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Before Darrrling, Usha Uthup sang these hit songs!
Usha Uthup returns to Bollywood to deliver another hit song, Darrrling, in Vishal Bhardwaj's new film 7 Khoon Maaf.
The song is quickly replacing 2010's anthems, Munni Badnaam Hui and Sheila Ki Jawani, thanks to its very catchy tune, and husky vocals (also credited to Bhardwaj's wife Rekha).
But before Uthup sang for Priyanka Chopra in this hit song, she sang for many other heroines, and gave them chartbuster numbers. In one case, the Uthup even sang for Mithun Chakraborty!
We go back in time, and present to you Usha Uthup's evergreen classics.
I Love U, Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971)
Music by: Rahul Dev Burman
Directed by: Dev Anand
Cast: Dev Anand, Zeenat Aman and Mumtaz
Before she started singing in the movies, Usha Uthup used to sing at night clubs in Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata.
A film crew from Dev Anand's Navketan production house, including Shashi Kapoor, visited the club and spotted her, and offered her a chance to sing in Hare Rama Hare Krishna.
Uthup was originally supposed to sing Dum Maro Dum along with Asha Bhosle. Unfortunately, she lost out, and ended up singing the English verse of I Love You.
One Two Cha Cha Cha, Shalimar (1978)
Music by: Rahul Dev Burman
Directed by: Krishna Shah
Cast: Dharmendra, Zeenat Aman, Prem Nath, Aruna Irani, Shammi Kapoor, O P Ralhan, Rex Harrison
The song One Two Cha Cha Cha won Uthup the Best Female Playback Singer award at Filmfare.
One of the most important scenes in the film is picturised on this song: While Aruna Irani teaches children how to do the Cha Cha Cha, Dharmendra gets an entry to the hotel from where he has to rob the famous Shalimar diamond.
In the same sequence, Prem Nath, who is playing cards in a club, complains of chest pain and stumbles out into the open where he is shot dead.
Hari Om Hari, Pyara Dushman (1980)
Music by: Bappi Lahiri.
Directed by: Anand Sagar.
Cast: Vidya Sinha, Yogeeta Bali, Sarika, Amjad Khan, Vinod Mehra, Rakesh Roshan.
The song topped the Binaca Geetmala countdown on radio, and featured among the top 35 songs of Radio Ceylon (the oldest radio station in Asia) in 1980.
Actress Kalpana Iyer's dance in this number is one of her most famous ones.
The song saw singer Sonu Niigam's debut as a child artist.
Jo Bhi Kiya Humne Kiya Shaan Se, Shaan (1980)
Music by: Rahul Dev Burman
Directed by: Ramesh Sippy
Cast: Sunil Dutt, Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Raakhee, Parveen Babi, Bindiya Goswami, Kulbhushan Kharbanda
This was the film's title song, and it set the mood for the film and its characters with the line: Doston se pyar kiya, dushmanon se badla liya, jo bhi kiya humne kiya shaan se.
R D Burman was asked to create a James Bond style title track, and he did a good job of it. Usha Uthup lent able support.
Ramba Ho Samba Ho, Armaan (1981)
Music by: Bappi Lahri
Directed by: Anand Sagar
Stars: Raj Babbar, Deepak Parasher, Kalpana Iyer, Shakti Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Ranjeeta Kaur
Usha Uthup has given Kalpana Iyer quite a lot of hit songs.
In this film, Kalpana sang Ramba Ho without abandon, picturised at a Goa carnival.
The plot of Armaan is inspired by 1942 classic Casablanca. To Indianise the story, it was set in Goa, focussing on the Goan freedom struggle, and showing the Portuguese as villains.
Tu Mujhe Jan Se Bhi Pyara Hai, Wardat (1981)
Music by: Bappi Lahiri
Directed by: Ravikant Nagaich
Stars: Mithun Chakraborty, Kajal Kiran, Iftekhar, Jagdeep, Kalpana Iyer, Shakti Kapoor
Shockingly, Usha Uthup lent her voice to Mithun Chakraborty in this song, making us wonder why the actor did not consider male playback singers.
Singer Basavalingaiah Hiremath lent her voice to Kalpana Iyer.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Usha Uthup sang several songs for composers like R D Burman and Bappi Lahiri. Later, she sang some of Burman's classics -- like Mehbooba Mehbooba and Dum Maro Dum -- that were sung by other singers then, and popularised them to today's generation.
Koi Yahan Aha Nache Nache, Disco Dancer (1983)
Music by: Bappi Lahri
Directed by: Babbar Subhash
Cast: Mithun Chakraborty, Kim, Om Puri, Rajesh Khanna, Kalpana Iyer, Karan Razdan
Once again picturised on Kalpana Iyer, this is a duet by Usha Uthup and Bappi Lahiri.
Disco Dancer had many popular songs like Goron Ki Na Kaalon Ki, I Am A Disco Dancer, Jimmy Jimmy and Yaad Aa Raha Hai.
All these songs contributed into making this film a blockbuster in India and many other parts of the world, and making Mithun the big star that he became.