Presenting Naushad : Part 8
The research continues
6. Pi ke ghar aaj pyari... (Mother India) This is one of the finest songs sung by the great Shamshad Begum. A brilliant, heart-wrenching "Bidaai" (a ritual when a newly-wed girl leaves her parents' place) song composed by Naushad and offered to Shamshad who gave it her everything. "Roye babulji unki kaliyan chali" (translation : the father cries as his flower is taken away from him) brings tears to the eyes of any sensitive listener. The tune of the antara (middle verses of a song), together with the poignant words, create an atmosphere of everlasting nostalgic feeling. This feeling stays on within the hearts of all listeners. Some words can also be written about the director of the movie - the great Mehboob Khan. Mother India is still one of the most creative and real masterpieces of cinema made in India. If one sees the movie even today, every frame of it is real. The music is equally real. Naushad, in an interview stated, Mehboob Khan gave him full freedom to compose as per the mood and demand of the situations. The struggle of commoners depicted in the movie through the life of Radha culminating in a memorable climax seems to be built-up very nicely by this immortal song.
Pi ke ghar aaj pyari dulhaniya chali
7. Naa main bhagwan hoon... (Mother India) Mother India worked on different levels - it had breath-taking cinematography, completely devoted acting from all the lead actors and of course the masterful direction. However, one often tends to forget the contribution Naushad had in this movie. In fact, the soundtrack was not so much celebrated at that time compared to his other works. To those of us who are lovers of Naushad magic would definitely pick up this song to state that the composer had equal share in the overall success of this great movie. Why I say so is because this song just lifted Birju's (the rebel brother in the film) character to the exact height that it needed. It allowed the great actor Sunil Dutt to showcase the kind of talent that he was. It also made Rafi a standalone playback singer who could emote almost every emotion through his voice and could bring out the correct nuances of the on-screen character. Just listen to the line "Duniya jo chahe samjhe, main to insaan hun..." (Translate : Whatever the world thinks, I am a human) rendered in various moods through his voice modulations.
8. Gham diye mustaqil... (Shahjahan) A magnificent combo of Naushad and K L Saigal produced a gem of a song penned by the great Majrooh Sultanpuri. Saigal's voice was like nonchalantly flowing stream of water in a far-away lake. Saigal brought out a painful emotion and, with it, delivered on the very soft and suave melody created by Naushad. It was certainly one of the greatest songs sung by K L Saigal and is remembered very much even today.
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