Half Ticket (1962) | Salil Chowdhury

Film Information

Language: Hindi

Lyricist: Shailendra

Half Ticket (1962) is one of the most musically adventurous films of Salil Chowdhury’s Hindi career. Kishore Kumar shines as singer, comedian and even female-voice mimic in a single song!

Salil experiments boldly: operatic arpeggios in “Wo ek nighaah kyaa milee”, Scottish folk influences in “Chand raat, tum ho saath”, and innovative comic phrasing.

Salil also composed *four Bengali songs* parallel to this soundtrack, sung by Kartik & Basanta — one of which mixes melodies from HT1 and HT3.

HMV later released a dedicated CD containing all the songs, preserving this unique and vibrant score.

Songs

Nr	Song	Singer(s)	Hnd	Mal	Tam	Tel	Kan	Bng	Oth
HT1	Aa rahey the.. cheel cheel chillaa ke	Kishore Kumar	✔	-	-	-	-	OS56	-
HT2	Wo ek nighaah kyaa milee	Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar	✔	-	-	-	-	-	-
HT3	Aa ke seedhi lagi dil pe jaise kaTariyaa	Kishore Kumar	✔	-	-	-	-	-	-
HT4	Arey le lo, ji le lo hai ye dil kaa heera	Kishore Kumar	✔	-	-	-	-	BT4	-
HT5	aa.nkho.n mei.n tum dil mei.n tum ho	Geeta Dutt, Kishore Kumar	✔	-	-	-	-	OS67	-
HT6	Chaa.nd raat, tum ho saath	Lata, Kishore	✔	-	-	-	-	-	-
HT7	Arey, waah mere maalik	Kishore Kumar	✔	-	-	-	-	-	-

Notes & Background

A rumour persists that Half Ticket was inspired by Jerry Lewis' comedy You’re Never Too Young (1955). Kishore’s comic brilliance and vocal gymnastics certainly support this idea!

HT2 features operatic-style arpeggios — one of Salil’s most technically demanding duet compositions.

HT6, “Chand raat tum ho saath”, draws from Scottish folk music, showcasing Salil’s love for global melodic traditions.

The Bengali songs parallel to this soundtrack — particularly the blend of HT1 and HT3 — reveal Salil’s playful, nostalgic side.

This soundtrack remains a fan-favourite for its energy, humour and sheer musical brilliance.