Manna Dey birthday special: An exhaustive playlist of his most popular Hindi songs

Legendary singer Manna Dey would have turned 98 on Monday, had he been alive. Here’s an exhaustive playlist of his 15 most popular Hindi songs. If you hang in till the end, you can also listen to Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s Madhushala in Manna Dey’s voice!

Monday marks the 98th birth anniversary of legendary singer Manna Dey. The long list of awards conferred on him, from the Padmashree (1971) and Padmabhushan (2005) to the Dadasaheb Phalke award (2007) among others, were a measure of his stature in the industry.

Monday marks the 98th birth anniversary of singer Manna Dey.

In a career spanning over five decades, Dey, went on to sing over 4,000 songs in Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada and Assamese films before quitting movies in the ‘90s.

Multiple National Award winner, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Manna Dey died in October 2013, following a renal failure and respiratory illness.

Dey started his career in playback singing with the film Tamanna in 1943. The musical score was set by his uncle Krishna Chandra Dey and he had to sing a duet with Suraiya. The song Sur Na Saje Kiya Gaon Mein was an instant hit. In 1950, Mashal was the second film where Dey got the opportunity to sing a solo, Upar Gagan Vishal, a melody created by Sachin Dev Burman.

In a career spanning over five decades, Dey, went on to sing over 4,000 songs in Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada and Assamese films before quitting movies in the ‘90s. His last song was for the 2006 film Umar.

Manna Dey trained under classical stalwarts Ustad Aman Ali Khan and Ustad Abdul Rahman Khan, and began his career in playback singing with Tamanna in 1943. Over the years, he’s lent his voice to a range of compositions, all of them catering to varied moods.

Here is a playlist of some of his most popular Hindi songs, in no particular order:

Laga Chunari Mein Daag

Dil Hi to Hai (1963)

Ae Bhai Zara Dekh Ke

Mera Naam Joker (1970)

Ae Meri Zohra Zabeen

Waqt (1965)

Tu Pyar Ka Sagar Ha

Seema(1955)

Ek Chatur Naar Karke

Padosan (1968)

Dil Ka Haal Sune Dilwala

Shri 420 (1955)

Zindagi Kaisei Hain Paheli

Anand (1971)

Kasme Wade Pyar Wafa

Upkaar (1967)

Chaddh Gayo Papi Bichhua

Madhumati (1958)

Tu Chhupi Hain

Navrang (1959)

Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi

Chori Chori (1956)

Yeh Dosti

Sholay (1975)

Ye Ishq Ishq Hai Ishq Ishq

Barsaat Ki Raat (1960)

Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna

Shaheed (1965)

Yaari Hai Imaan Mera

Zanjeer (1973)

And here’s a bonus for the legendary singer’s fans: Manna Dey’s rendition of Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s classic poetry Madhushala:

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