Aaye Bhi Woh Gaye Bhi woh – Remembering Parul Ghosh – Mehfil Mein Meri
Parul Ghosh! She was one of the prominent and popular female playback singers of Hindi cinema in the 40s, though she is not remembered much except among the avid followers of the vintage era.Today, on her 47th death anniversary, let me present her songs. I was planning it for a few years. A long awaited post on the blog….
Image Source – Internet
Parul Ghosh was born in 1915 in Barisal (now in Bangladesh) as Parul Biswas, the younger sister of the composer Anil Biswas. Her mother, Satyabhama Biswas was a classical singer and a kirtankar. Perhaps singing came to Parul as a legacy. She must have heard her mother singing and humming Bangla songs and bhajans right from childhood. And that must have had an imprint on young Parul.In 1924, Parul Ghosh, just 9 years old, got married to 13 years old Pannalal Ghosh, who was a close friend of Anil Biswas.
Anil Biswas came to Kolkata in the 30s. Pannalal and Parul Ghosh also followed him. Anil Biswas worked at Hindustan Recording Company as a singer and composer. Pannalal Ghosh joined New Theatres as a musician and Parul Ghosh as a singer. It is said that Parul Ghosh sang some Bangla film songs during her career there.
It was during the making of Dhoop Chhaon, one of New theatre’s productions that the idea of playback singing was thought of by Nitin Bose and was executed successfully by composer Raichand Boral with the assistance of Mukul Bose, who was sound recordist and director Nitin Bose’s brother. According to this article on Atul’s blog, the song was sung by K C Dey who sang for himself and for Ahi Sanyal and Suprova Sarkar gave playback for the leading lady of the dance performance, making them the first female and male playback singers of Hindi cinema.Parul Ghosh and Harimati Dua sang for themselves.And, to my big surprise, the video of the song is available. Let’s listen to the historical song of Hindi cinema,
1. Main Khush Hona Chahoon – Dhoop Chhaon (1935) with K C Dey, Suprava Sarkar & Harimati Dua / R C Boral – Pandit SudarshanI couldn’t understand the lyrics well. Also I couldn’t differentiate the female voices.
Pannalal Ghosh moved to Mumbai with his family in the 40s. Bombay Talkies was conducting auditions for new playback singers, where Parul Ghosh got selected.
Basant (1942) was the major breakthrough in Parul Ghosh’s career with 8 songs, including 4 solos and 4 duets to her credit. The Bombay Talkies production though was officially credited to Pannalal Ghosh, Anil Biswas was the actual composer. He couldn’t let his name appear in the credits because of his contract with National studios. Pannalal Ghosh was composing the background score for the movie and he did the musical arrangements and recorded the songs set to tune by Anil Biswas. In addition to the songs added here, I would like to mention Aaya Basant Sakhi which is an audio-visual delight.
2. Ummeed Unse Kya Thi – Basant (1942) / Pannalal Ghosh – P L SantoshiA beautiful ghazal presented in typical ghazal format. Parul Ghosh’s pronunciations and diction was perfect, except perhaps for the word ‘hain’. Her expressions of grief and emptiness in life are perfect. The song creates an aura of pathos so effectively. The song is picturised on Mumtaz Shanti as a stage song, perhaps as a part of a play. Mumtaz Shanti plays a stage actress in the movie.
3. Mere Chhote Se Man Mein – Basant (1942) / Pannalal Ghosh – P L SantoshiUntil I saw the video of the song, I was expecting it to be a happy playful song, sung by a newly wed girl or so. But it’s picturised on an anxious looking Mumtaz Shanti, who somehow pulls off the song on stage. Suresh does the prompting so that she starts singing.
4. Humko Hain Pyari Hamari Galiyan – Basant (1942) with Suresh / Pannalal Ghosh – P L SantoshiMumtaz Shanti, Suresh and Ulhas all are on the road. Suresh has most probably sung for himself. It is the most popular song of the movie. Parul’s voice is full of self-respect and confidence. She was indeed an expert 2hen it came to expressing emotions.
Before we proceed, let me add an interesting trivia. The songs ‘Humko Hain Pyari Hamari Galiyan’ and ‘Mere Chhote Se Man Mein’ were also sung by Baby Mumtaz for the film version. The record version was however sung by Shanti Sudha Ghosh, the elder daughter of Parul Ghosh. Here’s the link for this information.Also, have a look at this interesting article about The Three Mumtazes in Basant by Richard.
Following the roaring success of Basant (1942), Anil Biswas again chose Parul Ghosh for Hamari Baat. And this time, she was the main female singer of the film. She sang for Devika Rani. While it was difficult to choose between the songs, I found myself choosing her couple of solos. I don’t think it would be difficult to guess for someone who’s a fan of her songs.
5. Ae Baad e Saba Ithlati Na Aa – Hamari Baat (1943) / Anil Biswas – Narendra SharmaOne of her best Hindi film songs. She has poured her heart out in the song. Heart touching rendition!
6. Main Unki Ban Jaoon Re – Hamari Baat (1943) / Anil Biswas – Narendra SharmaIn complete contrast to the previous song, this song exudes joy and happiness. And Parul expresses the emotions so easily.
In Kismet (1943) most of the songs were offered to Amirbai Karnataki, while Parul got to sing just one song! Nevertheless it’s still very popular and one of her memorable songs.
7. Papiha Re – Kismet (1943) with Pradeep / Anil Biswas – Kavi PradeepParul Ghosh made everyone feel her presence with just one song that came her way. And it’s just as popular as the other songs by Amirbai Karnataki. It’s sung on screen by Chandraprabha. There are differences of opinion as to the male playback singer of the song and many of them believe it to be lyricist Pradeep himself.
In the same year, she sang for a few more films, Sawal (1943), Namaste (1943), Najma (1943), Muskurahat (1943) etc.
Parul Ghosh sang for Protima Dasgupta in Namaste (1943) under the music direction of Naushad. She sang five songs and I would have added all to the list if I could!
8. Aaye Bhi Woh Gaye Bhi Woh – Namaste (1943) / Naushad – D N MadhokAnother of her most popular Hindi film songs. Her expressions are apt and makes the listeners feel the pain.
9. Ambuwa Pe Panchhi Bawara – Namaste (1943) with G M Durrani / Naushad – D N MadhokWhat a cute romantic song! Just so simple and melodious.
Before I move on, let me add another trivia. It’s related to the movie Namaste. Parul Ghosh also sang a solo, Necktie Wale Babu Se.The tune of the line ‘Necktie Wale Babu Se Mila De Koi Re’ inspired O P Nayyar. He incorporated a similar tune while composing the line, Jaadu Nagari Se Aaya Hai Koi Jadugar from Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar.
Now, her other songs from 1943,
10. Aaj Pehlu Mein Dard Sa – Sawaal (1943) / Pannalal Ghosh – Wali SahebParul Ghosh sang 5 songs under the baton of Pannalal Ghosh for this movie. I’ve chosen a wonderful ghazal, sung wonderfully by Parul Ghosh. It was penned by Wali Saheb, who was Mumtaz Shanti’s husband.
11. Fasle Bahar Gaye Ja – Najma (1943) with Sitara Devi / Rafiq Ghaznavi – Anjum PhilibhitiI came across this wonderful song for the first time while researching for the post. The song blends happy and sad moods so well. Usually such songs have the singers singing the contrasting moods one at a time. This song is a bit different, Veena and Sitara Devi are at two different places, the former is sad while the latter sings happily. And their lines come in rapid succession, with a sudden change in tempo and orchestration. Parul Ghosh sings for Veena and Sitara Devi for herself. The song is perhaps not very popular, but it deserves to be.
In 1944, her major release was Dilip Kumar’s debut film, Jwar Bhata under the baton of her elder brother, Anil Biswas with 8 songs in total. In addition to the added songs, Parul’s duet with Amirbai Karnataki is also a delight to listen to.
12. Bhool Jana Chahti Hoon – Jwar Bhata (1944) / Anil Biswas – Narendra SharmaThis is again one of her most popular and memorable songs. The pathos in the song is unparalleled. The opening pieces of violin create a perfect aura for the song.
Here’s the link to the equally good duet version by Chitalkar and Parul Ghosh. Here again there are contrasting moods.
13. More Aangan Mein Chhitki Chandni – Jwar Bhata (1944) / Anil Biswas – Narendra SharmaIf the previous song takes you to sorrow, do listen to this soft romantic melody. It’s easy on the ears and very pleasant.
In addition, she sang for the films, Lady Doctor (for Anil Biswas), Insaan (for Gyan Dutt) and Raunak (for C Ramchandra) in the same year.
The forthcoming years also saw her singing for various other composers as well. I’ve tried to choose a few from these films.
Let’s listen to a few of her songs from 1945.
14. Chand Ugaa Re – Pratima (1945) / Arunkumar Mukherjee – Narendra SharmaThe Dilip Kumar and Swarnalata starrer had four solos by Parul Ghosh.This song so beautifully portrays the emotions of a lady, confessing her love to herself. Such a delight to listen to!
15. Wahshat Mein Apne Haathon – Chhamia (1945) / Rashid Atre – Qabil AmritsariI used to like songs by Amirbai Karnataki and Zohrabai Ambalewali from this movie. Now this powerful ghazal from the same movie has captured my mind. Once you listen to it, it’s difficult to overlook and forget. You may have to look for the meaning of a few Urdu words, otherwise it’s quite enjoyable.
16. Sajanwa Bhool Humein Na Jana – Parinde (1945) with Surendra / Pandit Gobindram – Rammurti ChaturvediParul Ghosh didn’t sing with Saigal, but she had an opportunity to sing with Surendra. She had a couple of solos and a couple of duets for the movie. This cute romantic duet picturised on Vanmala and Surendra is good to listen to. It seems Surendra is joining the army and leaving the city, promising not to forget each other. Though not great, it’s good.
In 1945, she also sang for K C Dey in Devdasi.
Let’s turn to the year 1946. Dilip Kumar starrer Milan was based on Rabindranath Tagore’s novel, Noukadubi. Parul sang four solos for the film. I’ve added one,
17. Gungun Gungun Bole Bhanwarrwa – Milan (1946) / Anil Biswas – P L SantoshiI chose this beautiful solo despite the well known song, Suhani Beriyan Beeti Jaye which seems to be a forerunner of Balamwa Nadan from Aaram. Both the songs are equally enchanting. There’s a brief interruption in this song with dialogues by the main lead and the sweet song continues thereafter. Very impressive orchestration and the lilting tune.
In 1947, she sang for the films, Shanti, Seedha Rasta, Tohfa etc. Let’s have a look at a few of her songs in that year,
18. Tum Jhooth Na Jano – Seedha Rasta (1947) / S K Pal – Amar VermaSeedha Rasta was a Prabhat production, starring Shahu Modak and Kamala Kotnis. What a soothingly beautiful melody this is! Wonderful tune, effective orchestration and excellent expressions by Parul Ghosh. I listened to this one in loops several times जब तक मन ना भरा!
19. Bhole Sajan Tujhe Kaise Bataoon – Tohfa (1947) / M A Rauf Osmania – Nazir HyderabadiI wasn’t aware of the composer. The song is good to listen to despite the singer singing at high notes. Her voice touches high notes quite easily, no strain the listeners can feel.
20. Mere Dil Ki Duniya – Shanti (1947) / B S Thakur – Shakeel BadayuniParul Ghosh certainly had the potential to be a leading playback singer. Only if she would have chosen to continue her singing career. This soulful melody is sung so wonderfully, you can feel the agony in her voice.
21. Dua De Rahe Hain – Nateeja (1947) / Rashid Atre – Nakshab JarchaviI wasn’t aware, Parul Ghosh has sung so many ghazals. And that too with such confidence. Her pronunciation and diction sounds really good. Don’t you agree?
After this, Parul Ghosh perhaps voluntarily withdrew from playback singing and concentrated on her family. But when Pannalal Ghosh composed for a film in the 50s, he chose her for a couple of solos and a trio. It was his last Hindi film as a composer. And it was also her last film as a playback singer.And I’ve chosen,
22. Vande Mataram – Aandolan (1951) with Manna Dey & Sudha Malhotra / Pannalal Ghosh – Bankimchandra ChatterjeeThe song is set to tune in a different way, one year before ‘Anand Math’ was released. The latter had the power to stimulate patriotism with ‘veer ras’. The tune by Pannalal Ghosh, makes us overwhelmed emotionally. It touches the soul, stimulating patriotism.
In the same year, a tragedy struck her. Her younger daughter, Nupoor died of smallpox at the age of 2 years.In 1956, the family moved to Delhi after Pannalal Ghosh joined All India Radio, as a composer and director of Delhi Vadya Vrinda. But he suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 48. It was in 1960. Then Parul Ghosh returned to their home at Malad.
Before I end,
At Bombay Talkies, she was engaged at a salary of Rs. 1000/- per month, and encouraged Pannalal Ghosh to concentrate on his flute practice
She sang a total of around 90+ songs for 33 films
Her maximum number of songs were under the baton of Anil Biswas, who could extract the best out of her voice
After she left playback singing, she not only looked after her household, but also was affectionate and cooperative to the disciples of her husband Pannalal Ghosh
She was an excellent cook and loved to cook delicious dishes for the household
Her elder daughter Sudha was married to Devendra Murudeshwar, a disciple of her father. Their son Anand Murudeshwar was also a flutist
Sudha Murudeshwar died of cancer in 1975, leaving behind her mother in great agony. It was indeed a major setback for Parul Ghosh’s health
She was bedridden after that and was cared for by her nieces, Anuradha and Mahashweta Biswas and disciples of Pannalal Ghosh
Parul Ghosh breathed her last breath on 13th August 1977
And, here I end the post.I look forward to the addition of songs by the readers.
The post is based on an article on Scroll.in and a post on Atul’s blog and I thank Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh for answering a lot of my queries and bearing with me.
Disclaimer –Mehfil Mein Meri, claims no credit for any image, screenshots or songs posted on this site. Images on this blog are posted to make the text interesting. The images and screenshots are the copyright of their original owners. The song links are shared from YouTube, only for the listening convenience of music lovers. The copyright of these songs vests with the respective owners, producers and music companies.
