October is quite a special month for hindi film lovers as it brings birthdays/anniversaries of so many big stras like Ashok Kumar, Asha Parekh, Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Hema Malini, Smita Patil, Om Puri, Vinod Khanna and many others.

 But at the same time, we have lost some of our brightest stars in October only. Guru Dutt, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Sachin Dev Burman and of course, Sahir Ludhianvi whose death anniversary falls today only. While going through their entire career span, one can notice that these legends got to reap their share of success and stardom during 50s mostly. During 50s only most of them carved and cultivated their very much own style that was significantly different from their other contemporaries. Whenever they worked together they have formulated different dimensions of classics. 

While talking to DD Urdu, Gulzar sahab once said about Sahir : “If you look at his film career, then it has to be said, that Sahir sahab never took to the film medium, in fact it was the medium that embraced him. Jo unka andaaz tha wo medium ne apna liya, ye unki sabse badi khoobi hai."

For instance, songs of Pyasa. 

ये कूचे, ये नीलाम घर दिलकशी के

ये लुटते हुए कारवां ज़िंदगी के

कहाँ हैं, कहाँ हैं मुहाफ़िज़ खुदी के

जिन्हें नाज़ है हिन्द पर वो कहाँ हैं

Pretty heavy dosage of chaste Urdu was delivered by Sahir and Bade Burman Dada had composed that so exquisitely keeping the grandeur of the poetry intact. S.D.Burman, Sahir and Guru Datt together defined a class to hindi cinema and songs through their unparalleled work. 

But parallelly, one more combo was equally excelled during 50s. 

"Dan dar dan dar 

dan dar dan dar 

dan dar dan dar 

dan dar daaan......" 

Yeah! 

This too by Sahir! 

In 50s only! 

If we are talking about 50s, we can't miss to have even a single song having fantabulous combination of Dada Burman, Dev, Sahir and Kishore Kumar. 

There were several absolute riotious renditions where those "talkhiyaan" were evaporated from Sahir's ink for a quite a pleasant change. Or may be that ever mischievous naughty child in Kishore Kumar's persona might have dragged everyone to play their craziest and breathe at their lightest for a while. 

Taxi Driver was the soundtrack where bade Burman Dada have used three different playback singers for Dev Anand. Perhaps that "मायूसियों का, मजमा है जी में.." type of subtle lyrics would have made Dada choosing Talat Mahmood. But could never understand the logic behind choosing Jagmohan Bakshi!! 

IMO, IMHO, the best suitable voice for Mangal's (Dev Anand as taxi driver) character was actually the third one selected by Dada who also got the best suitable lyrics (language) too for that character from Sahir. 

हर फिक्र को धुएं में उड़ाता चला गया.. came later in 60s from Sahir for that ever-likable debonair soldier. But in 50s also Sahir arranged it all for Dev Sahab only to get over his ”आखरी फिक्र - पांच का नोट" in a khataara car's dhuan. Mode of transport - De Mello sahab ki gaadi.

The format of the song was gazal which I came to know many years later as who can even think of this?! 

Do you really think the way Kishore Kumar starts the song would have been 'composed' that way? If yes, then it would be amusing to know whose brain would have conceived the idea of that reverse mode of "Sa re ga ma pa dha ni sa.. !! The old monk?? Wow!! 😆

चाहे कोई खुश हो चाहे गालियाँ हज़ार दे

मस्त राम बन के ज़िंदगी के दिन गुज़ार दे... 

And what are the "lyrics" just after this mukhda.!?? 

I hope you are getting what part I mean. Remember, not just Kishore Kumar is singing alone there. Chorus too is singing that gibberish all along. So it must have been written. Who?! Sahir??? 

Mind boggling..!! 😁

Now antara. 

पी के धाँधली करुं तो मुझको जेल भेज दो

सूँघने में क्या है ये जवाब थानेदार दे .. 

Now this is quintessentially Sahir. Five people in a khataara car have five rupees total to enjoy with. How much liquor they would have got to get drunk with? 

Then? 

Jaane bhi do yaaron, 

thoda piyo, thoda sungho.. 

And what if still not satisfied? 

Simple.. ! 

भाव अगर बढ़ा भी डाले सेठिया तो ग़म न कर

खाये जा मज़े के साथ जब तलक़ उधार दे

Devil-may-care.. 😁

Just look at Dev sahab while lip-syncing these lines ! I hardly remember him wearing such a 'classy' attire where he considered his 4th button of shirt as first one! Fantastic!! 😁

Leave these people, even violins here are at their craziest mode! In fact all the instruments.. And those shouts, whistles, and that masht masht masht masht masht masht masht raam ended to "arey teri ki phir hawa nikal gai..." 

Hatts off... Just as Johnny walker says in the beginning - Kya phitkari maari hai imaan se..😄👌👍

We all have been reading about Sahir's unfavorable or say, devastating and dreadful childhood. This one is one of those songs wherein a little boy jumps out from the streets of Ludhiana to pen down all that 'mast mast mashti' he was perhaps deprived of. Or perhaps this was the attitude that people's poet with paradoxical nature wanted to show always ! Yes, 

चाहे कोई खुश हो चाहे गालियाँ हज़ार दे

मस्त राम बन के ज़िंदगी के दिन गुज़ार दे... 

But could he live so? 

Well.. the answer was given by Javed Akhtar during one Jashn-e-Rekhta festival. “Do you think a man who led a relaxed life, the one with money and comfort would name his book ‘talkhiyan' ? It is not possible. His life was full of bitterness and sadness and it remained with him till his last days.”

So? Was it like ... 

खुशियों की मंज़िल ढूँढी तो ग़म की गर्द मिली

चाहत के नग़मे चाहे तो आहें सर्द मिली

दिल के बोझ को दूना कर गया जो ग़मखार मिला

हमने तो जब कलियाँ माँगी काँटों का हार मिला...

Perhaps, it was not that way either. To me, Sahir led his life like one of my most favourite couplets from his writings : 

मेरे शौक़-ए-खाना ख़राब को, 

तेरी रहगुज़र की तलाश है...