New Delhi, Nov. 11 -- Bombay (now Mumbai) was creatively evoked on celluloid in the film C.I.D. (1956) and internalized in a memorably lyrical and import-laden song:

"Ae dil hai mushkil jeena yahan, zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan." ("Oh heart, it's difficult to live here. Step aside a little, be careful a little - this is Bombay, my love.")

Millions of cine fans across India and South Asia knew this song even if they had not seen the film, and hummed it across generations. Seventy years later, it remains evergreen.

The song is indelibly associated with the comedian Johnny Walker, whose birth centenary falls on 11 November. He performs it on screen as Master, the pickpocket; the playback voices belong to Mohammed Raf...