Chhaayaageet #172 - "Ye gaana bananewala agar mil jaaye to usko jooton se peetna chhaiye."
The journey has not been easy for the young composer. He is struggling to make his mark in the Hindi cinema. This is not a new challenge for him though. It has been a struggle throughout his life as he pursues his passion for music. The family is quite conservative when it comes to his interest in music. Right from the beginning, the answer was pretty much a straight No. So much of his learning has occurred in hiding. Learning to play instruments, watching the maestros play, participating in musical circles, and organizing/playing in events. All in hiding.
There is only so much that you can do in Lucknow if you are yearning to reach the heights of Hindi film music. He decides to pop the question to his father. “I can't believe you asked me that. You get to choose either films or us. Make your decision.” Even though it was an expected response, he never thought it would be an ultimatum. He packs his bags and heads to Bombay.
But there is no looking back now. This is what he chose and fought for. He has composed music for a few films but nothing major. Some of them had completed silver jubilee status. Although this last film was a bit different. It is a roaring success and signs are it may keep playing beyond its silver jubilee mark. There is one song in particular that resonates really well with the masses.
He books a trunk call with his mother. When all roads close down, this is one road that still stays open. He keeps in touch with her and checks on the family regularly.
“Ammi, kaisi ho. Sab khairiyat hai?” Mother, how are you? The composer speaks with a loud voice. With a trunk call and quality of connection, speaking loudly on a phone call is the norm. “Haan, sab khairiyat hai yahan par. Tumhe ek khabar sunaani hai. Ek ladki dekhi hai tumhare liye.” Yes, everything is fine here. I wanted to share some news with you. We have seen a girl for you. He is able to sense the excitement of his mother through the line as she says that. Which mother wouldn’t be.
The composer is in no mood for this. “Woh sab to theek hai par abhi mein yahaan par bahut mashroof hoon. Poora din nikal jaata hai kaam ke silsile mein.” That’s fine but I am really busy here with work. But mothers always have their way. “Mein kuch nahin sunoongi. Tumhara nikaah issi ladki ke sath hoga.” I won’t listen to a single word. You are getting married to this girl. The composer decides to stay silent. His mother gets his answer.
He can sense that his mother is not completely done. “Ek aur baat hai. Tumhe pata ha ki biradri wale mosiqui ke baare mein kya sochte hain. Humne tumhare sasural waalon se kaha hai ki tum ek darzee ka kaam karte ho.” One more thing. You know what our community thinks about people in the music field. We have told your in-laws that you work as a tailor. The composer cannot believe his ears. After all these years of making music for Hindi films, his parents are still not there to support him. He grudgingly obliges. “Theek hai ammi jaan. Jo aap theek samjhe.” It’s ok, mother. Whatever you feel is right.
It is the day of the wedding. A typical Muslim wedding where the bride and bridegroom get together to say “kubool hai” to the Maulvi. There is also a band invited to play music. A typical wedding band. They go through their list of songs. One song after another.
The composer catches sight of both his father and father-in-law at a distance. Looks like they are trying to talk to each other. The loud music from the band makes it hard to have a conversation. The composer walks towards them and decides to join in the conversation.
The father-in-law can’t take it anymore. He exclaims loudly. “Iss gaane ne to samaaj ko barbaad kar diya hai. Ye gaana bananewala agar mil jaaye to usko jooton se peetna chhaiye.” This song has defamed the entire society. The person who made this song should be thrashed with shoes.
The composer stands there with a sly smile on his face. He obviously knows something that these two elders don’t know. The band was playing the most popular song from his latest film.
Naushad Ali composed the music for the song Akkhiyan Mila Ke Jiya Bharma Ke in the film Rattan. The lyrics were written by D.N. Madhok. The playback was provided by Zohrabai Ambalawali and the song was picturized on Swaran Lata and Karan Dewan.
Naushad moved from Lucknow to Mumbai in 1937 to try out his luck in the Hindi cinema. He did not get support from his parents who were always against his passion for music. Naushad learned to play different instruments and intricacies around folk/classical music but all in hiding. He evolved into a great musician by the time he was 18 and then decided to move to Bombay for his next big breakthrough. His parents were not supportive in his choice for a music career and Naushad had to move away against their wishes.
His initial few films did moderately well at the box office. A few even went on to celebrate their silver jubilee (25 weeks). When the film Rattan came along, Naushad brought in a new singer, Zohrabai Ambalawali to sing the song Akkhiyan Mila Ke along with other few songs. The music of the film was very popular. It catapulted the film to a diamond jubilee status (75 weeks) which was unheard of in those days.
This was the era when heavy thumri style and playback singing with nasal voices were popular in the Hindi cinema, with singers like Shamshad Begum, Khurshid, and Amirbai Karnataki. Zohrabai had a similar style. This was right before the arrival of Lata Mangeshkar in 1948, which along with Geeta Dutt and Sudha Malhotra shifted the popular taste towards finer voices, effectively bringing the careers of singers from the previous generation to a gradual end.
During Naushad’s wedding, his parents had to lie to the would-be in-laws that their son works as a tailor to avoid embarrassment. While Naushad was talking to his parents and in-laws, the band decided to play the hit song from his latest film which probably stayed as one of the big ironies in Naushad’s life.
Lata Mangeshkar's rendition of this song in her album My Tribute To The Immortals
Music: Naushad
Lyrics: D.N. Madhok
Singer: Zohrabai Ambalawali
*ing: Swaran Lata, Karan Dewan
Director: M. Sadiq
Producer: Abdul Rashid Kardar
Film: Rattan (1944)