Music Details of Madhumati:
Music: Salil Chowdhury
Lyrics: Shailendra
Label: Saregama HMV
Director: Bimal Roy
After giving him his debut Hindi film in 1953 (Do Bigha Zameen), director-producer Bimal Roy continued to be composer Salil Chowdhury's mainstay through the rest of the decade. And it was reportedly Roy's insistence that landed Chowdhury this film as well, despite opposition from other crew members. Composer of course repaid that faith with one of the finest soundtracks ever made in Hindi, one that was also instrumental in making the film a big success. Salilda was always known for his flair with folk tunes; Madhumati had some of the best exhibits of that skill. Composer had ample help coming from lyricist Shailendra who was also in sparkling form here. One of the tracks had lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri – the very interestingly crafted Tan Jale Mann Jalta Rahe where actor Bhudo Advani's bass voice was employed in an almost throat singing-like manner.
Best Song Of Madhumati: Suhana Safar Aur Yeh Mausam Haseen carried the composer's trademark brand of haunting vibe about it, and brilliant lines from Shailendra that were simple yet profound. The unassuming charm in Mukesh's voice also lent beautifully to the composition. Salilda's arrangement made brilliant incorporation of Western harmonies et al over a folk base – particularly noteworthy was the employment of flutes like birdcalls, to go with Dilip Kumar's nature walk onscreen.
On a related note: Among the folk elements Salil Chowdhury brought into Madhumati's soundtrack, one had its sources in Europe. One of the album's big hits, Dil Tadap Tadap Ke, was based on the Szla dzieweczka do gajeczka, a Polish folk song.
The Madhumati Playlist:
Listen to the entire album of Madhumati:
(With contributions by Praveen VR, co-founder of musicaloud.com; information partly sourced from myswar.com)