Chhaayaageet #206 - "Ye 6 paise ka bhi gaana nahi hai."
It is so peaceful in Aligarh. No traffic noises or the crazy mad rush. The last few months have been really good. The lyricist is glad of his decision to return to his ancestral house from Bombay.
His housekeeper comes running towards him. “Bombay se aapka phone hai. Koi saheb aapse baat karna chahte hain.” Someone from Bombay called and they want to speak to you. The lyricist picks up the phone and realizes it is the filmmaker on the other side. He wrapped up a song for the filmmaker's latest film just before he came to Aligarh.
“Kaise ho? Aapki film release ho gayi? Public ne pasand ki?” How are you? Is the film released? How is the response? The film had multiple lyricists. He had just written just one song for the film but he still felt he should ask about the film’s success.
“Abhi kahan khatam hui hai. Kaafi kuch baaki hai. Gaane baaki hai, shooting baaki hai. Aur kuch saal lag jayenge.” It’s not complete yet. A lot of work is still left including songs and shooting. It will take few more years.
The lyricist is a bit surprised. It has already been a couple of years since he wrote the song and now the filmmaker is suggesting another few years. What kind of film is this?
“Theek hai. Mujhe kaise yaad kiya.” Ok, that’s fine. What can I do for you?
The filmmaker is anxious and jumps right to the point. “Ek aur gaana likhwaana hai aapse. Ye gaana sirf aap hi likh sakte hain.” I need you to write lyrics for another song. I think only you can write. The lyricist feels good being called out. “Aap jitna jaldi ho sake Poona aa jaiye.” Come to Poona as soon as you can.
The lyricist has heard about the filmmaker’s house in Poona. It’s quiet and away from all the distractions. He books a train ticket for Poona.
The filmmaker is delighted to see the lyricist. “Mein aapka bahut besabri se intezaar kar raha tha. Aao mein aapko gaane ke situation samjhan deta hoon.” I have been impatiently waiting for you. Let me explain to you the situation of the song. The song is planned to be picturized on a joker who is performing and who will sing in front of a big crowd. The song in its essence is a philosophical reflection. It compares life to a real performance, highlighting the ups and downs everyone faces. The lyricist nods his head in confirmation.
He goes back to his room and sits down to write. As he is pondering about the different words and lines, something about this song doesn't seem right. This is not a normal song. This guy is a joker, a performer, and not a singer. Typically life lessons are given through ghazals, qawwalis, or other poetic songs. Giving this character something complicated to sing is not going to fit the situation. The best a joker can do is talk to people around him and make them laugh. He has to be funny about everything he does. But how to describe the serious life journey through the mouth of a joker. He scribbles a few lines and feels it is ready to go to the composers.
The composer duo are eagerly waiting for the lyrics. They take one look at the lyrics and then look at each other. It’s quite clear this is not what they are expecting. Nevertheless, they decide to give it a shot. Tunes start flowing. They work out something for the mukhda but then the tune breaks at the antara. If it works for the first antara then it breaks for the next one. It’s just not working. Occasionally they look at the lyricist with a puzzled face without saying anything. But their silence says everything. What kind of lyrics are these?
The composers struggle for an hour and finally give up. They are visibly angry now and cannot hold back. The senior composer turns to the lyricist. “Tum iss film ke director ko bewakoof bana rahe ho. Ye 6 paise ka bhi gaana nahi hai.” You are trying to make a fool out of the film's director. This song is not worth 6 paise. From there they decide to go see the filmmaker and complain to him.
The filmmaker gets an earful from the composers. The surprising part - he loves the lyrics but cannot admit that openly. He feels he has to salvage this so that the whole thing can come together. He invites everyone to his place.
He goes through the lyrics once again. They are just right and apt for the situation. Why can’t we compose a tune? He looks at both of the composers and gets back a disappointing look.
He turns to the lyricist. “Hamey tumhari madat chhaiye iski dhun banane ke liye.” We need your help to come up with a tune for this song.
The lyricist understands that if these lyrics have to see the light of day, he will have to come up with a recommended tune himself. He starts humming a tune and then mutters in between to himself and again back to another tune and then again some more muttering. The composers are keenly listening to him. They finally get it. This is not going to be one of those run-of-the-mill tunes. They turn to the filmmaker. “Aap chinta maj kijiye. Hum samajh gaye. Jo thodi bahut tune inhon ne banayi hai usko lekar hum baaki ka gaana bana lenge.” Don’t worry. We got it. We will build on top of the tune that our lyricist friend just came up with.
https://dai.ly/x4juboh
Gopaldas Neeraj (known as Neeraj) wrote the lyrics for the song Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo for the film Mera Naam Joker (1970). The music is composed by Shankar Jaikishan and the film is directed, produced, and edited by Raj Kapoor. The song is sung by Manna Dey and filmed on Raj Kapoor who acted as a joker in the film.
The film is a story about a circus clown whose life unfolds through three significant romantic chapters. The narrative follows from childhood to adulthood, depicting his experiences with three different women. Throughout these relationships, he experiences profound love and heartbreak, always maintaining his role as an entertainer who makes others laugh while bearing personal sorrow.
Even though it was released in 1970, the film production started as early as 1964. Raj Kapoor was introduced to Neeraj by his father, Prithviraj Kapoor who was friends with Neeraj. For the film, Raj Kapoor had chosen Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri as the lyricists for most of the other songs but for the songs that had the joker theme, he decided to go with Neeraj. During the initial period of the production phase, Neeraj wrote the lyrics for the song, Kehta hai joker saara zamaana which Raj Kapoor loved. After that, Neeraj left Bombay to move back to Aligarh for a few years.
When Raj Kapoor came to the finale song of the film where the joker drives semblance between a circus performance and the different phases of life, he felt Neeraj was the only one who could help communicate that. He called Neeraj back to Poona where he had an alternate residence outside of Bombay. That's where Neeraj, Raj Kapoor, and Shankar Jaikishan worked together on the song Ae Bhai. Initially, Shankar Jaikishan struggled with the song lyrics since was pretty much a conversation and not any poetry but later were able to build on top of the tune recommended by Neeraj.
Upon its release, Mera Naam Joker was widely derided for its length and the experimental nature of its plot, and it became a critical and commercial failure. The film had two intervals and was the 2nd film to have 2 intervals after the film Sangam. It later came to be considered a cult classic, and it is considered one of Kapoor's best films. At the 19th Filmfare Awards, Raj Kapoor won the Filmfare Best Director, Shankar Jaikishan won the Best Music Director and Manna Dey won the Best Male Playback Singer for Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo. Manna Dey also won the National Award that year for the same song.
Here is Raj Kapoor singing the song Ae Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo.
Music: Shankar Jaikishan
Lyrics: Neeraj
Singer: Manna Dey
*ing: Raj Kapoor
Director: Raj Kapoor
Film: Mera Naam Joker (1970)