There is a prevalent feeling among the fans of Sunil Dutt that he didn’t do much singing on screen, that his leading ladies did most of the crooning. This is not entirely untrue. But you would be surprised to know how many timeless songs the gracious Dutt crooned on screen.
1. ‘Jalte hai jiske liye’ (Sujata):
Many consider this to be the best ghazal that Talat Mahmood sang. Composed by Sachin Dev Burman it brings tears to those lucid eyes of Nutan when Sunil Dutt croons Majrooh Sultanpuri’s imperishable words over the phone. And ours, too. Talat and Majrooh were rightfully nominated for Filmfare awards.
2. ‘Aha rimjhim ke ye pyare pyare’ (Usne Kaha Tha): A breezy rain song composed by Salil Chowdhury, it gave Sunil Dutt (SD) a romantic image that he never was comfortable with. “I was mostly cast in very serious roles, many of them of dacoits. It would have looked very odd if I started singing from on top of my horse, don’t you think?”
3. ‘Mere saamne wali khidki mein’ (Padosan): Speaking of horsing around, another rare lighthearted singing opportunity for the much-loved Dutt Saab. Playing the lovelorn simpleton Bhola, SD needed the vocal expertise of Kishore Kumar to woo the beauty next door Saira Banu. The song redefined playback singing, as Kishore crooned on screen from the background while Dutt lip-synced at the forefront.
4. ‘Sawan ka mahina’ (Milan): One of the biggest hits of the 1960s, this Laxmikant-Pyarelal evergreen has Nutan teaching Sunil Dutt in Lataji’s voice how to sing in Mukesh’s voice. The Pawan Kare Shor remained a ‘sore’ point for Dutt Saab. He was a great fan of Lataji in real life and didn’t mind being taught how to sing by her.
5. ‘Choro kal ki baatein kal ki baat purani’ (Hum Hindustani): It was Mukesh again for the ‘Deadly Dutt,’ this time crooning one of the most loved patriotic songs about development and progress in New India. Usha Khanna, who composed the song, says, “This song was written by the great Prem Dhawan. It needed an actor of Dutt Saab’s integrity on screen. I can’t imagine anyone else doing the song. Dutt Saab really dreamt of a prosperous India. He wasn’t faking it.”
6. ‘Tum agar saath dene ka wada karo’ (Humraaz): It was Mahendra Kapoor all the way for Sunil Dutt in B R Chopra’s superhit film. Dutt Saab got to sing three chartbusters: kKisi patthar ke moorat se’, ‘Na mooh chupa ke jio’, and this beautifully cadenced Sahir Ludhianvi love song.
7. ‘Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabee ban jaye hum dono’ (Gumrah): Sunil Dull, who had a great self-deprecating sense of humor. once said, “Ashok Kumar got the heroine; I got all the beautiful songs in Gumrah.” None more beautiful than this. Apparently, Sahir wrote these lucid, luminous lines for his ladylove Sudha Malhotra. Sunil Dutt lucked out.
8. ‘Badi der bhayi nandala’ (Khaandaan): Nutan always brought out the most romantic side of Sunil Dutt, be it Sujata, Milan, or this superhit family drama which had Nutan crooning the peerless ‘Tumhi meri mandirk in Lataji’s voice. Dutt saab’s Bhajan in Mohammed Rafi’s voice is played to this day in Indian households. Unlike the superstars of those time he wasn’t finicky about who sang for him. “Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Mahendra Kapoor, Talat Mahmood … they were all my dost voices, not ghost voices. Yes, there is one voice that I wish would sing for, and that is Lataji’s,” Dutt Saab once said to me.
