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AFSAR (1950)

Year	1950
Producer	Navketan Films
Lyrics	Pandit Narendra Sharma, Vishwamitra Adil
Singers	Suraiya, Geeta Dutt, Manmohan Krishna
Rating	8/10   (1-Min, 10-Max)

Reviewed by

Srinivas Ganti

AFSAR - Naina Deewane, ik nahin maane

    Afsar's name is firmly etched in the annals of Hindi Film History for being the debut film of the Navketan Banner. Its the music that takes the cigar though. The heart just sways to magic of Sachinda's music, Pt. Narendra Sharma's lyrics and Suraiya's voice. Man mor huaa matwaala ye kisne jaaDu daala re captures the effect perfectly. This song is encrafted with sitar and flute pieces that gel perfectly with the flow. It's piece-de-resistance is the flute bit followed by tum nas ras ki puhaar mai.n rom rom madhushala.

Dada was very adept in transplanting his own bangla numbers into Hindi. Pardesi re draws inspiration from Padmar dheu re. Burmanda's stamp is written all over the song. The charming wave like motion leaves you craving for more. Each antara ends with pardesi re~~~ with emphasis on the last syllable and blends perfectly with the interlude music. The Angaarey number unhen khokar~~~~ is another example where SDB used this technique.

Burmanda's female-female duets are a class onto themselves and priit ka naata joDne vaale serves as a precursor. The synergy between Suraiyya and Geeta Dutt's voice adds to the charm of this song. Composers from the Bengal belt occasionally drew inspiration from Rabindra Sangeet and Burmanda was no exception. S hedin dujone was the Tagore compostion that inspired nainaa diwane ik nahiin maane. SDB's presentation of the song deviates from the original though especially in terms of rhythm. The brief pauses in the song especially after naina diwane are the touch of a genius. Flute and piano pieces interspersed by tabla beats embellish Suraiya's dulcet rendition.

Title songs impart the name of the movie in the mukhada, more often than not. The breezy gun gun gun bole re bhanvar belongs to the latter category. The word afsar occurs as part of naach nachaauuNgii mein baake afsar in the last antaraa of the song. This number rounds off the Suraiya segement of this lovely soundtrack.

The movie has two more songs both sung by Manmohan Krishna both penned by Viswamitra Adil. They are saadhu ke ghar chokariyaa do and jhaT khol de khivaD phaT khol de. These songs are passable. The soundtrack of Afsar is a perfect appetizer to Sachinda's offerings for the Navketan banner. Its a forerunner to one of the most fruitful musical partnerships in Hindi Films, that spanned over three decades.

List of Songs from AFSAR
Song	Singers	Lyrics	Hear Online at
1. Naina Deewane	Suraiya	Pt Narendra Sharma
2. Manmor hua matwala	Suraiya	Pt Narendra Sharma	Play Online
3. Gun Gun Gun Gun bole re bhanwar	Suraiya	Pt Narendra Sharma	Play Online
4. Pardesi re, jaate jaate jiya mora liye ja	Suraiya	Pt Narendra Sharma
5. Preet ka naata jodne waale	Suraiya and Geeta Roy	Pt Narendra Sharma
6. Jhat khol de khivad phat khol de	Manmohan Krishna	Vishwamitra Adil
7. Saadhu ke ghar chokariya do	Manmohan Krishna	Vishwamitra Adil

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