Chhaayaageet #41 - "Ab aapko issi shayari pe apna kamaal dikhaana hai."
A new film is to go on the floors. The filmmaker has a specific music composer in mind, one of the leading musicians of the day. The filmmaker and lyricist meet the composer for story narration.
The composer is not impressed. He digs deep to find enthusiasm for this story, but he just can't. He refuses the film.
"What music can I compose for a blind character?" He cannot imagine anyone liking this.
The lyricist is disappointed to hear this. He has written some beautiful songs, pouring his heart into them. He shares his disappointment with a friend.
The friend has heard of two new young composers in the industry. They used to play in the orchestras of other composers, have also done the work of music arrangers, but have recently decided to compose their own music. They've been doing well. Why not try them?
The lyricist seeks the opinion of the lead singer. Has he heard of these two fellows? What does he think of them?
The singer, too, throws his weight behind them. "You can definitely trust them to come up with good music."
The two musicians make an interesting pair. One of them grew up in the slums of Vile Parle and learned to play the mandolin and the violin at the age of 10. The other was fortunate enough to be born as the son of a musician and learned to play the violin at the age of 12. They both ended up playing in the ensemble of some famous composers. Given they were young and not as tall, they had to stand on a chair to play so the composer could see them.
Sometimes after recording, the musicians would go to the nearby playground to play cricket and that's where both of them connected well and became good friends. They had a lot in common - poor financial background, similar age and an insatiable drive to learn and play great music.
The lyricist and filmmaker decide to call them to the studio and listen to their tunes. They are quite impressed with what they hear, and feel confident these guys can create the kind of music they want for their film. The duo is signed.
Its time to record the first song. The lyricist goes through his lines.
One of the composers has trouble with the words and can't put his composition pulse on it. No tune makes sense. Its frustrating! He voices his challenge.
"This song, these words, they sound a bit weird. I am at a loss to think of a melody for these words. Can we think of changing this song? Possibly look for some alternate words or different lines? Is this song really that important?"
Two rookie composers telling a renowned lyricist his words are weird? The lyricist doesn't take offense. He can sense their immaturity. Immaturity and arrogance that comes from early success are a heady cocktail. He has seen it before.
He throws them a challenge, while stroking their ego.
"Yehi to iss geet ki shayari ka kamaal hai. Aur ab aapko issi shayari pe apna kamaal dikhaana hai."
This is the greatness of poetry in the song. Now you have to show your greatness in your composition.
That is enough to make them dissolve their ego. What follows next is an unbelievable composition that withstands the test of time.
This song Chahunga Mein Tujhe Saanjh Saware was composed by Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma. Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote the lyrics and it was sung by Mohammed Rafi in the film Dosti. All the songs of Dosti were massively popular and are still cherished by LP and Rafi fans. These included Mera To Jo Bhi Kadam Hai, Koi Jab Rah Na Paaye, Raahi Manwa Dukh Ki Chinta and Jaanewaalo Zara Mud Ke Dekho Mujhe. There was one song by Lata - Gudiya Humse Roothi Rahogi.
Dosti was produced by Tarachand Barjatya and directed by Satyen Bose. It was Rajashree Films' second film. Imagine a black & white film. No media publicity. No Hero. No Heroine. No Villain. The main characters are a blind and a crippled guy. It was considered a super hit movie that grossed over 2 crores back in 1964.
It got nominated for seven Filmfares and won six of them. Mohammad Rafi won the Best Singer award and Majrooh Sultanpuri won Best Lyrics award for this song. Laxmikant Pyarelal won Best Music for Dosti, beating out Madan Mohan for Woh Kaun Thi, and Shankar Jaikishan for Sangam.
Music director Roshan backed out of the film when he heard the story from Tarachand Barjatya. At a time when a movie with a blind and a crippled guy was not exactly box office material, LP decided to take the challenge and provided a masterpiece for years to come.
Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Singer: Mohammed Rafi
*ing: Sudhir Kumar Sawant
Director: Satyen Bose
Producer: Tarachand Barjatya
Film: Dosti (1964)