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Salil Chowdhury

Jawaahar (1960)

A forgotten gem from Kuldip Production, featuring beautifully crafted melodies by Salil with some of Lata, Manna Dey and Dwijen Mukherji’s finest renditions.

Jawaahar Poster

Film Information

Production House: Kuldip Production

Producer: Lekhraj Bhakri

Director: Unknown

Language: Hindi

Lyricist: Prem Dhawan

Despite its obscure release and limited documentation — the director's name isn't even listed in Hamraz's Geet Kosh — Jawaahar (1960) features five exceptional compositions by Salil Chowdhury.

The songs are rich in melody, deeply expressive, and represent some of Lata’s and Manna Dey’s most underrated performances from the period.

Songs

Nr Song Singer(s) HndMalTamTel KanBngOth
JW1 o duniyaa badal de, jis duniyaa mei.n Lata Mangeshkar, Chorus ✔--- ---
JW2 jaagiye gopaala laal, bansi ban bolay Lata Mangeshkar ✔--- ---
JW3 ye pyaar ka zamaana, ye kaisaa hai zamaana Lata Mangeshkar, Dwijen Mukherji ✔--- ---
JW4 bachche kyo.n roye, bachho.n ko ha.nsne do Manna Dey, Chorus ✔--- ---
JW5 jaane kahaa.n khoyaa meraa laal Lata Mangeshkar ✔--- -BK1-

Notes & Background

Jawaahar remains one of the most obscure releases in Salil’s Hindi filmography. Yet, musically it contains several hidden treasures.

“Jaagiye Gopala Laal” (JW2) is a stunning lullaby-like devotional piece — widely regarded as one of Lata’s finest uncelebrated performances.

“Jaane kahaan khoya mera laal” (JW5) is based on a rare Bengali song from the film Baanser Kella (1953), which itself was built on a traditional North Bengal (Cooch Behar) folk melody.

The film received almost no publicity, and the songs never reached mainstream audiences — which makes the surviving recordings invaluable today.