Chhaayaageet #27 - "What is the heroine doing just before the song?"

The filmmaker has explained the entire situation to the poet.

It is a Muslim wedding. There is to be a qawwali and the lyrics need to be about congratulating the newly wed couple and give them blessings for their new life together. The filmmaker and the composer have a Pakistani artist in mind who would come to India to act and sing the qawwali in the film.

The poet understands the brief. In a couple of days the words are ready. The song is finalized. Everyone likes the song and is happy. Mission accomplished!

The words are in Urdu. Since the filmmaker doesn't know the language, he requests the poet to translate the song into English.

They are in one small room of the composer's recording studio. The poet is at a desk with his back to the filmmaker. It's a small working area.

A question pops into the poet's mind. He turns around and asks:

"Sir, what is the heroine doing during this song?"

"Nothing", offers the filmmaker.

"Nothing?", the poet is a bit confused.

"Yes. There is nothing for her to do. She has just come for her friend's marriage ceremony. The hero also happens to be there with his sister. And the hero and heroine see each other", the filmmaker clarifies.

"Sir, what is the heroine doing just before the song?", the poet continues to probe.

"Nothing. Her burqa gets lifted up and the hero sees her face. He is struck by her beauty. She also sees the hero. That's it", the filmmaker replies matter-of-factly.

"Sir, why don't we change this song? She is the heroine. We are establishing that there is some affiliation, some romantic tension between the hero and heroine. Instead of showing the Pakistani artist performing the qawwali, and the heroine just standing around, why don't we show the heroine singing the song?", the poet presents an idea.

The filmmaker is quiet, weighing the proposal. They are speaking with their backs to each other, just twisting their necks for a conversation. The poet continues:

"Let the heroine sing the song. And she will express her emotions about meeting the hero but the words will also match the bride's emotions about her new husband and her marriage. Let the heroine sing the song, Sir."

Suddenly the poet feels a loud pat on the back from the filmmaker standing behind his chair, wrapping him in a hug.

"What an idea! Will you write the song again?"

"Yes Sir. Give me tonight and I will come back in the morning with the song."

The poet immediately leaves the studio and returns back to his hotel room. The next day he comes back with the song.

The composer has caught wind of this change. He is not so sure. He had composed a Sufi qawwali and now this new development means that the structure of the song itself has changed. The heroine is surely not going to be singing a qawwali.

He comes up with a new composition. The maestro that he is, he still manages to retain a small piece of the qawwali as an interlude.

But he is not sure this song is going to work. Later, when he sees the heroine bring this song to life with her expressions, he is simply blown away.

Gumsum gumsum gupuchup
Gumsum gupuchup
Halchal halchal ho gayi teri
Honth hain kyun chup
Halchal halchal ho gayi teri
Baithi tu kyun chup

Pyare pyare chehre lekar de diya ishara
Dekha teri aankhon mein hai sapna koi pyara
Humse gori na tu sharma keh de humse zara
Humse gori na tu sharma keh de humse zara
Kehna hi kya ke nain ek anjaan se jo miley
Chalne lage mohabbat ke jaise ye silsile

Mehboob wrote this beautiful song for the Mani Ratnam film Bombay, music by AR Rahman. The song is sung by Chitra, a very well known, reputed and award winning South Indian singer.

Manisha Koirala portrays the expressions so sensitively. She has just run into the hero. She is lost, vulnerable, afraid of the consequences, yet there is an innate desire and curiosity to find out. Mani Ratnam has filmed this song masterfully. The hero never gets a glimpse of his love. Numerous obstacles come in his way. Rahman's music is mesmerizing, including the Sufi qawwali interlude, which adds to the texture of the song.

Chitra ji was sent a tape of the tune and Mehboob's words. AR had decided he will record the song at 6am the next morning. Bright and early. Not typical for him. But this song he wanted to record it first thing in the morning.

As they got down to work in the early hours of the morning, Chitra ji would write the song in English, seek to understand from Mehboob the meanings of the words and their pronunciations. Her Hindi was not fluent. She would ask Mehboob about the feelings that he had put into the words, so she could do justice to them. What thoughts had come to his mind when he wrote those specific words? Mehboob was struck by her humility to learn and discipline.

"Hum to lut gaye khade hi khade. What does it mean?"

By 6am AR Rahman's music arrangement was ready. Chitra ji went behind the mic and by 6:30am the song recording was completed.

The song became a massive hit. The Guardian acknowledged it in the list of 1000 songs everyone must hear.

Mehboob once attended a meeting of IPRS, Indian Performing Right Society. His idol and famous lyricist Anand Bakshi sahab was also at the meeting. Mehboob had never met him, and requested a friend to make the introduction. Bakshi sahab was standing in a corner sipping tea from a glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

"Bakshi sahab, this is Mehboob, he is a songwriter", the friend connected the dots.

Anand Bakshi replied:

"Hum to lut gaye khade hi khade. Kya miyan, kahan se likhi ye line? Wah."

Mehboob felt he was in heaven.

Lyrics: Mehboob
Music: AR Rahman
Singers: Chitra, AR Rahman
*ing: Manisha Koirala, Arvind Swami
Direction: Mani Ratnam
Film: Bombay (1995)