Ten Memorable Prayer Songs from Hindi Films
If you had to draw up a list of prayer songs from Hindi films, it would be a tough task. We have always had a long history of mythologicals and religious films. Should the choice be driven by the popularity of the song? Should one focus on the mood evoked by the song or should one look for a song that has a combination of great lyrics and music? Should one look for movies that have popular recall? There were many dilemmas that I grappled with as I drew up the list. There are songs that do not depict a prayer song on screen even though the song has lyrics that suggest so. Should a list of ten best prayer songs from Hindi films feature those songs too? It is hard to draw up a clean list of ten songs that match all the criteria. I asked friends and acquaintances on Twitter to help me solve this dilemma.Many of the songs featured here were suggested by almost everyone. That made it much easier.So without further ado, here are the top ten:1. Jai Jagdish HareThe film Anand Math (’52) had Jai Jagdish Hare sung in kirtan style. The one I wish to play for you is the more recent version used by Manoj Kumar for his film Purab aur Paschim (1970). This was the film where Manoj Kumar plays a character called Bharat – a name that has stuck to him ever since. The song was composed Pandit Shardha Ram Phillauri, a missionary and writer from Punjab. This version is said to have been written in 1870.http://youtu.be/2nsPuUXwBI8 2. Darshan Do GhanshyamIn the film Slumdog Millionaire, the quizmaster asks the protagonist to name the lyricist of the song "Darshan Do Ghanshyam" the options are Surdas, Tulsidas, Mirabai or Kabir. The answer given in the film is Surdas, but the correct answer to that question is Gopal Singh Nepali. The music for this song was composed by Ravi. I was tempted to put Raga Darbari based Tora Man Darpan Kehlaye written by Sahir Ludhianvi and set to music by Ravi in this list, But settled for this one based on Raga Kedar, one of the favorite ragas of composers to show Bhakti Rasa. Enjoy this gem from the composer Ravi.http://youtu.be/lbZe18pJ8U0 3. Humko Man Ki Shakti DenaRaga Kedar is a great favorite of composers when it comes to romantic songs as well. This composition by Vasant Desai has lyrics by Gulzar. Sung by Vani Jairam this song became so popular that several schools have adopted it as the song to be sung during the school assembly – quite like the scene depicted in the film. Jaya Bhaduri got a Filmfare nomination as Best Actress.http://youtu.be/NbchuCfqBls 4. Ik OnkarWith the Golden Temple as the backdrop, this song from Rang De Basanti was another easy choice for me to include in the top ten. The voice of singer Harshdeep Kaur makes this arrangement from Rahman come alive. The soundtrack for this film won the Filmfare Best Music Director Award.http://youtu.be/xxob7YNUM14 5. Khwaja Mere KhwajaSpeaking of Rahman, I found his composition film Jodha Akbar a wonderful example of sufi music. The saint being referred to in this song is the sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, popularly known as Gareeb Nawaz (Benefactor of the poor). Instead of playing the film clip for you, I have chosen this clip where AR Rahman sings this song at a concert in Sydney. http://youtu.be/mb-ALuYr-t0 6. Tu Hai Asmaan MeinThis song from Jhankar Beats was an out and out tribute to RD Burman by the then upcoming composer duo Vishal-Shekhar. This song was inspired by the song Tera Hai Zameen Tera Asmaan from the film The Burning Train which had music by RD Burman. I like this version done by the Shillong Chamber Choir for a talent contest. In fact I like it even better than the original http://youtu.be/PDpKDG8vZT4 7. Allah Tero NaamIt always fascinates me to think of the lyrics of Allah Tero Naam from the film Hum Dono (1961). After all Sahir Ludhianvi was quite vocal about his contempt for organized religion. Or maybe that is why he wrote these powerful lyrics to create a timeless masterpiece that was set to music by Jaidev. Sung by Lata, this song will feature in every list of prayer songs heard in Hindi films. http://youtu.be/J4IsVBiX76w 8. Itni Shakti Hamain DenaAnother song whose lyrics haunt me long after the song is over is Itni Shakti Hamein Dena from the film Ankush made in 1986. Written by Abhilash and set to music by Kuldip Singh, this song is another example of a film song that was adopted by several schools. In case of prayer songs, the role of the lyricist is probably a tad more important than the music http://youtu.be/-w_P5Pr6eEQ9. Ae Maalik Tere Bande HumDo Aankhen Barah Haath was a film directed by the legendary V Shantaram, who also starred in the film. During the shooting of this film, Shantaram nearly lost his eye while fighting a bull. The story was about the open prison experiment in the princely state of Aundh. It is an inspiring story of a prison warden who rehabilitates six prisoners by inspiring them to work on a dilapidated farm and makes them work hard and eventually produce a great harvest. The film won the National Award for the best film and without doubt this was the song that is most remembered. It was written by Bharat Vyas and set to music by Vasant Desai http://youtu.be/YmYFRNXrPdk 10. Man Tadpat Hari Darshan Ko AajThis song from the film Baiju Bawra is one of the best examples of a film song based on Raga Malkauns. This is a raga that is best enjoyed at midnight. The film's music director, Naushad, also received the very first Filmfare Best Music Director Award for the song "Tu Ganga Ki Mauj" because for the first two years the award was for a specific song and not the whole soundtrack. It was Naushad's first and only Filmfare Award. This song is a great testimony to the secular nature of art where three Muslims Shakeel Bhadayuni (lyrics), Naushad (music) and Mohd Rafi (singing) came together to produce this prayer song. http://youtu.be/OyLdgQinxpY------Read: Ten Best Songs of Sahir LudhianviAn easy guide to timings of popular ragasJoin me on Twitter @AbhijitBhaduri