Music Review of ANARI by V N RAO (vnr19452000@yahoo.co.in)

ANARI, a silver jubilee hit, was one of the outstanding films produced by LB films Pvt. Ltd and directed by Hrishikesh Mukerjee. Incidentally the same producer L. B. Lachman produced another silver jubilee hit Asli Naqli starring Dev Anand and Sadhana under the baton of Shankar Jaikishan(SJ). Anari was acclaimed by critics as a clean film with good storyline with a social message that truth always triumphs over falsehood, good acting by of Raj Kapoor,Nutan and Lalita Pawar and above all memorable music by SJ where creativity and imagination of SJ was in full bloom whether it is melody like Dil ki najar se.... sad song like Tera jaana....or for that matter songs such as Kisi ki muskurahatonpe.....and 1956,1957, 1958 ......based on western music. In composing music for this film, SJ used accordion extensively to prove to the HFM lovers that accordion bajana to unke liye to bayen hath ka khel hai.
The first song of the film is banake panchhi gaye.....by Lata and chorus. Here SJ set a benchmark so to say for a 'picnic song on bicycles. The prelude kick starts with fast notes of violins in a descending scale to rhythmic beats of Dholak/Tabla and there is a smooth transition to accordion in a true SJ style and it is back to notes of violins in ascending scale at the end of which Mukhda starts. The bubbling Nutan has done full justice to the song by her smiling face swinging her 'pony' tail riding a bicycle. The first interlude starts with violins followed by yodelling by female chorus with chirping of birds perched on tree branches which is beautifully replicated by SJ using flute and violins. The second interlude starts with accordion followed by ringing of bicycle bells and sound of rubber horn emanating from bicycle ridden by Raj Kapoor add authenticity to the scene.
The second song is Kisi ki muskurahatonpe.......by Mukesh where prelude is quite long and brilliant and starts with piano notes, ending with mandolin. In between there is brilliant interpolation of accordion, fast notes of mandolin and violins and there is a sudden beats of western drums ending with a hard strike on cymbals at the fag end of the prelude. This is in keeping with the scene where boy scouts are shown marching saluted by Raj Kaopor in appreciation. SJ has brilliantly introduced mandolin notes just before the 'mukhda' where Raj Kapoor rescues an insect crawling on the road with the help of a leaf. First interlude is all the way English flute and mandolin to the soft beats of drums, wire bristles and double bass. Since the song is composed on purely western style of music, no dholak or tabla has been used. Second interlude stands out with mandolin followed by accordion.
The third song is by Lata and Mukesh Woh Chand khila......the mukhda of which is based on western symphony violin orchestra. One of the jewels in the 'crown 'of preludes using accordion and violin shows the masterly command of SJ over accordion. It is a fast paced song to the brilliant rhythmic beats of dholak superbly played by the percussion artist. The first interlude is all accordion and violin whereas the second interlude is mandolin.
The fourth song is new year bash song 1956, 1957, 1958....by Manna Dey and chorus in a club where Raj Kapoor takes a reluctant Lalita Pawar to a club where New Year bash is being celebrated. . This is also a fast paced song with violins, trumpet and double bass all the way in a true western style.The brilliance of SJ can be experienced when there is a sudden flash of drums along 1959 which ends with a hard strike on cymbals. This is to raise the' spirit' of the joyous occasion like welcoming the new year.
The fifth song is a duet by Mukesh and Lata Dil ki najar se.....which is a piano based song. During antara there is beautiful rendition of piano in the background showing the class of SJ in music composition. It is a percussion less song where soft beats are provided by double bass.
The sixth song by Mukesh is Sub kuch seekha.....brings out all the innocence and honesty of Raj Kapoor in the role of a simpleton in the film.Conga drums have been used since there is no set rhythmic pattern for this song. Once again accordion and violins dominate both prelude and interlude of this song.
The seventh song is a sad song Tera jana dil ke.......by Lata where the rendition of flute after each antara line enhances the sad mood of the song. In this song violins have been used to telling effect. Another speciality of this song is the use of what is called Dattaram Theka which is a trade mark patent of Dattaram. It is basically deals with variations of dholak/tabla beats as the song progresses from mukhda-antara-mukhda. This enhances the listening pleasure as there is no such thing as' monotonous' beats of persuasion instrument throughout the song.
In a nutshell it can be concluded that SJ have shown what stuff they are made of in replicating the mood of the actors, scene and situation by selective and judicious use of various instruments thus providing out of this world listening pleasure to connoisseurs of HFM.