Haan Yahi Pyar Hai...

Talking about achingly romantic songs where Pancham & Sunil Dutt collaborated, here is one more special from this combo – a couple of decades later. Oh, but this time Sunil Dutt was off screen, directing his son’s debut movie – Rocky.

After the runaway success of “Love Story” a couple of years ago, starring Kumar Gaurav, suddenly there was a spate of movies launching star-sons. Rocky was perhaps the second in that series. As a movie, it was not a patch on Love Story. Even the story line and the acting were far off the mark. Yet, if the movie could do well, the credit was chiefly to its music, which found RD in his full elements. In fact I find the composition of Rocky more interesting than the ones of Love Story.

There were six tracks in the movie, and each one had something that RD alone could have created. Be it Aa Dekhe Zara or Hum Tum Se Mile. Of course, the pick remained this lovely Kishore –Lata duet, picturised on Sanjay & Tina Munim.

This composition – wovern around Anand Bakshi’s lyrics - has a number of woodwind instruments, right from the beginning, including flute & saxophone, mixed so brilliantly with the varying chord of guitars throughout the song. One cannot but help falling in love with the way Saxophone is used – specially at the beginning & in the interlude before the first stanza. 

In fact the composition & the vocals by Kishore Kumar & Lata – almost in their 50s by the time this movie was released - sound more expressive (& fresher too) than the pair on-screen, when they sing:

Kya Yahi Pyar Hai

Haan.. Haan Haan Yahi Pyar Hai..

Kahna Hai Aaj Tumse Yeh Pahli Baar

He was a man with multiple skills, who knew his limitations and working around those, optimized his capabilities. Beginning his career as an Anti Hero, he was the original Angry Young Man of Hindi Cinema – much before the phrase became a synonym for Amitabh Bachchan. He also could portray the character of a lover – even a jilted lover – with ease. His sensibilities made him produce & direct movies that, within the grammar of a mainstream cinema, were socially relevant in their own way.

There was only one facet of his acting that remained under-utilised – and that was - comedy. Only one movie really offered him that opportunity, and surprisingly, he was not the first choice. It was only after the movie’s music director’s refusal to play the role, he landed up this role. The movie went on to be an all-time classic comedy, and notwithstanding the presence of a cast like Kishore Kumar and Mehmood, an equal share of credit also was to movie’s hero – Bhola, who was in love with his Padosan – Sunil Dutt, in one of his finest performances.

On his birth anniversary today, here is a gem composed by Pancham for Padosan. While Ek Chatur Naar, and Mere Samne wali Khidki went on to be super hits, the composition of this song is much more subtle and rhythmic – akin to a classical western. Beginning with the slightly echoing vocals, this achingly romantic song has Kishore Kumar’s vocals matching Pancham’s composition like a well-choreographed Waltz. Listening to that slight nano-secondish pause just about at the beginning of each stanza before the composition starts rising with a different tempo, it is easy to fall under another spell that only RD could create with his magical music.

So here it is, one of my most favourite numbers of Pancham, with superb verse by Rajinder Krishan:

Kab Se, Dil Ne Mere, Maan Liya Hai, Tumko Apana

Aankhe Meri Dekh Rahi Hain Jaagte Sote Yeh Sapana

Mere Gale Men Daal Rahi Ho 

Tum Bahon Ka Haar

Tum Hi, To Lai Ho, 

Jivan Me Mere, Pyar Pyar Pyar 

Kahana Hai, Kahana Hai, Aaj Tumse Ye Pahali Bar

Agle Baras Tu Jaldi Aa..

On a Ganesh Visarjan day, let me just fast forward the time line to this song centered around Ganapati Visarjan. Movie: Sunil Dutt's Dard Ka Rishta - made in 1982 which focussed on Lukaemia disease. The movie was close to Sunil Dutt's heart due to his personal tragedy of having lost Nargis Dutt to this dreaded disease, just a year ago. 

Unlike most of the other Ganapati songs from Hindi movies, this song, hence had a different purpose - bring out an impending tragedy & the sense of looming loss that the hero is facing, and yet keeping alive that hope & faith, which carries most of us through such personal tribulations. 

RD chose Hariharan, then relatively a newcomer and mixed the popular beats of Ganapati immersion festival with the sound that was infused with poignancy, thus matching the mood of verse penned by Anand Bakshi portraying the emotions of all the bhakts taking their idol for the immersion:

Kitani ummidein bandh jaati hai tumase tum jab aate ho

Ab ke baras dekhen kya de jaate ho, kya le jaate ho

Apne sab bhakton ka tumako dhyaan rahe

Mere dukh se tum kaise anjaan rahe

The song has remained timeless as I can even now hear some of the bands playing this song, as the processions to the immersion ghats move outside. 

Tum hi to layi ho Jeevan men mere..

Kishore Kumar - RD Burman!

For most of us, who grew up in 70s, this was a combination that rocked!

With Kishore Kumar's birth anniversary on Sunday, for next few days, I would like to showcase a few of my favourite songs of this combination.

Let me start with a song that normally gets overshadowed by other more popular songs from this movie. Nonetheless, some hauntingly woven interlude, and the composition & voice both complementing each other, this is a song where RD & Kishore are in one of their finest form. 

Here it goes: