Kumar Shanu said Sonu Nigam has ladies voice.

Kumar Shanu said Sonu Nigam has ladies voice.

In a recent interview given in Bengali newspaper Anandabazar Patrika on 26th December, 2009, Kumar Shanu had said a lot of things. He said most of the deliberations will be found in a book which he recently wrote.

When he was asked that why he is hardly found in latest bollywood films, inspite of ruling bollywood films from 89 to 95, he said that a number of lobbies influence music, and he may not be part of them.

He mentioned that music was at its zenith in the 90s when Nadeem Shravan had composed tunes for him in films like Phool Aur Kante. Most of the films became super hit due to the music. He said that at the moment Indian films are filled with westernized compositions and hence the soft romantic numbers that existed during Shanu’s time is disappearing.

He did not agree about the fact that just because Kishore Kumar died in the late 80s, he got break and gave hits after hits. He said that Abhijeet, Amit Kumar, Vinod Rathore, Sudesh Bhosle everyone were in the race but he made it to the top by his sheer brilliance. He did not give any positive comment about Sonu Nigam saying that the tone quality of his voice is not good but praised Shaan and Shreya Ghoshal.

As far as his lessening of domination in bollywood films, he said nobody ruled bollywood music for indefinite period. He said that Mohammad Rafi did not get songs after the 70s and got a heart attack due to that. He said that Kishore Kumar featured in less number of songs before the 70s.

He talked about a present film that he was working on relating to the life of young boys of Goregaon who earned their living by boot polish. He also talked about his business that he is running in Dubai.

As far as his comments on Sonu Nigam are concerned, it is difficult to ignore his success in bollywood music inspite of Kumar Shanu’s comments. The audience is going to judge the relevance of Shanu’s comments.

Remembering Naushad on his birthday.

Remembering Naushad on his birthday.

The audience of film music in India remember dignified composer Naushad on his birthday on 25th December, 2009. He was a genius composer and shaped Indian film music with his classical gharana in the 40s from where it just grew with variety and innovation.

Naushad is remembered for his brilliant tunes over a period of 50 years down the memory lane. In the 40s, he composed music in many films including Anmol Ghari, but he stormed bollywood with romantic songs in Dulari, including “suhani raat dhal chuki” sung by Rafi, all the songs of Andaz, where he composed Rafi’s songs for Raj Kapoor and Mukesh’s songs for Dilip Kumar.

In the 50s, Naushad’s composition in Baiju Bawra made the listeners speechless. He won filmfare award for the best composer for his brilliant classical presentation in songs like “wo duniya ke rakhwale”, “man tarapata”, “tu gangi ki mauj”, etc., sung by Rafi and Lata. Rafi’s range was used to perfection and from that time the Rafi Naushad combination provided gems after gems. The different ragas and their timings were explained by Naushad in the film. Bharat Bhushan and Meena Kumari gave able lips in the songs composed by Naushad. Songs of Uran Khatula, like “wo dur ke musafir” sung by Rafi for Dilip Kumar also shook bollywood in the mid-50s.

In the 60s Naushad was unstoppable. His composition in Kohinoor for Rafi titled “madhuban me radhika nachere” and “do sitaron ka zameen” picturised on Dilip Kumar displayed the brilliance of Hindustani ragas. Naushad’s composition in Rajender Kumar’s Mere Mehboob, Naushad displayed the ghazal culture of Lucknow and Aligarh. The songs “mere mehboob tujhe meri muhobbat ki kasam”, “ai husn zara jag”, etc. sung by Rafi and picturised on Rajender Kumar was per se excellent. Naushad composed light songs in Mughal-i-azam for Lata including “pyar kiya to darna kya”, “mohe panghat ke nandlal”, and again composed thumri sung by Bare Ghulam Ali Khan in the same film.

Naushad also composed Bhojpuri music for Dilip Kumar in the film Ganga Jumna. The songs “nain lar jaihe” sung by Rafi was one of the examples of Naushad’s control of Bihari folk tune. Naushad was at his best in Dilip Kumar’s Leader. All the songs in the film sung by Rafi and Lata flabbergasted the listeners, including “ek shahenshah ne banwake haseen tajmahal”, “teri husn ki kya tareef karun”, “mujhe duniya walon”, etc. Naushad was excellent in Dilip Kumar’s Ram Aur Shyam. All the songs sung by Rafi and Lata in the film including “aye hai baharen dekho”, “yeh raat dulhan bangayi”, “mai hoon saki”, etc.

Critics consider Dil Diya Dard Liya as one of the best creations of Naushad. All the songs in the film became superhit including Rafi’s “dilruba maine tere”, “koi sagar dil ko behlata nahi”. Naushad Rafi and Dilip Kumar continued with their level of excellence in the film Aadmi, with Rafi’s songs like “na aadmi ka koi bharosa”, “aaj purani rahon se”, etc. Besides, Naushad composed excellent music in Rajender Kumar’s Palki, Saathi, Ganwar, etc. Rafi’s hit songs in those films included “dil-e-betaab ko seene se lagana hoga” sung with Suman Kalyanpur.

Naushad faded away from film music in the 70s, causing huge loss to the film industry. The classical gharana related to thumris, kajris, ghazals, etc., faded away with Naushad. Music became popular, but lost its class. Naushad received Dadasahab Phalke for his excellent contribution to bollywood music. His songs and the films should be preserved and restored.

Remembering Rafi on his birthday.

Remembering Rafi on his birthday.

Music lovers all across the world remember, the unforgettable musical maestro Mohd Rafi, on his birthday on 24th December, 2009. He had died in 1980 and 28 years passed after his death. Yet he had created an everlasting appeal during his 35 years illustrious career which has not faded away at all.

Whenever his reference comes music-lovers imagine about “do sitaron ka zameen par hai milan” composed by Naushad, “mai gayoon tum so jao” composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “ab kya misaal doon” composed by Roshan, “chaudavi ka chaand” composed by Ravi, “mai zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya” composed by Jaidev, “janewalon zara” composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal, “pukarta chala hoon mai” composed by OP Nayyar, “teri aankhon ke siva” composed by Madanmohan, to name a few.

Very significantly he was associated with all the leading actors of bollywood industry in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, which starts with Bharat Bhushan, Pradeep Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Rajender Kumar, Raj Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet, Guru Dutt, Balraj Sahani and extends upto Big B, Rishi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, etc. Even comedians like Johnny Walker, Mehmood, Rajendranath were indebted to the maestro for his modification of the voice in favour of them which entertained the audience to a big extent.

Rafi had raised us from sleep, he had made us sleep too. Almost all emotions of human beings are captured in the songs of Rafi. Listeners hear Rafi’s songs to keep away from stress and strain. What is important at this point is to revisit his songs and help the new generation to hear his songs. A huge number of the Rafilovers themselves had heard around 10000 songs and still require to hear his private albums, bhajans, ghazals, etc.


Rafi had sung 26,000 songs in 35 years and that covered the creations and compositions of the most talented composers and lyricists of India. Hardly any singer can be compared or equated with the giant singer. Audience of the modern generation is more used to hear fast numbers due to the trend of music available at this moment. If Rafi’s songs are prioritized in the media, the taste of melodious music can be revived, because Rafi had taken music to a higher dimension. Rafi had not been substituted. The sweetness of voice that God had given him was unparallel.

The media can devote separate programs on Rafi’s association with Naushad, Shankar Jaikishan, Roshan, Khayyam, Madanmohan, Ghulam Mohammad, OP Nayyar, etc., and also his association with giants lyricists like Shakeel Badayani, Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kaifi Azmi, etc. The landmark musical blockbusters like Taj Mahal, Jahanara, Baiju Bawra, Mere Sanam, Kohinoor, etc., are required to be shown in the popular channels and scanned. Any research on Rafi can only enlighten the listeners about rich music of different class including Hindustani classical, bhajans, ghazals, westernized songs, folk songs, etc. We all pay are best tribute to noble soul Mohammad Rafi.

Uttam Kumar's Khelaghar has appeal even today.

Uttam Kumar’s Khelaghar has appeal even today.

Mahanayak Uttam Kumar gave a brilliant performance in Ajoy Kar’s film Khelaghar released in early 60s. Ajoy Kar always considered Uttam Kumar as his model in most of the films including the greatest hits of all times, Harano Sur and Saptapadi. Uttam Kumar’s appeal had not died out even today after 29 years of his death. That is the reason Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee renamed Tollygunge Metro Station as Mahanayak Uttam Kumar Metro Station in the recent past to show homage to the greatest superstar of all times.

In Khelaghar, Uttam Kumar surrendered before Kolkata Police after being involved in anti-national activities. He was a freedom fighter. He ran out of the prison and entered the room of Mala Sinha, tied her up and by wearing the clothes of Mala Sinha’s father Chabi Biswas escaped.

The entire film was related to the efforts made by the Kolkata Police to arrest Uttam Kumar. In the meantime Mala Sinha did not want to marry the person selected by Chabi Biswas. So she left her house and took Uttam Kumar’s help to escape from the hands of local gundas.

The relationship developed into affection. Rafi sung for Asitboron in the film while Hemant Kumar sang songs for Uttam Kumar. At the end of the film, the actual freedom fighter for whom Uttam Kumar surrendered before the police appeared in Court and disclosed the truth. Uttam Kumar was a musician who had love for his country, so guarded the freedom fighter. Uttam Kumar was send to two years imprisonment for false personification under section 419 of the Indian Penal Code.

There were very few performers in the film including Chabi Biswas, Uttam Kumar and Mala Sinha. So these few characters Ajoy Kar, the giant director managed to deliver a hit film for the audience. The story still has relevance and Uttam Kumar’s appeal in the film had not died out. The film should be restored and preserved.

Rafi's soft number composed by Shankar Jaikishan.

Rafi’s soft numbers composed by Shankar Jaikishan.

Mohammad Rafi was the virtual ruler of world of playback singing in the 60s. As far as his combination with Shankar Jaikishan is concerned, generally the loud numbers gather popularity due to the pomp and grandeur of those songs.

For example Rafi’s song “chahe koi mujhe jungle kahen” in Junglee, picturised on Shammi Kapoor, “kaun hai jo sapno me aya” in Jhuk Gaya Aasman picturised on Rajender Kumar, “jiya ho jiya ho jiya kuch bol do” in Jab Par Kisi Se Hota Hai, picturised on Dev Anand, “Japan, Love in Tokyo”, in Love in Tokyo, picturised on Joy Mukherjee, “april fool banaya, in April Fool picturised on Biswajeet , etc., were the most popular songs of those films. Shankar Jaikishan’s innovative orchestrations were involved with all these songs.

But if SJ’s softer numbers are looked at they provided gems for Rafi during the 50s and 60s. In Shammi Kapoor’s Junglee, “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” was a masterpiece where Rafi’s romantic presentation can take anyone to a different world. In Rajender Kumar’s Humrahi, “mujhko aapne gale lagalo” was a brilliant song where Rafi’s andaz was as outstanding as that of Mubarak Begum. Aye Milan Ki Bela had evergreen gems embedded in them. All the soft numbers of Rafi like “tum khamseen ho”, “to bura maan gaye”, “o sanam tere ho gaye hum” created everlasting appeal in the minds of the youth of the 60s.

SJ matured into the country most glamourous western composers by mid-60s. Rafi’s brilliant voice was complimented by superlative utilization of western instruments in most of the songs of SJ during that period. In Biswajeet’s April Fool Rafi’s presentation of “aa gale lag ja” showed him to be a Hollywood singer whose rendition had Western andaz. In Joy Mukherjee’s Love In Tokyo, Rafi presented the seductive andaz in the song “aaja re aa zara aa” which can put anyone to sleep. Rafi’s ghazal andaz in the same film “o mere shahe khuba” had equally everlasting appeal.

In Rajender Kumar’s Zindagi, “pehele milethe sapno me” showed Rafi’s effortlessness in rendering romantic songs. All the songs of Rajender Kumar’s Aman were brilliant. Especially “surahidar garden koel si hi awaz”, and “aaj ki raat” had Rafi’s powerful level of intonation to back up SJ’s romantic andaz. Besides the orchestration had Japanese flavor.

In Shammi Kapoor’s Professor, “awaz deke hume tum bulayo” created the tempo for the film. All the duets in that film created sensation including “mai chali mai chali”. Rafi complimented Lata in most of the duets backed by SJ’s effective use of sexaphone. In Shammi Kapoor’s An Evening in Paris, Rafi’s measured number in the duet song “raat ke humsafar” probably had the most intoxicating appeal in the entire film as against the loud numbers like “aasmaan se aya farishta”.

Rajender Kumar’s musical blockbuster Aarzoo, probably had Rafi at his best. If “aye nargisi mastana” showed Rafi’s effortlessness, “aji hum se bachkar” showed Rafi’s classical control, where as “chalke tere aankho sharab aur ziada” showed Rafi’s brilliant ghazal andaz. Rafi was at his best in Rajender Kumar’s Suraj as well. All the songs in the film had grand appeal. Probably the songs “kaise samjhayun” and “baharon phool barsayo” received the viewers’ attention. But “gustaqi maaf” and “itna hai tujhse pyar mujhe” were more melodious.

Shammi Kapoor’s Brahmchari had the theme music “mai gayun tum so jayo”. The song had been played a number of times by Shankar Jaikishan once too slowly while the other at a faster pace. Rafi was equally romantic in both the songs. Besides “dil ke jharoke me” was an experiment of SJ asking Rafi to sing at a high note which he did in style. In Shammi Kapoor’s Raj Kumar “tumne kisi ki jaan ko jate hue dekha hai” and “yeh rangbirangee duniya me” Rafi’s romantic rendition appealed to the masses.

In Dharmender’s Pyar Hi Pyar, Rafi showed the ghazal andaz in the song “dekha hai teri aankho me pyar hi pyar beshumar”. In Jeetender’s Mere Huzoor, Rafi’s song “rukh se zara naqab, uta do mere huzur” expressed the shy delivery of the hero. In Raj Kumar’s Lal Patthar “unke khayal aye to” showed Rafi’s royal andaz or probably the badshahi andaz in delivering as the characters were related to Indian history of kings.

In Dev Anand’s Pyar Muhobbat, “dil ki awaz khuda khair Karen” had an enchanting appeal. Again Rafi’s seductive andaz in Manoj Kumar’s Gumnaam in “jane chaman shola badan” entertained the viewers and listeners. Rafi presented the songs in Uttam Kumar’s Choti Si Mulakat also with stylish westernized manner. Viewers can also cherish Rafi’s song “tum hi tum ho” in Raj Kapoor’s Ek Dil Sau Afsane picturised on Raj Kapoor. “Khuda bhi aasman se” in Rajender Kumar’s Dharti is still unforgettable even today. The list of SJ’s soft numbers for Rafi can go on.

Some way or the other SJ’s relationship with Rafi never got predominance due to erroneous interpretation of Shankar Jaikishan over the years by the media. Just because SJ were associated with Showman Raj Kapoor in almost 20 films, so the entire focus went to Mukesh and Manna Dey’s songs composed by SJ. But if the rest of SJ’s creations in almost 170 films are analysed it will be seen that Rafi had sung almost 800 songs for SJ, which include more than 20 films of Shammi Kapoor, 10 films of Rajender Kumar, 7 films of Dev Anand, 3 films of Dilip Kumar, to name a few. The films and the songs should be revisited.

Kalyanji Anandji cared for Rafi in the 70s.

Kalyanji Anandji cared for Rafi in the 70s.

Mohammad Rafi was the uncrowned king of bollywood music in the 50s and 60s. After the composers like Naushad, Shankar Jaikishan, Roshan, Madanmohan, Ghulam Mohammad, OP Nayyar, and others realized the range of voice of Rafi, they made him the first choice during a period when able singers like Mukesh, Manna Dey, Talat Mehmood, and others were at the top of their career. But Kalyanji Anandji’s association with Rafi in the 70s require special mention considering the fact that RD Burman and SD Burman sidelined Rafi to promote Kishore Kumar and with the death of Jaikishan, Roshan and many composers the only challenge that could be put forward before RD Burman was done by LP and KA.

Kalyanji Anandji started their career at that time. The film industry was not moved to that extent with his film Samrat Chandragupta in 1958. In Raj Kapoor’s film Chalia and Dulha Dulhan, KA gave decent music, with songs like “chalia mera naam”, “humne tumko pyar kiya hai jitna” sung by Mukesh becoming big hits. It was difficult for Kalyanji Anandji to get the scope of composing films of leading actors of the 60s who were associated with Rafi, for the sole reason that most of the actors were associated with established composers. Pradeep Kumar was associated with Roshan, Guru Dutt was associated with OP Nayyar, Shammi Kapoor and Rajender Kumar was associated with Shankar Jaikishan, Dilip Kumar was associated with Naushad, to name a few.

But wherever he got scope of composing music in the films of such big shots, he used Rafi very well. Rafi’s songs in Shammi Kapoor’s film Bluff Master (with hit song of Rafi like “govinda ala re”) and Joy Mukherjee’s film Ji Chahta Hai (the title song “ji chahta hai” require special mention) were very melodious. KA’s music in Shashi Kapoor’s film Jab Jab Phool Khilen created sensation in the mid 60s.

Each song of Rafi including “pardesiyon se na”, “mai yahan ek ajnabee hoon”, “na na karke pyar”, etc., entertained the audience. KA Rafi struck gold in Shashi Kapoor’s film Haseena Maan Jayegi. All the songs of the film were hits including “bekhudi me sanam”, “chale the saath milke”, “dilbar dilbar”, etc. Besides, KA also used Rafi in duet song “gulaabi raat gulaabi” with Asha in the film Upkar, where Mahendra Kapoor’s song “mere desh ki dharti” and Manna Dey’s song “kasme wade” made everlasting impact in the minds of the listeners.

KA Rafi combination was very successful in Rajesh Khanna’s film Raaz, with notable songs “akele hai chale ayon”. In the 70s, KA continued with their loyalty with Rafi. In Dilip Kumar’s Gopi, KA gave landmark bhajan “sukh ke saab saathi” which still remains one of the adorable devotional songs. KA and Rafi created storms with the film Geet.

Each and every song of Rafi in Rajender Kumar’s Geet became super hit including “aja tujhko pukare meri geet”. The compositions of KA involving folk flavor of the mountains always enchanted the Indian audience. Right from Himalay Ki Godme to Maryada, KA maintained the consistency.

KA Rafi combination created gold in Raj Kumar’s Maryada as well. Although KA gave songs to KK like “gussa itna hasin hai to” for Rajesh Khanna, they maintained the Raj Kumar Rafi combination by giving the song “dhol sajni dhol jani”. KA kept the Dilip Kumar and Rafi combination intact in the film Bairaag with hit songs like “peete peete”, “sari shahar me aapsa koi nahi”, etc. KA continued with Rafi in Feroz Khan’s films as well. One of the hit songs include “kya dekhte ho” from the film Qurbani.

Due to huge demand for KK to sing for Big B, KA had to comprise with KK in films like Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, but KA used Rafi to sing the same title song “rote hue ate hai sab” which was sung by KK. KA showed their respect for Rafi without doing injustice to Mukesh, Manna Dey, Kishore, Mahendra Kapoor and others. It is not possible to cover the Rafi KA combination in a small article as KA had contributed in more than 250 films over a period of 40 years. The songs and the films should be restored.

Mubarak Begum Program.

Mubarak Begum program.

Rafi Lovers Circle organized a musical concert Remembering Melody Queens with Mubarak Begum to confer Mohamed Rafi Memorial Award 2009, on Mubarak Begum, reputed Playback Singer of yesteryears . The programme was held on 25th Oct, 09 at the Satyajit Ray Auditorium, Rabindranath Tagore Centre, of The Indian Council for Cultural Relations Kolkata. First of all rich tributes were paid to the incomparable Rafi Saheb by Calcutta's famous aspiring singer Debajit Dutta of Indian Idol and Sa Re Ga Ma fame, who sang Kabhi Na Kabhi To Kahin Na Kahin and Hui Shaam Unka Khayal Aa Gaya.

The Programme took off with a Rafi Saheb and Mubarak Begum Cutain Raiser song....... 1966 film Sushila. Noorjehan, Suraiyya, Shamshad Begum and Geeta Dutt were fondly remembered by crooning their hit songs by the local artists and circle members, as well as by Smt Ruhi Khan, Founder of the Circle who concieved and executed the 3 hour audio visual event. Some of the other songs which cast a slow mesmerising spell on the audience are listed below :

Awaaz De Kahan Hai - Noorjahan ( Anmol Ghadi )
Dil-e Nadaan Tujhe Huva Kya Hai - Suraiyya ( Mirza Ghalib)
Milte Hi Ankhen Dil Huva - Shamshad Begum ( Babul )
Rim Jhim Ke Tarane Le Ke - Geeta Dutt ( Kala Bazar )
Sun Sun Sun Sun Zalima - Geeta Dutt ( Aar Paar )
Mehlon Mein Rehne Wale - Mubarak Begum ( Shabab )
Mujh Ko Apne Gale Laga Lo - Mubarak Begum ( Hamrahi )

When the singers begun the song Meri Neendon Mein Tum, Mere Khwabon Mein Tum... the hall was amused and enthralled. The Hamrahi song "Mujhko Apne Gala Laga Lo..." was the centre of all discussions even during personal talk. Members in audience used to humm this song several times as if it was the Signature song to remember Mubarak Begum. She fondly remembered this song and sang it on the stage. She also sang Bemurrawwat Bewafa, and Kabhi Tanhaiyon mein, Hamari Yaad Aayegi, which also got similar weightage and applause from the well attended concert.

After tributes were paid to the Melody Queens of yesteryears, The Rafi Lovers Circle Founder President Ruhi Khan conferred the Mohd Rafi Memorial Award, along with a stream of gifts by the Executive Committee members, Circle members. Many of the Guests who were invited also came forward and presented her gifts.

A documentary on Mubarak Begum produced by Film Division was also shown during the programme which went very well with the proceedings When asked to speak about her association with Rafi Saheb, Begum Saheba said that Rafi Saheb was a very pious and simple person, during song recordings his focus and committment was divine. he used to be self absorbed, oblivious of his surroundings and totally immersed and in command of the song. He performed Hajj multiple times including Hajj-e-Akbar. At the end of the concert, on behalf of the Circle, Begum Saheb presented to the entire orchestra, all the singers and technicians, a replica of the Mohamed Rafi Memorial Award 2009.

Truely a vintage evening, and after Music Director Ravi Sb ( 2005 ), Music Director Omiji of the Sonik - Omi team ( 2006 ) Music Director & Playback Singer Shardaji ( 2007 ) and Mahendra Kapoor Sb, posthumously in ( 2008 ) another well deserved Mohamed Rafi Memorial Award given to an artist of Rafi Saheb's era who had the good fortunate to rub shoulders with him. Subha Na Ayee, Shaam Na Ayee.... Jis Din Teri Yaad na Ayee. The program had been compiled by Sudershan Pandey of Shankerjaikishen.com Forum.

Happy birthday to Shammi Kapoor.

Happy birthday to Shammi Kapoor.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to rock and roll star Shammi Kapoor on 21st October, 2009. He had remained a dancing sensation in the 60s.

Although in the early part of his career he had mediocre films like Laila Majnu, he bounced back in style with the film Tumsa Nahi Dekha in 1957 and Dil Deke Dekho in 1959. His stylish andaz and dancing mannerisms like Elvis Priestley created a separate image before the viewers. He in fact modernized Indian films.

His combination with Shankar Jaikishan and Mohammad Rafi was very grand. SJ composed music in almost 22 films of Shammi Kapoor and the songs of those films are still considered musical gems. Hit songs include “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” sung by Rafi, composed by SJ in Junglee, “tumse accha kaun hai” sung by Rafi, composed by SJ in Janwar, “aye gulbadan” composed by SJ sung by Rafi in the film Professor, “tumne pukara aur hum chale aye” composed by SJ, sung by Rafi in the film Raj Kumar, “aasmaan se aya farishta” composed by SJ and sung by Rafi in the film An Evening in Paris, “mai gayun tum so jayo” composed by SJ sung by Rafi in the film Brahmchari, to name a few. The list can go on.

Shammi Kapoor received filmfare award for best actor only once, for the performance in the film Brahmchari in 1968. But that cannot show his dominance in bollywood films in the 60s. If Rajender Kumar portrayed the sophisticated style of romance in the 60s, Shammi Kapoor portrayed the westernized dimension. Actors like Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet followed the Shammi Kapoor style and got success in contemporary films like Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Mere Sanam, etc.

Shammi Kapoor acted opposite all the leading actresses of bollywood films in the 60s, including Sharmila Tagore in Kashmir Ki Kali, Sadhna in Raj Kumar, Asha Parekh in Teesri Manzil, Saira Banu in Junglee, Rajashree in Janwar, Hema Malini in Andaz, etc. After the 70s, he switched to character roles and there also showed his skills.

Some of his memorable films in old age include Betaab, Bidhata, Prem Rog, Parvarish, etc. His films and songs should be restored to remember the golden age of Indian films with colourful music.

Chitragupt's memorable combination with Rafi.

Chitragupt’s memorable combination with Rafi.

Chitragupt gave very melodious tunes in the 50s and 60s and as most of his songs were sung by legend of legends Mohd Rafi, the songs became immortal after creation. Rafi’s song “chal ur ja re panchi” composed by Chitragupt in the film Bhabi brought tears in the years of numerous viewers. Rafi used his emotions towards fulfillment of the literary value of the song and Balraj Sahani’s lips in the song also require special mention.

Chitragupt Srivastav, better known as Chitragupt, was born in Karmaini, Bihar in 1917, and due to his experience in the hindu heartland most of his tunes had the fragrance of folk songs. Besides as he was a lecturer in Patna, his academic brilliance did blend with his musical excellence which was given expression by Rafi. Rafi’s song “chaand jane kahan kho gaya” in the film Mai chup Rahungi, composed by Chitragupt, written by Rajinder Kishan, and picturised on Sunil Dutt and Meena Kumari showed the use of light music as well from Chitragupt. Lata Mangeshkar sang the duet song with Rafi. The other hit duet in the film included “koi bata de dil hai kahan” sung by Rafi and Lata in the film.

Rafi’s song “itni nazuk na bano” in the film Vaasna composed by Chitragupt created a very romantic appeal. Also Rafi’s song “yeh parbaton ke dayre” became a big hit in the late 50s. Besides the songs of Rafi “chupakar meri aankhon ko” and “chali chali re patang” in the film Bhabhi were very impressive. Chitragupt’s compositions in somber mood for Rafi had a great impact. One example is “mujhe dard-e-dil ka pata na tha” from the film Akash Deep. The song “raste me hai tere kab se khare” sung by Rafi and Lata in the film Opera House require special mention.

Although Chitragupt gave landmark music in films like Oonche Log, Ganga Ki Lehre, Zabak, Bada Aadmi, etc., he did not get recognition during the golden age due to dominance of Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad, Roshan and others, and may be due to his composition of music in less significant films. He hardly got an opportunity to compose music in big banners like RK or Navketan, otherwise his contribution was very grand during the golden age.
Rafi’s songs composed by Chitragupt should be restored and revisited.

Happy birthday to Dev Anand

Happy birthday to Dev Anand.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to evergreen star Dev Anand. Along with Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar he was one of the most popular stars of bollywood films of the 50s and 60s.

He acted opposite most of the leading actresses of the 50s and 60s and most of his romantic of the golden age remained hits. Some of his successful films include Taxi-Driver with Nalini Jayant, CID with Wahida Rehman, Kalapani with Madhubala, Kalabazar with Wahida Rehman, etc. His production banner Navketan was the pivot around which his brothers Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand contributed a lot.

In the 60s, Dev Anand acted in successful films like Guide, Jewel Thief, etc. Guide was based on the epic literature of RK Narayan. Dev Anand received the filmfare award for the best actor for his performance in the film Guide. In Jewel Thief he successfully acted in the role of a detective to combat the group of burglers led by Ashok Kumar.

From the 70s Dev Anand started directing his films including Prem Pujari, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, etc. Even as a director he showed his class. As an actor he was known for his stylish andaz as he emulated the mannerisms of Hollywood actor Gregory Pegg. Another factor for which Dev Anand is still remembered is the quality music given in his films.

Composers like SD Burman, Shankar Jaikishan, Jaidev, OP Nayyar, gave everlasting music with Rafi’s songs like “tujhe jeevan ki dorme”, “khoya khoya chand”, “tere mere sapne”, “hum bekhudi me tumko bulaye” still remaining immortal. Even Kishore’s songs “jeevan ki safar me rahi”, “gata rahe mera dil”, “phulon ke rang se” had not lost their colour even today.

Dev Anand received Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his excellence in Indian cinema. The viewers expect him to continue the great work that he started 60 years ago.

Dilip Kumar was matchless in Leader.

Dilip Kumar was matchless in Leader.

Tragedy King Dilip Kumar had been considered as one of the most dynamic actors that the country had ever produced in its history. In the last 70 years, no second actor in Indian celluloid had got the prestige or honour that Dilip Kumar had got. He had been the second Indian other than Ex-prime minister Morarji Desai, to receive the highest civilian award of Pakistan Nishan-e-imtiaz.

In the film Leader Dilip Kumar changed his image of a tragedy king and showed his comedy and romantic andaz. Initially he played the part of a young man who wanted to be a leader and followed the path of a guruji played by Motilal. But he met Vaijayantimala and fell in love with her.

The presentation of love in the film had the royal andaz with the brilliant music composed by Naushad and songs sung by Rafi creating magic in the film. Some of the everlasting hits included “teri husn ki kya taarif kaarun”, “abhi se muhobbat”, “ek shahehshah ne banwake haseen taajmahal”, “mujhe duniyawalon sharaabi na samjho”, etc. Vaijayantimala was at her best in the film. Her beauty and dancing skills mesmerized the viewers.

Besides, the character artists in the film including Naseer Hussain, Jayant and others played their own part to perfection. Dilip Kumar had such a magnetic personality, that he made the viewers sit in the chairs with his fantastic comedy andaz. His lips in the patriotic song “apni azaadi ko hum hargese mita sakte nahin” brought tears in the eyes of numerous Indians.

The court scene where Dilip Kumar pleaded innocence, was very hilarious. At the end of the film, Dilip Kumar also showed his action skills as he had to fight out against Jayant to prove the fact that he had not killed Motilal.

The film should be preserved for supreme performance of Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala, fantastic music of Naushad, outstanding songs sung by Rafi and Lata and brilliant team effort of the rest of contributors of the film.

Happy birthday to Asha Bhosle.

Happy birthday to Asha Bhosle.

The viewers of bollywood films and listeners of music all across the country wish happy birthday to Asha Bhosle on 8th September, 2009. She had remained a legend of legends in the field of music. She came to limelight in the 70s and 80s and ended up being the most successful female playback singer after Lata Mangeshkar.

In the 50s, Asha Bhosle had to face the competition from other singers dominating the bollywood playback industry like Lata, Shamshad Begum, Noorjahan, Suraiya, Geeta Dutt, Suman Kalyanpur, Sudha Malhotra and many other singers. Asha’s successful songs in the 50s include “mur murke na dekh” composed by Shankar Jaikishan in the film Shree 420, “aiye meherban” composed by OP Nayyar in the film Howrah Bridge, “accha ji mai hari” composed by SD Burman in the film Kala Pani, to name a few.

In the 60s, OP Nayyar backed Asha Bhosle, and her duets with Rafi in films like Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Ek Musafir Ek Haseena, Mere Sanam, Kashmir Ki Kali, are considered milestones in Indian film music. Her famous duets with Rafi include “naznee bara rangeen hai wada”, “mai pyar ka rahi hoon”, “isharon isharon”, “diwana hua badal”, etc. Few other composers only reposed their confidence on Asha like Khayyam who made her sing memorable songs in Raj Kapoor’s film Phir Subah Hogi, Ravi, who had given songs to Asha Bhosle in films like Waqt, Humraaz, Gumraah, etc.

In the 70s Asha Bhosle married RD Burman and it changed the career of the premier singer. Her westernized style of singing was used by RD to give her super hit songs like “piya tu ab tu aja” in the film Karwan, “dum maro dum” in the film Hare Rama Hare Krishna, etc. She sang in almost all the films where RD Burman composed music.

In the 80s, Asha Bhosle crossed new milestones by showing her skills in singing mujras in the film Umrao Jaan, composed by Khayyam. All the songs in the film including “dil cheez kya hai”, “justju”, etc., were appreciated by the critics. She received filmfare awards a number of times and she balanced the innovative style of singing of Kishore Kumar with her own innovation. It is not possible to cover the accomplishments of legendary singer Asha Bhosle in a single article as she had sung more than 25000 songs in hindi and other languages. Even her songs in Uttam Kumar’s film Choddobeshi composed by Sudhin Dasgupta was worth mentioning.The listeners expect Asha Bhosle to continue the great work she had started more than 50 years ago.

Did Sonu Nigam reach the level of excellence of Rafi?

Did Sonu Nigam reach the level of excellence of Rafi?

Sonu Nigam is considered the most powerful playback singer in bollywood films at the moment. The greatest debate that haunts most of the music lovers of the country is that whether Sonu Nigam had reached the level of excellence that Rafi had reached in the 50s and 60s.

The greatest achievement of a singer lies in his acceptability before diverse range of composers and lyricists. As Rafi was classically trained and could adapt any type of song ranging from qawallies to ghazals to soft romantic numbers to westernized rock and roll compositions his demand before the musical community was immense. He is probably the only singer in the 50s and 60s who had sung with compositions of all the leading composers including Naushad, Shankar Jaikishan, Roshan, Madan Mohan, OP Nayyar, Salil Choudhury, Ghulam Mohammad, Vasant Desai, C. Ramchandran, S D Burman, LP, KA, RD Burman, and others and lyricists including Shailendra, Shakeel Badayani, Hasrat Jaipuri, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kaifi Azmi, Raja Mehendi Ali Khan, Rajender Krishnan, etc. Excepting Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar, no other singer were in close diameter of Rafi in the 50s and 60s, as due to lack of classical orientation some of the singers of specifically composer’s singers.

Sonu Nigam had sung songs composed by AR Rehman, Anu Malik, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Vishal Shekar, Pritam, Shantonu Maitra and many other composers of the present age. In singing difficult and dynamic songs his name had appeared before Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh, or others, including “sathiya sathiya” composed by AR Rehman, “sandese ate hai” composed by Anu Malik, “piyu bole” composed by Shantonu Moitra, “tumko bhula na payega” composed by Sajid Wajid, “ek din kahin” composed by Nusat Fateh Ali Khan, to name a few. But there is strong competition in bollywood music at the moment and Sonu Nigam is not the uncrowned king considering the challenge posed forward by Javed Ali, Atif Aslam and many new singers.

If compared with Rafi, probably the factor where Rafi remains unparallel, were the remote compositions that he had sung with. If Naushad’s “woh duniya ke rakhwale” was pure classically oriented, then SJ’s “aasman se aya farishta” had French background embedded in them, if Roshan’s “jo wada kiya ho” had royal andaz, Madan Mohan’s “tumhari zulfon ki” had ghazal andaz. Besides Rafi had given expression to Salil Choudhury’ s tunes based on east-west blend of music, Jaidev’s urbanized folk songs, SD Burman’s rural folk songs. There is no similarity of “madhuban me radhika nache re” with “aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche” or “dil jo na keh saka”. The list can go on. The other factor where Rafi had an edge includes the standard of Indian film music reached its zenith in the 50s and 60s which is difficult to attain.

Sonu Nigam is big asset for bollywood music at the moment and has a long way to go. But those who understand music will invariably agree Rafi’s empty space had remained absolutely unfilled. Rafi-lovers only try to fulfill their thirst by hearing the singing style of Sonu Nigam which is to a big extent modeled in Rafi’s style. Sonu Nigam himself also agrees that Rafi was unparallel and will always remained the uncrowned king of bollywood music.

Viewers expect the singers of the present age to listen to Rafi’s song and improve their own level of singing to whatever extent they can.

Suman Kalyanpur and Rafi's duets did not get publicity.

Suman Kalyanpur and Rafi’s duets did not get publicity.

The media during the last 60s years had been too kind towards some of the celebrities while remained silent about the others. For example during the golden age 50s, 60s and 70s, other than Lata and Rafi there were other combinations who had given everlasting hits.

Lata Mangeshkar always got the focus of attention and as such her duets with Rafi which covers more than 440 in number always stole the attention. Yet Suman Kalyanpur during the same age of competition had sung almost 170 duets with Rafi most of which became super hit, yet could not get the lime light which they deserved.

The song “ajahu na aye balma” from Saanjh Aur Sawera, picturised on Mehmood and Subha Khote and composed by Shankar Jaikishan showed the compatibility of Rafi with Suman Kalyanpur in classical songs. Rafi could adapt his style of singing with any singer. But Suman Kalyanpur also did a great job with the giant. The song “dil-e-betaab ko seene se lagana hoga” from the film Palki, picturised on Rajender Kumar and Wahida Rehman and composed by Naushad had the ghazal andaz embedded in them and Suman Kalyanpur was unblemmish aside Rafi.

SJ used the same Suman Kalyanpur aside Rafi in fast numbers like “aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche” from Brahmchari picturised on Shammi Kapoor and Mumtaz, “dil use do jo jaan de de” picturised on Shammi Kapoor and Hema Malini in the film Andaz. The biggest tragedy is that the songs did great business and the films became super hit, yet the message relating to Rafi’s combination with Suman Kalyanpur did not reach most of the viewers and the media too did not play a neutral role in that aspect. Half of the people thought the duets were sung by Rafi and Lata as Suman Kalyanpur’s singing style matched with that of Lata.

Khayyam’s composition “thereiye hosh me aaloon to chale jayiega” from the film Mohabbat is ko kehte hai” picturised on Shashi Kapoor and Nanda had another romantic number of Rafi and Suman. Madan Mohan’s tune “baad muddat se yeh ghari aye” sung by Rafi and Suman stunned many listeners of ghazals, as the urdu words were pronounced in style in the film Jahan –ara. Bharat Bhushan and Mala Sinha were sublime in the film. Rafi as usual was unblemish in respect of ghazals. But Suman too had adapted her style of singing which suited the songs of the Mughal period.

Even the fast numbers composed by LP like “tumse o haseena” sung by Rafi and Suman did not get the hype of media which it deserved inspite of Farz ending up as a run away hit of Jeetender. Roshan’s meritorious composition like “maine aye jaane wafa” from the film Bedaag, “chand takda hai idhar” from the film Doojh Ka Chaand remained unnoticed.

Besides there were other hits like “parbaton ke paron par sham ka basera hai” from the film Shagun composed by Khayyam, “tumne pukara aur hum chale aye” from the film Raj Kumar composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “dil ek mandir hai” from the film Dil Ek Mandir composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “tujhe dekha tujhe chaha” from the film Choti Si Mulakat composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “tujhe pyar karte karte” from the film April Fool composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “mujhe yeh phool na den” from the film Ghazal composed by Madan Mohan.

The factor of Suman Kalyanpur being chosen to sing duets with legendary Rafi Sahab by giant composers like Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad, Madan Mohan, Khayyam, Laxmikant Pyarellal, Kalyanji Anandji, proved another fact that she was not any particular composer’s singer. She did a great job with Rafi, but due to passive attitude of the media the songs got recognition with no information relating to the singer. Even in many films when the names of the singers were written Suman Kalyanpur’s name was mentioned at the end without any particular reason for it.

Rafi had proved in his entire life that he was a greater human being than a singer. That was the reason why he could match his singing style with any fellow female artist including Lata, Geeta Dutt, Sumna Kalyanpur, Sharda, Mubarak Begum, Asha Bhosle, Shamshad Begum, and others.

His combination with Suman Kalyanpur should be preserved and restored.

The nation remembers Rafi on his death anniversary.

The nation remembers Rafi on his death anniversary.

The nation remembers Mohammad Rafi on his death anniversary on 31st july, 2009. It was a very painful experience for most of the music lovers of India and abroad to recollect the experience of 31st July, 1980. 29 years had passed since his death and yet time could not heal the wound inflicted in the hearts of numerous music lovers of the country.

He is still alive in the hearts of millions of Indians with his 26000 songs. He had given expression to almost all the leading stars of bollywood and also the poets and composers of the golden age. He had created such an invaluable treasure of songs most of which can be termed as masterpieces, that the listeners can cherish his work for ever.

Admirers of Naushad can hear Rafi’s “do sitaron ka zameen par hai Milan”, “man tarpat”, “koi sagar dil ko behlata nahi”, “ek shahenshahne banwake haseen tajmahal” thousand times, admirers of Shankar Jaikishan search Rafi in “o mere shahekhuba”, “chalke teri ankhose”, “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar”, etc., admirers of Roshan find peace in Rafi’s “jo wada kiya ho”, “dil jo na keh saka”, “ab kya misaal doon”, “man re”, etc., admirers of Madan Mohan hear “tumhari zulfonki saye me”, “aap ke pehlu me”, “baad muddat key eh ghari aye”, etc., again and again. Besides Rafi had galvanized the fortunes of Laxmikant Pyarellal, OP Nayyar, SD Burman, Kalyanji Anandji, RD Burman and many other composers of the 50s, 60s, 70s. Articles after articles can be devoted to Rafi’s combination with the musical giants.

On the other hand Rafi had raised the standard of playback singing in the golden age which had become a benchmark which is difficult reach but can be followed by singers of the present day. Rafi had given different types of expressions for Dilip Kumar (madhuban me radhika, aaj purani rahon par), Shammi Kapoor (akele akele, diwana hua badal), Rajender Kumar (mere mehboob tujhe, o priya), Johnny Walker (ay dil mushkil, jangal me mor nacha), Pradeep Kumar (dil jo na keh saka, hum intezar karenge), Guru Dutt (chaudavi ka chand, yeh mahalon), Biswajeet (pukarta chala hoon mai, a gale lag ja) Bharat Bhushan (zindagi bhar nahi, kisiki yaad me), Joy Mukherjee (bahut shukriya, japan love in tokyo, Dharmender (naja kabhi ab na ja, gair tum bhula na doge), Jeetender (dhal gaya din, baar baar din yeh aye) and others. Rafi’s combination with these evergreen stars had been glorified and is still being revisited.

In respect of Rafi lovers all across the world, there is one big challenge to unearth many unheard songs including Rafi’s private albums. A number of songs sung in the regional languages had been preserved, including Bengali songs like songs of Nazrul Islam. Songs like “alga korogo khopar badhon”, “pakhitar buke”, “ekhono biday bolona”, “tomar nil dopati chok”, “e jibone mor”, amused the Bengali audience as well.

The playback singers of the present age like Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan and others pay immense respect to Mohammad Rafi and still consider him as the legend of legends in the field of music. Sonu Nigam in the program Mohammad Rafi resurrected tried to sing Rafi’s classics in Europe. The listeners realized that the singing of versatile singer Sonu Nigam even could not match Rafi’s level of excellence and as such most of his songs can challenge the leading singers of India and Pakistan even today. With change in demands of music at this present moment with pop, rap, western collections becoming prevalent, Rafi is probably the only legend of the 50s, 60s, and 70s whose songs had still remained young.

The listeners should revisit the songs of Rafi and restore the creations to pay homage to the noble soul who departed the music -lovers 29 years ago.

Rafi, Sharda and Shankar Jaikishan.

Rafi, Sharda and Shankar Jaikishan.

Rafi had sung many duets with all the leading female singers in the country during the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. He had sung around 440 duets with Lata Mangeshkar, who dominated bollywood music during the 50s, 60s and 70s. He sang duet songs with Shamshad Begum, Mubarak Begum, Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur and others. During that period he sang many duets with Sharda as well, mainly in films composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Sharda won a number of filmfare awards for best singer for her performance in mainly the films of Shankar Jaikishan. Sharda is still alive and also has received the Rafi Memorial Award in 2007, from the Rafi Lovers Circle, Calcutta.

Most of those songs sung by Rafi and Sharda during the 60s and 70s did good business along with the success of the films. In Seema the song “jab yeh dil udaas hota hai” became super hit. The duet song of Rafi and Sharda was appreciated by the viewers. In the film Gumnaam, the song “jaane chaman shola badan, pehelu me ajao”, became superhit. Rafi’s seductive andaz for Manoj Kumar thrilled the audience along with Sharda’s voice for Nanda. Sharda had a different type of voice in comparison to other singers, so her combination with Rafi was very unique.

Shankar Jaikishan gave the song “sun sun sun re balam, dil tujhko pukare” in the film Pyar Muhobbat. The main song was sung was by Sharda, while Rafi finished it with the last line. The song was picturised on Dev Anand and Saira Banu, with one singing the song for the other over telephone. It created a very romantic andaz which was enjoyed by the viewers. There was a song in the film Shatranj, titled “bakamma bakamma” sung by Rafi and Sharda, having comedy andaz. Although the film did average business, the song did well.

Some of the other duets of Rafi and Sharda included “aap ki ray mere bare me”, “aya kaisa zamana o baba”, “pyar ka kar uran khatola”, etc. Besides Sharda sang many hit duets with Mukesh as well including “chale jana zarah thehero” in the film Around The World, picturised on Raj Kapoor and Rajashree, “duniya ki sair kar lo”, etc., as Mukesh sang many songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Probably Rafi’s capability to adjust himself with any female singer including Lata, Geeta Dutt, Sharda, Asha Bhosle, Shamshad Begum, etc., showed the level of adaptability and effortlessness of the giant singer. Shankar Jaikishan always banked their resources on Rafi and for those reasons even the duets composed for Rafi and Sharda were melodious and evergreen. The songs should be preserved.

The nation remembers Guru Dutt on his birthday.

The nation remembers Guru Dutt on his birthday.

The nation remembers Guru Dutt on his birthday on 9th July, 2009. He had died more than 40 years ago, yet his reference comes whenever history relating to thoughtful films is revisited. Guru Dutt was innovative as a director and from the time he created Baazi with Dev Anand in 1951, he showed his spark. As an actor his films Aarpar with Shyama gave a new team in bollywood films with OP Nayyar, Rafi, Geeta Dutt, Johny Walker and others. The song in the “kabhi aar kabhi paar” became super hit.

From that time onwards Guru Dutt created his identity in picturising song sequences and was regarded by the film community after Raj Kapoor. In CID, all the songs of the film like “ay dil mushkil jeena yahan”, “ankhon hi ankho me ishara ho gaya”, “leke pehla pehla pyar” became super hit. Johnny Walker became a leading comedian in the 50s, due to his brilliant relationship with Guru Dutt and Mohammad Rafi and their combination gave numerous hits for the next ten years.

Mr and Mrs 55 was Guru Dutt’s super hit project opposite Madhubala. All the songs in the film became successful including “thandi hawa kali ghata”, “jaane kahan mera jigar gaya ji”, etc. Rafi’s songs for Johnny Walker and Guru Dutt like “sun sun sun sun zalima”, “muhobbat karlo aji karlo”, “dil pe kiya aisa jadu” remained everlasting hits and still is considered as some of the most innovative creations of OP Nayyar. The songs of the film 12 O Clock were also hit including “mai kho gaya” sung by Rafi.

From 1957, the viewers saw thoughtful Guru Dutt in films like Pyaasa and Kagaz Ka Phool. Both the films were based on eternal truth. Pyasa was related to recognition of a poet in a materialistic world. Kagaz Ka Phool was related to story of directors and performers in celluloid, their rise and their fall due to ungratefulness of opportunists in society. The music composed by SD Burman in both these films were of high standard. Also the lyrics of Sahir Ludhiyanvi were very meaningful. The notable songs included “yeh mahalon yeh takhton yeh tajon ki duniya”, “sar jo tera”, “bichar gaya bari bari” sung by Rafi, “waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam” sung by Geeta Dutt, to name a few.

Guru Dutt and Wahida Rehman’s onscreen chemistry was accepted by viewers in the film Chaudavi Ka Chand. The title song “chaudavi ka chand ho, ya aaftab ho” sung by Rafi and composed by Ravi can be considered as one of the ten best ghazals composed in the history of bollywood music. Guru Dutt bought colour in the song sequence. The film did great business. Guru Dutt as an actor did great job in films like Bharosa, Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam, Saanz Aur Sawera, etc. His early demise in the mid-60s led to huge loss in the film industry as his works were filled with deep thoughts. The viewers pay respect to the departed soul on his birthday and want the restoration of his works to acknowledge his creativity as a director, producer and actor.

Rafi and Guru Dutt.

Rafi and Gurudutt.

Rafi became a living legend in the mid-50s after dominating bollywood films over ten years and singing for nearly all the giant productions and leading actors of bollywood. He had very strong combination with thinking actor Guru Dutt.

Guru Dutt had created his image in bollywood films in different categories being a thoughtful director and producer, dynamic actor, good choreographer. One of the numerous reasons for which his films became super hit in the 50s and 60s include the brilliant songs sung by Rafi during the golden age.

Rafi’s songs in Guru Dutt’s Aar Paar, composed by OP Nayyar became super hit. It was followed by Mr and Mrs. 55 released in 1955. Songs picturized on both Guru Dutt and Johnny Walker had melody and sweetness. Rafi’s songs like “dil pe kiya aisa jaadu”, “muhobbat karlo aji karlo”, “sun sun sun sun zaalima”, composed by OP Nayyar, created landmark in the mid-50s and Rafi emerged as the greatest singer of bollywood films during that time.

The same combination of Guru Dutt, OP Nayyar and Rafi gave everlasting hit in the film 12 O Clock with songs like “mai kho gaya”. When Guru Dutt used SD Burman for composing songs in the film Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ka Phool, Rafi was used brilliantly for the legendary music of those films. Both the films won national and international awards and remain a landmark in the field of story-telling. Rafi’s songs “sar jot era chakrae” picturised on Johnny Walker and “hum aapke aankho me” and “yeh mahalon yeh takhton yeh taajon ki duniya” picturised on Guru Dutt had emotions, passions, comedy, tragedy everything embedded in them. Rafi’s duet combination with Geeta Dutt was bolstered in the film. The lyrics were outstanding as well. The films marked the best music given by SD Burman in his entire lifetime.

Guru Dutt can boast himself to have given lips in one of Rafi’s best ghazals sung in the history of bollywood films titled “chaudavi ka chaand”. Guru Dutt picturised the song sequence with colour, showing his passionate relationship with Wahida Rehman in the film Chaudavi Ka Chand. Ravi’s music in the film showed the pardanashin culture of muslims in India during the early 60s.

Rafi also sang songs for Guru Dutt in the film Saanjh Aur Sawera, composed by Shankar Jaikishan. The title song “yehi hai who saanjh aur sawera” sung by Rafi became very popular. Meena Kumari balanced the powerful performance of Guru Dutt in the film. The other films where Rafi had contributed for Guru Dutt include Bharosa where Ravi composed melodious tunes including “yeh jhuki jhuki naina” picturised on Guru Dutt and Asha Parekh.

Guru Dutt’s music in the film Baharen Phir Bhi Aayegi composed by OP Nayyar, created sensation in the mid -60s. It was a tragedy, that Guru Dutt died before the release of the film and could not see the success of the film. The songs sung by Rafi and picturised on Dharmender mesmerized the audience and still haunts people all over the world. One of those brilliant songs include “aap ki haseen rukh me aaj naya nur hai, mera dil machal gaya to mera kya kasoor hai”.

The uniqueness of Guru Dutt’s relationship with Rafi lies in the fact that whether the composer was OP Nayyar or Shankar Jaikishan or SD Burman or Ravi, the music composed for whom had philosophical thoughts embedded in them and Rafi gave expression to the mesmerizing lyrics of evergreen tunes which had become immortal over a period of time. The films and the songs should be preserved and restored.

Death anniversary of Shankar.

Death anniversary of Shankar.

The viewers of bollywood films mourn the death anniversary of Shankar, the legendary composer on 26th April, 2009, whose combination with Jaikishan had created musical masterpieces during the 40s, 50s and 60s. The combination started working together in Raj Kapoor’s film Barsaat in 1949, and after that they never looked back. They created trends, broke the conventional style of music, experimented in every level of music, gave music in the films of all the leading actors and actresses of 50s and 60s.

As the name of Shankar Jaikishan was always used together due to their dominance in bollywood music in the 50s and 60s, individually their individual capabilities were not discussed in details. Music historians had reiterated after the death of the magical duo that Shankar had contributed the most in the classical songs while Jaikishan was more instrumental in the westernized tunes and orchestrations. Further Shankar’s most of the compositions were associated with lyricist Shailendra and Jaikishan’s creations were mostly associated with Shankar.

Some of the unforgettable classical tunes of SJ include “sur na saje kya gayun mai” sung by Manna Dey in the film Basant Bahar picturised on Bharat Bhushan, “ajahu na aye balma” sung by Rafi in the film Saanjh Aur Sawera picturised on Mehmood, “aji ruth kar ab kahan jayiega” sung by Lata and Rafi in the film Aarzoo picturised on Sadhna and Rajender Kumar, “o mere shahe khuba” sung by Rafi and Lata in the film Love In Tokyo, picturised on Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna, etc.

Besides a huge number of compositions of SJ included folk songs involving the smell of the soil from where they had originated. Those songs included “ramaiya vasta maiya” in the film Shree 420, sung by Rafi, Lata and Mukesh picturised on Raj Kapoor and Nargis, “chalat musafir” in the film Teesri Kasam, sung by Manna Dey picturised on Raj Kapoor, “aa ab laut chale” sung by Mukesh, Lata and picturised on Raj Kapoor and Padmini, etc.

Music lovers lament the death of Shankar and the disintegration of the SJ team in the 60s, because they had contributed in the films of Raj Kapoor, Rajender Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet, Dharmender, Jeetender, Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, etc., which includes almost the entire industry. So viewers of different tastes enjoyed the composition of SJ in those films. It is very sad that during the last 15 years, the media had underrated SJ and tried to project RD Burman as the greatest phenomenon of the century. He was a definitely a brilliant composer but his contribution cannot be equated with the dynamic composition of SJ. Shankar’s contributions should be preserved and restored.

Death of Feroz Khan - the style icon of bollywood

Death of Feroz Khan – the style icon of bollywood.

Feroz Khan, the style icon of bollywood films passed yesterday at the age of 70 years. Born in 1939, Feroz Khan started his career with the film Didi in 1960. He had inclination towards action films and during the romantic age struggled to face the competition of Rajender Kumar, Shammi Kapoor and others. With Unche Log in the mid-60s he created an image for himself. His performance opposite Rajender Kumar in the film Aarzoo in the mid-60s impressed the viewers.

He got good music in the films Ek Sapera Ek Lootera, with Rafi’s songs “hum tumse juda hoke” becoming super hit. Even Rafi’s other songs for Firoz Khan like “jag dil-e- dewaana” became super hit in the late 60s. He did well in the films CID 909 opposite Mumtaz and Raat Aur Din with Nargis and Pradeep Kumar. He also acted in romantic roles in films like Safar opposite Rajesh Khanna and Aadmi Aur Insaan opposite Dharmender. He received the filmfare award for the best supporting actor in the film Aadmi Aur Insaan.

The 70s marked the beginning of style icon Feroz Khan as his action thrillers had the glimpses of Hollywood actors like Zango, Sean Connery, Kirk Douglas and others. His films one after the other created storms in bollywood films during an age when Big B, Vinod Khanna and Shatrughun Sinha dominated action films. Firoz Khan’s leading films during that period include Apradh, Khote Sikke, Kala Sona, Dharmatma, to name a few.

From Dharmatma onwards Feroz Khan played a new innings by entering into production and direction. His films made later on had his special touch including shooting in the Middle East, entertaining music of Kalyanji Anandji, innovative action sequences , etc. Firoz Khan also launched new actors with him from that time. In Qurbani, Vinod Khanna played a leading role with him, in Jaanbaaz Anil Kapoor played a leading role with him and in Yalgaar, Sanjay Dutt played a leading role with him.

In respect of actress although Mumtaz acted in major films of Feroz Khan in the 60s and 70s, Firoz Khan acted with new actresses like Zeenat Aman in Qurbani, Sri Devi in Jaanbaaz, Manisha Koirala in Yalgaar, etc. He was also called the Indian Cowboy as he experimented with different types of hats and showed his skills in horse riding in different films.

He had good combination with Prem Chopra who played the role of anti-hero in many of his films and Jagdeep who contributed a lot as relief characters in his films. His last film was Welcome with Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Katrina Kaif before cancer ended his journey. He remained the uncrowned mnarch of stylish films and for those reasons his films should be preserved.