Top 25 Bollywood Tunes of R. D. Burman for Rajesh Khanna

R. D. Burman and Rajesh Khanna are compliment to one another. Discussion of Bollywood songs of 1970s is incomplete without mentioning the songs of R. D. Burman composed for Rajesh Khanna movies. In fact R. D. Burman composed for 40 films for Rajesh Khanna, for which Kishore Kumar worked in 32 of them. In the 1970s R. D. Burman made electronic rock popular through several love stories, revolutionizing Hindi film music, and Rajesh Khanna and Kishore Kumar are two integral parts of them. Needless to say, R. D. Burman, Rajesh Khanna and Kishore Kumar became an extremely popular trio of 1970s, and meaningful lyrics of Anand Bakshi also played an important part.

Even after the super success of Aradhana in 1969, Rajesh Khanna continuously worked with Kalyanji Anandji and Laxmikant Pyarelal delivering hits at regular intervals. Yet it was the friendship of Khanna and R. D. Burman and a few evergreen hits recorded in their name, which made 1970s a musical decade. Needless to say, music fans loved their combination songs most, though only a few of them are of high standards. In the 1980s they could deliver only a few memorable songs. Interestingly, Anand Bakshi became a permanent companion for most of their works together in the 1970s and 1980s, post the success of Aradhana in the last year of 1960s.

Top 25 Rajesh Khanna songs composed by R. D. Burman

Association of R. D. Burman with Rajesh Khanna began in year 1967 with the film Baharon Ke Sapne. The movie had a Rafi track “Zamane Ne Maare Jawan” filmed on Rajesh Khanna, though he didn’t sync-lipped to it. It was the first male singer track recorded by Pancham da for any Rajesh Khanna movie. Rest of the songs were exclusively reserved for Lata Mangeshkar which include solos – Kya Janu Sajan and Aaja Piya and duet with Manna Dey – Chunari Samhal. Though all these songs featured Rajesh Khanna, I excluded all these tracks from this list solely because Khanna didn’t lip-sync to those tunes. Here I present a list of 25 songs.

1. Gulabi Aanken from The Train (1970) – Playback Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

Let me begin with this dance number starring Nanda and Rajesh Khanna. As far as I believe it’s the first chartbuster song of Rajesh Khanna in R. D. Burman tunes. Though they have earlier worked together in Baharon Ke Sapne, there is not even a single song lip synced by Rajesh Khanna, and hence I excluded this musical movie from this list. The successful association of R. D. Burman and Rajesh Khanna began only in the 1970s with The Train, where he used Rafi’s voice to record all songs for Rajesh Khanna. I doubt if the songs were recorded before Aradhana magic swept movie buffs across the nation, the movie released the previous year, where R. D. Burman recorded remaining songs originally composed by his father, and Kishore Kumar-Rajesh Khanna pair became a smash hit. Gulabi Ankhein is one of the very rarest Rafi tracks recorded by Pancham da for Rajesh Khanna. Ne Soniye is a very popular duet sung by Rafi and Lata from the same album, featuring the lead pair.

2. Nee Soniye from The Train (1970) – Playback Singers: Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

As I told above, Burman recorded all Rajesh Khanna songs in Rafi’s voice. Nee Soniye is the single duet of the album, featuring the lead pair – Khanna and Nanda, who earlier worked together in suspense thriller, Ittefaq, though not as pair.

3. Pyar Deewana Hota Hai from Katti Patang (1971) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

This romantic song was filmed on Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh. It’s not easy to say, for which song Kishore Kumar excelled in singing. After the songs of Kishore Kumar became an instant hit, interestingly with three solos, R. D. Burman – Kishore Kumar duo became the most celebrated musical pair of Bollywood, who fully dominated the scene throughout 1970s. Songs of Katti Patang followed by Amar Prem cemented the position of Kishore Kumar in Bollywood, post Aradhana success.

With three hit films in a row, Aradhana, Katti Patang and Amar Prem, Shakti Samanta-Rajesh Khanna duo hit a hat-trick. In fact the director played an important role in making Khanna the ‘nation’s lover boy’. By that time screen presence of popular romantic screen idols like Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet, Rajendra Kumar etc slowly started fading. Age factor also played an important role in deteriorating their careers to fit into romantic roles. The rest of the actors like Dev Anand, Dharmendra and Shashi Kapoor re-invented their careers as action heroes in the 1970s, and stayed here. Careers of Bollywood greats – Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, best known for social dramas also started a new phase.

4. Yeh Shyaam Mastani from Katti Patang (1971) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

After the release of The Train, Katti Patang was the second association of Anand Bakshi and R. D. Burman for any Rajesh Khanna movie, and when the movie became a huge hit, their Jodi also got established in Bollywood, paving way to a new generation of music. Yeh Shyaam Mastani is a picnic song with romantic shades, filmed on Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh, and my most favourite track of the album. Kishore Kumar incorporated his signature yodelling style in this highly eccentric romantic track, which is suit for any pleasant and joyful occasion.

5. Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai from Katti Patang (1971) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

This is the single sad song of Kishore Kumar in the movie, filmed on Rajesh Khanna. As I told earlier, it’s not easy to pick the best Kishore Kumar track of the entire album. The hero sinks into a world of alcoholic drinks after his marriage is called off, and stays out of his home during night time. The song depicts his broken heart best on screen.  

6. Jis Gali Mein from Kati Patang (1971) – Playback Singers: Mukesh, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

One of the very rare Mukesh songs filmed on Rajesh Khanna, this slow and melodious song like the slow flow of a river is a hot favourite of many. Initially director Shakti Samanta wanted to record all songs in Kishore Kumar’s voice, post Aradhana’s success. But Kishore Kumar was on a family tour, and he made an easy replacement with Mukesh, as he wanted to shoot the song sequence with the recorded song. It’s one of the best instances that certain things surely ‘don’t happen’ for a better option, and I bet you, no other singer can replace Mukesh in this melodious number. The song was filmed on Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh in a sailing boat at Naini lake – a beautiful lake of Nainital and a lovely tourist spot. Sharmila Tagore – Shashi Kapoor starrer Dil Hain Bahar Ke song from 1965 movie Waqt was also filmed on the same lake.

7. Chingari Koi from Amar Prem (1972) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

Composition of Amar Prem was Burman’s quick reply to critics who always criticized the influence of western music in his work. All the songs were just wonderful, and played a magnificent role to end the supremacy of Rafi as the leading male voice of Bollywood. A popular song of the magic quadrumvirate ever – Burman, Kishore, Khanna & Anand Bakshi, it’s one of the finest tunes Burman ever composed. All the songs of the film were penned by Anand Bakshi.

There is an interesting fact related to Chingari song. It was a million-dollar mistake made by guitarist Bhanu Gupta during the recording section. When he played a wrong tune by mistake, other musicians present there started laughing. The musician also felt embarrassed for playing a wrong tune on such an occasion, which was technically wrong. But our Master composer best known for incorporating weird tunes and noises in his recordings, felt that the tune is nice and incorporated in the beginning of the song. It became a masterpiece composition, and that lovely piece of music was well-appreciated!

8. Kuch To Log Kahenge from Amar Prem (1972) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

I should say Anand Bakshi’s powerful and unique lines stand above Burman’s tunes and Kishore’s rendition. The lead actors also gave heart touching expressions for the song. When people tell badly about Sharmila Tagore’s character, she is in tears and our hero Rajesh Khanna tries to comfort her saying it is people’s business to tell something about others always and we should not care about it. Yes, hats off to Anand Bakshi to write such meaningful lyrics – still relevant and open for debates after 4 decades.

9. O Mere Dil Ka Chein from Mere Jeevan Saati (1972) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

This evergreen song featured Rajesh Khanna and Tanuja in a romantic mood, and it’s one of my most favourite Rajesh Khanna songs. Music composed by R. D. Burman played a significant role in film’s success, though the storyline was ordinary. It was Rajesh Khanna charisma which was all about.

10. Chala Jaata Hoon from Mere Jeevan Saati (1972) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

The movie also included the yodeling song of Kishore Kumar – Chala Jaata Hoon. The song was an instant chartbuster when it got released, and used to be repeatedly telecasted in Chitrahaar and Rangoli of Doordarshan in the 1980s and 1990s. In those days almost every Bollywood film had a song where the lead actor drives a 4-wheeler and sings a solo song, either dreaming about his girlfriend or wooing someone or just dreaming about his future girl. In this particular song, the hero dreams about Tanuja, and she occasionally appears in the song throughout his journey.

11. Sun Champa Sun Tara from Apna Desh (1972) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

The song was filmed on Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz, adorable screen pair of the first half of 1970s, and is worth mentioning here. Kajra Lagake Gajra Sajake is yet another popular duet of the duo featuring the lead pair.

12. Duniya Mein Logon Ko from Apna Desh (1972) – Playback Singers: R D Burman, Asha Bhosle, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

Though R. D. Burman has recorded some of the finest duets of Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar in the 1970s, none of their duets for Rajesh Khanna has been featured in this list of best 25 songs. Though Kishore Kumar was a permanent fixture of Khanna’s voice for R. D. Burman, he chose Lata over Asha to record some of the finest duets featuring Khanna onscreen. Hum Tum Gum Sum Raat Milan Ki from Humsakal is definitely the most popular duet of Kishore and Asha composed by Pancham da, though not added to this list. (If I have missed any popular song of this combination, please let me know). Interestingly Duniya Mein Logon Ko is the single Asha Bhosle track featured in this list, and it’s not a sweet romantic number, but a loud musical piece she sang aside its composer. The song was filmed on Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz, the popular pair of first half of 1970s.

13. Mein Shayar Badnam from Namak Haram (1973) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

This sad song is my favourite track from the album. The song features ailing Raza Murad and actress Rekha aside Khanna. The movie included a popular track, “Nadiya Se Dariya Dariya Se Saagar” which was listed at #18 on the Binaca Geetmala annual list 1974.

14. Diye Jalte Hain Phool Khilte Hain from Namak Haraam (1973) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

This friendship song featuring Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan regularly features in many discussions related to these first two superstars of Indian cinema, and hence I included in this list. A couple of years later, R. D. Burman composed the iconic friendship song, ‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Thodenge’ for Amitabh Bachchan, where Dharmendra replaces Khanna. Anand Bakshi penned lyrics for both these songs.

15. Main Ek Chor Tu Meri Rani from Raja Rani (1973) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

Though the songs of Raja Rani are not counted among the career best songs of R. D. Burman, I would like to add this popular duet featuring Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna. The movie included a theme song, Jab Andhera Hota Hai in Asha Bhosle’s voice, for which she was nominated at Filmfare awards for best female voice. Some bits of Mukda are quite similar to ‘Chalte Hain Church Ke Peeche’ composed by Burman himself. The song was released in 1978.

16. Kaheko Bulaya Mujhe from Humsakal (1974) – Playback Singers: Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

R. D. Burman has recorded quite a few duets like Kaheko Bulaya Mujhe from Humsakal (1974) for Rajesh Khanna in Rafi’s voice. After Gulabi Ankhein and Nee Soniye, it’s the most popular Rafi track for Rajesh Khanna composed by R. D. Burman. This romantic song was filmed on Tanuja and Rajesh Khanna. Tanuja played Khanna’s heroine in Haathi Mere Saathi, Mere Jeevan Saathi and Humsakal in the 1970s and all these films were jubilee hits. R. D. Burman composed songs of Mere Jeevan Saathi and Humsakal.

17. Hum Dono Do Premi from Ajnabee (1974) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

Long before Shah Rukh Khan and Mallaika Arora danced on train top, Rajesh Khanna and Zeenat Aman have filmed one romantic song on the top of the train, first one of this kind for a Bollywood song. The chartbuster hit songs backed the success of the movie as well.

18. Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein from Ajnabee (1974) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

The romantic song is always listed among the top sizzling rain songs of Bollywood. As a newly wedded couple, Rajesh Khanna and Zeenat Aman set screen on fire with this wonderful track.

19. Ek Ajnabee Haseena Se of Ajnabee (1974)  – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

The song picturization starring Rajesh Khanna and Zeenat Aman makes us remember the popular ‘Khilte Hain Gul Yahan’ track of Sharmilee, that one too, a popular solo of Kishore Kumar.

20. Karvatein Badalti Rahe from Aap Ki Kasam (1974) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

This duet of Kishore and Lata is widely regarded as one of the top duets composed by R. D. Burman. All the songs were well received by critics and audience alike. Aap Ki Kasam was the last movie of Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz together. Though the movie opened to positive reviews from critics, it was only average at box office. R. D earned a Filmfare nomination for its compositions. After this movie, Mumtaz took a sabbatical from acting, following her marriage.

21. Jai Jai Shiv Shankar from Aap Ki Kasam (1974)  – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

This dance track is extremely energetic, and can make anyone dance to its tunes of Pancham da. The song featuring Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz was listed at #2 on Binaca Geetmala annual list 1974. The movie also included yet another popular duet of the duo – Suno Kaho. Aap Ki Kasam is ranked among the top albums of the composer.

22. Zindagi Ke Safar from Aap Ki Kasam (1974)  – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

Kishore Kumar has sung some of the best philosophic and soulful melodies for Bollywood and Zindagi Ke Safar Mein is one such. This sad and thoughtful song had Rajesh Khanna as a completely broken person, who breaks his relationship with his wife stating infidelity, but later repents. Yes, as the words of Anand Bakshi say, certain places/spaces once gone from life, they will never return. It’s an irony that Rajesh Khanna too lost his superstardom very soon, which never returned.

23. Mere Nayana from Mehbooba (1976) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar/Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

Kishore Kumar rendition is far better than Lata Mangeshkar’s – it’s my personal opinion only. This touching song rendered by Kishore da can bring tears to listeners’ eyes, and was more popular too. The song based on Raga Shivranjani played an important role in the sequence continuity of the film. Kishore’s version had Rajesh Khanna playing a guitar while Hema Malini listens to it. Lata Mangeshkar’s voice was used for Hema’s and it appears multiple times in the movie in broken parts. The first version in Lata Mangeshkar voice also brings back the memory of Rajesh Khanna’s previous birth. Parbat Ke Peechhe Chambela Gaon – was a popular duet of Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar from the same album.

24. Hamein Tumse Pyar Kitna from Khudrat (1981) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar/Parveen Sultana, Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

With late 1970s, careers of both Burman and Rajesh Khanna started fading, and they could give only a few good songs in the 1980s. Yet Hamein Tumse Pyar Kitna is hailed as one of the best romantic songs ever of Bollywood. The song had two versions, and both became immense popular for its lyrics, rendition as well as composition. It’s one of the rare Bollywood songs with equally popular multiple versions.

Lyrics authorized by the popular poet are still popular among youth. Since 1960s, R. D. Burman frequently collaborated with the poet for Nassir Hussain movies, and Rajesh Khanna starrer ‘Baharon Ke Sapne’ is one such. As Rajesh Khanna never worked in Nassir Hussain movies later, R. D. Burman – Majrooh combination for Khanna movies rarely happened, and Khudrat is one such unique exception. The male version sung by Kishore Kumar featured Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini, while the female version sung by Parveen Sultana had Aruna Irani as a performer, and Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini as spectators.

25. Agar Tum Na Hote from Agar Tum Na Hote (1983)  – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar/Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics: Gulshan Bawra

It’s the theme song of the film starring Rajesh Khanna, Rekha and Raj Babbar. The song had three versions – 2 solos by Kishore and Lata, and one duet version of both these singers. Music was composed by Rahul Dev Burman and lyrics written by Gulshan Bawra, and Kishore Kumar received Filmfare award for best playback singer for this song.

A few more popular songs of Rajesh Khanna – R. D. Burman combination

1. Yeh Kya Hua from Amar Prem (1972) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar

2. Kajra Lagake Gajra Sajake from Apna Desh (1972) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar

3. Jab Andhera Hota Hai from Raja Rani (1973 ) – Playback Singers: Bhupinder Singh, Asha Bhosle

4. Nadiya Se Dariya Dariya Se Saagar from Namak Haraam (1973) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar

5. Suno Kaho Kaha Suna from Aap Ki Kasam (1974) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar

6. Hum Tum Gum Sum Raat Milan Ki  from Humsakal (1974) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle

7. Parbat Ke Peechhe Chambela Gaon from Mehbooba (1976) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar

8. Kiski Sadayen from Red Rose (1980) – Playback Singers: Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle

Please go through the gallery below, and click on the links to read a few interesting topics of this iconic composer. Here is the page link. You can also read a few posts below.