Presenting Naushad : Part 10
The research continues....
13. Dil mein baji pyar ki (Kohinoor) A very simple-flowing melody having all the elements of a typical Lata-Naushad combo. On the screen it was the great Meena Kumari with her vivacious presence and charming dance steps. This one, together with "Tere pyar mein dildar" from the movie Mere Mehboob, stands out as two extraordinary tunes by Naushad depicting happiness, charm and frolic. The shehnai interlude, together with nice tabla beats, go very well with the mood and tune of the song. Lata Mangeshkar makes a deliberate attempt to thin her voice so that the rhythm comes to the forefront and the song primarily remains as a dance number. Just listen to the wonderful alaap in the beginning when Rafi lends his voice shortly. Kohinoor is also a nice lighthearted movie, with great acting by Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari. I give you a trivia - like many other Naushad gems, this one too has different tunes for different antara-s!
14. Manzil ki dhun pe (Anokhi Ada) A rather unique song picturized on Prem Adib and sung by Mukesh. Mukesh and Naushad is a rare combination and have collaborated very less. The particular tune is nuanced and flowing like a serene river, with a simple foot-tapping beat. The song delivers both on meaning, substance as well as on a lilting melody. I specially like the acting on the screen vis-à-vis the soulful rendition. If one hears this song based on raga "Bhairavi" once, one wants to hear it over and over again. Mainly due to its preaching quality, without forcing the message, beautifully rendered by Mukesh, and minimalistic tune structure by Naushad. Shakeel's words echo a way of living - gone are those days when song conveyed so much!
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15. Zindabad Zindabad (Mughal-E-Azam) - A magnum opus film, a cult star cast, breath-taking direction and fabulous music composing! What more can one ask from Indian cinema - Mughal-E-Azam has won the epithet of "all-time classic" and no dust has touched it over time, decades and generation. This song is an immortal gem; 100 chorus singers lending voice to the thematic parts of the song, Rafi-Sahab singing a brilliant prelude piece, different antara-s composed on different tunes, magnificent portrayal of roles by eminent actors, amazingly true words written by Shakeel - all these and much more come together on one platform to deliver a classic song. Based again on raga "Bhairavi", which seems to Naushad-Sahab's most favourite raga, the listener gets goosebumps by the tremendous throw of words mixed by definitive expressions by Rafi-Sahab. The fact that amazes me the most is how much melody a composer can derive out of the aroh-s and abroh-s of a rather simple raga and how much tenacity and devotion the composer has in him to write different tunes for the different antara-s. Each stanza has variations in melody and Rafi sings right from his heart and makes this song a great success.
Zindabad, a classic by Rafi....
16. Mohe Bhul Gaye Sawariya (Baiju Bawra) - Naushad-Sahab himself said in an interview that Baiju Bawra was offered to him by Vijay Bhatt who visited his house on one morning. The commercial situation in his production house was very bad and Vijay Bhatt was planning for a film desperately to come out of the financial mess. Naushad had made a huge name for himself by then and Bhatt-sahab wanted him and only him to bail him out. Naushad was greatly touched by this and he made up his mind that he would leave no stones unturned to make great music that would have to be popular. He promised Bhatt and went on to make one after another immortal tunes. Of course, his favourites, Lata and Rafi, were available in full vigour. He also roped in Pandit D B Paluskar and Ustad Aamir Khan, two of the most renowned Indian classical vocalists of that time, for the final showdown song between Baiju and Tansen. This particular song, based on raga "Bhairav", is also a personal favourite of Lataji and she has sung it on several shows. The heart-wrenching number starts with a great prelude and then weaves an everlasting impression on the hearts and minds of its listeners. Some sources say that Lataji was not fully well when the recording was made but the professional individual inside her showed no signs of any weakness in her voice.
Lata Mangeshkar sings Mohe bhool gaye...
17. Jawan hain mohabbat (Anmol Ghadi) - Based on raga "Pahadi" which happened to be a much favourite raga for film songs in those days, this number is very light-hearted, yet it has its ups and downs. Sung and acted by the great Noorjahan, the lilting tune was a raging hit in those days and went on to win accolades across generations. Surendra lends the male voice with a subtle emotional tinge.
18. Saaz ho tum awaaz hoon main (Saaz Aur Awaz) - If one wants to get a charm of Naushad's music in the late 60's, here is a tune to turn to. Based on raga "Patdeep", picturized on Joy Mukherjee and Saira Banu, this is a semi-classical magic created by the great Naushad. Of course the voice is lent by Rafi-Sahab. The greatest thing about this song is - it is not so overtly complicated, yet it is a very stylized tune. All the stanzas deliver on a certain class and swaying element that is very nicely captured by Rafi. Also, one should not forget that this one was a very situational dance song and therefore the composer had to keep that in mind too while making the music. There are all sorts of instruments in the design of the orchestration, starting with Piano, Sitar, Flute, Percussion etc. Watch out the magnificent chemistry onscreen between the lead pairs and how gracious they look! I wonder how many of the actors from today can show such grace in front of the camera.
19. Mere mehboob mein kya nehin (Mere Mehboob) - This song has a rather unusual tune and is composed on a not-so-common raga called "Dhani". An out-and-out entertaining dance number which scores very high on the melody front. A Lata-Asha duet, which is very rhythmic and fun-filled and excels on the item value. The only other duet that comes to my mind is "Man kyon beheka re.." from the film "Utsav" that is close enough to this charming song sung by the same two legendary sisters. Nimmi and Saadhana do equally well on the screen and the rest is history. The voices are aptly complimenting each other and in line with the overall flow of the tune. If you are having a bad day, just listen to this number - I bet you will feel better mentally. Also if you want to watch spontaneity onscreen, watch how Saadhana opens her eyes in one shot, she looks heavenly!
20. Insaf ka mandir (Amar) - Based again on the raga "Bhairavi", this is a very deeply meaningful yet philosophical song sung by the enigmatic Rafi-Sahab. The movie was a rather under-rated one from the great Mehboob Khan but it had great performances from all the lead actors. In this song too, both Madhubaala and Dilip Kumar look pretty, dignified and expresses through their eyes. The song runs in the background and the palpable guilt shown through the eyes of Dilip-Sahab comes out very well through this neatly written and composed song. "A good man should suffer" - Dilip Kumar makes that statement come real through his acting in this song!
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