Har Khushi Se, Har Gam se Begaana Hota Hai....

"At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet..." Thus spoke Plato.

Well! Love not only creates poets, it also creates music. More so, when it comes to Hindi movies where a song has remained the perfect way to express one's love. Almost each movie, irrespective of its theme and mileu, has a love story going for it, creating a need for those love ballads. Bit it is not always only about verse. A good verse needs good composition to create that feeling of perpetual warmth in one's heart which only love can evoke.

Pancham, in tandem with some of the best lyricists of Hindi movies, created songs which have retained their freshness - even after so many years. One such song is a classic from the repertoire of that eternal loverboy of Indian Cinema - Rajesh Khanna!

The situation in the movie provided an opportunity to the lyricist Anand Bakshi to pen verse which make an attempt to define the love - an undefinable emotion otherwise - and its inevitability . Kishore brings to life the emotions in his rendition. And Pancham? He used one of the stock instruments in most of the movies of late 60s, a grand Piano, in a manner that spell-bounds the listener, forever. I never get tired listening to this song as Rajesh Khanna tries to explain to reluctant & reticent Asha Parekh:

Rahe koi sau pardon me, dare sharam se 

Nazar aji laakh churaaye, koi sanam se 

Aa hi jaataa hai jisape dil aanaa hotaa hai

Pyaar divaanaa hotaa hai, Mastaanaa hotaa hai

Har khushi se, Har gam se, Begaanaa hotaa hai

Akaash Kane Deko..

With weekend, Pooja & Navratri celebrations are at its high - leaving not enough time for the posts.

Yet, would like to do a quick post:

This time one of the most popular numbers of RD, Kishore & Rajesh Khanna combination.

But first the Bangla composition - Akash Keno Dake - released around 1967, sung originally also by Kishore Kumar - the composition is a dead give-away of its Hindi version:

As I said, a dead give-away:

So here is the Hindi version - from movie Kati Patang. 

It might be my perspective or perhaps, Rajesh Khanna's performance, the theme of the movie & very very romantic lyrics, adding a different context to the song - but Kishore Kumar sounds much more soulful - as compared to the Bangla version. Even the composition & the structure seems to be having more punch, despite adhering to the basic tune - including the whistling.

Whatever it may be, the song remains one of the most popular songs of this combination. Here it goes for you all:
Ek ruthi hui, taqadir jaise koi
Khaamosh aise hai tu, tasveer jaise koi
Teri nazar, banke zubaan, 
Lekin tere paigaam diye jaaye

Mera Naam Hai..

With the last week beginning with Asha Bhosle’s birthday, for last few days I showcased only RD-Asha combination. To round up the working days of this week, heere is another song - not so rare, yet a path-breaking one for both of them.

Picturised on Bindu, this was the first ever cabaret sung by Asha Bhosle. The situation demanded, unlike a normal cabaret, a constant much closer view of the performer on-screen, while singing. On the other hand, the song does not have a base metre at all, rather more of a conversation directed at the heroine of the movie interspersed with jazz kind of interludes, which makes it more difficult for lip-syncing. That the singer & composer have been able to pull it off with such ease is what makes Asha-RD combination so endearing and so refreshing.

The irony is, yet again, the other songs from the movie turned out to be so popular that this one lagged behind always. That does not take away the brilliance of the composition & singing though. Judge yourself:

Pyar Deewana Hot Hai..

There is a lot that has been written, said and explored about the combination of Gulzar & R D. I wonder why, the same importance has not been given to another combination - that of R D with Anand Bakshi.

In fact, for the statistically inclined, the number of movies which RD did with Anand Bakshi were almost 4 times of what RD & Gulzar did. Qualitatively also, the songs created by RD & AB together were as superlative, if not more.

For example, this song from Kati Patang. The musical arrangement consisted largely of Piano, with lovely prelude before Kishore makes this song his own:

Suno kisi shaayar ne ye, Kaha bahot khub
Manaa kare duniyaan lekin, mere mehaboob
Woh chhalak jaataa hai jo, paimaanaa hotaa hai
Har khushee se, har gam se, begaanaa hotaa hai....