Chhaayaageet #191 - "I am just the heroine. How can I say anything?"
The song is being filmed on set in the studio. It's not a lavish set.
A few windows have been set up each in a different bright color. The heroine has to appear in each of the windows in different shots. The rest of the song is to be shot on the hero in a different schedule in Switzerland.
The hero of the film is also the producer and director. He has also written the story. This is his first directorial venture.
When the shots are put together, it will appear as if wherever the hero looks, he sees the heroine in a window.
It's a male solo song, a romantic number. It is a beautiful composition, sung beautifully.
Today they are filming the heroine's window shots in the studio.
The composer has dropped in on set. He hasn't been too happy with how the songs are being filmed. In fact, he has seen some of the rushes and is not very happy about how the film itself is coming together.
In the past also the composer had dropped in on set to watch the shoot. Between shots he would walk over to the heroine and implore her to talk to the director-hero, "Why don't you talk to him? This film is going haywire." She would not pay any heed to him but only look at him in disbelief at his suggestion.
Seeing the composer on set today, the heroine expects similar suggestions coming her way. She is right.
The composer repeats his refrain to the heroine. She looks at him and says, "Dada, why don't you talk to him?" The composer stays quiet. He does not want to be the one to say anything to the director-hero.
"Madam, shot ready hai," a set boy beckons her just then. Madam, the shot is ready. She gets up from her chair for the next shot. Another shot, another window to stand behind and beam her alluring smile.
When the director-hero calls "cut", she comes back to her chair.
The composer hasn't given up. It's his turn for a shot.
"Why is he showing so little of you in this song?", he tries with the heroine again. One can sense the composer's inner restlessness at the injustice being done to his song.
"Talk to him," he beseeches the heroine.
"I am just the heroine. How can I say anything?", she retorts back, again with that same incredulity in her look, as she gets up for the next shot behind another window.
Dev Anand produced, wrote and directed Prem Pujari (1970), a romantic drama, as his maiden directorial venture, with himself and Waheeda Rehman in lead roles. The music was composed by SD Burman, and lyrics by poet Neeraj. Kishore Kumar sang the song Phoolon ke rang se.
Besides Burman Dada, even Vijay Anand was not happy with the way the film was going. All in all, Prem Pujari did not do well at the box office.
However, the music and soundtrack were acclaimed a success with evergreen songs like Shokhiyon se ghola jaye, Phoolon ke rang se and Rangeela re becoming extremely popular.
The backstory of how Dev Anand signed poet Neeraj to write the lyrics for all the songs in the film is told in Chhaayaageet #72 (Rangeela re).
Music: SD Burman
Lyrics: Neeraj
Singer: Kishore Kumar
*ing: Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman
Director: Dev Anand
Film: Prem Pujari (1970)