Table Of Content

"Why I Like...": Some Responses VARSHA PENDSE-JOGLEKAR T he wide appeal of a film song is an accepted fact. I therefore ~r?posed to ~ollect respons~s to film songs from various persona Iities, mostly In the performing arts. The idea wasto ask people to chooseoneoftheir favourite songs and to comment onimportant aspectsof thesong. Of those approached, 15 responded, and their commentson the songs of their choice provide an interesting reading. The comments also have some bearing on the socio-cultural significanceof Hindi filmsongs. Some common features in the responses, and some observationson them, are made below: I. Most of the respondents felt that to single"out a filmsong as their favourite song was difficult. ~. Most of the people forming the sampler had not seen the films to which their favourite songs belonged. Visual memories were practically absen~-the compositions appealed to them as good songs. Shruti S~dohkar-Katkar, however, referred to picturization as an important mterion to judge a film song. Sarla Bhide added a similar remark to her own comment: "When I saw the film, I felt that the freshnessof the song ~ad been enhanced". On the other hand, Kanak Rele experienced thorough disappointment" when she actually saw the film to which her faVOUrite song belonged. However, she maintained that thisdidnot affect h~r judgement of the song. Kalpana Desai seemed to suggest that P1cturizationwasnot an importantfactor inassessingthesongofherchoice, even though she had seen the film to which it belonged. 3. Table I brings out the fact that many of the favourite songsbelongto the19605. It issignificant that this period sawthe emergenceor continuing presenceofcomposers like Sachin Dev Burman,O.P.Nayyar,AnilBiswas, ~h~nker-Jaikishan, Madan Mohan, Roshan, Chitragupta, Avinash Vyas, Mh~ ChOWdhury, C. Ramchandra, Vasant Desai, Hemant Kumar, Sardar • aUk,Hansra] Behl etc In this connection a comment made by Sarita Josh' . , . , I tS revealing. Though she selected a song from the 19805 as her favou't h ib d . "n e, s e felt that the effectivenessof the songwasto beascn e toIts POwer to evoke film melodies from the 1960s! San,.., Natak No. 100 : April-June 1991 128 "WHY I LIKE..." 4. Probably the age ofthe respondents also played a role in theirchoice of songs. The respondents seem to have selected songs heard in their impressionable years- early youth or a little later. 5. The sampler, though limited in number, covers a wide chronological range, from 1936 to 1990. Some earlyvoices such as Surendranath,Bibbo, Noorjehan,K.L. Saigaland Reshmaalsofigure in thelist. Thevoicesbetter known and remembered today-those of Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi, Talat Mahmood, etc.-expectably also occur in the list. 6. Eight of the 15 selected melodies are by Lata Mangeshkar-an obvious pointer to the artist's predominance and her popularity. Possibly her solos are preferred to her duets. The responses organized in Table II clearly indicate the multiple appeal of a film song. Certain observations can be made on this basis: 1. It can be argued that a song is preferred for many factors operating simultaneously. For example, P.L. Deshpande notes that his favourite song,•Yezindagiusiki hal',"is a rare fusion ofan anguishedtone,richand efficient voice, straight picturization, skilful yet simple instrumentation". 2. Tune, as the melodic framework is usually described, findsthemost imponant place in the responses. Very often, the tune isdiscussedthough thevoiceor wordsarenot commented upon (see the responsesofYashwant Dev,SaiParanjpe,etc.).In fact, inorderof preference, tune isfollowedby instrument, voice, song, structure, word, effect, picturization, and ton~. 3. A careful examination of Table II brings out the different waysin which various aspects of a song (namely, voice, instruments, tune, tone, words. picturization,mood/effect, and song-structure) are appreciated.For example, the various adjectives employed to describe the voice ofasinger may suggest a scale of preferred qualities in.a singer's voice. In fact,a vertical examination of each column, pertaining.to various aspects.ofa s~ng, may yield a hierarchy of criteria used by respondents representlOga WIde spectrum of backgrounds and professional specializations. 4. To some extent, I thought it possible to view the responsesandthe respondents' professions as mutually dependent. For example, Yashwant Dev, a composer and lyricist, has chosen to analyze the impact ofhis favoun.te songI.IItermsofbalance and harmonic support. He pO.intsoutthe technical featuresofthe songas a structure and makes ausefulcommenton the correspondence between the literary content and the musicalstructure . of the song. He points out that "the last line of the antar3 repeats the mukhda musically because the line has a literary content similar tothe content of the mukhda" . . d- In the case of Nandu Bhende, who has studied Western mUSIC an "WHY lUKE..." 129 beenaetiveasacomposer,itseems natural that heshould beimpressed bya songwhich effectively uses strategies employed in Western music. As he putsit: "The use of chromatics is, I think, unusual in Hindi filmmusic.... Theuseof nonsense syllables to convey emotions, etc... could be some of the reasons why I like the song". KanakRele, a dancer, chooses a song ('Madhuban mein Radhika neche re') with a direct bearing on dance. Interestingly, this song, set in raga Harnir, reminds her of the Sopana parampara, a tradition of art music in Keralaand surrounding regions. Further, the word 'nache' (dances) in the composition helps her visualize a dance movement. PrabhaAtre elaborateson thevoice,the style,and the musicaltreatment given to words-s-perhaps an indicatorofher musical training and affinities with the Kirana gharana of music. Bharat Dabholkar-a media person and dramatist-lays stress on the effector the mood created by the song. He practically relegates the other components such as voice, words, etc. to the background. Madhubhai Patel; a folklorist and collector of folk songs from south Gujarat, is attracted by the folk element. He, in fact, suggests that not knowing the language of a song is hardly an impediment in enjoying it, especially when it is from the folk category of music. . . P.L. Deshpande,'a versatile personalityin theatre, literature,and music, referstomany factors which contribute to the final impact ofthe songofhis choice. And yet his mention of its links with the music of the past is interesting: "It isalso possible that'Yezindagr immediately impre~sedm; becauseof its striking resemblance with a song inSharda, aMarathi play. It isobvious that analysis of the musical impact of a filmson~, a mus.ical form of multiple dimensions-can hardly be an entirely aestheticexamma lion. In fact popular music, the parent category 10 which the film song belongs, does not lend itself to undiluted aesthetic judgement. Not only does the sampler have to be considerably wide, it also has to include mformants.from many language areas. Equally important wo~ld be the exammalion of the contribution of improved recording techniques. The ~pularity of a recorded song is surely affected by its recordmg-~ow fallhfully it captures the timbres ofvoices and instruments, and t~e vanous. other Subtle naunces of music-making. Finally, the frequent choice of the songsof certain composers (Naushad, Madan Mohan. Salil Chowdhury, etc.) byOurrespondents may also have to do with the emergence of these composersas new forces in film music in an earlier period. Novelty as,,:ell as significance both play an important role in creating that elusive Phenomenon-popularity. 130 ·WIIY I LIKE"," BADRINARAYAN Comments 'Tumhi ne mujhko prem sikhaya' Iheardthe songon ihegramophonesome time when I was nine or ten (around PRABHA ATRE 1938-39)...the impressionhasstayedsome . where deep in my memory. 'Jawan bei muhabbaf I first heard the song as a child, on the It's a simple melody (derived fromBhim gramophone. at somebody's house. I had palasi?). The words are expressive and instantly liked it then. I also like it today suggest a derivation from popular poetry. when I have gained some knowledge and The voice is natural and unaffected. experiencein music. However. I don't remember having seen Thesongbasacatchytunebasedonraga the film. Pahadi.Adearmelodicapproach,common. Anotherthing Ilikeaboutthesongisthat in those days, is observed, The song is a some dialogue is interspersed between the good example ofa perfect blendofclassical singing of tbe duo. and folk music. The rhythm is lively. Abrupt breaks are NANDU BHENDE builtinattherightplaces. Percussionisused 'Aha rim jhim ke' onlywith thevoiceandnotintheinterlude The song has appealed to me since my childhood andcontinuestoattractmeeven ~\~~ today. Lhad never attempted toanalyzeit till now. I feel that the foUo..ing could I" possiblybethereasonswhyIlikeitsomuch: I,', ~ ;;.' '\~\ ~'. i. theinnocencethesingerconveysinhis \\..'::::. delivery; .\ '\' ii. the use of a very 'light' rhythmwhicb ~ \ ~ gives the song a bouncy feelwithout .;~\l\~ / its being ovedone; iii. the simpleorchestration whichisalso ..'.~\\,.'\~~< very effective; . l.~'...-:~,;:;.~~-~ iv. the use of both the nishads inqUlli succession, which makesthemelody between the two stanzas. very intimate and curious; !hesjn~erhasamedium·pitchednatural !t vOl~e. IS sensuous, intimate, extremely expressiveandflexible. Thewaythewords 'muhabbafand'dilne' areutteredcreatesa tremendous impact. Noorjehan has rena dered with precision the complexphrases an~ ~o~ements. Thisobviously shows her tra.mm?Inclassicalmusic. Atanypitch,her VOice IS clear and tuneful, the words are clearly delivered. She has of course her individual, inimitable, arresting style. The .words successfully create a happy, romanticmood, whichpervadesthe entire song. ·WHY [ LIKE...• 131 v. theuseofchromaticswhich is,Ithink, The phrase 'aisj rimjhim" has a pure unusual in llindi film music; Western touch. But Salil Chowdhury has vi. the use ofonomatopoeia in the lyrics blended it well with our own music. The whichfurther enhances its catchyna song reaches its climax at 'tumko' C••. ture; pukare mere') and at 's;lDvah~ ('... sa/oni vii,theuseofnonsensesyllablestoconvey ghata'). emotions, etc. The music director has however made some unforgivable mistakes. He has not Thesecouldbesome ofthe reasonswhy) followed grammar.For example,'tumka' is likethesong.However.it'sreallyimpossible aJaghuword.Buthehaselongatedtheword tojudgethese thingscorrectly becauseyour inhiscomposition.Butthesongisotherwise owngrowthasalistenersince youfirstheard composed beautifully. II instantly touches asongplaysa large part in the assessment. the heart. Yourstateofmind,age,background,perso nality,theassociations the songbringsback BHARAT DABHOLKAR -everysingle thing plays a veryimportant roleindeterminingyour likeordislike.This 'Wo bhuli dastan 10 phir yad a gay" istrue especially in music. I first heard the song on the radio but haven't seen the film. Besides its being a goodcombinationoftune.words,voice,and SARLABHlDE instrumentation, one thing about the song '0 Sajana' '0Sajana...'theattractivecurveofmelody ~ the song begins arouses curiosity. The Sitarpartwhichfollows conveystbeeffectof ram, that appealsto mealotisthat•.inspiteofits being sad and full of pathos,.It hasa racy, lilting tune which yet combines With the theme in a unique and pleasantmanner. I like the freshness everywhere in the song. The voice has the innocence and KALPANA DESAI enthusiasm of youth. In the film, Sadhana, 'Thade rahiD' . ' :he heroine, who sings the song, looks Isawthefilmin1978,but have nodlst~nct ender.Thevoice seemsto beher own.The memorv of the picturization-The song,15.a SOng isalso beautifully picturized. When I ~Iomosd.adaptation of semi-classical music In sawthe film I felt that the freshness of the It'sthereforeoneofthesongs.thatI',,'c song had been enhanced. I liked the song liked best. The song hasan attractive tune, even more, voice, words, etc. 132 -wuv I LIKE. P.L. DESHPANDE: 'Ye zindagi us; ki har"' I first heard the song when my versatile friend Shri Vasantrao Deshpande hummed it for me and insisted that I go andsee the film at least for the song. 2. It is aiso significant that the lastlineof the antara repeals the mu.lt:bda musically because the statement has already been madeinthe first twolinesoftheantara.This is economy of words as well as ~e. 3. It is to be noted that the lyric was composedbeforethetune andyetthereisno distortion of the metrical mould. I became addicted to the song and it continues to haunt me. The song is a rare fusion of an anguished tone, a rich and G.N. JOSHI efficient voice, straight picturization,skilful 'Bab~J mora, naihar chhooto hi jayc' yet simple instrumentation. I feel that C. I remember a musi.c cont'enreee heldat Ramchandra, who was a close friend, ar Allahabad some time in the 19405. I had rived at 'musicaltruth' in twoof hisfilms come toattendthe conferencefromBombay A/bela and Anarka/i. and K.L. Saigal had come from Calcu.;;:; II is also possible that 'Ye zjnd3gl" im Both of us sang at the conference. mediately impressed mebecauseofitsstrik . d bungaloWon organizers had provide us a tbt ing resemblance with a song in Sharda. a ~p the banks of the Ganga. We were " Mararhi play. night and had alreadybeensm. gI.ng.lustlor YASHWANT DEV 'Ap ki nazron ne samjha' 1. The sthayi and antaras present a case of key relationships which are fascinating be- .cause they confuse the listener~ at least initially.The background harmonic support resolves the apparent confusion about the fundamentalkey employedbythe composer. from the beginning of the second line. He also goes to the tat madhyam to finally resolve the indecision created. The song touches alowernote at'yt:faisla' or'manzil ap hain'. which is further balanced by the employment of the tar madhyam. 'WHY I LIKE...• IJJ ourselves, up to 2 or 2.30 a.m. Then I promptedSaigal to sing'BabuJ mora'. and hesaid: "I will sing only if you sing along with me." And we sang 'BabuJmora' rill daybreak. Ihavealways been fascinated by classical music.'Babulmora'. based on ragaBhaira vi,offers a lot of scope for developing the sentiment of pathos. 'Saiga]has ably portrayed the sorrow of a fatherwhobids farewell to adaughterafter herwedding.Thoughafilmsonghasitsown limitations.Saigalhasdonefulljusticeto the song. His serious bass voice has indeed helped him in the rendering. ion,and melody makes thissongfromAmar Prem my favourite-.It has haunted meever SARITA JOSHI since I first heard it. 'Hopriya priya' Iheard the song for the first time at the MADHUBHAI PATEL trial of the film. 'Lambi judai char dinon la' Thebest part of the song is itstune. The My heart swelled with grief and I wept bitterlywhenI firstheardthesong,thoughI didn't knowwhat the wordsmeant.Just the tune and the voiceof the singer, fullof the pain of separation, touched my heart. The most impressive part of the song comesatthe words 'Lsmbijudai':thewords express their meaning through the musical composition!The singerportraysthe path~s which an unhappy lover would feel In separation.Thesinger'svoicefilledmyheart withthesamepain.Thisistheonlyfilmsong .that has made me weep. When the singer comes to the words f.~'~''''::?:;'''~:~;;:::~7'1 r:·... ';:;. word~ are also good. The intensity of the I'.: to' _\ ' emotion, is well captured in this sweet ~. , "~ m~lody. The tune reaches out 10 you in a uhnlquewayand you find yourselfhumming f'. •...•::r ( -/<::~ I e tune at any time, for days together. dTheWordsofthisduetremind you offilm uetsofone-and-a-halfor two decadesago. 'L~~i'" ..... f'~j .,~ ;-'-~:r'-V They are very refreshing and appealing. ,...-''1'\1:'£ SAl PARANJPYE 'Chingarikoi bhadke' Thebe 'fu aut, I blend of thought, express- 134 "WHY I LIKE..." 'Lsmbijudai'she lengthensthe lastsyllable, fascinated by the wordsofthesongandby •... at.and repeatsthe bestpanofthe line: its use ofconsonants.Then of coursecome 'haye Jambi judaP. the tune of the song, the structure, etc. The composer has used tivre madhyam, stopping at the upper sa, then come to dhaivat,pancham, and tivte madhyam, and SHRUTI SADOLIKAR-KATKAR again employed a fleeting touch of komal 'Pyer kiya to darna kya' gandhar. This has made the song memor The song has its own strength.It wasits able. grandeur that appealed to me from the beginning. Madhubala-with that express KANAK RELE ion inbereyesandhermovements-hasnot 'Madhuban mein Radhika nache re' Ifirstheard the song on the radiowhen I wasabout16.Iwasstunned.ThoughIknew very little about the Kathakali, Sopana, or -Mohiniattamtraditionsat that time.Icould visualize the[dance] movements.The utter ance of the word 'nache' suggests a curve and a clear dance movement. cnact~d ~as only the songwell,but t.aleoit to great heights. Imagine [the suuation].« she ischallenging the King [inaconflictnI classes]. Prithviraj [as King Akbar] and Dilip Kumar [asSalim) alsorespondngbtly· Though I knew the song mueh earlier,I watchedthefilmquiterecently-afewyears 5~ng ~ore~ back. Istartedlikingthe even isamongthoseraresongs10filmswhich)at; I knew.that tbe song was based on raga feel are inevitable. GeneraUy songs Hamir. I remember seeing the film im added on to show the dance talents mediately after I had heard the song. actresses orfor mereentertam. mcst.Madan (Anotherstrongreason for this wasthatmy Mohan's songs are good bythemselves,but favourite hero, Dilip Kumar, was in it.) they are usually pi.ctun.zed poorly.For,,-d a Incidentally, the heroine (Meena Kumari) ample 'Tum jo mil gaye ho'_Mohanun danced horribly. It was a thorough dis Rafi's songinHanste zakhm-I.Sveryeffec appointment. I had to shut my eyes. tr.ve as a song. It.uses good VOlleepanerns15. The song-typeiscomparable to the endo instruments, etc., but the actualfilmupst like. Every time I listen to the song, it finisb<'l yo.uP.ya, reminds me of the Sopanaparampara. kiya to dama tya' is a The Indian mind is such'that we are product, It gets to the core of the tile""'" carried away by any words about Krishna, love-which is universal. tileJ_:1",. any story or music about Krishna. I am You areimpressedwhen yousee 'WHY I LIKE...• 135 \\'hen the song comes on, you have a The song is a unique experiment in the premonition of coming events. This is the hlendingofraga-hased Indianmelodywitha onlycolouredsequencein the film.Madhu symphonicstructureofinstrumentation.The bela's figure is reflected in the. mirrors instrumental music here is not just an arrangedinacirclearound her. The univer interlude-link inbetween the antaras,oran salappeal of love is thus portrayed. The introduction to the mukhda. It isa part of song makesgood use of chorus and brings the entirestructure ofthe song, andisalso outthesweetness and innocence of Lata's present beneaththe vocalrendition.Itcon voice.Thesongis a perfect blend of voice tinuesthroughout thelengthofthecomposi andorchestra, and of Western an·d.Indian tion. music. I like the song because it serves a The songiscomposedin12mstrss. Itisa purpose in the situation. blendofragaslogiaandMand,withashade of Bhimpalasi in the beginniog and at the end. NIT SHETIl Written by the well-known Hindi poet 'Bane ghanasari ret' Shri Raghuvir Sahay, the song is in blank Vanraj gave me a recorded spool of the verse. Settingto tuneapoeminblankverse song to hear when I was producing a is no easytask, but Vanraj has carried out half-hour film-music-based sponsored prog the experiment successfully. The result is ,ra,,m,emre for Vividh Bharati titled 'Kohinoot haunting-the most memorable song that Gunjar'. has ever come out of the film industry.