नया तराना

A 1943 Hindi social drama directed by Najam Naqvi, headlined by P. Jairaj and the singer-actress Snehprabha Pradhan. Like much of the socially conscious cinema of the wartime years, the film wraps its melodrama around questions of human dignity and faith, its title — 'the new anthem' — signalling a hopeful, reformist tone carried as much by its songs as by its story.

Composer Amir Ali built the score around the voices of Khan Mastana, Snehprabha Pradhan and Saroj Borkar. The songs range from the questioning, socially-edged 'Hum Duniya Ke Annadata Hai' and 'O Insaan Bade Insaan' to the devotional 'Aayi Meera Prabhu Paas' and the title number 'Aa Naya Tarana Gaaye', issued across two parts. Most lyrics are by Wali Sahab, with the progressive poet Ali Sardar Jafri contributing the opening song.

Naya Tarana belongs to the body of early-1940s Bombay social films where the soundtrack — here composed by Amir Ali — does much of the thematic work. The presence of Khan Mastana, one of the era's distinctive male voices, alongside Snehprabha Pradhan singing her own playback, marks it as a transitional moment between actor-singers and the dedicated playback model that would soon dominate.