'Tere Mere Milan Ki Ye Raina'- The Song based on Rabindra Sangeet

 

This Classic song from the 1973 film Abhiman was written by Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed by S D Burman was influenced by the song 'Jodi Tare Nai Chini Go Sheki 'of Rabindra Tagore. Over the years, the original Song Jodi Tare Nai Chini Go Sheki has been performed by various artists – Kishore Kumar, Shaan, Anwesha, Shrabani Sen, Shreya Ghoshal, Hemant Kumar, and many more. While I was researching for this song, I found a very rare version sung by the great K L (Kundan Lal) Saigal.

This song appears when the movie reaches its climax when the couple Subir (Amitabh) and Uma (Jaya -Bhaduri) get separated, Uma has a miscarriage, and finally they, fortunately, reunite – what an emotional reunion celebrated with this beauty of a song “Tere Mere Milan Ki Yeh Raina” rendered in public by both.

Though this song was influenced by Rabindra Tagore, S D Burman gave his magical touch to the original tune made this song immortal. We must also appreciate Mazrooh Sultanpuri to give lyrics for the wonderful tune. He was awarded the Filmfare Award as Best Lyricist. S D Burman was awarded the Best Music Director.

If you listen to all the versions of 'Jodi Tare Nai' you will find how beautifully the Abhiman song was composed. The song starts with a hmmm. by Kishore Kumar, a divine hmmm unmatchable. The song is a duet of Kishore and Lata Mangeshkar, one of the immortal duets of both.

This tune was again used in the 1985 film Jhoothi's song set in Rupak Taal (that's the name for the beats on the Tabla). Bappi Lahiri has set his Chanda Dekhe Chanda from Jhoothi.

Song of Abhiman 1973

Jodi Tare Nai Chini Go Sheki by Kishore Kumar

Jodi Tare Nai Chini Go Sheki by Hemant Kumar

Jodi Tare Nai Chini Go Sheki by K L Saigal

Jodi Tare Nai Chini Go Sheki by Shaan

Song of Jhoothi 1985

Read More >>

Naushad- The Man Who Introduced Raaga Based Songs in Hindi Movies.

 

Naushad started as an independent music director from the 1940 film Prem Nagar. He made Hindi songs popular by mixing UP and Bihar folk music with Indian classical music.He first got noticed with A.R. Kardar's film Sharda (1942) wherein 13-year-old Suraiya debuted with the song "Panchhi Ja" for the playback for heroine Mehtab. It was Rattan (1944) that took Naushad right to the top 

 It was in 1946 he got superstar status with the two immortal songs from the film Anmol Ghadi.. In the same year, K L Saigal gave one of his immortal songs "Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya" under his composition in Shahjehan (1946) in Raag Bhairavi. His favorite ragas were raga Pahadi, Aiman, Darbari, Kafi or Des along with Raga Bhairavi. He also composed songs in unconventional and difficult ragas such as Jaijaiwanti, Kedara, Brindabani Sarang, Bihag, Durga, Kirwani and Kalavati.  

In this blog, we take a journey of his raga-based songs in Bollywood.

In the 1944 film Rattan, he composed 10 songs and the music by Naushad was such a phenomenal hit that the company earned Rs 3 lakhs in royalties from Gramophone sales in the first year. You would be surprised to note that the producer Kardar spent 75,000 rupees on the production of this film. 

The Song based on Raga Pahadi

Song of Rattan 1944

Raga Bharavi

Song of Shahjahan 1946

Raga Kafi

Song of Shahjahan 1946

Raga Pahadi

Song of Anmol Ghadi 1946

His most durable composition Suhani raat dhal chuki was shaped in Pahadi and was from film Dulari made in 1949 that became legendary and is still considered an integral part of any singer’s repertoire in any musical gathering. 

Raga Pahadi

Song of Dulari 1949

Raga Pahadi

Song of Andaz 1949

Raga Jaijalvanti

Song of Andaz 1949

Raga Bhimpalasi

Song of  Babul 1950

His classical genius was the 1952 film Baiju Bawra in which he used the voices if the great Ustad Amir Khan and D V Palusjar. The climactic contest between Tansen and Baiju Bawra in the royal court of Mughal emperor Akbar demanded music of the highest finesse to exemplify the capabilities of these historical legends. Naushad introduced classical music with deft handling, making it melodious for mass appeal and yet retaining enough artistry as the situation demanded. 
There could not have been a better composer than Naushad Ali to make this film an unforgettable feature of Indian cinema. The music in “Baiju Bawra” is divine! It is, in fact, the soul of the film.
There are many moments in “Baiju Bawra” when the contribution of Naushad emerges the strongest point of the movie. Mohammad Rafi, lyricist Shakeel Badayuni and Naushad leave you in a trance with the all-time great number “Man tarpat hari darshan ko aaj”. Rafi had reportedly confessed to this being one of the toughest songs of his career as a demanding Naushad sought perfection from the legendary singer.

Raga Bharavi

Song of  “Baiju Bawra”  1952

Raga Darbari

Song of  “Baiju Bawra”  1952

Raga Malkauns

Song of  “Baiju Bawra”  1952

Raga Gara

Song of Mughal-e-Azam in 1960 

Raga Darbari Kanada

Song of Mere Mehboob 1963

Raga Kalavati

Song of Dil Diya Dard Liya in 1966 

Read More >>

Pakeezah was Meena Kumari's Swan Song

 

Pakeezah took 16 years to reach the celluloid. The film started on July 16, 1956, and released on February 4, 1972. It was a dream project of Kamal Amrohi, he wanted his wife Meena Kumari to be Sahibjaan of Pakeezah.

Pakeezah was conceptualised in 1954 as a Black & White venture. The mujra 'Inhin logon ne' was shot on July 16, 1956 , interestingly at that time the script was not ready, nor the star cast was decided, even the hero was not decided,the next several years went in scouting for locations, deciding on a leading man, writing and rewriting various bits of the film. 

By 1964, the film had still not been completed, while Meena Kumari had become a superstar, with films like Kohinoor (1960), Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) and many others. That was also the year she and Kamal Amrohi separated, causing another blow to their already much-delayed dream production.

In the meantime, Meena Kumari got addicted to alcohol and her health got affected. She was not talking to Kamal Amrohi after her separation but she agreed to restart the shooting of this film after a gap of 5 years. It is said that Nargis and Sunil Dutt persuaded her to complete the film.

Kamal Amrohi, who was a poet also wrote 'Sochta hoon ek shahkaar banaoon/Ek insaan ko izraar banaoon', he initially naming it 'Daaman-e-Paak' (Pure entity), when Kamal Amrohi consulted a nujoomi (astrologer) at Unnao in UP, he suggested to give a name beginning with the PE letter of Urdu alphabet.

Pakeezah’s shooting commenced again in 1969. The first shot showed Meena Kumari in a shirt and a lungi walking along with a tent singing “Mausam Hai Ashiqana”. The shooting of the film kept getting delayed due to Meena Kumari’s painful illness. Her liver had bloated; she was unable to dance and found it difficult to even walk a few steps.

For the last song in the film –“Teer E Nazar Dekhenge”, Padma Khanna was appointed to act as her duplicate. Meena Kumari was not well those days but she wanted to complete the film. Padma Khanna in an interview that the fastidious Meena Kumari was fabulous in her attention to detail and that Meena Kumari had amazing directorial acumen. Meena Kumari had the final word on the sets even though the film was helmed by Kamal Amrohi. 

Meena Kumari gave her best performance in this film despite her worsening health condition. She attended the premiere of the film at Maratha Mandir. The film was received lukewarm at the Box Office but when the news of Meena Kumari admitting in the hospital spread, it gained momentum.

 it was Meena Kumari's untimely death on 31 March 1972 which acted as an ultimate push and made it one of the top grosser of that year. Pakeezah was house-full for 33 weeks and even celebrated its silver jubilee in many cinema halls all over the country.

Song of Pakeezah 1972

Read More >>

SAHIR LUDHIANVI- . In his songs he consistently raised uncomfortable questions

 

Sahir Ludhianvi, a great lyricist of Bollywood was different from his contemporary lyricists.   He did not praise Khuda (God), Husn (beauty), or Jaam (wine). Instead, he wrote bitter yet sensitive lyrics about the declining values of society; the senselessness of war and politics; and the domination of consumerism over love. His love songs, tinged with sorrow, expressed his realization that there were other, starker concepts more important than love.

In his songs he consistently raised uncomfortable questions and expressed bitter truths. Only he could write the songs "Jinhe naaz hai Hind par vo kahaan hain” against the political leadership of the day or the poem  ‘Avaaz-e-Adam’  in which ‘hum bhi dekhenge’ remains a memorable phrase. This led to his migration from Pakistan.

dabegī kab talak āvāz-e-ādam ham bhī dekheñge

rukeñge kab talak jazbāt-e-barham ham bhī dekheñge

chalo yūñhī sahī ye jaur-e-paiham ham bhī dekheñge

dar-e-zindāñ se dekheñ yā urūj-e-dār se dekheñ

tumheñ rusvā sar-e-bāzār-e-ālam ham bhī dekheñge

zarā dam lo ma.āl-e-shaukat-e-jam ham bhī dekheñge

ye zo.am-e-quvvat-e-faulād-o-āhan dekh lo tum bhī

ba-faiz-e-jazba-e-īmān-e-mohkam ham bhī dekheñge

jabīn-e-kaj-kulāhī ḳhaak par ḳham ham bhī dekheñge

mukāfāt-e-amal tārīḳh-e-insāñ kī rivāyat hai

karoge kab talak nāvak farāham ham bhī dekheñge

kahāñ tak hai tumhāre zulm meñ dam ham bhī dekheñge

ye hañgām-e-vidā-e-shab hai ai zulmat ke farzando

sahar ke dosh par gulnār parcham ham bhī dekheñge

tumheñ bhī dekhnā hogā ye aalam ham bhī dekheñge

Close to his heart was the farmer crushed by debt, the soldier has gone to fight someone else's war, the woman forced to sell her body, the youth frustrated by unemployment, and the family living on the street for instance.

Sahir was a communist sympathizer, but he never became a member of the Communist Party of India or an agenda-pushing poet. He always expressed his true feelings. Sahir did something which no film lyricist did before. He transitioned his literary poetry from his book Talkhiyaan (1945) into film songs.

Sahir was hardly 58 and at his creative best when he suffered a massive heart attack. This bard from Ludhiana bid adieu to this world on October 25, 1980

Song of Pyasaa 1957

Song of Sone Ki Chidiya 1958

Song of Phir Subah Hogi 1958

Read More >>