Chhaayaageet #65 - "The song is too fast. I can't shoot it."
The composer is in his recording studio. He is looking forward to recording a song today. The film producer is also there. The producer listens to a rehearsal and takes the composer aside.
"I don't like this song. I don't want it in the film", the producer shares.
The composer is aghast. This is one of his beautiful compositions. How could the producer just not like it? Is he saying this because the song is a late addition to the film? The film is almost completed.
"Come what may, I am going to record this song today. It is ok if you don't like it", the composer retorts back.
Matters escalate. Both sides dig in, not ready to give up. The composer asks the producer to leave. He goes ahead and records the song.
In the evening, the composer gets a phone call. It is the star hero of the film. He must have gotten word about the fracas. The hero is calling to find out what had happened.
"The film producer was not at any of the sittings. Today was the first time he heard the song. And he decided on a whim that he didn't want it", the composer presents his side of the story.
"I would like to hear this song", the hero replies. The hero has spent a lot of time in the composer's music room, dropping in after his shoots. But he had also missed the sitting and recording as he was extremely busy. He was at the peak of his popularity.
The composer plays a short portion of the song on the phone. The hero likes it. He decides to side with the composer. He places a call to the producer.
"I heard the song, and I think it should be in the film. If you don't want the song, then I will also drop out of the film". His words carry tremendous weight. How can he drop out? The film is almost completed.
Except for this song, which is a late addition. The producer relents.
A couple of days go by.
The composer's phone rings again. He can sense the star hero's anger coming across through the thin phone line. Now what happened?
The hero is in Calcutta. He is there for the shooting of another film. He has a packed schedule. And now he is asked if he could make time in Calcutta to shoot this song. He is not at all happy about it, being a stickler for discipline.
"The song is too fast. I can't shoot it", says the hero in his rich baritone.
The composer is confused. A few days back, the hero had liked the song. He had advocated it to the producer himself. And now he was complaining about it too? And it is not a mere complaint. The rich voice sounds even sharper when laced with the emotion of anger. He senses the star hero fuming on the other end of the line.
The composer is well aware of the star charisma. A lot of thoughts race through his mind. The hero can wave his wand and make whatever changes he wants to the film, including who works on the film. Is he just making an excuse because he doesn't have the time for the shooting?
The composer takes a deep breath, buying a few moments of silence, hoping the hero's anger cools down.
"If you have faith in me, you should film it", the composer replies calmly.
Rajesh Roshan composed the song Chookar mere mann ko for the film Yaarana (1981), produced by MA Nadiadwala, and directed by Rakesh Kumar. Kishore Kumar sang the beautiful lyrics of Anjaan.
Amitabh was at the peak of his popularity and was practically a one-man industry during that time. Rakesh Kumar had approached Amitabh for dates to sign him for this film, but was told there were none. Amitabh didn't have time to do this film. Rakesh Kumar got a glimpse of the calendar and saw that the time of 7-8am was free. He pleaded to Amitabh to give him that one hour every day, and that's how they started filming Yaarana.
While Amitabh angrily phoned Rajesh Roshan from Calcutta to say that the song was too fast, he went about it professionally and shot the song while he was in the city for another film. Rakesh Kumar filmed the fast song in slow motion which lends it a unique feel. Except for the opening lines, the rest of the song plays in the background.
One other interesting aspect of Yaarana is that it has no female songs or even a duet. All songs are sung by Kishore Kumar, except one by Mohammad Rafi.
Chookar mere mann ko has withstood the test of time as one of the most romantic numbers in Hindi cinema, beautifully composed by Rajesh Roshan, and softly sung by Kishore Kumar.
The mukhda of the song is inspired by Rabindra sangeet. The original Bangla song, sung in an informal setting by Hemant Kumar is below. The rest of Chookar mere mann ko is Rajesh Roshan's original composition.
Music: Rajesh Roshan
Lyrics: Anjaan
Singer: Kishore Kumar
*ing: Amitabh Bachchan, Neetu Singh
Director: Rakesh Kumar
Producer: MA Nadiadwala
Film: Yaarana (1981)