"Piya Tu Ab To Aja" () is a single by Indian playback singer

Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle (; ; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur, actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the media as one of the ...

featuring composer R. D. Burman. The song was originally recorded for the 1971 Hindi film ''

Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Caravan (trail ...

''. Widely regarded as the quintessential

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

number in Hindi cinema, the track gained iconic status through its picturization on actress Helen. The single was composed and produced 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 the Hindi language film industry. He wrote lyrics for numerous Hindi film soundtracks. He was one of the dom ...

. Music scholar Nilanjana Bhattacharjya cited "Piya Tu Ab To Aja" as one of the culturally significant tracks in the context of

Hindi film Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and " Hollywood". The industry, producing films in t ...

music. The song has also been described as "the catalyst" that solidified Asha Bhosle's reputation as the leading performer of cabaret-style numbers in Bollywood.

Music video

The song was performed by Helen, who is known for doing item numbers in

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

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 an Indian actress, film director, and producer who worked in Hindi films. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses of Hindi cinema, Parekh has worked in more than 85 films, in a career spanning over four d ...

) 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.

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 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classical musi ...

album '' You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood''. It also appears on the compilation album The Very Best of Asha Bhosle, The Queen of Bollywood. Composer Lesle Lewis released a remix of the song on his 2003 album ''Special Appointment Club Hits'' while R.P. Patnaik produced a

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

version for the 2008 film ''

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''.

Pritam Pritam Chakraborty (born 14 June 1971), also popularly known mononymously as Pritam, is a National Award winning Indian composer, instrumentalist, music producer and singer. Graduating from FTII in Sound Engineering, he worked as an ad jin ...

also sampled it for his song "Parda" on the '' Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai'' soundtrack. "Piya Tu Ab to Aja" is also a frequent choice of television performers. In 2008, actress

Amrita Arora Amrita Arora Ladak (née Arora; born 31 January 1981) is an Indian actress, Model (person), model, television presenter and video jockey (VJ), who primarily appears in Hindi cinema, Hindi-language Indian films, films. Early and personal life A ...

danced to the song on the reality programme ''

Chhote Ustaad ''Star Voice of India'' is an Indian television singing competition that premiered on 18 May 2007 and ended on 24 November 2007 on StarPlus. The show was directed by Gajendra Singh, creator of the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa series, and produced by Urban ...

''. Amrita Moitra, a contestant on

Zee TV ZEE TV also known as Z TV is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched on 1 October 1992 as the oldest privately owned television channel in India. History ...

's ''

Dance India Dance ''Dance India Dance'' (also called by the acronym ''DID''; tagline: ''Dance Ka Asli ID D.I.D.'') is an Indian Hindi-language dance competition reality television series that airs on Zee TV, created and produced by Essel Vision Productions. I ...

'', performed a

mujra Mujra is a dance performance that emerged during Mughal rule in India, where the elite class and local rulers like the nawabs (often connected to the Mughal emperor's court) used to frequent tawaifs (courtesans) for entertainment. Background ...

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. literally to ''Peace Be With You'') is a 2007 Hindi-language romantic fantasy film written and directed by Farah Khan, co-written by Mayur Puri and Mushtaq Shiekh, and produced by Gauri Khan under Red Chillies E ...

'' when

Deepika Padukone Deepika Padukone (; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Hindi films. She is India's highest-paid actress, as of 2023, and List of awards and nominations received by Deepika Padukone, her accolades include thre ...

, dressed in a gold bikini ensemble, dances in a cage.

Awards

- 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 cerem ...

for "Piya Tu Ab To Aja"

References

{{Authority control 1971 songs Songs with music by R. D. Burman Songs written for Hindi-language films Asha Bhosle songs Songs with lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri