Chhaayaageet #42 - "We are going to leave Bombay for 10-15 days, so that I don't have to sing this song."
The music composers explain the situation in the film to the singer.
"You are to sing for the hero. There is a jugalbandi [contest] in classical music. You have to defeat the other singer." That's the brief.
"Ok no problem, I will defeat the other singer. Who is the other singer?" The singer responds casually and in a little bit of jest.
The composers tell him the name of the other singer. It is his first time singing playback in a film.
Upon hearing the name of the other singer, our singer's jaw drops. He is aghast.
He replies, "You want me to sing with him, compete with him, and defeat him too? I can't do this. I am going home now. I will talk with you tomorrow."
The singer comes home. He asks his wife to pack their bags.
"We are going to leave Bombay for 10-15 days, so that I don't have to sing this song. Nobody should know where we are. They will find someone else to sing it."
The wife gets the full picture. Their marriage is just shy of three years, however, she scolds her singer husband.
"Shame on you. What are you talking about? Why don't you see that this is just a movie, it's a made up situation. You are singing for the hero. The other singer, no matter who he is, has to lose. Perhaps the music composers will ask the other singer to sing a little less so that the hero can win."
"You don't understand", the singer protests. "When this other singer sits to sing, his presence is like a lion."
The wife would have none of it. She is staying put and not leaving Bombay. The singer returns back to the music composers. The other singer is also present.
"Sir, I am not sure. How can I sing classical with such a veteran Hindustani classical singer as you?"
The other singer provides some reassurance, "Why not? You are a good classical singer. I have heard your singing. We can both do riyaaz [practice] together."
Many hours of practice sessions later, they are ready for the recording. The singer is still nervous.
"Sir, please excuse me if I falter here or there."
The maestro simply pats the singer on the back, "Don't worry, you will be fine."
After the recording, the maestro mischievously teases the singer, "See, I lost. You won."
The singer is embarrassed further, "What won? I was made to win as they made me sing for the hero."
The singer reflects on the experience of singing with the maestro.
"I tried to copy his style. He used to go up step-by-step on a high pitch. When he used to come down, I used to think he would now catch the opening lines. But he used to go up again. How does he do that? I could not understand. I think this is God's gift. Nobody can do that. I tried a lot to imitate him. He used to say you too can sing this way. But how can one?"
In fact, upon knowing that there had to be a classical contest in the film, Shankar Jaikishan approached Pandit Bhimsen Joshi ji and said, "Classical ka humko kuch samajh mein nahin aata hai. Ye jugalbandi jaisa ek gaana karna hai. Woh tum aur Ram Narayan dono milke karo." We don't know much about classical music. There is a song in the form of a jugalbandi. We request you and Ram Narayan to compose the music for this song.
Pandit Ram Narayan played the bowed instrument sarangi, and popularized it as a solo concert instrument in Hindustani classical music. He became the first internationally successful sarangi player. He moved to Bombay in 1949 to work independently in film music and recording. He played and composed songs for films including Adalat, Gunga Jumna, Kashmir Ki Kali, Madhumati, Milan, Mughal-e-Azam and Noorjehan. He was a desired choice of film music composer O. P. Nayyar. Pandit Ram Narayan received the national awards Padma Shri in 1976, Padma Bhushan in 1991, and Padma Vibhushan in 2005.
Manna Dey credits Shankar Jaikishan for giving his film music career a boost from his early years of struggle. Manna Dey's wife was Sulochana Kumaran, who hailed from Kannur, Kerala.
Singers: Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Manna Dey
Music: Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Ram Narayan, Shankar Jaikishan
*ing: Bharat Bhushan
Director: Raja Nawathe
Film: Basant Bahar (1956)