What made Bollywood songs funny? A unique drum, played by a distinctive man

The twang of Zahoor Khan’s bhapang underlined the humour in many Hindi film songs. But it was his traditional ditties that made him famous.

Mar 21, 2023 - 12:02

What made Bollywood songs funny? A unique drum, played by a distinctive man

In the 1968 spy blockbuster Ankhen, there is a scene in which comedian Mehmood plays an “international fakir” in search of abducted agent Dharmendra. Dressed in a patched robe, he walks the streets of the world with Mala Sinha and Mukri while they sing composer Ravi’s hit number Tujhko Rakhe Ram Tujhko Allah Rakhe. The result is pure screwball comedy.

Underlining the humour in the song is an instrument that, on screen, can be seen tucked under Mehmood’s arm as he twirls and sways. To the viewer, this instrument looks like an open hand drum with a string that is strummed with a plectrum. To the listener, it serves a capricious twang that sounds like the perfect soundtrack for musical backchat.

Ankhen was not the first or the only film to put this drum to use for a folksy, slapstick effect. Scan through old folk and comic songs of Hindi movies, especially of the late 1950s and ’60s and you are likely to find it played on or off screen, such as in Gunga Jamuna, Naya Daur, New Delhi, Son of India, Teesri Kasam and so on. But for decades, it never really got its due.

The instrument was the bhapang of Mewat. You get variants of this talking drum across India: khamak in Bengal, bagalbacha in Punjab and choudki...