My love for old music in its depths was fuelled by "Baiju Bawra" - and Naushad. That happed about two decades ago. Since then, I have spent a fair bit of time swimming around in the ocean that is old film music. My musical leanings have undergone subtle changes. Naushad has remained a favorite through a lot of those two decaudes and he continues to be amongst my favorites. But he no longer holds such a demi-god image as as he did for me such a time ago. I find a lot of his music repetitive and uninspiring. In fact, post-1955, I would struggle to come up with any Naushad soundtrack I treasure with the glorious exception of "Mughal-e-Azam".
But Naushad's soundtracks during the 1951-1955 period are immortal and ensure the continued reverence of the music director. Of course, his golden run started much earlier. The golden run started with "Rattan" in 1946 and continued till "Udan Khatola" in 1955. Between 1946 and 1951, Naushad created such masterpieces as "Anmol ghadi", "Shahjahan", "Dillagi", "Dulaari", "Dard", "Anokhi ada", "Andaaz", "Chaandni raat", "Elaan" and "Baabul". All of these were runaway musical successes elevating Naushad as the numero uno music director of the day. His music almost guaranteed a film's success.
That aura continued unabated and in an elevated fervour for the next 5 years. Lets look at the unforgettable soundtracks during this period:
Deedaar - One of the massive successes of the time, this film firmly established Rafi and Lata as the singers supreme in Naushad's musical world. Remember that "Babul" in 1950 had Talat Mahmood and Shamshad Begum as the lead vocals. Naushad switched again to Rafi and Lata and this time, the swicth was for good. The melodies are unforgattable - "hue ham jinake lie barabaad", "nasiib dar pe tere", "chaman me rahake viiraanaa", "nazar phero naa hamase", "dekh liyaa maine", "merii kahaanii bhuulane vaale" and that great whiff of joy and tears, "bachapan ke din bhulaa naa denaa",
Aan - Mehboob's magnum opus found a suitable ally in Naushad's grand score. While this soundtrack is not one of of my favorites, one cant but sway to the lilts of "aaj mere man me sakhii", "dil me chhupaake pyaar kaa" and "Takaraa gayaa tumase dil hii ti hai".
Baiju Bawra - this legendary soundtrack requires no introduction from me. It is a milestone in the history of Indian musicals and no question that Naushad played a huge role in bigging classical music to prominence in our films. "Semi-classical" songs became a new genre.
Shabaab - Quickly on the heels of "Baiju Bawra", Naushad attempted to further cement his standing in the classical music idion within the realms of film music. His attempt was successful to a great extent. While not soaring to the heights "Baiju Bawra", the music of "Shabaab" is enchanting and there are a number of Naushad-affecionados who rate "Shabaab" over "Baiju Bawra" as Naushad's best. Again, Rafi and Lata dominate soundtrack but Hemant Kumar makes a rare and unforgettable appearence in Naushad's music with "chandan kaa palanaa resham kii Dorii". Other famous songs from "Shabaab" include "maranaa terii galii me", "yahii aramaan lekar aaj", "man kii been matavaarii vaaje", "jogan ban jaauu/Ngii", "mahalo.n me rahane vaale", "mar gaye ham jiite jii" and "aaye naa baalam vaadaa kaake".
Amar - Mehboob's next offering after "Aan" was totally different. The film was in black and white. There was no grandiose about the film. It was a much more ethnic setting and Naushad was in his element in perhaps his best ever Lata scores. While Rafi sang perhaps the most popular song of the film "insaaf kaa ma.ndir hai ye", all - and I mean ALL - the other songs were sung Lata alone or with chours. The songs were a delightful mix of the folk and "filmy". This is definitely one of Naushad's best soundtracks. Listen to Lata's sweetness in "uDii uDii chhaaii ghaTaa", "uma.ngo.n ko sakhii", "naa shiqavaa hai koii", "tere sadaqe balam naa kar koii Gam", "khaamosh hai khevantaar meraa" and "na milataa Gam to barabaadii". Each song a treasure. This soundtrack really captures the true magic of Naushad - that fusion of folk and the classical. He repeated this again in his next film but after that, he fell into living upto his own image of himself as the Classical Guru of Hindi film music and that meant his music lost a lot of its variety and joy that one can behold in abundance in "Amar".
Udan Khatola - Released in 1955, this marks the boundary when assessing Naushad's creative era. It is amazing that in hindsight, the year 1955 had such huge changes for a number of musical giants of the time. C.Ramchandra's downslide started iatekmmediateky after, Talat Mahmood began to slip down his pedestal also almost immediately, Anil Biswas' own personal turmoils and professional dark years started clouding in, Husnlal Bhagatram started fading away, Suraiya's era was drawing to a close and overall, a new era was arriving in Hindi films. The late 40s through 1955 saw softer films, heroes and heroines who suffered in silence than believing in a revolt.. "Udan Khatola"'s music was utterly fabulous and again, amongst Naushad;s very bests. "meraa salaam lejaa" never fails to make me feel lighter and happy - another sheer joy of a song. Then the masterly Rafi melodies "o duur ke musaafir", "mohobbat kii raaho.n me" and "naa tuufaa.N se khelo" and those unforgettable Lata beauties "ghar aayaa mehamaan koii", "more saiyaa.Njii utare.nge paar ho", "haale dil mai.n kyaa karuu.N" and "hamaare dil se naa jaanaa". A true treasure if ever there was one.
What a host of soundtracks those are. I believe a lot of Naushad's standing is based on these soundtracks. It is not that his following musicals were not successful. "Kohinoor", "Mughal-e-Azam" and "Mere mehboob" were all huge hits but (again excepting "Mughal-e-Azam") they dont excite the senses as much as his above soundtracks do. This legendary music director deserves to be celebrated just for providing us with these soundtracks but then he created much more earlier. A true legend!
Showing posts with label Naushad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Naushad. Show all posts
Monday, May 11, 2009
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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