Chhaayaageet #237 - “Tehran se Bombay aa jao. Mere kuch khaas logon se milo."
“And the Filmfare award for Best Singer goes to..."
The singer sits quietly, heart pounding as the announcer’s voice trails off. It is not like she has any chance. Not even a nomination. Yet, it is still amazing that she made it this far. Her mind drifts back to the beginning of this incredible journey.
It all began in Tehran a few years back.
Iran was a big market for Hindi films, and the big producers did not spare any expense in schmoozing those key distributors. The singer was based there for a few years when her parents moved there. Very conservative family. Her singing talent did not get any encouragement. Once in a while, they would let her go and participate in local shows and concerts. That was it.
A grand event was planned to be sponsored by one of the biggest local distributors of Iran. One of the biggest filmmakers from India was planning to attend. After all, it was about promoting his upcoming film. The singer was given a chance to sing at this event before a small but influential crowd.
She steps onto the stage as her name is called. She goes through her routine of songs. The filmmaker appears completely ecstatic after hearing her voice. He approaches her.
"Tumhari awaaz mein kuch khaas baat hai. Bahut hatkar hai. Aage gaana chahogi?” There is something about your voice. It is very different. Would like to pursue a career in singing. She knows how her family will react, but who cares. It’s her life after all.
“Ji, bilkul gaana chaahoongi. Agar mauka mile to.” Of course, I would love to sing. If I get the right opportunity. She responds with an air of confidence.
“Ek kaam karo. Tehran se Bombay aa jao. Mere kuch khaas logon se milo." Do one thing. Leave Tehran and come to Bombay. I want to introduce you to some key people, he says warmly.
The singer is curious and hopeful. She comes back home and breaks the news to her family. An argument ensues with the parents, but finally they relent.
The singer travels to Bombay to meet the folks the filmmaker recommended. They turn out to be renowned duo-composers who were the de facto choice for the filmmaker.
She sings for them her few favorites. Both composers look fairly satisfied. "Aawaz alag hai par acchi hai. Thoda aur practice karo. Hum tumhe kuch naam dete hain. Unse jaakar thoda aur seekho.” Very different voice, but really good singing. You need to practice a bit more. We will recommend a few names. Go learn further from them.
Following their advice, she works hard, perfecting her craft under expert guidance. A few months go by.
It isn’t long before the duo-composers are back and decide to offer her a song in one of their upcoming film. The film will feature all the big singers of the era. But this song demands a different voice. This song, they explain, needs a child-like quality in the voice. "Iss gaane ke liye ek jawan ladki ki masoom awaaz chahiye. Tumhari awaaz bilkul sahi hai." We need an innocent young girl’s voice for this song. Your voice will be a good fit.
The rehearsals begin. The lyricist is sitting there observing and hearing everything. He, too, loves her voice, but there is a problem. Her diction is on the mark. He bears through a few rehearsals but then cannot hold himself. “Ye jo labz hai Titli, issko tum theek se nahin keh rahi ho.” This word “Titli”, you are not pronouncing it well. Having been brought up in a Tamilian family in Madras, Hindi was never a focus. She takes his advice to heart and corrects it in the next rehearsal. Recording gets scheduled and goes well.
The film releases. All songs of the film are super hits, especially this one, which captures everyone's heart. From her sources in the music industry, she hears her song ratings are tied with another song from the same film. This is the dual voting system for Filmfare. Now it's up to the committee to vote. She is confident. "Yeh gaana toh Filmfare mein zaroor nominate hoga, award nahi mila to kya hua" This song will definitely get nominated for the Filmfare award if not win the best singer award, she thinks, proud and hopeful.
The date for nominations comes and goes. No announcement on her song.
Her thoughts are interrupted. She is back in the grand hall as the announcer’s voice pierces the silence once again.
"... and the Filmfare award for best singer goes to Mohammed Rafi."
Sharda Iyengar sang Titli Udi Ud Jo Chali in the film Suraj. The song was composed by Shankar Jaikishan, and the lyrics were provided by Shailendra. The film was directed by T. Prakash Rao, and the song was picturized on Vyjayanthimala.
Sharda was initially spotted by Raj Kapoor during his visit to all distributors outside of India. He happened to be in Tehran to attend an event hosted by the biggest distributor of Iran at that time. He heard Sharda and immediately took a liking to her voice. He recommended that she come to Bombay and meet with his staple composers, Shankar Jaikishan. The composers recommended that she go through further training before she could be a playback singer.
Her first opportunity came in the film Suraj, which ironically was not a Raj Kapoor production. Suraj had all the popular singers of the time, including Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle, and Suman Kalyanpur. Shankar Jaikishan felt that for the specific song, Titli Udi, Sharda’s voice suited well.
Sharda’s song Titli Udi achieved massive popularity upon the film’s release. During the Filmfare Awards voting, both Titli Udi and Mohammed Rafi’s Baharon Phool Barsao reportedly received an equal number of votes from the public, as magazine readers had the opportunity to select their favorites. However, when the final nominations were vetted by the Filmfare committee, Titli Udi did not even make it to the official nominee list, and ultimately did not win the award. This surprising outcome, in which a hugely popular song and performer were overlooked by the jury despite widespread public support, sparked some tough discussions within the industry. As a direct result, Filmfare introduced separate categories for Male and Female Playback Singers in 1968. Sharda created history and opened up more opportunities for all male and female singers.
The 1967 Filmfare Awards also proved to be controversial, particularly because the film Guide, despite leading with nine nominations and winning seven awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress, did not win in key music categories. S. D. Burman, the renowned music composer of Guide, was nominated for Best Music Director, and Lata Mangeshkar was nominated for Best Playback Singer for the song Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai, but both lost to the music duo Shankar Jaikishan and singer Mohammed Rafi for the song Baharon Phool Barsao from Suraj.
Thereafter, Sharda was nominated for 4 years in a row (1969–72) for best female playback singer and won her first Filmfare award in 1971 for the song Baat Zara Hai Aapas Ki in the film Jahan Pyar Miley.
Music: Shankar Jaikishan
Lyrics: Shailendra
Singer: Sharda Iyengar
*ing: Vyjayanthimala
Director: T. Prakash Rao
Film: Suraj (1966)