Matwali Aankhon Wale

There have been item numbers & item dancers - aplenty - on Hindi screen, but there has been only one who could be sexy, seductive and yet so graceful. Yes, this is about Helen, who celebrates her birthday today.

If Zeenat was lucky to have RD as composer for her initial movies, RD was lucky to have one of the best dancers of Hindi movies to dance on some such compositions of RD that seemed to be made only for her. 

O Haseena to Piya Tu Ab to Aaja to Mehbooba - the songs that RD composed for her were much more than just the dance numbers. Those fluid and sensuous moves of Helen, in sync with the variety and often innovative compositions that RD created - seemed almost heavenly.

Actually this teaming seemed pre-ordained - with RD's very first movie had Helen grooving like a doll with Mehmood to one of the evergreen compositions of Chhote Nawab - RD.

Here it is:

Aaj Ki Raat..

Another Asha-RD combination. This time from the movie Anamika!

Produced by Tahir Hussain, Amir Khan’s father, Anamika was his 2nd production – the first one being Caravan. Once again, Anamika, saw RD giving some of the best compositions to lovely lyrics by Majrooh. Kishore's Meri Bheegi Bheegi Si, & Lata's Bahon Men Chale Aao were chart busters when the movie was released & have remained fresh in their sound till date. 

As has been the trend with RD, the more popular compositions also managed to hide some rare gems – and most of the time the singer to get that treatment was Asha Bhosle. Anamika was no different which had three superb numbers rendered by Asha. 

My favourite is, however, this cabaret. Picturised on a very sensuous Helen, the song had to do something special to match Asha-Helen-RD’s number from Caravan. And yes, it does – starting slowly with Bhupendra’s guitar riffs, the song moves on the generate some great beats – specially in between the stanzas, and Asha's effortless seductive voice complements Helen's movement on-screen, the way only she could have done it.

Enjoy this:

O Meri Jaan, Main Ne Kaha..

After Kati Patang, RD was soon to scale new heights with another Shakti Samant movie - Amar Prem.

Before that there was another movie though - another milestone in his career.

Those having spent their childhood in 70s in Mumbai would know that Sarvajanik Ganapati festival in mid 70s in Mumbai had a tradition - to exhibit movies all week long using 16mm projectors, huge boxes that would create a sound rising above the din of the streets, and white cloth - tied from one pole to another, as the screen.

That is how I had seen this movie first. Despite innumerable intervals that such screening had - essentially to facilitate the change over of reels, if the movie still managed to scare us, the credit was to the entire ambiance created through dark scenes, presence of that 70s mascor of evil - Shetty, and perfect use of background score. This was "The Train" - A Rajesh Khanna & Nanda starrer.

The movie had some chart-toppers, yet what made the movie special for RD's fans was this being the first time when he joined Asha for a duet. An exuberant cabaret number sung with gusto by Asha, that only, nay - ONLY Helen's vivacious dancing skills could have done justice to, is an absolute treat.

So here it goes:

Nateeja Hamari Mohabbat ka..

What made RD special?

My take is that he could create new milieus within the accepted idiom of Hindi Cinema. For example this song from a movie which was not really among the top-of-the-charts ever.

Puraskar, released in 1970, had nothing extraordinary about it. Of course the cast had Joy Mukherjee - quite popular in late 60s. But thats about it.,except perhaps this song which had RD using Sitar as a prelude before mixing into seductive notes of Guitar, and post Mukhda, during the song the mixing of western instruments like Sax leading to sudden interlude of Sitar.

The vocals had similar structure - on screen Joy Mukherjee was trying to match steps with naturally tharakte kadam of Helen, while off-screen Asha Bhosle's seductive sweetness matched the calm serenading of Mukesh.

Nateeja? - aapke samne hai..

Bahaki hui hai jab ye fizayein,
Kaise na hongi akhir hamse khatayein
Lage jhoomne jab kali ghateiye,
Aise mein kyu na kadam dagmagaye
Kabhi kabhi aisa bhi to hota raha hai
Tumhari khata ya hamari khata hai
Yeh tum bhi na socho.. yeh hum bhi na soche..