10 songs you forgot Tina Ambani was in

1.  Suniye Kahiye – Baton Baton Mein (1978)

After making her debut in a Navketan production, Des Pardes (1978), at 22 with the evergreen Dev Anand, Munim was cast in Basu Chatterjee’s Baton Baton Mein, a slice of life film featuring two young people finding their path to love. Munim’s Nancy Perreira and Amol Palekar’s Tony Braganza have a chance meeting on the 9.10 am local train and decide to pursue a romance. Despite a few misunderstandings and family objections, the two finally find their way back to each other. ‘Suniye Kahiye’, also a lovely ode to the city of Mumbai, shown the young couple getting to known each other well. The duet was sung by Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar. The lyrics were written by Amit Khanna, while the music was composed by Rajesh Roshan.

2. Main Solah Baras Ki – Karz (1980)

Munim first acted opposite Rishi Kapoor in Karz (1980) and went to do five more feature films with him. Directed by Subhash Ghai, the reincarnation-themed movie Karz put Kapoor front and center as Monty, a popular singer who suddenly has flashbacks of his former life in which he was murdered. Tina (Tina Munim) is Monty’s love interest and he relocates to Ooty to recuperate from his sudden visions. The soundtrack of Karz, composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, was a blockbuster success, influencing songs and films even today. Written by Anand Bakshi, the duet sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar reached to the 13th position on Binaca Geetmala’s annual list in 1980.

3. Pyar Ka Wada Fifty Fifty – Fiffty Fiffty (1981)

In Shomu Mukherjee’s oddly spelt Fiffty Fiffty, Rajesh Khanna was paired opposite Munim for the first time. The two, who embarked on a six-year relationship before calling it quits in 1987, played burglars turned partners, Kishan and Mary. She decides to impersonate as the long-lost heiress and daughter of the Rani of Chandpur. Fittingly, the film featured the quirky number ‘Pyar Ka Wada Fifty Fifty’ composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and written by Anand Bakshi.

4. Kya Yehi Pyar Hai – Rocky (1981)

Sunil Dutt introduced his son, Sanjay Dutt in Rocky (1981) where Munim played a young woman, Renuka, that the impressionable Rocky falls in love with. The soundtrack featured rousing music by RD Burman, including the dance hit number ‘Aa Dekhe Zara’, but the romantic duet sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar, ‘Kya Yehi Pyar Hai’ remains a favourite for many. The song, penned by Anand Bakshi, quietly captured all the elements of first love.

5. Mil Gayi Aaj Do Lehren – Yeh Vaada Raha (1982)

Based on a Danielle Steele novel, Yeh Vaada Raha centred on the far-fetched but entertaining idea that a young woman Sunita (initially played by Poonam Dhillon) loses both her love and identity in a horrific accident. When she comes to, Sunita aka Kusum (now played by Tina Munim) has had to have plastic surgery, thus altering her appearance. Rishi Kapoor played Vikram, who lost his memory in the same accident. In the song ‘Mil Gayi Aaj Do Lehren’, all the action comes to a crucial point when most of the major players in the story realise that Sunita and Kusum are one and the same. The music of Yeh Vaada Raha was composed by RD Burman while the lyrics were written by Gulshan Bawra.

6. Sarakti Jaye Hai - Deedar-E-Yaar (1982)

One of the few films in the 1980s featuring the Muslim social genre, Deedar-E-Yaar starred Jeetendra, Rekha, Rishi Kapoor and Tina Munim. Directed by HS Rawail, the song ‘Sarakti Jaye Hai’ featured Munim as Firdaus Changezi, the object of affection of Javed (Rishi Kapoor). Eventually, she unwittingly becomes entangled in a triangle between Javed and Nawab Akhtar (Jeetendra) where neither man knows they are both in love with the same woman. Written by Sahir Ludhianvi, this beautiful duet was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.

7. Shayad Meri Shaadi Ka Khayal – Souten (1983)

Saawan Kumar Tak’s Souten was one of the big hits of 1983, especially with the pairing of Rajesh Khanna and Munim. The song ‘Shayad Meri Shaadi Ka Khayal’ which was incidentally written by Tak himself became quite popular. Aimed at the commitment-phobic boyfriends and their long-suffering girlfriends, the clever song, composed by Usha Khanna, was a not-so-subtle nudge to them to just put a ring on it. Actress Padmini Kohlapure played Radha, a character who drives a wedge into the marriage of Shyam (Khanna) and Rukmani (Munim).

8. Kahin Na Jaa Aaj Kahin Mat Jaa – Bade Dil Wala (1983)

In another one of those head-scratcher plots from the 1980s, Rishi Kapoor in Bade Dil Wala, plays Amrit, a man falsely implicated of a theft, finds himself travelling with a young couple and their baby on a train. When it derails, he takes the child to his relatives only to be mistaken for the baby’s father. Tina Munim played the baby’s aunt Reshmi with whom Amrit later falls in love with. Despite the plot contained twist upon twist, Bhappi Sonie’s Bade Dil Wala is remembered more for RD Burman’s score, which had songs like ‘Jeevan Ke Din’ and ‘Kahin Na Jaa Aaj Kahin Mat Jaa’, both duets, sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar.

9. Bachke Rehna Re Baba – Pukar (1983)

10. Kya Hua Kya Nahi - Yudh (1985)

Munim found herself in another ensemble cast with Rajiv Rai’s directorial debut Yudh (1985). With co-stars Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor (in a double role), Nutan, Hema Malini and Pran, Munim played the love interest of Shroff. The music of Yudh, composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and aided by Viju Shah, reflected the changing landscape of Hindi film music, shifting to an electronic sound which is evident in the romantic number ‘Kya Hua Kya Nahi. Sung by Asha Bhosle and Amit Kumar, the catchy duet was written by Anand Bakshi. Yudh was one of the last big films of Munim’s career at the time as she gave up films to go to California, USA to study in 1987. Five years later, she married Anil Ambani, the younger son of business tycoon, Dhirubhai Ambani.