Suraiya’s songs by SD Burman
SD Burman getting into Navketan camp and Suraiya’s intense romance with Dev Anand meant that there would be a number of songs of this singer (and actor)-composer pair. Since SD Burman made his debut late, his songs for Suraiya are much less compared to, say, Naushad’s, but as was his wont, he had a talent to create something for every singer, which would easily rank among his/her landmark songs. We have seen this even with Mukesh, who was a peripheral singer in terms of quantity, but his every SD Burman song is memorable. With her love affair with Dev Anand encountering insurmountable obstacles from her family, Suraiya left the film world early (barring some sporadic appearances till the early 60s) and chose to live her life as a recluse, with her inner pain. This meant that Suraiya-SD Burman combo would be necessarily not very prolific. But even if we just count Man more hua matwalaand Nain deewane, Suraiya’s songs by SD Burman have a place among her greatest songs.
This site gives a break-up of SD Burman’s songs with various female playback singers. Expectedly, after his big three – Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Geeta Dutt – there is a sharp drop. Fourth in the list is Shamshad Begum (I thought she would come after Suraiya). Then comes Suraiya with just 12 solos and 2 duets from three films, barely sufficient for a post. However, in case of Anil Biswas and SD Burman, I have covered singers having similar number of songs composed by them, because their impact is much greater. Some readers have mentioned Suraiya among important singers for SD Burman who should be covered.
Had she been alive Suraiya would have been 85 today (b. 15 June 1929; d. 31 January 2004). Continuing my revived series on SD Burman’s songs for different singers, here are some of the best songs of this combination.
1. Pardesi re jate jate jiya mora liye ja from Afsar (1950), lyrics Narendra Sharma
Both Nain deewane (inspired from Rabindra Sangeet She din dujone) and Man mor hua matwala are very well known and have been covered earlier on this blog. But this rarely heard song is as good as the above two, and it is surprising why it has remained hidden.
At places you get the strains of a familiar tune, which he developed a year later as Aaj ki raat piya dil na todo by Geeta Dutt in Baazi. If you are thrilled by this discovery, listen to this ode to the river Padma, written by Kazi Nazrul Islam and sung by SD Burman himself. A synonym for Goddess Lakshmi, Padma evokes similar sentiments as Ganga does in North India, and it also finds mention in the Puranas. In some comments at YT, it is mentioned that SD Burman sang only four Nazrul Geetis. This one seems to be the most representative. I have mentioned earlier that he adapted many of his Bengali folk songs into film songs which have become landmarks. But if you go back to his original, you feel his singing was at a higher plane.
Padma dheu re (Bengali folk song) sung by SD Burman, lyrics Kazi Nazrul Islam
2. Gun gun bole re bhanwar from Afsar
This is another solo from Afsar. Suraiya sings in her usual sweet and simple style.
3. Preet ka nata jodnewale duet with Geeta Dutt from Afsar
The remaining song from this film is this duet with Geeta Dutt. Their styles are very different. Though Suraiya is the main singer in this film, Geeta Dutt would far surpass her to become a major singer for SD Burman in later years.
4. Kinare kinare chale jayenge from Vidya (1948), lyrics Yashoda Nandan Joshi
Let us go back to where it all started – the romance of Dev Anand and Suraiya, and Suraiya first singing for SD Burman. If the reel lovers are also real lovers, and you have them in a row-boat in a river, who can give music better than SD Burman. This must be one of her sweetest songs.
5. Kise maloom tha do din mein saawan beet jayega from Vidya,lyrics Shanti Swaroop ‘Madhukar’
The film seems to have followed the usual course of romance, separation and final union. This is the song of sad phase.
6. O Krisha Kanhai ashaaon ki duniya mein hai kyon aag lagaayifrom Vidya, lyrics Anjum Pilibhiti
Dukh mein sumiran sab kare – there has to be a bhajan in the sad phase. But Suraiya is not grovelling before God, but complaining about his unfair ways.
7. Jhoom rahi jhoom rahi khushiyon ki naav aaj from Vidya(1948)
We started with the lovers in a row-boat. If you are in love, you can feel the boat of happiness and boatman even in a drawing room. With Dev Anand on the piano, Suraiya’s sakhis too get into the mood and are swaying to the beat and her melodious voice. Not only naav was a recurring theme, khushi was, too – we had earlier seen her duet with Mukesh, Laayi khushi ki duniya hansti hui jawaani, from this film.
8. Nigaahein kyu milaayi thi agar yun chhod jana tha from Laal Kunwar (1952), lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanvi
Laal Kunwar should be the last film in which SD Burman composed for Suraiya. She sang till 1963, but SD Burman had other singers in his fold, who were going great guns for him. Here is a rarely heard song, but extremely melodious.
9. Preet sataye teri yaad na jaaye teri from Laal Kunwar
Other songs from this film were unknown to me until I started researching for this post. Suraiya’s songs were basically very simple tunes. But even in this complex song she is in command. It is surprising why SD Burman dropped her so completely after this film.
10. Ayi hun main raja tere dwar from Lal Kunwar (1952), lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanvi
I end with what should be the last SD Burman song composed for Suraiya. It is an absolutely melodious song, I see seeds of some later landmark songs, such asSaari saari raaton teri yaad sataye (Aji Bas Shukriya, Roshan).