This BLOG is about the Past of Hindi Films Specially Black and White Cinema We will refresh your memories by bringing out forgotten or unseen songs and clippings of film scenes We will try to give you as much information as we gather from our research.
This Blog was started as a one-man’s passion for film history but has now become an addiction for many music lovers who are equally passionate about Hindi films
R D Burman has been credited with revolutionizing Bollywood music. He incorporated a wide range of influences from several genres in his scores.The sheer breadth of his music, allied with a unique ability to not only make folk and classical music accessible to the modern listener, but present them in an original, yet contemporary manner for young listeners. While we mostly associate a more western sound with RD, I think of him as a composer who simplified the most complex Hindustani classical music and made it accessible to the masses. Here are some great Raga based songs created by him. The first film R D Burman gave the music was Chhote Nawab released in 1961. The first song he composed in this film was Ghar Aaja Ghir Aayi Badra in Raga Malgunji sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
Every song has a story behind it. On this subject, I have written a blog earlier. In this blog, I take this immortal song from Kala Bazar. The song was written by Shailendra and composed by S.D. Burman. This was the first time that Dev Anand, Vijay Anand, Waheeda Rehman, S D Burman and Shailendra came together. Vijay Anand who was the director of the film, who narrated the situation of the song to Shailendra and asked him to write a romantic song for this situation. Shailendra, probably too busy with his other assignments, was not delivering a song, urgently needed for the film.Shailendra was making all kinds of excuses for not delivering.S D Burman, known for his bad temper, was under tremendous pressure. So one fine day Shailendra was at his residence and asked him to give him the words for his tune for this song. Burman da called his young son, Pancham ( R D Burman ) and told him – ” You will go with Shailendra and DO NOT come home unless he gives you the lyrics ” !!! This incident was narrated by R D Burman in a radio interview in AIR. As Burman da was very angry on Shailendra he asked RD Burman to come along with him and drove to his home. On the way, they stopped at Shankar Jaikishan's place to finish some pending work. It was evening…. Shailendra finished his work with Shanker Jaikishen and with Pancham, got into his car. He instructed the driver to go to National Park. There, Shailendra kept smoking cigarette after cigarette. BUT NO WORDS !!! Shailendra then thought of a change of place, he asked his driver to proceed to Juhu Beach R D Burman was cursing his luck as they got back into the car, it was almost night, what will he tell his father about the song.He was 20 years old that time and was an assistant so he couldn't pressurise Shailendra to give him the song immediately. The time was 11 in the night and nothing is written.The beach was deserted. Those days people used to return home by 7 orr 8 in the evening. Shailendra was leisurely strolling along with the eager Pancham trying to keep step. Suddenly Shailendra asked Pancham for a matchbox. He sheepishly handed over his matchbox to Shailendra. Shailendra was lost in thought, he lit his cigarette, returned the matchbox and asked Pancham to give him the tune Burman da had composed. Pancham, tapping the matchbox in rhythm, hummed the tune. It was a full moon night and Shailendra was looking at the sky puffing away on his cigarette and suddenly started writing on a piece of cigarette pack foil. after a while, he told Pancham –“You can go home, tell Dada, I will be at your place in the morning with the full song..”
He hummed the mukhda
Khoya khoya chand, khula aasmaan, Aankhon mein saari raat jaayegi, Tum ko bhi kaise neend aayegi
Pancham smiled, he knew that this song was a winner! He ran, hailed a cab and went home. Pancham in the next morning handed Dada a crumpled piece of cigarette pack foil with the words of the mukhda scribbled on it!!! Burman Da instantly liked the mukhda and asked Pancham to call Shailendra to complete the song.
As we all know that Burman Da was very particular about the words of his songs and similarly Shailendra too chooses his words very carefully as per the situation. Thus the full song was completed in that sitting. Same day Burman Da called Mohammad Rafi to come for the rehearsal of this song The song was recorded after two days.
We must appreciate Vijay Anand who picturised the song so well that it became the highlight of the film. It topped Annual Binaca Geetmala that year. What Vijay Anand achieves is a feat which is very rare. Most directors shy away from shooting and showing us more than two verses of a song. Here, his shooting, along with Burmanda’s music and Shailendra’s words, is so perfect that we go through FOUR verses of this song just glued to our seats !!!! That is why Vijay Anand is adored by film-goers and film-makers all over India.
The swan song is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. Thenmavin Kombath, a Malayalam film by Priyadarshan was the last film R D Burman signed, but he died before he could score for the film.It was the song Ek Ladki Ko Dekha from 1942 A Love Story was the last song recorded before his death.But the real Swan Song is ‘Kuchh na kaho’. R d Burman’s last recorded song is ‘Kuchh na kaho’ in Lata Mangeshkar’s voice. It was recorded soon after RD’s death in January 1994.
The late 80s and early 90s were not good for Pancham.The general perception was that he had lost his touch. The songs that he did, generally failed to make a major impact on the public. Where R.D. Burman had made a career from Western "inspired" songs, he found that he was repeatedly being outdone by Bappi Lahiri's Western "inspired" disco. In 1988 at the age of 49, he suffered a heart attack. He underwent surgery and continued to make music. But his career limped into the 1990's with very lackluster commercial success.
Many Producers and Directors who were working with Pancham earlier have now dropped Pancham from their future projects. Anand-Milind were picked over Pancham da for Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (QSQT), Subhash Ghai who signed Pancham earlier for his upcoming film Ram Lakhan also dropped him by replacing Laxmikant Pyare Lal.
It was Vidhu Vinod Chopra who worked with him in Parinda had faith on him repeated him in 1942 Love Story despite suggestions from his well wishers not to take him.1942- A Love Story was one of Rahul Dev Burman’s last soundtracks and indeed he left the industry with a lot to remember.
Every song of this movie is a master piece “Kuch Na Kaho”, is featured twice, once by Kumar Sanu and the other by the illustrious Lata Mangeshkar. The slow tune is once again delightfully intertwined with the R.D. Burman touch in a violin.The teaser number, “Rooth Na Jana” brings us back to the golden era with its backdrop consisting essentially of the flute areas. The song is at times upbeat, sweet and Kumar Sanu once again emotes excellently.
“Ek Ladki Ko Dekha” the song sung by Kumar Sanu was as whimsical and breezy as it is picturized. The light soft tune has a backdrop of a soft drum backdrop, which is complimented superbly by the sitar. The song being on of Sanu’s biggest hits cannot only be identified by the classes but the masses as well.
The film got all the 4 musical Awards,Best Music Director for R D Burman,Best Lyricist for Javed Akhtar,Best male Play back Singer for Kumar sanu and the Best female Singer to Kavita Krishnamurti.
A lot has been written about R D Burman creating sound from various sources, like a broom and a comb, a glass hit by spoon, blow wind into a bottle or beat the table or the human back. It is not important to create that sound, in my mind the genius is to apply that sound into music and make it part of the melody.
Song from Sholay 1975
In Mehbooba Mehbooba song from Sholay (1975), the song begins with the sound he created by blowing from his mouth into half filled cold drink bottles. Nobody before or after him has had these ideas. In an interview he said that even a motorcycle wheel could get him thinking of a tune. In the song Kal Kya Hoga from Kasme Vaade (1978), he used the recorded sound of a motorbike and also created it vocally himself.
Song from Warrant 1975
On stage display of the sound created from coke bottle
Botal se ik baat chali hai (Ghar, 1978) with real time bottle effect ,similarly the sound from bottle was used in the Warrant song "Ruk Jana O Jana", watch above video.
Song from Kitab 1977
Masterji ki aa gai chitthi (Kitab, 1977) with students beating the table, and which kid has not done this in his/her school days? Then the Chhoti si kahani se, barishon ke paani se (Ijaazat, 1987) with rainfall sound, these and many more are not contrived sound effects, they are natural fits – uniquely blended within the melody, something that is unprecedented and was not heard of before.
Song from Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973)
In 'Chura Liya Hai Tumne', from Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), the spoon-on-glass sound heard in the beginning is an actual recording of a glass being struck by a spoon.
Song from Darling Darling 1977
In the song 'Raat Gai Baat Gai', from the Dev Anand-Zeenat Aman starrer Darling Darling (1977), at one point (the 2:22 mark in the video above), a beat is heard which doesn't sound like a conventional percussion instrument. In the song's picturisation, it is Aman who is creating the beat by tapping various parts of her own body (as well as a few extras). In the studio, that beat was played by Burman, literally, on the back of one of his trusted percussionists, Amrutrao Katkar.
In 'Dheere Dheere Zara Zara' from Agar Tum Na Hote (1983), the rhythm created by actress Rekha on screen, where she's shown tapping a piece of jewelry around her waist, was actually the sound of a bunch of keys that was used in lieu of the traditional hi-hat.
Song from Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai 1981
In the song above "Hoga Tumse Pyara Kaun" from Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai he created a sound by rubbing two sand papers for creating the sound of a train.
Song from Mahan 1983
He created a different sound by a school bell dipping in a bucket full of water,Watch the above song "Yeh Din To aata Hai Ek Din Jawani Mein" from 1983 film Mahan.See how this sound was created in the video below.
Song from Ajnabee 1974
In the song"Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein" from Ajnabee 1974 film,he created the thunder sound by shaking a metal sheet In Padosan song Mere Samne Wali Khidki Mein the beginning sound was created by rubbing Comb with a grooved pipe.Same sound again was used in "Chingari Koi Bhadke" from Amar Prem Song. R D was very fond of new and different types of musical instruments.He introduced Thumba to Bollywood,Pancham and his group had gone for some shows in Africa. There they saw this African Instrument called Tumba. This triggered Pancham and thus he brought TUMBA to India. The legendary TUMBA played in “Aya Hoon Main Tujhko Le Jaunga” from Manoranjan is a classic example of his rhythmic playing. In the film Jawani Diwani in asong "Samne Yeh Kaun Aya" he invented an instrument called Pedal Matka to produce a different sound.watch this video below.
Pancham Da was always on a look out for novelty.In the following song"Bandar Salam" from Teen Murti 1982 in the beginning the sound we listen is not from any instrument but produced from the mouth
. He would make music out of everything — from a bunch of keys to physically playing a beat on the back of a shirtless and bewildered session percussionist
Although Pancham is noted for introducing Western and retro beats into his music but he will also be remembered for some of the great Songs in Indian Classical Music.Inspired by the raga Yaman, "Beeti Na Bitai Raina" is a testament to Burman’s mastery over the Hindustani classic music.In fact in his first film Chhote Nawab 1961 he gave us a beautiful classical song in Raga Malgunji sung by Lata Mangeshkar. In this Blog I have taken few of his great Songs based on various Raga.This is a fitting tribute to the genius that Pancham truly was: Ghar Aaja Ghir Aayi Badra This is from RD Burman’s first movie as a music director – Chhote Nawab (1961).
Chhote Nawab (1961).
O Ganga Maiyya - a composition based on the morning raga Jogiya for Lata and filmed on Meena Kumari in Chandan Ka Palna (1967). The song was a nominee for best classical composition of that year in the prestigious Sur Singar Samsad award!
Song from Chandan Ka Palna (1967).
Raina Beeti Jaaye-The exquisitely tuned ‘Raina Beeti Jaaye’ for Amar Prem (1972) is a case in point. RD fused two ragas – Todi and Khamaj
Song from Amar Prem (1972)
Beeti Na Bitayee Raina -this beautiful song from Parichay (1973) is one of my favorite songs of RD Burman.Set to the notes of evening raga Yaman Kalyan, the Lata-Bhupinderduet fetched them both a national award for best playback singer that year
Sonhg from Parichay (1973)
Mere Naina Sawan Bhadon-RD used this song twice in Mehbooba (1976). Kishore Kumar and Lata have both sung this RD Composition.After listening to Kishore version no one can believe that kishore had no training in Classical music
Song from Mehbooba (1976)
Naam Gum Jaayega -this song is from the movie Kinara released in 1977,a masterpiece of R D Burman,aduet by Lata and Bhuprndra
Song from Kinara 1977
Saawan Ke Jhoole Pade Hain- a great song by Lata Mangeshkar from Jurmana 1979 picturised on Rakhi
Song from Jurmana 1979
Piya Baawri - a beautiful song from 1980 Khubsoorat sung by Asha Bhonsle and the tabla ‘bols’ by Ashok Kumar by .Rekha acted in this song
Song from Khubsoorat 1980
Hamein Tumse Pyar Kitna-song Hamein Tumse Pyaar Kitna based on the morning Raga Bhairavi. Parween Sultana and Kishore Kumar did a solo version each of this song. Kishore Kumar was nominated for a Filmfare Award for his rendering of the song, while Parveen Sultana walked away with the Best Female Playback Award from Filmfare for her version of the song.
Song from Kudrat (1981)
Hamein Aur Jeene Ki Chaahat Na Hoti - this is the title song of Agar tum Na Hote (1984) in the morning Raga Asaavari, which appears twice in the film in the voices of Kishore and Lata.
Song from Agar tum Na Hote (1984)
Kyon Naye Lag Rahe Hain -This song is a fitting tribute to the genius that Pancham truly was, This song in 1942 A Love Story set to Raga Khamaj very beautifully sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy
