SJ-Helen on her birthday

ITNI BADI MEHFIL …..DIL ISKO DOON YA USKO DOON….with great gusto of trumpets…..in Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai.

Happy BIRTHDAY to Helen on 19th Nov. She be blessed by God and have a long life. In Indian Hindi film industry she filled in the empty space created by prominent dancer Cuckoo in the 50s,(remember in Awara-Ek do teen aaja mausam hai rangeen-Cuckoo dancing). One of Helen’s most memorable films,with SJ,  included Gumnaam, which was released in 1965, where she played the role of one of the few persons who were taken to an isolated island. She was killed along with a number her friends by Tarun Bose in the film who was identified by Manoj Kumar at the end of the film. Her dance number in the songs “hum kale hai to kya hua dilwale hai” and “is duniya me jeena ho to” composed by Shankar Jaikishan were brilliant by every judging standards. She was put to test in her dance no. in the song “muqabla hum se na karo” in the film Prince along with Shammi Kapoor and Vaijayantimala. She did the western part while Vaijayantimala did the eastern part…….excerpts from net.

A TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR JAIKISHAN–(65)KISHORE

BEGUNAH means without any crime/fault. Begunah was the name of the film directed by Narendra Suri(1957), which was taken out from theatres on the second day of its release, because the fault (Gunah) was that it was a true copy of an English movie. However, it did pull large crowds on the first day itself, because of pre-release of its hit songs.

It had the music by Shankar Jaikishan. Jaikishan himself enacted on piano in the film on one of the famous song-‘ai pyase dil bezuban’ rendered by Mukesh. Kishore Kumar and Shakeela were in the lead role. Kishore used to sing his own songs, but S-J used Mannadey in one duet filmed on Kishore and Shakeela. Lata & Mannadey sang this beautiful duet ”din albele pyar ka mausam , chanchal man mein fuhar”. SECOND incident relates to film SHARARAT where S-J used the voice of Mohd Rafi for Kishore and the song was ”Ajab hai dastan teri ei zindagi, kabhi hansa diya, rula diya kabhi”…..These were the two masterpieces from S-J treasure.

A TRIBUTE TO S-J–(5) Mubaraq Begam

It was the reigning time for Shankar Jaikishan. in 50s and 60s in hindi film music…In early sixtees, there was a film and in which Rafi and Lata had to sing a duet….Prior to this Lata and Rafi were drifted apart on the issue of royalty for four years and did not sing a duet with any MD..It was the time when Chennai based producer LV Prasad completed the film and songs were to be ready. There was one duet for which Lata and Rafi were named. But this time Lata had nothing against Rafi but was sore with composer Jaikishan. Jaikishan had to record that beautiful duet in the voice of Rafi and Mubaraq Begam…from Hamrahi–”mujhko apne gale lagalo ai mere hamrahi”….without Lata the song was a household number…it gave a different tuning with the voice of Mubaraq Begam.

TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR-JAIKISHAN–53 SHANKAR

TODAY is Shankarji’s b’day-15th October….and here(IN THE PHOTO) are the panch pandavs of hindi film music….L-R-hasrat, jaikishan, shankar, shailendra and raj capturing all, lest they run….yes, they went one by one…shailendra started the way to heaven, followed by jaikishan, shankar, raj kapoor, hasrat….their remains are there in all corners of India in the form of immortal songs.

Nehruji wished that his ashes be spread all over Himalayas and other mountains….but our panch-parmeshwar reached every nook and corner of not only India but many parts of the world thru their music…..agewise Shankar was second after Hasrat….THEN THE TRIO.

WE REMEMBER WITH GLORY, Shankarji, for what he gave to hindi film music which others cud not give…..To recall his birthday, i wud like to mention a hillarious incident when Shankarji had to keep his watch to ”Dhondu Bhelpuriwala” at choupatti, after eating Bhelpuri by all the four, S-J,S & H…incidentally, nobody had the money in their pockets, and everybody thought, that someone will pay for the Bhel…..By this time Barsaat had already released….They saw each other’s face..and ultimately, Shankarji had to take his old watch and handed over to Dhondu……

Then came the busy time… after Barsaat, came ”Nagina”..and by this time Shankaerji was the owner of a car….When after few month, he was passing the choupatti way, he remembered his watch he ransomed to Dhondu…. Shankarji offered the payment and asked the watch back….By this time he came to be known by the hindi film world…..Dhondu, on his part, recognizing Shankarji, said, ”Achchha to aap he Barsaat ke music director the”…and treated him like a guest, but refused to hand over the said watch…He said ”ham samjha lafanga log hoga…..woh ghadiyal to aapun zindagi bhar apne pas rakhega…aap hazar rupaiya bhi dega to wapas nahin dega”.

Later he came to know less as Dhondu bhel puri walla, but Shankarji’s watch walla……MUSIC CAME, MUSIC STAYED, MUSIC GONE BUT THE MUSIC SCORED BY SHANKAR JAIKISHAN IS THE GREATEST LEGACY OF THE HINDI FILM MUSIC, WHICH HAS COME TO STAY.

and WHAT ROMANTICISM, SHANKARJI HAS STARTED WITH ”PYAR HUA IQRAR HUA” in Shri 420, carried on to CHORI CHORI as ”yeh raat bheegi bheegi”, ”jehan main jaat hoon”, and Jai’s” Aaja sanam”, was followed by their disciple Dattaram in ‘Parvarish’-”masti bhara hai saman, aakhon mein aa ja”, by Kalyanji Anandji ”mere dil mein hai ek baat” and Madan Mohan ”vo chand muskaya, sitare sharmaaye, hamara bhi dil na machalane lage”…and may be more…as Shankarji’s romanticism stayed…..LONG LIVE S-J’s LEGACY.

TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR JAIKISHAN-50-MOHD RAFI

As versatile were S-J, so was the great singer Mohd Rafi, in hindi film music….he wud adapt to any type of song, serious, lori, light or other boisterous songs to be filmed on different heroes….therefore the image remains in mind of the hero who lip-synchronised his voice….he was God gifted singer and Shankar Jaikishan fully utilised his potential to the extent, that for them it was Rafi all around, besides Mukesh and Mannada.

I remember his lori in ‘beti bete’, ”aaj kak mein dhal gaya”, which he sang in so soft a voice that it was difficult for any singer to copy him….he excels Lata in voice, as she also sang the same lori in that film….how beautiful that time was when a song heavenly made was repeated in the male or female voice and that were Rafi and Lata. Rafi saab made many heroes immortal and when that song comes on radio, the hero’s image comes to mind….may be they are raj kapoor, dilip kumar, dev anand, rajendra kumar, bharat bhushan, pradeep kumar, mehmood, shammi kapoor, rajesh khanna, dharmendra, amitabh bachhan, rishi kapoor  and many more.  His tuning with S-J was great as recalls Shammi Kapoor….”so distinct was his style when he sang for me….there were a number of songs which were not sung for me but i liked them very much…in fact i wud have loved to sing them! one of these is TERI PYARI PYARI SURAT KO. When Jaikishan composed the song, I said, ‘stupid! u are giving that song to rajendra kumar to sing! next he is to sing it to B Saroja Devi! my god!”…”Then there was ‘baharon phool barsao mera mehboob aaya hai’. I wud say, my god, what are you doing, these are my songs! And there were other songs that were not made for me but came to me finally. For the film Suraj, there was a duet. Rafi sahab sang it, but Rajendra Kumar said, ‘nahin, it doesn’t go with this picture, I don’t like it’. Jaikishan was sitting at my place and we were having a drink. Jai said to me, ‘for the first time in my life, a song of mine was rejected’, ‘i said i would like to hear it’. It was lying in his car. he brought the song and i heard it and said ‘it’s mine! i have taken over’ I put it in Brahmchari. the song was -aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche har zabaan par- that was the song i took from Suraj. it was a superhit song! and Rafi sahab hadn’t sung that for me.” Generally Shammi Kapoor was present at the recording of his songs by Rafi Sahab, but when he was busy in shooting, he wud phone to Jaikishan to request Rafi sahab to sing the song ”like this…and like that” and when he heard it later, it was hundred percent of his imagination that Rafi sahab turned it to his style………to continue

TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR JAIKISHAN-49-MUKESH on his birthday-2

It was this firm commitment of his that made Mukesh such a favourite of Shankar Jaikishan….Shankar said that Mukesh alone cud give that special effect he needed in a theme-song like ”Dost dost na raha”….He further said that he certainly needed to work on Mukesh’s vocals, but the end effect  wud be so telling that the listner came to discern  there was a certain result  that cud be got from Mukesh only.

It was Shankar who generally composed the title song or the theme song of a S-J film…..Therefore said Mukesh that he always made it a point  to remain in Shankarji’s good books. From whom else cud he hope to get a ”Sajan re jhooth mat bolo”…..But does this mean Mukesh was any less keen when on the rare occasion, the title song done by Jaikishan….Not in the life….Take ”main aashiq hoon baharo ka”. this was done by Jaikishan. Do anybody find it less appealingly rendered by Mukesh for that reason?

Or take another ”bol radha bil sangam hoga ki nahin” . This was yet another title tune done by Jaikishan. And it was for a prestigious RK show like ‘Sangam’. Mukesh cud never think to differentiate with  Shankar or Jaikishan. Shankar might have been his title-tune staple, his mainstay. Yet Mukesh kept his vibes going with Jaikishan too, for his tune he rendered in the beginning of their career, ”Awara hoon”. Mukesh humility excelled in dealing with other composers too. For example in other RK movie, RDB had to tune up on insistence of Raj Kapoor for Mukesh in Dharam Karam -”ek din bik jayega mati ke mol”…Dada Burman hardly took Mukesh, but when Kishore Kumar shied away to sing this song which was not on the lips of Dev Anand, the hero. Thus Mukesh came in with Dada’s warning that he wud cancel the number  if he was not satisfied with the recording. This encouraged Mukesh to give the solo all he had….that is ”chal ri sajni ab kya soche” (Bambai ka babu)….still this falls most vibrantly on the ears….Why Mukesh was valid on Amitabh Bachchan in ”kabhi kabhi”-‘main pal do pal ka shayar hoon’–is the poetry of Sahir enriched by the compositional artistry of Khayyam and in ”kabhi kabhi mere dil main khayal aata hai”….this was his humility, which rendered ”sawan ka mahina pawan kare sor” in Milan on Sunil Dutt (Laxmi-Pyare), and in Saraswatichandra ”chandan sa badan chanchal chitvan” (Kalyananji Anandji) and many more to recount.

TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR JAIKISHAN-46-MUKESH-QUIZ

”Those who say he was ‘besura’ do not know their job as composers…This is film music, not Beethoven’s symphony. We are peoples’ composers and Mukesh was the people’s voice.” The music director who said that composed the ‘mera joota hai japani’ and ‘ramaiya vastavaiyya’ numbers of ‘shri 420’, as also, ‘Dil ka haal sune dilwala’ and ‘Pyar hua iqrar hua’ numbers. In the first two numbers, this music director employed the voice of Mukesh for Raj Kapoor, and in the latter two songs the voice of Manna Dey for Raj Kapoor….who was the composer, Shankar or Jaikishan…..indeed Shankar. and in ‘Dil ka haal sune dilwala’ the ”chu-chu” in between when antara ends,was from the tongue of Jaikishan….However when Jaikishan actually came into the scene of  Shri 420, all songs were recorded by Shankar….Jai on his part composed the emotional Nargis dream song: ”O jane wale mud ke zara dekhate jana, munh pher ke to chal diye mujhko no bhulana”….

2. There was a song in Aah, sung by Mukesh but also filmed on him……yes it was ‘Chhoti si ye zindgani re, chaar din ki jawani teri’.

3. Once Jaikishan composed a tune for Mukesh. The singer sang in such style that Jaikishan felt it should be filmed on himself on the screen…..the song and film…?….’Ai pyase dil bezubaan, tujh ko le jaoon kahan’-film Begunah (1957)banned within a week of its release due to some reasons…Thanks God, I saw Jai lip-moving on piano.

4. This song was composed by Jaikishan immediately after the Nargis-Raj Kapoor team had broken up. There was a taunting tone in Hasrat’s lyric, written for a film in which Mala Sinha played Raj Kapoor’s heroine. There is no way of knowing whether Mukesh, who sang it for Raj Kapoor approved of the sentiments expressed in it, in the context of Nargis-Ral split…….which song and film?…….’kisi nargisi nazar ko dil denge hum’ for ‘Main nashe main hoon'(1959), a song in which the accent was on the word ‘nargisi’…….to continue…..

TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR-JAIKISHAN-42-SHAMMI KAPOOR

DHEERE CHAL DHEERE CHAL AI BHEEGI HAWA, KE MERE BULBUL KI HAI NEEND JAWAN, KE KAHIN LAAGE NA KISSI KI USE BAD-NAZAR, KE MEETHE SAPNON MEIN KHOI HAI WOH BEKHABAR…KE DHEERE CHALL…….Mahdubal is ”bechain” to listen to Shammi’s imploring sentiments to the gushing wind to see his beloved in  comfort and away from ”buri nazar”…..find out the passionate ACCORDIAN and violins to match Shammi’s impatient state which S-J with fast tune took the atmosphere under their control…….

NOW after the success of Teesri Manzil, Shammi reverted to S-J for AN EVENING IN PARIS , the very next year in 1967…..Shammi’s links with SHANKAR JAIKISHAN go back to his prestardom days when S-J scored music for two SHAMMI starrers, College-girl and Singapore(in Singapore-all ACCORDIAN based tunes)in 1960.

The next year, the birth of the rebel star was announced with the YAHOO clarion call of Junglee….The entire concept of the don’t-give-a-damn desi James Dean styled by the S-J,Shammi, Rafi team…&.MUSIC NEVER SOUNDED SO WILD AND VIBRANT…..What is more, S-J WERE WILLING TO COMPLY WITH SHAMMI’S REQUIREMENT WITHOUT FEELING  CREATIVELY cramped by the same interventions which turned OP Nayyar off…When OPN had composed ”sar par topi lal” as an Asha Bhonsle solo for Nasir Hussain’s ”TUM SA NAHIN DEKHA”  in 1957, Shammi made OPN an offer, he couldn’t refuse: convert the female solo into a duet. And the composer’s ample ego went forth and multiplied.

ON THE PART OF S-J, they had no  creative or egoistic problems in incorporating Shammi’s suggestions. and Shammi’s contribution extended to sensible and skillful suggestions on the rhythm arrangements (on which his body danced)….AND WHAT POWER S-J COMMANDEERED IN SHAMMI’S FILMS is an exception to mention …….to continue……..

TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR JAIKISHAN..22–SHAILENDRA

ONE imp instance i am remembering on the ”punyatithi” Dec.14, of great poet/lyricist oF HINDI FILM MUSIC…….Previously i have mentioned that late Shailendra had the knowledge of customs of different regions….and this was well depicted in the SONG FROM ”SANGAM”—”HAR DIL JO PYAR KAREGA, VOH GAANA GAYEGA……..”……IN BETWEEN THE SONG, WHEN LATAJI’S TURN COMES TO SING AFTER THE BEAUTIFUL INTERLUDE OF VIOLINS……HERE SHAILENDRA WROTE……”AB KAH DOONGI, KARTE KARTE KITNE SAWAN BEET GAYE, JAANE KAB IN AAKHON KA SHARMANA JAYEGA”……DEEWANA SAIKADON MEIN PAHCHANA JAYEGA…….IN THE BEGINNING, I WAS CONFUSED, WHETHER IT WAS KAHTE KAHTE OR ”KARTE KARTE”, …..LATER WHEN DEEPER WE WENT, IT CAME TO KNOW THAT IN INDIA THE VIRGIN GIRLS KEEP FAST ON ”SAWAN” MONTH OF HINDI CALENDAR…..TO GET A GOOD HUSBAND….AND THIS WAS THE MICRO-SIGHT OF SHAILENDRAJI EXPRESSING THE THOUGHTS BEHIND ””JAANE KAB IN AAKHON KA SHARMANA JAYEGA””. GREAT………..HOW LIVELY IT FEELS.

SHAILENDRAJI WAS SO SIMPLE THAT HE DID NOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE COMPOSERS FOR WHOM HE WAS WRITING AND AMONG THEM WERE: SD BURMAN, ROSHAN, SALIL CHAUDHARY AND PERHAPS KALYANJI ANANDJI…..AND DID JUSTICE TO THE SONGS COMPOSED BY THEM…..BUT FOR HIMSELF……HE THOUGHT ”BAHUT DIYA DENE WAALE NE TUJHKO, AANCHAL HI NA SAMAYE TO KYA KEEJAI”’…..

BECAUSE OF SHAILENDRA’S PRESENCE, THE WHOLE ATMOSPHERE WAS INFLUENCED BY HIS THINKING…..EVERYBODY WAS SERIOUS……”WHAT THE POET BRINGS OUT OF HIM”’…..RAJ SAAB HIMSELF CONFESSED THAT SHAILENDRA PLAYED A GREAT ROLE TO MAKE R.K. AN HISTORICAL CAMP………SHAILENDRA HAD REFLECTIONS IN HIS WORDINGS AND BY LISTENING THE SONG, WHOLE SCENE SPREAD OUT BEFORE UR EYES….e.g. ”’NEEL GAGAN KI CHHAON MEIN DIN RAIN GALE SE MILTE HAIN, MAN PANCHHI BAN UD JAATA HAI, HAM KHOYE KHOYE RAHTE HAIN”’……AMOMG THOUSAND PEARLS, A FEW ARE FOR U TO HUM:

”MAIN NADIYA PHIR BHI MAIN PYAASI, BHED YE GEHRA BAAT ZARA SEE”,…..”O JAANE WAALE HO SAKE TO LAUT KE AANA”’……”YAAD NA JAAYE BEETE DINO KI..”’…..”RUK JAA RAAT THAHR JAA RE CHANDA”…….”MAN RE TU HI BATA KYA GAUN”….”NAACHE MAN MORA MAGAN TIK DA DHIGI DHIGI”’….”BAHAR BANKE VO MUSKARAYE HAMARE GULSHAN MEIN”….”RAADHIKE TUNE BANSURI CHURAI”…..”AAJA AAI BAHAR, DIL HAI BEQRAR..””….”KAANTON SE KHEENCH KE YE AANCHAL”….”JAO RE JOGI TUM JAO RE”……..more to follow……gshroti@in.com…………

TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR JAIKISHAN–15

YE SHAM KI TANHAIYAN AISE MEIN TERA GHUM……….

HERE i am describing about the song, which came from the pen of great POET/LYRICIST, SHAILENDRA. …..the song has most softer sentiments and the smell of roses and the purity of heart. the composers are SHANKAR JAIKISHAN, WHO MADE IT IMMORTAL , with the minimum of orchestration. ….this is their excellence in forming the emotions into a song by keeping minimum of the instruments and they conceived that LET THE NIGHT SING THE SONG…they understood that the song is an emotional expression of the sufferer…..they have the words to formulate and convert them into a soulful domain…….this is where, they are at their best and went into the memory of each listener……to make live the dreamy evening with lovely clouds and coming night’s resonance, they brought life into theit tune, so the silence shivered in every corner. they gave this silence the beauty of a still lake with reflections of full moon…..and the heart goes  to the unusual sentiments poured into each word by Shailendra. here goes the wording of the immortal composition from film AAH:

     ye sham ki tanhaiyan, aise mein tera ghum, patte kahin phadke hawa aai to chounke hum….ye sham ki……

     jis rah se tum aane ko the, uske nishan bhi mitne lage; aaye na tum sau sau dafa aaye gaye mousam……ye sham ki

     seene se laga teri yaad ko, roti rahi mein raat ko, halat pe meri chand taare ro gaye shabnam……ye sham ki tanhaiyan, aise mein tera ghum.

     LATAJI by her golden voice gave it a permanent existence, which mixes the nector, in all pervading emotions. by her voice, she enhanced the solitude of the lady and her painful echo as the night is setting in.

    THIS WAS THE MAGIC OF S-J, WHOSE COMPOSITION WITH THE VOICE OF LATAJI AND THE WORDINGS OF SHAILENDRA TOOK THEM ABOVE THE MORTALS AND THEIR CREATION WILL ALWAYS REMAIN ALIVE………(TO CONTINUE)……….(gshroti@in.com)……..