My ten favourite songs from Gulzar-Pancham collaboration
Though the pair R.D. Burman – Gulzar is very popular and famous. They might have done at the most a one and half dozen films together as composer-lyricist team. Nevertheless their partnership was very fruitful. Pancham admitted that working with Gulzar brought the best in him though at times the work together was very complicated.
Preparing this list was a pleasant though a very weary process for me. I have lost count how many times I included and rejected the songs. None of the songs here were in the original list except for dhanno ki aankhon me.
So to make matters at least a little bit easy for me, I set up the following rules:
1. The song must be from a film.
2. The film must have had a proper release in the cinema halls.
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Tags: Aandhi [1975], aap ki aankhon me kuch mahake hue se raaz hai, Anoop Ghosal, Anuradha Patel, Asha Bhosle, beeti na bitaayi rainaa, Bhupinder, dhanno ki aankhon me haan raat ka surma, din jaa rahe hain raaton ke saaye, Doosri Sita [1974], ek hi khwab kai baar dekha hai maine, Ghar [1978], Gulzar, Hema Malini, Ijaazat [1987], is mod se jaate hain, Jaya Bhaduri, Jeetendra, Jugal Hansraj, Khushboo [1975], Kinara [1977], Kishore Kumar, Kitaab [1977], Lalita Pawar, Lata Mangeshkar, Masoom [1983], Master Raju, mera kuch saaman tumhare paas padaa hai, Mithun Chakraborty, Nasseruddin Shah, o maajhi re apna kinara, Pancham, Parichay [1972], R. D. Burman, Raja Murad, Rekha, Sanjeev Kumar, Shaban Azmi, Sitara [1980], Suchitra Sen, tujhse naaraaz nahin zindagi, Vinod Mehra, ye saaye hain, Zarina Wahab
My ten favourite bangala (bungalow) songs

A dream of one’s own house/cottage in the suburbs has been and is the motor of many middle class households all over the world. Maybe it is the security it offers or the need for privacy, to have a garden and the cosy life which one associates with it and thus to achieve ultimate goal of every human being to be happy. If one really ‘achieves’ all these things with the acquisition of this cosy house is secondary. I think the dream in itself the best part of it.

Like many of the dreams and aspirations of the common man (whoever or whatever he/she is), even this aspect has not been neglected in the Hindi film songs. Here are my favourites!
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Tags: aag lage bangle me, aaiye aapko main apne bangle ki sair, Aap Ki Khatir [1977], Aji Bas Shukriya [1958], Anand Bakshi, Asha Bhosle, Asha Parekh, bangala, bangla, Bappi Lahiri, Basu Manohari, Bengal, dariya kinare ek bangalo, dev anand, DevAnand, European settlers, Farida Jalal, Farooq Qaiser, G. M. Durrani, ganga ki reti pe bangala chhawaai, geeta bali, Ghulam Mohammed, hai lagaa, House No. 44, hum to tere dil ke bangale me aanaa maangtaa, Iftekhar, ik bangala bane nyaara, Johnny Walker, Joroo Ka Ghulam, K. L. Saigal, Kaala Paani, Kalyanji-Anandji, kanta lagaa, Kidar Sharma, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Magroor [1950], Majrooh Sultanpuri, Meena Kumari, Mirza Ghalib [1954], Mohammed Rafi, My ten favourite bangala songs, My ten favourite bungalow songs, Nalini Jaywant, Nanda, nazar laage raajaa tore bangale par, o daata o daataa de hamko bhi ek pyaara bangala, Pankaj Mullick, President [1937], pyaara ek bangala ho, R. C. Boral, R. D. Burman, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, Rajesh Khanna, Rehman, Rekha, Roshan, S. D. Burman, Sabse Bada Rupaiya [1976], Sahir, Samadhi 1972, Shaili Shailendra, Shakeel Budayuni, Shamshad Begum, Sudha Malhotra, Suraiya, Vinod Khanna, Vinod Mehra
My ten favourite blind women songs
I got the idea for this post when I read Yves’ review of the Sparsh [1980]. Blind people abound in Hindi cinema mostly as some blind chachas (uncles) in slums or are poor sisters or mothers, for whose eye-operation the hero commits some crime. Then there are the female leads, who are blind, where the story follows one way or the other the plot of Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights. Of course there are stories, where the story follows a different path altogether. All the stories have one thing in common that mostly the curing of the blindness plays a central role in the story. Exceptions as usual confirm the rule.

In my post Mala Sinha song list, while commenting the song from Patanga. I wrote that the species of blind heroines became rare in the 80s. I didn’t know that they had become so abundant in the last decade. My favourites though, as you would guess, are not from the last decade but earlier. Well, here they are! Enjoy!
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Tags: Aaj Raat Ko, Abke Na Sawan Barse, Ae Kaash Mein, Amitabh Bachchan, Anand Bakshi, Anuraag [1972], Aparna Sen, Asha Bhonsle, Asha Parekh, Barsaat Ki Ek Raat [1981], blind flower girl, Blind women, Chirag [1969], Chitchor, Chitragupta, Do Ghoont Mujhe Bhi Pilaade Sharabi, Faisla [1988], geeta bali, Gulzar, Hai Woh Pardesi Man Me, Hema Malini, Hemlata, Imaan Dharam [1977], Jailor [1958], Jeetendra, Jheel Ke Us Paar [1973], kandibona phagun gele, Kinara [1977], Koi To Aiye Re Bada Intezar Hai, Lalita Pawar, Lata Mangeshkar, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Log Kahe Mera Saanwalaa Sa Rang Hai, Madan Mohan, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Mala Sinha Rajendra Kumar, Moushumi Chaterjee, Mujhi Me Chhupkar Mujhi Se Door, Mumtaz, Nasseruddin Shah, Patang (1960), R. D. Burman, Raakhee, Rajendra Krishan, Rameshwari, Rang Dil Ki Dhadkan Bhi, Ravindra Jai, Saira Banu, Satyajeet, Shashi Kapoor, Sohrab Modi, Sujit Kumar, Sun Ri Pawan, Sunayana [1979], Sunil Dutt, Vijendra Ghatge, Vinod Mehra
My ten favourite men-in-drag songs
Men in drag has me always in splits. It is one thing, which guarantees a laughter from my side. I know it doesn’t show much of a depth for my character. Yeah, how to put it much better than: I am like that only!

Men wearing women’s clothes is nothing new. In the early films of the Indian film industry boys would often take up female roles. Men in drag is all the same a more ancient phenomenon. The reasons behind it can be different ranging from transvestism to transgenderism. I can imagine that during times or in societies when and where homosexuality was looked down upon, it was one of the ways for men to approach men. For heterosexual men, I can think, it is a means to make fun of women and in this way digest the rejection by them. At the same time it can also be seen as a rebellion against the society and attempt to break away from the roles imposed by the society based on gender. All the same, it is not these deeper thoughts that go through my mind, why I love these songs.

Here are my favourite 10 songs from Hindi films with men in drag. Since it all is supposed to be fun, no rules this time, except for the quite obvious ones like one song pro actor. 😉
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Tags: Aake Sidhi Lagi Jaise, Anand Bakshi, Asha Bhosle, Babita, Bindu, Biswajeet, Bluff Master [1963], Bombay Se Baroda Tak, Dara Singh, Dharmendra, Five Rifles, Gulshan Bawra, Half Ticket [1962], Haseena Maan Jayegi [1968], homosexuality, I. S. Johar, Johar Mahmood In Hong Kong [1971], Kaatilon ke Kaatil [1981], Kajra Mohabbat Wala, Kalyanji-Anandji, Kalyanji-Anandji. Qamal Jalalabadi, Kamal Barot, Kishore Kumar, Kismat [1969], Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Lootera [1965], Malmal Me Badan Mora Chamke, Mehmood, Mohd. Rafi, My ten favourite men-in-drag songs, Nathaniya Hale To Bada Maza, Neetu Singh, O. P. Nayyar, Oy Chali Chali Kaisi Hawa, Paintal, Parde Ke Peechhey [1971], Patli Kamar Nazuk Umar, Pran, Rafoo Chakkar [1975], Rajinder Krishan, Rishi Kapoor, Saira Banu, Salil Chowdhury, Sar-E-Bazar Karenge Pyar, Shailendra, Shammi Kapoor, Shamshad Begum, Shankar Dada, Shankar-Jaikishan, Shashi Kapoor, Suno Suno, Teen Kuwareeyan... Hathon Me Mehndi, transgenderism, transvestism, Usha Mangeshkar, Vinod Mehra, Yogeeta Bali, Zeenat Aman
Ten of my favourite flower songs
Blame it on dustedoff! Yeah, she asked me to do this post. And since I always do what I am asked to. Here it is.

Flowers and love go together. Flower codes abound as to what flower to send as secret message. In Hindi film songs, the flowers have been mostly used as similies or metaphors for the heroine. Gulabi hooth (rosy lips) being one of the common comparisons.
In my list I have again used some criteria to boil my list down to ten:
1. Songs with flowers used as adjectives have not been taken (so, no ‘gulabi aankhen jo teri dekhi’)
2. One different flower pro song (i.e. if I like two songs, both with rose in it more than the song with jasmine, than I had to choose between the two rose songs)
3. One song pro film (that was very easy)
4. When the name of the flower is the name of a character in the film, it has been rejected (so no ‘ghar jayegi, tar jayegi’
So here are my 10 favourite solo songs featuring ten different flowers.
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Tags: Aaj Raat Ko, Ai Nargis-E-Mastaanaa, Ajit, Amol Palekar, Arzoo, Ashok Kumar, B. S. Kalla, Baant Bahar, Bahut Din Huwe, Basu Chatterji, Bharat Bhushan, Chaman ke Phool Bhi Tujh Ko Gulaab Kehte Hai, Chameli, Champa, Champa Khili Daar, Champakali, Delonix regia, Devta, Dil Ek Mandir, Dooj ka Chand, dustedoff, English Name: Daffodil, Faisla, Farooq Qaiser, Flower Power, flowers, G. S. Kohli, Genda, ghar jayegi, Gulaab, gulabi aankhen jo teri dekhi, Gulmohar, Gulmohar Gar Tumhara Naam Hota, Gulzar, Hasrat Jaipuri, Hum Dil Ka Kanwal, Jasmine, Jasminum auriculatum, Jasminum sambac, Juhi, Kamal, Ketaki, Ketaki Gulaab Juhi Champak Ban Phoole, Kewra, Kishore Kumar, Kyu Chameli Khil Khilati Hai Bataa, Lata Mangeshkar, LotusJuhi Ki Kali Meri Laadli, Madhubala, Magnolia, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Manna Dey, Marigold, Meena Kumari, Michelia champaca, Mohammad Rafi, Narcissus, Nargis, Nelumbo nucifera, Pandanus, Phool Gendawaa Naa Maaro, Polianthes tuberosus, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Indra, R. D. Burman, Raaj Kumar, Ragini, Rajanigandha, Rajanigandha Phool Tumhare, Rajendra Kumar, Rakesh Roshan, Rosa, Rose, Roshan, Royal Poinciana, Sadhana, Sahir, Saira Banu’s Magnolia champaca, Salil Chaudhary, Sanjeev Kumar, Sarika, Screw Pine, Shailendra, Shankar-Jaikishan, Shikari, Suman Kalyanpur, Tagetes, Tuberose, Vidya Sinha, Vinod Mehra, Vyjayanthimala, Yogesh, Zindagi