Chhaayaageet #190 - "Gaana bahut ho gaya. Mein kahin nahin jaungi."
The phone rings. She tries to hurry so the other side doesn't hang up. So many folks call when her daughter is not at home. The mother has become almost like a messaging service.
“Namaste Mataji. Zara apni beti se baat kara dijiye.” Hello Mataji. I would like to talk to your daughter. The mother has heard this voice before. This filmmaker has been on her daughter's case since she started with his latest film. Constantly reaching out. “Woh ghar par nahin hai. Jab aayegi to usse kahoongi aapko phone kare.” She is not at home. When she is back, I will ask her to call you. The filmmaker is a bit disappointed that he missed her. “Koi baat nahin. Mere paas time nahin hai. Usse kehna aaj raat ki flight se woh Madras pahunch jaaye.” It’s ok. I am short on time. Tell her to take tonight’s flight to Madras. A normal mother would be a bit shocked at the short notice but not her. Her daughter’s singing has been the rage lately. “Theek hai. Mein usse bata doongi.” That’s fine. I will let her know.
She gets busy with the household chores trying to get things in order since her daughter will have to pack her stuff for later that evening.
The doorbell rings. “Maa, mein bahut thak gayi hoon. Thoda fresh hoke aati hoon. Uske baad thoda khaungi aur phir jaldi so jaungi.” Maa, I am so tired. I will freshen up, eat a little bit, and then try to sleep early. The mother doesn't know how to bring it up. On one side, it's her child’s health; the other is her career that has taken off like a rocket. Finally she gathers courage. “Woh filmmaker ka phone aaya tha. Aaj shaam ki flight se tumhe Madras aane ke liye kaha hai.” The filmmaker had called. He has asked you to take this evening’s flight to Madras. The daughter cannot believe it. She just finished four recordings earlier that day. Hardly had any time to eat or get a breather. And now this. “Gaana bahut ho gaya. Mein kahin nahin jaungi.” Enough of singing. I am not going anywhere. She slams the door as she walks into her room.
She lies down on her bed. Enough is enough. There is fame, money, and respect. Do I need anything more? I just need a life now. Thoughts keep piling up one after another. But after all, she is a professional. There are commitments made and the success of the film rides on people like her. One part of her mind keeps thinking about the composer in Madras. She had made a mistake early in her career of not listening to her heart. Even though she is successful today, that one film could have taken her to new heights. She cannot repeat that mistake again. She knows the right thing to do.
“Maa, mere kapde pack kar do. Mein shaam ki flight lekar Madras jaa rahi hoon.” Maa, pack my stuff. I am leaving for Madras this evening.
She reaches Madras airport late evening. The filmmaker is waiting for her over there. They quickly grab a car to go to the composer’s house. “I am very excited about this song. Ye film ka title song hai.” I am very excited about this song. This is the title song of the film. The singer looks at the filmmaker lazily. “Woh to sab theek hai par mein bilkul thak chuki hoon. Thodi bhi energy nahin hai.” That’s fine, but I am so tired. No energy inside me to do anything.
They reach the composer’s house where the recording team awaits them. Everybody in the industry knows this composer always records in his house and for some reason most recordings occur at night. The singer is anxious to start the recording and finish it. “Composer saab kahan par hai? Dikhai nahin de rahe.” I can’t see the composer. Where is he? She asks the filmmaker. The filmmaker is as perplexed as her. “Mein abhi pata karta hoon.” Let me find out.
The filmmaker comes back and his face has bad news written all over it. “Composer saab raat ke 2 baje se pehle recording nahin shuru kar sakte.” The composer cannot begin recording before 2a in the night. This was the last straw. The singer is about to fall dead on this news. “Mujhe nahin lagta mein apna 100% de paungi iss gaane ko.” I don't think I can give my 100%. The filmmaker looks at her and for the first time, he is also nervous.
The recording crew assembles right before 2a. The composer arrives. Pleasantries are exchanged. “Mein aapko dhun suna deta hoon aur uske baad ek rehearsal aur phir recording.” Let me play the tune of the song. Then we will do a quick rehearsal followed by the recording. The singer looks at the composer from her sleepy eyes and can hardly comprehend what she is hearing.
The composer starts with the tune of the song. The song blends traditional Indian rhythms with modern beats. There is a constant fusion of classical and contemporary elements. Suddenly there is a surge of energy in the room. The singer feels like she has been elated and has never been so awake in her life. All that tiredness just melts away.
Alka Yagnik sang the title song Taal Se Taal along with Sukhwinder Singh and Udit Narayan for the film Taal which was produced, directed, and written by Subhash Ghai. The music was composed by AR Rahman and the lyrics were written by Anand Bakshi. The song was picturized on Aishwarya Rai and Akshaye Khanna.
Very early in her career, Alka Yagnik was able to deliver big hits such as Ek Do Teen in Tezaab and Choli Ke Peeche in Khal Nayak. She even bagged Filmfare awards for these songs. Around that time she got a call to go to Madras to provide playback for the film Roja which was also AR Rahman’s debut film. Alka Yagnik hesitated to take on this opportunity due to her existing workload and also not knowing much about AR Rahman who was a newcomer at that time. Roja's music was a phenomenal success and Alka Yagnik felt really bad at declining that opportunity.
So when a similar situation happened with the film Taal, she wanted to make sure she didn't lose this opportunity to sing for AR Rahman’s composition. Despite being too tired and a last-minute request from Subhash Ghai, she accommodated and was there for the recording in Madras.
At a press conference, Subhash Ghai remarked, "I credit the name of the movie to AR Rahman. This film is based on romance and I could have called it anything but it was Rahman's presence in the movie that gave me the confidence to call it Taal. Taal means music and music means Taal. The whole credit goes to AR Rahman and Anand Bakshi. Rahman kept me awake many nights, but after listening to the songs, I felt it was worth all the trouble."
No stranger to Filmfare awards, Alka Yagnik went on to bag the Filmfare Best Female Playback Singer award for the title track Taal Se Taal. AR Rahman won the Filmfare Best Music Director award for Taal.
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Music: AR Rahman
Singers: Alka Yagnik, Sukhwinder SIngh, Udit Narayan
*ing: Aishwarya Rai, Akshaye Khanna
Producer/Director/Writer: Subhash Ghai
Film: Taal (1999)