Yesterday, one of my good friend and I were having a chat over music - just arguing over music directors. He was all for Shankar Jaikishan and S.D.Burman. While he posed a reasonable argument of the timelessness of SDB's music and how the man managed to create something that struck a chord with every generation of music lovers, he reverted to the rather weak line of the number of filmfare awards won for Shankar Jaikishan.
Needless to say, that got me all worked up because if there is anything that makes me truly disparaging of the popular duo-composers, it is their filmfare awards. It is an open secret now that the two manipulated most of their awards and also most of their "sartaaj geet" songs on Binaca Geetmala. They entered the film scene at a time when the musicals were at their peak. Healthy competition existed between composers. C.Ramchandra and Naushad would spare no occassion to praise Anil Biswas and his role in mentoring their careers, Anil Biswas would concede freely that Ghulam Haider and Khemchand Prakash were worthier composers than he.. into this scene came Shankar Jaikishan. Their talent was unquestionable and with a stellar cast backing them, they delivered their first success with "Barsaat" in 1949. The next years were formative ones but creatively, they were immediately noticed. Their music for non-RK films like "Daag", "Kaalighataa", "Mayurpankh", "Shiqast", "Patitaa", "Nageenaa" and "Seemaa" in the next few years gave ample proof of their ability. They used almost all the top singers of the time and delievered with all of them big time. Lata, Talat, Mukesh, Manna Dey, Hemant and Rafi all had top-notch songs from them.
It was in 1956 when they won their first filmfare award - for "Chori chori". Though there were films like "Jhanak jhanak paayal baaje" in the fray, I would agree that this film was not undeserving of the award. Evergreen Manna Dey-Lata duets plus the magnificent "rasik balamaa" ensure the film's continued popularity. They next won for "Anaadi", not as great a soundtract as "Chori chori" but equally popular. In the 1960s, and particularly towards the latter half of the 1960s when a man called O.P.Nayyar was riding high, they started manipulating the awards to ensure that their main competition did not get anything at all. It is unbelievable that through the hectic 1960s, O.P.Nayyar won not a single filmfare award. No recognition for "Ek musaafir k haseenaa", for "Phir wohi dil laayaa hoon", "Kashmir ki kali", "Mere sanam"... incomprehensible eh ? But look at SJ. They won in 1966 for "Suraj" over S.D.Burman's "Guide". I am not a great fan of "Guide" but come on- even I can see that SDB beats SJ hollow !!
But the biggest crime of all happened in 1972 when SJ bagged another award - their last - for "Beimaan" over - hold your breath - "Paakeezaah" !!! I just can understand how such a blasphemy can happen. Were the "judges" so music-deaf as that ? Can you recall any song from "Beimaan" at all ?? The crap of a soundtrack doesnt have one song that is even worth remembering. And you award that over a soundtrack like "Paakeezaah" !!! Pran did one of the most heroic acts of Indian cinema when he refused his Best Supporting Actor award in protest against this blasphemy.
Its for this reason primarily that I have a strong bias against SJ. They did create some great music but their manipulative methods which really corrupted the healthy music scene of Bombay to a great extent, holds too strongly against them.
