Chhaayaageet #173 - "Abhi ek recording khatam karke aa raha hoon aur ye gaana maine aapke style mein gaaya hai."
The composers and the singer are at the recording studio. They have been rehearsing this tune for several days now. It sounds good. Well good enough that they all have agreed to do the recording today. The singer is a shadow of the lead actor. Close your eyes, listen to the song and you can visualize the lead actor. This is not unique to this pair. It's just the era. There are several pairs in the industry.
The first round of recording finishes. The singer steps out of the recording room. “So what do you think about it? Was it ok?” The singer believes he always gives his best but ego can become a man’s worst enemy. He wants to hear it from others. “Yes, it was good. We liked it.” The duo composers are brothers. They look at each other as they say that. A bit of telepathy occurs in that split of a moment.
The singer has been around the block and can sense things around him. “I don’t hear a resounding acknowledgment of my performance. What is it?” The older composer feels compelled to come out and clarify. “This may not be you but us. The tune doesn't seem to suit the situation. We have another tune in mind and would like to try it. But there is one problem with it.” The singer is confused. The tunes change all the time. Every composer he has worked with has produced innumerable tunes until the very last minute. “There is no problem. Let’s change the tune and record again.”
The composers still have grim faces. “You are not getting it. We want to change the tune so that you can sing in a different style. What we mean by that is in the style of someone else.” The singer gets it now. "Aha. And who is that?” The older composer spells out the lead singer of that era. The singer is disappointed. “Why not just have him sing the song?” The composers have previously played out this situation inside their minds. They anticipated this question. “First of all, the lead actor would need to be convinced and then we will also need dates from him. He is currently one of the busiest people in the film industry. Not possible.” The singer knows now what needs to be done. “Don’t worry. Get me the tune and I will sing in his style.”
The composers start working on the tune. It does not take them too long. The singer does a quick rehearsal and is back in the recording room. He finishes the recording. The composer and the entire unit are thrilled with it. The satisfaction on their faces is genuine this time.
The singer is on his way back home. Something doesn’t feel right. He reaches home and heads straight for the phone. He calls the other singer.
His conscience wants to be clean here. “Haan bhai, kaise misaz hain aapke. Aap se ek baat karni thi.” Brother, how are you? I wanted to talk to you about something.
The singer on the other end recognizes his voice. “Haan bilkul. Bataaiye kya khidmat kar sakta hoon aapki.” Of course. Tell me how I can help you.
The singer can barely open his mouth. “Maine aapki ek cheez chura li hai. Bas wohi bataani thi.” I have stolen something from you. I just wanted to confess.
The other singer starts to laugh. “Kyon mazaak kar rahe ho. Kaunsi cheez churali aapne humaari?” Are you joking? What have you stolen from me?
The singer takes a deep breath. “Abhi ek recording khatam karke aa raha hoon aur ye gaana maine aapke style mein gaaya hai.” I just finished a recording and I was asked to sing in your style.
There is another round of laughter on the other end. “Bas itni si baat. Aap iss baat ko bilkul bhool jaiye ke aapne humaara kuch churaya hai.” That’s it. Forget that you stole anything from me.
After this, they continue talking for several minutes like two best friends getting together after a long pause. The awkwardness is nowhere to be seen.
Mukesh sang Main To Ek Khwab Hoon in the film Himalay Ki God Mein. The song was composed by Kalyanji Anandji and the lyrics were penned by Qamar Jalalabadi. Vijay Bhatt directed the film and the song was picturized on Manoj Kumar and Mala Sinha.
Mukesh was the staple playback voice when it came to Manoj Kumar. He was always the first option and the song tunes composed for him were typically quite melancholy. The song Main To Ek Khwab Hoon was not a quintessential Mukesh song, and Kalyandji Anandji knew that. They secretly wished they had Mohammed Rafi sing it instead. Due to conflicts that wasn't possible. Hence they had to request Mukesh to alter his style and adapt to Rafi’s style of singing. Mukesh being humble agreed to do it and delivered a hit song for the ages. His humbleness continued as he didn’t want to do this without Rafi’s knowledge and approval. Rafi to his credit, laughingly agreed with Mukesh and took no offense to him copying his style.
Laxmikant Pyarelal assisted Kalyanji Anandji for this film's music composition as part of their team. Kalyanji Anandji were later nominated for the Filmfare Best Music Director award. Himalay Ki God Mein won the Filmfare Best Film award.
Music: Kalyanji Anandji
Lyrics: Qamar Jalalabadi
Singer: Mukesh
*ing: Manoj Kumar, Mala Sinha
Director: Vijay Bhatt
Producer: Shankerbhai Bhatt
Film: Himalay Ki God Mein (1965)