Enkayaar, Bollywood Trade News Network

One of the biggest hit songs during the year is Masak Ali from DELHI 6. Apart from the other factors that make it a hit song, one underlining motif that was instrumental in making the song hit was that the song was played over the mouth organ. The simplicity that mouth organ brings to a song is what endears it to the audience, and this is what has been the contributory factor in making this song a hit. The simple nodes, that are generally played in isolation, being accompanied in general by few acoustic beats has been the key factor in making mouth organ based songs a great hit.

If one talks in the Indian context, the mouth organ was a favorite instrument with Pancham aka R D Burman who was one of the most accomplished player of mouth organ. After a long time Rahman has relied on this instrument, and look what effect it has been able to achieve. If one looks in the international arena one of the biggest exponents of mouth organ has been Bob Morley and the phenomenal fan following that Morley still has is on account of heavy use of mouth organ in the songs,

significantly in ''Buffalo soldiers. Mouth Organ as a matter of fact denotes a quest for freedom and it is more an instrument that is associated with the commoners. In the context of Indian films it is more symbol of hope or gay abandon. Here is then an ode to songs based on mouth organ:

SOLVA SAAL: Hai Apna Dil to Awara from BAAT EK RAAT KI played by Pancham is considered to be the bible as far as learning mouth organ is concerned, and it became apparent after a long time that Pancham had indeed played this song.

PATITA: While Pancham may have come to be associated as a father figure of mouth organ, old masters like Shankar Jaikishan were no less exponents of mouth organ. In the PATITA song, Yaad Kiya dil ne kahan ho tum sung sonorously by Hemant Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar is one of the all time greats on mouth organ in Hindi music.

PYAASA: Pancham did not relegate himself to just playing mouth organ for a song, he also used it as effectively in association with an actor. Whenever Mala Sinha appeared on the screen in PYAASA it was followed by beautiful mouth organ music.

SHOLAY: Pancham used the same effect of mouth organ with much more panache and style in SHOLAY and again it was in association with the character of Jaya Bachchan. Whenever she used to make a solitary presence, and Amitabh Bachchan was around, the background music of mouth organ added to poignancy and melancholy of the atmosphere.

WAQT: In WAQT the song Aage Bhi Jaane Na tu sung by Asha Bhonsle, and the music by Ravi was another a classical example of a song which was associated with the romanticism associated with the life, and the ephemeral nature of existence and an invocation to the self to enjoy the present moment, live in the present moment so to say.

ANAND: Salil Chaudhary at his best and the song ''Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli haaye kabhi to hansaye... again was a tribute to the mystery called life through the magical instrument called mouth organ.

SATTE-PE-SATTA: The whole film and nearly all the songs of the film had heavy usage of mouth organ and all the songs carried a feeling of joy-de-vive and an invocation to take the life as it comes.

DOSTI: This film from the black and white era had number of songs played on mouth organ and title song has a beautiful usage of mouth organ especially in the interlude, the song being ''Koi jab raah na paaye mere sang aaye''AASHIQUI: After Pancham another great music duo, Nadeem Shravan, who rode into the heart of the audiences with a series of musical hits relied heavily on mouth organ to have their impact. The success of the songs of AASHIQUI in a major

way owed to return to mouth organ in a big way.The songs that are played on the mouth organ are a hit owing to its simplicity, and as it is one of the most difficult things to achieve the impact and the result arising from it is the most stupendous.