Presenting Naushad : Part 7
Deep dive into the world of Naushad!
The Naushad phenomenon would not be complete if I do not mention about the following songs; these are the ones that have been my personal favourites :
1. Mera pyar bhi tu hai... (Saathi) I chose this song only because of the tremendous sweetness that it imparts on the ears of its listeners. I think Mukesh and Suman Kalyanpur did a sparkling job. Based on Raga Pilu (sometimes called Misra Pilu), the song depicts happiness and love. Here Naushad-sahab is very cautious about the fact that the notes encircle within a relatively limited periphery or range so that Mukesh's voice is aptly suited. It is noteworthy to mention that Lata Mangeshkar had once stated in an interview that Mukesh never really liked high-pitched vocals and preferred serenity over loud expressions. Naushad's melody offers just that kind of liberty to Mukesh to usher and Suman Kalyanpur too provides the same gentleness and smoothness that the song required. On the screen, both Rajendra Kumar and Vaijayantimala put up a spirited performance, though they look a little above their ages. If one wants to get a taste of Naushad's magic of the late 60's, this song is a good one to recommend.
2. Ae husn zara jaag tujhe ishq jagaae... (Mere Mehboob) Mere Mehboob was a very subtle film with lots of characters having hearts of gold. This particular song is being sung on-screen by Rajender Kumar with Sadhana and Ashok Kumar sharing the screen space. If there is one thing that truly fascinates me in this song, it would certainly be the mukhra (or the opening line) of the song, especially the combination of notes set for the word "jaag". There is some kind of enigmatic feeling every time I listen to this word in the pristine voice of Rafi sahab. Based on the very popular raag Yaman , this is a very simple ghazal sung in a much uncomplicated way by Rafi sahab. The antara-s (middle verses of a song) are very melodious and the orchestration is exactly as it should be - minimalistic and simple.
3. Maan mera ehsaan (Aan) This song is one of the finest from the entire soundtrack of Aan which obviously contains several gems. Now, why I chose this song is because it has a very naughty, boyish feel about it which was, I must a say, a little unlike Naushad. Let us take it one by one; first, the tune is a somewhat peppy, rhythmic adaptation of the raag Bhairavi. This particular raag is sung mostly during the dawn and to adapt it to churn out a foot-tapping, youthful song is a truly amazing piece of art created by Naushad-sahab. Next, the singing - Rafi-sahab is just perfect for this song. An excellent element that Rafi-sahab infuses in this song is a light-hearted charm mingled with distinct throw of words on each of the beats. The orchestration is of course a tad westernized and it goes well with the mood of the song. But apart from all these is the superb on-screen acting by Dilip Kumar. He is terrific, he looks handsome; he makes Rafi's voice his own, he puts in the right emotion and emanates lot of machoism. Finally, it is the superb picturization done by the eminent film-maker Mehboob Khan who creates a wonderful sequence, brings out the right chemistry between Dilip-sahab and Nadira-ji and the rest becomes history.
4. Aaj ki taaza khabar... (Son of India) There are several elements that I like about this song. It is a masterpiece from Shakeel Badayuni - plain and straight-forward words depicting the hollowness of the post-independent Indian society. It is the greatness of Naushad-sahab to compose music on top of these wonderfully woven strings of words. I think he was very conscious to not overdo at all while setting tune to Shakeel-sahab's very practical, almost prose-like poem. What is also fascinating about this particular song is how the tabla (Indian percussion instrument) is used. The strokes of the century-old Indian percussion instrument carry the subtle melody of the tune very appropriately. However, I think the single most attractive element of this song is how well a very talented singer named Shanti Devi Mathur, who was very much in her early teens, sung this song right from her heart and did complete justice to the composition. One wonders why we did not hear more from this singer!
5. Insaaf ki dagar pe... (Ganga Jumna) This is a very rare patriotic song sung by the unparalleled Hemant Kumar. Naushad-sahab was immaculate while choosing Hemant Kumar to lend voice to this song because - firstly, the situation demanded a song that could have some sort of a preaching effect on its listeners and Hemant Kumar's voice had that inherent saint-like quality. Secondly, the character on screen was not a well-known face and he was indeed an aged person; these two factors went very well with the depth that Hemant Kumar's voice had. Finally, the tune was a very uncomplicated, yet soulfully melodious one, which challenged Hemant Kumar to deliver on all fronts on his own terms. Of course one has to mention the sparkling words like "Jeevan naya milega antim chita mein jalkar" (translation : you will get a new life through the fire of your pyre) from Shakeel. All in all, the song has a permanent place in my heart.
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