Chhaayaageet #40 - "Yahan par ek gaana rakh dijiye."
The boy has barely seen the girl. Just a fleeting glimpse. But it's love at first sight, head over heels.
A script is being read in the composer's music room. Everybody is there - the filmmaker, script writers, music composer, lyricist. As the filmmaker narrates the seminal moment where the hero sees the heroine, the lyricist interrupts the reading with a suggestion.
"Yahan par ek gaana rakh dijiye."
Put in a song here.
“Arre yahan to abhi romance hi nahin shuru hua. Miley tak nahin ek doosre se. Ek jhalak dekhi hai bus ki khidki mein ladki ki. Abhi to usey naam bhi nahin malum, kaun hai kuch nahin jaanta woh.”
How can we have a song in here? There is no romance yet. They haven’t met. He has only seen a glimpse of her sitting at the window in a bus. He doesn’t even know her name, he knows nothing about her.
"Mujhe aisa lagta hai ki is situation mein bahut achha gaana ban sakta hai”, the lyricist insists.
I feel that in this situation we can have a beautiful song.
“Achha to chalo likh do. Agar achha hoga to le lenge bhai.”
Ok write it then. If it is good, then we will take it. The lyricist is thrown a challenge.
“Mein likh ke laata hoon. Kab meeting karni hai?”
Ok I will write it. When are we meeting?
“Budh ko chaar baje milte hain.”
Wednesday at 4pm.
It's Saturday today. Four days to write a song. The lyricist comes back home, and gets caught up in one thing or another, and duly forgets that he has committed to do an assignment.
Wednesday dawns and he realizes there is an appointment at 4pm.
He has nothing to show. Not even a blank piece of paper. How embarrassing?! He had insisted so much that there should be a song in this situation, took the challenge that he would write it, and now what? Nothing. He knows he will look very stupid in front of all of them. The whole purpose of this meeting today is to see what song the lyricist will have come up with.
As the car crosses Lido Cinema in Juhu, he thinks of an idea. Duly, he reaches the meeting place.
“Dekho bhai, maine bahot socha. Chaar din se yehi soch raha hoon. Aur ab mein is nateeje par pahuncha hoon ki bahot hi achha gaana ban sakta hai aisi cheez aa gayi mere paas. Woh aap sun lijiye. Agar pasand aayee to bataiye mein likh doonga.”
Look everyone, I have given this a lot of thought. Four days I have been thinking about this. And I have come to the conclusion that there can be a beautiful song here, I have thought of an idea. Listen to it, and if you like it, then I will write it.
He narrates the first line. It is the only line he has thought of. That is all he has. But that’s the idea.
“Iske baad similes aayengi, aisa laga waisa laga. Aap samajh rahe hain na?”
After that, there will be similes, like this and like that. Are you guys getting it?
“Haan idea to achha hai.”
Yes it is a good idea.
The lyricist is hoping they reject it, and he won’t have to write anything further. He shrugs when they say they like the idea.
“Ab ek kaam karo. Pehla antara yahin baith ke likh do.” Another challenge is thrown.
Now why don’t you write the first verse here and now itself?
The lyricist moves to a corner of the room and starts working on the song as the others continue to talk amongst themselves.
The composer joins him. The genius that the composer is, he pulls his harmonium and just starts playing the tune. Not even a minute to think about it. As the lyricist writes the words, he fits them into the tune.
“Ab doosra aur teesra antara bhi likh do.”
Now might as well write the second and third verses.
And just like that the song is ready. A few months later it's time to record the song.
The music composer instructs the singer, "Satrah tareekh ko Film Center aaja. Gaana record karenge.”
Come to Film Center on the 17th. We will record the song.
On the 17th of the month, the singer shows up in Film Center as confirmed. The music composer takes one look at the singer, eyeing him from top to bottom.
“Nahin nahin nahin aaj gaana record nahin karenge.”
No, no, no, we won’t record the song today. A sudden change of plans from the composer.
“Kya ho gaya sir? Ki holo?”
What happened? Hindi, Bangla all coming out at the same time in response to this surprising turn of events.
“Na na yaar, dekh tune dadhi nahin banaya. Muh pe pura dadhi rakha hai.”
You haven’t shaved. Your face is full of your beard.
“Gaana to hum gale se gayenge na? Dadhi se kya hai?”
I will sing from the throat. Why is the beard an issue?
“Nahin nahin woh tu samjhega nahin. Tere kapde bhi dhang ka nahin hai. Aisa karke nahin gayenge.”
You won’t understand. You are also not wearing decent clothes. We can’t sing like this.
The singer feels sad, disappointed. Came here to record a song today and it's not happening. Is he being replaced?
The composer tries to make the singer understand. “Dekh mein dub karke rakhta hoon mere voice mein. Tu baad mein aake dub kar. Gaana tu hi gayega.”
Look, I’ll dub this in my voice. You come and dub later. You will only sing this song.
The singer is asked to come back on a new date. As the new date rolls around, the singer makes sure to get a clean shave, wears nice good looking clothes, and shows up at the recording studio. The composer eyes him again, from top to bottom.
“Arre, aaj kaisa lag raha hai dekh.”
Nice, now see how you are looking.
“Dada, aisa kyun kiya aapne? Kya ho gaya tha us din mere ko batana padega.”
Dada, why did you do that? What happened that day? You have to explain it to me.
“Dekh Kumar. Yeh jo gaana hai na, yeh gaane ko hum do mahine se bana rahe hain. Sab milke sitting kar rahe hain. Do mahine se gaane mein ye change karke, woh change karke, gaane mein kaise beauty laya jaye. To mere dimaag mein ek khoobsurat sa hero aur ek khoobsurat sa heroine baitha hua hai. Ye gaana mera bahot challenge wala gaana hai.”
For the last two months we are sitting to compose this song, the lyricist, filmmaker, myself, trying to make changes, find ways to beautify this song. I have a good looking hero and a beautiful heroine set in my mind. It has been a very challenging song.
“Gaana to bahot challenge ka hai. Jis din market pe aaya dekhna hulchul hoga.” The singer acknowledges.
Indeed it is a challenging song. The moment it gets released, people are going to go crazy for it.
“Woh hi to mein chahta hoon. Mere dimag mein baitha hai ki khoobsurat hero heroine hai, aur khoobsurat hero heroine gayenge is gaane ko. To us din tere ko dekh ke hi mere dimag se saara cheez nikal gaya. Aisa halat mein koi mera gaana gayega woh mere ko adjust nahin hua.”
I have this vision of a beautiful hero heroine singing this song. That day I saw you and this beautiful vision disappeared from my mind. I could not adjust to your looks and how you were going to sing my song.
1942: A Love Story, released in 1994, was produced and directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It was the first film to release with Dolby Stereo Sound.
Javed Akhtar wrote the lyrics and RD Burman composed music. The music was widely acclaimed, however, unfortunately, RD Burman was not alive to see the appreciation for his compositions. At the film's launch party, the music of the film was not released. This left RD very disappointed. He passed soon after in January 1994. The album was released after his death and the film was released in April 1994.
The 1980s weren't kind to RD Burman. Most films were about revenge and filmmakers preferred new music directors. Vidhu Vinod Chopra recollected that HMV told him that if he were to sign RD Burman for 1942, that they would not pay. Thankfully, Chopra went ahead with RD anyway.
The filming of all songs in the film was under the direction of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who was assistant director on this film, and Farah Khan did the choreography.
Madhuri Dixit was the first choice to play the female lead, with Manisha Koirala playing the role of her sister. However, when Madhuri had scheduling challenges, the sister's role was scrapped and Manisha Koirala came into the lead role.
RD Burman won his third and final Filmfare award for Best Music Director for this film. Kumar Sanu won his fifth consecutive Filmfare for Best Male Playback Singer, and Kavita Krishnamurthy won Best Female Playback Singer. Javed Akhtar won Best Lyricist for this song. The film won 9 Filmfare awards out of the 13 that it was nominated for.
Javed Akhtar was asked why this song is so popular, and about his motivation for writing the song the way he did, in similes and metaphors. Listen to his 5 minute interview. It is a wonderful perspective. How do you describe any emotion in its totality? You can't.
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Music: RD Burman
Singer: Kumar Sanu
*ing: Anil Kapoor, Manisha Koirala
Song Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Choreographer: Farah Khan
Director & Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Film: 1942: A Love Story (1994)