Chhaayaageet #229 - "Hero ko pasand nahin aaya."
The superstar is on a dream run. Fifteen consecutive golden jubilee hits in a span of only three years. He has hit upon a style and it only makes sense to continue the going as long as the going is good. Why change the formula? And music is an integral part of that formula with some of Hindi cinema's most enduring numbers filmed on the hero. Each of the hero's three main composers are in the peak of their musical careers, each raising the bar.
But somehow the magic seems to be wearing off. The audience is getting tired of the mannerisms. The filmmaker and the hero are doubly keen to ensure the music is miles ahead of everything they have ever done so far. At a sitting, the composer is asked to present something. He has composed a tune for the film. But the filmmaker and the hero both reject it. This will not cut it.
The composer is disturbed. This is the same hero for whom he has delivered so many hits. But within fifteen minutes he comes back to them with an alternative tune, just the mukhada. The filmmaker nods in approval. This could work. But it needs work. The hero is not so sure. In fact, the hero does not approve.
The filmmaker comes to the musician. "Hero ko pasand nahi aaya," The hero has not liked it.
The composer is distraught. How could his tuning with the hero be so off? They have delivered so many hits together. He picks up his harmonium and goes into the hero's room. No one knows what happened inside, but after fifteen minutes, the composer comes out and tells the filmmaker, "Hero ko pasand aa gaya," The hero has liked it.
The composer really likes the tune, if he might say so himself. Not just like but he is simply haunted by it. One night he gets up at 4am, unable to sleep, and unable to get this tune out of his mind. He starts humming. Where is the tape recorder? He mutters to himself that he must record his humming. He finds it and keeps humming into it. He goes into his music room and writes the entire score. He needs to phone the lyricist to write to this tune. But it is only 5am.
No sooner than the day breaks, the composer rings the lyricist. They decide to meet in the evening after the composer finishes his work for the day. When the lyricist hears the humming in the tape recorder, he writes the words to the tune in 15 minutes.
Now it is time to record. It is a beautiful tune, with beautiful lyrics, crème de la crème. The arrangers have set up the orchestra. A couple of practices take place before they record. The composer realizes that he needs a specific percussion sound. He tells the arrangers that it needs to be almost continuous throughout the song.
He looks at the duggi, an Indian-Bangladeshi drum in the shape of kettle drums, played with fingers and the palm of the hand. "Yeh duggi kaun bajayega?" Who will play this duggi?
There is no one to volunteer. He calls out to his percussionist. "Ae Parsi, idhar aa." Hey Parsi, come here.
The Parsi gentleman comes over. "Tu bajayega?" Will you play? The composer asks.
"Haan mein bajaunga," the Parsi bawa replies. Yes I will play.
"Tu baja sakega?" Will you be able to play? The composer asks.
"Haan koshish karta hun," the Parsi man shows eagerness. Yes I will try.
The percussionist has not had much experience playing the duggi. He is actually not a percussionist. He is a trained pianist and an accordion player. But he is a man of many talents. Cometh the hour, cometh the man, type of person, who can pick up any instrument and rises to meet the need of the hour.
The Parsi man tries his hand at the duggi. It is a pair of two drums. Seeing the musician play both drums with one hand, the composer is amused. He asks, "You don't have a second hand with you?"
Confused, the Parsi man replies, "I have two hands."
"Then you try with two hands," the composer instructs.
Homi Mullan played the duggi in the song O Mere Dil Ke Chain in the film Mere Jeevan Saathi (1972), music by RD Burman, lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri, directed by Ravikant Nagaich, produced by Vinod Shah. The song is filmed on the lead pair, Rajesh Khanna and Tanuja.
Homi Mullan worked as a musician for SD Burman for 35 years and for RD Burman for 30 years. He also played for Madan Mohan and Naushad. Mullan is widely recognized for his contributions to Hindi and Bengali films. He retired from the industry after RD's death in 1994.
The music and the songs of Mere Jeevan Saathi were released a few months prior to the release of the film. Based on the songs, the film promised to be a blockbuster. Although it was a box office success it was not close to the other hits of Rajesh Khanna. The weak screenplay did not help the cause. The music however was a runaway success. Even after so many years, any compilation of RD Burman, Rajesh Khanna and Kishore Kumar has at least one song from the film.
At a function in 2008 to commemorate Pancham's birth anniversary, Manohari Singh, RD's music arranger and saxophonist, when asked to play a song that most represented RD's spirit and style, played O Mere Dil Ke Chain on his alto sax. The other song in the film, Deewana Leke Aaya Hai, is an offshoot of O Mere Dil Ke Chain.
Watch Manohari Singh performing the song live on his alto sax.
Music: RD Burman
Musician: Homi Mullan (duggi)
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Singer: Kishore Kumar
*ing: Rajesh Khanna, Tanuja
Director: Ravikant Nagaich
Producer: Vinod Shah
Film: Mere Jeevan Saathi (1972)