Chhaayaageet #281 - "Main toh director aur producer ke beech mein phas gaya hoon."
I am stuck between the director and the producer.
It is a beautiful morning in Bandra. The singer has recently bought a flat near Otter’s Club on Carter Road. Just a stone’s throw away lives his neighbor, a famous director who loves spending his mornings gardening. They have both spent a lot of time together in the film industry. Almost like family members.
Like clockwork, every single morning, the singer steps out onto his balcony with shaving cream lathered all over his face. He loves to shave while watching what else is happening outside of his flat. He peers over the railing to see if his neighbor is out there, busy watering his plants. A quick hello, followed by other pleasantries, has become a daily routine.
But today is different. The singer does not look his usual cheerful self. He is such a jovial character. You can hear his gimmicks and laughter from a mile. But today is definitely different. He looks frustrated, pacing back and forth on the balcony.
The neighbor looks up from his plants and notices the difference. He knows something is not right and decides to check in. That’s what good neighbors do.
“Kya baat hai, babu? Aaj subah-subah chehra utra hua hai?” “What is the matter, babu? Your face looks so down this early in the morning?”
The singer sighs heavily as he strikes the shaving blade across his cheek.
“Kya bataoon! Aaj ka schedule bahut bhaari hai. Main toh director aur producer ke beech mein phas gaya hoon. Dono meri jaan nikal rahe hain!” “What do I tell you, my friend! Today’s schedule is incredibly heavy. I am stuck between the director and the producer. Both are driving me crazy!”
The neighbor, being a director himself, feels a sudden urge to help. He knows how tricky these industry conflicts can get. He puts down his watering can and looks up.
“Acha? Aisa kya ho gaya? Mujhe batao, shaayad main kuch madad kar sakoon.” “Really? What happened? Tell me, maybe I can help you out.”
The singer throws his hands up in the air.
“Director chahta hai ki gaane mein ek bada dream sequence ho, jisme dher saare dancers ho. Lekin producer kehta hai ki uske paas bilkul budget nahi hai!” “The director wants a massive dream sequence in the song with lots of dancers. But the producer says he has absolutely no budget for it!”
The neighbor nods sympathetically. Having spent years in the industry, he completely understands the dilemma. But he also has plenty of connections. He figures he can step in, talk some sense into both the producer and the director, and find a middle ground.
“Tum chinta mat karo. Meri kaafi logon se jaan pehchan hai. Main us director aur producer se baat karta hoon aur unhe samjhata hoon. Waise, kaun hai director?” “Don’t worry. I know a lot of people. I will talk to this producer and director and talk some sense into them. By the way, who is the director?”
The singer looks down from his balcony and points a finger straight at his own chest.
“Director toh main hi hoon!” “I am the director!”
The neighbor blinks, completely confused. He stares up at the singer with a look. The same look where you realize the other person has lost their mind. He still wants to complete his previous question.
“Achha... toh phir producer kaun hai?” “Okay... then who is the producer?”
The singer smiles bashfully and shrugs.
“Producer bhi main hi hoon!” “I am also the producer!”
Kishore Kumar’s genius was responsible for the song Aa Chal Ke Tujhe as well as the rest of the film Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein. Instead of relying on a big production team, Kishore Kumar ran the entire show himself. He wrote the lyrics for this particular song, composed the timeless melodies, sang the tracks, acted on screen, directed the cameras, and funded the project as its producer. In the song, he is portrayed as singing this to his son, who was played by Amit Kumar, his actual son. The rest of the song lyrics were provided by Shailendra.
Kishore Kumar had a flat next to Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s bungalow on Carter Road in Bandra. Outside of work, they would stay in touch as neighbors, especially in the morning when Kishore Kumar was shaving in his balcony, and Hrishikesh Mukherjee was downstairs tending to his plants.
Kishore Kumar made Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein to prove he was more than just a comedian. To create this story about a father and his mute son, he drew heavy inspiration from Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece Pather Panchali and the 1958 Hollywood Western The Proud Rebel. This artistic drive pushed him to create a film that was deeply personal and defied the funny image that the industry had of him.
To keep production expenses low, Kishore Kumar took on almost all the major responsibilities himself, including directing, producing, acting, and composing. This financial approach led to an interesting incident with the legendary lyricist Shailendra, who was originally hired to write all the film’s songs. When the cash-strapped Kishore Kumar could no longer afford to pay Shailendra’s fees, he ended up writing and composing the masterpiece Aa Chal Ke Tujhe himself. Shailendra, on hearing this, got angry that perhaps Kishore Kumar had hired a second songwriter, but on knowing why that was done, he calmed down. Kishore Kumar ensured that only Shailendra’s name appeared under the lyrics without any reference to himself when the credits were rolled.
Despite receiving massive critical acclaim, Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein was never nominated for an award. The real twist came two years later. In 1966, the film was remade in Tamil as Ramu (starring Gemini Ganesan). The remake was a massive box-office hit and went on to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil as well as the Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Film.
This is Kishore Kumar singing the song live at a concert in Los Angeles.
Composer: Kishore Kumar
Lyricist: Shailendra, Kishore Kumar
Singer: Kishore Kumar
*ing: Kishore Kumar, Amit Kumar
Director: Kishore Kumar
Producer: Kishore Kumar
Film: Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein (1964)