On Kalyanji’s Death Anniversary: Kalyanji-Anandji’s Top 10 Hits

On the death anniversary of legendary composer Kalyanji, we look back at some of the most memorable hits created by the iconic duo Kalyanji-Anandji, whose timeless music continues to resonate across generations.

1. Mere Desh Ki Dharti (Upkar): Manoj Kumar and Kalyanji-Anandji (K-A) were a potent combination. Some of K-A’s biggest hits were part of Manoj Kumar’s cinema, none more pervasive than this patriotic paean written by Gulshan Bawra and sung by Manoj’s preferred voice Mahendra Kapoor. Said Kalyanji to me, “We gave many hits. But this is our favourite. Yeh gaana desh ki mitti se judi hai.”
2. Laila Oh Laila (Qurbani): Besides the BIG 4, Lataji, Rafi Saab, Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle, K-A also gave hits with relatively less popular singers, like this one by Kanchan who was Kalyanji-Anandji’s singling Babla’s wife. Zeenat Aman gave the swing thing to the tune.
3. Dum Dum Diga Diga (Chhalia): K-A’s biggest hits were in the voice of Mukesh. Though I prefer the melancholic Waqt Karta Jo Wafaa in the film Dil Ne Pukara, this ebullient upbeat get-happy song typifies Mukesh’s alliance with K-A with vigorous breeziness.
4. Yeh Mera Dil Pyar Ka Deewana (Don): Of course the biggest hit in Don was Khai Ke Paan Banaras Wala. Reportedly that was not actually composed by K-A. This cabaret number filmed on, who else, Helen and sung by, who else, Asha Bhosle could still get your feet dancing.
5. Salaam-e-Ishq (Muqaddar Ka Sikandar): This soundtrack spawned several hits. The pick of the lot is this Mujra which Lataji never liked much. But that’s okay. She didn’t think much of the songs in Abhimaan either.
6. Zindagi Ka Safar (Safar): This Rajesh Khanna masterpiece starrer featured two Kishore Kumar gems, Jeevan Se Bhari Teri Aankhen, and this sombre meditative number written brilliantly by Indeevar. About doing the music for Rajesh Khanna Kalyanji had said to me, “That was an era when anything he sang on screen became a hit.”
7. Wada Karle Sajna (Haath Ki Safai): A superbly orchestrated piano-based love ballad filmed on Simi Garewal and Vinod Khanna which the latter said was the best song he had ever been part of.
8. Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas (Blackmail): Arguably the single most popular K-A composition, every potential Romeo sings this one to his Juliet.
9. Ja Re Ja Oh Harjayee (Kalicharan): Lataji and K-A gave us innumerable hits. But this one is special. The beats are to kill for. Reena Roy, who danced to the tune, once told me she thought the singer was Asha Bhosle for a very long time.
10. Hai Preet Jahan Ki Reet (Purab Aur Paschim): To end with more desh bhakti, Manoj Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor and K-A remind us, ‘Bharat ka rehne wala hoon, Bharat ki baat sunata hoon.’ Jai Hind.

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