The Story of the 'Richly Evergreen'......(Part9)

The Research Continues...

7

"Oh Mr Benjo...." - A sheer gem of a song from an almost unknown movie "Hum sab chor hain". This is a duet by Rafi and Asha and picturized on Shammi Kapoor and Nalini Jaywant. The brilliance of the song is created by O P Nayyar's innovative effort to gel fun and frolic with a lilting melody. Of course there is his trademark beat structure. Rafi sings his heart out with the best emotions possible and Asha is just as perfect as it can get. Want to do away with monotonic life ? Just listen to this song and you will enliven your mind!


8

"Piya piya piya mera jiya..." - This is a Kishore-Asha duet from the film "Baap Re Baap" penned by Jan Nisar Akhtar, composed with the rhythm of the horse-shoe beats. This song starts with a rich prelude and the vocals start a little later. If one starts listening once, it is guaranteed that he or she will only stop listening when the song has ended - such is its beautiful and soulful quality! The voice of Kishore is loosely touching the notes and that of Asha defining those. Also, this song has the famous yodeling done by Kishore and it produces great effect

9

"Tum Jo Hue mere Humsafar...." - A soft and serene Rafi-Geeta duet. This is one of the many duets that these two legends have sung under O P Nayyar's guidance. This one is from the film "12 o clock". This was incidentally the first film directed by Pramod Chakraborty. The director went on to make many successful movies later on in his career. The song is so soft that the listener almost cannot hear the orchestration, but its sweetness through the vocals are ideal for stress removal. A showery night, cannot get sleep? Listen to this charming song.

10

"Chand zard zard hai...." - A soulful and haunting melody performed by Rafi and Asha in the film "Jaali Note". The fact that O P Nayyar was a star in his own right is proved through this song. A rather forgotten movie, but its songs stand out! This particular one is an ideal mix of romantic vocals working together with different instrumental effects. The antara, like many of his gems, breaks into a different rhythm and comes through as a short burst of notes knit together by a melodious design. Some of the appreciable qualities of this song are the whisper that comes and goes, those tabla beats that resonate just slightly and that defining interlude music led by saxophone.


11

"Yeh desh hai veer jawano ka...." - Naya Daur was made at a time when it was "Nayyar Daur" (the era of Nayyar, O P Nayyar) in the film industry! The movie was one of the biggest hits of that era and it cemented the status of Dilip Kumar and Vaijyantimala on the Indian silver screen. Apart from it being a top notch collaboration of O P Nayyar and Sahir, this film is also remembered for its very strong story-line and nice direction by B R Chopra. This particular song is a cult in Hindi movies and is one of the top ten most remembered patriotic songs of all time. People give kudos to this song and its writer and composer in varied ways, but it would not be good to fall into the stereotype and say that this was great lyrics and ultimate Punjabi folk tune. We should rather say that this is a unique song because this is one of the earliest examples of designing a song with no specific antara (mid-stanza) and mukhra (starting lines). This is also unique in the sense that the similes or metaphors used by Sahir are very very rare which only a poet of his caliber can do. Then this is a first-rate performance by Rafi sahab, ably supported by another singer by the name Balbir. Rafi sings this song in a way that hardly anyone else can do. And to sum it all, a majestic performance by the legendary Dilip Kumar who is ably supported on screen by Ajit. If a music composer can ornament such a rustic yet beautiful Punjabi folk number with traditional Indian orchestra and still keep the original feel, there is only one way to praise his effort. By saluting him wholeheartedly!


[To Be Continued.....]