Chhaayaageet #52 - "Would you mind giving up your seat for her?"
It's a lifeless afternoon. Things are slow. There's no inspiration, no momentum. It feels like you have to just get through the day, somehow, and may be tomorrow will be different. At least one thing is certain. This day will end.
The lyricist and composer have spent the better part of the day trying to come up with words and tunes. Nothing is quite satisfying.
The lyricist is well established in cinema by now. He has a strong command over many languages, French, Farsi, English, Hindi, Urdu. He is also well read and can quote Ghalib, Shakespeare, Voltaire and Kalidas from memory. He would get inspiration from these great thinkers and writers. But some days, like today, one has to dig deep, and the well just runs dry.
The music composer is very talented but struggling to find his place. He's gotten his start in some Sindhi films, and has only a few Hindi films to his credit. Filmmakers think of him when it's a low budget film, what the industry terms as B- or C-grade, and all the established composers are out of the price range.
So it's an unusual combination, this composer and that lyricist. They are friends. One is struggling, and the other knows what it means to struggle.
They look at each other and decide to call it a day. Inspiration might strike tomorrow.
They walk out of the sitting room to the BEST bus stop. None is quite in the mood for a conversation. Their minds are still in the studio, each thinking about the song that is yet to be done.
They board the next bus that arrives and find two seats adjacent to each other. The lyricist sits at the window. Any inspiration outside?
A few stops later, a beautiful woman boards the bus. There is no empty seat. She looks around and walks over towards their seat. Looks like she'll have to stand.
The lyricist nudges the composer, "Would you mind giving up your seat for her?"
Really? It's a long journey. It's been a long day already. But the composer doesn't argue. After all, chivalry is a thing. He gets up and offers his seat to the beautiful woman.
And the lyricist starts scribbling in Urdu on the back of the bus ticket. They get down at the composer's bus stop, and finish the song at his house.
Indeevar wrote the beautiful lyrics of this song, arguably one of Hindi cinema's finest ghazals, and C Arjun composed music for the film Punarmilan (1964). The song is filmed on Jagdeep and Ameeta. Jagdeep started as a child artist, then got a break as a leading man, and then transitioned to comedy.
The song is sung by the great Rafi saab. During the recording of the song, C Arjun was unhappy with how the song started. He approached Rafi saab and said, "Rafi saab, something is missing. I don't like the beginning." Rafi saab came up with the humming and the alaap at the beginning on the spot. This enhances the beauty of the song.
When Rafi saab came to know that this song was to be filmed on Jagdeep, he refused to take his remuneration. He had seen and admired Jagdeep as a child artist. That image of Jagdeep was stuck in his brain, and Rafi saab did not think it appropriate to take money. He also knew that C Arjun was a struggling composer.
C Arjun found the biggest success of his career in 1975 with the song Main to aarti utarun re Santoshi Mata ki from the movie Jai Santoshi Maa. This song became very popular even in the midst of blockbuster films of 1975 like Aandhi, Sholay, Deewar and others. Unfortunately, C Arjun passed away in 1992 after suffering a heart attack in a recording studio.
Indeevar saab wrote beautiful poetry in Urdu and Hindi. He held his own as a leading lyricist in cinema along with the likes of Shailendra, Majrooh saab and Hasrat Jaipuri. There are many popular songs to Indeevar's credit including Neele neele ambar par, Chandan sa badan and all songs of Saraswati Chandra, Jeevan se bhari teri aankhen, Zindagi ka safar, and many more. He won the Filmfare for Best Lyrics for Dil aisa kisine mera toda from Amanush. He reinvented himself with the times, writing lyrics for popular songs like Aap jaisa koi and Laila mein Laila from Qurbani, and Boom Boom for Nazia Hassan's album, Star.
The trio of Indeevar saab, C Arjun, and Rafi saab combined to create one of Hindi cinema's most enduring ghazals, Paas baitho.
Lyrics: Indeevar
Music: C Arjun
Singer: Mohammad Rafi
*ing: Jagdeep, Ameeta
Film: Punarmilan (1964)