Tribute to Shanker by Sharda

do jism ek jaan’ – SHANKAR-JAIKISHAN – by Sharda, singer from the yesteryears

april 26, 2017, april 26, 2017, On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the passing away of composer SHANKAR (of the famous composer duo Shankar-Jaikishan), remembrances by noted singer Sharda Rajan about her association with the ace composers.
and (in another ‘note’) a review of the compositions and the thought behind them by Prof. Suhaaschandra Kulkarni, a learned scholar, versatile musician, composer, can be called one of the ‘Authority’ to elaborate S-J’s music…

(Both the articles were published in leading Marathi daily ‘Loksatta’ Sunday edition dt 22/04/12, on occasion of Shankar ji’s 25th Death Anniversary.
link – http://www.readwhere.com/read/34436?src=fb#page/17/1
original Marathi transcription : Prasad Sanwatsarkar.
English translation : Chandu Kale)
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‘do jism ek jaan’ – SHANKAR-JAIKISHAN

It’s now 30 years since Shankar ji passed away. Time flies so fast, but the magic Shankar-Jaikishan created is still as robust as it was 68 years ago.

It is really astonishing to see the variety Shankar-Jaikishan managed to bring into their music. And since I sung under their baton, I was able to study their music. Take any song: you can easily create 25-30 more songs from its various parts. The counter-melody, side parts, changes in chords – take any factor, whether comedy, happy, mischievous, sad, emotional or Ragdari-based, they have allocated a special personality to their songs. I can think of no one else who has done this. Technology was not as advanced as it is today. If it were, I am sure Shankar-Jaikishan would have created even more wonders. That era had so many eminent composers, who all had their own specialities, Naushad ji with his Bihari and UP lilts, Madan Mohan ji with his ghazals … each one followed their own path. But Shankar-Jaikishan were the only team who managed to score well in all.

Shankar ji’s own knowledge of music was boundless. One almost felt that as soon as his hands touched the harmonium, there were so many new pieces created, even the skilled arranger Sebastian used to be baffled how to write them. Then some chosen were strung together to form a big piece. Big orchestra was something Shankar ji brought into Hindi film music.

I think Shankar ji was not just a musician, but a magician. Music flowed through his veins, in fact he was music personified.

I had never really considered music as a career. I was from a South Indian Brahmin middle class family and could never think on these lines. But I did like music and I started liking Hindi film music. There were no tape recorders and we never even had a radio, so we used to go to restaurant to listen to songs. But eventually, whenever I went shopping with my mother, I used to stop on the way when I heard some song on the radio and wouldn’t budge until the song was over.

After some years, our family moved to Teheran. Raj Kapoor i had visited Teheran to promote his ‘Jis Desh mein Gangag Behti Hai”. I used to sing songs from the radio, just as a hobby and people liked it. Raj ji heard me in a party and the connoisseur liked my singing. He invited me to Mumbai. I left Teheran and went to RK. Studio. They tested my voice and Raj Saab told me to go and meet Shankar Jaikishan. I went and met Shankar ji. He heard my voice and gave me further training. Three songs of mine were recorded for ‘Mera Naam Joker’. I was, of course, overjoyed. But later on, I don’t know what the pressures were, none of them was included in the movie.

My first hit song was of course ‘Titli udi’ from Sooraj, which fetched me an award, Shankar-Jaikishan got a Filmfare award and Shailendra ji who wrote the words, got the award for lyrics. Since this was my first song, Shankar ji had asked Shailendra not to use any difficult words for this new singer. So the song is simple, but majestic. I did not imitate anyone. It was a simple straight song, that’s perhaps why it reached the listeners’ hearts. In film songs, voice ‘acting’ is important, to show the singer’s feelings. My second song ‘Woh pari kahan se laoon’ (Pehchan), the song from ‘Shatranj’ “Bakamma badkamma ikkad poto ra’, are fun songs.“Aayega kaun yahan” (Gumnaam), “Duniya ki sair kar lo” (Around the World), “Dekho mera dil machal gaya” (Sooraj), “Le ja leja mera dil” (Evening in Paris) have a happy mood, while “Chale jana zara thehro”, “Jaane bhi de sanam mijhe” (both Around the World) are in a romantic mood, “Jab bhi ye dil udaas hota hai” (Seema), “Tum ko sanam pukar ke” (Deewana) are straight from the heart.

Shankar-Jaikishan got me to sing a wide variety of songs.The experience of my first song was memorable and pleasant. Shankar ji got me to rehearse the song for a few days before, then his rehearsal with the musicians was so perfect, that the recording was a cake walk.

Some composers used to tell their singers to sing exactly as told, but both Shankar and Jaikishan used to allow a degree of liberty to their singers, according to the singer’s voice level. They used to accept the singer’s suggestions if that would improve the effect of the song. I like all their songs, but I personally like ‘Chale jaana zara thehro” the best.

Shankar and Jaikishan were really a duo that was a single soul in two bodies. They never bad-mouthed each other publicly, but since they were not just collaborators but even competitors, that resulted in an even greater variety. This is like a husband-wife team that jointly runs a house, in spite of differences in their natures. Shankar and Jaikishan were poles apart in their natures. Shankar-ji was quick tempered. Jaikishan ji was a glib talker. He was so handsome and naturally his young fans used to mob him. Shankar ji used to treat him like a younger brother.

As to my songs, most of my songs were simple and easy. I asked them why they gave me only simple songs, not any classical-based songs. Shankar ji used to say, “Wait. We will do it when a good composition comes along”. Such a composition did indeed come along, for which I had written the words. “Pyar ka geet hoon, hoton se laga lo mujhko”, but unfortunately it never got recorded.

After Jaikishan’s demise, many started jabbering against Shankar ji. His so-called friends not only deserted him, they even turned against him. Those whom he gave their break, helped with all heart, they turned their backs on him. Those who stayed with him, could only helplessly watch the downfall. Things like friendship in the film industry are nothing but self-interest-driven PR; this is the lesson both Shankar ji and well-wishers like me learned. Shankar ji did recover to some ectent after the shock of Jaikishan’s demise, but I never saw the supremely confident Shankar ji again.

He did sign some movies later on; I was going to sing some songs. One day he called me for a meeting with some producers, but I could not attend due to an already fixed appointment. And the next day, I heard this shocking news. Shankar ji was no more. The shock was devastating.

Shankar Jaikishan absolutely ruled the world of film music, everybody knows that. Whatever the merits or demerits of the movie, their music was honest. Their popularity was so high, at many events, fans used to converge around them, rather than around the hero and heroine; I have witnessed this myself.

One cannot ignore the important share of lyricists Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri, arranger Sebastian and others. But their success was the reason for ill-will in many. They were indeed the idol for their fans, but there was a lot of jealousy against them in the industry,

There was a lot of variety in Shankar ji’s work. He still wanted to do a lot of work, but his sudden death cut everything short. On this anniversary of his demise, I can only say that we will continue to enjoy the immortal music of Shankar ji, but the real tribute would be to preserve this unique treasure and ensure that it reaches as many in the future generations as possible…

– Sharda Rajan

Tribute to Jaikishan by Sharda

Jaikishenji was the noblest, kind-hearted person I have ever seen. Very soft spoken, full of compassion & care for others, he would not dream of hurting anyone..As pure as his heart, he wanted his life peaceful & full of joy. He was very fun loving & liked to enjoy having chums,His favorite restaurants being Gaylord in Churchgate & Bombellis in warden roadLike a shining shooting star, he will be there among a group of people with a huge crowd standing outside, drinking the ecstasy of his darshan…I have seen him many times, sitting in Bombellis in warden road, surrounded by friends whenever I drove thru that area… Off & on I used to go & join him having breakfast & we would talk about my progress. Evenings he would be in Gaylord … I have not gone there as many times as I have gone to Bombellis because evenings I would go to S J hall … But whenever I have gone there it would be a joy ride having discussions about music & enjoying the makings of a new hit.He would check up with me about my training sessions with Guruji & in the hall.He would catch me if I had played hookey & bunked the visits to the hall …‘ I hear you are not going to the hall regularly ?……May I know why ?…. He will ask.Oh, dear …. what to say!.‘ No Jai sab, I had some work last week ….‘Don’t break the training …….Sharda,……This is not something to take lightly. Be regular …..Guruji’s training is not enough ..You need to get into the ins & outs of singing a new song in the recordings!.‘ Yes, Jai sab… I will be regular & not miss.. I better not bunk, now ..I will not be able to answer Jai sab again..‘ But you are not coming …Everyone misses you, Jai sab..‘Yes. Sharda, you know, I want to be with my friends, in the evenings.I do come sometimes, in the morning. But you are not there .‘Oh, I go in the evenings Jaisab. But I will come in the morning. Tell me when you will come .. I will come .‘ It is alright .. Haan .. tomorrow I am coming .. … in the evening. Make sure, you are there … .‘Yes, Jai sab, definitely.‘ Tomorrow ‘ was a joyous day ….‘ Jai sab, I am having this get together at my place … Please come & honor me ..I will be serving idlis!.‘ Sure .. I won’t miss the idlis for anything. .. The party was total fun, with Shankersab & Jai sab, Raj Sab & other big producers whom Shankerji had invited I was having a magic carpet ride on a ‘ Whole new world ‘He also gave me valuable lessons whenever I made a visit to the restaurants to have a training session with him ..Sitting in the seats , with tea & goodies , talk about this & that , coming to titbits & technics in singing .. Small small tips which are very valuable & very very rare treasures….. the throw of the voice , the controlling of breathing & so on He had guided me on how to bring out words in a song ….It was his Diksha that gave me the idea of how to say Titli & I applied the golden lesson at the start of the song & in all the repeats of the mukhdas..Each song has a soul spot in which you have to give emphasis…That soul word has to be brought out with a special thrust.In Titli udi the soul spot was in ” Titli “And the first punch only did the magic. Like if I had sung just plain. Titli udi .. the whole song would have been lifelessBut I applied Jai sab’s tip & sang …TT…itt li udi .. & this little punch lifted the song…And later on, I had used his technic in many songs, like in Badkamma & others. In each Enkanna I had applied the push. The punch & push if you put in the right place the song gets the life..You have to apply as much power in your voice as to how far you want to throw it, like if you want to throw a ball, so much power you apply exactly which would be needed as to how far you want to throw the ball…………. You don’t want to throw it farther than you intended!..How can I thank you, Jaisab for making my, sorry, your Titli fly high .What great updesh they both had given me….simply priceless.At that time I could not absorb all that, but during the passage of time, I had worked, researched & realized the technics & have formulated a workout program capsule .. which is easy, simple & very effective.During this period we have met very often & been together many times, at functions parties shows & on other occasions the Jaikishen lighting up the scene by his wonderful personality..Suddenly, a devilish sinister black shadow descended upon them attacking them brutally from all the sides forcing them to find a strategy……fastThey were a team & were together. In a team, everyone is involved as deeply as the other no matter what work is done by who… In a war you don’t bother who shoots the enemy, it is the force .. that force is one & anyone can shoot & the point is the war is won by the force..S J was a force & they were together in that force ….In a war, you have to place your army in such a manner as to face the enemy surrounding them & make attacks & counter-attacks..This arrangement of the army is called vyuha, which were used in Mahabharat yudh & other Indian wars. There are many different vyuhas &. the commander in chief selects the vyuha according to the reports brought by the spies as to what sort of attack enemy is planning & what vyuha they are arranging. This vyuha will cover the opposite army in a proper way piercing thro the enemy army from all the sides..Jaisab worked out a strategy, forming a half circle vyuha to face the attack, making two different routes for both of them to proceed & tackle the enemy. They made an arrangement that Shankerji will manage the side of ‘ like Sharda ‘ producers & Jaisab will manage ‘ hate Sharda ‘ producers ….. This will prevent the ‘ hate Sharda ‘ producers from going away ……..Jai sab did not want to antagonize the opposition & invite more wreaths..If no one bothered about S J making me sing if there were no angry retaliation from the opposition, why would they have to work separately? Wouldnt they have been continuing like the way they were doing, before? .Now as per the new arrangement, they both started to work separately, which created some misconceptions about their work.Jaikishenji’s heart was very komal, kind & soft. His love for Shankerji was pure & steadfast. He was not able to come to terms with this new development. His pain & hurt of standing apart from Shankerji was unbearable to him & it made him turn to drink doomsville ….He was not at all overdrinking during Shree 420. Jis desh days & others.Why would he suddenly fall prey to this habit?.Who wanted to put this noble soul in such a dilemma …who wanted him to separate from Shankerji. who wanted to break this Godly jodi?……………………..Whichever female force majboored him to stand apart from Shankerji, that force did not win, after all. He never let them win. The force had to accept defeat..He could have avoided this pain by bowing & giving in to the demand, which wanted him to break up with Shankerji & give music in his own name,…just Jaikishen .But he would never think of it ……He suffered & suffered inwardly but would not bend down..HE SHOWED THE WHOLE WORLD THAT HE WOULD RATHER DIE THAN BREAK UP WITH SHANKERJI. HE DROWNED HIMSELF IN A DISASTROUS PIT REFUSING TO BOW DOWN TO THE PRESSURES BROUGHT UPON HIM.And he went as the same Jaikishen he was in 1947 ..the darling of ShankerjiThe joy of Shanker Jaikishen … Not just Jaikishen..There are rules in war also .. You must not attack anyone in the not approved manner. But here this war was not a Dharam war .. This was an Adharam war, most devilish war. All sorts of dirty tactics were applied in this war …….Shankerji & Jaikishenji both high principled, golden-hearted persons, will not stoop so low as to fight an indecent war ..Facing all sorts of mean, dirty cunning strategies they both had a testing time…If only music directors were not given the treatment of a criminal if they made other singers sing in their movies… Shankerji would not have been made to face so many atrocities. Jaikishenji would not have been made to work separately in a suicidal plan.They would not have been made to tear their paths in order to face the tornado ………………………………….Was it so disastrous if some music director takes songs with some new singers that people should attack him with so much force & vengeance? Using all sorts of dirty lowly tactics? And people saying that Shankerji had to suffer because he made Sharda sing? As if he had committed an unspeakable crime by making Sharda sing!.If only people were not so mean & cruel but be human enough as to let others also live …have a small place in the film industry & sing a few songs …what they would have lost? Ultimately we all need nothing but 6 feet of land in the end!Instead of abetting the loving team to work separately & driving Jaikishenji into an untimely end…………Shankerji did not have an iota of an idea that how Jaikishenji is letting himself being sucked into this drink pit so precipitously. Being a teetotaller himself, his evenings were not spent in the company of double-faced chameleons & cunning scoundrelsHe was spending his time going to the hall religiously, drowning in his work, composing new new tunes & discovering new phrases in music..Only, if he had some knowledge about what was going on in Jai sab’s territory, he would have definitely discouraged Jai sab from falling in the pit & saved him…. .. won’t you prefer foes than having friends like this who push you to your doom, when you are passing thru a painful period?…….. Shankerji realized the severeness of the damage when it has taken too deep a root …..his own heartbreaking in pieces, beyond repair …..bringing tears in his never got wet eyes …Jaikishenji became the Abhimanyu in the vyuha he himself created.In the prime of his life, in the peak of his carrier, leaving the whole of India in uncontrollable unforgettable grief pulling himself away from lacs & lacs of loving hands, he goes ……………………….All the blows which Shanker sab was made to take so far did not shake him one bit … But this blow hit him hard. His iron heart cracked ……..And tears fell from his eyes for the first time ………..Don’t humans have human hearts in their chests?….Cheers …. become tears

Trivial facts about Shanker Jaikishan Part-II

Taken from different compilations of trivials by

Abhay Acharekar and Lakshmi K Tummala

• 56. SJ may have the highest mukhdas of their songs later converted to movie titles:”Lal Dupatta malmal ka””Raja ki aayegi baraat””Tumse achha kaun hai””Kashmir ki Kali””Aa gale lag jaa””Aan Milo Sajna””Tumko na bhool payenge””Kuch kuch hota hai””Nain mile chain kahan””Aaja Sanam””Aa ab laut chale””Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani””Main Ashiq hoon baharon ka””Mujhe meri biwisi bachao””Kaun hai jo sapnon mein aaya””Bol Radha Bol””Buddha Mil Gaya””Dil ke Jharonke mein””Gustakhi Maaf”
• 57. Lata Mangeshkar and Jaikishan were both born in 1929. Shankar was elder.
• 58. MadanMohan, Deven Verma, Satish Wagle were Jaikishan’s very close friends and they met regularly at Gaylord’s near Churchgate, Mumbai. MadanMohan can be seen in key roles in Satish Wagle’s “Pyar Hi Pyar” and “Yaar Mera.”
• 59. SJ utilized Rafi and Mukesh for all three Kapoor brothers: Raj Kapoor had a Rafi song in “Ek Dil Sau Afsane” & “Mera Naam Joker” Shammi Kapoor had a Mukesh song in “Ujala” and “Singapore” Mukesh sang one song for Shashi Kapoor in “Insaniyat”
• 60. SJ had Mahendra Kapoor playback for Dev Anand in “Roop Ki Rani CHoron Ka Raja” (Yes, I have the video of the movie. It’s a fact!)
• 61. Sushama Shreshta was introduced by SJ in “Andaz” and also sang in “Seema” She later sang as Poornima. Ramesh Sippy and Salim-Javed of “Sholay” fame also started with “Andaz.”
• 62. SJ were signed for the following movies originally: “Bobby,” “Seeta Aur Geeta” I remember clearly having seen ads to that effect in Screen. Unfortunately, I did not save those issues.
• 63. Guru Dutt had one only movie as a lead actor with SJ: “Sanjh aur Savera” But his younger brother had a close relationship with SJ: Shikar, Chanda aur Bijli, Umang, Yaar Mera and Resham Ki Dori.
• 64. Besides Dattaram and Sebastian, SJ also had other assistants like Sonny Castellino (Awara), Dheeraj (Sanyasi), Enoch Daniels (Kaanch Ki Deewar, Gori, Krishna Krishna
• 65. SJ composed background music for a documentary at the peak of their career in 1967. The docmentary was “Everest” and narrated the expedition by Nawang Gombu’s team. Incidentally, this team included Dr Telang as a team doctor.
• 66. Shatrughan Sinha sang “Mera Joota hai japani” at a function in 1972 under Shankar’s supervision.
• 67. Sudha Malhotra sang the “Chori Chori” duets with Manna Dey during the 1957 function for 1956 FF awards.
• 68. Shankar composed Indian classical tunes for AIR Delhi in the late seventies.
• 69. Shankar liked Hitchcock film music.
• 70. Shankar was a master at playing several instruments. He could play the piano, the harmonium, the sitar, and the pakhawaj with ease. Born in Punjab, he migrated to Andhra Pradesh at a very young age. He had been a dancer in Krishna Kutty’s troupe.
• 71. Jaikishan was a master harmonium-player.
• 72. Shankar-Jaikishan approached Raj Kapoor, who was on a lookout out for new composer for Barsaat. Kapoor had noticed them as musicians earlier.
• 73. Coming to their working style, the duo mostly composed the tune first, since they felt it prevented monotony, as poets tended to write songs most of the time to just two or three metres.
• 74. Lyricists Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri were masters at writing in-depth lyrics to S-J’s tunes, and the composers worked with them mostly. For a couple of films they worked with lyricist Rajinder Krishan. Most of the time Jaikishan tuned with Hasrat, and Shankar with Shailendra.
• 75. Shankar-Jaikishan were on the RK Films pay-roll even when another composer did an occasional film.
• 76. They were awarded the Padmashri in 1969.
• 77. As S-J, they did 121 films, and later Shankar did about 30 films more.
• 78. The duo released a non-film record, Raga Jazz Time in the 60s and composed Hindi songs and the background score for the English film Bombay Talkie (1971).
• 79. Their music boosted the careers of Raj Kapoor, Nargis and Rajendra Kumar, and gave the ‘Yahoo’ image to Shammi Kapoor.
• 80. Through their songs popularized instruments like the violin (‘Jaane kahan gaye who din…’ – Mera Naam Joker), the piano (‘Dost dost na raha…’ – Sangam, ‘Dil ke jharaonkhe mein…’ – Brahmachari) and the accordion (‘Awara hoon…’ -Awara).
• 81. Way back in 1965, S-J charged a record-breaking rupees five lakhs making them the highest-paid music directors ever.

Trivial facts about Shanker Jaikishan Part-I

Taken from different compilations of trivials by

Lakshmi K Tummala
Abhay Acharekar

1) Asrani can be seen in the first row of chorus in the song, “Ab kahan jayen hum..” in’Ujala.’ He also appears in the movie, “Hare Kaanch ki Chudiyan” but we always think of his debut as “Umang”2) Subhash Ghai lip-synched on several songs partially in ‘Umang’ but also “sang” the Rafi song completely in the same film, “Baabul kaun ghadi..”3) Jaya Bhaduri never had the opportunity to sing a song of SJ. However, Jaya acted on the Asli Naqli song “Tujhe jeevan ki dor se” in Guddi with Dharmendra.4) Amitabh never had the opportunity to sing a song of SJ. BUt Shankar’s favorite dummy words “Tandana Tandana..” became a mukhda of his (LP) song where he mimicked Mehmood.”Tandana Tandana..” words were first heard in “MayurPankh” and later in “Gumnaam”5) “Gumnaam” becomes the only film ever that had music influenced by a Hollywood film and that influenced a Hollywood film in return! The two films are “Charade” and “Ghost World” respectively.6) “Gumnaam” had Mehmood singing “Bhai Battoor..” which later became a song in Padosan.Mehmood also sang “Lal ghoda..” in “Shatranj” which became a full-fledged song in “Kunwaara Baap”7) “Ram Teri..” song “Sun Sayba..” is influenced by “I love you..” from “Sangam”8) The tune for “Jaane kahan gaye woh din…” was first heard in background music of “Jis Desh mein…”9) The Goan tune for “Na maagoo sona chandi..” was first heard in background music of “Awara.” It was played just before the song “Dum bhar jo udhar moonh phere”10) “Jaaon kahan bata ai dil” from “Chhoti Bahen” was influenced by the title music of “New Delhi”11) “Mora nadaan balma” from “Ujala” was influenced by the title music of “Mayurpankh”12) “Kisiki muskuraton pe” from “Anari” was influenced by the background music of “Shree 420″13) “Sambhal ke karna..” tune from “Ek Phool Char Kaante” was used in the background of “Golmaal” by RDB very often. SDB also used a tune from the same movie in “Chupke Chupke”14) Besides Rajendra Kishan who wrote lyrics for “College Girl,” SJ also utilized the service of lyricist Deepak in “Boot Polish” when Shailendra was alive.15) Though Shailendra was associated with Shanker, it was Hasrat Jaipuri who wrote the lyrics in Shanker’s solo venture, “Street Singer” produced by Chandrashekhar. Hasrat Jaipuri also appears in the movie. Shanker did so under the pseudonym, Suraj. The other movie he composed music for, under this name was the Marathi, “Tee Mee Navhech.”16) Jaikishan appears in “Main Sundar Hoon” with Anand Bakshi, his only film with SJ.17) Gulshan Bawra appears in two songs of SJ in “Beimaan” and “Jungle Mein Mangal.” He did not write lyrics for these movies but wrote lyrics for other SJ films like “Chori Chori,” (new) “Jaane Anjaane,” and “Aan Baan.”18) Neeraj acted on the song “Paise ki Pehchan..” in the film “Pehchan” and also wrote the lyrics for the same.19) Neeraj and Hasrat Jaipuri teamed together for SJ in the film “Dil Daulat Duniya” for a song. Later they also wrote all the lyrics for all songs of “Jungle mein Mangal.” The results weren’t great. I like the song “Tum Kitni khoobsoorat” They also wrote lyrics for Usha Khanna’s “Paani mein jale mera gora badan..” in “Munimji” (1973).20) “Kismat Ka Khel” had a Lata song with dummy words that sounded like “Echo Echo..” Years later, Shanker used similar words in a song in “Naari” which happened to be the only SJ song sung by Yesudas (with Amit Kumar), “Neeche zameen, upar gagan..”21) Director Prayaag Raaj yelled “Yahoo..” in the “Junglee” song whereas Shanker was responsible for “Ayaya Sukoo Sukoo..” Prayag Raaj later acted in “Bombay Talkie and also directed “Insaniyat” starring Shashi Kapoor and Madhu.22) Dattaram lip-synched for the song, “Tum mere pyar ki..” from “Bombay Talkie” acting as a playback singer.23) SJ were responsible for Usha Iyer’s first film songs in “Bombay Talkie” and this was about two years before her success in “Hare Rama Hare Krishna.”24) Ustad Ali Akbar Khan played the sarod in “Suno Chhotisi Gudiya ki..” Pannalal Ghosh played the flute in “Main piya teri..”Hazara Singh played the electric guitar in “Tera teer..”Manohari played the saxophone in “bedardi Balma..”25) Bappi Lahiri’s father Aparesh Lahiri sang an SJ song in “Badshah” (I have not heard this one.)26) Famous classical singer Bhimsen Joshi sang a jugalbandi in “Basant Bahar” with Manna Dey.27) Anuradha Paudwal, Alka Yagnik, Chandrani Mukerjee, Sharda, Dilraj Kaur all sang “Ari o sakhi..” for SJ together in “Kaanch ki Deewar.” Lead Stars Sanjeev Kumar, Smita Patil and Shanker all died within months after the release of the movie.28) “Gaya Bachpan..” from “Ankhon Ankhon Mein” was the last song recorded by Jaikishan.29) The movie “Preetam” has title music that is the same as that of “Mere Sanam” of OP Nayyar. The movie was released just a few months after Jaikishan died. Does anyone have an idea why? The producer of the movie was Bhappi Sonie.30) The first SJ movie without a Lata song was “Boot Polish.” It was also the only movie of SJ with RK without a Mukesh song!31) Aarti Mukerjee sang a song for SJ in “Boy Friend” in 1960 and the next SJ song that she sang was in 1974 for “Neelma.”32) Joy Mukerjee had SJ music only in two movies: “Love in Tokyo” & “Love in Bombay”33) The first RK Films movie to win a Filmfare Award was ‘Mera Naam Joker,” the last SJ movie of SJ with Raj Kapoor was the hero!34) Omprakash, the actor, directed the Raj Kapoor starrer “Kanhaiyya” produced by his brother, Pachhi. Pachhi also produced “Around the World” and “International Crook” in which Omprakash got to sing songs on screen!35) SJ had the privilege of composing music for the only complete original color film starring Madhubala, “Jwala.”36) The first color film for which SJ composed music was “MayurPankh” starring Kishore Sahu.37) SJ composed music for several films shot on foreign locations and provided music to suit the mood: Sangam, Pyar Mohabat, Naina, Dharti, An Evening in Paris, Love in Tokyo, International Crook, Singapore, Around the World, Saazish.. International Crook was shot in Alaska.38) SJ composed music for the first 70mm film in India: “Around the World.”39) “Dream Girl is coming” was what the posters said when “Sapnon Ka Saudagar” was about to release. SJ were amongst those who chose her for the role.40) The last SJ film to have multiple songs played on Binaca Geetmala was “Sanyasi.”41) “Krishna Krishna” is the only mythological film for which SJ composed music.42) Shammi Kapoor heads the list of SJ leading men. Rajendra Kumar comes a distant second. Vyjayanthimala heads the list of SJ leading women.43) The only Dev Anand song sung by Kishore Kumar for SJ was “Dooriyan Nazdikiyan” in “Duniya.”44) “Zindagi Ek Safar hai suhana..” from “Andaz” has three voice versions: Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhonsale and Mohd Rafi.45) Hemant Kumar’s daughter Rano Mukerjee sang a few songs for SJ in the mid seventies in “Saazish,” “Resham Ki Dori,” and “International Crook.” The song that she sang for”International Crook” was not used in that film but instead found its way in the film, “Eent ka Jawab Patthar.” The song was “Poochha jo pyar kya hai..” with Kishore Kumar.46) The film “Dur Nahin Manzil” was first assigned to Roshan who died. Later SJ were signed for the same and Jaikishan died during its making. Suman Kalyanpur had sung the title song for Roshan. She also sang for SJ in the film: “Bezuban dil shor na..” The heroine was originally Nutan. She had acted in producer Hari Valia’s earlier venture, “Laatsaab” but due to a misunderstanding with Sanjeev Kumar, she stepped out and was replaced by Bindu’s sister (and Laxmikant’s sister-in-law) Reshma.47) Mohd Rafi sang two non-film English songs for SJ. They were uploaded on the site earlier.48) SJ’s first HMV LP Album had a picture of them with their two 1959 White Impala cars with fins and also their Filmfare awards.49) HMV had released a Lata LP in which all songs were composed by SJ. The songs included: “Bol ri Kathputli..” “Mohabat ki Daastan..” “Jeevan ke do rahe pe khade..”50) Anuradha Paudwal did a cover version of Lata songs for SJ for T-Series. Later, HMV released a cassette with almost the same original songs.51) Almost all SJ films were from HMV. SJ’s first movie album to be released for Polydor (now Music India) was “Love in Bombay.” “Archana” was also on Polydor. “Chorni” was with INRECO.52) There is a chowk (street junction) called “Shanker Jaikishan Chowk” close to Eros Theatre in Mumbai.53) Some of the lead dual roles in SJ films:Shararat Kishore Kumar An Evening in Paris Sharmila TagoreBhai Bhai Sunil DuttChhote Sarkar Shammi KapoorMahfil SadhanaAtmaram Shatrughan SinhaYakeen DharmendraGaram Khoon Vinod Khanna54)Some non Hindi words in SJ songs:Kali Ghata: Il ya Belle…Shree 420: Rammaiyya vastavayya…Singapore: Rasa Sayang re…Junglee: Yahoo!…Sangam: I love you…Love in Tokyo: Sayonara…Pyar Mohabat: Hooray Hooray.. Aman: Puru sato Japan..Shatranj: Badkamma Ikkad po tora..Garam Khoon: Penelope…Eent Ka jawab Patthar:

6Jagadish Tc, Tamal Kanti Pal and 4 others1 Comment1 Share

We have never listened to Mahendra Kapoor’s songs by paying attention or listening

Read the Gujrati feature here.

IF SOMEONE CAN HELP US BY TRANSLATING IT INTO ENGLISH AND HINDI

Courtesy Link

https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/gujarati/midday+gujarati-epaper-midguj/mahendr+kapurana+gitone+aapane+dhyan+daine+ke+kan+daine+sambhalya+j+nathi-newsid-n231075584?s=a&uu=0x373e9d56e697b9e4&ss=wsp&fbclid=IwAR1jBvAATcxDGYOMrt6qq1-uXBm5Dv9iyPvVaKAxLl1gOt77OAvVBHuR1RI

The songs of Barsaat were instrumental in Lata Mangeshkar’s climb to the top as a playback singer.

Mehboob’s Andaaz (1949) made Raj a top star and in the same year it was the passionate romance Barsaat which really reckoned Raj Kapoor as a director of much merit. Barsaat, a runaway hit, also brought to the limelight new music directors Shankar-Jaikishen, lyricists Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri and the actress Nimmi. The raw passion between Raj Kapoor and Nargis in Barsaat shot with a beautiful almost poetic use of light and shade drove audiences wild. The music of the film was hummed across the nation and along with Andaaz and Mahal that year, the songs were instrumental in Lata Mangeshkar’s climb to the top as a playback singer. In fact Raj Kapoor’s musical sense and feel for rhythm and involvement in music sittings have ensured the highest quality of music in his films.

The fifties saw Raj Kapoor’s greatest work as a Producer‑Director besides establishing himself as one of India’s biggest ever film stars along with Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar-the Trimurthi! Awaara (1951), the tale of a vagabond was perhaps his greatest triumph and was released in Russia as Bradyaga to unprecedented success. It’s dream sequence with huge statues set amongst the clouds to the strains of Nargis dancing to Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi is a cine-east’s delight even today! With Awaara, Raj Kapoor created the Chaplinisque tramp, an allegory for the innocent state of mind of the post Independent Indian. This image was used once again in Shree 420 (1955) tracing the corruption of an innocent soul who comes to the city to make his living. In fact. many of Raj’s other films look at the naove simple hero used by a cruel and corrupt society like Anadi (1959).

After his break up with Nargis (their last film together was AVM’s Chori Chori (1956) though she did do a in Jaagte Raho (1956). Chori Chori was directed by Anant Thakur and produced by AVM Film company from Madras. This could explain why the film was based in the South as the hero and heroine travel all over the countryside from Madras to Bangalore. Chori Chori was inspired by Frank Capra’s 1934 comedy-It Happened One Night starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. This kind of comedy was a genre that was extremely popular in the 1930s till the grim realities of World War II made their presence felt. Comedies generally worked on the battle of the sexes as the hero and heroine gave it to each other before finally falling in love. Their bickering and fighting with each other as they exchanged barbs and double entendres is what constituted the fun element of the film.

The key character in this battle of the sexes would be the heiress. She was often dizzy, saucy, flighty who fled from homes, jilted bridegroom at the altar and generally carried on with total disregard for the existence of breadlines and unemployment. Thus she was used humorously in such films as an object of contempt and ridicule. Of course by the end of the film not only does the hero snag the heiress but through him she is also humanized to see normal life and normal people quite unlike herself. And when she has to escape with the hero when her father’s detectives land up there is by behaving normal, as the normal wife of the normal hero. And during the film the hero takes on the weight of becoming the very image of the people revealing them in the process of revealing himself to the haughty, upper class heroine.

Chori Chori is a typical example of what constitutes a road film. While a popular genre in Hollywood, India has never really embraced this format and the efforts have been few-Bombay to Goa (1972) or Dil Hai ki Maanta Nahin (1992) which incidentally was also a remake of It Happened One Night and Roman Holiday combined.

Perhaps this is so because the road is an enduring theme in American culture. The road movie I in this regard like the musical or the Western, a Hollywood genre that catches peculiarly American dreams, tensions and anxieties.

Nargis is a revelation in the film as the dizzy heiress. She proves she can play screwball comedy as effectively as she could her intense dramatic roles. It is a fine perfomance with her sense of comic timing spot on. See her as the puppet in the Jahaan Main Jaati Hoon song. It is Nargis’s sense of razor sharp timing that offsets her inability. She carries off the song sequence excellently by her expressions. Raj Kapoor of course had born comic talent. He is absolutely perfect in the role of the impoverished journalist Sagar. Chori Chori marks yet another land-mark in Raj Kapoor’s illustrious acting career.  Pran does his familiar bad man turn with relative ease. They are more than strongly supported by the comic element of the film-Gope, Johnny Walker and Bhagwan.

Chori Chori represents some of the finest work of Shankar-Jaikishen in their entire career. The evergreen musical score with lyrics by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri ensured Shankar-Jaikishen their first ever Filmfare Award for Best Music. The film has brilliant songs with each song better than the other. First and foremost are the two all time great Lata Mangeshkar-Manna Dey romantic duets Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi and Aaja Sanam Madhur Chandni Mein Hum. With Mukesh trying his hand to be an actor this was the phase when Manna Dey briefly sang as the voice of Raj Kapoor in films like Shree 420 and Chori Chori.

As one hears Manna Dey one cannot but think sadly that the film industry never really gave this great singer his due. He was always regarded a poor second to Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore, Talat or Hemant Kumar which is a pity because Manna Dey was such a fine singer with an extremely strong classical base himself. Lata Mangeshkar of course leaves her stamp on the film with perhaps her greatest sad song ever-Rasik Balma. It is perhaps technically the best composition of the film and the emotion and pathos with which Lata renders this song is unbelievable. Only such a gifted singer could give such expression to words like Lata could

While Raj Kapoor continued to explore social issues-Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (with Padmini & Pran) (1960) or complex human relationships-Sangam (Raj-Rajendra Kumar-Vyjayantimala) (1964) there is a marked difference in his treatment of the heroine who became a sex object with a high accent on her physical attributes! Reverting back to the Chaplinisque image, Kapoor made his magnum opus Mera Naam Joker (Raj-Kapoor, Dharmendra, Rajednra Kumar, Dara Singh, Manoj Kumar, Padmini, Simmi, Sonia Sahni, Pran, Rishi Kapoor) (1970) about the circus-joker who laughs on the outside and cries within and though absolutely brilliant in parts (particularly the first chapter of the adolescent hero discovering love and sex) the film, a highly self indulgent exercise flopped miserably at the box office shattering him.

slice taken from

https://hmkverma.wordpress.com/2012/12/29/the-dream-factory-100-years-of-hindi-cinema-chapter-9/

About a magnum opus WATTAN which got shelved

Image courtesy Hasan Zaheer

‘Wattan’ was a ambitious movie being produced in late 70s by a ambitious producer A.A.M.Noorani who originally was a business tycoon and native of Muscat, UAE, but was fascinated so much by Indian movies that he decided to take nationality of India and to settle down in Bollywood with the sole ambition of becoming a high profile producer. In mid 70s he came to Mumbai(Bombay then) and studied the film production business to understand the nuances of making dreams on celluloid after which he launched his maiden venture Wattan at a grand scale. He signed stars like Ashok Kumar, Sunil Dutt, Amjad Khan, Sanjiv Kumar, Sanjay Khan, Rekha, Reena Roy, Premnath, Ranjeet, Shakti Kapoor etc for Wattan. It was to be directed by Kanak Mishra and music was being composed by Shankar-Jaikishan. Around 7 reels were shot till mid of 1978 along with recording of 5 songs out of which two were picturized. The movie was based on mutiny of 1857 which was the first struggle for freedom. Ashok Kumar, the protagonist, was playing the last Mughal King Bahadur Shah Zafar, whereas Sunit Dutt was playing a poet who was compelled to leave his pen and hold a sword for the love for his motherland. Rekha was playing his love interest on whom Amjad Khan was having a eye.Sanjay Khan was playing the role of a messenger who use to deliver messages in return of a loaf of bread or blanket.Sanjiv Kumar was playing as Mirza Ghalib. The movie was being made on a grand scale before it got shelved down unceremoniously. The reason perhaps was the untimely demise of producer Abdul Abbas Mohammad Noorani.

Prithvi Theatres and Shankar Jaikishan

Album of songs used in Prithvi Theatres

Courtesy Abhay Acharekar

Shankar Jaikishan in a play PATHAN of PRITHVI THEATRES

Prthvirajkapoor with Shankar Jaikishan and Hasrat Jaipuri during #Barsaat (1949) photo courtesy Lakshmi K. Tummala

Who other than Shankar Jaikishan

INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT TRIVIA WHICH WAS COMPOSED BY Sonu Kumar & later reproduced by late Pradeep Kumar Gupta

FROM SHRI (now late )PRADEEP GUPTA A MEMBER OF shankarjaikishan group on Yahoo

photo courtesy Akhtar Jaipuri (son of lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri )

A new thread of our beloved SHANKAR-JAIKISHAN’S success is going to tell us altogether a different story. Just look at the the fabulous record of their grand success:
1. SJ left an impact on the fraternity of music directors that several music directors like LP, RDB, KA, Usha Khanna, Nadeem Shravan and Anu Malik proudly declared them as their idols;
2. Film’s having SJ music got total 27 Film Fare Awards and 2 National Awards;
3. Mohd. Rafi got six Film Fare Awards out of which 3 were for SJ songs;
4. Mukesh got 4 Film Fare Awards out of which 3 were for SJ songs;
5. Manna Dey got his only Film Fare Award for SJ songs;
6. Hasrat, Shailendra, Neeraj got all their Film Fare Awards for SJ songs;
7. Asha Bhosle got maximum Film Fare Awards under the baton of SHANKAR-JAIKISHAN (RDB);
8. Manna Dey won National Awards twice, both times for SJ songs.
Non of the music composers mentioned hereabove and others as well could out perform them in terms of no. of awards they bagged. Just do the simple calculation. LP, KA, RDB gave music atleast twice the no. of movies done by the duo, but still they all are far behind of our beloved SJ. Even the younger generation, which claims ARR to have equalled SJ bagging nine FFA is in fact far behind of them in terms of their grandeur.
HARI ANANT HARI KATHA ANANTA.
With best regards.
Sincerely yours
Pradeep Kumar Gupta

Late Pradeep Kumar Gupta a die hard Shankar Jaikishan fan