"Piya Tu Ab To Aja" ( hi, पिया तू अब तो आजा, en, Come to me now, my love) is a song from the 1971
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
film ''
Caravan
Caravan or caravans may refer to:
Transport and travel
*Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together
**Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop
*Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals
*Convoy, a group of veh ...
''. It is considered the quintessential
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...
item number
In Indian cinema, an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films (Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, and ...
by
Helen
Helen may refer to:
People
* Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world
* Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress
* Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Helen, ...
. The song was sung by
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle (; Mangeshkar; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur
and occasional actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian Cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in th ...
and R.D. Burman. It was composed by R.D. Burman with lyrics by
Majrooh Sultanpuri
Asrar ul Hassan Khan (1 October 1919 − 24 May 2000), better known as Majrooh Sultanpuri, was an Indian Urdu poet and lyricist in India's Hindi language film industry. He wrote Hindustani lyrics for numerous Hindi film soundtracks.
He was ...
. Music scholar Nilanjana Bhattacharjya identified "Piya Tu Ab To Aja" as one of the culturally important
Hindi film
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
songs. The song has also been called "the catalyst" that made "Asha
hosle
Hosle is a district in the municipality of Bærum, Norway. Its population (as of 2007) is 5,713.
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...
films of the 1960s and 1970s. 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 (born 2 October 1942) is a retired Indian actress, film director, and producer who appeared in many commercially successful films throughout her career. She was the highest paid actress of her time and was one of the most successful ...
) who has just discovered that Monica (
Helen
Helen may refer to:
People
* Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world
* Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress
* Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* 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.
Remakes
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
The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...
R.P. Patnaik
Ravindra Prasad Patnaik is an Indian music composer, singer, actor, screenwriter and film director who works in Telugu language, Telugu, Kannada language, Kannada and Tamil language, Tamil. He won three Filmfare Awards South, Filmfare Awards a ...
produced a
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
...
version for the 2008 film ''
Swagatam
''Swagatam'' () is a 2008 Telugu-language romance film and directed by Dasarath. It stars Jagapati Babu, Anushka Shetty, Arjun Sarja and Bhumika Chawla, with music composed by R. P. Patnaik.
Shot in New York City, Rajahmundry and Hampi, it f ...
''.
Pritam
Pritam Chakraborty (born 14 June 1971), also known mononymously as Pritam, is an Indian composer, instrumentalist, guitarist, and singer. After working as an ad jingles composer, he debuted as a co-composer in the 2001 Hindi film Tere Liye. ...
also sampled it for his song "Parda" on the ''
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai
''Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai'' is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language gangster film written by Rajat Arora and directed by Milan Luthria. It stars Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Prachi Desai and Randeep Hooda. Produced by Ekta Kapoor u ...
'' soundtrack. "Piya Tu Ab to Aja" 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
Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-ba ...
'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
''Om Shanti Om'' (transl. ''Peace Be With You'') is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language fantasy romance film written and directed by Farah Khan, co-written by Mayur Puri and Mushtaq Shiekh, and produced by Gauri Khan under the banner of Red Chillie ...
'' when
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone ( or ; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in India, and her accolades include three Filmfare Awards. She features in listings of the nation's most p ...
, dressed in a gold bikini ensemble, dances in a cage.
Awards
*
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle (; Mangeshkar; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur
and occasional actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian Cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in th ...
- 1972
Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer
The Filmfare Best Female Playback Award is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female playback singer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a film song.
Although the award cere ...