Chhaayaageet #234 - "Film se mera gaana hata dijiye."
Remove my song from the film.
The first threat comes by way of a letter. The cinema owner opens it. It reads: “Agar ye picture release kari to tera theater jala denge.” If you release this film, we will set your cinema on fire. The cinema owner is shocked. He cannot utter any words. Nothing like this has ever happened before. This is the biggest comeback film of the country’s biggest superstar. What to do? What are other cinema owners doing?
The industry is awaiting this film with bated breath. Will the superstar be accepted back by the audiences? If this film is a superhit, it is a much needed second wind for the star and also the industry at large. But today, the cinema owner is perspiring bullets. After consulting with a few colleagues, he decides to not take down the poster and the advance booking.
Then the second threat follows. This time a phone call. “Tune hamari baat nahin maani. Ab bhugto apne karmon ke fal.” You did not heed our warning. Now face the consequences.
The cinema owner calls the police. They offer to set up a cordon of policemen to protect the cinema hall on the Friday the tickets are to go on sale for advance booking. Meanwhile word of the threats has spread. Other cinema halls have gotten them too.
The Friday dawns when the advance booking window opens. Instead of unruly protestors, a wave of fans descends on cinema halls across the country.
The superstar and the filmmaker are traveling in Bombay in the filmmaker’s car. They see a long queue of people near the passport office. Has the government come up with some new scheme for people to get expedited passports, they wonder. Turns out, it is the queue stretching from the Satyam cinema, past the passport office, and beyond. It is heartening and unnerving at the same time. Will the audience like the film? Will they accept him back?
Unruly mobs have protested the superstar wherever he goes. His effigies have been burnt. It is a precarious time to be him.
The filmmaker, distributors and cinema owners take a collective decision. They will release the film a day early, on Thursday, instead of the normal Friday release.
Thursday, February 11, 1988. 20,000 people have lined up outside a cinema in Delhi for the first day first show starting at 9am. “Itna bada opening yahan kabhi hua hi nahin. Bees tees guna bada,” the cinema owner says. This cinema has not seen a bigger opening than this. 20, 30 times bigger.
For three and a half hours on February 11, 1988, the whole film industry is collectively holding its breath, passing every minute in anticipation. Then the reports start to come in. The claps whenever the superstar appears on screen are unprecedented. Normally for the first day first show the public gets up and moves around for every song. For three and a half hours, not a person moves.
In Varanasi, a theater owner has an extra show at 7am on the Sunday, February 14, 1988. It is sold out in no time.
The verdict is in and the industry collectively heaves a sigh of relief. He is back. He is accepted by the people, despite everything that he has been unfairly blamed for.
But let’s rewind back to the early days of the film. The hero knows the stakes are very high. He wants to ensure that all the songs of the film become super hits. The star hero and the filmmaker together decide that all the songs of the film will be sung by the doyens, the most prominent and respected of the industry. The music composers also agree with the decision. There are five songs in the film.
The work on the film progresses. Two songs get recorded. Then the problems start to arise.
The composers have come up with a slow tune for the third song. The singers do not feel that this is the right tempo for the song. They voice it to the composers.
Male singer: “Aap ke gaane ki composition bahot slow hai. Aaj ke samay ke hisaab se bilkul bhi fit nahin baithti. Aur ye shrotaonko bilkul bhi achha nahin lagega.” The composition of this song is very slow. It does not fit with the current times. The fans will also not like it.
Female singer: “Aap ne is gaane ko aakhir itna slow kyun banaya?” Why have you made this song so slow?
One of the composers responds to the feedback.
Composer: “Humne jaan boojh kar is gaane ko slow speed ka banaya hai. Hum is gaane mein 70s waale gaane ka feel laana chahte hain.” We have deliberately composed the song in a slow tempo. We want to bring the feel of the songs of the 70s in this song.
Male singer: “Aap aisa kyun karna chahte hain? Aaj ka waqt 70s waale gaanon ka nahin hai. Aaj ke shrota tadakte bhadakte, joshile mood waale gaane hi pasand karte hain. Aap isey fast banaiye aur wahi film ke title ke saath bhi suit karega.” Why do you want to do that? This is not the time for 70s songs. Today’s fan likes the dynamic, action packed songs. You make the tempo of the song fast and that will also suit the title of the film.
The female singer also nods in agreement and throws in her weight behind the male singer’s recommendation. But the composer digs in his heels with his intent to evoke the mood of the 70s with this song. He insists the song will remain slow.
The singers, professionals as they are, decide not to keep arguing. They sing the song as designed by the composers. The day is finally over.
The composer’s day has just started. He kicks back his feet in his room in the recording studio and listens to all the three songs that have been recorded thus far. He likes the first two songs. But that third song, which had been the point of debate between the composers and the singers, does not quite please his own ears. He listens to it again and again. How come this song is not sounding good when recorded in some of the most melodious voices? He cannot imagine this. Rewind. Repeat. Still he cannot bring himself to like it.
Slowly, the realization has come to the composer that the male singer had been right in asking him to increase the tempo of the song. But what can be done now?
The composer heads over to the filmmaker’s home and narrates the entire episode of the day. The filmmaker makes no attempt to hide his displeasure at the composer.
Filmmaker: “Yeh kya kiya tumne? Unka gaanon ke baare mein anubhav bilkul satik hota hai. Unhe pata lag jata hai ki kaunsa gaana hit hoga aur kaunsa nahin. To aap ne un donon ki baat kyun nahin maani? Yeh gaana film ka ek ehem gaana hai. Aur aap ne isi gaane ko itna slow bana diya?” What have you done? His experience about songs is spot on. He knows very well which song will become a hit and which won’t. And you decided to ignore both of their perspectives? This song is an important part of the film. And you made this song very slow?
The composer bears the brunt of the filmmaker’s anger coming through his voice. He, fearfully, calls the female singer. She is Goddess Saraswati incarnate. He narrates his experience listening to the song, and the filmmaker’s reaction to her, hoping partly for forgiveness, and partly for her readiness to record another version of the song. The female singer is grace personified.
Female singer: “Koi baat nahin. Aap mujhe agli date de dijiye. Mein issey dobara record kar dungi.” Not to worry. You give me the next date. I will record it again.
Emboldened by the female singer’s support, the composer calls the male singer. Will he be equally gracious?
Composer: “Dada, aap sahi bol rahe thay. Woh gaana dheemi speed mein ekdum achha nahin lag raha hai.” Dada, you were absolutely right. That song is not at all sounding good in slow speed.
Hearing this the male singer bursts out laughing. But he has a less than accommodating response.
Male singer: “Woh gaana jaise bhi hai usey hi final karo. Mein ek hi gaane ko dobara gaane ke liye studio nahin aaunga.” Finalize that song however it is. I am not going to come to the studio again to sing the same song twice.
The composer doesn’t know if the male singer is serious or joking. Didn’t he hear him laugh out loud? How should he convince the singer?
Composer: “Mein aapko dobara gaane ka extra payment doonga.” I will pay extra to sing the song again.
This is the second mistake of the composer in one day against the same person. The male singer is livid to hear this.
Male singer: “Maine jeevan mein bahot paisa kamaya hai. Aur ab mujhe shaanti chahiye. Mera aap se ye kehna hai ki mera yeh jo gaana hai usey aap film se hata dijiye. Aur meri jagah koi naya singer dhoond kar usi se ye gaana gavaa lijiye. Aur agar kuch gaane aur bhi bache hon to woh bhi usi singer se gavaa lijiye.” I have earned enough in my life. And now I just want peace. I suggest to you that you remove my song from the film. Find some new singer in my place and have him sing the song. And if there are any other songs remaining, then have the new singer sing them too. Saying this, the male singer cuts the conversation. How could this composer try to buy him out of his decision.
The composer calls the female singer back and tells her about the conversation with the male singer. He requests her, could she call him and see if he might relent? The female singer obliges. But the male singer does not budge. He wants nothing to do with the song.
The composer, female singer and the filmmaker huddle to find a path forward. She recommends a relatively new male singer. The composer reworks the tune, and the record the song again with the new male singer lending his voice to the superstar.
The revised song becomes one of the chartbusters of that year.
Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Aziz sang the song, Jaane Do Jaane Do, in the film, Shahenshah (1988), produced and directed by Tinnu Anand, with Amitabh Bachchan and Meenakshi Sheshadri in lead roles. The music is composed by the duo of Amar Utpal and lyrics written by Anand Bakshi.
The frenzy created by Shahenshah’s advance booking still remains unprecedented in film history. Shows were sold out on February 1, 1988, two weeks before the release, and black marketers made lakhs of rupees.
Kishore Kumar was supposed to sing the song, but decided he didn’t want to sing it again, after his disagreement with the music composer, Amar Haldipur.
Shahenshah was the second highest grossing film of 1988, in the face of stiff competition from Tezaab and Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. All the songs of the film became extremely popular.
Amitabh Bachchan was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, which went to Anil Kapoor for Tezaab.
The story and screenplay is written by Inder Raj Anand, father of Tinnu Anand. The 23 page climax was yet to be written when the senior Anand fell ill and was bed ridden. He told Tinnu that come what may he will finish the climax. True to his word, Inder Raj Anand completed the entire script on the day he passed away.
Amar Haldipur worked as an arranger for Laxmikant Pyarelal. He famously played the violin piece at the beginning of the song, Dard-e-dil, in Karz (1980), which we wrote about in Chhaayaageet #68.
Music: Amar Utpal
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Aziz
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
*ing: Amitabh Bachchan, Meenakshi Sheshadri
Director: Tinnu Anand
Film: Shahenshah (1988)