Tu Na Raha..Kuchh Na Raha..

This blog began its journey last year on Pancham's birthday. Today, the Journey has completed its first year, and I am putting up its 125th post. A year that was personally fulfilling and enjoyable as I came across such facets & compositions of RD, which I had never known about. Hope you all have enjoyed it too so far.

On his birthday today, here is the 125th post containing one of my most favourite compositions. Keeping with the trend of last week - a roller-coaster ride of emotions featuring Asha Bhosle & Aruna Irani.

Aruna Irani has been one of the few actresses who could successfully perform across all the genres that a female actress gets to perform in Hindi cinemas. A heroine, a vamp with golden heart, an outright negative character, a mother - she has done all - and very efficiently.

She was also one of the few lucky actresses who got a good share of RD's compositions. One of the earliest one was from Bombay to Goa - a duet with Amitabh - created based on a strand from a Chaplin's composition. The song however was not retained in the movie. She also got a number of lovely compositions in Caravan. There were many other songs, but the song displayed today, I think, had one of her best performances - again as a Cabaret dancer.

The composition is a roller coaster ride of conflicting emotions & time zones - romance & melancholy - past & present. RD again used only the initial strand from "A Soldier's Story" from "The Good, The Bad & The ugly", and created an inimitable classic, that I never get tired of hearing.

To match the situation, Gulshan Bawra in his 2nd movie with Pancham came up with some lovely verse. Keeping in with the conflicting emotions, the composition is two paced - slower in present mixing so well with faster interludes of the flashbacks. Asha Bhosle carries off both the emotions with a panache, with her laughter, sobs, recitation, completely infusing the soul in her rendition. If this was not enough, the song is also special as it is one of the few songs where one can hear Pancham singing in his original voice - rendering vocals for Rakesh Roshan.

Why wait further.. so here it is:

Udti Chidiya...

There was another Asha Bhosle number in Hum Shakal - this time a full fledged cabaret & picturised on Aruna Irani. Somehow, when the movie was re-released on VCD / DVDs, this number was done away with. Fortunately, there are a number of fans passionate about Pancham's legacy, and one of them restored it from the old VHS tapes & put it on youtube.

Of course, Asha Bhosle & RD were a potent combination when it came to cabarets. This composition is not an exception.

RD combines the sounds of Trumpets, Bongo & Guitar to create a space for Asha Bhosle to engage in her vocal calisthenics. Listen to the way the vocals go in a deeper octave at the end of each stanza, and then gets lifted in such an effortless manner, underscoring their own chemistry.

Now if only the choreography & the print could have been better! Yet, I am sure, the song is a treat for the fans of RD & Asha.

Kya Ghazab Karte Ho Jee..

Early eighties were the time when the first batch of star-sons arrived on the Hindi cinema screen. Sunil Dutt was not the first one. Rather, it was Rajendra Kumar, who had introduced his son Kumar Gaurav - through Love Story. Soon followed Sanjay Dutt in Rocky, Sunny Deol in Betaab & Suniel Anand in Anand Aur Anand. Barring Suneil Anand - who had his father to compete with in youthful energy - each one of these stars were well received. In fact, Kumar Gaurav received an adulation that was reminiscent of Rajesh Khanna's hay days.

Since all the movies were centered around youth & romance, it was natural for each one of them to have RD Burman - the only youthful music director - helming the compositions. However, to my mind, this was not the logic which made everyone go to Pancham. Rather, it was the super success of Love Story & its music, which made the ever insecure film industry look for the already proven formula & combinations - while launching these new kids on the block.

Of course, apart from Kumar Gaurav, the credit for the movie to be a big hit also went to its music. The songs of Love Story - sugar syrupy most of them, with Amit Kumar pairing with Lata for those romantic songs - were lovely, melodious, sounding sweet to the ears as intended, yet lacking that Pancham Punch.

Except this one - a seductive number penned by Anand Bakshi. Starting with the clicking of fingers, the song has Guitar chords soon striking a rhythmic pattern to match the lift of a Bossa Nova. The overall effect is a lilting melody, to which the verve of Asha Bhosle off screeen, and Aruna Irani on screen, add right dose of impishness.

I am sure you will agree too.

Ab Jo Mile Hain...

I mentioned yesterday about how difficult it was to differentiate the voices of Mangeshkar Sisters - when they sang in tandem in Dulhan Maike Chali. It was all the more difficult because each of them, like a true playback singer, were trying to ensure that their voice was matching with the performer on-screen. Fortunately, each one was singing for only one of the characters.

Now here is a song, where there were two different performers on the screen - in two different kind of characters exhibiting two contradictory moods - and yet RD used only one singer. 

Ab Jo Mile Hain to - from caravan picturised on Aruna Irani & Asha Parekh had Asha Bhosle singing for both the actors. Starting seductively to match the on-screen persona of Aruna Irani wooing Jitendra, the song has a strong bossa-nova influence - perfectly matching the moves of Aruna Irani.

Half-way through, the seduction gives way to unrequited love and as the song changes the mood, one can not but notice that subtle yet distinct variation - in Asha's voice, in the lyrics and in the music. With Asha Parekh performing at her best, the song manages to bring out the pain that she is going through. 

No wonder, this song has remained one of the most popular one of Asha-RD-Majrooh combination.

Tu hai hawa, shola hu main,

Mil key bhee jo mil naa sake

Bujh naa sake tere bina, 

Tere bina jal naa sake

Listen to this here:

Dilbar Dil Se Pyaare..

Aruna Irani was the heroine of Bombay to Goa, and had a couple of songs in the movie - one of which was not retained in the movie at all. Since, this was a road movie, perhaps the script could not find situations where her talent for dance could have been utilised.

However, she might not have had anything to complain because just a year back, despite Asha Parekh being the heroine of the movie, it was Aruna Irani who walked away with some of the best compositions that RD had created in that year.

Come to think of it, It could have been a coincidence, but Aurna Irani, over the years, did manage to get some very unconventional songs from RD - be it a parody or a song full of melancholy or a classical composition. I will take you to those later, but for now, here is Lata & RD combining to create a track that sounds fresh even now.

Hear the beats, and the piece on rabab, and the sax, and Lata stretching & modulating her voice just enough to create the yearning - all that which goes into making this song from Caravan very special.