Movie Details of Brahmachari
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Label: Saregama HMV
Director: Bhappi Sonie
Composer duo Shankar-Jaikishan delivered a lot of hit songs for Shammi Kapoor during their time, a sizeable chunk of which happened in the sixties. The most successful soundtrack that emerged from the team in the decade was for the 1968 Brahmachari that bagged multiple awards in the musical department. Penned by three lyricists (Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri, Rajendra Kishan), Shankar-Jaikishan's track list was a mix of kids' songs and romantic numbers, ranging from soulful to boisterous in both categories. And featuring in every song was the voice that was a default association with Shammi, Mohammad Rafi.
Best Song of Brahmachari: Dil Ke Jharokhe doesn't have the best of visuals, but then not every great Bollywood song does. This song's greatness almost entirely comes from Mohammad Rafi's spectacular singing and the composers' arrangement that deftly combined piano, violins and sax.
On a related note: Shankar Jaikishan's fusion album Raga Jazz Style that came out in the same year had a song in raag bairagi. I am not sure which one happened first, but Bairagi's orchestration bore unmistakable similarities with Dil Ke Jharokhe.
The Brahmachari Playlist:
Listen to Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein from Brahmachari here:
(With contributions by Praveen VR, co-founder of musicaloud.com)