Chhaayaageet #20 - "No more tunes. Bottle kholo."
"No more tunes. Open the bottle."
The year is 1976.
The city of Detroit is abuzz with excitement. A live concert of some of the big name singers of Indian cinema! A beautiful evening full of melody to look forward to!
On the day of the concert, the singer steps into his hotel bathroom to take a shower. He comes out panting and struggling to breathe. He is having a heart attack. They rush him to the hospital into emergency.
Later in the evening, as the audience settles in the auditorium, the organizers come on stage and announce the show is cancelled. Unfortunately the singer is no more. Everyone is shattered, speechless.
News of the singer's sad untimely demise reaches India. Late that night on Binaca Geetmala, a hugely popular music program on All India Radio, this song is played over and over again. In the song, the poet has captured the essence of a life well lived and the value of one's words as a lasting legacy. It is an apt tribute to the much loved singer.
At the singer's funeral, a filmmaker breaks down crying bitterly, "I have lost my voice. I have lost my voice."
The year is 1949.
Poets are people of conscience. For them, words are a way to unleash their inner activist. At a gathering of mill workers, this poet recites a seditionary poem against the Prime Minister of India. He is promptly arrested. The judge tells him, all he needs to do is apologize for his words, and he can be released. The poet refuses. He is sentenced for two years. With the main bread earner in jail, his family is practically on the streets.
The filmmaker steps in and wants to help. The poet doesn't want charity. "Then write a song for me. I will pay 1000 rupees as compensation to your family", the filmmaker suggests.
The poet writes this song in jail. It would take over 25 years before the filmmaker would use it in his film.
The year is 1975.
Over 25 years later, the filmmaker is starring and producing a movie to be directed by his son. The son has signed this whizkid music composer who is hugely popular these days. They are friends. One of the songs is to be picturised on the filmmaker. The filmmaker wants to select the tune himself.
"Come play your tunes in front of my father", the son suggests to the composer.
The music composer is not too happy about this.
"You did not tell me that I have to play tunes in front of your father. Otherwise I would not have signed the film."
These legendary filmmakers hear many tunes, select one, then the very next day they change their mind. It just creates a lot of extra work and headache. No, thank you.
"But my father is a very creative person", the son tries to convince.
"That's the problem. I know exactly what happens when you work with creative people. I want to work with normal people", the composer pushes back.
After much cajoling back and forth, the composer gives in. But now he's nervous.
The filmmaker has a reputation for being tough to please. He is an astute judge of music and lyrics. He has a unique style of selecting tunes. He sits in his chair and says:
"Sunao, aaj kya sunate ho, sunao". Let's hear what you have to present today.
He listens to tunes one by one. He doesn't say anything if he doesn't like them. Not even a shake of his head. But once he likes a tune, he immediately says so. Until then, nothing. No reaction. People who know him say he seems to select the fourth tune that's played before him.
The composer knows all this. He remembers his father's advice: "You must compose 5-6 tunes every day, only then you will find you have at least one worthwhile tune at the end of the day."
It is a challenging assignment. This tune is to come at various times in the movie, not once, not twice, but four times. It is filmed on multiple actors, including a child actor, and sung as solo pieces, a duet, and a trio singing together.
The composer puts his nervous energy to work. His mother is also nervous. Nervousness is contagious.
Finally the day arrives when the composer has to play his tunes in front of the filmmaker. He has prepared six tunes. Should he keep his best tune to be played fourth in sequence?
"Sunao, aaj kya sunate ho, sunao", comes the usual invitation from the filmmaker.
The composer plays his first tune.
Let's pause to acknowledge this moment. One of the finest music composers, nervously playing his first tune in front of one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema.
Does he like it? Is there any reaction? Should he just move on to the next tune?
The filmmaker bursts out, "Bilkul perfect hai situation ke liye." It's perfect for the situation.
What?! He liked the very first tune?! Has such a thing ever happened before?! Er...Would you like to listen to other tunes?
"Ho gaya. No more tunes. Bottle kholo." It's done. No more tunes. Open the bottle.
Er...You might like one of the other tunes better?
The filmmaker assures the composer. He has seen the future.
"Hit gaana hai bete. Done." It's a hit song, son. Done.
Ik din bik jayega
Maati ke mol
Jag mein reh jayenge
Pyare tere bol
La la lalalala
Randhir Kapoor signed RD for the music of Dharam Karam. Raj and Randhir Kapoor played father and son, with Rekha playing the heroine.
Majrooh Sultanpuri received a Filmfare nomination for Best Lyricist for this song, which he wrote in jail back in 1949.
In fact, this was the first time that RD, Majrooh Sultanpuri and Rekha worked under the esteemed RK Studios banner.
Dharam Karam was released in 1975 alongside such classics as Sholay, Deewar and Aandhi. The movie fared ok at the box office, yet this song became very popular. It was ranked in 2nd place on the 1976 Binaca Geetmala list. The first song on that list was also sung by Mukesh, Kabhi kabhie mere dil mein.
Mukesh got three nominations at the 1977 Filmfare awards for Best Playback Singer, Male - for Ik din bin jayega, Kabhi kabhie mere dil mein, and Mein pal do pal ka shayar hoon. He won it for Kabhi kabhie posthumously after his passing away in August 1976.
Mukesh was the one who started calling Lata ji as "didi". She was younger to him and would protest. Mukesh would say, "We all respect you because of your talent. I want everyone to call you 'didi'."
RD had recorded this song in Kishore's voice. But Raj Kapoor insisted the song be sung by Mukesh. "Mukesh is my soul voice", he said.
At Mukesh's funeral, Raj Kapoor cried bitterly that he had lost his voice. Ik din bik jayega was the last song that Mukesh sang for Raj Kapoor, a legendary collaboration of 27 years that began in 1948 with Aag.
Majrooh Sultanpuri's deep lyrics of this song provide an apt tribute to Mukesh. The words:
Dooje ke hothon ko
Dekar apne geet
Koi nishani chhod
Phir duniya se dol
Mukesh saab indeed left an indelible mark on this world with his beautiful voice!
Other versions in the film:
Sushma Shrestha solo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex5JdTLtMXQ
Mukesh & Sushma Shrestha: https://dai.ly/x2imgcj
Mukesh, Kishore, Asha Bhosale: https://dai.ly/x2imggj
Music: RD Burman
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Singers: Mukesh, Kishore Kumar, Sushma Shrestha, Asha Bhosale
Director: Randhir Kapoor
Producer: Raj Kapoor
Film: Dharam Karam (1975)