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For Bengalis who grew up with his music, RD's passing away marks the end of youth by Abhijit Dasgupta
A good thing about India is that it lives in it's music. And perhaps the best thing about us is that most if us die with our music too. A part of us died at 3.30 am on January 4; the music that we had lived for all these years passed into eternity at precisely that hour, with the death of Rahul Dev Burman.
We grew up with four persons: Sunil Gavaskar, Amitabh Bachchan, Kishore Kumar and Rahul Dev Burman. The decade aws the seventies. Innocence had still not taken a back seat: playing truant in schools was still great fun, queuing up outside Loretto was the highest form of pleasure and tuning into the radio early in the morning to hear Gavaskar walk off in a huff at Melbourne was still the source of final excitement. And, of course, waiting for Amitabh Bachchan. And Kishore Kumar. And Rahul Dev Burman. We simply did not have any time for Indira Gandhi.
For quite a few of us, Rahul or RD was the last word. And when he teamed up with Kishore, our joy knew no bounds. For my friends, Bachchan and Gavaskar were the leaders: the sneers were preserved for those who were still clutching on to the coat-tails of a former phenomenon called Rajesh Khanna. We waited patiently for the Pujas: not because of the gifts but for RD's special numbers with Kishore and Asha Bhonsle. Later, when all these songs found their way into hindi films, we used to compare notes. With rare exceptions, the concensus was that the puja numbers were vastly superior: the ever-present Bengali tradition of parochialism was mannest even at that early stage of youth.
Earlier, much earlier, there was the Lata number sung in Bengali to RD's music: Amar madhabilata. It was the mid-sixties and one of the first Bengali hits of the nightingale. Latabai may have sung countless Bengali hits after that: most of them under Salil Choudhury's baton, but for me, that remains her best Bengali song yet. Incidentally, perhaps because it still remains one of my most-loved RD favourites; the composer did not allow Bollywood to borrow it.
The other day, while listening to the Jaipur se delhi chale number from Gurudev, one of RD's last films. I was struck by the way he had incorporated srains of a famous Bengali Asha number of yesteryears: Mohuaye jomeche Not that the man had burnt out with nothing to offer. Both the Gurudev songs (the other one being: Aana re aana re) had climbed up the charts in Superhit Muqabla: obviously the man knew exactly what to take from where. Never being a Bappi Lahiri or Annu Malik on the way. The only song worth comparing would be Salil Choudhury's Madhumati number by Mukesh, Dil tadap tadap ke where one instrumental interlude is a deft lift from one of the composer's own Bengali numbers.
One reason RD never lived up to his promise(which, is a superficial perception )was because he gave great music to films which were doomed from the muharat. Has anyone heard the music of Trimurti, a Sanjay Khan starrer of the early seventies? Or perhaps Deven Verma's Bada Kabutar? Both the films sank without a trace: some of RD's best numbers went with them.
Typical of the man and unlike his contemporaries Laxmikant and Pyarelal (LP), RD gave his best for every film. But by then LP-his only rival, talentwise-had forged ahead, picking and choosing on the way.
An editor in Delhi had once grandly announced that LP was the best simply because they had been at the top for so long. And a lot of us had kept quiet then waiting for the Gurudev to happen.
Freud said that a man becomes an adult when his father dies. When Gavaskar took his last guard, when Kishore died, when Bachchan announced his retirement, the younger generation of Indians slowly lost it's youth. With RD's death, we have suddenly come of age.
Panchamda's favourites were the ones which he enjoyed composing and recording. Dum maro dum, Mere naina saawan bhadon, Mehbooba, popular numbers from Mere Jeevan Saathi, Aandhi, Kinara and Kati Patang were the creations he loved. He liked Shankar Jaikishan- Lata Mangeshkar combination, but found it difficult to choose between Lata, Asha Bhonsle and the lyricists he worked with. "If Latabai is Don Bradman of cricket, Ashabai is Gary Sobers. Majrooh in mood is at his best and Anand Bakshi when in his true element is superb," said Pancham diplomatically.
Rated as one of the most original composers, Pancham started his career with his father S.D. Burman in 1955 with Guru Dutt's Pyaasa and composed the famous song, Sar jo tera chakraye. In 1963, Pancham helped his father compose various mukhdas for the film Guide. Finally Pancham made his debut with Chhote Nawab in 1961.
In this endeavour to be different from his father Pancham was helped by Kersi Lord and Manohari Singh, India's leading saxophone player. Pancham popularised the brass element of the orchestra along with electric guitar resulting into some memorable numbers like Aaja aaja from Teesri Manzil, which is still a rage. Pancham wasn't very confident about the song as it had an unusual beat and approached Asha hesitantly. He knew Asha could do justice to it. "Pancham would be hesitant whenever he came up with a truly inspiring tune. He was shy, self-effacing and locked," Asha had observed.
When Asha heard it, especially the last portion O o aaaaja, oh oh aaaja, aaaaha she knew the song was going to be a trend-setter.
Recently he had expressed his desire to make a comeback. Ek dao aur marna hai (I want to make one more effort), he had said in his last interview. But unfortunately, by then it was too late. ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------
Source: Indian Express, Bombay Ed., January 16, 1994 Author: Seema Sinha
Came across an article written by Naushad ji on Pancham on his birthday carried out by noted Bengali film Magazine. Anandalok in their June 2003 issue. Very emotional in content & has very interesting views. Was going to Jamshedpur on an official work & one of the co-passenger was reading it. Took the Magazine from him & the brief text below is an representation which may not be line by line translation but a gist nevertheless of that article. After alighting in Tata even dragged the person in a photocopy shop & xeroxed it.
(Remembering Pancham: Pancham did not keep his Words (Excerpts) By Naushad ji
Pancham is one of the most gifted music director Hindi film has ever seen & he has presented us with array of compositions representing different moods for us to savour……..SD initially was quite worried about RD but I reassured him that that it's difficult to stop him from achieving superstardom b'cos of the rare talent he possess. From the very first film he showed his class. His ability to fuse Indian melody with western base & his terrific knowledge on Indian Classical & folk was unparalleled which inspired a whole generation then & MD's even today……Sometimes I fail to comprehend when I think what made the genius, who composed such innumerable lyrical compositions like 'Mere Naina Sawan' both in Hindi & Bengali, compose few cheap songs like "Monica my Darling", "Mehbooba Mehbooba" & "Duniya Main Logo Ka" …..I feel it's just a waste of his huge talent…….
A stage came in his career when he got caught in vicious cycle of failures & when I thought that with the kind of potential he has, would make a huge turnaround, he simply wilted under pressure… In my life also I have seen dark clouds of failure & rejection, life seem to be endless tunnel with no light at sight but I fought back & that's the reason I have reached the position I'm in now. But despite such great talent Pancham simply gave away…...
In 1989 he had undergone Bypass surgery & I thought that after such a major scare he would stay clear of all such things which took him to such a state. Even he promised to me that he will not touch wine after the operation. But he did not keep his words & again hit bottle to fight loneliness during that time…..A genius who ideally should have sailed in the Ocean of music & presented us with rare pearls of sur& taal instead immersed himself in the sea of wine....gradually pushing himself to the doorsteps of death. What a waste of potential & talent! Why Pancham, why did u do this?
A creative & a versatile genius who had lots of music left in him to again transform moribund music scenario of today's & I believe only he could given a new direction to hindi film music died suddenly.... and a flower wilted before its full blossom.
(Pancham u did not keep your words.) Copied and posted by Indranil Bhattacharya
He was a jet-set trend-setter. Naushad Ali, in his prime, was referred to as 'The Maestro with the Midas Touch'. I would likewise refer to Rahul Dev Burman as 'The Maestro with the Mod Touch'. "RD Was by far the stand-out talent among the younger line of composers, at all times innovative like me, at all times experimenting like me,'' says Salil Chowdhury. "In fact, I would go step further and rank him alongside all the top composers of my generation, such was his range and variety.'' Salil is never one given to sentiment, not even when he is speaking of a composing prodigy who is no more. Salil, in fact, has no great opinion of Naushad. But he does rate RD highly. Salil's point is that Naushad was, at all times, predictable, RD was not.
To each his own view. But RD's early passing should teach us vintagers a permanent lesson: Never to be dismissive of young talent. The Naushad-S.D. Burman generation consistently ran down R.D. Burman. Today, when so many of RD's tunes live on in the mind and heart after his death, the generation is constrained to revise its view. That is why I would not hesitate to pass instant value judgment on either Nadeem-Shravan or Anand-Milind. Copy they may, but was there any composer in his time who was accused of being more imitative than R.D. Burman? The point is, within the ambit of being imitative, you can be creative. You can bring your own stamp even to a tune whose base is borrowed. This RD consistently did. Much of his early work was considered inspired by foreign composers. Yet he stayed on to become an inspirational influence to the younger array of composers. So fresh-sounding was RD that you just could not believe he was on the scene for 33 years. RD, in his lifetime, could not even dream of the possibility of his death meriting an editorial in The Times of India. Even his illustrious father was not accorded this editorial distinction when SD discovered, on October 31, 1975, that somebody up there liked him even more than we mere mortals on earth did.
Dada Burman composed some of his best tunes for Bimal Roy's Devdas: Talat's Mitwa mitwa yeh kaise anbhuj aag re and Kis ko khabar thi kis ko yakeen tha, Lata's Ab aage teri marzi, O jaane wale ruk jaa koti dam, Jise tu kabul kar le, Geeta-Manna's Aan milo aan milo Shyam saanwre, Saajan ki ho gayi gori and, not the least, Mubarak Begam's Who no aayege palat ke and Rafi's Manzil ke chah main. When word spread that R.D. Burman was scoring the music for Gulzar's 'Devdas', the idea of his compositionally measuring up to his father was treated with withering contempt. But, today, can we be sure tht RD would not have done as good a job as SD on 'Devdas'? After all, RD had his roots in Ali Akbar.
Just think, would the Gulzar-RD teaming not rank as being as creative as any musical collaboration we have known in our films? Who but the Gulzar-R.D. Burman du could have got Lata-Kishore to articulate, as tellingly in 'Aandhi' as these two singers did, Tere bina zindagi se koyi shikwa to nahin, Is mod se jaate hain and Tum aa gaye ho noor aa gaya hai? Who but this team could have got Bhupinder to blend so sensitively with Lata in Beeti no beetayi raina ("Parichay"), Meethe bol bole bole paayaliya ("Kinara") and Naam gum jaayega chera yeh badal jayaega ("Kinara").
Lata's articulation of Meri awaaz hi pehchan hai gar yaad rahe has become the Gulzar-RD puchline by which her velvety vocals are treated by us now and forever. Much like Asha Bhonsle, in her profound grief, being left all to herself today in a Bharat Vyas-. Bulsara vein of jag ke liye, aaj rone do mujhe pal ek apne bhi liye. The Gulzar-RD combine, on Hema Malini in 'Khushboo', offered us a spot comparison of the best that could be drawn out of Asha and Lata alike on the same heroine: Bechare dil kya kare sawwan jale bhadon jale, on the one hand, do naina mein ansoo bhare hain nindiya kaise samaye, on the other.
I have studiedly touched on the softer side of RD, which was best represented in his case by Gulzar, to bring home Pancham's true intrinsic worth as a composer. As the pace-setter, RD was the trend-setter in the 70s. If the 90s found him confused and uncertain about what to give, it was because RD made the cardinal mistake of going public, in the film glossies, about the fact that 23 of his films had flopped in a row.
You do not do this in films, where a 24th film could prove a superhit and wipe out the memory of all earlier failure. As it turned out, that 24th film was 'Sunny', the film in which RD showed his class afresh the way he got Asha and Suresh Wadkar to vocalise the tandem: Aur kya ahd-e-wafa hote hain. But the resurrection came too late. RD had irretrievably damaged his cause with that '23 flops' acknowledgment. Look at Naushad, to this day he carries on as though nothing has happened.
But RD, he was incredibly naive for one who had hit the high spots. For one who had been a wave-maker, RD just did not know how to blow his own trumpet, he needed Bhupinder to do that for him! RD strangely had no comprehension of his own talent, no sense of achievement. Even his father did not settle for the 'Chalti ka Naam Gaadi' attitude that RD did. This, when RD was no less adept at scoring in every idiom, ranging from Kishore-Manna-Mehmood's ek chatur naar kar ke singar ('Padosan') to Asha's Mere kuchh saaman tumhare paas pada hai ('Ijaazat').
Asha aptly pinpointed RD's contrasting class when she named Mera kuch saaman tumhare paas pada hai ('Ijaazat') and O mere sona re sona re sona re ('Teesri Manzil') among her ten best of all time. Likewise, Kishore Kumar had accorded RD a rare honour when be picked not one but wo of his tunes among his all-time ten best: Chingari koti bhade (from 'Amar prem') and Mere naina saawan bhadon (from 'Mehbooba'). No doubt, Kishore Kumar was to RD what Mohammed Rafi was to OP. Yet there was no cause for RD to have sat paralysed for as long as he did when Kishore passed away. It was a body-blow, of course. But never in this industry must you give the impression that it is a death-blow. RD did exactly that on the passing away of Kishore.
With reason, you might say. After all, who but Kishore could have rendered for RD with such meaning and feeling, O mere di ke chain ('Mere Jeevan Sathi'), Kehna hai kehna hai khena hai aaj tume yeh pehli baat ('Padosan'), O maanjhi re ('Khushboo'), Musafir hoon yaaron ('Parichay'), Yeh jo mohabbat hai ('Kati Patang'), Raat kali ek khwab main aayee ('Buddha Mil Gaya'), Diye jalte hain ('Namak Haram'), Zingadi ke safar mein ('Aap Ki Kasam'), Meri bhigi bhigi si ('Anamika') and Kuchh to log kahenge ('Amar Prem') to mention just a fistful of tunes that lend teeth to the argument that RD it was who, even more than SD, switched the aural-oral allegiance of a whole new generation from Rafi to Kishore. RD had proved with 'Bhalika Badhu', in 1976 itself, that he had only to wok on son Amit Kumar to draw out of him the Kishore Kumar effect: Bade ache lagte hai, yeh dharti yeh nadiya hey raina aur tum. It would have needed very hard work on RD's part, no doubt, to get Amit going in Kishore's footsteps in the quicksands of filmdom. But he should have readied himself for this slog after having already scored with the same Amit Kumar in 'Love Story'. Yet Pancham just sat back, arguing Kishore was Kishore. This was true. But only upto a point in films, where a music director has to be something of a quick-change artist. I am not arguing against Kishore Kumar, only for Amit Kumar. RD's music had got so cast in the Kishore mould that, immediately, Pancham needed a prototype. And what better prototype than the son?
Of course, RD was unlucky that Kishore's passing was followed by the first signs of a sway, in the industry, away from Asha Bhonsle. None of the new singers were a patch on Asha. But a younger set of music directors wanted younger singers. The Bhappi Lahiri challenge had built up to a point where RD should more urgently have explored variety in the voices he employed, without really moving away from Asha Bhonsle. But here, too, RD was slow to react.
Once again I am not arguing against Asha Bhonsle, only for R.D. Burman and the spirit of youth he had represented when he made his big breakthrough with the same Asha through 'Jawani Diwani', 'Yadon Ki Baarat' and 'Khel Khel Main'. Asha, as the Mera naam hai shabnam - Piya tu ab too aa ja - Chura liya haim tume ne jo dil do - Sapna mera toot gaya girl had sex-symbolised the ethos of RD's music in the 70s. But the 80s was a new decade that called for new adjustments. RD, at one point, had overtaken the formidable team of Laxmikant-Pyarelal. But he let himself be beaten back by vastly inferior talents in the 80s, while Laxmikant-Pyarelal fought back like tigers. In retrospect, it can therefore be said that RD faltered at the crucial moment, LD didn't. And this is an industry in which you are only as successful as your last film. A record of 23 flops took some living down. RD buckled under the pressure.
All this cannot alter the fact that RD set a trend with Asha as he did with Kishore. No other composer would have dared to jettison Rafi the way RD did -- even Dada Burman was hesitant in making a switch here. But RD showed the way and others followed suit, courtesy Rajesh Khanna. Amitabh Bachchan, to beat Rajesh Khanna at his own game, had to take on his voice. Kishore thus became established as the Voice of Youth and it was RD who had set the course for this. RD's hold on electronics, his insights into Western notation, gave him a rare edge. But, minus Kishore, RD found his keen edge blunted. There was a generation change due in our film music. RD failed to see this change coming in 1987 as he had one in 1971. The cross commercialism of the neo-film industry also undid him. When Bhappi Lahiri started quoting less at one point, RD should have stuck to his price. He caved in. And paid the price.
But the price never did matter much to RD. This way, he was like Dada Burman, who was happy working only in his set-ups. RD always was a bit of a loner, comfortable only in his own selection company. He was unsuited to the totally groupy style in which the industry began to function in the 80s. As Gulzar too began to lose commercial clout, there was less and less opportunity for RD to make a different kind of music, which he loved to do. He needed Gulzar badly to balance his hula-hula stuff. The 'Ghar' style of Gulzar option, by which RD could come up with something like Aaj kal paaon zamin par nahin padte mere (Lata) and Aap ke aankhon mein kuch mehke huye se raas hai (Lata-Kishore), was no longer available to RD in the late 80s. RD's mod image as a youth composer also became a bar to his inevitable growth as a composer. When 'Shanarabharanam' was to be remade in Hindi, the point about who should compose for the film was referred to me. I suggested the name of R.D. Burman and then rang to ask Pancham whether he was game. "I would love to do the theme, be sure I'll surprise them with the purity of my classical score,'' RD said.
Yet his image was all wrong for the theme. There was no chance, I was told, of the distributors accepting the label, 'Music R.D. Burman', in a weighty remake of the scale of 'Shankarabharanam'. The remake finally went to Laxmikant-Pyarelal as 'Sur Sangam'. The K. Vishwanath film flopped in the face of a thematic enough score by LP. What kind of a score would RD have created? The same kind as he would have evoked for Gulzar's 'Devdas' vis-a-v9s S.D. Burman. But the RD image just did not classically jell.
It was this image that RD unsuccessfully fought in the later part of his career. As convener of the Sur-Singar Samsad Film Awards committee, i remember RD's Lata classic from 'Chandan Ka Palna', O Ganga maiya paar laga de, coming up for live consideration. But it was finally rejected, not on its own merit, but on the grounds that Sur-Singar's name would be in the mud if it presented a classical award to R.D. Burman.
In the end, therefore, RD discovered that he was acceptable neither as a light composer nor as a serious one. Result: he got confussedabout what to give. And once this confusion enters a composer's mind, it is the end.
Yet the end, when it came, saw those who had come to scoff, remain to praise. RD had become part of our vintage mind-set without our being aware of it. We knew, in our heart of hearts, that he was as much a trend-setter as his father, if in a different style. But we had religiously refused to acknowledge his fibre and calibre. Those who the gods love, die young. And when they die after having influenced a whole generation in its musical thinking, we finally grudgingly accept that the jet-setter was like one other in films.
For a composer of the depth and dimension of Salil Chowdhury to rate R.D. Burman alongside the top composers of his era is, indeed, acclaim indeed. It needed uncommon talent for the son to emerge from 'The Jet' shadow of his father. Pancham came into Dada Burman's music room as early as 'Nujawan' (1951). And even at that early age had a keen enough musical ear to question SD's use of Rabindra-sangeet in the purely Goan setting of Kaise yeh jaagi agan ('Jaal').
Handpicked by Guru Dutt to score the music for his 'Raaz' at the age of 19, RD discovered that this cineaste was never firm on any tune he okayed. ''I don't know about other composers,'' Pancham told me, ''but I personally found Guru Dutt could never make up his mind about the final tune he wanted. You could never say he had finally okayed a piece of music and that, to my way of thinking, is not the sign of a direction who knows his mind. Raj Kapoor, by contrast, was totally different. He okayed the very first tune I played for 'Dharam Karam', the tune that acquired on him the grab of Ek din bik jaayega maati ke mol''.
Hear this 'Dharam Karam' tune carefully again, is it in any way inferior to any of the many straight-line tune Shanker composed for Raj Kapoor? Give credit to RD for the fact that he instinctively recognised what, precisely, Raj Kapoor wanted. And got it right the first time out. RD thus tuned as easily with Raj Kapoor as he had with Dev Anand. He vibed easily enough with Rafi when that singer was at the top. And then helped turn Kishore into a singing legend. If O.P. Nayyar peerlessly exploited the bass in Asha's voice, it was RD who discovered her true range to strum.
RD's spaciously ambient music room at Santa Cruz in Bombay, to who does it go? to Asha Bhonsle as his legally wedded wife? If so, what does Asha do with it? I know Asha Bhonsle has always secretly nursed this ambition of being a composer herself. Will Asha take up where RD left off? The spirit of RD, will it come back to us through the still resonant vocals of Asha Bhonsle? and what of younger singers under the baton of Asha Bhonsle? A baton what would have been handed on to Asha by her very own Pancham? Come on Asha, there still is the Santa Cruz room at the top.
________________________________________ Source: Screen, January 14, 1994 Author: Raju Bharatan
I have to admit, as I climb the stairs to the first floor, that I've never been more nervous in my life. Songs play in my head - Piya tu ab to aaja and Dil cheez kya hai - but the effect is far from soothing. Because I'm about to interview the person who sang these songs, and what introduction can I possibly come up with for Asha Bhosle, apart from the fact that for a fan of her music like myself, I'm awed by the privilege of meeting her?
But still, here I am at her door at 11 am sharp. A maid lets me in. And there she is. Asha Bhosle, a tiny, saree-clad figure, busy on the phone - making travel arrangements, of all things, for some relatives. She looks tired. The shoot for her new video ended last night at 11 pm. Don't think that's late? Hullo, she's 72. She's your grandmother, bubba. And possibly the most active septuagenarian Indian music artist today.
There can't be a soul under the age of 60 in India who hasn't grown up with Asha Bhosle's voice somewhere in the background. She was born in 1933 and has been a professional singer for 60 years. She's also been interviewed so often that I can't imagine there's a single question she hasn't been asked yet - and neither can she. "Just don't ask me about the state of music today," she warns, smiling, as she settles down for the conversation. Ah. A standard question, I presume.
So I begin with what I hope is not a standard question. What are her first thoughts when she wakes up every morning? To judge by her reaction, this is a new question for her, because she laughs and thinks before replying. "These days and #8230; I don't really know," she says. "I generally wake up to the sounds of my grandchildren playing. They come to my room and wake me up. But otherwise my eyes normally open by 5.30-6, and then I think, what do I do so early? I may make myself some tea, sit around and #8230; Very funny thoughts come to mind. I'm a bit of a dreamer, been one since childhood. I sometimes have very bizarre thoughts, like I'm travelling in a plane and we crash in a forest and the savages kidnap me and force me to sing, and what song should I sing then?"
She laughs at the very thought and continues: "See what I mean? Just really funny and bizarre thoughts. Like, I don't really remember roads. I still don't know how to get to Lokhandwala! I'm always in my own world. My eyes may be open but I'm always dreaming of various other things connected to various other things." I know for a fact that Ashaji sang her first playback number in 1944, when she was just 10 years old. What I didn't know is that she also acted in that film. Two films, in fact. "The first was a Marathi film called Majha Bal where I both acted and sang. I played an orphan and I get together with the other kids and sing a song," says Ashaji. "The other one was Badi Maa where Didi (Lata Mangeshkar) sang for me."
Was it fun, I inquire, and receive a sardonic look in response. "I absolutely hated acting," she says shortly. "I decided right there that it's a terrible experience. Just for one shot you sit around all day in the studio. Lighting, re-takes, repetition and #8230; baap re. I salute actors. You need tremendous patience." But at that age, singing wasn't a whole lot of fun either. Picture a little girl in front of a big mike in a studio and you may have an idea of what went through Ashaji's head the very first time she sang playback. "I was so scared that I thought to myself I'll never sing again," she laughs. "I was very nervous and afraid. I just wanted to get it over and go home."
It was performing that was the problem, not the singing itself. "As a child I used to sing a lot," Ashaji remembers. "When I was by myself, I would sing at the top of my voice. But if anyone else came into the room, I would fall silent. Visitors would come and I would be asked to sing, but I wouldn't. I'd only sing after they left. So I think my mental make-up is such that I needed a push to get out there and sing. Only then would I would perform, not otherwise."
------ In the 1930s, Ashaji was just a new voice in the music industry. To begin with, she was Lataji's younger sister, and Lataji was already a singing star by the time Ashaji made an entrance. Then there were other vocal legends of the time to contend with: Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum, Noor Jehan and #8230; What was it like back then? I ask.
"It was chaos," she says. "Everyone would prick up their ears the minute somebody new came into the picture. It was like, who is this new singer? How does she sing? What's her voice like? One day I was taken to a studio in Worli. In those days we just had two track analog recordings, so there I was, along with two other girls, in front of a single mike. I had one solo line to sing. One singer would sing her part and move to make place for the second one. And I could not get my chance. They wouldn't let me. I just stood to one side. I was just a newcomer, what could I say? Then masterji (the music director Hansraj Bahl) came and said, 'Let her sing.' So I stepped up and sang and everyone sat up and said, 'She has great quality to her voice. Great modulation.' And then masterji gave me two solo songs for the film Raat Ki Raani."
After that break, Ashaji met the music composer Roshan, who was an assistant at the time. "He took me to another big music director of that time, Khurshid Anwar, and every one began to appreciate what I had to offer," she remembers. "That's how I began getting work. But one thing I have to say is that whatever song I got to sing, big or small, I put my best into it. No thoughts otherwise. It was constant practice towards perfection." There's never been any doubt about that. Ever. But I want to know what Ashaji thought of the other singers of the time. Stars like Lataji, her sister, Geeta Dutt and Noor Jehan.
She stops to think, and takes a deep breath before replying. "Well, I have always liked Didi's songs and have been a constant listener and admirer of her style and the tonality that she applied to the compositions," she says. "And Noor Jehanji was a great singer, I listened to her a lot. But the rest of them never really impressed me as singers. I liked English music a lot. I can't speak the language, but I like the music. In Kolhapur, there used to be a theatre called Padma Talkies. I remember seeing Gone with the Wind there, and all the Frank Sinatra films, the Dean Martin films and #8230; all the popular films.
Then there was Carmen Miranda (a hugely popular Brazilian singing star in 1940s Hollywood), and there were all their singing styles, their dancing styles, their orchestras. I really love that period. Unfortunately, what we had here was the usual sad screechy violins and poor production systems. So from that point of view, our musicality did not impress me as much as western orchestrations and arrangements. Either I would listen to that or Lata Mangeshkar's songs."
I can't believe what I'm hearing. Lataji or western music, and nothing else? I give Ashaji a sceptical look. "Definitely," she defends her statement. "Because what used to happen in our industry then, is that if a singer sang in a particular style, then that singer would be given only that kind of songs to sing, all the time! Which is very boring. That's why people say my songs have such variety. When I first heard Carmen Miranda sing, I was bowled over. A few years later I incorporated one of her phrases into a song I was singing. The music director, C Ramachandra, jumped up in astonishment and shouted, 'What'sthat you're singing? It's fantastic!'"
Obviously then, I remark, that international interjection must have worked well for the song. Ashaji agrees that it did. "But then everybody got on the defensive and criticised my non-traditional approach," she says. "Certain music directors said it was a travesty of Indian music and shouldn't be done." A typical response, I think out loud. Nobody likes a rebel. Anything hat ke would shake them up. Ashaji concurs.
------ I look at my watch, it is noon. An hour has passed already and I have only an hour left before Ashaji has to leave for a radio interview. And I haven't even reached halfway down my list of questions yet. The noise outside has become deafening. Peddar Road, where Ashaji's apartment is situated, is not only one of Mumbai's arterial roads, but also one of the city's busiest streets, with residential apartment buildings, a school, a college close by, a hospital, restaurants and shops - the works. Ashaji's first floor flat faces the street - and the balcony doors are wide open.
So there's a cacophony of honking cars, buses and the occasional wail of an ambulance speeding by. And here I am, sitting in front of the first lady of Indian film and pop songs. It all seems so surreal, like I'm in some black and white film of the '50s. It's only natural then, that my thoughts turn to films of the '50s. Specifically the film Naya Daur, where Ashaji came into her own with the song Maang ke saath tumhara, written by the great composer, OP Nayyar. In fact, she had a very successful run of songs with OP, with hits from a multitude of films including Kashmir Ki Kali, Howrah Bridge, Mere Sanam, Ek Musafir Ek Hasina and others. What was that period like for her?
She looks away toward the balcony. "During that period there were many music directors, and with every one of them I had at least one hit song," says Ashaji. "But I would always get songs for the second heroine, the vamp and so on. Never the heroine. But in Naya Daur I sang for the main lead played by Vyjantimala, and I got this film because of the producer, BR Chopra. Nothing else." Producers were emperors in those days, she says, and they made all the decisions, not the directors or music directors. So Ashaji gives Chopra all the credit for her success in Naya Daur and subsequent films, not OP.
As far as I'm concerned though, the OP Nayyar-Asha team created music magic. They were at their peak in 1957-1958 with around nine releases in both years and a string of successful scores, including Naya Daur, for which he won a Best Music Director award. In about 70 films, they scaled new heights in Indian film music. He moulded Asha's voice and gave her style and respectability. But I can't go into that with her right now, because Ashaji's grandchildren have just returned from school, and there are kisses and cuddles all around. After a bit of cajoling, the children are taken by one of the maids, and we're able to get back to the interview.
I decide to move on to a pivotal year in her career. 1966. The year of the film that changed her as a singer - Teesri Manzil. As an observer of music trends, I am curious to know what Indian film music was like in the '60s. After all, there were huge changes in music styles all over the world in that decade. What was the atmosphere like in the Indian music industry then? She smiles fondly. "Well, there were a lot of recordings happening, lots of film work. But the atmosphere was such that no music director would listen to anyone's work in progress.
Nobody would copy another's work. If a composer knew that a certain musical phrase was familiar, then the whole composition was changed so as to keep the song as distinct as possible. There were great lyric writers, too. Shakeel Badayuni, Sahir Ludhianvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, H S Bihari, among many others. Great lyrics, deep meanings. Unlike today."
The popularity of the songs of the '60s even today will attest to that fact, but now I'd like to focus on the Teesri Manzil phenomenon. Not undermining the breakout performances of Shammi Kapoor and the tour-de-force music of RD Burman, Ashaji goes into an anecdote. "We were having a sitting at Pancham's (RD Burman) bungalow in Khar. Pancham, Majrooh saab, Nasir Husain, Shammi Kapoor and I were there. Pancham sat at the harmonium and began to present songs for the film. He started singing Deewana mujhsa nahin, which is actually a Nepali folk song - O kancha maatailo," she begins.
"When Pancham sang the first line, Shammi jumped up and began to sing the Nepali song! Everyone fell silent, we were all thinking, that's the end of the music of this film. Then Pancham took his taaveez which he wore around his neck, kissed it once, touched it to his forehead and started the next song, which was Aaja aaja, and Shammi just erupted with joy and everyone went ballistic and #8230; with a huge sense of relief though," she laughs. "But that was a completely different style of singing, so on my return home in my car, I continuously practiced singing 'aaja aaja' in that breathy way, and my driver asked me if I was having an asthma attack!" Her laughter is hearty, and I laugh with her, appreciating the memory that is still so alive in her mind.
But her mention of Shammi Kapoor instantly conjures up images of Mohammad Rafi in my mind - it's amazing how the star and the singer are so indelibly welded together - and that in turn reminds me of Kishore Kumar. These singers left a huge void when they passed away, and I ask her if she feels it too. "Void?" she questions with a smile. "There is a huge chasm, a gigantic vacuum! They were both unique singers. Rafi saab would sing what he was told to sing, true to the composition. An exact rendition was his strength. But Kishoreda was the magician. He would reinterpret the song in his style, giving it a new twist. There is a saying that goes: 'In between the heart and the head is the throat.' If you sing from the heart, you exaggerate, if you sing from the head, you calculate. The trick is to align the two and let your throat do the singing, then the song is perfect. That's what Kishoreda would do. And that's what I had to preempt and return to him in the songs we sang together."
------ I mentally run through all the Asha-Kishore duets I can remember and am exhausted. Time to move on, then, to matters more personal. Somehow, today, we have begun to think that there would be no Asha without RD Burman. Unfair I know, but and #8230;
So I ask about her partnership with him. One that lasted till his passing. "Our partnership began on a professional level as music director and singer, continued into the relationship of husband and wife, and ended as the best of friends," says Ashaji. "From the point of view of a singer who is looking at a music director, he was mercurial, inventive, innovative. He was put on this earth to make music. He saw everything through music. Funny, friendly, warm, jovial yet driven and very focused. Observant, vigilant and #8230; I could go on." I am reminded by her words of the opening song of Golmaal, where a group of friends sit around a harmonium, singing a song led by Amol Palekar, and I conjure up a mental picture of RD, music, friends, fun and #8230; but music was everything to him. And that's how it was, she concurs.
So I ask her how she first met RD. Ashaji closes her eyes, going back in time. "The film was Armaan, Fali Mistri's film. There was a recording at Famous Studios. There he was, tight shirt, thick glasses, oily hair slicked back, short little man, ekdum Bangali and #8230;" This doesn't sound very romantic, and neither does what follows. "His father, the great SD Burman, was recording and he introduced us. RD asked for my autograph! He told me he had dropped out of college to pursue music. I reprimanded him for that, but he said, 'why study for something I'll never use? I want to make music. I want to be a music director.'"
I think to myself, he came to Bombay to be a music director and became a legend. A legend we lost on 4th January 1994. When RD died, the Indian music industry lost its soul. Truly. I dare anyone to disagree. But I can't imagine what it's like for Ashaji to endure that loss. "More than his songs, I really miss him," she says, her voice lower than usual. "Miss talking to him, the daily repartee, the music sessions and #8230; His last days were not very good. His name was removed from some of the work he was doing. He could not deal with the trauma of disassociation. Imagine yourself working on something for a while, and suddenly your name is struck from the credits. To an artist that is unbearable. That's what gave him his first heart attack. We took him to London for treatment but the decline had begun. It was only a matter of time and #8230;"
There's silence as Ashaji contemplates RD. And I sit here, looking at a lady of grace and grandeur. A lady of substance and survival. A lady of respectable talent and resilient mind. Because she is the phoenix that rises from the ashes of time to make the world sing to her tune. Ho ja rangeela re and #8230; the singular song that marked the resurgence of Asha Bhosle, this time to infallible heights. "There was a time when I would sit on my own and think, after RD, now what?" she says, her voice stronger now. "And I did not see any light. But then a good friend of mine, Gopi Kishan, told me, 'Your voice is your paramour, it's what RD loved you for. Don't let that waver.' So I got up and got singing again." And she bursts into song, right here and now. "Tanha, tanha, yahan pe jeena and #8230;" I join in. " and #8230;Yeh koi baat hai and #8230;"
And we laugh, like little children. Asha Bhosle has seen, heard and sung more than 60 years of popular Indian film music and more. How has she dealt with each decade, each challenge? "In the '50s, I was a singer for hire. In the '60s, I became 'Asha Bhosle.' That lasted through the '70s," she says, smiling. "Then in the '80s, there was a decline. And I thought, okay, time to retire. Then the '90s brought me back. And now I've reached the point where there's no going down..." She pauses dramatically, then laughs and gestures upward. "Soon it will be time for me to go up."
I tell her that day is very, very far away. She has all the freedom in the world to do whatever she wants. And she has. Songs with boy band Code Red, Boy George, Michael Stipe, Kronos Quartet, AR Rahman. She has a loving family, her son Anand is her rock. He is with her, by her side, always. While her family wants her to retire, take it easy, she keeps going. What is it, I ask her, that keeps her going? "Love and pride," she says after some thought. "Love for singing and pride in the fact that I can. The love people have for my singing and my pride in the songs that are evergreen. When I go out on stage and I see an ocean of people singing along to every lyric that I sing, that is more than enough to keep me going."
And as fate would have it, my time with history has come to an end, leaving me with just a sliver of an opening for one last question. "What is 'your' song?" I ask. "A song that describes you, your life, your songs?" She looks me straight in the eye and says, "Pyar karnewaale, pyar karte hain shaan se, jeete hain shaan se, marte hain shaan se."
14th May was a memorable day for Many Gulzar and Pancham fans on the cyberspace as they interacted with Gulzar saheb live on the net. Gulzar saheb joined the Chat from his own computer with two of our volunteers Ninad and Yatin. The chat was specifically organized for the Pancham Fan Group on the net (Pancham@Egroups.com). It was an ocassion to share the memories of Pancham da with who better than Gulzar saheb. "Gulzar ki baatein Pancham ki yaadein" as the chat was titled, it began exactly at 8 pm when Gulzar saheb joined and the next two hours carried the joy, the queries, the anger? (like Why Pancham was not taken for Mausam/Meera), the hope (releasing of undiscovered Pancham Gems), the good news (Album - Pancham 2) and the pain that Pancham is not between us. The fans also took the opportunity to talk about Poetry, some fundamental queries of the birth of a song and lots n lots on Gulzarish stuff.
Gulzar : "Pancham oopar se neeche tak ek bajtaa hua taanpuraa thaa. Usse naaraaz to dekhaa jaa saktaa thaa lekin udaas nahin dekha yaa bahot kam dekha. Bahot bechain, restless, impatient, I think that's where he produced lots of sounds inside him If you look carefully, the known instruments also do not sound the same in his orchestra."
Pancham relived that day. Gulzar relived Pancham....
Q & A's Time From MessageText 8:01:00 PM VADAN MUMBAI NAMASTE GULZAR SAAB, WE APPLOZISE FOR OUR LATE ENTERY. WE ARE DIRECTLY COMING FROM PRITHIVI TEATHER WHERE WE HAD A SHOW... GULZAR SIR, WE ARE YOUNG ACTORS AND WE WANT TO ASK U THAT TO STRENGTH OUR HINDI AND URDU VOCABULARY OR LINGUISTIC SKILL, WHAT SHOULD WE DO ??
8:02:00 PM Gulzar
Hello and Namaskar to everybody. Bandaa haazir hai
8:02:00 PM Rajendra Patel Old Bridge, NJ,USA One question. Is anybody going to request Gulzaar Sa'ab to make Pm's unreleased work available to us Panchamites? Will it be appropriate at this session?
8:02:00 PM Vinay jaipur namaskaar Gulzar ji
8:02:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur We welcome Gulzar saheb on the chat
8:04:00 PM Rajendra Patel Old Bridge, NJ,USA Namaskar and Welcome Gulzarji.
8:04:00 PM Gulzar
Rajendra: There is a request made to certain producers. The rights of his work are scattered all around Its only Ashaji who can take an initiative to collect the scatterred songs and publish them
8:04:00 PM Jehangir Parvez Karachi,Pakistan Gulzar Sahab, Adaab This is your postman here.
8:04:00 PM Ketan Washington DC,USA welcome Gulzar saab
8:05:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Gulzar saheb isase pahle ki ham aapse kuchh poochhein, aap kuchh Pancham ke baare mein arz karna chahenge...
8:05:00 PM Vinay jaipur Gulzar Saheb, there has been a question in many minds and Pancham Group about how MDs and Lyricists are selected for a movie. Who selects them? is it the producer? or MD choosing Lyricist? or lyricist saying i want this MD? and what happened in yours and RDB case?
8:06:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur A supplementary question to Vinay : How a song is created. Music set to lyrics or Lyrics set to music
8:07:00 PM Gulzar
Vinay, its always the directors prerogative but the producers' marketing views have to be considered
8:08:00 PM Vinay jaipur And MDs have no say..?
8:08:00 PM Jehangir Parvez Karachi,Pakistan What's new? I sent you an email last week, You must have missed it. Sultan-e-Mausiqui sends regards. What's new?
8:09:00 PM Gulzar
Pavan: its a 2 way traffic... mostly it is written on tunes. very few situations demand the words to come first, specially in today's style of film making. Even my first song "mora gora ang laile" was written on tune
8:10:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur What about 'Meter-Less' Songs
8:10:00 PM Vinay jaipur Please tell any one song when RD offered you the tune and said to write words on it. Or may be more than one
8:10:00 PM VADAN MUMBAI NAMASTE GULZAR SAAB, WE APPLOZISE FOR OUR LATE ENTERY. WE ARE DIRECTLY COMING FROM PRITHIVI TEATHER WHERE WE HAD A SHOW... GULZAR SIR, WE ARE YOUNG ACTORS AND WE WANT TO ASK U THAT TO STRENGTH OUR HINDI AND URDU VOCABULARY OR LINGUISTIC SKILL, WHAT SHOULD WE DO ??
8:11:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Like 'Mera Kuchh Saaman' or 'Ek hi khwab'
8:11:00 PM Ketan Washington DC,USA Gulzarsaab, you wrote lyrics for "Do Dooni Chaar" and "Angoor" both of which were based on the same story. What if any were the differences in the two themes when it came to writing songs, since your songs are different?
8:11:00 PM Gulzar
Vinay: To start the film, there's always a script between the producer and the director. everything else follows the requirement of the script
8:12:00 PM Vinay jaipur Please tell any one song when RD offered you the tune and said to write words on it. Or may be more than one
8:13:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Preet from New York [Not on the Chat] : please ask Gulzarji that whenever he comes to NewYork next, we would like to see him. There were people I would have loved to meet atleast once in my life, but unfortunately they are not in this world anymore. The genius...like Madan Mohan sahib & Janaab Sahir Ludhianavi , to name a few. I pray for long, healthy life of Gulzar sahib. I do want to fulfill my dream of meeting him just once. Needless to say I'm a great fan of his. Pavan ji, please forward my message to Gulzar sahib. Is there a way of writing to him directly? Regards, Preet.
8:13:00 PM Gulzar
Pavan: There are no meter-less songs anywhere composed. Its a mis-concept, much so associated with my songs My songs like "mera kuch samaan' has a definite meter and scanning of lines. The only difference is all lines are not divided in equal bars and rhymes are purposely avoided so that they can be read like a prose and sung like poem
8:16:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur They were innovations by RD as we haven't seen anything like that by others.....
8:18:00 PM VADAN MUMBAI DEAR GULZAR SAAB, CAN U PLEASE TELL US ABOUT, THE GREAT SANJEEV KUMAR AND HIS REALISTIC ACTING STYLE ??
8:18:00 PM Gulzar
Vinay: i think almost all the songs were written on tune except very few where the words came in first for e.g.: 'Ek Hi Khwaab" in Kinaaraa.. "Mera Kuch Samaan" in Ijaazat. There are a few more but mostly the tunes came first
8:18:00 PM Rajendra Patel Old Bridge, NJ,USA Gulzar ji, Can you tell us about some so far untold but memorable moments you had with Panchamda? If not possible in this session then can you please send us Pachamites a direct or indirect email?
8:20:00 PM Ajit Iyer Richmond, Virginia,USA Gulzarji, In how many the songs from the album 'Dil Padosi Hai' were the lyrics written first and tunes composed later by Panchamda? Could you give us some examples?
8:21:00 PM Gulzar
Vadan: Sanjeev had a rich background of theatre behind him. We knew each other much before we came to films. One of the earliest performances of Sanjeev which I saw and admired was on stage playing a father in Ibson's "All My Sons". That is how I inherited his old man's image in my films
8:22:00 PM Gulzar
Ajit: I think 2 to 3 songs were written first for e.g. the ghazal "Dil Padosi Hai" and "Raat chup chaap chali jaati hai" and "Aankh mein nami si hai" Rest were written on his compositions
8:23:00 PM Vinay jaipur You and RD worked together for 23 movies. some of which were directed by you. Some by others. Did you feel any difference in your approach or any convenience when you were also the director of the movie?
8:24:00 PM Gulzar
(Question from Yatin): Gulzaar saab, you have written songs for both Khoobsurat.. how did you feel when you wrote songs for Panchamda and for Jatin Lalit?
8:26:00 PM Gulzar
Yatin: While writing for Hrishida with Pancham, itwas a very creative trip. In the first Khoobsurat, there were take-offs like "Qaaydaa..Qaaydaa..Qaaydaa aakhir isska faayda" songs where you can create sense out of nonsensical rhymes In the 2nd Khoobsurat, I was not as comfortable. Selling a new expression or an image became very difficult because of too much of intereference that I had to abandon the film in between
8:26:00 PM VADAN MUMBAI Dear gulzar saab, WHAT is basic similarity between writer and actor as far as character development is concerned ???
8:28:00 PM Gulzar
Vinay: Certainly more convenient when they were my own films since I was not only a director, I was the writer too. I have to make an extra effort when it is for another director because it is finally the director's vision the writer has to write
8:28:00 PM Ajit Iyer Richmond, Virginia,USA Gulzarji, Panchamda's compositions for you had one of the most mind boggling Preludes and Interludes. Now, while composing these tunes, did He always consider the picturization you had in mind? Or did you picturize the songs based on his tunes?
8:28:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur [Question from Yashwant Vyas- Not on the chat] pavanji, shaayad main travel kar raha houn,chat meri kismat mei na ho. aap please ye sawal likh len- -PRANAAM, kya koi aatmakatha poori tarah sach likhi gayee hogi? -Kya kavi corruption kar sakata hai? agar haan to usaki samvedana aur ek beimaan ki samvedana mein kya fark hai? Agar rachana kisi ko behtar insaan naheen banaati ,use nirmal naheen karati to kavi se jhootha kaun hai?. .....Baaki sawalon ke liye baaki saathi sambhalen. Kya chat baad mein site per poori mil sakegi?. SHUBHKAAMNAYEN AUR DHANYAWAD PAVANJI...... -yashwant. [Yashwant Vyas wrote preface for Gulzar's book Mera Kuchh Samaan and editor of "Bosky ka Panchtantra]
8:29:00 PM Jehangir Parvez Karachi,Pakistan When should we expect your new film released?
8:33:00 PM Subhash Maple ,USA Namaskar Gulzarji..tell us something special about pancham..since we all know that pancham was known more in weternizing the songs..and even the way panham used to dress, it always added to that flavour..but one unbelievable thing was that it was the same man who composed a senstive song like ' kabhi kabhi sapna lagta hai' now could u tell us something more about that part of pancham which gave us such a memorable songs..specially with you..because somehow i couldn't figure out how pancham himself would react after composing such tunes..
8:33:00 PM Ajit Iyer Richmond, Virginia,USA Gulzarji, your 'Gulzar Remembers Pancham' was really a boon to us RDent panchamites since it had panchamda's voice interspersed with some of his most beautiful compositions. Do you plan on releasing another album on the same lines giving us some more personal glimpses of the maestro?
8:35:00 PM Gulzar
Yashwant: Lagtaa hai aap kuch ulti karvat utthein hain. Naaraaz lagtey hain. Aatmakathaaein sach bhi hoti hain, adh-chhupi bhi hoti hain aur galat-bayaani se bhari bhi hoti hain Jitni tarah ke log, utni tarah ke bayaan. Sach ki lekin kai partein hain aur kai dishaayein hain. Yeh ho saktaa hai ki kissi ne sach kahaa ho aur aap sach naa maane lekin main kaafi saari aatma-kathaaon ki gawaahi de saktaa hoon Jaise Maulana azad ki aatma katha "India wins freedom" Kavi ke corrupt hone ka khayaal aapko kahaan se aaya? Kavi ke peechhe baitha manushya be-imaan ho sakta hai, zaroori nahin ki kavi bhi vaisa hi nikale. Corruption insaan ki kamzori ho sakti hai.. uska dosh kavita ko mat dein
8:36:00 PM Gulzar
Jehangir: Not before next year. This year I may be ready with the idea and the script then look for a producer. Send me one if you have any
8:38:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Would you like to work again with Jaya ji, she has already making a comeback
8:40:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Hrishi da bhi wapas aaye hain aur Jaya ji bhi (Afsos Pancham Nahin hai) kya purani team fir se nahin judni chahiye?
8:40:00 PM Vinay jaipur sir, Yashwant ji ko diya jawaab bahut achchha laga.. sach ki kavi beimaan nahiN hota par atishayokti to hamesha uski kamjori rahi hai...
8:42:00 PM Gulzar
Subhash: Pancham oopar se neeche tak ek bajtaa hua taanpuraa thaa. Usse naaraaz to dekhaa jaa saktaa thaa lekin udaas nahin dekha yaa bahot kam dekha. Bahot bechain , restless , impatient, I think that's where he produced lots of sounds inside him If you look carefully, the known instruments also do not sound the same in his orchestra. He made lots of experiments with his sounds for e.g. in "O Maajhi Re" in Khushboo, the 'kuk kuk' sound of chakki in the background is produced by two soda bottles which he filled with different measurements of water and played himself on the mike. His favourite instrument was the mouth-organ. He was an expert player of it
8:46:00 PM Subhash Maple ,USA yes Gulzarji, I would agree with Ajit ..rephrasing your words ' pyaas to ab lagi hai...' Tell us when are going to see another album on pancham :-)as righly poined out by one of our active group member that Gulzar remembers Pancham' is one of the best thing ever happened for pancham!!
8:46:00 PM Gulzar
Pavan: Yes. Judni chaahiye. Lekin puraani team ke saath filmein puraani nahin banni chaahiyein Hrishida tab bhi hamarey masterji they, ab bhi hain. Jaya, tab ghar ki chhoti thi, ab ghar ki badi sayaani beti hai Team puraani hai, lekin man utney hi naye hain
8:47:00 PM Ketan Washington DC,USA Gulzrsaab, what made you select Madan Mohan ji for Mausam over Pancham?
8:47:00 PM Gulzar
(Question from Yatin) You have given the same song "Shaam se aankh name si hai" to both the composers, Panchamda and Jagjit Singh. Is it loyal for a poet to give it to 2 or more composers?
8:48:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Ek lyricist aur ek poet ki rachnaon mein compromise ki kitni Gunjaish rahti hai. Khaas kar shabdon ko jod tod ke baithane mein . "Dil se" mein title song mein "Meethi si mushkil hai na, piya piya, piya na piya" mein Mushkil ki jagah zahar nahi hona chahiye tha?
8:49:00 PM Subhash Maple ,USA Good question Ketan, i was about to ask the same :-)
8:50:00 PM Vinay jaipur And why Ravi Shankar for Meera. Did you find RD uncapable of coming up with the required kind of music?
8:50:00 PM Gulzar
Yatin: Its not a question of loyalty or disloyalty. Many of Ghalib's ghazals have been sung by many composers. Since he is no more, composers don't have to do the same with me. This particular ghazal, was picked up by the composers but let me inform you that Laxmikant Pyaarelal had also composed it for one of Mearaj's film which never got completed. All 3 have a different rendering
8:51:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Aankh mein kyon nami nami si rahti hai from Khwahish Kyon sir...
8:52:00 PM Ajit Iyer Richmond, Virginia,USA Gulzarji, For us Pancam Fanatics, Panchamda is the benchmark based on which we either like or dislike the new MD's of this era All of us have a distinct liking for Jatin-lalit. In your association with them, did you notice any similarity in their treatment of a song, their approach etc., when compared with Panchamda? I personally found 'Main adhuri si' from Khubsoorat very panchamish.
8:53:00 PM Gulzar
Ketan: It was our producer's choice which came with the proposal since he had taken over another producer's contract by paying the money but the capability and prestige of Madan Mohan as a composer was a privelege for me to work with him
8:53:00 PM Gulzar
Ketan: It was our producer's choice which came with the proposal since he had taken over another producer's contract by paying the money but the capability and prestige of Madan Mohan as a composer was a privelege for me to work with him
8:53:00 PM Rahul Pittsburgh,USA Namaste Gulzar Saab . It seems to be that most of ur recent movies have been taking a political tone. when can we see something purely on a social life like Namkeen, Ijaazat or even an out and out comedy like Angoor?
8:54:00 PM Vinay jaipur What about Ravi Shankar for Meera. Did you find RD uncapable of coming up with the required kind of music?
8:55:00 PM VADAN MUMBAI SIR, R U HAPPY WITH TODAY'S COMMERCIAL FILMS AND THEIR STORYLINE???
8:58:00 PM Subhash Maple ,USA sir, aapne jawab nahi diya 'Gulzar remembers Pancham Part II' kya hum umeed karen??
8:59:00 PM Gulzar
Vinay: Since Lataji refused to sing for Meera, most of the music directors shunned taking up the project. LP after signing, also left the film. I had to look for somebody who stood above that fear. For me, it was a blessing in disguise to work with another great maestro
8:59:00 PM Gulzar
Vadan: are you? Ask no obvious questions to get obvious answers
8:59:00 PM rajesh kumar udaipur hi! Gulzar Sb. we are very much crazy of yours songs.
9:00:00 PM Vinay jaipur So did RD also refuse for Meera?
9:01:00 PM Vinay jaipur I just cannot believe that RD returned the challenge if he were given that. I remember reading how sad he was to lose Sur Sangam.
9:02:00 PM Gulzar
Subhash: It is on the program. HMV and Sanjeev Kohli have to call the date. I wish this be done before his next anniversary. Lot of his voice is still stored with me which I want to offer to his fans
9:02:00 PM Ajit Iyer Richmond, Virginia,USA Gulzarji, This question might sound a bit vague, but could you tell us something re: Panchamda's style of working? His approach towards composing the base tune, preludes, interludes, his choice of instruments. Things that you feel set him apart from others. Something interesting about his persona.
9:03:00 PM Subhash Maple ,USA So RD also refused? can't believe that! but could you predict Pancham might have composed for Meera.. I guess it was the pancham only , who was denied for Sur-Sangam
9:03:00 PM Vinay jaipur Thanks a lot Gulzar Saahab. Nawaazish, qaram, shukriya, meharbaani. We will wait for that tribute..
9:03:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Great News for all Pancham Fans Pancham - Gulzar remembers RD Burman is one of the best tribute album ever
9:03:00 PM Gulzar
Rahul: My dear Pancham's name sake, hopefully, my next film should be softer in tones. Perhaps you didn't like the hard ones. The problem for me remains to find a producer for my kind of films
9:03:00 PM pranav San Francisco,USA Namaste Gulzarsaab. How do you position yourself in the current era of film music where beats and rhythm are clearly more important than the lyrics. Given that, can you please tell us a little about your experience with A.R.Rehman?
9:03:00 PM rajesh kumar udaipur YOU ARE WORKING ANY NEW album or film
9:05:00 PM Ajit Iyer Richmond, Virginia,USA Gulzarji, bahut shukriya. We will eagerly await the release. Hum sab bhi Katra Katra apne Guru ki aawaz jama karne mein lage hai. You've really made me happy. Thank you very much.
9:05:00 PM Ketan Washington DC,USA As a layman, I have been always confused with these lines from Khamoshi. Could you explain it to me please--"Humne dekhi hai in aakhon ki mehakti khushboo, haath se choo ke ise rishton ka ilzaam na do"
9:06:00 PM VADAN MUMBAI SIR, DEAR GULZAR SAAB, NANA PATEKAR IS ALSO HAVING THEATER BACKGROUND AS SANJEEV KUMAR, AND U HAVE WORKED WITH BOTH. CAN U TELL US U'R EXPERIANCE WHILE WORKING WITH SHRI NANA PATEKAR ???
9:07:00 PM Subhash Maple ,USA dil ko bahut sukun mila Gulzarji..though i don't like HMV for some obvious reasons these days, but surely for that effort..me unke sab gunah maaf kar sakta hoon:-)
9:07:00 PM Gulzar
Ajit: One important factor in his personality was his discipline of a professional. Even in his most busy time, he had time for all his producers. He was punctual to his music room to start work in the morning and punctual enough to pack up in time. It was important for him to do some cooking, it was important for him not to miss his football matches, his parties till late in the night. A man who was alive all the time.
9:07:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Libaas ki kuchh ummeed?
9:08:00 PM Vinay jaipur In the song "beeti na bitaai raina" what did you really mean in one antara. Is it "chaand ki bindi waali" or "bin - diwali" or both. The song however remains a favourite for the line "birha ki jaai raina". what beautiful use of word jaai(paida ki hui).
9:08:00 PM Gulzar
Ajit: One important factor in his personality was his discipline of a professional. Even in his most busy time, he had time for all his producers. He was punctual to his music room to start work in the morning and punctual enough to pack up in time. It was important for him to do some cooking, it was important for him not to miss his football matches, his parties till late in the night. A man who was alive all the time.
9:11:00 PM Pushkar sharma bethesda,usa gulzar saheb, You and asha ji won the national amard for Ijazat but pancham's name was left out. He obviously played the pivotalrole in the sucess. what was your reaction and how did RD take it?-Pushkar
9:11:00 PM Gulzar
Ketan: Ketan, all that you see and feel is not very physical. You can feel a fragrance of a look. It can convey love, hatred, affection to which we all react. We don't have to give a body of words even. That is the expression of describing a look of love in these lines. I have expressed not to give a definition of a relationship to that look, either.
9:14:00 PM Rahul Pittsburgh,USA Gulzar Saab, could u tell us something about the great actress Meena Kumari? How was it when u were working with her in Mere Apne, considering that it was ur first film as a director and she was an well established star at that time?
9:14:00 PM pranav San Francisco,USA Namaste Gulzarsaab. How do you position yourself in the current era of film music where beats and rhythm are clearly more important than the lyrics. Given that, can you please tell us a little about your experience with A.R.Rehman?
9:15:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Sir aapke sawaal ka jawaab : "Saath Saath Tum Chalo To Raat Raat Bhar Chalein'
9:17:00 PM Gulzar
(Qustion from Ninad) When you wrote the songs for Satya.. there was a wide range of songs which we got to see from you, right from "Baadaloan se kaat kaat ke" to "Goli maar bheje mein".. how did you think of such diverse songs and how was the experience of composing something like "Goli maar"
9:17:00 PM Ajit Iyer Richmond, Virginia,USA Gulzarji, has there been an instance where you gave some lyrics to Panchamda and he instantly came up with the tune, which became a big hit? I've heard some rumours and wanted to ascertain the facts.
9:20:00 PM Vinay jaipur Sir, may i have the priviledge to announce the launch of my site on Pancham at a new address.. www.panchamonline.com Please visit..
9:21:00 PM Ajit Iyer Richmond, Virginia,USA Gulzarji, you jad once mentioned about a comment from Panchamda which is very close to your heart about how the singer's chehra would come in front of Him after he finished composing a song. Any such other comments that you would like to share with us?
9:22:00 PM Gulzar
Ninad: I must explain one thing to my friends and fans, specially thjose who expect only romantic kind of songs from me, all the time. They must know, a film has a variety of situations and one has to compulsorily write for all the situations. Its not possible to choose out a few and leave the others. Then, there's a fabric of every film which differs from one to another in cultures, language and characters. Hence there has to be different kinds of songs in different kinds of films. The criteria is how to keep meaning and aesthetics in the worst kind of situations. 'Goli maar bheje main" is not as nonsensical as it sounds. There is a ring of character and his language and a meaning behind the apparently nonsensical lines. That's where a credited lyricist like Shailendra was a master. In a common man's language, he could bring out profound literature.
9:22:00 PM Vinay jaipur All you RDent fanatics out there! You are all welcome to the new home of Pancham da on the web - www.panchamonline.com
9:22:00 PM Gulzar
Ninad: I must explain one thing to my friends and fans, specially thjose who expect only romantic kind of songs from me, all the time. They must know, a film has a variety of situations and one has to compulsorily write for all the situations. Its not possible to choose out a few and leave the others. Then, there's a fabric of every film which differs from one to another in cultures, language and characters. Hence there has to be different kinds of songs in different kinds of films. The criteria is how to keep meaning and aesthetics in the worst kind of situations. 'Goli maar bheje main" is not as nonsensical as it sounds. There is a ring of character and his language and a meaning behind the apparently nonsensical lines. That's where a credited lyricist like Shailendra was a master. In a common man's language, he could bring out profound literature.
9:23:00 PM Mohan New Jersy,US Gulzarji, just a off-beat question can u name you top five fav pancham scores not being written by you...just wondering
9:23:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Yes sir. One of my favourites "Jokaron ki naukari karega kallu"
9:25:00 PM Vinay jaipur Sir, why was Devdas sheleved? You were directing the movie. Now as another Devdas is in making, we would have wished your version coming up again. With of course RDs songs.
9:28:00 PM Gulzar
Mohan: Off-hand its not possible because I would remember so many. for e.g. I can choose any 5 numbers from Shaktida's film "Amar Prem".
9:28:00 PM Gulzar
Ajit: for my own abhyaas, I'll choose 5 and ley you know
9:28:00 PM Gulzar
Ajit: for my own abhyaas, I'll choose 5 and let you know
9:30:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Pancham ki kuchh aur yaadien, agar aap share karna chahein to.....
9:32:00 PM Gulzar
Vinay: 2 of Rd's songs were recorded for Devdas which I do not know when and how will reach his fans. Since one more Devdas is in the making now, I have to abandon my version atleast for the time being. But then, it is the subject which one looks forward to be made as authentically as possible. seems to be in the right hands. Sanjay Bhansali is a very capable director.
9:34:00 PM Vinay jaipur Sanjay leela bhansali is more glossy of course.. But the depths and the dialogues ..unka kya hoga.. wo aap hameiN waise hi suna deiN.
9:34:00 PM Subhash Maple ,USA Gulzarji...how is this experience chatting with panchamites on internet..though its pretty slow, do you have any email-address ,sir!
9:34:00 PM Ajit Iyer Richmond, Virginia,USA What could be more exciting than a personal e-mail from Gulzarji? Could you e-mail those 5 songs to pancham@egroups.com. Based on your reply, I'm assuming that there are songs which Panchamda instantly composed on your lyrics. Am I correct?
9:34:00 PM Gulzar
Pavan: Pancham har waqt yaad hai iss liye khaas taur pe baith ke yaad karnaa mushkil kaam hai. Jaise jaise usski baatein yaad aati rehti hain, aap logon ke saath baatataa rehtaa hoon. Majboori hai ke ab aur gaane usske saath nahin ban sakenge. Sirf khaamoshi hai jo kheenchti rahegi aur lambi hoti rahegi
9:37:00 PM Gulzar
(Question from Yatin) : What inspired you to write "Jab bhi thamaa hai tera haath to yeh dekha hai, log khete hain ki haath ki rekha hai" (Gulzaar saab replies) Rekha (Q from Yatin contd) Humney dekha hai do takdeeron ko judte huay
9:37:00 PM Subhash Maple ,USA Sir, so disheartening to know that my fav writer/novel which was directed by my fav director and fav MD , is coming to trash..for God sake..pls Gulzarji don't abandon that project!!
9:38:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Sunaai deti hai uski[Pancham ki] dhadkan. Tumhara dil aur hamara dil hai. Pancham is still alive in his songs
9:38:00 PM Gulzar
Yatin: It was a romantic situation and Rekha was playing the romantic girl , so the poet had the privilege of using her name and making a pun on it
9:38:00 PM Vinay jaipur Sir, another difficult task for you (pardon me).. Please Choose the most difficult (in terms of effort) movie that you did with Pancham, the easiest one and the most satisfying one.
9:39:00 PM Pushkar sharma bethesda,usa Both Ashaji and Lataji sang for you and RD? How did u decide for which actress who will sing? or it was strictly musical decision.
9:41:00 PM Gulzar
Subhash: I'll do my best to keep it alive till it materialises. Thank you for your sentiments
9:45:00 PM Gulzar
Pushkar: In general its a music director's decision. With Pancham, one could decide mutually. It was interesting that Khushboo was completely sung by Ashaji, Libaas complete with Lataji, again Ijaazat by Ashaji, again Maachis with Lataaji. It was a pleasure to work with the two who landed on the moon, Lataji and Ashaji
9:45:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Sir which work (after poetry) is the closest to your heart. Direction/Screenplay/Dialouges/Lyricist/Story Writer?
9:47:00 PM Ajit Iyer Richmond, Virginia,USA Gulzarji, I believe you have all the songs of 'Dil Padosi Hai' sung by Panchamda Himself. Do you have a full-blown version of his with the music accompaniments and tracks or is it a recording of his rehearsal? In either case, is there a way you can reach it to his fans?
9:47:00 PM Subhash Maple ,USA i dunno Gulzarji, if we can contribure anything from our side to keep pancham alive and of course, your work..ie Devdas project and new pancham album.. Kahin baar bahut dukh hota hai ki hum sirf baith kar tamasha dekh sakte hain..but believe me sir, you are not alone in this journey, we will always be there with you..
9:47:00 PM Gulzar
Vinay: I don't think anyone has been easy with him. Film was just a reason to meet. The rest was living together which couldn't be easy, really
9:48:00 PM Vinay jaipur You have written a couple of Bengali songs for a Movie called Aanando Niketan (with RD) in 91. Do you know Bengali that well?
9:50:00 PM Gulzar
Pavan: The dearest to me remains writing poetry and after that writing poetry again specially for children. I am very fond of writin nonsensical rhymes for children like "Lakdi ki kaathi" "Jungle Jungle baat chali hai " "Tap tap topi topi tope mein jo doobe"
9:51:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Isise juda ek sawaal : aapka bengalis ke saath kaafi association raha hai. Hamare adhiktar male singers aur directors and literary pesonlities Bengal se hai. Kya aapko aisa laga ki unmein music ya literature ki pakad jyada hai
9:51:00 PM Pushkar sharma bethesda,usa Aaap dono mein aisi kya khaas baat the (!) ki pancham nein apki HAR film mein innovative aur naya sa music diya. I don't remember a RD-gulzar movie which even had above average movie. It was GREAT always. Do sangeet mein doobe huai dil ka sangam tha.
9:51:00 PM Gulzar
Vinay: Well, yes.
9:53:00 PM Vinay jaipur You have made many a Pancham Fanatics from this group happy. one more reason to favour you
9:54:00 PM Ajit Iyer Richmond, Virginia,USA Gulzarji, I couldn't get the 'Living together with him couldn't be easy'. Could you expand on this a little bit?
9:57:00 PM Gulzar
Pancham ke chaahne waaley doston, bahot accha lagaa aapke saath shaam bitaakar. Pancham ke saath baithne ka ek aur bahaana mila. <br><br> Khoon nikaley to zakhm lagti hai<br> warnaa har choat nazm lagti hai
9:57:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Dhanyawaad Gulzar saheb, sabhi ki or se. Ummeed hai bhavishya mein phir mulaqaatein hongi.
9:57:00 PM Vinay jaipur I thank you on the behalf of all the members of the Pancham Egroup for giving them this opportunity to have such a wonderful time with you. A life-time experience this. Please keep visiting our group and once in a while also post on it (pancham@egroups.com). Shukriya!!
9:58:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur Sargam ke saathi sargam ki dhun pe gaate chale
10:00:00 PM PavanJha Jaipur I would also like to thank NINAD and YATIN the co-ordinators
10:02:00 PM Subhash Maple ,USA Gulzar sahib! ek ichaa the kissi din pancham toli aapke se ruburo ho aur khoob der saari baaten karen..kah nahi sakta ki pancham kitna adhura rahta aapke bina...jab bhi appka aur pancham ke combination ka khayal aata hai to yaad aata hai Aandhi ka wo b/g music jab S Sen Sanjeev K ko kahin salon baad milti hai...aur wo end part ka b/g music jab S sen sabe wida leti hain...kya kahoon shabad nahi ha mere pass..lekin phir bhi bahut accha laga..Hazooron Kwiysehn aesi ki har kwayish be dum nikle bahut nikle mere armaan, phir bhi bade cum nikle
10:03:00 PM Ajit Iyer Richmond, Virginia,USA Thank you very much, Gulzarji for this memorable day and to Pavan, Yatin and others who made this a grand success. Panchamomaniac -Ajit.
Some of the gems Born on 27th June, 1939 in Calcutta, Rahul Deb Burman (RD) was the only child of Sachin Deb Burman and Mira Deb Burman. He was brought up in Calcutta. S D Burman was used to live in Ballygunge area in south Calcutta and was a popular Bengali singer and musician. His family moved to Mumbai and RD started learning sitar under legendary sitar player Ali Akbar Khan.
[ The very first film that came Pancham's way was Raaz, offered to him by Guru Dutt, in 1958. Pancham was only 19. The film was shelved midway. He got his real break three years later, when Mehmood offered him Chote Nawab(1961). Pancham's first song was sung by Lata Mangeshkar(Ghar aaja Ghir aayee). Pancham's career spanned 331 films, 5 TV serials, 164 non film songs(134 Bengali, 30 Hindi) and 5 languages. ]
Rahul Deb Burman's first film at the age of 22, Chhote Nawab, was a Mahmood production. In those days, the bespectacled young Burman was known more as S.D. Burman's son than as himself, a tag that was to last another ten years. After Chhote Nawab, R.D. drew a blank in 1962, '63 and '64. Chhote Nawab had some excellent songs, like: matvali ankhon vale (Lata, Rafi), llahi too sun le (Rafi), aam chhum laam chhum (Rafi and chorus), yet R.D. Burman's talent went unnoticed. For the next few years, he continued to assist his father. Nicknamed Pancham after his rhythm-oriented musical inclinations, RD surfaced again in 1965 with Mahmood's next, Bhoot Bungla and another film, Teesra Kaun. Manna Dey and chorus sang the former and Lata rendered the latter for Bhoot Bungla. Singing achha sanam(Teesra Kaun), Asha Bhosle typified what was to emerge as Pancham's swinging, up-beat style. Mukesh and Lata sang an innocent, romantic duet that went pyar ka fasaanaa banaa le dil deevaanaa. Suddenly, the world sat back and took notice.
[ He is a master composer. Nobody, nobody in Indian cinema has used music in all its form and range quite like him. If SD Burman was the purist, then his son Rahul Deb Burman was the maverick - the risk taker, the dare devil, who knew how to make symphony even out of a sock! ]
Mahmood nurtured him further, with Pati Patni (1966). Two songs distinguished the film's score. In one of them, actor-singer Surendra returned to the microphone after a long absence to give playback to Om Prakash. The other song, Kajre badarvaa re (Lata) was a gem of a tune. But the film that catapulted RD into big time was Nasir Husain's Teesri Manzil. Nasir had already acquired fame as the maker of a string of musical hits, from Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957) to Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963). Having worked with such giants as O.P. Nayyar and Shankar Jaikishan (the latter gave music in Nasir's Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961), Nasir Husain reposed great faith in the little known 'Burman Junior' by signing him for not one but two films. Baharon Ke Sapne(1967) was to follow Teesri Manzil. It was as if RD had made a five-year plan and at the end of his gestation, he would reap his rewards. After 1961, 1966 became the most important year for him. Teesri Manzil was the talk of the (music) town. o haseena zulfon vali(Rafi, Asha), o mere sona(Rafi,Asha) Tumne mujhe dekha(Rafi) and Deevana mujhsa naheen(Rafi) were heard in every street and occupied a lot of airtime over Radio Ceylon. Baharon Ke Sapne did not emulate the success of Teesri Manzil. Its box-office failure affected its music too, though many felt that at least musically, Baharon Ke Sapne was outstanding. RD showed remarkable range while composing Chunri sambhaal gori (Manna, Lata and chorus), Kya jaanoon sajan(Lata) and Zamaane ne maare javaan kaise kaise(Rafi). Aajaa piya tohe pyar doon(Lata) was a unique blend of simple tune and measured orchestration. With Padosan and Abhilasha (both made in 1968), RD emerged from the shadow of his illustrious father. As his second five-year plan progressed, RD bagged films like Pyar Ka Mausam, Waris (both 1969) and Kati Patang and Raaton Ka Raja (both 1970). And then came 1971 - the year of Rahul Deb Burman. Adhikar, Buddha Mil Gaya, Caravan, Ehsan, Lakhon Mein Ek, Lagan, Mela, Pyar Ki Kahani and The Train - all had RD's name as music director. His tenth film in that one eventful year was Hare Rama Hare Krishna, which made it to the top in Binaca Geetmala through Dum maro dum. The son had carved out a place for himself in the sun. Rahul Deb Burman emerged from the daunting shadow of Sachinda to become one of the topmost composers in Hindustani films. Looking at 1972, we find his name associated with Apna Desh, Bombay To Goa, Dil Ka Raja, Do Chor, Garam Masala, Gomti Ke Kinare, Jawani Diwani, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Parchhaiyan, Parichay, Rakhi Aur Hathkadi, Rampur Ka Lakshman, Rani Mera Naam, Samadhi, Sanjog, Savera, and Shehzada. That makes sixteen films in one year ! Lasting associations is RD's forte. From Teesri Manzil to Zabardast (1985), every film of director Nasir Husain had his music. With Ramesh Behl (Apne Apne 1986), the team dates back to Jawani Diwani. After Hare Rama Hare Krishna, all but two or three films of Dev Anand were adorned with Pancham's tunes. Dubbed 'strange' in the early seventies, the RD - Gulzar combine has consistently yielded musical hits in the Parichay tradition. Majrooh and Anand Bakshi were his favorite poets for over twenty years. Every film of actor - director - producer Mahmood just had to have Pancham's music. All four of Ramesh Sippy's films, beginning, with Sholay (1975), have had their score composed by him. Saagar (1985) was among the top twenty-five musical films six months after its release. Earlier, for many weeks, it was among the top three. Sholay earned the country's first platinum disc and Sippy's Shaan, a commercial disaster, had some catchy songs, thanks to RD. Quite obviously, RD has shown a marked preference for Kishore Kumar among male singers and Asha Bhosle among the female voices. Kishore probably suited his boisterous antic-gimmick-calisthenic style more than any other singer. Kishore is at his 'best' singing Naheen naheen abhi naheen (Jawani Diwani -1972), Jaise ko taisa mila (Jaise Ko Taisa - 1973), 0 hansini -(Zehreela Insaan - 1974), Main shair badnaam (Namak Haram - 1973), Cham cheekee chiki bam cheeki chiki (Kahtey Hain Mujhko Raja - 1975), Mere naina (Mehbooba - 1976) and 0 manjhi re (Kinara -1977). But that does not negate the RD-Rafi masterpieces, like Sunder ho aisee (Dil Ka Raja - 1972), Chura liya hai (Yaadon Ki Baaraat - 1973) , Aa raat jaatee hai (Benaam - 1974 - both duets with Lata), Naghma hamaara (Bundalbaaz - 1975), Kya hua tera vada and Chand mera dil (both from Hum Kisise Kum Naheen - 1977), (the first with a few lines by Sushama Shrestha) and dozens of songs from his sixties's films. Asha Bhosle was more than a singer to him. Eventually, she became his (second) wife. RD further moulded her vocal nuances, nuances that had been created and shaped by O.P. Nayyar and S.D. Burman. The cabaret-night club-discotheque genre of film music is studded with a number of R.D.-Asha 'floor shows'. Some are listed here: Mera naam hai Shabnam (Kati Patang - 1970), Piya too ab to aa jaa (Caravan - 1971), Aa jaa o mere raja (Apna Desh - 1972), Aaj kee raat (Anamika - 1973), Teri meri yaari badi purani (Charitraheen-1974), Sapna mera toot gayaa (Khel Khel Mein -1975), Do pal kee hai yeh zindaganee (Chala Murari Hero Banne - 1977), Mera pyar, Shalimar (Shalimar - 1978), Kya ghazab karte ho jee (Love Story -1980), Jaan-e-jaan (Sanam Teri Kasam - 1981) and Dharkan pal pal (Arjun - 1985). Besides doing bit roles in Bhoot Bungla and Pyar Ka Mausam, Pancham has sung a number of songs, self-tuned. Most of them have been hits: Duniya mein (Apna Desh), Dhanno ki aankhon men (Kitaab) and Mehbooba mehbooba (Sholay). Often dubbed a plagiarist, RD has proved his mettle time and again for twenty-five tuneful years from film to film, song to song. Courtesy: from an article published in 1986 in "Playback"
Gulzar remembering RD We knew each other from the moment we were hopefuls. We were assistants--he to his father and me to Bimal Roy. When SD would come with his compositions, his son would come carrying a "dagga". He'd be wearing shorts the way kids wear Bermudas today. My first lyric for Sachinda was Mora gora ang lai le. Pancham would be there. Shailendra did the other lyrics for BANDINI. And Pancham would encourage me--go meet baba, go and talk to him. He'd invite me to their apartment in the one-storey building, 'Jet', on Linking Road. Today there's a tall building over that one-storey structure. I don't know who stays there now, Sachinda was there till his end. Pancham was three-four years younger than me. He was always a kid, he remained one. He was fond of pranks, of colorful clothes and especially of the color red. He had a nickname for me--'safed kavva'. He'd phone, if I wasn't at home he'd leave a message, "Tell 'safed kavva' that 'lal kavva' had called." His sense of humor was his very own. He knew Asha Bhonsle was very particular about keeping the house clean; so he sent her a gift--two big brooms in bright wrapping paper. One of his passions, besides music, was cooking. He grew chillies in his terrace garden--as many as 40 varieties, cross-breeding them to get new exotic tastes. Ashaji now wonders, "Who'll look after his plants? He's gone." If a friend was going abroad, he'd ask him to get back some soup packets. Like he asked Rahi Sabarwal of Air India to bring him some soup packets which you can only find in Hong Kong. Pancham even sent him a telegram, "Don't forget my soup." The telegram was signed Soup Lover. As young men in our 20s, we shared many common interests--interests in home-cooked food and in sports. He was a soccer fanatic, he was a true Mohan Baganian, he'd get into heated arguments with (director) Gogi Anand over soccer. Yet Gogi remained Pancham's friend till the end. Pancham married Jyoti. It was a love marriage, but I think it didn't work out because they were two very different people. He was immersed into films and music; he'd spend long hours away from home in the recording studio of Film Centre. He was so obsessed with his work that he had little time for any other love in his life. Pancham was a terrific mouth-organ player; he played the organ in his father's orchestra. And he was an outstanding sarod player too; he had trained under Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Pancham would have his differences with his father. But he was Sachinda's only child, he was the pampered one. And he could get pretty possessive about his father. They hailed from a royal family; for them it was a matter of pride that they had carved out their own little kingdoms with their music. There'd be good-natured bantering between them. "Baba," Pancham would pout, "you don't give me enough pocket money." And Sachinda would laugh back, "Oi Pancham, when are you going to contribute to the kitchen expenses?" Whenever the son would try to shuffle out quietly from the music room, Sachinda would say, "Jao jao, I know you want to smoke a cigarette." Pancham would frequently compose his tunes in the course of car drives. He'd hum, we'd reach Film Centre and he'd say, "OK, you go home now, I've got the tune in my head. I'll try it out with the musicians." If he was especially excited about a tune, he'd scream with joy. He never kept his happiness within himself, he shared the moments of ecstasy with others. Pancham would keep the actor's face in mind while working on a composition. He'd tell me that, at times, he thought of my face while conjuring a tune--which I thought was a great compliment.
We first worked together on PARICHAY. It was important for me to sit with him on the music sessions. He inspired certain moments which I picturised later, his music was that visual...I went to Rajkamal studio where he was recording a background score for another film. I gave him the mukhDa--Musafir hun yaaro/Na ghar he na thikaana--and I left. That night he woke me up at 1 a.m. and said, "Come, come down with me to the car." He'd recorded the tune on a cassette already. He started driving through the empty streets of Bandra, he played the beat on the dashboard. It was my first song as a director with him. By the time he composed Saare ke saare, he had shifted from home--he was in the process of acquiring a new flat--to Caesar's Palace Hotel. The most beautiful song in the film--Beeti na bitaai raina--was also composed in the hotel room. It was based on a classical 'bandish'; it fetched Lata and Bhupendra National Awards for best playback singers. In all, we did eight films together, as a composer-director team. Besides PARICHAY, there were: KHUSHBOO, KINARA, AANDHI, KITAAB, NAMKEEN, LIBAAS and IJAAZAT. How did Tere bina zindagi se koi shikwa to nahin(AANDHI) come about? He was recording Bengali songs for Durga puja around that time. The lyrics were by the renowned Gauri Prasanna Majumdar. I liked the tune that Pancham was composing; I filled it up with Hindi words and said, "Look, I'm going to use this for AANDHI." As for Is moD pe jaate haiN, kuCH sust qadam raste, I gave him the words from one of my poems. He composed the tune instantly. He never took time. Spontaneity was his specialty. If he struggled over a song, he would prefer to abandon it. For instance, Ek hi khwab kai baar yuhi dekha hai maine(KINARA) exasperated him. He found that metre a bit difficult, but two months later I put it before him again. He caught the scanning, and the song was finally recorded. When I gave him Mera kuCH saamaaan tumhare paas paDa hai(IJAAZAT), he waved the lyric aside and said, "Huh, tomorrow you'll bring me the front page of *The Times of India* and expect me to compose a tune around it. What is this blank verse you're giving me!" Ashaji was sitting there, she started humming the phrase, Mujhe lauta do. He grasped it immediately; from that one phrase he developed the song, which was quite a feat! This time Ashaji and I got National Awards. Poor fellow, he did all the work and we enjoyed the 'kheer'. Ashaji's and his was a superb creative companionship. He used the potential in her voice to maximum effect. No other composer ever placed Ashaji's voice above his music the way he did. We recorded the non-film ), album DIL PADOSI HAI, and the variations from semi-classical and ghazal to pop and jazz, were a valuable experience for each one of us. There was a three-way harmony of voice, music and lyrics. After his heart ailment, Pancham did feel that producers were sidelining him. He did feel hurt. He would laugh, with a touch of bitterness, at the new music composers who copy his tunes and make a mess of them. They would even imitate his singing style which was unmistakably his. Mehbooba mehbooba (SHOLAY) and Dhanno ki aankhon meiN (KITAAB) were his creations, but others tried to clone his style, only to sound like amateurs. My last meeting with Pancham was on December 30 [1993]. He went to Sahara recording studio in Goregaon. Ashaji was recording a song for G.V. Iyer's VIVEKANANDA. Salil Chowdhry had composed the music. Pancham and I had gone along with Ashaji. At the end of the evening, he said in his customary manner, "Milte hain." We never did.
Gulzar remmembering RD. Courtesy: different web sites.
R. D Burman died on January 4, 1994. [ RD died at a young age. His death left us with his creations : naam gum jayega/ chehra yeh badal jayega/ meri awaaz hi pechchan hai/ gar yaad rahe ] Courtesy:
Though happy with her Grammy nomination for the collaborative album with "Kronos Quartet" featuring songs of her late husband and music composer R.D. Burman, Asha Bhosle is none too pleased with the way it was released in India.
"The less said about my experiences with music companies the better. My 'Kronos Quarter' album was released by an inexperienced company (Virgin). But it's been greatly appreciated abroad. I am asked to perform my 'Kronos Quartet' songs at concerts all over the world. In fact, I'll be at Carnegie Hall (New York City) on April 9. Then I might go to China and Japan with Pancham's songs. I love the experience of singing live on stage."
This isn't the first time one of her albums has got a raw deal.
"I had collaborated for a ghazal album of Pakistani compositions. That got submerged in politics. Main politics mein ghiri hui aurat hoon (I am surrounded by politics). I had done an album of ghazals written by Mahadevi Varma with composer Jaidev in the late 1970s. It disappeared from the market.
Then I did an album of ghazals with Ghulam Ali (Pakistani ghazal singer). Even that didn't get the push it deserved. Later, I collaborated with Hariharan for a ghazal album called 'Abshaar-e-Ghazal'. That too got lost."
But all this hasn't dampened her mood.
She is very pleased with her Grammy nomination. "This is my second Grammy nomination. I don't know whether I should attend the event. Everyone says I should go. Let's see."
She isn't sure about her next international move.
"I don't know what other plans Kronos Quartet have. Maybe they'll go to China or Japan for their next album. If they ask me to work with them again I'd be more than happy. It was such a pleasure reliving Pancham's songs in such a unique way.
"Besides film songs like 'Piya tu ab to aaja' and 'Dum maro dum' they also selected Pancham's Bengali songs and selections from his non-film album 'Dil Padosi Hai'. They called Pancham the Mozart of popular music. They said Pancham's arrangements couldn't be done by anyone except Mozart."
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