Chhaayaageet #58 - “When I am saying, I don’t want to sing, why are you forcing me?"
The filmmaker and composer are deep in discussions. The situation demands a classical song. This time, it won’t do with a few classical elements sprinkled here and there. Both are convinced, this is hard-core classical. The filmmaker is pacing up and down with a cigarette in his hand. He flicks his thumb to get rid of the ash, “Who is this era’s Tansen?”
“If you want someone of that caliber, then there is only one person. But there is a problem. He will not sing in films.” The composer tries his best to finish this conversation since it will go nowhere. The filmmaker is not ready to give up. “Well, make an appointment with him and we both will go and talk to him.”
Grudgingly the composer agrees and books time with the classical singer. They both arrive at his residence.
“Oh, good to see you. What brings you here.” The classical singer knows the composer well from the music circles. “There is something very interesting we want to talk to you about. There is this movie we are working on. We are very confident there won’t be another movie like this ever again. We want you to sing one of the songs which we feel only you can do justice.”
“I don’t sing in films. If there is a music festival or a private concert, I can sing there.” The singer feels he has made his point clear about not singing in films.
The filmmaker is standing there listening to this conversation. He takes another deep drag of his cigarette. “I don’t care. You will be singing this song.”
“Who is this guy?” The singer is a bit irked as he asks the composer. “Sorry, I forgot to introduce him. He is the director of the movie.” This is very unsettling for the singer. “When I am saying, I don’t want to sing, why are you forcing me?”
The filmmaker again takes a deep puff, “You are going to sing this song. Name your price.”
The singer pulls the composer to another room. “How do I get out of this? Should I say something nasty to him so he goes away?” The composer folds his hands. “Please don’t do that since I will lose an opportunity to compose a song for a singer like you.” The singer is thinking about what else to do. “What if I ask him for a big amount that he can’t afford?” The composer agrees with this option. There is still a chance.
They both come back to the filmmaker. “Ok, I will sing but I want 25 thousand rupees for this song.” The singer is quite confident this will stop the drama. The best playback singer during that time did not make more than five hundred rupees for a song.
“That’s all you want. You are priceless. Done! Here is ten thousand rupees advance.” The filmmaker hands the money and leaves his house.
Fast forward to the recording day.
The composer and singer have been rehearsing for the past few days. They both feel good about how the composition and the song have come together. The filmmaker can’t wait to hear it.
The singer starts. It is a classical song in raag Sohni and the singer is completely in his zone. His voice is resonating across the studio and everyone around him is in complete awe. There is a reason he is called the Tansen of that era.
The filmmaker does not look impressed. Something is bothering him.
He pulls the Composer aside. “Why is he singing so loudly? He needs to soften his tone. Explain to him the actual scene.”
The scene has no dialogs. It’s past midnight. The hero and heroine are enjoying each other’s company and flirtatiously teasing each other. The camera has never come that close to both of them or for that matter anyone else until now. They are setting a new bar when it comes to shooting closeups. In the background, this song has to play softly. Everything is hanging in a delicate balance of romance, emotions, closeups, and soft classical music. The entire experience is possibly the most romantic song ever shot.
The composer has a word with the singer but he is not convinced. “Bring the film. I want to watch it.”
The scene has already been shot. Somebody is sent to go and fetch the film tapes. A projection is set up in the recording studio. The tape starts rolling.
The singer is blown away. The heroine’s beauty, the closeups, angle of the camera as it comes close and then moves out is all so harmonious with the song playing inside the singer’s head.
“Yes, I got it. Keep the film running while I record the song.”
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sang Prem Jogan Ban Ke for the movie Mughal-e-Azam. The music was composed by Naushad and the film was directed by K. Asif. Both K. Asif and Naushad were looking for a unique classical voice that could do justice for providing playback for Tansen while Dilip Kumar and Madhubala were in a close-up romantic scene playing the roles of Shehzaada Salim and Anaarkali. Bade Ghulam Ali Khan voiced this song while actually watching the scene. He modulated his tone high or low based on how close the camera was to the actors.
Mughal-e-Azam cost more to produce than any previous Indian motion picture. In fact, the budget for a single song sequence exceeded that for a typical film of the period. The soundtrack, inspired by Indian classical and folk music, is comprised of 12 songs voiced by Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Shamshad Begum, and classical singer Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and is often cited among the finest in Bollywood cinematic history.
This was K. Asif’s second movie as a director. He initially planned to make this move in 1944 but had to shelve it due to the death of the lead male actor. It took 12 years to complete the movie and was released finally in 1960. It broke box office records in India and became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, a distinction it held for 15 years.
Mughal-e-Azam was the first black-and-white Hindi film to be digitally colored and the first in any language to be given a theatrical re-release. The color version, released in 2004, was also a commercial success. At the 1961 National Film Awards, Mughal-e-Azam won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. In the 1961 Filmfare Awards, Mughal-e-Azam was nominated in seven categories: Best Film, Best Director (Asif), Best Actress (Madhubala), Best Playback Singer (Lata Mangeshkar), Best Music (Naushad), Best Cinematography (Mathur), and Best Dialogue (Aman, Wajahat Mirza, Kamaal Amrohi, and Ehsan Rizvi), winning the awards for Best Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Dialogue.
Singer: Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
Music: Naushad
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
*ing: Dilip Kumar, Madhubala
Director: K. Asif
Film: Mughal-e-Azam (1960)