Parivaar (1956)

Parivaar (1956) is a sparkling example of Salil Chowdhury’s versatility. The Lata–Manna duet “taa thai thai…” is a masterpiece of rhythmic interplay and vocal balance.

Asha’s solo “baavali banaa ke chhoDa” is one of her rarest gems — haunting, beautifully phrased, and almost unknown among casual listeners.

The playful “Ek do teen chaar…” contains a subtle reference to Beethoven’s 6th Symphony (Pastoral), showing Salil’s deep admiration for Western classical music.

The Kishore number “kue.n ke kood ke mar jaana” is a comic gem — Kishore uses at least five different voices, switching flawlessly between tones and characters.

And finally, the Lata–Hemant duet “Jhir jhir jhirjhir” stands among Salil’s greatest contributions to Indian film music — delicate, monsoon-soaked poetry with magical orchestration.

The Bengali re-recording by Antara (1990) is interesting but does not come close to the emotional perfection of the original.