Showing posts with label neeraj. Show all posts
Showing posts with label neeraj. Show all posts

Monday 3 January 2022

Neeraj- Karwan Guzar Gaya Ghubaar Dekhte Rahe.

 


Gopal Das Neeraj was a poet first then a lyricist. He started writing poetry and sharing stage, at times with stalwarts who were mesmerized with the poems of this young man. There are incidents where he used to write poems with another pseudonym, ‘Bhavuk Etahvi’. But once he reached the stage of Kavi Sammelan, there was no looking back for this greatest Hindi poet of all genres.

This Ghazal was aired. on the radio in 1955,  it was included in the film Nayi Umar ki Nayi Fasal in 1966 in fact this film was inspired by this Ghazal. He wrote a few songs for two films Cha Cha Cha and Chanda Aur Bijli before Dev Anand introduced him to S D Burman to write songs for his film Prem Pujari.

He was born in the village of Puravali, near Mahewa in Etawah district in Uttar Pradesh, India on 4 January 1925. He wrote under the pen name "Neeraj"

When Neeraj entered the scene of poetry, Harivansh Rai Bachchan was already an established name on the stage. However, Neeraj carved his way and touched people’s hearts. “His poems gave new life to romanticism which was coupled with spiritualism.  He had an influence of Sri Aurbindo and it flows in his poetry. 

Besides writing, he earned his living teaching in a college and was a Professor of Hindi Literature in Dharma Samaj College, Aligarh. He knew Urdu well and cultivated his own style. He used words even from Sanskrit and touched the softness of the Hindi Khadi Boli. The poems were rendered with such eloquence that they were immediately on everyone’s lips. Neeraj’s simplicity was evident in his lifestyle. “He lived a simple life, he understood common people, their sufferings and he lived as if he was one of them, playing cards with them, smoking beedi and wearing simple clothes. Anybody was welcome in his home.

Despite the tremendous recognition he got from film songs, Neeraj considered himself unlucky. This was the reason why he stopped writing songs for films. He started writing only poems and literature. Disclosing this in an interview, he had said that two-three famous Bollywood musicians for whom he had written film songs had passed away. He had said that Jaikishan and SD Burman of the Shankar-Jaikishan duo should also die and he wrote very famous songs for both of them. 

Neeraj had penned several immortal songs for Bollywood movies. There were incidents where Neeraj himself recited his songs so that musicians may easily develop the tune. Just sample this — Phoolo ke rang se/dil ki qalam se/tujhko likh roz paati/kaise bataun/kis kis tarah se/pal pal mujhe tu satati — for the film Prem Pujari, anyone can easily identify and attribute it to Neeraj due to its rhythm class.

He mentioned the death of Jaikishan of the Music Duo Shankar-Jaikishan as well as of Sachin Dev Burman, for both of whom he had penned highly popular film songs. The deaths of these Music Directors when they, along with Gopaldas Neeraj were at the peak of their fame left him very dejected and he made a decision to quit the film industry.
His friendship with Dev Anand continued he wrote songs for the last film of Dev Anand "Charge sheet"

He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991 and Padma Bhushan in 2007. He died on July 19, 2018

Neeraj used to say" People talk of my five years in film industry. They tend to forget my 65 years of contribution to literature".

The first released song of Neeraj



      Song from Cha Cha Cha (1964)



Song from Nayi Umar Ki Nayi Fasal 1965


Song from Prem Pujari (1970)





Song from Pehchan (1970)


Song from Sharmilee (1971)


Song from Tere Mere Sapne (1971)

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Thursday 13 May 2021

50 Years of Navketan's 'Tere Mere Sapne'

 


Recall the song “Hey, Maine Kasam Li” where the hero Dev Anand on a Bicycle and the heroine Mumtaz sitting on the crossbar riding across green fields singing the song with very little action and lots of cuddling. What a picturization.

Tere Mere Sapne is one of my favorite movies. It has substance. Commercially, it did not do very well at the box office but I believe it is one of the most sensitive Bollywood movies by Goldie Vijay Anand. He also acted in this film, he plays a doctor and gave a memorable performance.

 The film is based on the novel “The Citadel” by A.J.Cronin, published in 1937 in UK.  based on his own experiences as a doctor. Dedicated to the medical community, the film starts off with a young, idealistic MBBS doctor Anand Kumar (Dev Anand) moving to a village near a coal mine. He attains his degree in medicine and re-locates to a small village to assist the local doctors there. Upon arrival, he is met by the ailing Dr. Prasad and his wife, and hired on a salary of Rs.250/- per month. He meets with the other doctors namely Dr. Kothari (Vijay Anand), an alcoholic, and Dr. Bhutani, a dentist. Anand finds that he is saddled with all of Kothari's work as well his own due to the reason that Kothari is drunk every night. He nevertheless carries on, aided by the local school-teacher, Nisha Patel(Mumtaz), who he eventually marries. Then one day a proud father, Phoolchand, gives a baksheesh to Anand for the safe delivery of his first-born. This does not auger well with Mrs. Prasad and she fires Anand. Anand and Nisha re-locate to Bombay, and after sometime Anand establishes himself as a leading doctor, is honored for his thesis, and gets to be the personal doctor of a leading Bollywood actress Maltimala. When Dr. Kothari and Dr. Bhutani go to visit them, they find while Nisha is still the same good-natured woman, who is expecting a child, Dr. Anand is a changed individual, who has no time for friends, personal life, or even his wife, and is not even aware that she is pregnant. The two return home disappointed, followed by Nisha, who has decided to separate from Anand.

 There are many beautiful songs and several great dances featuring Hema Malini.  Vijay Anand’s direction keeps things moving along at a good pace. There are so many wonderful characters in this film too. Mumtaz gave a stunning performance. Music by S D Burman and lyrics by Neeraj is superb.

SongSingersPicturised on
"Phurr Ud Chala"Asha BhosleHema Malini
"Mera Saajan Phool Kanwal Ka"Asha BhosleJayshree T.
"Jaisa Radha Ne Mala Japi"Lata MangeshkarMumtazDev Anand
"Ae Maine Kasam Li"Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore KumarMumtaz, Dev Anand
"Jeevan Ki Bagiya Mehkengi"Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore KumarMumtaz, Dev Anand
"Tha Thai Thatha Thai"Asha Bhosle, ChorusHema Malini
"Mera Antar Ek Mandir Hai Tera"Lata MangeshkarMumtaz
"Zamaane Dhat Tere Ki"Manna DeyAgha


 






Song of Tere Mere Sapne 1971

Thursday 30 January 2020

50 Years of Prem Pujari


50 Years ago Dev Anand’s directorial debut was the most awaited film of the 1970.
The music of the film was the highlight of the film . Composed by S.D. Burman and written by Gopaldas Neeraj, the songs were (and still are) a bigger hit than the film, which actually flopped at the box office.
This film cleverly talks about patriotism and the Army — two of today's favorite subjects.
The film progressively takes you from being anti-war to pro-war by not only making you sympathize with the protagonist, but also villainising the other side.
 Songs like Shokhiyon Mein Ghola JayeRangeela Re Tere Rang Mein and Phoolon Ke Rang Se, sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar are Immortal. 
Song of Prem Pujari 1970




Song of Prem Pujari 1970




Song of Prem Pujari 1970




Song of Prem Pujari 1970




Song of Prem Pujari 1970






Friday 20 July 2018

Neeraj-The great Poet and Lyricist


Gopal Das Saxena"Neeraj "(4 January 1925 – 19 July 2018 )was introduced to the film industry by producer R. Chandra when he turned director with “Nayi Umar Ki Nayi Fasal”. The film was inspired by Neeraj’s poem “Karwaan Guzar Gaya Ghubar Dekhte Rahe”. After that he wrote songs for Cha Cha Cha which released earlier in 1964 with the songs SUBAH NA AAYI SHAM NA AAYI,Ek Chameli Ke Mandve Tale and Wo hum Na The Wo Tum Na
It was Dev Anand  who introduced him to S.D. Burman for “Prem Pujari”. Neeraj took a leave of six days from Dharam Samaj College in Aligarh where he was teaching Hindi and reached Bombay at the invitation of Anand. In an interview he said “He put me in luxurious hotel in Santa Cruz and paid me Rs.1000 even before signing me. Next day he took me to S.D. Burman, who showed apprehensions about a poet’s ability to write to tunes and a given situation. Dev Anand said that he should not worry. He should give the tune and if Neeraj failed he would remain his guest for six days and enjoy Bombay. Burman da gave me a tune and said the song should start with ‘Rangeela Re’ and it is about a girl who sees her beloved coming to a party with another girl. It should have elements of frustration in love, jealousy and satire. I worked the whole night and came up with “Rangeela Re Tere Rang Main Yun Ranga Hai Mera Mann, Chhaliya Re…” Next day he went to Dev Anand’s office and showed what he had written. After reading it, he embraced Neeraj and exclaimed how he could do it in one night. “He immediately took me to Burman da’s home and proudly presented me to him and said: See, I told you, Neeraj has done it. When Burman da listened to it he said ‘Dev you go, now we will sit together.’ After he left, Burman da admitted that he gave me this complex situation to make me give up.
After that S D Burman recommended him to Sharmeeli producer to sign him the lyricist for the film.When he was writing for Prem Pujari he was contacted by Raj kapoor to write a song for Mera Naam Joker.Neeraj wrote A e Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo and even set it to a wonderful tune. "The song is a philosophy of life, which is a circus and we are all jokers,'' 
Neeraj worked with S D Burman in many films like Tere Mere Sapne and Gambler.
Gopaldas Neeraj called himself an unfortunate poet which led to his stopping himself from writing film songs and restricting himself to just writing and getting his poems published. The reason that he gave for this was that at least two or three prominent music directors of the Hindi Film Industry for whom he wrote very successful and popular songs, had expired. He mentioned the death of Jaikishan of the Music Duo Shankar-Jaikishan as well as of Sachin Dev Burman, for both of whom he had penned highly popular film songs. The deaths of these Music Directors when they, along with Gopaldas Neeraj were at the peak of their fame left him very dejected and he made a decision to quit the film industry.
His friendship with Dev Anand continued he wrote songs for the last film of Dev Anand "Charge sheet"
 Gopal Das Neeraj passed away on Thursday 19 th July 2018 evening at the AIIMS trauma centre, his family said. He was 93.
Neeraj used to say" People talk of my five years in film industry. They tend to forget my 65 years of contribution to literature".
Song from Cha Cha Cha (1964)


Song from Nayi Umar Ki Nayi Fasal 1965


Song from Kanyadan (1969)


Song from Chanda aur Bijli (1969)


Song from Prem Pujari (1970)


Song from Prem Pujari (1970)


Song from Pehchan (1970)


Song from Sharmilee (1971)

Song from Tere Mere Sapne (1971)


Song from Mera Naam Joker (1970)


Song from Gambler (1971)


Song from Kal Aaj Aur Kal (1971)


Song from Chhupa Rustam (1973)