Chhaayaageet #171 - "Jab sangeet ki baat ho to aap apne dimaag ka jyaada istemal na karein."
When it comes to music, you don't have to tax your brain.
When a star son makes a blockbuster film debut, you can't blame him for sticking to the template. In this case, the template is the new young playback singer who has sung all his songs in the hit film. How can you find fault with this? After all, the face and its voice are inseparable. The young man knows this well. After all, he is a star son. He knows how this plays out in the industry. Just look at Shammi Kapoor and Mohammad Rafi. Or Raj Kapoor and Mukesh. The odds are stacked in their favor. So the star son decides the young playback singer will henceforth be his voice going forward.
After the superhit film, the phone is literally ringing off the hook. A director from the South calls on the star son with a script. It's a remake of his successful Kannada film. He wants to remake it in Hindi. The star son likes the script very much.
But he has a condition. They must sign the new singer for his playback for all the songs in the film. Assurances are given. The star son learns who the composer will be to score the songs and music for the film. He is very happy and expects there will be a number of good songs.
He hopes the composer will not have a problem with his suggestion. But you know how sometimes you have a nagging feeling in the back of your mind that casts doubt on even an iron clad assurance. Our hero feels something like that.
A music sitting is planned. The composer, his team and the lyricist have already been hard at work on the compositions of the songs. The star son is invited to attend. He is bowled over by the tunes. He decides he must broach the topic of the playback singer and ensure the composer is also on board with his suggestion of the new singer.
During a break, the star son approaches the composer and makes his case. The composer is preoccupied with something else. The star son restates his case. The composer immediately looks up. These young kids, he thinks to himself. One film old and already trying to call the shots.
With a smile on his face, the composer explains, "Beta, aap abhinay ka dhyaan rakhein. Aap ko mujhe guide karne ki aavashyakta nahin. Jab sangeet ki baat ho to aap apne dimaag ka jyada istemal na karein. Mujhe pataa hai mujhe kya karna hai." Son, you focus on acting. You don't need to guide me. When it comes to music, you don't have to tax your brain. I know what I have to do.
It's a sharp retort. The star son understands the composer has not liked his suggestion. He did not even think twice about mincing his words.
The next day a phone call is made from the star son's father's studio to the producer of the film. A casual call to just check on the progress of the star son's film. And oh by the way, that small topic about the composer not liking the star son's suggestion of the playback singer. They should really reconsider that suggestion. It's just a request, if the producer might see the wisdom of the star son's suggestion, and do as he sees fit. No big deal.
The producer is a bit perturbed to get a phone call from the big guys. It feels like an offer he cannot refuse. He calls the composer right away and relays the conversation verbatim including the suggestion. Or was it a demand? What should they do?
The composer puts the phone down and immediately heads over to the director's place. And what does he see? The star son sitting with the director. Well, that explains everything. The composer is not surprised. The star son is on a spree canvassing his suggestion of playback singer trying to bend everyone's ear.
The composer talks only with the director, "Aap shooting pe dhyan dein. Mujhe achhi tarah pataa hai kis gaane ke liye kis gaayak ko chunna hai." You pay attention to the shooting. I know very well which singer to select for which song.
The star son keeps quiet. He is a bit dumbfounded to see the composer suddenly make an appearance at the director's place. He just observes the back and forth. The director also trying to push for the new playback singer. Seeing the director also make the case for the new playback singer, the star son also joins in to support the director.
The composer understands what's going on. It looks like the big studio's message over the phone has already reached from the producer to the director before he could reach there. He thinks for a while. He agrees to give the new playback singer one or two songs in the film. But he insists that other songs will be sung by the singer who he has in mind.
The composer knows that the story of the film is a little offbeat, not what the audiences are used to. So the songs are going to have to carry the film.
Seeing that his new voice, his new playback singer, is only going to sing one or two songs in the film, the star son asks the composer, "Aap mere liye Kishore da ki awaz kyun rakhna chahte hain? Mein bahot chhota hoon. Kishore Kumar ki awaz mujh par fit nahin baithegi. Woh to Dev Sahab ki awaz hain." Why do you insist on having Kishore da sing for me? I am very young. Kishore Kumar's voice will not fit me. He is the voice of Dev Sahab.
The composer looks at the star son, smiles and replies, "Aap Kishore da ki awaz ki taaqat ko nahin jaante. Kishore Kumar ki awaz har kisi par fit baithti hai. Aur ye aap ko tabhi samajh aayega jab ye film release hogi." You don't know the power of Kishore da's voice. Kishore Kumar's voice fits everybody. And you will understand this only when this film gets released.
RD Burman composed the music of Zehreela Insaan (1974), directed by Puttanna Kanagal, produced by Virendra Sinha, and lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri. The film had Rishi Kapoor, Moushumi Chatterjee and Neetu Singh in lead roles.
O hansini is the first song that Kishore Kumar sang for Rishi Kapoor. Rishi wanted Shailendra Singh to sing all the songs of the film because of their blockbuster association in Bobby (1973). However, RD was steadfast on having Kishore Kumar.
Since the songs of Bobby, composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal, were a big hit, RD felt he also needed to give Rishi Kapoor great songs in their first film together.
Zehreela Insaan was an average performer at the box office, however, the song O hansini acquired cult status. The combination of Rishi Kapoor and Kishore Kumar teamed up for many hit songs in films such as Khel Khel Mein, Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, Rafoo Chakkar, Kabhi Kabhie, Karz, Saagar, etc.
The starting tune of O hansini seems to be inspired from the theme of Summer of '42 by Michael Legrand. See if you can spot it.
Music: RD Burman
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Singer: Kishore Kumar
*ing: Rishi Kapoor
Director: Puttanna Kanagal
Producer: Virendra Sinha
Film: Zehreela Insaan (1974)