SSMURTHY's take on "Shankar's anecdotal recollections of Jaikishan during the recording" Review of "AMRAPALI" by ssmurthy

Dr Jadhav, recalling Shankar's anecdotal recollections of Jaikishan during the recording tells how Jaikishan teasingly told Lata not to look at him while singing the mukhada of the song.Jadhav ji, What a chord you have touched. --ssmurthy

"Jaao re jogi tum jaaore ye hai premiyon ki nagari" of Lata on was the counter teasing her not got over obsession of Jai in the aftermath of his marriage with Pallavi in 1963.

This song though credited to Jaikishan was actually composed by Shankar and as per the practice in vogue both were present during the recording session.

"Neele gagan ki chaon men ..." was the only song composed by Jai apart from the background music which otherwise was a totally Shankar dominated film, for the kind of music the script warranted.

This was somewhere around 1965 & 1966, the famous releases during that time ie 1966 being, Guide, Suraj ,Teesri Kasam and Amrapali.

I had this friend of mine who was certainly obsessed with Vyjayanti and more so,when she was donning the role of Amrapali and capped on the top of it all, SJ as the MD.

We all went to watch this film and our unbiassed minds were soon captured by Ajatashatru the role donned by Sunil Dutt as most dominant which caught the viewer's imagination as most captivating after "Mujhe jeene do" in which he played a dacoit's role so convincingly.

It is only with Vyjayanti's entrance centrestage, that the scene changes. With her costumes and dance sequences so well choreographed, does Sunil Dutt get backstage, and she continiues her beautiful screen presence, dancing wistfully and vivaciously till she gets into a dilemma over the obsession of her lover in Ajatshatru, whom she till then, believes him to be an ordinary Sainik.

Despondency looms large as she pines over her Sainik's frequency of absence and presence. Torn apart by her lovers absence which at times were dictated by the nature of his compulsions towards his bewildered and beloved Amrapali, immortal tunes like "Tadap yeh dil..."..and "Tumhe yaad karte karte" were born.

And what tunes they turned out to be, virtually the nucleus around which the whole of Amrapali seems to be revolving.

Again Shailendra at his simple but profoundly effective, penchant expression on solitude of seperation;

"Tumhe yaad karte karte,

jaayegi rain sari,

tum legayo ho apni,

sang neend bhi hamari"

Man hai ke jaa basa hai,

anjaan ek nagar me,

kuch khojtha hai pagal,

khoyi huyi dagar me"

"Birha ke is chitaa se ,

tumhi mujhe nikalo,

jo tum na aa sako ,

mujhe swapn me bula lo"

Hauntingly melodious SJ could have not done better justice as the said songs leave an everlasting imprint in the realm of a world of perennial ecstatic remembrance.

Hear them on a quiet dusky evening with stillness around you after sunset and you will realise the full essence of what I mean.

However for me the classic melody, and a rare one at that, is the total chorus number "Aao nacho gaon... " which is mindboggling in its breathless sweep and sway, while keping the melody in tact, calls for an exacting virtuoso as the harbinger in conducting the orchestra and who else could it be, but the inimitable "Shankar" in full majestic cry.

The sitar, flute and chorus combination is an exercise of musical wizardry and maintaining it throughout the marathon song, calls for an uncanny knack rarely found in the canvas of musical exuberance.

As the film draws to an end Amrapali fixes her gaze towards the Buddha, and the feelings on her countenance in contempt of the war Ajatshatru waged for her, leading to his desperation of loosing her to the act of breaking the victorious sword into two, as a mark, symbolic of realisation, with the bakground score chanting of

Buddham sharanam gacchami...Dhammam sharanam gachhami.. Sangham sharanam gachhami ..."

is beyond expression and only to be seen and heard audiovisually to be cherished.

ssmurthy