Chhaayaageet #260 - “Ek kaam karte hain. Mein pichli recording se woh labz nikaal kar iss mein daal doonga.”
Let’s do one thing. I can take the word from the previous recording and merge it with this one.
The sun is setting over the hills near the Chamba valley in Himachal as the filmmaker finishes shooting a beautiful sequence. He is using a recording of a soulful song as the lead actor’s cue. The shoot is a success, and the filmmaker is glowing with pride.
He immediately invites the lyricist to come and see the footage. They both worked very hard on these lyrics, even including the filmmaker’s favorite word for “beloved.” Very uncommon word.
“Dekhiye yeh scene kitna kamaal ka shoot hua hai,” the filmmaker says with a smile. Look at how wonderfully this scene has turned out.
The lyricist watches the screen and listens to the voice coming through the speakers. It’s his words after all. The filmmaker is expecting him to jump up in joy. But the lyricist’s expression is serious.
“Gaana achha hai, lekin ek bahut badi problem hai,” the lyricist remarks. The song is good, but there is a very big problem.
The filmmaker is surprised. “Kya problem hai?” What is the problem?
The lyricist points to the screen. “Sukhwinder Singh isi film mein ek doosre actor ke liye ga chuke hain. Agar woh yahan lead actor ke liye gayenge, toh audience confuse ho jayegi.” Sukhwinder Singh has already sung for another actor in this same film. If he sings for the lead actor here, the audience will get confused.
The filmmaker realizes the mistake. It is true. A singer’s voice is the identity of a character. He agrees that they need a change.
He reaches out to the composer and explains the situation.
“Humein koi doosri awaaz chahiye is gaane ke liye,” the filmmaker tells the composer. We need another voice for this song.
The composer understands. A few days later, he calls the filmmaker to the studio. He has recorded the song with several different singers to find the perfect match. The filmmaker listens to every version carefully. He likes the singers, but something is missing.
“Sab ne theek hi gaya hai. Aur mere pasandida labz mein woh mazaa nahi aa rahi,” the filmmaker says, feeling a bit disappointed. Everyone has sung ok. Also, that special feeling is missing in my favorite word.
The composer thinks for a moment. He has one last idea. “Mere paas ek aur singer hai. Woh classical music jaanta hai, lekin uski awaaz bahut naazuk hai.” I have one more singer. He knows classical music, but there is a lot of softness in his voice.
The composer brings in the new singer. He records the song one last time for the filmmaker.
When the filmmaker hears the new recording, his eyes light up. The new singer breathes life into the melody. “Iski awaaz to bahut roohani hai.” the filmmaker says happily. His voice is very divine.
The composer feels good about what he has been able to achieve. “Magar ek cheez hai.” But there is one thing. The filmmaker still has one question. “Ye singer bhi woh labz theek se keh nahin paaya.” Even this singer couldn’t get that word right.
The composer is technically astute. “Ek kaam karte hain. Mein pichli recording se woh labz nikaal kar iss mein daal doonga.” Let’s do one thing. I can take the word from the previous recording and merge it with this one. The filmmaker has no idea what the composer just said, but he is happy when he hears the final recording.
Hariharan and Sukhwinder Singh sang the song Nahi Saamne Tu in the film Taal. The song was written by Anand Bakshi and composed by AR Rahman. Taal was produced and directed by Subhash Ghai. The song was picturized on Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai.
Subhash Ghai and Anand Bakshi worked on the lyrics of the song, but Subhash Ghai was the one who proposed the word “Priyesi” to be sung in an alaap style in the song. AR Rahman recorded the song in Sukhwinder Singh’s voice, unaware that he just recorded Ramta Jogi for the same movie, but as a playback for Anil Kapoor. Anand Bakshi was aware of this and was very particular about the overall context in the film. When he found out, he told Subhash Ghai that this would not work and that they needed a different singer.
AR Rahman went back and tried 5-6 other singers and had them record the song with the Priyesi alaap. But none of them impressed Subhash Ghai. Finally, AR Rahman decided to use Hariharan since he was a classical singer with a soft voice. Subhash Ghai loved his tonal quality for the song, but nobody came close to Sukhwinder’s rendition of Priyesi. Rahman, being a technical composer, decided to splice Sukhwinder’s part from the previous recording and merge it with Hariharan’s version of the song.
Subhash Ghai has claimed publicly that Nahin Saaamne Tu is his favorite song ever. Taal did well at the Filmfare Awards. AR Rahman won Best Music Director, Anand Bakshi won Best Lyricist for Ishq Bina, and Sukhwinder Singh got nominated for Best Male Playback Singer for Ramta Jogi.
Here is Hariharan singing this song at a concert.
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Music: AR Rahman
Singers: Hariharan, Sukhwinder Singh
*ing: Akshaye Khanna, Aishwarya Rai
Producer/Director: Subhash Ghai
Film: Taal (1999)