Tuesday 28 August 2012

A tune for generations: Chaplin's Limelight Theme.

Some tunes are timeless. They are like hangovers unwilling to end. As the Mediaeval legends had given us, Beethoven or Mozart or Chopin for example, with their symphonies; some compositions in the Twentieth Century have also grown like addictive drugs to the next generations.
Hindi Film Music has always borrowed from the West, sometimes aping, sometimes bettering.    Here is a tune, which has influenced generations of music directors, enlightened many musical wizards and rose a tickling inside their creative soul to adapt, improvise and reproduce it in Hindi. A tune of highest magnitude, a tune of the genius –Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, the tune called “The Limelight Theme”- has been one of my all-time favourite symphonies.

Limelight was an American film, directed by Charlie Chaplin and released in 1952. It was withdrawn from theatres just after its release due to US Governments tussles with Chaplin that time regarding the latter’s Communist connections. It is termed as the best achievement of Chaplin, a musical saga of a performer- from the limelight to hibernation of oblivion to again fame. The movie itself had inspired some Indian movie makers, although I can’t recall any direct copies, shades of inspiration can be seen in Raj Kapoor's "Mera Naam Joker" and Mahesh Bhatt's "Daddy". The theme music of Limelight was created by Sir Charlie only; fetching him his only competitive Academy Award in 1972- after the movie was allowed a re-release in America. Ironical, isn’t it that the amazing actor never got any competitive Oscar for his acting or direction? But then, this is how the Awards are. Ivan Bunin gets the Nobel but Tolstoy does not.
The first adaptation of Limelight was done in Hindi movies in 1957 by a newcomer music director Rahul Dev Burman, for a movie called "Raaz" from the production house of Guru Dutt. The movie was shelved and the song never released. As per the book- RD, The Man, The Music by Anirudha Bhattacharya and Balaji Vitthal, the song was a duet of Hemant Kumar and Geeta Dutt. The details of the song is, however, not available with me, except for the fact that the tune was inspired from Chaplin’s Limelight.
Four years after, another musical wizard- Salil Chowdhury, recreated the Chaplin Limelight theme in Hindi in the movie “Maya”(1961). The song was “Zindagi hai kya sun meri jaan, Pyar bhara dil meethi zubaan” sung by Mohammed Rafi.  The tempo of the tune was adjusted a bit by Salil, and after the second line, gradually the tune shifts from Limelight influences. With the people’s voice- Rafi, the song establishes a solid Indian feel on a tune from the West. The song was picturized on Dev Anand, who plays the role of an Ice cream vendor while singing this song.
In 1972, when officially Limelight was again released in the US, Rahul Dev Burman created his second Hindi version of Limelight in India. The song “Tum meri zindagi mein kuchh is tarah se aaye” was recorded for Mehmood’s “Bombay to Goa” but was not included in the film. Considered by many as the best adaptation of Limelight, this mesmerizing duet of Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar was sung with extreme delicacy by the two singing legends. The tempo was kept the same as that of the original in Mukhda, Pancham used a different set of notes altogether in the Antaras of this song. The song was not known to many in those days, for obvious reasons, but RD fans nowadays are quite aware of this song.
With Raaz being shelved of, and “Tum meri zindagi mein” omitted from the movie, Pancham’s wish of Limelight adaptation was not getting fulfilled “officially”. So, he adapted it again, in Mukti(1977), but in an altogether different rhythm, different mood and different format. “Main jo chala peekar” was recreated from Limelight so subtly that a first listening to it might not even make the listener aware of its origin. With Indian arrangement, a boozy feel in the lyrics and change in rhythm, Limelight theme was converted to an Indian, rustic, country liquor number by R D Burman. The song was sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle.
Years after in 1993, Rajesh Roshan recreated Limelight theme in the movie Gunaah with Amit Kumar and Sadhna Sargam. The song was “Yeh raat yeh tanhaiyan” , with some clever note changes here and there, it was a reproduction of Limelight again.
Of course, all these adaptations cannot give you the genuine Goosebumps that the original Chaplin theme would give you! And those who have not yet watched the movie, dont take this as a recommendation but a prescription!

Monday 20 August 2012

Ghazals with Kishore Kumar- 5 Gems from the 50s(Edited)


Undoubtedly 1950s and 1960s don’t belong to Kishore Kumar, the singer. There were at least 5 other male singers who ranked better than him in playback singing demand. Whatever be the reasons, it took time for the industry to assimilate the genius called Abhas Kumar Ganguly. Or, did it not? Because there were at least half a dozen music directors also that time, who had shown great confidence on Kishore Kumar way back in the 50s, giving him assignments many would consider as their supreme also.
We would slowly shift our focus to a genre to which Kishore is readily not associated with- Ghazal. Ironically, in the 50s, a decade in which Kishore sang around 200 songs altogether, there have been some beautiful Ghazals studded in his portfolio highly dominated by comedy and fun songs.
My personal favourites have been five of them- true masterpieces. Although Kishore sang some beautiful ghazals in his later and more productive years of 70s and 80s, his early ventures had nonetheless, been very productive. On the auspicious occasion of Eid today, let us have a relook into his earlier ghazal masterpieces.

5. Marne ki duayein kyun mangu.  Film :Ziddi(1948). Music: Khemchand Prakash. Lyrics: Professor Jazvi.
His first solo in Hindi films and that too a Ghazal. A  traditional ghazal of couplets, Khemchand Prakash- a super established music director that time, showed a great faith on 19 year old Kishore, to hand him this beauty. There are two different versions of Marne ki duayein- an audio version and a different video version picturized on screen- one with heavy Kundan Lal Saigal influence(giving me an impression that it was recorded first) and the other more like natural Kishore. Kishore showed amazing modulation of voice in the second stanza which had some tricky murkis. Wonder how some people had junked this rendition that time, I mean, this was a real good ghazal rendition by a youngster!  Ranked No.5 for me amongst the Ghazals of Kishore in the 50s, considering 1948 as part of 50s only.


4. Hum Hai Rahi pyar ke. Film: Nau Do Gyarah(1957). Music: S D Burman. Lyrics: Majrooh.
Don’t get surprised- this superhit song is nothing but a Ghazal by poetry. The whole song is spun into five couplets- one mukhra and four antaras- sticking very much to the Ghazal pattern! Yes, the treatment S D Burman gave to it, a happy-go-lucky tune with soothing whistling incorporated, made it sound different. S D did that earlier also, converting a ghazal into a club song with “Tadbeer se bigdi hui”(Geeta Dutt, Baazi-1951) and a peppy love song with Jeevan ke safar mein rahi(Kishore, Munimji-1955)-both Sahir Ludhianvi works. Hum hai rahi pyar ke is rhythmic, melodious and wonderfully rendered number of Kishore and perhaps one of his best known songs as a playback singer in the 50s, picturized on Dev Anand.
3. Apna to Zamane Mein bus itna. Film: Naya Andaaz(1956). Music: O P Nayyar. Lyrics: Jaan Nisaar Akhtar.
Superb song to say the least! Not a very well-known song, but if you have listened to it, you would admit the beauty of it. Poetry wise, it sticks to the Ghazal norms, and composition wise it had been given a "Baithaki" style by the composer. Four couplets or "shers"  as the antaras are finely weaved to merge again to the mukhda sher brilliantly.

2. Woh dekhe to unki inayat. Film: Funtoosh(1956). Music: S D Burman. Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi.
My all time favourite- a duet with Asha Bhosle. Those who have not given it a consideration, listen to it again! I bet, Kishore had done certain stuff in this song which could give classically trained singers also Goosebumps! And what a marvellous composition by S D Burman- man, he really understood the genius of Kishore. Sahir’s poetry is very Sahirish- bringing dilemma to the approach to love with two self contradictory couplets- one by Kishore and one by Asha. And when Kishore gives a solid twist to the word “Baazi”  in the second stanza, you feel carried away! This song is often forgotten due to the more popular and soulful “Dukhi man mere” from the same film, but for me, this is The Song! I would also keep it amongst the top 10 duets of SD in the 50s!
1. Husn bhi hai udaas udaas. Film: Fareb(1953). Music: Anil Biswas. Lyrics: Majrooh.
This is the best of the lot, not only the best ghazal from the 50s but also the Best Ghazal of Kishore in his whole career, in my honest opinion. It is known to all nowadays that Anil Biswas always revered Kishore Kumar as a singer very high, in spite of working with him only in 2 movies for 11 songs. The reason is this fantabulous piano based Ghazal. A song, which I feel, truly belonged to Talat Mehmood gambit, Kishore simply caught the correct mood and moulded himself like Talat and delivered! The poetry of Majrooh sahib also needs a special mention here, both the couplets were lovely but my all time favourite is the couplet used in the first stanza- Hothon se chin gayi hansi, khil na saki koi kali/ Kehne ko baagh mein bahar aayi hui zaroor hai- the days of pure, flawless poetries are really gone, just like Anil Biswas, Majrooh Sultanpuri and Kishore Kumar.

Monday 13 August 2012

Pancham- Out of his “Family”

I sometimes find it very disturbing when people blame Rahul Dev Burman for being biased to his preferred set of singers (read three of them). Nothing can be more uncalled for than this. Was Pancham really biased?
Was he more biased than Naushad? Who, in spite of being liked to be called as a Classical Wizard, used the best classical singer in the industry-Manna De- only 6 times in his whole career of 60 odd movies? Well, controversies do rise, so let us stick our discussions only to Pancham and see his judgment behind his choice of singers.


R D Burman with Hemant Kumar and Geeta Dutt


R D Burman, a Genuine Genius (I feel the urge to use the word Genuine here, as I see nowadays, the word Genius has lost its authenticity), wanted to come out of his Great Father’s shadow. He did so, with entirely a different kind of sound, melodies, arrangement and experimentation but almost with the same set of singers his father had used. SD’s top four singers were- Lata, Asha, Kishore and Rafi –in that order-and RD’s top four were- Asha, Kishore, Lata and Amit Kumar (Rafi held the fourth position till the singer’s early demise in 1980, AK took over in the 80s afterwards).
R D Burman was one of the first to stretch Lata in the unorthodox numbers. He used Lata in Drunkard Female numbers in Chandan Ka Palna(1967), Seeta aur Geeta(1972), Jheel ke us paar(1973) and Do Chor(1972). That Lata could sing “Yaari ho gayi yaar se lak tunu tunu” would have surely been out of any other MD’s imagination those days. Giving her great classical numbers are all history, but giving Lata peppy, rhythmic melody was so refreshing to hear those days when Lata Mangeshkar was almost stereotyped for “sati savitri” numbers by other MDs.
But, RD’s genuinely great pairing with Bhupinder, Rafi, Shailendra Singh, Mukesh and Manna De are hardly discussed of.
Bhupinder:    Although Bhupindermandeep Singh debuted under Madan Mohan, it was with Pancham that this baritoned, versatile artist really flourished as a singer! Starting with Abhilasha(1968),  Parichay(1972) was the turning point in this association’s career, Pancham gave some of his best melodies to Bhupinder in Kinara, Sitara, Raja Rani, Satte Pe Satta and Troyee. He showered great confidence on him in classical numbers like Meethe bol bole and Mitwa bole meethe ber, gave him Qawallis like Salaam kijiye, equally confided on him sentimental numbers like Kobe je kothay ki je holo bhool and gave some mesmerizing duets with Lata Mangeshkar- Beeti na beetayi raina, Naam gum jayega and Thodisi zameen. RD gave some numbers to Bhupinder just keeping the singer, who was a long time musical associate with him also, in mind.
Rafi:  in spite of having around 105 songs recorded together, RD-Rafi is not much discussed in Hindi Film Music history. Rafi was the main singer of RD in the 60s, when the latter was a newcomer and the former was a Colossus. Some mesmerizing beauties like Tumne mujhe dekha, Tumhe dekha hai, Zamane ne maare, Wadiyan mera daman, Tum bin jaaoon kaha, Deewana mujhsa nahi were created by the combo in the 60s. Although Rafi stopped getting the cream of Pancham after 1970, still some solos of RD seemed to have been delicately composed for Rafi even in the 70s like Pyar hai ik nishaan kadmon ka, Chand mera dil, Koi aur duniya mein tumsa haseen hai and Gulaabi aankhein. Pancham also gave some great Qawallis to Rafi like Salaam kijiye, Hai agar dushman zamana, Pal do pal ka saath humara etc.
Mukesh:   Less is beautiful when it comes to Mukesh and Pancham. Well, he gave Mukesh some astoundingly brilliant numbers even though their association was for only 19 songs in 12 years. Jis gali mein tera ghar, Kahin karti hogi, Suhani chandni raatein, Ek din bik jayega, Zindagi mein aap aye, Mere humsafar geet hai, Lalla lalla lori- almost each and every Mukesh-RD song was a hit. He used Mukesh for Rajesh Khanna in Kati Patang and Raja Rani.
Manna De:   In my honest opinion, Pancham’s most versatile association, after Kishore Kumar, had been with Manna De. They could be funny, serious, peppy, classical everything with élan. Be it “Aao twist karein”, or “Sawariya aao”, or “Aayo kahan se ghanshyam” or “Gori tori paijaniyan” or “ Abhi to haath mein jam hai”- Manna De was always special for Pancham. When most of the other MDs were using Manna De either for character artists or for classical songs, Pancham used Manna for heroes like Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan with peppy, filmy numbers.
And of course, there were Anup Ghoshal, Arati Mukherjee, Annette and Manmohan Singh, who had got their temporary fame in Hindi film music singing R D Burman’s numbers. Isn’t it amazing that a music director who had made Mehmood, Anand Bakshi or even Sapan Chakravorty sing songs, is most often touted as “biased about singer choices”?
R D Burman was a true blue versatile music director, even in using his singers also…