Chhaayaageet #245 - “Aap logon ko shaayad pata nahin, iss film ka hero bhi main hi hoon”
Perhaps you all don’t know this, but I am also the hero of this film
The air inside the recording studio is thick with anticipation. The composer sits behind the glass window, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the console. The male singer is cracking jokes with the musicians and the female singer. Everyone bursts into laughter. The female singer smiles, her nervousness melting away. She is trying hard not to laugh. Too much strain on the throat is not good right before the recording. The composer is used to his pranks by now. He shakes his head but can’t help smiling.
“All right, ready?” the sound engineer calls out. That cue means that the recording is ready to begin. The red light above the studio door flickers on. Silence falls.
The opening music begins. It is full of the composer’s unmistakable rhythm. His compositions are built on clean, periodic beats, often sounding like the gallop of horses. The male and female singers exchange a glance, indicating their readiness.
Their voices play out in perfect harmony, delivering a great duet. The male singer keeps swinging his body around, feeling the beat. The female singer follows him to an extent but keeps her emotions in check. These are virtues of an Indian woman, especially for someone who is in the limelight. They are completely in sync. He stops, she begins. She stops, he begins. All is fine until it is not.
She is engrossed in herself and gets carried away. She sings her line a bit too early. She realizes what she has done and freezes right there.
“Kya kar diya maine…” What have I done… she whispers under her breath.
Panic flashes across her face. She looks toward the male singer, terrified that the entire recording is ruined. But he is calm as ever. Smiling back at her. He gestures for her to relax. Without missing a beat, he keeps singing, and she joins back in, her voice steady once again.
Soon, the final antara ends and the music stops. There is a moment of silence. The recording room opens, and both singers step out.
They both walk over to the composer. The female singer’s expressions are apologetic.
“Mujhse galti ho gayi… main dobara gaungi,” I made a mistake… I’ll sing again, she says softly.
The composer sighs, checking his watch. The studio time is almost over. Re-recording means calling everyone back, the musicians, the technicians, the engineers. And of course the singers.
Before anyone can say more, the male singer grins.
“Arey, suno ek idea hai!” Hey, listen, I have an idea!
The composer raises an eyebrow. He is ready for anything that will get them out of this situation. “Kya idea hai, batao?” What is your idea, tell us?
“Aap logon ko shaayad pata nahin, iss film ka hero bhi main hi hoon,” Perhaps you all don’t know this, but I am also the hero of this film, he says proudly.
“Jab yeh scene shoot hoga, uss jagah par main heroine ke muh par haath rakh doonga. Aise lagega jaise woh gaane mein sharmakar chup ho gayi hai.” When they shoot this scene, at that spot, I’ll put my hand over the heroine’s mouth. It’ll look like she stopped singing out of shyness.
There’s a pause. Both the composer and the female singer cannot believe what they just heard. They look at each other with convincing looks.
The composer pats the male singer on the back. “Tumhara jawaab nahin.” You’re incredible.
The tension melts away. The recording is saved, and what seemed like a crisis turns into laughter
Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle sang the song Piya Piya Piya Mera Jiya Pukare in the film Baap Re Baap. The music was composed by OP Nayyar, the lyrics were written by Jan Nisar Akhtar, and the song was picturized on Kishore Kumar himself and Chand Usmani.
In 1955, Kishore Kumar was a film hero first and a singer second. He had been acting since the early 1950s, often in light comedies or romantic musicals, and singing primarily for himself. His distinct, yodeling singing style was just starting to attract attention, but he was not yet the playback powerhouse he became later in the 1960s and 1970s. Asha Bhosle was still emerging as a female playback singer. She had been recording for a few years but was very much in the shadow of her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar. She was still trying to find her own identity, which differentiated her from her sister.
OP Nayyar provided the ideal platform for both of them with his composition. He was on the rise but not yet at his absolute peak. He had recently done hits such as Aar Paar and Mr & Mrs ’55, both for Guru Dutt. His signature style was taking shape, which included the tanga beat (horse-carriage rhythm) and a nice blend of Indian and Western music.
Kishore Kumar, to his credit, helped recover from the mistake that Asha made during the recording of the song. If you watch the video of the song, you can see that he puts his hand over the mouth of the heroine when the out-of-place voice of Asha comes up. It looks very natural to the audience. Just shows how talented he was, even in front of the camera. This can be seen at 2:09 in the video above.
Music: OP Nayyar
Lyrics: Jan Nisar Akhtar
Singers: Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle
*ing: Kishore Kumar, Chand Usmani
Director: AR Kardar
Film: Baap Re Baap (1955)