta...Majhi Albele	Baaz	-
1953	Zara saamney aa	Baaz	-
1954	Babuji dheere chalna	Aarpaar	-
1954	Yeh lo main hari piya	Aarpaar	-
1954	Hoon abhi main jawan	Aarpaar	-
1954	Ja ja ja ja ja bewafa	Aarpaar	-
1954	Sun sun jalimaa	Aarpaar	Mohd Rafi
1954	Mohabbat kar lo	Aarpaar	Mohd Rafi
1954	Arey na na na na tauba	Aarpaar	Mohd Rafi
1955	Udhar tum haseen ho	Mr and Mrs 55	Mohd Rafi
1955	Chal diye banda nawaz	Mr and Mrs 55	Mohd Rafi
1955	Jaane kahan mera jigar gaya ji	Mr and Mrs 55	Mohd Rafi
1955	Preetam aan milo	Mr and Mrs 55	-
1955	Thandi hawa kali ghata	Mr and Mrs 55	-
1955	Neele aasamani	Mr and Mrs 55	-
1955	Dil de dala nazarana	Musafirkhana	-
1955	Achha ji maaf kar do	Musafirkhana	Mohd Rafi
1956	Raat Nashili rang rangili	Chhomantar	-
1956	Jab badal leharaya	Chhomantar	-
1956	Gharib jaan ke	Chhomantar	Mohd Rafi
1956	Gham nahin kar muskura	Chhomantar	Mohd Rafi
1956	Gori Gori Raat Hae Taron Ki Baraat Hai	Chhomantar	-
1956	Jaata kahan hain deewane	CID	-
1956	Aankhon hi aankhon mein	CID	Mohd Rafi
1956	Aye dil hain mushkil	CID	Mohd Rafi
1956	Ban dhadakan kajarare naina dole re	Miss Cocacola	-
1956	Sach sach bol nahin	Miss Cocacola	-
1956	Teri kaafir nigaah	Miss Cocacola	-
1956	Badi Rangili zindagi hain	Shrimati 420	-
1956	Meri zindagi ke humsafar	Shrimati 420	-
1956	Yahan hum wahan tum	Shrimati 420	Mohd Rafi
1956	Humko chhod ke kahan jaaoge	Shrimati 420	Mohd Rafi
1956	Aa mere dildaar	Mr Lambu	Mohd Rafi
1957	Kya kya dil mein chhupa hai tere	Ustad	Mohd Rafi
1957	Chor lootere daaku	Ustad	-
1957	Kya yeh tune kiya ishara	Duniya Rang Rangili	-
1957	Jhuki jhuki pyar ki nazar	Johny Walker	Asha Bhonsle
1957	Bachake balam chalke rasta hai mushkil	Johny Walker	Mohd Rafi
1957	Thandi thandi hawa	Johny Walker	Asha Bhonsle
1957	Dil tera deewana	Mr Cartton MA	Asha Bhonsle
1957	Dekho ji dekho	Mai Baap	Mohd Rafi
1957	Tu dil mera lauta de	Mai Baap	Mohd Rafi
1958	Aji O Suno To Naheen Tuney	12 O'Clock	-
1958	Arre Tauba Arre Tauba	12 O'Clock	-
1958	Dekh Idhar Ae Haseena	12 O'Clock	Mohd Rafi
1958	Kaisa Jaadu Balam Tuney	12 O'Clock	-
1958	Tum Jo Huey Mere Humsafar	12 O'Clock	Mohd Rafi
1958	Bach bach bach kahoon sach sach	Farishta	-
1958	Mera naam chin chin choo	Howrah Bridge	-
1958	Sun sun madrasi chhori	Mujrim	Asha Bhonsle
1958	Chanda chandani mein jab chamake	Mujrim	-
1958	Is duniya se nirala hoon main	Raagini	Asha Bhonsle

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