Golden Era of Bollywood: JAIDEV-The Talent Constantly Neglected

On the 98th Birth Anniversary, we remember today the Music Composer Jaidev(3rd Aug 1919).A winner of four Sur Singar Samsad awards, the Lata Mangeshkar Award of the M P Government and three National Awards (Reshma Aur Shera', 'Gaman ,'Ankahee'), Jaidev did not get the recognition he deserved.He acted in eight films as a child star in Wadia Film Company.While he was acting in films in Bombay he took music lessons from Krshnarao Jaokar and Janardan Jaokar.He was a disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Ali Akbar took Jaidev as his music assistant, in 1951, when he composed music for Navketan's Aandhiyan and Hum Safar. From Taxi Driver on, he bacame S D Burman's assistant.He got his break as an independent Music Director with Chetan Anand's Joru Ka Bhai.He came to limelight with Dev Anand's Hum Dono.
Jaidev was a musical genius,he gave us many memorable songs like Lata’s ‘Subah Kaa Intezaar Kaun Kare’, Rafi’s ‘Kabhee Khud Pe Kabhee Haalaat Pe Ronaa Aayaa’, Mukesh’s ‘Jab Gham-e-Ishq Sataataa Hai’, Talat’s ‘Dekh Lee Teree Khudaaee’, Manna Dey’s ‘Pyaas Thee Phir Bhee Takaazaa Na Kiyaa’, Kishore’s ‘Yeh Wohee Geet Hai’, Yesudas’s ‘Chaand Akelaa’, Bhupendra’s ‘Ek Akelaa Is Shaher Mein’, Suresh Wadkar’s ‘Seene Mein Jalan’, Asha Bhosle’s ‘Maang Mein Bhar Le Rang Sakhee Ree’, Chhaya Ganguly’s ‘Aap Kee Yaad Aatee Rahee Raat Bhar’ and Runa Laila’s ‘Tumhein Ho Naa Ho’ presented a brilliantly varied spectrum of classy compositions.
.He had a unique capability to mix traditional and folk music into Hindi film situations, giving him a unique advantage to other music directors of his times.There are many films which will be remembered for his imaginative musical scores.Luck was not in his favour,most of the films he gave music did not fare well at the Box Office.He was being offered Low Budget films which were unable to find audiance.His music was hit not films.
In 1971 Sunil Dutt gave him his film Reshma Aur Shera. The haunting songs of the film, not least Lata Mangeshkar’s Tu Chanda Main Chandni, fetched Jaidev a National Award. In the same year, he composed for another film that was set in Rajasthan. KA Abbbas’s Do Boond Paani, starring Simi Garewal was a drama on the theme of water scarcity. It is unfortunate that a song like Jaa Ri Pawaniya remains largely unknown.
After Do Boond Pani many low budget films came but none of them clicked at the Box Office.
The period between 1977 and ’79 saw Jaidev doing some of his best work, with films such as Alaap (1977), Gharaonda (1977) and Tumhare Liye(1978). Bhimsain, who directed Gharaonda, later made Dooriyaan (1979)Also in this period came Muzaffar Ali’s Gaman (1978), which fetched the music director his second National Award. The story of a migrant taxi driver in Bombay, the songs Seene Mein Jalan and Ajeeb Saneha perfectly capture the theme of alienation in the big city. But the pièce de résistance is undoubtedly Aapki Yaad Aati Rahi, brilliantly rendered by another newcomer, Chhaya Ganguly.
Jaidev remained Unmarried and was also without any house, he took the final bow from the world-stage on January 6, 1987, Hindi film-music lost an exceptionally talented composer, who never really got his due in his lifetime.