Listening to: Loafer (1973)

The memory of this song has haunted me for 38 years now. Every now and then my brain will trawl through its old and ill-used cells and savour the pleasure of Rafi’s voice with the beauty of Dharmendra’s  presence. Yet, I have never seen this film. My memories are fuelled merely by viewings of the song clip on television during the seventies.

So today, when I sat to watch the film, it was rather exciting! Seeing movies from the seventies is rather distracting though. I kept trying to assimilate the interesting wardrobe choices of the leads : Pants with large brown checks! Grey shiny suit with extra large black lapels! Tiny red skirt with tinier hot pants! Black long dress with a weird overcoaty thing! If I am not distracted by wardrobe, its by Dharm’s disarming English accent : sa-late->slate, un-cull->uncle and the like. Must say though that Dharmendra looks heart stoppingly handsome and Mumtaz quite luscious to match!

On the whole its a good time-pass. If one doesn’t look for meaning or anything deep, it’s enjoyable enough.

The music is by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and the lyrics by Anand Bakshi, both worthy of respect.

• Kahan hai woh diwana – Asha Bhonsle. Padma Khanna gyrates well but I don’t see this rather plaintive song for a cabaret number. 
• Motiyon ki lari who main – Asha Bhonsle. This time it is Mumu who gyrates in a short red skirt. I remembered this song well though, so a smile for the sake of nostalgia.
• Aaj Mausam Bada Beiman Hai – Mohammed Rafi. Unbelievably good. Impossibly good. Wonderfully good. I just melt when Rafi croons

  ऐ मेरे यार ऐ हुस्न वाले |
  दिल किया मैंने तेरे हवाले ||
  तेरे मर्जी पे अब बात ठैरी |
  जीने दे चाहे तू मार डाले ||
  तेरे हाथों में अब मेरी जान है ||

  Rafi is the absolute king of this type of singing and can never be replaced, absolutely never!
• Teri Ishq Mein – Lata Mangeshkar. A beautiful song and Lata is in great voice. Mumu looks good too!
• Duniya mein tera hai bada naam – Mahendra Kapoor. Very proficiently sung but not to my taste.
• Koi Shehri Babu – Asha Bhonsle. Mumtaz is in her element with songs like this. A good dancer indeed! The song is lovely too and Asha does justice to it. Nowadays marriage songs are almost always group dances with intricate steps. This feels so different!

You can listen to the whole album here. But for today, my choice is a no-choice.

Enjoy!