The stunningly photogenic Tina Munim had a brief shot at stardom before she quit to be Mrs Anil Ambani. But it was good and melodious while it lasted. In her very first film, this Dev Anand discovery got to sing Lata Mangeshkar’s Aap Kahen Aur Hum Na Aaye, a blatant copy of Mehdi Hassan’s Bhooli Bisri Chand Ummeedein for which Rajesh Roshan took credit.
This was not the only song that Rajesh Roshan ripped off for Tina Munim in Lataji’s voice, In Basu Chatterjee’s My Fair Lady ripoff Manpasand, Rajesh Roshan plagiarized the legendary Julie Andrews number I Could Have Danced All Night from the play My Fair Lady. It was converted by the eminently convertible Rajesh Roshan into Lataji’s Hothon Pe Geet Jaage.
Speaking of Basu Chatterjee, in his Baaton Baaton Mein which was Tina Munim’s second film, Rajesh Roshan converted an American Civil War song into the zingy Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha. The 8-minute long Paas Ho Tum Magar Qareeb Nahin in Dev Anand’s Loot Maar had its opening lines derived from Madan Mohan’s Baad Muddat Key Yeh Ghadi Ayee in Jahan Ara.
For more original songs, Tina Munim had RD Burman’s support. Her finest song on screen is RD’s Tere Liye Palkon Ki Jhaalar Bunoon (Harjaee). Soft supple silken, it finds Lataji at her best, as does Kya Yehi Pyar Hai in Rocky (a duet with Kishore Kumar) where Lataji sang Tina into a dreamy zone.
Aaj Kahin Na Jaa Dil Ke Siva in Bade Dil Wala is another Burmanesque beauty created to enhance Tina Munim’s onscreen radiance, as was RD’s Ishq Hai Meri Bandagi in Yeh Vada Raha. Admittedly the best composition in Yeh Vada Raha (Tu Tu Hai Wahi) went to Poonam Dhillon. But in Shakti Samanta’s Alag Alag, Tina had a string of melodious RD numbers — Dil Mein Aag Lagaye, Iss Jeevan Ki Yehi Hai Kahani, Kuch Humko Tumse Kehna Bhi Hai—in Lataji’s voice.
The 1982 costume drama Deedar-e-Yaar which was meant to immortalize Tina Munim, turned out to be disaster. But what a harvest of melodies Laxmikant-Pyarelal conceived in the film! While Rekha got to perform to most of the songs, Tina got Lataji’s Tumko Dekha Toh Samajh Mein Aaya, a sublime Sahir Ludhianvi poem that uniquely celebrates the female gaze.
Chai Pe Bulaya Hai in Souten may be the most popular song that Tina Munim lip-synced. But the two songs that defined her delicate screen presence were Tere Liye Palko Ki Jhalar and Tumko Dekha Toh. Apparently these are the favourite Tina Munim songs of her husband Anil Ambani as well.
In Subhash Ghai’s Karz in which Tina Munim was shot like an angel all the good songs went to Rishi Kapoor. But Rafi’s Dard-e-Dil Dard-e-Jigar was dedicated to her beauty, much like Chaudhvin Ka Chand was dedicated to Waheeda Rehman.
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