Wednesday evenings were special when I was growing up for it was Chitrahaar night on the telly. For half-an-hour I would happily watch the song-and-dance clips from Hindi films, both old and new. Over time I would see most of the songs from a given film and for films I hadn’t seen (i.e. most of them!) I would make up my own story to link the songs all together! Professor is one such film.
I remembered well Shammi Kapoor horsing about in an old man’s disguise in one song. Today at last I decided to find out why. I will leave reviewing to people better qualified to do so, I just have a few messages to pass on to the cast & crew:
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To the casting directors : Good choice, Shammi is a natural at comedy. No wonder he got a best actor nomination! You’ve done well with everyone else too.
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To the script writers : Good plot. BUT It is NOT funny to poke fun at the overweight, the short and middle-aged single woman who has soft feelings for a man. Have some taste for God’s sake!
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To the script writers again: In a caper story, think carefully how to rescue your hero at the end. Muddled endings leave a bad taste. Going from comedy to melodrama leaves a worse taste.
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To Shammi: blue eye-shadow? Really? And you let them do it to you?
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To Shammi again: Looking a bit portly in some scenes, aren’t you? And you’re still quite young..Just a friendly warning: you are going to end up obese if you don’t do something now!
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To Darjeeling: I want to see you too, you look a bit like where I live now but with an Indian touch !
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To the music composers and lyricists : Shabaash!!! Bravo!!! You deserve your Filmfare award – lucky too, lots of good competition that year..
Shankar-Jaikishen, the composing duo have indeed done a wonderful job. The songs sound lovely even after the passing of nearly 50 years. You can hear the whole album here. These are the songs :
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Hamare Gaon Koi Ayega – Asha Bhonsle & Lata Mangeshkar, Lovely lilting tune with the flavour of the hills of India. Beautiful scenery, pretty girls in colourful costumes dancing on the hillside…what else can one want?
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Yeh Umr Hai – Asha Bhonsle, Manna Dey, Usha Mangeshkar. Not bad. If you watch the clip, you can admire Shammi’s fantastic old-man-moves.
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Main chali main chali – Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi. A happy little tune. Rafi at his best can melt one’s bones.
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Aye Gulbadan – Mohammed Rafi. If bones not already melted, this can absolutely finish the job! Admire Rafi’s vocal range. Good lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri.
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Khuli Palak Mein – Mohammed Rafi. Enjoyable.
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Awaaz deke – Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi. Lovely song. Good lyrics too. Lata and Rafi at their best. But doesn’t suit the movie at all. The song has so much depth and emotion, doesn’t fit in this comic romp of a film.
Music To My Ears 
Very entertaining film it was, memories brought alive once again by your narration. Aye Gulbadan … is my fav too among all these good songs. Doesn’t Anish too features in the photograph above ( in specs ) :))
@Kanwal: 🙂