VALENTINE WEEK SPECIAL-5.

'MERE MEHBOOB'

MY KIND EXPRESSING LOVE!

- Manoj Kulkarni

Rajendra Kumar in song "Ae husn zara."

"Ae Husn zaraa jaag..Tujhe Ishq jagaaye.."

This is a song from one of my top most favourite romantic movies with Urdu Shayaari..'Mere Mehboob' (1963)..the love expressed with shayaarana andaz in it is like the way of expressing love in our Indian style..rather my kind of expressing love!

.Ameeta, H.S. Rawail & Sadhana on set of 'Mere Mehboob' (1963).

Filmmaker who made such kind of (Muslim socials the term used by film scholars) lyrical romantics..Harnam Singh Rawail best known as H. S. Rawail written (with Vinod Kumar), Produced & Directed this classic Hindi-Urdu film 'Mere Mehboob' (1963). Story takes place in traditional Lucknow..in which courtesan's poet brother falls in love with the sister of nawab!

In this jubilee star Rajendra Kumar and (Indian Audry Hepburn) beautiful Sadhana performed the romantic lead..Anwar and Husna in requied Luckhanavi nazaakat with Ashok Kumar as Nawab Buland Akhtar and others Nimmi (Anwar's sister Najma), Ameeta (Husna's cousin Naseem) and Pran & Johney Walker in their fixed roles!

"Mere Mehboob tujhe.."

Rajendra Kumar.."Mere Mehboob.."

Film start with this romantic song in which Anwar remembers his first romantic meet with Husna on farewell day..such scenes picturized in the hall and few places of 'Aligarh Muslim University'!

Apart from this famous Art Director Sudhendu Roy created the Luckhanavi shayarana mahol nicely for the romantic song sequences like in first mentioned piano song and when Anwar expressed his love to Husna in song "Tumse Izhar-E-Haal Kar Baithe." In such scenes romantic andaaz of Rajendra Kumar & Sadhana was beautiful with Hindustani tehzeeb!

Rajendra Kumar & Sadhana in song "Tumse Izhar-E-Haal Kar Baithe."

Naushad, Mohammed Rafi & Shakeel Badayuni.

Shakeel Badayuni wrote such nine romantic songs of this film which music director Naushad Ali composed in that lyrical Luckhanavi andaaz..And sung by Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar & Asha Bhosle! In addition to this G. Singh beautifully cinematographed (with romantic close ups) and Krishan Sachdev sensibly edited this film!

This film became a big hit! After this H. S. Rawail made two such hit romantic films with same genre..'Mehboob Ki Mehndi' (1971) with Rajesh Khanna & Leena Chandavarkar and 'Laila Majnu' (1976) with Rishi Kapoor & Ranjeeta! Both also got big success!

Sadhana & Rajendra Kumar in romantic scene!

This film became all time favourite of lovers who are such romantic..Whenever I hear it's title song "Mere Mehboob tujhe.." or "Ae Husn zaraa.." I feel nostalgic with lovely memories..and imagine making love in that shayaraana andaaz!!

- Manoj Kulkarni
['Chitrasrushti', Pune, India]