Dulhan Maike Chali..

With the advent of 70s India was changing. It was becoming more modern and permissive - at least on surface. Zeenat Aman was the poster child of this era. 

Starting from her first movie Hulchul, she brought in a kind of glamour, which Hindi movie heroines were not generally known for. She was also one of the first heroines whom Indian male gaze looked at with lust. Ajnabee, Qurbani, Pukar, The Great Gambler, Dostana... the list is endless.

She was also one of the luckiest heroines - specially when it comes to Music. 

Starting from Hulchul (a songless movie though), there were a number of movies where Zeenat surely got her moves right - purely because the music was by RD. If Hare Rama Hare Krishna catapulted her into a zone which most of the newcomers can only dream of, movies like Yaadon Ki Barat, Heera Panna, Ishk Ishk Ishk, Ajnabee, the Great Gambler ensured her an everlasting presence in the memory of hindi music lovers.

On her birthday today, the song that I would love to showcase is from Manoranjan - a movie that brought out the chutzpah Zeenat & RD's combination was capable of. 

The song is also very special because it has three of the Mangeshkar sisters - Lata, Asha & Usha, singing in tandem - and actually it becomes difficult to differentiate their voices.

Another reason I love this song is about the inherent positivity about the characters, which Hindi movies seldom showed. In fact, never ever the Hindi movie have shown prostitutes with such joie-de-vivre (except perhaps Utsav) - absolutely unapologetic of their profession, as they mouth Anand Bakshi's lyrics while being rounded up by the police:

Suno ji suno unhe pakdo 

Jo jamane me gum bechte hai

Hamen chhodo 

sari khushiya

Is jamane me hum bechate hai

JKahe ko tu ro rahi hai

Dulhan maike chali 

Kitna Pyaara Geet Hai..Yeh Goya ke Chunanche..

"To me, Pancham was an enthusiastic chef who enjoyed the unexplored exotica; and not just an efficient cook. Pancham's primary identity was that of an exceptionally gifted musician..."

Thus wrote Shammi Kapoor - the original rock star - about RD.

It is Shammi Kapoor’s birth anniversary today. Shammi Kapoor, whose Teesri Manzil - that RD composed five years after making his debut - not only catapulted RD in a different league altogether, but also was instrumental in creating a team which provided scintillating score for almost 2 decades - that of Nasir Hussain, Majrooh & RD!

Unfortunately, post Teesri Manzil, there was no movie that had Shammi Kapoor as a hero & RD as a composer. However, so impressed was Shammi with RD, that for his two directorial ventures, Manoranjan & Bundal Baaz, RD was the obvious choice.

Manoranjan, incidentally, was one of the only unapologetic comedy about prostitutes - which did not sermonise. About a romance between a prostitute - Zeenat Aman and a constable - Sanjeev Kumar, the movie, due to the prevalent attitudes and Adults only tag did not do really too well. To some extent, this also affected the popularity of its music - despite RD being in one of his best elements.

There were a couple of amazing melodies, specially one by Lata Mangeshkar. However, for today, as a tribute to Shammi Kapoor, right song to feature would be this one – which apart from Lata & Kishore, also had Manna Dey, rendering his voice for Shammi Kapoor. 

The composition, like the movie, also has a joie-de-vivre with superb emphasis on the percussion all through out - specially during the stanzas where the song picks up each time after a brief pause. Add to that the class of the performers off & on the screen, and yet the song has remained under-appreciated - just like the movie itself. 

For a Pancham fan, this is an absolute delight though, specially when you realise that this was RD's & Shammi Kapoor's last hit together.