Omkar Prasad Nayyar passed into history yesterday. He was one of those mavericks who created history. He brought a new freshness to film music. It was Nayyarsaab who lent new dimensions to Asha and Rafi. His music was a blend of the east and the west - folk, Indian classical, jazz and symphonies all fused to create the O.P.Nayyar brand of music.
Nayyarsaab was first noticed when he composed for C.H.Atma that unforgettable geet "priitam aan milo". He went on to create a host of classic songs with this singer in films like "Aasmaan" and "Dhaake ki malmal" as well outside films. In fact, Atma's "diyaa to jalaa sab raat re baalam" in "Dhaake ki malmal" remained one of Nayyarsaab's personal favourites. Its a song that immediately displays the unsung facet of O.P.Nayyar - the non-typical O.P.Nayyar. "Aasmaan" was his breakthrough film which had one unforgettable melody after another - Atma's "is bevafaa jahaa.N me", "sach samajh nahii aae" and "raat suhaanii ha.nsate taare", Geeta's "dekho jaaduu bhare more nain" and "pom pom pom baaje" and Rajkumari's magnificent "piyaa aa na sake more nainan me". Each song a treasure.
He created the Nayyar-sound, the very typical melodies which combined the usage of the saarang, the electric guitar and the harmonica, with Guru Dutt's "Aar paar" in 1954. "ye lo mai.n haarii piyaa", "sun sun sun zaalimaa", "mohobbat kar lo jii bhar lo" and the ever-touching "jaa jaa jaa bevafaa" were instant successes catipulating Nayyar into star-composers league. He followed it up with "Mr & Mrs 55" (1955) and C.I.D (1956). B.R.Chopra then roped in Nayyar to compose for "Nayaa daur". The film was a musical treat and showcased Nayyar's flair for Punjabi folk music. He created some of the most popular bhangras ever in "uDe jab jab zulfe.n terii" and "ye desh hai viir javaano.n kaa". Tune in next to the ever-popular "maa.Ng ke saath tumhaaraa" - one of Nayyarsaab's earliest "ghodaa-gaadi" songs. In the same film, he turned in one of the most moving devotional songs ever - "aanaa hai to aa raah me".
If you noticed, Asha Bhosle had crept into Nayyarsaab's music room by this time. The two combined first in "Mangu" and though Nayyarsaab used Geeta Dutt and Shamshad Begum occasionally later, he had fallen completely for Asha's vocals. The two created a treasure of compositions that stand out as amongst the best ever. In my books, Asha-OPN is the third best combo ever (Lata's combos with C.Ramchandra and Anil Biswas taking the first two).
"Nayaa daur" fetched Nayyarsaab his first Filmfare award and he was on top of the music world. Then inexplicably, things started going awry. "Do Ustaad" and "Jaali note" flopped. And though "Tumsaa nahi dekha" was a success, it needed S.Mukherji's "Ek musaafir ek haseenaa" to resurrect Nayyarsaab's career. I rate this film as the best of O.P.Nayyar. This was music - classy and wonderful, yet so popular. Rafi and Asha were at their best. Have they ever sounded as romantic as in "aap yuu.N hii agar ham se milate rahe" ? Has Rafi sounded as romantic as he did in "mujhe dekh kar aap kaa muskuraanaa" ? What melodies !!
The 60s were the "chocolate" years of Hindi films - sweet romantic fluffy stories with little substance, sweet looking heros who couldnt act.. and all built on music. It was O.P.Nayyar's music that made stars out of non-actors like Biswajeet and Joy Mukherji. "pukaarataa chalaa huu.N mai.n" is what we remember Biswajeet for while "ba.ndaa paravar thaam lo jigar" is Joy Mukherji's definitive cinematic moment.
Compare what O.P.Nayyar composed for the ebullient Shammi Kapoor in "Tumsaa nahi dekhaa" and "Kashmir ki kali" with Shankar Jaikishan's songs for the same actor. While S-J thought Shammi was about loudness, OPN brought so much melody and softness to his songs while still being very ebullient. Which is why a "ye chaa.Nd saa roshan cheharaa" is so much more memorable than a "diivaane kaa naam to puuchho" which had Rafi just bellowing the lines.
However, the Nayyar wave was about to collapse. He broke off with Rafi in the late 60s and got Mahendra Kapoor to sing most of his songs. And finally, in 1972, Asha also broke away from him literally ending his career. It was an impact as huge as Lata's on C.Ramchandra. "chain se ham ko kabhii" was Asha's swan song for the great composer. We dont know if there is any deeper significance to those words, but the fact is that O.P.Nayyar was never the same without Asha.
So how will history remember Nayyarsaab ? As a composer par excellence ? As an arrogant man who bowed to none and had fights with a number of film makers ? As the creator of some of the most loved and popular melodies of all time ? Whatever it may be, there is no question that we owe Nayyarsaab lots of thnak-yous for bringing so much joy into our lives with his music. For that reason alone, he will remain a legend - never to be forgotten.
My 10 favorite O.P.Nayyar melodies (in no order) :
1. diyaa to jalaa sab raat re baalam (C.H.Atma / Dhaake ki malmal / 1956)
2. ae dil hai mushqil jiinaa yahaa.N (Md Rafi & Geeta Dutt / C.I.D / 1956)
3. Gariib jaan ke ham ko na tum (Md Rafi & Geeta Dutt / Chhoo mantar / 1957)
4. pyaar par bas to nahii hai (Talat Mahmood & Asha Bhosle / Sone ki chidiyaa / 1958)
5. dekho qasam se dekho qasam se (Md Rafi & Asha Bhosle / Tumsa nahi dekha / 1959)
6. aap yuu.N hii agar hamase (Md Rafi & Asha Bhosle / Ek musaafir ek haseenaa / 1962)
7. jaaiye aap kahaa.N jaaye.nge (Asha Bhosle / Mere sanam / 1964)
8. diivaanaa huaa baadal (Md Rafi & Asha Bhosle / Kashmir ki kali / 1964)
9. ba.ndaa paravar thaam lo jigar (Md Rafi / Phir wahi dil laya hoon / 1965)
10. chain se hamako kabhii (Asha Bhosle / Pran jaaye par vachan na jaaye / 1971)
Monday, January 29, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Piano in Hindi film songs
The piano was one of the rather oft-used instruments in the Indian film melodies of the 1940s and 1950s. This may be attributed to Tagore's love of the piano which manifested itself in his Rabindra Sangeet and as most of the early pioneers in orchestration like R.C.Boral and Pankaj Mallick were Bengali, that might well be the source of the inspiration.
I love the sound of the piano and feel it adds so much melody and beauty to the song. Even a simple tune becomes more appealing when the dulcet tones of the piano are added to it. Piano found a prominent place in the orchestra of most music directors of the time. In those days when the Victorian British influence on Indian society was still heavy, the piano used to be a common instrument in most upper-class households and the various rich-poor romances of the time provided ample scope for the usage of the piano. Either the boy or the girl would exhibit their happiness or their pathos on the piano. A good thing.. what melodies were created using the piano !!
I am not sure when was the first time piano was used in films. But I recall "rut hai suhaanii" from "Street singer" composed by R.C.Boral which had some lovely piano tones. Then there are a host of Pankaj Mallick songs which have a strong piano base. But in Bombay, I think it is safe to attribute much of the popularity of the piano to Anil Biswas.
It is for no reason that Anilda is called the pioneer of the orchestra in Hindi films. Recall the glorious "ek duniyaa basaa le" from "Basant" ? What an outstanding song and something that enthralls even today. The years that followed saw Anilda create plenty of magnificent songs on the piano including arguably the finest ever song on the piano - Lata's "man me kisii kii priit basaale". But thats not to be little the magnificent "tumhaare bulaane ko jii chaahataa hai" from "Laadli" and Mukesh's "ae jaan_e_jigar dil me samaane aajaa" from "Aaraam" again. Both these are right up there in the "greatest evers" list as well. Meena Kapoor's "bhiigii bhiigii raat aaii" is also very special. Talat's "jiivan hai madhuban" from "Jaasoos" is also pleasing.
Naushad Ali achieved his first success with songs based on UP folk songs in "Rattan". His piano songs in "Andaaz" - four in all and all rendered by Mukesh - were big hits. But to my mind, only "ham aaj kahii.n dil kho baiThe" as a real piano melody and is my favourite song from the film. And who can forget the memorable Talat-Shamshad duet "milate hii aa.Nkhe.n dil huaa" from "Baabul" ? However, to me, Naushad's piano melodies dont have the finesse and "class" which Anilda's songs had. Of course, there are exceptions - Rafi's "ae husn zaraa jaag" from "Mere mehboob" for example.
The piano melody that stands out in my mind as being the one closest to matching Anilda's magic is Roshan's "Anhonee" masterpiece for Talat in "mai.n dil huu.N ek aramaan bharaa". One of Talat's most popular songs, Roshan's usage of the piano is masterly. There are however not too many other piano songs Roshan has composed. Madan Mohan also does not have too many piano songs - "ham pyaar me jalane vaalo.n ko" from "Jailor" starts with piano pieces but finally has little to do with the piano.
S.D.Burman is not highly regarded for his orchestration - and I cant recall any memorable piano melodies from him. Shankar Jaikishan however has a few but the most beautiful piano piece was the prelude to "miTTii se khelate ho baar baar kis liye" from "Patita". Just beautiful ! Then the beautiful "aa jaao taDapate hai.n aramaa.N". But again, this is not really a piano song - the instrument only preludes the song and doesnt play much of a role thereafter.
Khayyam has composed a few exquisite melodies on the piano - "jiit hii le.nge baazii ham tum" is one of the greatest duets of all-time and the usage of the piano there illustrates what I said about the piano enhancing the song. A superb composition, beautiful renditions and then the piano.. superb. The other superb piano piece worth treasuring is Talat's soft-as-a-whisper romantic "gar terii navaazish ho jaaye" from "Gulbahaar". Another brilliant, waltz-like composition, brilliantly rendered.. and the piano WOW ! And I must mention Talat's non-film "kyaa itanaa bhii adhikaar nahii" which again has awesome piano notes. "Shagoon" had "tum apanaa ra.njho Gam" which is another winner.
Typically, Sajjad Husain presented a very different kind of piano presentation in "Sangdil" for Talat - "kahaa.N ho kahaa.N mere". Here the piano, in contrast to the usual gentleness, is almost raging here mirroring the despair of Dilip Kumar on screen. Its an outstanding song..
O.P.Nayyar composed for Rafi "aap ke hasiin rukh pe" in "Bahaaren phir bhi aayegi" and "puuchho na hame hamn un ke liye" for Asha Bhosle in "Mitti me sona" - both of which are all-time classics. Ravi's "chalo ek baar phir se" in "Gumraah" in Mahendra Kapoor's voice is one of his bests.
One of the last times we saw the piano used on screen was in "Kati patang" where Kishore Kumar croons "pyaar diivaanaa hotaa hai". But the tone had become louder and somehow, the old gentleness of the piano was missing. And by the mid-1970s, the piano had faded away completely from the movies. Today, we hardly ever get to hear original instruments on screen, most sounds are synthesized. And so is sadly the piano. The image of a hero or a heroine behind the piano will almost forever be an abiding image of the 1950s and 60s.
I love the sound of the piano and feel it adds so much melody and beauty to the song. Even a simple tune becomes more appealing when the dulcet tones of the piano are added to it. Piano found a prominent place in the orchestra of most music directors of the time. In those days when the Victorian British influence on Indian society was still heavy, the piano used to be a common instrument in most upper-class households and the various rich-poor romances of the time provided ample scope for the usage of the piano. Either the boy or the girl would exhibit their happiness or their pathos on the piano. A good thing.. what melodies were created using the piano !!
I am not sure when was the first time piano was used in films. But I recall "rut hai suhaanii" from "Street singer" composed by R.C.Boral which had some lovely piano tones. Then there are a host of Pankaj Mallick songs which have a strong piano base. But in Bombay, I think it is safe to attribute much of the popularity of the piano to Anil Biswas.
It is for no reason that Anilda is called the pioneer of the orchestra in Hindi films. Recall the glorious "ek duniyaa basaa le" from "Basant" ? What an outstanding song and something that enthralls even today. The years that followed saw Anilda create plenty of magnificent songs on the piano including arguably the finest ever song on the piano - Lata's "man me kisii kii priit basaale". But thats not to be little the magnificent "tumhaare bulaane ko jii chaahataa hai" from "Laadli" and Mukesh's "ae jaan_e_jigar dil me samaane aajaa" from "Aaraam" again. Both these are right up there in the "greatest evers" list as well. Meena Kapoor's "bhiigii bhiigii raat aaii" is also very special. Talat's "jiivan hai madhuban" from "Jaasoos" is also pleasing.
Naushad Ali achieved his first success with songs based on UP folk songs in "Rattan". His piano songs in "Andaaz" - four in all and all rendered by Mukesh - were big hits. But to my mind, only "ham aaj kahii.n dil kho baiThe" as a real piano melody and is my favourite song from the film. And who can forget the memorable Talat-Shamshad duet "milate hii aa.Nkhe.n dil huaa" from "Baabul" ? However, to me, Naushad's piano melodies dont have the finesse and "class" which Anilda's songs had. Of course, there are exceptions - Rafi's "ae husn zaraa jaag" from "Mere mehboob" for example.
The piano melody that stands out in my mind as being the one closest to matching Anilda's magic is Roshan's "Anhonee" masterpiece for Talat in "mai.n dil huu.N ek aramaan bharaa". One of Talat's most popular songs, Roshan's usage of the piano is masterly. There are however not too many other piano songs Roshan has composed. Madan Mohan also does not have too many piano songs - "ham pyaar me jalane vaalo.n ko" from "Jailor" starts with piano pieces but finally has little to do with the piano.
S.D.Burman is not highly regarded for his orchestration - and I cant recall any memorable piano melodies from him. Shankar Jaikishan however has a few but the most beautiful piano piece was the prelude to "miTTii se khelate ho baar baar kis liye" from "Patita". Just beautiful ! Then the beautiful "aa jaao taDapate hai.n aramaa.N". But again, this is not really a piano song - the instrument only preludes the song and doesnt play much of a role thereafter.
Khayyam has composed a few exquisite melodies on the piano - "jiit hii le.nge baazii ham tum" is one of the greatest duets of all-time and the usage of the piano there illustrates what I said about the piano enhancing the song. A superb composition, beautiful renditions and then the piano.. superb. The other superb piano piece worth treasuring is Talat's soft-as-a-whisper romantic "gar terii navaazish ho jaaye" from "Gulbahaar". Another brilliant, waltz-like composition, brilliantly rendered.. and the piano WOW ! And I must mention Talat's non-film "kyaa itanaa bhii adhikaar nahii" which again has awesome piano notes. "Shagoon" had "tum apanaa ra.njho Gam" which is another winner.
Typically, Sajjad Husain presented a very different kind of piano presentation in "Sangdil" for Talat - "kahaa.N ho kahaa.N mere". Here the piano, in contrast to the usual gentleness, is almost raging here mirroring the despair of Dilip Kumar on screen. Its an outstanding song..
O.P.Nayyar composed for Rafi "aap ke hasiin rukh pe" in "Bahaaren phir bhi aayegi" and "puuchho na hame hamn un ke liye" for Asha Bhosle in "Mitti me sona" - both of which are all-time classics. Ravi's "chalo ek baar phir se" in "Gumraah" in Mahendra Kapoor's voice is one of his bests.
One of the last times we saw the piano used on screen was in "Kati patang" where Kishore Kumar croons "pyaar diivaanaa hotaa hai". But the tone had become louder and somehow, the old gentleness of the piano was missing. And by the mid-1970s, the piano had faded away completely from the movies. Today, we hardly ever get to hear original instruments on screen, most sounds are synthesized. And so is sadly the piano. The image of a hero or a heroine behind the piano will almost forever be an abiding image of the 1950s and 60s.
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