Laila Majnu

Laila Majnu is a fairly average film. Rishi Kapoor performs his role well but is limited by the scope of the story which doesn't quite pull off the tragic love story theme. Ranjeeta delivers a decent performance in this her debut film. The rest of the cast is just ok.

The real surprise of the film are the songs by Mohammad Rafi composed by Madan Mohan. The Director and Rishi Kapoor had wanted Shailendra Singh to sing the songs but Madan Mohan put his foot down and said only Rafi would sing his songs otherwise he would quit the project. The Director eventually agreed and Rafi was signed.

Rafi is superb in every single song and, although he was around 50 at the time, he moulded his voice to suit Rishi Kapoor (who was around 20) and the result was mesmerising - it was a perfect match! Kishore Kumar had become the top Bollywood playback singer in the early 70s but the songs of this film in 1976 re-established Rafi as the top singer until his death in 1980. Tere Dar Pe Aya Hoon, Iss Reshmi Pazeb and Barbaad e Mohabat are all outstanding songs by Rafi and show why he is a true singing genius. Because of the music, an average film got elevated to blockbuster status.