HAPPY BIRTH DAY TO YOU SHAMMI KAPOOR SAHAB

Hello Friends:

On Shammi Kapoor’s birthday I want to felicitate him with a small write up on one of the most memorable songs picturised on him. Take the name of Shammi Kapoor and we see before us the debonaire, flamboyant and volatile star. In most of the films in which he has acted he will come across as the romantic and carefree character and one will not readily associate Shammiji with sentimental and emotional roles. But that is precisely what role he had played in Brahmachari (1968).He is an orphan and he cares for other orphaned children and takes them under his charge. The story is about how he manages these children and saves the life of the actress (Rajshree) who tried to commit suicide due to a broken marriage alliance. The film was a box office hit and won several Film Fare awards. It was the Best Film, it won the best Music Director Award for Shankar Jaikishan, the Best Male Play Back Singer Award for Rafisaab (for Dil Ke Jarokhein Mein), the Best Lyricist Award for Shailendra for ‘Main Gaaoon Tum So Ja’ and the Best Actor Award for Shammi Kapoor. I wish to discuss about Shailendra’s award winning song ‘Main Gaaoon’. This song comes twice in the picture. First time when Shammiji wants to put all the children to sleep on a happy occasion. The typical orphanage with multi-layered beds and children with different habits and styles make the viewer one with the crowd. Rafisaab starts ‘larallala larallara laralla…’and the listener is automatically transported to a dreamy world.Mai gaaoon tum sojaao, sukh sapnon mein kho jaao says the first line. What a beautiful thing to say to small children about to forget this world! The interlude music is very simple and yet enchanting with the whistling effects adding to the sleepy environment. The day has been very hard and heavy for the children and the night looks to be long too but the world will change for the better, and children, dream for that changed world, so sings Shammiji. When you wake up tomorrow you will see bright light and the morning will bring you all happiness and do not put out those rays of hope so sings Rafisaab. Listen to the way Rafisaab sings ‘so jaaona’…and the way Shammiji acts that part. It is a classic ‘made for each other’scene. I love to go on singing during my entire life, I feel like taking care of all your tired hands so that all you children will one day sing my song, so say Rafisaab and Shammiji. The second time this song happens in the film is a sad occasion. All the children have tears in their eyes and the morrow is expected to usher in sorrowful tidings in their lives.Shammiji sings the same song to tell the kids that they all should go to sleep and dream of a better tomorrow. The song is slow paced, Rafisaab is pathos personified, and Shammiji enacts one of his most sentimentally charged roles. It is impossible to say whether Rafisaab has acted during the song or whether Shammiji has acted for Rafisaab. The song is so brilliantly synchronized and it is not possible to distinguish the singer from the actor and vice versa. Rafisaab and Shammiji do make us all cry without any inhibition while watching or listening to this song. It is very difficult for anyone to conceive that an out and out entertainer like Shammiji who had ruled film fans with his yahoos and aiyyayya suku sukus can make the viewers cry. But cry we will, when we see Shammiji’s acting during this song. It’s a masterpiece! Shammiji is the only living member of the team which created this everlasting diamond for all of us and I pray to the Almighty to give him several more healthy and peaceful years. Long live Shammiji! You can view both the versions of the song at:

http://www.youtube.%20com/watch?

http://www.youtube.%20com/watch?

The beauty of Shailendra’s lyrics, Shankar Jaikishan’s music, Rafisaab’s rendition and Shammiji’s emoting is that the song has become an ode to all destitute children of the world that they all should have dreams full of hopes and that a brighter future awaits them.

We all live on hope….

Jee karta hai jeete jee, Main yunhi gaata jaaoon…..

M V Devraj mvdevraj@gmail.com

photos of MUSICOLOR's latest event Mohammed Rafi - The Legend hits of Dev Anand & Shammi Kapoor hel on 9th Oct

Photos Courtesy : Rajesh Subramanian (subramanianrajesh@yahoo.co.uk)

One reason Why S-J were better than the rest

Shashi Hegde (shashivh@yahoo.co.in)

When you sit and wonder what made S-J click with classes and masses alike, you come across some aspects which were responsible for it. Their versatility, thorough knowledge of all forms of music and instruments, ability to set their own rules which others would follow, ability to take out the best from the singer and singer selection for the song, precise knowledge of orchestration and you can name many more.But the one of the most important factors responsible for their emphatic success is their association with Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri. When a composer works with a core team for a period of 20 years, each member of the core team will know the pulse of the other. Shankar and Jaikishan exactly knew what they wanted from Shailendra - Hasrat and vice versa.S-J decline started only when this core team broke with the death of Shailendra.Look at the statistics I compiled with the best of my information based on the original sound tracks of s-j films. ( Eg: Mein gaoon tum so jao - though the lyrics are same for both happy and sad versions, it is counted as 2 songs. Similarly for other films.)These are some stats of the golden era of S-J films from 1949 to 1968, that is from Barsat to Brahmachari spanning 96 films(All S-J films up to 1968 except Duniya and Kanyadan):Total number of songs: 783Written by Shailendra: 395Written by Hasrat Jaipuri: 362Written by Shailendra + Hasrat : 1Written by others: 25 (Rajinder Krishen 8, S.H.Bihari 2, Jalal Malihabadi, Ramesh Shastri, Deepak, Mirza Ghalib, Sant Kabir, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Kamalesh Verma, Prem Dhawan, An English song from Sangam - 1 each and 6 traditional songs)Make a simple calculation, 97 per cent of S-J songs spanning 20 years and 96 films had lyrics by Shailendra and Hasrat. Sant Kabir, Mirza Ghalib and traditional songs cannot be counted as lyricists who were engaged for the film. So, of 783 songs only 15 songs were written by persons 'outside' S-J core team. Compare this stats with the other composers in the same period:S.D.Burman used Sahir, Majrooh, Shailendra and HasratNaushad used Shakeel Badayuni, Majrooh and SahirRavi, Roshan, Madan Mohan, Salil Choudhary, C.Ramachandra worked on and off with Rajinder Krishan, Shakeel, Majrooh, Shailedra and others. So is the case with Hemant Kumar, O.P.Nayyar, Kalyanji-Anandji, Sardar Malik, Chitragupta, Vasant Desai and others. It is 2 quality composers working in tandem with 2 quality songsters continuously over 20 years made all the difference.I guess no composer-lyricist combo has broken this record of 97 percent. May be Laxmi-Pyare- Anand Bakshi are next in the list. But what counts is not the numbers alone but the quality too. When you consider this, L-P lag far far behind.Even when you take in to account all S-J songs recorded from 1949 to 1991:Out of 1301 songs(Includes Tamil and Telugu dubbed versions of a couple of R.K Films and a Gujarati film), Shailendra (402) and Hasrat (508) account for exactly 1000!

***********

This excerpt is taken from a post by Shri Shashi Hegde addressed to shankarjaikishan group on Yahoo

WISHES ON INDIA'S 63 INDEPENDENCE DAY

WISHING ALL OF YOU A BRIGHT INDEPENDENCE DAY

VOICE IS YOUR POWER

[This is a very useful article and will help those who want to be announcer/singer. It is different from the character of this blog but, indeed associated with the craft which is needed in the world of sound. That is why this blogger could not control temptation to post this stuff which is written by Shri -MAHENDRA MODI (Acting Director, Vividh Bharati) ]

Shri Mahendra Modi

Many wonderful men and women can’t appreciate what nature gave them. Men squeeze all the attractive life out of their voices by trying to make them sound deeper than they really are. Women adopt a phony, sing song sound, but it just isn’t natural.

Each voice is as unique as a snowflake. Voice-prints are sometimes used like finger prints in security systems. That’s how distinctive each voice is! The secret is not to try to have a voice that’s a carbon copy of someone else or attempt to change what nature gave you.


But what you should do is learn to enhance the voice that nature has given you.

Here is a system check in four areas:

ØARTICULATION /PRONUNCIATION

ØVOCAL VOLUME LEVEL

ØVOICE PROJECTION

ØTHE WAY YOU FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF

1. ARTICULATION/PRONUNCIATION

There is a difference between not being heard (being inaudible) and not being understood (being unintelligible). Sometimes people confuse the two. Unintelligibility may be caused by problems with articulation and pronunciation. People with poor articulation can sound throaty because their tongue is pulled too far back, or they may sound muffled because they don't move their tongue enough when they speak. Both problems affect our ability to be understood. Make sure your tongue is positioned toward the front of your mouth and that you use your tongue to clearly enunciate your words.

2. CONTROLLING VOCAL VOLUME

Imagine that your voice has a volume knob with five settings:

1-WHISPER

2-SOFT

3-CONVERSATIONAL

4-LOUD

5-YELL

Do not use volume levels 1 or 5. Both can strain the voice. Yell only in an emergency and save your whispers for the library, theatre or bedroom. Strive to speak most of the time at volume level 3. Use levels 2 and 4 for color, emphasis and variety. A conversational level will differ with each situation. While presenting a night programme of soft nature your voice should be little towards whispering because the listener may not like a loud voice when he is in his bedroom and looking for peace. You could be little louder when presenting a programme of pop music.

3. PROJECTING THE VOICE

Volume level should not be confused with projection. To project the voice, don't try to yell or force it out of your body. This causes strain. To have a voice that carries well, you must use your body's natural resonators.

Your body has three resonating cavities: the voice box, the mouth and the nose. The voice is produced at the vocal chords and then amplified in the facial mask around the lips and nose. To have a beautiful voice and project it without strain, you must focus your voice in the facial mask, blending the oral and nasal resonators.

The simplest way to find your facial mask is to hum. Try it now. HMMMMMMMM. Good. Now practice alternating humming and speaking. HMMMMMMy name is Shyamal. HMMMMMy favorite color is blue. HMMMMany people say I'm a great dancer... etc. Have fun with it.

Practice humming and speaking throughout the day. Once you get the hang of what a resonant voice feels like, you can drop the hum and feel the vibration of your words in your facial mask.

For good voice projection, try the following:

ØSpeak with authority.

ØUnderstand the causes of difficulty with and implications of unhealthy voice production.

ØDiscover how relaxation, breathing and vocal exercises can improve projection, clarity and reduce vocal strain.

ØPractice techniques to prevent and cure any vocal strain or lack of projection and clarity.

ØLook at the effects of posture and tension on vocal projection

ØTake part in voice and articulation exercises.

Understand resonance placement and the effect this has on projection, clarity and range.

4. THE WAY YOU FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF

There is often a strong psychological component to communication difficulties. Soft speakers may unconsciously be trying to hold themselves back, inhibit their self-expression, or stifle themselves, and these factors should be explored.

You can improve, once you explore your weaknesses.


How to nurture a good and healthy voice?

- Breathe properly.

- Breathe through your nose, rather than mouth.

- Beware of your posture. Keep your upper chest, shoulders, neck and throat relaxed when breathing in or when exhaling and letting sound out.

- Speak slowly.

- Instead of focusing on your throat, imagine that the sound originates from your abdomen/lower back.

- Relax your jaw and tongue and unclench your teeth.

- Stay within your comfortable vocal range.

- Vary the tone/pitch of your voice.

- Use your breath to power your speech.

- avoid vocally-harmful habits (e.g. clearing your throat, holding your breath, speaking quickly, speaking with insufficient breath).

Sometimes you clear your throat because you are dehydrated. Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. It will also help you to maintain right viscosity of the mucous in your mouth passage.

- Instead of clearing your throat in a harsh manner, sigh as an alternative measure.

What to do before going on Air?

-Always warm up your throat just as an athlete warms up his/her muscles to prevent injury.

-To loosen your body, rotate your neck slowly and stretch your torso and limbs.

-To loosen the jaw, yawn and/or make chewing motions. Massage your face, especially the nexus of muscles at the hinge of your jaw.

-To limber up your lips, jaw and soft palate, say tongue twisters/the alphabet/any short text, making sure that you articulate very carefully.

-Take a few quiet moments to focus on your breathing as well as to collect your thoughts before you speak.

Now some tips about the life style:

- Avoid drinking alcohol and caffeinated beverages.

- Avoid late night parties as it could spoil your voice quality and concentration both.

- Massage under your chin to increase the flow of saliva.

- To clear excess mucus and lubricate the vocal tract, use steam inhalations

- Avoid speaking when you are tired or ill.

- Avoid speaking when you feel that your voice is strained

-Arrange for some quiet periods at least once a day.

- Seek medical attention immediately if you experience vocal strain.

- When suffering from a sore throat, try not to use anaesthetic sprays/lozenges if possible.

- When you have laryngitis, inhale steam to soothe and relax the larynx instead of drinking cough mixtures.

- Eat a balanced diet to achieve/maintain optimal health.

- Dairy products may increase phlegm.

- To prevent heartburn and a reflux of stomach acids into your vocal passage, avoid acidic/spicy foods, eating late at night, caffeine and overeating.

- Give up smoking. Smoke and other aerial pollutants irritate your breathing and vocal apparatus. There are also other well-known health risks associated with smoking that can be reduced if you do not smoke/breathe in second-hand smoke.

- Certain medications may dehydrate the body/vocal passage. Others may stimulate or sedate the body, respectively causing your vocal passages to constrict or making you feel lethargic.

- To compensate the drying effect of any medication, drink extra water.

Language is a gold mine which makes a big Change. Dig deep into it, build your vocabulary and dive for unlimited treasure which has remained there untapped for a long time.

Rediscover yourself with your own Speech.

ØSpeak from the depth of your heart, speak your mind and feel your nerves pulsating the sound of your voice.

ØElectrify the listener with your presentation. Don’t let butterflies quiver you and chase away the nervousness.

ØVisualize your listener as an individual not as a mass of people.

ØVisualize the listener at dinner table. It works great to create a feeling of intimacy and trust.

ØYour tone of voice is closely linked to your face expressions. A frown on your face will make your voice sound harsh and cold but a smile will warm up your voice, making it sound warm and inviting. A smile with the speech takes you to miles.

ØEvery Word has a meaning. Work on building your vocabulary.

ØAvoid beating around the bush. Say clear, be brief and do not fumble. Confusion lands you and the listener into more confusion. Do not bluff or fool yourself but blur out sensibly even if words are not meant to be spoken. Use tact, speak truth but know realities too and act sensibly to it. Convince your listener.

ØCultivate a positive attitude. Be positive, prepared and well aware. Work on memory improvement levels. Get mirror practice and check your expressions too.

ØAdjust the Bass, volume of your voice like the sound system. Start with soft notes. Good beginning is best otherwise it’s shrieking from the start. Feel humor, feel happy, calm and composed.

Ø Expressions reflect your inner feelings and your speech is based on your thoughts. Let your speech and expression be your asset. Your voice can have a profound impact on how successfully you influence and persuade others. Your voice effects how seriously you are taken… how respected you are… the results you get not only with the listeners but also with co-workers, friends and family members in your personal life.

COURTESY : http://www.freewebs.com/vividhbharati/voiceisyourpower.htm

Rafi Miya was of course the best. There was some jaadoo in his voice ...-Shankar

SHANKAR--the lone survivor. Today he faces the musicalone. Betrayals, accusations, broken promises he has seen them all, but refuses to crumble. His pride holds him in good shape, so does his confidence.

Surprisingly, it is very difficult to elicit information from him, or even evoke a feeling of nostalgia. Unlike most, he lives very much in the present and talks of the future. After some persistence, Shankar recapitulates.....

Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi knew only three passions in life- tabla, gaana and kasrat. Harmless pleasures but Shankar Singh Raghuvansi was of an age when books ought to have been more important for he was only a child. But unlike most children he never studied, only indulged in his passions. His mother often despaired "Yeh to gaanewali ke piche hi tabla bajaayegaa." Prophetic words of sorts. The little fellow grew upto be a part of the duo whose music took the film industry by storm. The unbeatable combination of Shankar-Jaikishen. Their creations still ring in our ears....Jiya bekaraar hai, yeh mere diwanapan hai, Yeh aasoon mere dil ki zuban hain.

"It all began for me in Hyderabad. Those were the days of the Nizam and Maharajas. Their influence was strong and music pervaded every house; it was a part of our lives. With me too, music was all that mattered. And I was attracted to anything that was connected with it, be it acting or dancing. Though my parents wanted me to study and do well. I didn't care about books. One day, while passing by the house of a nobleman, I heard the strains of the melodious voice of a singer, Saraswati Bai. But it was spoilt by some cacophonous sound which ostensibly was supposed to be that of a tabla. It was unbearable to me. I rushed into the mehfil, pushed aside the incompetent tabla player and took over. I know it all sounds very filmy, but after I finished, wah-wahs poured from everybody present and I was pleased.

Bombay was then the centre of theatre activity. So my cousin and I, decided to come down to try our luck. I wanted to join the theatre--perform, sing, dance, play instruments. I learnt kathakali from Krishnan Kutty, Kathak from the Jaipur Gharana and Manipuri and Bharat Natyam as well. Slowly I also learnt to play the piano, the accordion, the sitar and the harmonium quite well. Fate somewhere during this time introduced me to Papaji (Prithviraj Kapoor).

"Papaji looked like some Greek God; I have yet to see a more handsome person than him. At that time he had just started his Prithvi Theatres and one day he called me over to witness a play called Shakuntala that he was staging. He had enrolled many great musicians for this play and while I was watching it, he suddenly asked me to go on stage and accompany the Sarod player with the tabla. I did so. (I learnt that he was none other than Ali Akbar Khan). After the show, Papaji called me and embraced me even though I was a non-entity then. He even asked me to join Prithvi Theatres.

"Jaikishen was a frequent visitor to Prithvi, but it was at a friend's place that I met him first. There were instant good vibes and we slowly became good friends. I introduced him to Papaji and he too began working at Prithvi. Raj Kapoor was also working with his father in those days. When he began Aag, we helped him with the music, though we were not the official music directors.

"Jai and I decided to be partners. Raj, at that time, ws working on Barsaat. We composed a tune for him, Jiya bekaraar hai. He liked it. That was our first major break. Although music was in my blood, I had never dreampt of becoming a music director for films. I met Shailendra, who was a close friend of Raj. And also Hasrat Jaipuri who was with Prithvi. We formed a group and our foursome clicked. Shailendra and Hasrat wrote the lyrics while Jai and I composed the tunes."

Barsaat broke records. Then followed the deluge -- Nagina, Mayur Pankh, Badal, Badshah. It was all so unexpected. A pair of eighteen year old youngsters causing existing edicts to tremble. Shankar-Jaikishen were creating afurore. They had descended upon the domain of Naushad, S.D. Burman, Husanlal Bhagatram, Ghulam Mohammed, O.P. Nayyar. Shankar recalls, "They were at first sceptical, Yeh ladke kitne din chal sakte hain? they said. Then they got worried. But I must say, C. Ramchandra was one man who always appreciated us. He'd tell the others, "Yeh ladke hum sabko hairan karke rekhenge. Hindustan mein dhoom machayenge."

The Shankar-Jaikishen era had begun. The old order was displaced. Given their propensity to compose songs that appealed to both the box-office and people's tastes, it wasn't strange or surprising that almost every top hero insisted on Shankar-Jaikishen as part of his contract. With Raj Kapoor there was Awara, Aah, Shri 420, Boot Polish, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, Sangam, Mera Naam Joker. Shammi Kapoor pranced around hills and dales and beautiful gardens teasing his pretty heroines, while Shankar-Jaikishen's music kept mercurial pace in Junglee, Janwar, Badtameez.

Rajendra Kumar, he rarely worked in a film that didn't have Shankar-Jaikishen on the credits. Aas Ka Panchi, Zindagi, Sasural, they made the 'jubilee' hero, they also had one common factor -- Shankar-Jaikishen.

As partners, Shankar talks of their perfect tuning, between each other. "My relationship with Jaikishen strengthened over time. We shared instant empathy, an inherent understanding and a deep bond of friendship. Whenever we both wanted to compose a particular song, we'd toss a coin to decide who would do it. Tensions between us were only over music but we would always sort them out. When I composed Nanhe munhe bachche teri muthi mein kya hai for Boot Polish, Jai didn't like the tune. But I convinced him otherwise. In fact, Boot Polish as planned earlier, was to be a song less film. Afterwards, Raj decided to add songs. Jai, who was a hot-headed person, was very angry and said, "Nothing doing. we are not giving music for the songs, Why did they not say so earlier? Of course, he later relented.

But we have always trusted each other completely. We never listened to those who poisoned our ears about the other; no chamchas came between us. And it was like that till his death. It is absolutely untrue that we grew apart after Sangam. With a relationship as deep as ours that was quite impossible.

"Being basically a good Gujarati businessman, Jai also handled all the business matters. He was a financial juggler and did his job well. When he died, I was shattered. For 3-4 years after his death, I could not work...could not build up the mood. And people tried to provoke me by saying things like our work was mainly Jai's doing. But what could I say to this? I know that it wasn't the truth. If I had been the first to go, people would have said the same things about me to Jaikishen, too. So I refused to speak out in retaliation.

"After Barsaat, I bought an M.G. Racer Car. It was the first car between the four of us. Jai bought his own, later. Since it was a two-seater, we, that is, Jai and I, would draw back the hood, sit in front while Shailendra and Hasrat would huddle behind and we'd take chakkars all over the city. Later, Jai and I, both, bought Chevrolets. For the Filmfare Awards function we would drive in our Chevies and enter in style.

"But things have changed drastically now. Look at the heroines of those days. Has there been anyone like Madhubala? They may not have come from very good families, but they behaved and conducted themselves in a better manner than some of our heroines today, from so-called good families. When we composed music we would take their individual personality into consideration. We'd call them to our music room and accordingly compose music to suit them. Today, id does not matter which heroine you compose a song for and whether you compose a song for a hero or a comedian.

"On many ways we revolutionized the industry. We were amongst the first who thought of giving due respect to the Press, calling for Press Conferences,...hosting parties. We were never afraid of change. Barsaat was the first film where Lata sang all the songs. Before that, she would be signed for only one or two of them per film as she had a very thin voice as compared to other to singers of those days for example Noorjehan, Shamshad, Zohra and Suraiya. We took risks, and won. Those days Manna Dey sang mainly bhajans. We took him for light songs like Chori Chori, Aa ja sanam and Yeh raat bheegi bheegi, which changed things for him. Mukishe's popularity also grew especially after he sang Yeh mera diwanapan hai for Yahudi.

"Rafi Miya was of course the best. There was some jaadoo in his voice that appealed to both the ganwar and the sophisticate. Some of his songs like Yeh aasoon mere dil ki zuban hai, touch people even today.

More important, he was a great person...a sharif man. If you told him you couldn't pay him immediately, he'd refuse to take it even later when you offered him the money.

Sometimes, a song would make him so happy, he would refuse to take the payment for singing it. The pleasure he got out of singing them was his reimbursement. He donated to charitable causes very generously and never spoke ill of anyone. No praise is enough for Rafimiya...there can never be a man like him.

However, with the start of the Kishore Kumar mania, he suffered a setback and became slightly nervous and depressed."

Shanker had few setbacks too. Like Raj Kapoor's betrayal. Dost Dost Na raha was one of Shankar's contribution to Raj Kapoor's Sangam. Perennially haunting, stirring, it exuded pathos. While at that stage no one would have dreamt that the Raj Kapoor-Shankar-Jaikishen team would one day not exist, years later the 'dosti' was not the same. They parted professional ways. Shankar insists he wasn't upset when his 'dost' signed up Lasmikant-Pyarelal for Bobby. "Why should I have been hurt? I knew that R.K.'s musical best was with Shankar-Jaikishen. The world knows it. People still hum the tunes of Mera Naam Joker, even if the film was a flop.

"Our songs for his films have been translated in Chinese. Russian, German and even Arabic. However, his sons wanted a change so I don't really feel bad. I was to do Prem Rog, but it didn't work out. Maybe I'll get to do his Param Vir Chakra"

Another jolt came from Prasad Productions, whose films have been transformed from mediocre family dramas to musical hits....Teri pyari pyari surat to (Sasural), Jaoon Kahan bata ae dil (Chhoti Bahen)....all this courtesy, Shankar-Jaikishen. But Shankar doesn't seem to be perturbed. "Even G.P. Sippy didn't take after Brahmachari and Andaz. Before that he was making films at a loss whereas these two films were super hits. It doesn't really bother me when people switch sides. What makes me happy is that I gave them big hits."

Most of Shailendra's lyrics wee Shankar's compositions. They both complemented each other perfectly. "When we were discussing the music of Shri 420, Raj was describing a scene. I instantaneously blurted out Ramaiya vatavaiya, which in Telugu means 'Ramaiya, will you come?" And Jai spontaneously gave his rejoinder, 'Maine dil tujhko diya'. It was the beginning of our song. When we were driving past a bus-stop and Jai saw a pretty girl, he turned around instinctively to take a look. That's how Mud mud ke na dekh (Shri 420) was born. Shailendra was great. He wrote beautifully. People would cry at the beauty of his lyrics.

"Yet today, how many music directors really understand or know anything about music? Everything is a fad -- ghazal, discro....But what do they know of ragas or surs? Nobody pays attention to composing good lyrics. But then I guess, time have changed. The music of a film was important then;now it is the actor's image that is central. In fact, fight composers are paid more than music-directors. But I think, we will slowly return to an age of melody, and of good films.

"I have made enough money. I have been awarded for my work". It is not an idle boast. Eight Filmfare Award trophies stand testimony to the fact.

The Sur-Singar Award came twice for Mere Huzoor (Jhanak Jhanak Toree Baje Payaliya) and Lal Patthar (Re Man Sur Mein Ga). Throughout Shankar was instrumental in introducing classical music in films, interweaving the classical style with the popular form. Result:Man Mohana Bade Jhoote (Seema), Rasik balama (Chori Chori), Ja Ja re ja (Basant Bahar).

From small beginnings in a South Indian lodge at Parel to a well-appointed home at the 'Beacan at Churchgate, his success story was truly established. He lives there still, with his Maharashtrian wife. His rehearsal room at Famous Studio in mahalaxmi still remains. Many moons ago, hordes of producers thronged its long corridors, waiting patiently with wads of notes, hoping to entice the two gentlemen into signing a contract. An it wasn't easy. Shankar's present Man Friday whispers to me that his boss would turn off the producers and their fat wads of notes with disdain, contemptuous of those who try to buy him. Though of course, the hordes have now dwindled.

Time was when the Binaca Hit Parade invariably featured a Shankar-Jaikishen number Baharon Phool Barsaon made it 49 times to the top.

Today in a theatre screening Aah or Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hain, when the music begins, the entire theatre sings along....Aa ja re ab mera dil pukare....reminiscing bygone days.

They style of the man remains consistent. He employs personal musicians and refuses to take less money and get more contracts. "Why should I bother? I have made enough. I get a royalty on all my records. My lifestyle is the same. I'm not too friendly and outgoing a person. I don't go out of my way to obtain films."

Shankar takes his harmonium, shows us how he composes a new tune. His musicians are summoned. His fingers move on the harmonium. The musicians join in on the tabla etc. Shankar sings "Yaad na jaaye bite dinon ki'....softly telling the story of a legend that will live forever.


Sheila Vesuna


Contributed by Dr. Raj Senani to shankarjaikishan Group on Yahoo from his collection.

Musicolor's Memorable Tribute to Shanker-Jaikishen [PHOTO COURTESY : DR. RAJ SENANI) Other Photos of the Programme by courtetsy MUSICOLOR

THIS PHOTO IS COURTESY : DR. RAJ SENAI

11 July’09 evening.

Jam-packed Dinanath Mangeshkar Auditorium, Mumbai.
Outside - heavy clouds but no rain. Inside the auditorium - heavy rain!
No… nothing was wrong! The auditorium is well maintained. It was in fact the rain of Shankar-Jaikishan melodies. And the audience, right from teenagers to senior citizens were completely drenched in the melodies.

The programme started at around 8.45pm. Mr. Prashant Rao was the compere. Though comperes have good sense of humour, his was outstanding. And he narrated some story or other related to the songs (& SJ) before inviting the singers on the stage.

The first song was SJs first known composition – Jiya Beqaraar Hai (Barsaat) sung by (???). Sorry, I can’t recollect the names of most of the artists who performed in the concert. If any of the attendees, remembers, please post the names.
Next was the turn of the Talat number - ‘Aye mere dil kahin aur chal’ (Daag) followed by ‘Ye mera diwanapan hai’ (Yahudi). This was followed by ‘Ajib daastaan hai ye’ (Dil Apna Prit Parayi). And when the compere announced about the name of the movie – Dil Ek Mandir & the singer Rafi Saheb, everyone in the audience literally sighed heavily. And yes, their expectations were well fulfilled when ‘Yaad na jaaye…’ was sung beautifully.
After this, it was the turn of few duets – ‘Dil Ki Nazar Se’ (Anadi), ‘Yaad kiya dil ne kahaan ho tum…’ (Patita), ‘Dhire-dhire chal chand gagan mein’ (Love Marriage), ‘Aaja sanam madhur chandni mein hum’ (Chori-Chori) .
These were followed by the solo song ‘Sur Na Saje’ (Basant Bahar). It was sung so beautifully that on the ‘once-more’ request from the audience, the last antara was sung again. After that it was ‘Tera mera pyar amar’ (Asli-Naqli) by the singer who had made stage appearance after a long gap. But she was outstanding. Then again there was a duet ‘Ye aankhein uf yumma’ (Jab Pyaar Kisi Se Hota Hai) followed by ‘Nakhrewali’ ( New Delhi ) after which there was the semi-classical duet ‘Ajahu na aaye baalama’ (Saanjh Aur Sawera). By all means a very difficult composition to sing, But the male singer, in particular, did fantastic job. After this, it was the turn of the magical ‘Ramaiyya vastaavaiya’ (Shri 420).

And as the brief interval was announced, we were amazed that almost 2 hours had passed!!!

Due to very feeble sound of accordion, the songs ‘Aye mere dil’, ‘Dil ki nazar se’, ‘Aja sanam’, ‘Nakhrewali’, in particular, could not be enjoyed fully. During the interval, yours truly requested the sound in-charge to increase the sound of accordion. He gracefully agreed.

Part-2 started with ‘Kaun hai jo sapnon mein aya’ (Jhuk Gaya Aasmaan). After that it was the magical ‘ Kisi ki muskuraahaton pe ho nisaar’ (Anadi). Now the accordion was well audible. This was followed by ‘Ruk ja raat thahar ja re chanda’ (Dil Ek Mandir).

After these solos, again it was a duet ‘O shama mujhe phoonk de’ (Aashiq) followed by ‘Chalat musafir moh liya re’ (Teesri Kasam). The dholak accompaniment was outstanding. Next was ‘Har dil jo pyaar karega’ (Sangam) and the accordion produced mesmerizing effect. Then there were two dance numbers – ‘Badan pe sitare’ (Prince) and ‘Aaj kal tere mere pyaar ke charche’ (Brahmachari) . After these it was the duet ‘Dil ki girah khol do’ (Raat Aur Din) followed by ‘Tere bina aag ye chandni’ & ‘Ghar aya mera pardesi’ (Awara). The instrumentalists did outstanding job with this extremely complicated song, considering limited instruments available.

And to end the concert, it was yet again mind blowing accordion, on this occasion with ‘Jeena yahaan marna yahaan’ (Mera Naam Joker). And by the time audience reluctantly started leaving the auditorium with the haunting effect of 'Jeena yahaan marna yahaan...', still thirsty for more, it was 0015 hrs.

Commentary by Shri D.V.Shastry, Moderator, Shankarjaikishan Group on Yahoo

Thanks Shri Shastry

s.pandey

http://launch.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/shankarjaikishan/?v=1&t=directory&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=dir&slk=19

Barsaat is ideally one of Hindi cinema’s best soundtracks

COURTESY : http://planetbollywood.com/Music/Barsaat(Old)/

Chances are if you ever picked up a remix album recently or even listened to a retro soundtrack you’ve heard a song from Raj Kapoor’s “Baarsaat”. In the years where three or four Barsaat titled films followed, the one and only original has not only excellent and superlative tunes, but tunes that can honestly suffice to say that it is probably the only Barsaat (film wise and music wise) anyone would truly remember.
Shankar Jaikishen in their maiden venture composed truly classical tunes but most of all solos for lead singer, Lata Mangeshkar. In doing so they were able to solidify themselves for years to come as truly excellent musicians in just their first effort. Furthermore they were able to utilize a young vocalist that would grow to heights beyond imagination. Setting a standard for Hindi musicals, the commanding soundtrack features ten tunes of which nine are sung by Lata, seven of which she is singing by herself!
The best and the most memorable (and probably most abused by remix artists today) is “Hawa Mein Udata Jaye”. As many “Dupatta” sings that hit the marquee year after year one wonders if any composer could actually make this one as it is, a romantic solo which is soft, breezy and eloquent. This ‘new’ style of music as it was back then was different in that its focus changed from doldrums and backdrop to the orchestrated pieces which placed the song together. The dholak was a compliment to the song rather than the definition. And Lata’s soft and sweeten vocals only drove the song to perfection further. This red scarf has truly been blowing through since the soundtrack premiered.
Lata Mangeshkar and the new found melody continued with the 1-2-3, “Jiya Bekaraar Hai”. Clearly female solos could never reach the heights that these tunes reached then, and certainly not now. Similarly so, in “Tujhe Kisise Pyaar Ho Gaya” a literally dense song, Lata Mangeshkar shows her prowess at work. Forget the lyrics; the irresistible part is her soft rendition of “hooo oooh…” This beautiful love song is picturized on a young Nargis singing to Raj Kapoor.
The title track “Barsaat Mile” is probably the most average song on the album while still being a good composition Lata’s lone appearance followed the threads of many female solos.
“Patli Kamar Hai” is a playful song which is sweet and is enlightened by the Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar’s compliment vocals. Where Mukesh is distinctly empowering Lata displays the characters sincere innocence with immense conviction. The lyrics for this oft remembered Raj Kapoor song have been recycled and almost idolized after this tune many times thereafter but the syrupy tune which is back dropped by an irresistible dholak can obviously never be replicated.
Mohammad Rafi features in his own solo with typical lyrics of the young man with high aspirations. “Main Zindagi Main Hardam” is an average song for which Mukesh has song many akin to thereafter. Pleasant but quite obviously not meant to overshadow a soundtrack meant to highlight the female vocalist alone.
The flute and its essential role in Indian heritage come to life musically in “Meri Aankhon Mein Bas Gaye”. The flute and Lata Mangeshkar combine to create a gem of female distress. “Bichde Hue Pardesi” is another emotional female tune for Mangeshkar following the same theme as the former.
Lata Mangeshkar steps into bhajan form in “Ab Mera Kaun Sahara” a solemn song sung just as dark and musky by Lata Mangeshkar. Following the mood is “Chod Gaya Balam”, the only duet on the soundtrack featuring Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh. The song has a tango feel to it keeping the solemn romantic mood alive, a lot of which Mukesh contributes to.
Barsaat is ideally one of Hindi cinema’s best soundtracks, a point of reference with the launching of the cinema’s best female vocalist ever and a golden gem of some of the industry’s priceless and popular tunes. Rain is often forgotten once it stops, and perhaps that is why the title, “Barsaat” has been so frequently used thereafter. But this monsoon shower has proven that golden droplets are always going to shine years, over fifty in fact, and counting and will probably always remain for the many ‘Barsaat’ titles that we may endure in the years to come.

Producer: RK Films Director:

Raj Kapoor Starring: Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Nimmi

Music: Shankar – Jaikishen Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri, Shailendra

Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh, Mohammad Rafi,

Number of Songs: 10 Released in: 1959

Fans of Shanker-Jaikishen on Yahoo Group

Fans of Shanker-Jaikishen and members of Yahoo Group of ShankarJaikishan met to share and discuss SJ at the office of Mr. Kamal Mustafa Sikander. In this photo taken on that occasion are seen Founder of the Group Shah Rukh Bhai, one of its moderators, Devendra Shastryji, hardcore members -Maruti Raoji, Sunil Dasji, Raj Gopalji & Qamaal Mustafa Sikander ji. The members also sat with Veteran personality in the Film industry Shri G. L. Bhardwaj ji whose long association with Raj Kapoor and RK films as well as Shanker-Jaikishen is going to be shared in the forum.

Photo Courtesy :

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shankarjaikishan/photos/recent/694207144/view

Qamaal Mustafa Sikander, G.L.Bharadwajji & SJ Group member Ajay Kanagatji at Qamaal's Designage Works office in Andheri, Bombay.

INTIMATE IMPRESSIONS - A book on eminent film Lyricists, Music Directors & Singers by Rajnikumar Pandya

Face of the Book

This Book reflects the internal beauty of the prominent artistes of India. Shri Rajnikumar Pandya has penned this book on information gathered from the artistes with whom Shri Pandya had very intimate relations. This book contains features on 1-Talat Mehmood, 2-Talat & Jagmohan, 3-Shamshad Begum, 4-Mubarak Begum, 5-Jaikishan, 6-Mukesh, 7-Mohammed Rafi, 8-Kalyanji & Anandji's Father, 9-Manna Dey, 10-Amir Bai Karnataki, 11-Kavi Pradeep, 12-Anil Biswas & 13-Hemant Kumar. Published by Prakashan Sansthan, this book is a must for music lovers.

Very down to earth and polite. Born at at Jetpur (Saurashtra - Gujarat) in 1938, he has presented more than 50 books in Gujarati leterature. He stands in the foremost row of Gujarati writers. The outstanding novel "Kunti" by him inspired for making of Hindi TV serial twice in succession on normal as well as international platforms.

He has been honoured by more than five awards by Gujarat Literary Academy, Statesman Award for the best Rural Development journalism. He has also been awarded the Gold Medal by "Kumar" Magazine for his presentation of the history of Hindi films from 1931 to 1941.

सुदर्शन पाण्डेय

APING S-J's STYLE OF MUSIC

Many music directors have come and gone and in some songs have tried to ape SJ's style of music.

LP started with Parasmani and their song Roshan Tumhi se Duniya is a clone of Humne Jafa Na Seekhi from Zindagi. LP copied Jai's private Ghazal in the movie Anita.

When Anu Malik composed the song Ae Mere Humsafar, he went to LP and said that I was inspired by your song Khoobsurat Haseena Jaane Ja Jaane Man. To this LP replied, we were inspired by SJ's Aaja re Aa Zara.

Anu Malik has always been fond of SJ. This is evident from the music he composed during the start of his career. He once went for a SJ song recording with his mama Hasrat Jaipuri. He was mesmerized by their orchestration and the tunes they composed. J asked him who he was. Anu said he was Sardar Malik's son. J said that "Sardar Malikji is fantastic music director and his tunes are outstanding. "
This influence can be seen in Anu Malik's Mere Humsafar from the movie Refugee where he copied the song Yeh Shaam Ki Tanhaiyaan from Aah.

Ram Laxman has been another devotee of SJ. His tunes were influenced by their music. In an interview he once stated that SJ has not left a single tune for other music directors to compose. He copied Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi from Chori Chori into Paigam De Rahi Hai in Anmol. He use the prelude from main Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka into Yeh Mausam Ka Jadoo Hai Mitwa in Hum Aapke hain Kaun.

KA's music in Chalia and Bluffmaster are exact replicas of SJ's orchestration. Shankar Mahadevan once said in an interview that SJ were an encyclopedia of music. He refers back to them while composing new tunes. The orchestration of Kajra Re proves this.

There are many more.............
COURTESY : Alhad Kuwadekar (alhad41@yahoo.com)

"Shankar had a special corner for me" - Manna Dey

"Shankar had a special corner for me," Dey, who turned 81 recently, reminisced. Of the many memorable songs he has sung for Shankar, some are found in such films as Basant Bahar, Chori Chori, Shri 420 and Mera Naam Joker.

Yeh raat bheegi bheegi, a duet he sang with Lata Mangeshkar (picturised on Raj Kapoor and Nargis) almost didn't happen, the singer remembers with a nostalgic chuckle.

The film's producer, AV Meyappan Chettiar, who had flown to Bombay from Madras for its recording, insisted that Mukesh sing it. After all, Mukesh was considered the 'soul' of Raj Kapoor -- and had sung a majority of the songs the star lip-synced on the screen.

"When Chettiar saw me in the recording room with Lata, he turned to Shankar and asked where Mukesh was. He was not satisfied with Shankar's explanation that he (Shankar) wanted me to sing the duet."

Thereupon Raj Kapoor intervened, suggesting that the song should be recorded -- and if there was an agreement that it had come out well, it should be included in the film.

When Chettiar heard the recorded song, he congratulated the singer and said he was proud to have the song in his film. Yeh raat... went on to become one of the most popular songs of the 1950's, and Dey seldom leaves it out of his concerts.

Courtesy http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2001/aug/31manna.htm

A little background about the song 'Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe..' from Kanyadaan

The song is tuned by Shanker Jaikishan and is from the film Kanyadaan. The lyrics are by Neeraj.

When Neeraj came with the song ... mind you the lyric actually runs as a one long, long line. And Shanker looked at it and said ... "yeh kitni lambi rassi le aaye" ?

And he went to the keyboard and bango ... the song was done then and there !

One of the things Shanker certainly did and beautifully was to break the lambi rassi into hummable, palatable morsels,

contributed by Shahrukh of shankarjaikishan group on Yahoo

Dr. Padmanabh K. Joshi on SJ ..."SJ worked independently and never totally relied on anyone"

First of all let me thank the SJ Group for welcoming me as a new member of the group.I have written a musical biography of Shanker-Jaikishan in GUJARATI but it will be also published in Hindi and in English.I knew the whole SJ team, namely, Shanker, Jaikishan, Shailendraji,Hasratji, Sebastian and Dattaramji. The book is based on my experiences and interactions with the team members.I being a Hindi Film music lover, I have tried to study almost all the music directors and also written articles on each of them but they were published in Gujarati. I also met Laxmikant-Pyarelal and spoke to them about SJ. Their first sentence was that when they decided to become Music Directors, their only dream was to become SHANKER-JAIKISHAN....With this dream they started their career. A great Music Director like O. P. Nayyar also mentioned SJ as his most favourite Music Director. When asked OP why SJ? His answer in real sense convinced me that SJ were the greatest among the all because according to OP, SJ were the only music directors in the Hindi Film Industry who had consistency in their work. In other words, SJ composed most popular and successful music from Barsat till Mera Naam Joker-a period of 20 years - during which they gave more than 100 movies. No other music director in the industry has this much consistency. OP himself mentioned that even he gave 2 excellent music movies and after that 5 of his movies miserably failed. But such a thing never happened with SJ. In addition, SJ all the time did experimentations as well as innovations in their music. SJ never depended on any musician. Even while creating both interlude music as well as background music, SJ themselves worked seriously as they worked on their melodies. For SJ songs, interlude music and the background music were equal. As Sebastian had mentioned to me that with SJ, he did as per the instructions of SJ. Though he sometimes suggested music but normally he had to follow SJ always. Goody Sirvai mentioned that once he was trying a music piece on his accordian and Shanker took the accordion from Goody and played the piece and told Goody to repeat the same piece in the recording. What I am trying to convey is that SJ worked independently and never totally relied on anyone. Anyway, this discussion is based on my experiences with SJ team. In future I shall try to discuss SJ style of music with examples. Thanksto all SJ group members.Regards.Padmanabh K. Joshi
COURTESY : http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/shankarjaikishan/message/154

SHANKAR - the egoist(?)

BUT PEOPLE COME DOWN ON SHANKAR.

http://gopalshroti.wordpress.com

SHANKAR'S PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY WAS DIFFERENT FROMOTHER MDs AND STARS....HE WAS A 'PAHALWAN' AND A PUCCA 'TABLA ANDDHOLAK' EXPERT AND WAS A CLASSICAL DANCER.....WITH SO MANY QUALITIESHOW SHANKAR CUD BE TREATED AGAINST HIS RESERVED NATURE.....EVERYBODY CANNOT BE OPENMINDED. CAN ANYBODY SAY OP NAYYAR WAS AN EGOIST, WAS HE AGAINST LATABAI.....IT WAS HIS NATURE.....LIKE A COCONUT WHICH IS HARD AS WELL AS SOFT, CUD THESE QUALITIES BE NOT FOUND IN EVERY HUMANBEING....SO SHANKAR AND OP WERE AS HUMAN BEINGS AS OTHERS.....BUT CUDNOT BOW TO THE OTHERS FOOLHARDINESS...(NOT LATABAI)....SO THEY WERE CRITICISED FOR WHAT.....FOR THE QUALITIES U HAVE, I HAVE, .....ARE WE EGOISTS.....ARE WE HUMBLE AND MEEK THROUGHOUT OUR LIFE WITHOUT SELFRESPECT.......CRITICISM IS EASY BUT MAINTAIN DISCIPLINE IN REAL LIFE IS NOT BEARABLE......NOBODY CRITICISES KISHORE KUMAR FOR HIS WHIMS,AND CLEARCUT EGOISM......BUT LAUGH AT HIS IDIOSYNCRACIES......WAS HE NOT A GREAT ARTIST?.......WHY LATAJI DID NOT SING FOR AGED SD BURMANDA.....WAS BURMANDA EGOIST.......THERE ARE SEVERAL EXAMPLE IN FILM INDUSTRY......BUT PEOPLE COME DOWN ON SHANKAR. WAS SHANKAR AND JAI WERE NOT SELECTED MANY TIMES AS PRESIDENT OF MD's ASSOCIATION. MADAN MOHAN WAS KING OF GAZALS, BUT ONCE IN MD's MEETINGS WHEN THE PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY ETC WERE ELECTED......IT HAPPENED THAT ALL IN ONE VOICE DECLARED MADAN MOHAN AS 'PRINCE' AND ON THE PART OF MADANMOHAN, HE THEN AND THERE HAILED SHANKER JAIKISHAN AS 'KINGS' OF FILM MUSIC OF HINDI FILM INDUSTRY......THEY WERE ALL FRIENDS AND MET REGULARLY AND PHONED EACH OTHER ON THEIR SUCCESSFUL SCORES.......LATAJI REVOLTED FOR THE ROYALTY.....WAS IT HER EGO.......YES IF IT WAS EGO THEN IT IS FOR THE BENEFIT OF OTHERS......SO SHANKAR WAS EGOIST IN ONLY CREATING THE IMMORTABLE NUMBERS.....GOD BLESS HIS SOUL FOR SO MUCH GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO US,THE MUSIC LOVERS IN THE FORM OF ''MUJHKO CHAHIYE BAHAR........''(AWARA). THANKS. gshroti

Lapak Jhapak Tu Aa Re Badarawa a write-up by Dr. Mandar, author of cinemasangeet.com

Lapak Jhapak Tu Aa Re Badarawa

by- Dr.Mandar (www.cinemasangeet.com)

Lapak Jhapak Tu Aa Re BadarawaFilm: Boot Polish (1954)Music: Shankar- JaikishanSinger: Manna Dey

Anyone who has seen the movie Boot Polish will not forget Lapak Jhapak Tu Aa Re Badarawa- a song based on a classical melody but picturised and portrayed in such a funny and comic manner. The old bald man- David (who has just entered the jail- cell that very day) is sitting in the midst of his jail-mates (most of them baldies themselves!) and singing Lapak Jhapak Tu Aa Re Badarawa. He is pleading to the rain-Gods, Sar Ki Kheti Suukh Rahi Hai Baras Baras Tu Kaare Badarawa. (My scalp is turning into a dry barren field, so o dark cloud you please bring on the rains!)

Just a moment ago, a professor among those jailbirds- (who was jailed for making a faulty and fraudulent hair-growth formula!)- had put forth his profound ‘philosophy’ about ‘scientific’ connection of ‘Ghatayen’(Dark rain-clouds) and ‘Jatayen’ (Thick hair) and David is desperately trying out the musical formula to bring in the rains a la Tansen, in order to get hair on his bald scalp!

To listen to the origin of this song from singer Manna Dey himself is a treat. In his inimitable manner, Manna Da says, “One day I had gone for a rehearsal in Dadar’s Ranjit Movietone for a song composed by Mahendra Singh. After I finished my work, I came across Raj Kapoor (who was busy shooting with Nargis in the same studio), who immediately made me come to his set and started discussing about music. It was his routine habit. He was practically inseparable from music. He asked me- “Manna Da, Yeh Malhar Kya Cheez Hai?” (Manna Da, what is this thing called Malhar?) I explained to him that Malhar was a raga which was associated with rainy-season. He then made me sing some notes of Malhar and commented- “Oh, Bade Gahre Gambheer Sur Hain!” (Oh, these are very deep and serious musical notes.) He also told me that somewhere down the line he intended to use those notes in his film-song!

"Within four days, I got a call from RK-camp. When I went there, Shankar, Jaikishan, Raj –saab, Hasrat Jaipuri- everyone was present. There I was astonished to see (character artist) David and asked him, “David Chacha, Aap Kya Kar Hain Yahan?” (David Uncle, What are you doing here?) He retorted – “Tujhe maloom nahi- Tu mere liye gaa raha hai?” (Don’t you know you are called to give playback for me?)

“That announcement came to me as a shock. Singing for David? What kind of song is it?” But when I heard the tune, I realized that Raj-saab had thought over those Malhar-notes and he had made Shankar- Jaikishan compose a song using the beauty of that raga but dispensing with the serious, somber mood making it easy for common listeners to enjoy that number.”

Pointing out to the funnily rendered ‘Na dhin dhin dha’ interjections in that song, Manna Da says, “This was sung by Raj-saab himself. So engrossed did he become in that recording that he himself joined in the song.”

Reminiscing about that golden era, Manna Da said, “That was the team- spirit of that era where everybody contributed their bit in creation of those songs. That kind of creativity, effort and dedication went into the making of songs in those days and that’s why listeners still remember them till today!”

(COURTESTY-http://cinemasangeet.com/EachArticle.aspx?rid=390.xml&articleId=390

SJTribute (Courtesy Taranaa Tarang)

SJ Tribute

Andaz Teraa Mastaanaa

The year is 1949. The song starts in a dance club, where Premnath, the reckless lover flirts with a dancer singing patli kamar hai, tircchi najar hai. This, while Nimmi, his faithful love stands at the door of a cottage, her eyes lost in his quest singing aa, aajaa mere man chaahe baalam, aajaa teraa aakhon mein ghar hai. The interlude before the first stanza is typical of music one would hear in a club, before Premnath starts singing in Mukesh’s voice. Lata’s melancholic cry of tum bin nainon ki barsaaten rok na paaoon is preceeded by music and orchestration perfectly apt to show Nimmi’s plight. Two completely different emotions brought together in the same song with the words and music smoothly sailing between the two shores. A duet, which though not as popular as the other songs from the film, but which nevertheless manages to showcase the genius of two young composers composing in their maiden venture. Shankar Singh Raghuwanshi and Jaikishan Panchal started their careers with Barsaat, and literally drenched music lovers over the next two decades with a mesmerizing blend of melody and orchestration to create a timeless legacy of musical magic.
Shankar was born in 1922 and could play several instruments like the piano, dholak, tabla, pakhwaaj, accordion and harmonium. He had a strong grounding in classical music before he left Andhra Pradesh and came to Mumbai to live his dreams. He found the perfect Godfather in Prithviraj Kapoor and started working in his studio. Jaikishan was born in 1929 in Gujrat. He was musically inclined too and could play the harmonium well. He came to Mumbai too to become an actor and began working as a timekeeper in a factory, though the dreams of making it big in the world of films occupied most of his own time. The two met by accident and Shankar, seeing the young man’s interests and drive, took him to Prithvi studios. They worked with Ram Ganguly in Raj Kapoor’s first production Aag. The news soon reached Raj that SJ had played a significant role in the music of Aag and when he started working on Barsaat, he was convinced the two were the men for the job. Thus began a journey of several personalities, who would change the face of Hindi film music forever. SJ brought in two fresh lyricists – Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri to write for their compositions. Shankar had heard Lata sing once before and in spite of there being other established female voices, he decided Lata’s would be the voice for Barsaat. Mukesh too, was struggling to break free from the shadows of K.L. Saigal at the time. Mohammad Rafi was perhaps the only established name in the music cast. In Raj Kapoor, they had the perfect producer with more than a keen ear for music and they had little trouble getting the elaborate orchestra, which was unheard of in films of the time. Barsaat, an all-hit album pioneered the idea that music could be as important a commercial aspect as the film itself.
The years that followed confirmed that the SJ magic was far from a one-off phenomenon. Awaara and Nagina in ’51, Daag in ’52, Aah, Boot Polish and Patita in ’53 and then Seema and Shree 420 in ’55 firmly positioned the duo at the top of their trade. Music was the integral part of almost every RK Productions film, so much so that SJ had to keep several tunes ready for each situation and Raj would then personally handpick one for the picturization. Grand sets, dream sequences, theme songs, lost love – RK films had it all. Here was a generation pregnant with dreams in an independent India and here was a young director who could use extravagance to sell the common man his own dream. Shailendra penned the pulse of the common man with lines like muTThi mein hai taqdeer hamaari and us des mein tere pardes mein sone chaandi ke badle mein bikate hain dil. Shankar and Jaikishan composed tunes that were potent enough to portray the protagonist flawlessly, but easy on the ears to be hummed by generations to come.
Even given the number of talented composers in the business then, there was hardly anyone who could match SJ in terms of popularity and prolificity. If there were critics, they were ones who felt SJ could not handle classical music with the same finesse, as they could do the lighter stuff. All that was to change with Basant Bahar in ‘56, a film with which they proved they could not just effortlessly tread into the territory, which till then was Naushad’s bastion, but even conquer it effortlessly. Nain mile chain kahaan, duniyaa na bhaaye mohe, badi der bhayi, ketaki gulab juhi, bhay bhanjanaa, sur naa saje, kar gayaa re, main piyaa teri and jaa jaa re jaa baalamawaa made up an album as classical and as original as one could imagine. In the same year, they delivered Chori Chori, Halaku, New Delhi and Rajhath too. Chori Chori went on to win them their first Filmfare award and there was no looking back.
With several hits under their belt, the work started increasing manifold and the duo had to distribute the work to keep up. Shailendra, who had the penchant for writing sad melancholic songs, started writing mostly for Shankar and Hasrat, good at the light romantic stuff wrote for Jaikishan’s compositions. The aficionado could distinguish Shankar’s work from that of Jaikishan, though they always maintained to the last day that every song was nothing less than a SJ composition. They had Sebastian D’souza and Dattaram (who also composed music individually) as their music arrangers. Besides these two stalwarts, the SJ orchestra had many names that would go on to become popular in the times to come – Ali Akbar Khan, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pannalal Ghosh, Enoch Daniels, Prabhakar Jog, Arun Paudwal, Anil Mohile being a few of them.
SJ won their second Filmfare award for Anadi in 1959, another all-hit music score. The same year saw them come up with such hits as Chhoti Behen, Kanhaiyya, Love Marriage, Main Nashe Mein Hoon, Sharaarat and Ujaalaa. The audience would start dancing and would throw money when jhoomtaa mausam mast mahinaa started playing. More importantly, Ujaalaa formed SJ’s partnership with another star who would go on to rule the 60’s with his dashing looks and inimitable style. If the fifties had seen Raj Kapoor’s steadfast loyalty towards SJ, the sixties was to see his younger brother Shammi, also insist for the popular duo to compose for his films. After films like College Girl, Singapore and Boyfriend, the Shammi-SJ combination served a big hit with Junglee in ’61. They followed it with Dil Tera Diwaanaa, Professor, Rajkumar, Jaanwar, An Evening in Paris, Brahmachari and Andaaz among others. The transition from B&W to color cinema was seamless given Shammi’s persona and SJ’s lilting tunes.
From the early sixties, talks were rife about the strife between Shankar and Jaikishan. The weight of the SJ name however, was not lost on them and they put on a united front for the world. Insiders believed they distributed the work and composed tunes completely independently in the last few years of their association. The final straw probably came with Shankar’s insistence for Sharda, while Jaikishan was firm it would be Lata, who would be the singer of choice as she had always been. Even in this period of contention, the quality of their music never suffered. Success was still a loyal companion, till Jaikishan left us for another world in 1971 at the age of 39. Shankar, who had been paralysed just a few years ago by the loss of his chief lyricist Shailendra, could no longer conjure the same magic now. He continued to compose under the Shankar-Jaikishan name, but he had lost all but his own genius. The change in fortune only highlighted the fact that the weight behind that hyphen in the Shankar-Jaikishan label was far more than the hype created by the media, thanks in part to their larger-than-life images. The elaborate orchestra, which was a feature of SJ songs was withdrawn by most producers after Jaikishan’s demise. Even Raj Kapoor, who had built the RK dynasty with no mean contribution from SJ, turned towards R.D. Burman and Laxmikant Pyarelal for his forthcoming films. Shankar breathed last on April 26, 1987, exactly two decades ago.
I consider myself fortunate to have been exposed to great music at a very early age. Even to this day, many a tune easily brings me to tears, regardless of the composer. I cannot definitively choose between the great composers of that age, each was an institution in his/her own right. What strikes me though about Shankar-Jaikishan is the sheer versatality of their compositions. The Orient and the Occident blend magically in their tunes. Spanning all of four minutes, they could compose a manmohanaa baDe jhooThe, which flows more like a classical bandish than a film song, sans any fancy orchestration. And then they could compose an almost two-minute long prelude with trumpets, cello, violin, guitar, saxophone, ghungroos and what not to create the perfect atmosphere for Lata's divine voice to splash andaaz teraa mastaanaa, maange dil kaa nazraanaa, zaraa sochke aankh milaanaa, by which time, it's humanly impossible for the dil to not be diwaanaa. Whether it be the folk tunes in films like Teesri Kasam or the tunes to color the lush locales of Love in Tokyo or An Evening in Paris, it seemed like everything came just as naturally to the two.
aaj do phoolon ki khushboo se mehek uthaa chaman, gungunaatee hain fizaayen raks karti hai pawan
har kalee ke lab pe naghmaa hai mubaarak baat ka, ban gaye padmashree Bharat mein Shankar Jaikishan
This was written by the great composer Naushad when the Padmashree was conferred upon them in 1967. They won nine Filmfare awards, a feat unparalleled in the industry. More importantly, their music has lighted the hearts of many a music lover and continues to do so. When ajeeb dastaan hai ye starts playing, my daughter doesn’t want it to stop. I can only marvel and ponder kahaan shuru kahaan khatam, ye manzilen hain kaunsee, na wo samajh sake na ham
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Shankar Jaikishan & Binaca Geetmala - Raju Bharatan

COURTESY - http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=3df288aa-d674-4c58-9486-9c57422736a7

The happening pair of Nargis-Raj Kapoor fetched Messrs Shanker-Jaikishan their irst-and-last genuinely earned Filmfare Best Music Award - for Chori Chori in 1956. A Chori Chori.. seeing SJ compulsively having to go without Mukesh on Raj.

This opened a lifetime's opportunity for Manna Dey. Whether it be Shanker's Yeh raat bheegee bheegee or Jaikishan's Aa jaa sanam, Manna never sounded so fluidly romantic on Raj - opposite Lata on Nargis.

Winner takes all

The Binaca Geetmala competition, as Shanker then emphatically told Ameen Sayani, was euphoniously between his own Yeh raat and Jai's Aa jaa sanam. Not so much between Shanker's Jahaan main jaatee hoon and Jai's Panchchee banoon udtee phiroon.

But Ameen played Geetmala favourites here by according pride of place to Jai's Raag Pahadi-based Panchchee banoon on Nargis – a duet in which Manna intriguingly chipped in with just Gilloree! This is what set the tone for Shanker, ultimately, to challenge Binaca Geetmala's credentials.

Clearly Shanker's pathbreaking Jahaan main jaatee hoon, as compared to Jai's Panchchee banoon, was the superior duet with its Czech-puppeteering folk-motif. But Shanker identified Jahaan main as Punjabi folk!

Likewise Punjabi folk in spirit was Jai's O tamkaa timbaa timbaa, so well-crafted for Lata in Raag Gaara.

Favourite pick

Staying with Chori Chori, which lighter number do you prefer - Lata-Rafi's Tum arabon kaa her fer (on Raja Sulochana and Bhagwan), as tuned by Shanker, or Rafi's All line clear on Johnny Walker - as composed by Jai?

If it's for Jai you always go, Chori Chori plump, straightaway, for this composer's Rasik balamaa, in all-time Shudhdh Kalyan, as it unfolded on Nargis. This was the Chori Chori classic that Jaikishan so wanted his heart-throb Lata personally to render at the Filmfare Awards ceremony.

When Lata refused, on the ground that there was no Filmfare Best Singer award forthcoming yet, some lovers' tiff there was! It was Shanker who smoothed ruffled feathers by noting that Lata had an award point to press.

In Chori Chori, the same Shanker had Lata and Asha collaborating, tellingly, on Manbhaavan ke ghar jaaye goree, going on the Apalam chapalam pair of Sai-Subbulaxmi.

One up

Yet Shanker's Manbhaavan ke ghar couldn't make even a fraction of the impression C Ramchandra had left, on the electric-heeled Sai-Subbulaxmi, with Lata-Usha Mangeshkar's Apalam chapalam and O baliye o baliye in Sriramulu Naidu's Azaad.

For all that, O P Nayyar's C.I.D. (Shakila, Dev Anand) lost out to SJ's Chori Chori (Nargis-Raj Kapoor) in the 1956 Filmfare Awards.

Chori Chori is the film with which SJ's musical sway began. Or so we felt – until OP Nayyar robustly materialised to lift the 1957 Filmfare Best Music Award for heralding, with the good old Punjabi beat, a Naya Daur in Hindustani cinema.

Few Rare Photographs of Naushad, Lata, Asha, Shankar-Jaikishan, Madan Mohan, SD Burman, RD Burman, Manna Dey, Chitragupta,CR etc