Usha Khanna’s best songs for Lata Mangeshkar, and other female singers

Concluding the series of tributes to Usha Khanna with her best songs for Lata Mangeshkar and other female singers

Usha Khanna’s debut score in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) sounded so much OP Nayyar-ish that you may get the impression that she too would exclude Lata Mangeshkar completely and her female singer would be predominantly Asha Bhosle as she was in Dil Deke Dekho. But from her very second film Hum Hindustani (1960), just as she showed great felicity with Mukesh, she also composed a superlative Lata Mangeshkar song in the film, Chori chori tori ayi hai Radha, kadam tale haule haule. Usha Khanna showed remarkable competence for composing for most of the prominent female playback singers, such as Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur and others. My first post was on her best songs for Rafi, and second on Mukesh and other male playback singers. In these two posts I have also included their male-female duets. The third and last post in the series of tributes to Usha Khanna is on her best songs for Lata Mangeshkar and other female singers. Since their duets with male singers are already covered this would be limited to their solos, and female-female duets.

Lata Mangeshkar

With songs like Chori chori tori ayi hai Radha kadam tale haule haule Lata Mangeshkar has to figure at the top.

1. Chrori chori tori ayi hai Radha kadam tale haule haule by Lata Mangeshkar from Hum Hindustani (1960), lyrics Bharat Vyas, music Usha Khanna

This song, its flute tunes, Lata Mangeshkar’s voice and Usha Khanna’s composition always give me goosebumps. Asha Parekh was a trained dancer and shows her grace and lyrical dance steps in this song depicting Radha as an Abhisarika Nayika.

2. Manjhi meri kismet ke ji chaahe jahan le chal by Lata Mangeshkar from Hum Hindustani (1960), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music Usha Khanna

Usha Khanna scores another Lata Mangeshkar Ace in the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csuf-1p9458

3. Shayad meri shadi ka khayal dil mein aya hai by Lata Mangeshkar from Sautan (1983), lyrics Sawan Kumar Tak, music Usha Khanna

From a genuine superhit film, this is an amusing song when the girl seems to be exhilarated at the prospect of her marriage being discussed.

4. Ajnabi kaun ho tum jabse tumhein dekha hai by Lata Mangeshkar from Sweekar Kiya Maine (1983), lyrics Nida Fazli, music Usha Khanna

Nida Fazli was the most prominent writer-poet of the post-Sahir Ludhiyanvi and Kaifi Azmi era. It was natural that filmmakers would turn to him and has written many great lyrical songs in the later era. Here is a gem for the 1980s, well beyond the period of focus of this blog. Lata Mangeshkar still retained her melodious voce and Usha Khanna has made a marvellous composition. Both Vinod Mehra and Shabana Azmi appear to have literary interests. Shabana is holding a compilation of ghazals written by her father Kaifi Azmi.

Asha Bhosle

5. Haye tabassum tera, dhoop khil gayi raat mein by Asha Bhosle from Nishan (1965), lyrics Javed Anwar, music Usha Khanna

In the first post in the series on Usha Khanna’s best songs by Rafi I had posted the Rafi solo. There is an Asha Bhosle version too which many would not have heard. Most twin songs prove my hypothesis that the male version was a frontrunner whereas the female version remained a laggard and mostly unheard. Here is the Asha Bhosle version.

Suman Kalyanpur

6. Mera chhaila babu aya, albela babu aya by Suman Kalyanpur and Usha Khanna from Faisla (1965), lyrics Asad Bhopali, music Usha Khanna

Usha Khanna now joins Suman Kalyanpur sing this excellent female-female duet. We have earlier seen how though being a competent singer Usha Khanna did not try to promote her voice.

7. Khushiyan hazar le ke dil ka qaraar le ke din aisa aye baar baar by Usha Khanna and Suman Kalyanpur from Laal Bangla (1966), lyrics Vinod Sharma, music Usha Khanna

Laal Bangla is famous for Mukesh’s Chaand ko kya maloom chahta hai koi use chakor. Here there is an excellent F-F duet by the same pair.

Geeta Dutt

8. Tu laage mora baalam ye kaise kahun main by Geeta Dutt and Usha Khanna from Hum Hindustani (1960), lyrics K Manohar, music Usha Khanna

Our lovers used to be shy in those days. These days there are different degrees of being in a ‘relationship’. The Surrogate Songs came to the rescue which said what the lovers were too shy to express.

Usha Khanna

9. Dheere re chalo mori langdi bandariya by Usha Khanna and Johnny Whisky from Insaaf (1966), lyrics Akhtar Romani, music Usha Khanna

This is a superb parody medley of nine famous songs. I am hearing Johnny Whisky’s name for the first time. An excellent comedian and his voice has uncanny similarity with Mukesh.

10. Dil ka ladakpan shuru ho gaya by Usha Khanna from Ek Raat (1967), lyrics Anjan, music Usha Khanna

This film had Mukesh’s eternal Aaj tumse door hokar aise roya mera pyar, and here is a superb song by Usha Khanna.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
The music videos have been embedded from the YouTube only for the listening pleasure of the readers. This blog has no commercial interest, and claims no copyright over these songs which vests with the respective owners.