Chitragupta: Hamara Adhikar (1971) / Sonik Omi: Dharma (1973)

'Hamara Adhikar' is another soundtrack where asking prices have so far prevented me from obtaining an LP copy; fortunately the score's highlight is featured in its full length on this EP. 'Bum Pam Bum Pam Ra Ra Ra' is a bouncy pop'n'roll tune with cool guitar licks (even a Dick Dale inspired bit) and a catchy chorus. The track has pedigree of sorts – it's essentially a straight lift of a similarly titled 1967 Greek tune by Aris San, and was later given an Arabic makeover by Bob Azzam. I like Chitragupta's take best. On the flip side, country-tinged 'Rona Tera Ghadi Ghadi' is sweet too.



'Dharma' first came to my attention via the film's superb cabaret sequence. A medley (and for a while I thought the clip might be the construct of a present-day YouTuber, but the whole thing does actually appear in the movie) that revisits 'Mera Naam Hai Jameela' from 'Night In London', combined with an exhilarating new track, itself multifaceted: 'Are Saqi Jo' starts off as an appealing, lounge-jazzy ballroom/nightclub affair, whereupon, after an interlude of traditional dance, we are transported underground, to a seedy, drug-infested den of vice, with heady grooves to match. All very RD Burman influenced (as Sonik Omi were prone to be), but wow; I was kind of mind-blown. The EP-version, edited as always, leaves out the dance break but contains decent portions of the rest. Was a full version of the song released anywhere?

The qawwali 'Raaz Ki Baht Ka Doo To' is apparently quite famous.

Track listing, 'Hamara Adhikar':
1. Kishore Kumar & Asha Bhosle: Bum Pam Bum Pam Ra Ra Ra
2. Mohd. Rafi: Rona Tera Ghadi Ghadi
3. Asha Bhosle: Bhaiya Mera Laya

Track listing, 'Dharma'
1. Asha Bhosle & Mohd. Rafi: Raaz Ki Baht Ka Doo To (Qawwali)
2. Mohd. Rafi: Na Solah Oopar Na Sattrah Se Kam
3. Asha Bhosle & Omi: Are Saqi Jo


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