Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi

Awards

• No award information available.

Trivia

Album

• The film was conceptualised and produced by Kishore Kumar. The inspiration behind the film was his father's 1928 Chrysler. Kishore had beautiful memories of travelling in the car with his father from his hometown, Khandwa, to Bombay to meet his elder brother Ashok Kumar. He ended up inheriting the vehicle from his father and decided to make it a central character in this film. The car had a frame for itself in the film's opening credits with the text - "and Introducing 'Champion' Car Model 1928". Kishore roped in his brothers Ashok and Anoop Kumar to play his brothers in the film. The film was launched with Kamal Majumdar at the helm but when the Bengali director developed cold feet, Kishore convinced Satyen Bose to take over as the director. There were no credits for story and screenplay but the film was evidently Kishore Kumar's brainchild. He also had his secretary Anoop Sharma listed as the producer. The film's opening credits didn't list him as a playback singer either, despite him singing six of the film's eight songs. Kishore claimed that he had made this film to show a loss that would offset the profits from his Bengali film "Lukochuri" (1958), saving him money on his income tax payouts. His plan didn't work as this film became a runaway hit as well. Alarmed by the prospect of having to pay more tax, he gave away the film's rights to Anoop Sharma.[1]
• The title of this film may have been inspired by the Kabir doha "Rangi ko narangi kahe bane doodh ko khoya / Chalti ko gaadi kahe dekh Kabira roya". The title of the film "Dekh Kabira Roya" (1957) was also taken from the same doha. Lyricist Shailendra had used this doha to open the song "Zindagi Khwab Hai" ("Jagte Raho", 1956). Kishore Kumar riffed on the title of this film to come up with the title of another of his films - "Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi" (1974).[2][3][4]
• Kishore Kumar and Madhubala became close during the making of this film and got married in 1960.

Song

• Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhagi Si - The tune of this song was inspired by Merle Travis's "Sixteen Tons" (1947). Travis's song was covered by many artists over the years. The version recorded by Tennessee Ernie Ford is perhaps the most popular one. Portions of the Hindi film song "Tu Duniya Mein Sar Ko Utha Ke Chal" ("Heera Moti", 1959) were also adapted from "Sixteen Tons".[5][6]
• Main Sitaron Ka Tarana (Paanch Rupaiya Barah Aana) - Kishore Kumar appears to have parodied a different song in each stanza of this song. In the second stanza, he parodied S.D. Burman's non-film song "Dheere Se Jaana Bagiyan Mein" and in the third stanza he parodied the R.C. Boral composition sung by K.C. Dey, "Teri Gathri Mein Laaga Chor" ("Dhoop Chhaon", 1935). In the first stanza, the equivalent comic lines are "Khoon-e-dil peene ko aur lakht-e-jigar khaane ko, Yeh ghiza milti hai Laila tere deewane ko". These lines were taken from the ghazal "In Dinon Josh-E-Junoon Hai Tere Deewane Ko" written by someone using the takhallus Naazir. Kishore's lines in the first stanza may have been a parody of one of the several versions of this ghazal, including one of the earlier versions by Sundara Bai, recorded in the 1930s or 1940s.[7][8]
• Main Sitaron Ka Tarana (Paanch Rupaiya Barah Aana) - The song's theme of the film's hero pursuing the heroine to recover money from her inspired two other Hindi film songs - "Husn Ki Malika Main" ("Jeevan Ek Sanghursh", 1990) and "Bara Aana De" ("Insaaf - The Final Justice", 1997).[9][10]
• Hum The Woh Thi Aur Sama Rangeen Samajh Gaye Na - This song was based on "The Watermelon Song" (1957) by the American artist Tennessee Ernie Ford.[11]

1. ^ A roller-coaster ride with the Ganguly brothers
2. ^ Dekh Kabira Roya (1957)
3. ^ Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi (1974)
4. ^ Zindagi Khwab Hai (Jagte Raho, 1956)
5. ^ Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
6. ^ Tu Duniya Mein Sar Ko Utha Ke Chal (Heera Moti, 1959)
7. ^ Dheere Se Jana Bagiyan Mein - S.D. Burman
8. ^ Teri Gathri Mein Laaga Chor (Dhoop Chhaon, 1935)
9. ^ Husn Ki Malika Main (Jeevan Ek Sanghursh, 1990)
10. ^ Baarah Aana De (Insaaf - The Final Justice, 1997)
11. ^ The Watermelon Song - Tennessee Ernie Ford