Variety on display
Anu Malik’s debut concert in Mumbai left me thinking. In sheer variety (his career is over 40 years old) and melodic power, Anu Malik will be among the last of the composers to present an unalloyed three-hour-plus show of an assorted thali of pure film music, something that today’s generation of piecemeal composers can only dream of when their time comes ten or more years later.
How can they possible have an ensemble of songs that include love songs of totally varied hues, sad litanies, chaalu or fun numbers, patriotic paeans, a modern qawwali and more, when they are called to provide songs only as typecast names, like a Tanishk Bagchi mainly for re-creations? The advantage Anu also had on the show was a barrage of good singers and a consummate orchestra. The tributes paid to him on stage by the talented likes of Papon, Divya Kumar and Nakash Aziz, who rendered his songs and have all grown up on his melodies was like music to the ears of the audience, who did not budge from their seats until the intermission that came over three hours later! Veteran Shabbir Kumar, who sang his first-ever hit, ‘Yaad teri aayegi’ in Anu’s Ek Jaan Hain Hum way back in 1983, even revealed that he had rendered 86 songs for him.
Talent in the family
Anmol Anu Malik, who had begun her career as a child-singer in Diljale (1996), has sung in films from Umrao Jaan (2006) to a few others with her mega-hit being ‘Talli’ from Ugly Aur Pagli (2008). She was in excellent form as she sang many hits. A celebrated author, Anmol has also been many other things: an assistant director (to Rohan Sippy), a junior copywriter for Leo Burnett Worldwide and the Head of the Script Department at Yash Raj Films.
Daughters’ world
Salil Chowdhury (Antara Chowdhury of ‘Teri galiyon mein hum aaye’ from Minoo), Hemant Kumar (Ranu Mukerji of ‘Nani teri morni ko’ from Masoom), Bhola Shrestha (Sushma Shrestha under Shankar-Jaikishan, not her father, in ‘Hai na bolo bolo’ in Andaz), Laxmikant (Rajeshwari Laxmikant of ‘He Raju he daddy’ from Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s Ek Hi Bhool), Bappi Lahiri (Rema Lahiri of ‘Ganga ko dekha’ in Paap Ki Duniya), and Loy Mendonsa (Alyssa Mendonsa of ‘O girl you are mine’ from Housefull under Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) are among composers’ daughters who exhibited talent right from childhood.
However, only Sushma Shrestha made it big as a child-singer and later as adult. Kanal, Pyarelal’s daughter, only sang in one film, Oonch Neech Beech, while Saima Nadeem just wrote one song for Bekhudi (‘Mujhe kya pataa tera ghar hai kahan’). And Pashmina, Rajesh Roshan’s daughter has recently made her acting debut.
Prophetic compliment from Jaikishan
As per a YouTuber, Jaikishan visited Laxmikant after Farz and Milan and complimented Laxmikant-Pyarelal hugely, adding that he had been in the line for almost 20 years and that he was “tired” and so he was past his top form. He told L-P that the baton had to be carried forward by them in times to come.
A disturbed and moved Laxmikant then asked him how he could assess their own work that way, mentioning their twin highs in Amrapali and Teesri Kasam in particular. The music for Brahmchari was also being made and he told his senior that Mohammed Rafi had talked in particular about one remarkable song that Jaikishan had composed for it.
The song Rafi talked about!
And that song was ‘Dil ke jharonkhe mein tujhko bithaakar’! Mohammed Rafi had enquired of Jaikishan how he could possibly navigate the extremely high scale of the song. “I will be out of breath!” he complained. And Jaikishan replied, “You will sing it. Or stop calling yourself a singer!” And today, the song lists easily and effortlessly among Rafi’s most challenging and brilliantly-rendered iconic melodies that also clinched him the Filmfare Best Male Singer award.
Mutual admiration
The older generation of music composers had tremendous mutual regards for each other. S.D. Burman openly expressed his admiration for L-P’s song, ‘Ae mere ankhon ke pehle sapne’ (Manmandir), while Laxmikant rated the senior composer’s Pyaasa, Meri Surat Teri Ankhen and Guide as particularly stand-out scores. Pyarelal confessed to composing ‘Hui shaam unnka khayal aa gaya’ in Mere Humdum Mere Dost keeping Madan Mohan’s style in mind. Laxmikant-Pyarelal also were challenged by Lata to compose like Madan Mohan and the result was ‘Nigahen kyon bhatakti hai’ from Baharon Ki Manzil. R.D. Burman said that his songs by Mohammed Rafi in The Train and Raton Ka Raja were completely inspired by Shankar-Jaikishan’s style, while Chitragupta raved about Madan Mohan’s Lata Mangeshkar beauties in Woh Kaun Thi?.
Interesting link
‘My heart is beating’, the English song composed by Rajesh Roshan and written by Harindranath Chattopadhaya for Julie was a rare English song that was filmed on a leading actress (and not a dancer) in Julie. The interesting thing was that it was rendered by Preeti Sagar, who debuted in movies with this melody. The interesting part comes in because Preeti is the daughter of actor Moti Sagar, who made his debut with Malhar (1951), which had music by Rajesh Roshan’s father, Roshan and was produced by singer Mukesh, to whom Sagar was also related. Though not Roshan’s debut (just as Julie was not Rajesh Roshan’s first film), both Malhar and Julie consolidated the father-son composers’ careers in those respective years.
BOLLYWOOD NEWS - LIVE UPDATES
Catch us for latest Bollywood News, New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection, New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood Live News Today & Upcoming Movies 2025 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.
