O P Nayyar - Nothing but the Truth
Renu Thamma
This article appears on the Filmfare site, along with some nice articles
on Guru Dutt, Smita Patil (whose 10th death anniversary was on Dec 13th,
1996) and Dev Anand & journalism. There is also one on the making of
Deewaar. Makes some interesting reading. The URL for this article is -
http://www.filmfare.com/site/jan97/nost.htm
Renu.
--
Nothing but the truth
by Anuradha Choudhary
The voice at the other end says crisply, "Yes, I'm O.P. Nayyar."
I can barely believe that at long last, I've tracked down the elusive
composer whose music has brought so much cheer in our lives. For nearly
six months, all inquiries about his whereabouts had drawn a blank. It
would have been easier to find a needle in a haystack.
And then he appeared on a TV programme. So I resolved to do a Hercule
Poirot on the missing maestro. I put the clues together and there he was,
speaking to me right at this moment.
"Are you still there?" the voice asks as I prepare to do my journalistic
number. "Yes sir, we'd like to do an interview with you," I state
hesitantly. "You should know that I don't do interviews. I don't trust
journalists. They've always backstabbed me by misquoting me," the voice
reprimands me.
Unstymied, I try again. I can't give up now... just when I've traced him
to a hotel in Juhu.. I cajole him gently. He gives in but only after
extracting a promise that I won't misquote him. I assure him that he
needn't worry.
The next day, I tap at his hotel room door. And I'm face to face with
history. Here's the legend who was responsible for such unforgettable
songs as Ello main hari piya (Aar Paar), Kahin pe nigahen kahin pe nishana
(C.I.D), Maang ke saath tumhara (Naya Daur), Aaiye meherban baithiye
jaanejaan (Howrah Bridge), Zara holle holle challo more sajna (Sawan Ki
Ghata), Chain se humko kabhi (Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye)...
The trademark hat is in place. He's taller than I'd expected and
exceptionally striking looking. His eyes radiate the kind of warmth which
immediately puts me at ease.
We are seated and I narrate the ordeal I had to go through to find him. He
laughs full-throatedly and explains that he's been out of bounds because
he no longer lives in his four-room flat at Marine Drive. He's been
estranged from his family for about eight years. He has even switched his
profession. Now, he practises homeopathy, travelling to the far-flung
corners to heal patients.
Apart from third degree cancer and T.B., I've cured all other illnesses,"
he states casually. "Because of my chosen profession, I'm always on the
move. Whenever I'm in Mumbai, I always stay at this hotel. Not many people
know about this.
" He tells me that I can ask him any question under the sun and he would
answer frankly. There's so much to quiz him about but I don't know where
to begin. I'm like a child who doesn't know what to pick from a chocolate
box.
I make a random choice and ask him about how and why he entered the
movies. Without a pause, he rewinds to the halcyon pre- Partition days in
Lahore when, he laughs, a peg of whisky would cost a mere eight annas.
In 1944, Onkar Prasad Nayyar was all of 18. Studies didn't interest him.
Instead women were his fascination and music his passion. So he dropped
out of college to dabble in music. His first compositions--Pritam aan milo
and Kaun nagar tera door thikana--were sung by his friend C.H. Atma. When
he took these to HMV, the recording company, promptly released the songs
on its least popular label, Regal.
"Those days, the company used to have three labels--Regal, Columbia and
HMV," the man of the music reminisces. "I was paid Rs 40, a fairly
princely sum in those days for two songs. But nothing much came out of the
venture. Then in 1946 I started teaching music at a school in Patiala. But
teaching wasn't really my cup of tea. So I gave it up."
Following Partition, the Nayyars shifted base from Lahore to Amritsar.
After trying out few odd jobs, in 1949, O.P. armed with dreams, boarded a
train to Mumbai...
Here he met producer-director Krishan Kewal who was making Kaneez. Ghulam
Haider and Hansraj Behl were the film's music directors. "But the
background music of the film was composed by O.P. Nayyar," he says
proudly. "I was paid Rs 1000. I thought I'd made it but I was sadly
mistaken. I couldn't find work for days. So I returned to Amritsar, I
started teaching once again. I had resigned myself to a life of
anonymity."
Fortuitously, O.P. met his school friend classmate (S.N. Bhatia,
proprietor of a chemist shop in Lahore) who had close connections with
producer Dalsukhan Pancholi, the major domo of the Punjab film industry.
But Pancholi wasn't impressed immediately. "He took one look at me and
threw me out," the maestro smiles with unconcealed irony.
In 1951, Pancholi released Nagina starring Nutan and Nasir Khan. The songs
in the film were sung by C.H. Atma. The film was released at the Regal
theatre in Delhi. O.P.Nayyar narrates, "See, how destiny works. At the
theatre, Pancholi met my friend Bhatia in the cloakroom. Bhatia complained
that though he'd recommended C.H. Atma and me to Pancholi, he'd only
selected the singer... and that he'd missed out on a promising composer.
"Pancholi immediately asked to see me. Bhatia sent me a telegram to come
down to Delhi immediately. That also happened to be the day of my
marriage, incidentally. I reached Delhi and Pancholi had already signed me
as the music director of his next film Aasman... even though he'd had a
successful partnership with Shanker-Jaikishan."
Followed P.L. Santoshi's Chham Chhama Chham and Guru Dutt's Baaz. "I was
excited," O.P. rewinds. "Santoshi dropped Naushad to accommodate me...
while Guru Dutt who never worked with anyone but S.D. Burman opted for me.
The stories of all my first three films were in some way related to the
sky... and all three of them were super-flops. I literally fell from the
skies. Needless to say, I was shown the door again."
Dejected, O.P. wanted to pack his bags and leave for Amritsar. He went to
Guru Dutt for a pending payment of Rs 3000. "I had no money to even feed
my family. But Guru Dutt refused to pay me. He said he was broke. I told
him to sell his possessions to pay me my dues. He was furious at the very
suggestion and told me to leave. But producer K.K. Kapoor of Kardar
Productions intervened. He advised him to sign me for Aar Paar as
compensation for my dues. Guru Dutt agreed and also paid me Rs 2000 as
advance."
Aar Paar was a winner. O.P. Nayyar became a household name. Today, he
narrates an anecdote about the days of making music for Guru Dutt. When
he'd composed Babuji dheere chalna, the actor- producer-director liked the
mukhda but wanted drastic changes in the antara.
"I told him to change the situation and I'd change the tune," O.P. says.
"But he was adamant. So after a week, I took the very same tune to him and
told him that I'd made the necessary changes. He heard it and said it was
perfect. Really Guru Dutt could be stupid at times.
"One day, while shooting for Mr and Mrs 55, he called me and asked me
whether I liked the picturisation of a song. I told him I didn't like the
camera angles. He asked me, `What do you know about the camera anyway?'
And I asked him, `What do you know about music?' After that day, he
stopped interfering with my music."
In a career spanning 25 years, O.P.Nayyar composed an entire treasury of
memorable melodies. "But I'm an illiterate in music," he says, almost
startling me out of my chairs. "I can't even read the notations or the
basic alphabets of music. When I composed Phir wohi dil laya hoon, my
friend Ustad Amir Khan was so taken in by the song that he refused to
believe that I hadn't learnt music formally. He said it was impossible to
put together a song like that one without knowing music... I guess
whatever I composed was God's gift to me."
Music circles have always wondered why O.P.Nayyar didn't use the voice of
Lata Mangeshkar... not even once. "I was successful without Lata's voice,"
he tells me proudly, adding, "I have no doubts that Lata is a great
artiste. I've never had any problems with her. And that's the truth. It's
just that her thin, thread- like voice wasn't suitable for my
compositions. Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle were my kind of
singers. They made my songs come alive."
Clearly Asha Bhosle was his trump card. Together they created magic. In an
association spanning 70 films, they scaled new heights in music. "I
moulded Asha's voice and gave her style and respectability," he states
without mincing any words. "Till then, composers had considered her fit
only for cabaret numbers. I fought with film- makers for her. When B.R.
Chopra signed me for Naya Daur, he insisted that I should take Lata
Mangeshkar. I refused point blank. I stood my ground and told him that it
was either Asha and me or Lata Mangeshkar. He decided on Asha and me.
"But mind you, I'm not saying this to take credit for Asha's success. She
is truly a very gifted singer. I couldn't have done much if she didn't
have the talent. "
At this point, I ask a thorny question... Isn't it true that he sorely
neglected Geeta Dutt in her later years in favour of Asha Bhosle?
Candidly, he replies, "You see, at that time Asha and I were emotionally
involved. Asha objected to my working with other singers. She made me
promise that I wouldn't work with anyone else but her. Since I was
involved with her, I agreed. I deeply regret the fact that I neglected
Geeta. But there were certain songs which only Asha could have sung."
Discussing his relationship with Asha Bhosle, he states categorically that
Asha was his grand amour... the love of his life. "They say when a woman
loves, she loves with her soul... and when she hates someone she becomes a
chandi. The same was true of Asha too. When she sang for me she'd put her
heart and soul into it," he says gently.
According to film lore, the relationship between the composer and his
singer came to an abrupt end. Apparently, Asha Bhosle walked out. In turn,
he replaced her with singer Krishna Kalle. O.P. clarifies this story
though. He says, "Asha didn't leave me. I left her. Since I'm a very good
astrologer, I knew in advance that I was reaching the end of my career. I
also knew that if I didn't leave then, I would be kicked out. Besides
there were personal differences between us. I also realised that one
should never get involved with a career-oriented woman. You'll always
remain her second love. She'll throw you out before she leaves her career.
"Chain se humko kabhi was the last song that Asha sang for me. She even
won the Filmfare award for it. But she didn't go to receive the award. She
probably felt that I deserved the award.... and not her. One thing that I
can say about the Mangeshkar sisters is that though they were truly great
artistes, they've never had any schooling or breeding. So they've suffered
from complexes. When I took Krishna Kalle, Asha couldn't bear it. That was
the last I saw of her."
Yet he still reveres Asha Bhosle, describing her lovingly as, "A good
mother, a great artiste and a wonderful human being... It's the mean world
which taught her how to be cunning. She wasn't like that when I first met
her. But all said and done, I must say that she hasn't been an ungrateful
person...."
Asha Bhosle moved on to form an alliance with R.D. Burman. I'm curious to
know what he thought of Panchamda and his music. "R.D. Burman," O.P.
emphasises, "was one of the best music directors we've ever had. His
fusion of Indian and western music was beautiful. But I firmly believe
that he gave his best compositions to Lata Mangeshkar and not to Asha."
O.P. Nayyar is honest enough to agree that his own decline coincided with
his separation from Asha Bhosle. Singers like Krishna Kalle, Vani Jairam
and Dilraj Kaur couldn't sustain his flagging career.
"But this was destined to happen," he points out. "The girls were not to
be blamed. I worked on Asha for 15 years, whereas these girls were with me
at most for one or two films. I'm sure I could have worked wonders with
them too. But what would have been the point? I knew my bad period had
begun... so I left the industry."
He also admits that he was very arrogant. "But never ungrateful!" he
exclaims. And by way of proof, informs me that he never forgot his debt
to Dalsukhan Pancholi. Though the producer had dropped him after Aasman,
the maestro during his days of success composed music for him again. He
even did C.I.D, Mr And Mrs 55 and Baharen Phir Bhi Aayegi on the terms,
conditions and remuneration offered by Guru Dutt.
"I've always believed that if you're ungrateful to your mentor, then
you're ungrateful to God," O.P. says firmly. "Yes, I was arrogant because
I cashed in on the producers who cashed in on my popularity. And why not?
I was the only music director whose name was enough to sell a film.
Secondly, I could never tolerate indiscipline. I threw out sarangi player
Ram Narayan, sitar player Rais Khan and flute player Hari Prasad Chaurasia
whenever they'd turn up late for my recordings. I'd tell them that their
musical instruments were meaningless without my melodies.
"I even threw out Mohammed Rafi when he turned up late for a recording.
Instead, I used Mahendra Kapoor's voice in Love And Murder. I can proudly
say that not a single producer ever paid overtime for my recordings.
Today, I hear producers are paying 18-20 hours of overtime. That's
disgusting!"
On the other hand, there was a time when the music business was far more
streamlined. Neither was there any unhealthy competition between the music
directors. O.P.Nayyar would walk straight into Shankar-Jaikishen's room
and ask them about their new songs.
The list of stalwarts he admires is long... mistily he recalls the names.
R.C. Dural, Punkaj Mullick, Khemchand Prakash, Shyam Sunder, Ghulam
Haider, Anil Biswas, Sajjad Hussain, K.L. Sehgal, C. Ramachandra, Roshan,
Madan Mohan, S.D. Burman, Vasant Dev, Naushad and Chitragupta. "That was
the golden era of music. We had the best music directors, the best
lyricists and the best singers. Each one of us believed in giving his
best. But I'm afraid those days will never return," he says nostalgically.
He doesn't hear music anymore. Today's films mainly revolve around crime
and violence. "Yet music can never be cheap," he rationalises. "How can
the saat sur be cheap? It's the lyrics and the song picturisations that
have become vulgar." Of A.R. Rahman, he says, "I've heard of his name but
to be honest I haven't heard his music."
Touch upon his attempt to make a comeback (in vain), he states that he
accepted Nischay and Zid only because of the pleas of producers Bappi
Sonie and Pranlal Mehta. "But the films were so bad... the direction was
so poor that even my songs couldn't help them. I didn't fail, the films
failed. Now I've realised that the best thing is to withdraw completely
from the music scene. Recently, Javed Akhtar approached me to make an
album... he even offered me my price but I refused.
I bring up the topic of the Lata Mangeskhar award which he refused to
accept. "Firstly, awards are always named after dead people and she's
alive," he asserts. "Secondly, I've never worked with her. Thirdly, it was
a singer's award to a composer. I'd have gladly accepted the award if it
was a composer's award to me.
"The representative who came to inform me about the award prostrated in
front of me. He said that the ministers don't even leave Rs 10,000 and I
was rejecting Rs 1 lakh. When he kept on and on, I silenced him by telling
him the truth--I don't need the money."
Time is running out, I have plenty more to ask... and know. But he has
several appointments to keep. So I wind up by asking him if he has any
concluding words for me. Staring me straight in the eye, he says, "I've
been a philosopher and thinker all my life. I've lived my life my way. I'm
very proud of my work. I believe that I'm a living legend... Mark my
words, this country will remember me after I die. O.P. Nayyar will live
through his music."
Raghavan
I was disguested by OP's confession that his involvwment(more than
professional)
with Asha left Geeta(and other singers) out in the cold.Geeta Dutt was one
singer who had contributed a lot to OP's success and he was not there when she
wnated to make a comeback.The only MD's who gave her some chance before she was
left totally workless were SDB and Hemant Kumar.
Raghavan.P
Raghavan
Surajit A. Bose
Actually, even SDB didn't use Geeta Dutt very much later in her career.
Her final songs were sung for Kanu Roy in movies like Anubhav and Uski
Kahani: "mera dil jo mera hota," "koi chupkese aake," "aaj kii kaalii
ghaTaa," and the immortal "merii jaa.N, mujhe jaanaa kaho, merii jaa.N."
-s
Satish c. Kalra
In <bose.2-0702...@tty3-15.tc.nd.edu> bos...@nd.edu (Surajit
One major reason why Geeta was not frequently being used by MDs in the
early sixties and beyond was Guru Dutt. He did not want her to sing
anymore, period, for any non-Guru Dutt movies. She did continue to
sing, though at a very reduced pace, and only occasionally. Further,
they were also her years of giving birth and raising their children,
thereby limiting her availability.
Also in the late fifties, Kalyanji made his debut as an independent,
full fledged music director, banking on lata as their major 'savior',
followed by Laxmi-Pyare, who were Kalyanji's assistants. LP depended
on Lata almost entirely, just as they did on Rafi for male voice. Yes,
they did use Hemant for a (beautiful, IMO) song like "Suraj re, jalte
rehna" in Harishchandra Taramati, but I believe this was a background
song (I did not see the movie) and not picutized on any one.
(Corrections welcome.)
Even Vasant Desai used her with lata for only such a song as "akhiyaN
bhool gayeeN hain sona" in Goonj Uthi Shehnai. And though SJ were
still going very strong in those days, Geeta was not their first choice
ever, except in such excellent duets (with KK) like "Dekh aasmaN mein
chaaNd muskuraye" and "Tune mera dil liya" from Shararat, or with Lata
in Yahudi - Bechain Dil khoyee si nazar.
Further, Suman Kalyanpur had been blooming, too, during this period.
Even though Lata had her 'tiffs' with even such stalwarts like SDB,
where she did not sing for him for a couple of years between 'SITARON
SE AAGEY' and 'Dr. VIDYA', SDB opted for Asha, with, of course, some
support from Geeta Dutt (in Sujata, etc.). Asha had also replaced
Geeta for the choice singer for cabaret type numbers.
After the death of her husband, Geeta Dutt immersed herself in alcohol!
What a sad commentary on the internal 'affairs' of the film industry!
Here was a beautifully talented person, drowning herself to death,
grieving for a hbby who had made amess of all lives in his affair with
- you know who I am talking about - Guru Dutt could be called
prophetic, too, he made Kaaghaz ke Phool several years before his
death, a movie almost on his own life (and death). Almost at the same
time, Meena Kumari had also become an alcoholic, though in her case it
was not because of her husband's demise.
If I remember correctly, Mukul Roy and Kanu Roy were Geet's brothers,
and for that reason, she sang for them in various movies like
'DETECTIVE' (Do chamakti aankhoN mein kal khwab sunehra thaa jitna),
etc.
We, the music lovers should be glad that she did sing those few songs
for "Anubhav" and "Uski Kahani", giving us such beautiful songs! 'Aaj
ki kali ghata, mast matwali ghata' is probably one of her bet songs,
and her rendering of the equally poignant lyrics brings lumps into my
throat whenever I listen to it. (IMHO, any music, song - be it a
bhajan, ghazal or simply an aalaap, lyrics, or composition that moves
someone's innermost feelings in this way is like getting a step closer
to God.)
I was never a fan of O.P. Nayyar's, to begin with. And yet, a couple
of years ago when I was able to procure a 'khazana' of songs from the
fifties, almost half of those were composed by him. Reason, I did not
have most of his songs!! And compared to much of the music of the
eighties, even OPN's music was MUSIC TO ONE'S EARS (pun intended :-).
But even from the mid to alte fifties, OPN had already dropped Geeta in
favor of Asha, despite some excellent songs by Geeta in Chhoo Mantar,
and 12 O'Clock. In an industry where even blood is only slightly
thicker than water, no camp is as strong as the SUCCESS camp, and OPN
was no exception. As Asha's songs got more popular, OPN would have
more of them sung by Asha in subsequent films, and this became
self-sustaining.
On a personal note, I found OPN's remarks about him dropping Geeta inf
favor of Asha because of his emotional involvement kind of "cheepo".
Even though their involvement made hot rumours those days, he should
have remained a gentleman now, never referring to the affair.
I apologize for this long post, and am ending it only because my wife
just came down to ask me what I was doing at this late hour. So good
night, you all. And Happy listenings.
Satish C. Kalra
.................
Ikram Ahmed Khan
Satish c. Kalra wrote:
> After the death of her husband, Geeta Dutt immersed herself in alcohol!
> What a sad commentary on the internal 'affairs' of the film industry!
> Here was a beautifully talented person, drowning herself to death,
Didn't she have a single friend in the industry who tried to help her
thru this?
> Guru Dutt could be called
> prophetic, too, he made Kaaghaz ke Phool several years before his
> death, a movie almost on his own life (and death).
I have often read this statement.... but there might be more to
KKP than that. First of all, if one is to take it as an autobiography
of sorts, then the character of the director's wife is a major oddity.
More than autobiographical, it seems to be a movie about Guru Dutt's
fears in life. He feared that he would go to his death unknown. { Can't
really verify this}. He feared that his movies would flop inspite of
his trying to put his best in them { This can be verified. Nasreen Munni
Kabeer's docu and the reasons why he superstitiously put somebody else's
name for the director's credits}. Interestingly, he seems to fear that
the "world would come between him and his beautiful protege" and not
that the protege might walk up and leave... But even here, if one reads
or tries to read more, it may be that he was afraid that the protege
might find other mentors and would move to their tutelage and leave
him with no further control over or interaction with his protege.
{ This again is interesting.... Tho' a very insecure person where
he himself was concerned, by most accounts, he seems to be sure
that the protege had it in her to succeed. In effect, that he was
right in choosing her as a protege...} And he fears that his wife
may turn out to be a socialite more interested in the parties and the
hi-life which *may* explain his insistence on Geeta not singing for other
films as this would mean hob-nobbing with the fillum pholks...
And a final point of view - Since this movie was all about the fears of
one man, it became very narrow in its view and lost "broad appeal"
making for his most boring film that I have seen..... Needless to add
comments welcome, but that was my op!!
Later,
Ikram.
ps. Detective had pretty great music. Didn't the brothers give music
for some Bengaali movies as well? How successful were they? And how
good were they?
