Chhaayaageet #161 - "Highest songwriter kitna leta hai? Mujhe uss sey do guna chahiye."
Poets are whimsical. Why so? Blessed with a vivid imagination and a strong creative impulse, they set out to explore the boundaries of language and expression, where mortals dare not. They have a way to play with words, images and ideas in unconventional ways. And that eccentricity or playfulness, depending on which side you are on, seeps into the verses. We may think that poets are lost in their own fantasy world, but don't be fooled by that dreamy look.
They observe the most mundane aspects of everyday life, and find inspiration in them, as they seek to capture the beauty of what they observe, that which you and I merely dismiss as ordinary. Remember Gulzar Saab's "Ek akeli chhatri mein jab aadhe aadhe bheeg rahe thay" from Ijaazat? These expressions are fiercely individualistic, bordering on deliberate rebellion against the norms and traditions of society. The pen indeed mightier than the sword.
And then after a beautiful poem is written, the stubborn insistence to not show it to anybody, or only to a handful of very close, very trusted friends, those who can truly understand and allow the depth in the words to explore the depths inside them. Almost feverish attempts to keep this talent and the precious creations hidden, cloaked from the prying eyes of the mainstream, perhaps in the belief that the masses are undeserving for their inability to understand.
Such is the situation of our poet. He writes beautiful poetry which he recites in front of a handful of people in close knit gatherings. By day, he is not a poet. He is a scriptwriter. But after night falls and a few glasses are downed, the poet awakens, reaching into his pockets for the pieces of paper on which he has scribbled this evening's treasures, and holds court with less than a handful of people around.
The trusted coterie of 3 to 4 people max includes a filmmaker and his wife. One morning, the poet finds himself welcoming the filmmaker into his drawing room.
"Kahiye, kaise hain? Kaise aana hua?" The poet inquires of his guest. Say, how are you? What brings you here?
"Ek kaam hai aap se. Meri aane wali picture jo hai, mein chahta hoon aap uske liye gaana likh dijiye", the filmmaker puts forth a proposal. I have some work for you. For my next film, I wish for you to write its songs.
"Kya baat kar rahe hain? Mein to apni poetry chhapvata tak nahin aur aap gaana likhva rahein hain", the poet dismisses it with incredulity. What are you talking? I don't even get my poems printed and you want me to write songs.
"Bhai kissa ye hai ki meri film ka jo hero hai woh shayar hai. To mein chahta hoon ki poet hi likhe", the filmmaker provides justification for his seemingly outlandish request. The thing is that the hero of my film is a poet. And so I want a poet to write the songs.
"Mein gaane nahin likhta, mein scriptwriter hoon wohi kafi hai", the poet registers his protest. I don't write songs. I am a scriptwriter and that's enough for me.
"Kyon nahin likhoge bhai?", the filmmaker persists. Why won't you write?
"Poetry mera personal expression hai. Usse mein kyon market mein laun. Script likh raha hoon. Kafi hai", the poet digs his feet in. Poetry is my personal expression. Why should I bring it out into the market? I write scripts. That's enough.
The filmmaker insists, not taking no for an answer. The poet persists, not saying yes. Neither can convince the other.
The poet starts to wonder how he can get out of this situation. His scriptwriting is enough work as it is. Writing poems for yourself and writing songs for mass consumption are two very different things. He has never written songs before. There's the whole thing about fitting the words to a tune that somebody has already created. Writing freely vs writing with a predefined constraint. How to get out of this situation and say no to this friend and filmmaker?
He does some quick mental calculus and decides to put forward some utmost illogical requests. Perhaps the filmmaker will walk back his own proposal after hearing them.
"Highest songwriter kitna leta hai?", the poet asks. What are the highest fees a songwriter charges?
The filmmaker states the price that he knows.
"Mujhe uss sey do guna chahiye", the poet presents his ask. I will charge twice as much.
"Theek hai. Kar denge", the filmmaker accepts this. Ok, it will be done.
"Kitne gaane likhne hain? Teen gaane? Paisa aap bhej dijiye uske baad mein kaam karunga", the poet makes another move. How many songs do I have to write? Three songs? You send the money in advance and I will start work after that.
"Theek hai. Bhej deta hoon", the filmmaker accepts readily. Ok, I will send it.
The next day the poet goes to the music studio and meets the composers of the film for the first time, both of them maestros of their craft and at the peak of their popularity. They have the poet listen to the tune. They are also a bit surprised to see the scriptwriter. They are composing music for their first film. It looks like the scriptwriter is also going to be writing song lyrics for his first film. It's a bit like entering freshman class and finding everyone around you is new.
It is a beautiful tune. The poet spends the entire day in the studio, and by the time its time to leave in the evening, he has penned a beautiful number to begin his innings as a lyricist in the Hindi film industry. He also writes a beautiful verse to open the song:
Vaham-o-gumaan se door door
Yakin ki had ke paas paas
Dil ko bharam ye ho gaya hai
Unko humse pyaar hai
Far away from misconceptions
Close to the limits of belief
My heart believes the illusion
She loves me
Javed Akhtar became a song lyrics writer with the song Dekha ek khwab for Silsila (1981), directed by Yash Chopra, music by the Shiv-Hari duo of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. The song is sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar, and filmed on Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan amidst the scenic tulip fields near Amsterdam. The opening verse is voiced by Amitabh Bachchan.
The mukhda of the song is inspired from a Dogri folk song Bathri Da Aaya Banjara by Dr. Karan Singh, erstwhile Chancellor of Jammu University, Benares Hindu University, and also a Member of Parliament in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for several years. Enjoy the Dogri folk song below:
The film got panned at the box office. Amitabh and Rekha were never cast together again after Silsila.
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Music: Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan (verse)
*ing: Rekha, Amitabh Bachchan
Director: Yash Chopra
Film: Silsila (1981)