Just for a song: The ‘Guest’ composers

By Rajiv Vijayakar -

November 28, 2013 - 3:53 AM IST

In this era of multiple composers in Hindi films, we find an interesting phenomenon that is quite rampant: films in which one - just one - song is done by a 'guest' composer. In this rampantly commercial era, the reason for bringing in someone else is usually the same: to boost the film's opening draw and downloads, especially of the RBCTs (Ring-Back Caller Tunes) because of the catchy hooklines.

The title-song of Singh Saab The Great, released last week, has won attention and is composed and sung by Sonu Nigam, with his sister Teesha as co-singer. Not many know that the rest of the score is composed by Anand Raj Anand, despite the promotions of 'Daaru Band Kal Se' and 'Palang Tod Pan'.

Just for a song: The ‘Guest’ composers

In the forthcoming release Bullett Raja, Sajid-Wajid's 'Saamne Hai Savera' seems to have captured the imagination of the people with its sweet melody, but the promos were first concentrating on the item number 'Tamanche Pe Disco', for which Punjabi pop artiste RDB was brought in.

Not too long ago, Shree D and Ishq Bector were pulled in to 'boost' Lalit Pandit's Besharam score with a trendy, pub-friendly title-number. The film was directed by Abhinav Singh Kashyap, who had promised Lalit this film after the composer had scored just one and now-cult item song 'Munni Badnaam Hui' in the trendsetting musical action drama Dabangg (2010) with music by Sajid-Wajid!

And let us also not forget the song that made a film's fortunes take a steep upward graph - 'Lungi Dance' composed by Yo Yo Honey Singh in the weak Vishal-Shekhar score of Chennai Express. Every child seemed to pick up this infectious tune and dance to it, contributing significantly to the whopper success of the film!

Sajid-Wajid magnanimously state that they love 'Tamanche Pe Disco' and do not mind its inclusion and the favouritism shown in its promotion. And they can afford this bigness of heart: for one, despite the 'Munni' craze, it was the duo itself that truly benefited from the (rest of the) outstanding score of Dabangg, led by another cult song 'Tere Mast Mast Do Nain'. The duo has also come in as guest composers in several films of others - like Hema Malini's Tell Me O Kkhuda (with music by Pritam, who backed out of the film after his friend Mayur Puri was out), the 2006 Saawan Kumar film Saawan - The Love Season with Salman Khan in a cameo and so on.

When Himesh Reshammiya quit Welcome midway and Anand Raj Anand stepped in, the duo was again summoned to do the title-track of that 2007 hit whose music was quite tepid. "We have often been called to save a soundtrack!" quips Sajid. Sure enough, last year, it was their song 'Mashallah' in Aditya Chopra's Ek Tha Tiger in which the other songs composed by Sohail Sen did not work at all.

And that is a prominent reason why such guest composers are summoned â€“ a last-ditch effort to save the music score and the film itself. Aadesh Shrivastava was brought in to salvage Major Saab 15 years ago with the dance-friendly 'Sona sona' in a very lukewarm Anand Raj Anand score, and the music actually sold because of this one song! Anu Malik's 'Ishq Kameena' in Shakti - The Power (2002) featuring big names Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai (then not yet Bachchan) in cameos worked on the charts but could not make that Ismail Darbar-composed film work at the b-o. Sachin-Jigar scored the 'booster' track 'Dil Garden Garden' for the Meet Bros. Anjjan score of Kyaa Superkool Hain Hum.

But it is not as if such songs always work. In the prequel to that film, Kyaa Kool Hain Hum, Anu Malik was piqued when Jay Sean (who had also infiltrated Jatin-Lalit's brilliant Hum Tum album with one song 'Mere Dil Vich Hum Tum'!) came in to compose the mediocre 'Dil Mera Dil Mera', that too without his being informed about it. None of these songs worked.

At his singing peak, Himesh Reshammiya came into another Anu Malik score, Humko Deewana Kar Gaye (2006) and Pritam's Darling (2007) without making a mark. When he was brought in to make a swinging number, 'Soorat Pe Teri Pyar Aave' in Nadeem-Shravan's Footpath (2003), it failed to set the charts ringing.

The boot was on the other foot when Meet Bros. Anjjan were called to compose the track 'Robinhood' in the recent Sanjay Dutt film Policegiri. Though neither the film nor its soundtrack worked, main composer Himesh Reshammiya's melodies 'Churake Le Jaa', 'Tirath Meri Tu' and 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' were loved by those with a bent towards melody, but 'Robinhood' was junked without a trace.

Better reasons

Happily, there are also less commercial and even natural reasons why such 'guests' come in and not all cases have business overruling creativity and convention (as in one composer scoring for an entire soundtrack). In the b-o. dud that was Himmatwala, Sachin-Jigar's 'Thank God it's Friday' came in because the tune was lying with producer Vashu Bhagnani and director Sajid Khan thought it was just right for a situation. Sajid-Wajid expressed no objection to its use.

A similar situation seemed to be the reason why mentor Indra Kumar brought in a song by the music directors he had introduced in the 1999 Mann, Sanjeev-Darshan, in the Anand Raj Anand score of Grand Masti. A lovely melody, 'O Saathiya' recorded by composer M.M. Kreem and lyricist Anand Bakshi for Zakham (1998) but never used in the film found a place in the Anu Malik score of Saaya (2003). Sandesh Shandilya's 'Aaoge Jab Tum Saajna' was similarly used by Imtiaz Ali in Pritam's Jab We Met.

There were other natural reasons, not, however, always happy. Sajid-Wajid had to step out of Son Of Sardaar due to some family contingencies clashing with deadlines and Himesh came in for the rest of the film, but the duo's song 'Yeh Jo Halki Halki Khumariyaan' was retained.

Two films in the history of Hindi cinema have had R.D. Burman and Anu Malik come together in one score - Mazhar Khan's Gang and Rajkumar Santoshi's Ghatak. However, in the former film, only one song was scored by R.D. Burman, because he passed away soon after signing the film, and in the latter, Anu Malik was brought in to make the item song 'Koi Aaye To Le Jaaye' years after R.D.'s demise.

And today the music of Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela is a huge hit, but it took Sanjay Leela Bhansali a while to step in officially as a composer, after many 'unofficial' compositions in his early films! And it was in his Saawariya, otherwise composed by Monty Sharma, that Bhansali first 'officially' tried his hand at composing with 'Thode Badmaash Ho Tum'. Bhansali also incorporated Pt. Birju Maharaj's thumri 'Kaahe Chhed Chhed Mohe' in the Ismail Darbar score of Devdas.

Vintage cases

Once in a while, such cases happened even in the older days. The S.D. Burman-composed 'Doli Mein Bithai Ke' adorned his son R.D. Burman's superlative Amar Prem score as such a song was needed. Ghulam Ali's ghazal 'Chupke Chupke Raat Din' was incorporated as a deft situational necessity in Ravi's comeback film Nikaah and shown as an apt song playing on a gramophone.

Feroz Khan zeroed in on British Indian pop sensation Biddu to specially compose an authentic club number 'Aap Jaisa Koi' in Qurbani, even if he had four other superb Kalyanji-Anandji tunes, because he got the opportunity to listen to his work.

The late Roshan's death in 1967, led to one incomplete assignment, the delayed Dur Nahin Manzil (1974) starring Sanjeev Kumar that was composed by Shankar-Jaikishan. The Roshan title-song was retained in the album.