Chemmeen Lahrein (1980) | Salil Chowdhury

Film Information

Language: Hindi

Lyrics: Yogesh

Chemmeen Lahrein (1980) is the Hindi version of the iconic Malayalam masterpiece Chemmeen (1965), the film that permanently established Salil Chowdhury in South Indian cinema.

While most songs are adapted versions of the Malayalam originals, Hariharan’s “Pyaasaa hai man kyaa karoon” stands out as the most polished and emotionally rich Hindi rendition.

The LP included three rare background themes composed by Salil — now considered collector-grade material.

Songs

Nr	Song	Singer(s)	Hnd	Mal	Tam	Tel	Kan	Bng	Oth
CL1	Lahar lahar Dolay re	Hariharan	✔	-	CM4	-	-	-	-
CL2	Mainaa ke mainaa ke ras bhare naina	Antara Chowdhury, Suresh Wadkar	✔	-	CM1	-	-	-	-
CL3	Pyaasaa hai man kyaa karoo.n	Hariharan	✔	-	CM3	-	-	SW3	-
CL4	Sun mitwaare, sun matwaare	Suresh Wadkar, Hariharan, Antara, Sabita, Chorus	✔	-	CM2	-	-	KB1	-

Notes & Background

The original Chemmeen (1965) revolutionised Malayalam film music and won the National Award — opening the doors to South Indian cinema for Salil Chowdhury.

This Hindi soundtrack preserves the melodic ideas but adapts them with Hindi lyrics by Yogesh. Hariharan’s performance in Pyaasaa hai man is widely regarded as the highlight of this album.

The LP is now a rare collector’s item, especially due to the inclusion of three instrumental background music tracks not available elsewhere.