Ek Ajnabee Haseena Se

Charisma is a word that tries to define something which is otherwise unfathomable.  It means compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.  If ever, there was a star with Charisma on Hindi screen, it was Rajesh Khanna.

How else can one decode a phenomenon like him - average looks, good performer who could speak a lot with his eyes, broke through the accepted mould of a hero to create his own style, and then got confined within that. 

His fame was also like a comet that dazzled everyone with it for a while, and then disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived. During the brief period – relatively brief as compared to other superstars who followed him – that he shone through, his fan following was not only unprecedented but could always make even the later & bigger stars envious of it.

Apart from his charisma, another factor going for him was a troika that gave soulful songs for his screen avatars; songs which coupled with his crinkling eyes and a disarming smile could woo not only the actress on the screen but the entire female fan following to the extent that many of them were willing to lay their life for him.

The troika comprised of; yes, Kishore Kumar, Pancham & Anand Bakshi. In fact, even as his movies started faring badly, the songs created by these three continued charting new waves. Here is one such song, from Ajnabee, another movie by Shakti Samanta - whose Aradhana, Kati Patang & Amar Prem had ensured a golden run for Kaka earlier.

As a composition, with hardly any prelude, what make it interesting are those interludes – specially the first two, where Pancham mixes Santoor, Guitar & Sax so brilliantly. 

Kishore’s throaty rendition, the mischievous smile of Kaka & the subtle blushes of Zeenat, while he hints about their previous interaction, and all I can think of is the lost innocence of that era, where a serenade was an essential part of the life itself:

Woh Achanak Aa Gayee, 
Yun Nazar Ke Samane

Jaise Nikal Aaya Ghata Se Chand

Chehre Pe Zulfen Bikhari Huyi Thi,

Din Men Raat Ho Gayee

Jaan-e-man Jaan-e-jigar, 

Hota Main Shayar Agar

Kahta Ghazal Teri Adaaon Par

Maine Yeh Kaha To, Mujhse Khafa Woh

Jaan-e-hayat Ho Gayee

Ek Ajnabee Haseena Se

Yun Mulaqaat Ho Gayee