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:

Maar Dalega Dard-e-Zigar..

Before Teesri Manzil, released in 1966, went on to create waves, another event took place at the beginning of that year, which brought two multi-talented & multi-faceted artists together.

Here is a song from another movie of 1966 - Pati Patni (again not so popular). Not so well-known, yet this song, magical on its own, was the beginning of a relationship which went on to enthrall Hindi movie music buffs for almost 3 decades. So here is first song that brought Asha & Pancham together.

This was also the first time that Brazilian Bossa Nova rythm was used in Hindi movies. 

Apparently, in an interview later in Screen, following was Asha ji's observation: 

" Till then, whatever the ultimate garb of the tune itself was seedha-saada with straight counting of the matras, which any performer with a minimum vocal training could sing. But in 'Maar Dalega Dard-E-Jigar', I found that I had to keep careful count of the beat, if only because it was so unusual. This is something so technically testing that only a singer or a composer can truly appreciate it. It was this test, to which I was put in 'Maar Dalega Dard-E-Jigar' that first made me sit up and take notice Pancham as a composer. I came to discern that even a seasoned singer like myself had to be alert while negotiating his tunes, which are none too easy to render while being so appealing to the ear."

The movie also was among the first ones where Pancham collaborated with Anand Bakshi. As you listen to the verse in tandem with the Saxophone of Manohari da, you realise this composition was just a precursor to the musical storm this team was to unleash in the years to come:

Yeh wafaayen bahut ho chuki
Aaj koi jafa kijiye
Mar dalega dard e jigar
Koi iski dawa kijiye