The lyrics were changed a bit to make it a patriotic song, but the music was that of Na toh kaarvaan ki talaash hai. I was introduced to it in a roundabout way-when I was about 12 years old, our school annual function included a version of this qawwali. Na toh kaarvaan ki talaash hai ( Barsaat ki Raat, 1960): If I were asked to name my one favourite qawwali, this would be it. Simple? Yes, but also wonderfully complex, because Roshan brings in variations that never let the flow and tempo get repetitive.Īnd Sahir’s lyrics, ardently flirtatious for the men, teasingly derisive for the women-are a delight.Ģ. The primary sounds are the voices of the singers, tablas, and the synchronised, rhythmic clapping that is a hallmark of qawwalis. Chaandi ka badan sone ki nazar ( Taj Mahal, 1963): If a music director could be given the title of the ‘ qawwali king’, it would have to be Roshan-and in this song from Taj Mahal, Roshan shows off his skill brilliantly. To make this post a little more challenging, I decided not to include more than one qawwali per film.ġ. These are ten fabulous qawwalis from pre-70s films that I’ve seen (though I must confess that I like the qawwalis of some 70s films-especially Rishi Kapoor ones). I’ve finally decided to take up the challenge, and do it. ( Barsaat ki Raat itself features at least three qawwalis that completely bowl me over).īut.
I have been meaning to write this post for a long time now-I love qawwalis-but I’ve kept putting it off, because I’ve always thought that it would be impossible to create a list of just ten filmi qawwalis that are my favourites.