Humko Zamane Se Kya...

"Khel Khel Mein" was released in 1975, and found RD at his creative best. If a taut screenplay, and crisp direction (Ravi Tandon) & editing made the movie watchable, the chemistry of a fresh lead pair set the screen on fire. For Rishi Kapoor & Neetu Singh, this was one of their early movies - and perhaps one of their biggest hits.

The movie itself was a suspense thriller, and despite this being a disadvantage for a repeat viewing, Rishi-Neetu's palpable energy & groovy moves on the effervescent compositions of RD kept bringing the audience back - in turn making the movie a runaway success.

One of my favourite songs from the movie is the sequences that had Rishi-Neetu prancing around on the streets, in drunken stupor. The song was about caring a hoot for the world. Naturally, RD had to add something extra to prove it. So while the composition has all his hallmarks - lovely guitar piece to set the rhythm, trumpets during those pacy interludes and the light beats for the pair to groove on, in one of his crazy moods, he uses street sounds like gargling, or zipping up of a trouser, with such a flourish - and yet it makes the composition so classy.

So listen to Asha and Kishore in one of the zaniest songs about love:

Pal Do Pal Ka Saath Hamara

What was just started as a one-off post to mark the 75th birth year of Pancham became a way of sharing my fascination with Pancham's music with the big world of Pancham-fans all over - some known and a lot many stranger earlier, but not any more. 

It would be apt to use an oft-quoted couplet from Majrooh, with whom RD created some of the biggest hits of his career:

Main Akela hi chala tha Jaanib-e-manzil, Magar

Log Aate Gaye Aur Caravan Banta Gaya

Talking about the caravan & the journey, here is another of Pancham's hit. This is in format of a quawwalli - a format which Pancham mastered, specially in 80s. 

The song, picturised on a fast moving train - from The Burning Train by Ravi Chopra - is a prelude to the mishap that is about to take place. Hence, keeping true to the format and the situation, the composition starts with Harmonium & Shehnai, and then becomes double paced to match the romance and the joyous mood inside the train, juxtaposed with the mood outside, where the train is racing towards a disaster. Unfortunately, despite a huge star cast, and a season of hugely popular disaster movies from Hollywood, this movie itself proved to be a disaster. However, Rafi & Asha's rendition in this excellent composition, proved to be a big draw, and is popular even now.

Philosophically, this is extension of Majrooh's couplet. While Majrooh wrote about gathering people on the journey, Sahir who penned the verse here, wrote about the need to enjoy the life now, due to its fickleness and the inevitability where by the end of the journey one is always left alone. Ironically, this was also the last movie of Sahir, just before his leaving for another journey - alone.

Nazaron ke shok nazrane Hontho ke garm paimaane

Hai aaj apni mahafil men, Kal kya ho koi kya jaane

Yeh pal kushi ki jannat hai, Is pal me ji le diwane

Aaj ki kushiyan ek haqiqat, Kal ki kushiya afsane hai

Pal do pal ka saath hamara, Pal do pal ke yarane hai

Is manzil par hai milne vale, Us manzil par kho jaane hai

Jeena Kya Aji Pyar Bina..

Neither be critical about love; 

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment 

it is as perennial as the grass.

While writing today the above line from Desiderata by Max Ehrmann for my photography blog, came to my mind a song from Pancham & Majrooh's repertoire - which was about the importance of "Love".

This was Dhan Daulat - quite a run-of-the-mill kind of movie from 1980, but made exceptional because of its lead pair who did not act together for another 29 years - after this movie, because they both had got married - to each other! 

Equally exceptional were two compositions of RD in this movie, one of which I am showcasing now. A superb foot-tapping rythm - perfectly suiting the couple who were known for their chemistry with each other - specially when they danced together.

The composition - two paced - was resplendent with Indian instruments, with enough opportunities built up for Kishore & Asha to cast their magic while Rishi Kapoor & Neetu Singh reminded us:

Sone chandi ka wo dil kya

Jo na dil ke kam aaya

Yahan to teri kasam pyar walo me sanam

apna pahla nam aaya

Mili dunia to maja hai ke mile dil bhi

Bindiya bhi chamke or baje payal bhi

Jina kya aji pyar bina 

jiwan ke yahi char dina

Le Kar Hum, Deewana Dil..

There are a number of occasions where a song in the movie acts as a break for the movie - sometime on purpose & sometimes unintentionally. There are very few such moments, where the story moves on in rapid speed - while a song is going on.

Yaadon ki Barat had one such song where a lot more action was happening off the song-stage itself. A killing, a heist and amidst all this a stage performance by Tariq (who made his debut with this song) & Neetu Singh, in a guest appearance.

Keeping in mind all the paraphernalia around the song, the composition also had to be something special. RD manages precisely that..and how..

The killing of a henchmen, gets mixed into the song's initiation by RD's own typical hoot, followed by some amazing prelude comprising of percussion & guitar - a sudden lull - and then tempo starts building up again to a longish prelude, before the vocals by Asha & Kishore take over. Even the interludes - showing the main villain & his Mona darling as well as a heist by Dharmendra in progress - ensures that the pace does not falter a bit.

Add to this composition, the whole lot of instruments - specially the rapid beats on Conga drums, a variety of Guitars, Kishore's rendition, Asha's ending of each stanza with that throaty ha-aa.. and the very very sexily grooving Neetu Singh --- the song is an absolute magic in rhythm!

Just watch on..