#22 Anupama: Top 100 Bollywood Albums

Music: Hemant Kumar

Lyrics: Kaifi Azmi

Label: Saregama

Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee

After working with the likes of Salil Choudhury, Shankar-Jaikishan and even Pandit Ravishankar on the composing front, and lyricists like Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri and Rajendra Krishan, the 1965 film Do Dil brought master director Hrishikesh Mukherjee together with Hemant Kumar and Kaifi Azmi for the first time. Though Mukherjee went on to work with the composer and the lyricist in multiple of his movies, it was in Anupama – which came out the following year – that he extracted the best out of both. The album, comprised entirely of solo performances, featured the composer himself on vocals aside of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle. While each composition is a class act, it is Ya Dil Ki Suno and Kuchh Dil Ne Kahaa that elevate the soundtrack to the next level.

Best Song of Anupama: Hemant Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar have created a lot of terrific songs together; Kuchh Dil Ne Kahaa is bound to rate right among the top in that long list. The song derives its stunning ethereal quality from a lot of factors – Hemant Kumar's spectacular use of strings and flute, Lata Mangeshkar's understated singing of the haunting melody, Azmi's thoroughly imaginative lines and of course the prettiness in Mukherjee's visuals heightened by the incredible looking Sharmila Tagore and Dharmendra.

1. Dheere Dheere Machal (Singer: Lata Mangeshkar)
2. Kuchh Dil Ne Kaha (Singer: Lata Mangeshkar)
3. Bheegi Bheegi (Singer: Asha Bhosle)
4. Kyon Mujhe Itni Khushi (Singer: Asha Bhosle)
5. Ya Dil Ki Suno (Singer: Hemant Kumar)

Listen to the entire album of Anupama here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxZpD_9cfD0

(With contributions by Praveen VR, co-founder of musicaloud.com)

#23 DELHI-6: TOP 100 BOLLYWOOD ALBUMS