Piya Tu Ab To Aaja
Encyclopedia
"Piya Tu Ab To Aaja" is a song from the 1971 Hindi
film Caravan
. It is considered the quintessential cabaret
item number
by Helen. The song was sung by Asha Bhosle
and R.D. Burman. It was composed by R.D. Burman with lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri
. Music scholar Nilanjana Bhattacharjya identified "Piya Tu Ab To Aaja" as one of the culturally important Hindi film songs. The song has also been called "the catalyst" that made "Asha [Bhosle] the queen of cabaret numbers".
The song was performed by Helen, who is known for doing item numbers in Bollywood
films of the 1960s
and 70s
. It is a highly suggestive song with Asha Bhosle breathing quickly at intervals, giving it an orgasmic sound. In the film, Helen performs the provocative dance in front of a large audience, including Sunita (played by actress Asha Parekh
) who has just discovered that Monica (Helen) and her husband are having an affair. The picturisation is typical of the item numbers of the era portraying a "vamp
" character who dances seductively for a nightclub audience.
The song was later released as part of the video Raat Ki Rani (1987), a compilation of Helen's different cabaret numbers. Asha Bhosle recorded a new version in 2003 for the Kronos Quartet
album You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood. Composer Leslie Lewis
released a remix of the song on his 2003 album Special Appointment Club Hits while R.P. Patnaik produced a Telugu
version for the 2008 film Swagatam
. Pritam
also sampled it for his song "Parda" on the Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai soundtrack. "Piya Tu Ab to Aaja" is also a frequent choice of television performers. In 2008, actress Amrita Arora
danced to the song on the reality programme Chhote Ustaad
. Amrita Moitra, a contestant on Zee TV
's Dance India Dance
, performed a mujra
version of the song during the second season
. The number is referenced briefly during the song "Dhoom Tanaa" from Om Shanti Om when Deepika Padukone
, dressed in a gold bikini ensemble, dances in a cage.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
film Caravan
Caravan (1971 film)
Caravan is a 1971 movie under Nasir Hussain films banner. Nasir Hussain and Sachin Bhowmick wrote the screenplay. Hussain's brother Tahir Hussain is credited as producer. It starred Jeetendra and the Nasir Husain fixture- Asha Parekh. It also had Aruna Irani , Helen and Madan Puri...
. It is considered the quintessential cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
item number
Item number
An item number or an item song, in Indian cinema, is a musical performance that has little to do with the film in which it appears, but is presented to showcase beautiful dancing women in very revealing clothes, to lend support to the marketability of the film...
by Helen. The song was sung by Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
and R.D. Burman. It was composed by R.D. Burman with lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri
Majrooh Sultanpuri
Majrooh Sultanpuri was an Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter...
. Music scholar Nilanjana Bhattacharjya identified "Piya Tu Ab To Aaja" as one of the culturally important Hindi film songs. The song has also been called "the catalyst" that made "Asha [Bhosle] the queen of cabaret numbers".
The song was performed by Helen, who is known for doing item numbers in Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
films of the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
and 70s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
. It is a highly suggestive song with Asha Bhosle breathing quickly at intervals, giving it an orgasmic sound. In the film, Helen performs the provocative dance in front of a large audience, including Sunita (played by actress Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh is a Bollywood actress, director, and producer. She was one of the top stars in Hindi films from 1959 to 1973.-Early life:...
) who has just discovered that Monica (Helen) and her husband are having an affair. The picturisation is typical of the item numbers of the era portraying a "vamp
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
" character who dances seductively for a nightclub audience.
The song was later released as part of the video Raat Ki Rani (1987), a compilation of Helen's different cabaret numbers. Asha Bhosle recorded a new version in 2003 for the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
album You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood. Composer Leslie Lewis
Leslie Lewis
Leslie Lewis is an Indian composer, perhaps best known for his work in Colonial Cousins, a duo composed of Lewis and Hariharan.In 2003 Lewis stated that he felt the public associated him too much with remixes and for that reason he had begun to avoid remixes and instead concentrate on his original...
released a remix of the song on his 2003 album Special Appointment Club Hits while R.P. Patnaik produced a Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
version for the 2008 film Swagatam
Swagatam
Swagatam , also spelled Swagatham, is a 2008 Telugu film. Shot in New York, Rajahmundry and Hampi, it features a romantic triangle. Directed by Dasaradh, the film casts Jagapati Babu as the male romantic lead playing opposite Anushka Shetty and Bhumika Chawla...
. Pritam
Pritam
Pritam Chakraborty , better known as Pritam is a music director and composer from Kolkata who currently works in Bollywood, Mumbai.- Early life :...
also sampled it for his song "Parda" on the Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai soundtrack. "Piya Tu Ab to Aaja" is also a frequent choice of television performers. In 2008, actress Amrita Arora
Amrita Arora
-Personal life and education:Arora was born in Chembur Mumbai to a Malayali mother, Joyce Polycarp, and a Punjabi father, Anil Arora. Her sister is Malaika Arora Khan....
danced to the song on the reality programme Chhote Ustaad
Chhote Ustaad
Chhote Ustaad - Do Deshon Ki Ek Awaaz was a singing show airing on STAR Plus in India and on Geo Entertainment Television in Pakistan.-Concept:...
. Amrita Moitra, a contestant on Zee TV
Zee TV
Zee TV is an India-based satellite television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, which broadcasts various programmes in Hindi and other regional languages of India. Broadcasting is also present in various nations of South Asia, Europe, the Middle East,...
's Dance India Dance
Dance India Dance
LUX Dance India Dance is a reality dance show that airs on the Indian satellite television channel Zee TV. The show has been produced by UTV Software Communications and has become India's largest dance-based reality show. The show is choreographed by some of the most popular Indian choreographers,...
, performed a mujra
Mujra
Mujra is a form of dance originated by tawaif during the Mughal era. incorporated elements of the native classical Kathak dance onto music such as thumris and ghazals or poems of those from other Mughal cultures such as Bahadur Shah Zafar. Mujra was traditionally performed at mehfils and in...
version of the song during the second season
Dance India Dance (season 2)
LUX Dance India Dance also known as DID is a reality dance show that airs on the Indian satellite television channel Zee TV. The show, Dance India Dance has been produced by UTV Software Communications and has become India's largest dance-based reality show...
. The number is referenced briefly during the song "Dhoom Tanaa" from Om Shanti Om when Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is an Indian actress and a former model. She appears mostly in Hindi as well as Tamil and Kannada language films. Born to Badminton player Prakash Padukone, she chose to become an actress and not pursue a career in sports.Padukone made her acting debut in the 2006 Kannada film...
, dressed in a gold bikini ensemble, dances in a cage.
Awards
- Asha Bhosle - 1972 Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for "Piya Tu Ab To Aaja"