While Hindi cinema is rich with songs celebrating mothers, fathers have often been quietly sidelined. This list brings to light some of the most touching and memorable songs that beautifully capture the essence of fatherhood on screen.
Ek ttha bachpan (Aashirwad): Gulzar, who wrote this imperishable classic in which Lata Mangeshkar sings about her “bachpan ke ek Babuji, achche sachche Babuji,” says it was very difficult to write this song. “We are constantly taught to celebrate the MOTHER, why not the father?” Gulzar Saan rightly reasoned. This Vasant Desai composition was sung by Lataji to heights that the composer or lyricist could have never imagined.
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Papa kehte hain (Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak): The ultimate Papa anthem that made a star of the singer Udit Narayan and Aamir Khan, who lip-synced the song. Says Udit, “No concert of mine is complete without this song. Yeh gaana mere career ka Mughal-e-Azam hai.”
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Papa jaldi aa jaana (Taqdeer): This 1967 charmer has a brood of bachchas missing their dear daddy. Lataji leads the chorus as only she can. Sulakshana Pandit joins the chorus.
Akele hum akele tum (the title song): In Mansoor Khan’s Akele Hum Akele Tum, Aamir Khan played a single parent and of course the focus, for a change, was on Daddy. The title song had real-life father and son Udit and Aditya Narayan singing for Aamir and his screen-son. Says Udit, “I am very fond of this song as I got to sing with my son Aditya who was all of 8 at that time.” There were some duets later with father and son Kishore and Amit Kumar. But Udit and Aditya were the first. By the way, the tune was ripped off from Jim Reeves’ ‘But I Love You Daddy’.
Babul tere baghan di main bulbul (Jheel Ke Uss Paar): Every NRI’s favourite song, this is one tearjerker that never grew a wrinkle. Mumtaz, who performed this Lata Mangeshkar ditty about daddy, says, “Me and Pran Saab who played my father, had real tears in our eyes.”
Babu ki duwayen leti jaa (Neel Kamal): Mohammed Rafi’s lachrymose singing in this tear-drenched Bidaai song is a change from all the Bidaai songs that normally feature the Mother as the mourner of the daughter’s departure.
Papa ki pari (Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon): Kareena Kapoor gushing all over ‘papa’ Pankaj Kapoor, whose son Shahid she was dating at that time.
Also Read: ‘Papa Thode Ajeeb Se’: Hindi Cinema’s Complicated Love For Fathers