Abhi To Main Jawan Huun (#418)
Hrishi Dixit
#418
Song: main soya ankhiyaan miiche, teri zulfon ke niiche
duniya ko bhuul diiwaani, ab rahaa zamaana piichhe
Film: Phagun (1958)
Singer: Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
Music: O P Nayyar
Lyrics: Qamar Jalalabadi
*ing: Madhubala, Bharat Bhushan
No, the title is not related to any ocean or time-zone :-) I'd like to
spend next few posts discussing a certain species of duets which I
call "pacific" or "tranquil" - their words, orchestration and delivery
have a very calm, soothing and often therapeutic effect on the listener.
More often, but not always, these tend to be romantically inclined.
Some have very minimal orchestration to go with them, and rely on
prowess of the singing artistes to deliver the effect, while on the other
hand, some evince a beautiful harmony between the vocal and instrumental
segments and the song evolves into one homogenous melody. Either way,
these songs never fail to arrest the attention of even the most casual
listener, and unlike some other types of songs, the pleasure derived from
them does not come with any mood pre-requisites ; any time of day and any
frame of mind is a good one to listen to them.
I'll use the first one in this series to conclude the Madhubala tribute ;
this is one of the first duets that spring to mind when words like "soft",
"gentle", "peaceful". etc. are uttered. It stands out among a marquee
array of melodies from this absurd movie, that really has nothing more to
it's credit than Madhubala and OPN's music score ; songs like "ek pardesi
mera dil le gayaa.." etc. still figure in people's top 10 in-the-shower
lists.
"mai.N soya.." is several shades different than most the other songs in
Phagun. It's slow pace, soft humming interludes, a mellifluous, symmetric
tune, and an absolutely congruous picturization (moonlight, haystack, diffused
lighting, zero motion, extended footage of just faces, rather THE face :-)),
all tie in with such precision in this song that the result is magical enough
to make even Bharat Bhushan tolerable. This is reminiscent of OPN from his
early "Aasmaan" era days - undoubtedly my top pick from the movie.
BTW, speaking of "ek pardesi mera..", compare these :
ek pardesi mera dil le gayaa
jaate jaate miiTha miiTha gham de gayaa
- Asha, Phagun (1958), MD OPN
dil le gayaa ji koi dil le gayaa, dil le gayaa
jaate jaate miiTha miiTha gham de gaya, koi dil le gayaa..
- Suraiya, Sanam (1950), MD Husnlal Bhagatram
I'm sure this has been noticed, and probably even discussed on RMIM before.
The poet is Qamar in each case; a lyrical analogue to Roshan's
"tera dil kahaan hai"-"rahein na rahein hum" compositional instance ? :-)
More serene notes to follow ...
..Hrishi
http://members.tripod.com/~ATMJH/
--------------------------
Hrishi Dixit
hri...@excite.com
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vandana...@hotmail.com
downplay the rest of the soundtrack which was not entirely bad. For one,
there is yet another Rafi-Asha duet which is equally tranquil, beautifully
rendered by Asha and Rafi, and sad. I am referring to "tum roothke
mat jaana".
Then there is an array of Asha solos which showcase the Asha-OPN magic of
those days quite well. Other than the one you mentioned, which I agree has
become somewhat of an overkill, there are:
- shokh shokh aankhen tujhko bula rahi hai
- sun ja pukaar, sun ja pukaar
- chhun chhun ghunghroo bole, meri chaal nasheeli dole
- teer ye chupke chalaaya kisne, yeh meetha meetha jaadoo jagaaya kisne
I am rather fond of the last one which is from the soft genre.
There are a couple of other Asha/Rafi duets which I do not recall off the
top of my head. HMV has released a cassette with "Phagun" alone containing
about 10 songs and I was quite happy when I bought it.
Well, to spice up the discussion, I am quoting a tidbit from a post by
Preetham Gopalaswamy about different recorded versions of the same song:
A song in "Phagun" however had a better documented history. The
song in question is the lovely Asha/Rafi duet "Mai soya akhiyaN
meeche". There is a set of lines in the song when Asha first
joins in (with words i.e. as opposed to humming) "Mai soyi
akhiyaN meeche, teri baahoN ke neeche" The censor boards objected
to the obvious image of these lines and demanded that they be
removed. So, they are replaced by a horrible sounding
violin/sarod which jars with the mood of the whole song. It
almost seemed like OPN (if it was indeed he who recorded this
part) was so disgusted by the replacement that he did it in the
most awful possible way. The original version however is quite
easily available though, perhaps all the current version on
tape/CD are the original.
Vandana.
In article <7bpb1s$6pn$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
Hrishi Dixit <hri...@excite.com> wrote:
>
> Song: main soya ankhiyaan miiche, teri zulfon ke niiche
> duniya ko bhuul diiwaani, ab rahaa zamaana piichhe
>
> Film: Phagun (1958)
> Singer: Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
> Music: O P Nayyar
> Lyrics: Qamar Jalalabadi
> *ing: Madhubala, Bharat Bhushan
>
>
> I'll use the first one in this series to conclude the Madhubala tribute ;
> this is one of the first duets that spring to mind when words like "soft",
> "gentle", "peaceful". etc. are uttered. It stands out among a marquee
> array of melodies from this absurd movie, that really has nothing more to
> it's credit than Madhubala and OPN's music score ; songs like "ek pardesi
> mera dil le gayaa.." etc. still figure in people's top 10 in-the-shower
> lists.
>
> "mai.N soya.." is several shades different than most the other songs in
> Phagun. It's slow pace, soft humming interludes, a mellifluous, symmetric
> tune, and an absolutely congruous picturization (moonlight, haystack, diffused
> lighting, zero motion, extended footage of just faces, rather THE face :-)),
> all tie in with such precision in this song that the result is magical enough
> to make even Bharat Bhushan tolerable. This is reminiscent of OPN from his
> early "Aasmaan" era days - undoubtedly my top pick from the movie.
>
> [.. snip ..]
> More serene notes to follow ...
Looking forward to it.
>
> ..Hrishi
>
Vandana.
====== Visit CRY (Child Relief & You) @ http://www.us.cry.org ======
rdh...@del3.vsnl.net.in
song could get quieter, or more tranquil, than this one, but I am reminded of
another song that comes close, and that I like a lot better: the Kishore/Sudha
duet
kashti ka khaamosh safar hai, shaam bhi hai tanhaai bhi
door kinaare par bajti hai lehron ki shehnaai bhi
aaj mujhe kuchh kehnaa hai... aaj mujhe kuchh kehnaa hai
What's remarkable about this song is that it's "quietness" works on two
levels: it's softly sung, of course, with minimal orchestration, but I think
the more powerful effect of quietness is achieved by the fact that the very
subject of the song is quietness, or silence, or, quite literally, the
inability to speak. Both singers express this inability in their own ways.
Both voices express thoughts that are tentative, part-hopeful, part-anxious.
And that's not all; the lyrics are a stunning combination of hesitation and
confidence, for surely we are meant to realize at some level, that the
hesitation is part of romantic play, the age-old
"I-think-I-know-what-you're-thinking-but-let-me-pretend-I-don't-for-a-while"
syndrome! I suppose this theme could easily become trite in the hands of a
poet lesser than Sahir. God knows we have more than our share of
stereotypical romantic situations in Hindi film songs. For reasons I can only
ascribe to good poetry, this one escapes being inane, coy, corny, mushy,
utter tripe, or even (!) stereotypical. Hmmm, the wonders of a clever poet.
And then the wonderful last line, when, in response to Sudha's
keh bhi chuko... keh bhi chuko jo kehna hai
Kishore, with the most evocative ironic laugh in his voice, says
chhodo... ab kyaa kehaa hai
To my mind, one of Kishore's best moments, and a great song.
Roopa
vandana...@hotmail.com
Vandana.
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
Hrishi Dixit
Roopa, you've unwittingly stolen the song for my next post on the pacific
duets series, so I am left with no alternative than to add your name to the
august(?) list of ATMJH contributors :-) Thanks for sharing your thoughts on
what I consider some of Sahir's most sensitively penned verse.
I had briefly mentioned this splendid duet a while ago on ATMJH when I had
posted another song from the movie (KK's "aaj rona paDaa to samjhe"), and
since Roopa's articulation of her thoughts on this song are collinear with
all I wanted to say about it, I have taken the liberty of including her post,
verbatim, for today's ATMJH. One rests on the hope that this has not
involuntarily transgressed any RMIM tenets.
"Pacific Duets - II"
#419
Song: kashti ka khamosh safar hai, shaam bhi hai tanhaai bhi
duur kinaare par bajti hai lehron ki shehnaai bhi
aaj mujhe kuchh kehna hai, aaj mujhe kuchh kehna hai
Film: Girl Friend (1960)
Singer: Kishore Kumar, Sudha Malhotra
Music: Hemant Kumar
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
*ing: Kishore Kumar, Waheeda Rehman
What's remarkable about this song is that it's "quietness" works on two
levels: it's softly sung, of course, with minimal orchestration, but I think
the more powerful effect of quietness is achieved by the fact that the very
subject of the song is quietness, or silence, or, quite literally, the
inability to speak. Both singers express this inability in their own ways.
Both voices express thoughts that are tentative, part-hopeful, part-anxious.
And that's not all; the lyrics are a stunning combination of hesitation and
confidence, for surely we are meant to realize at some level, that the
hesitation is part of romantic play, the age-old
"I-think-I-know-what-you're-thinking-but-let-me-pretend-I-don't-for-a-while"
syndrome! I suppose this theme could easily become trite in the hands of a
poet lesser than Sahir. God knows we have more than our share of
stereotypical romantic situations in Hindi film songs. For reasons I can only
ascribe to good poetry, this one escapes being inane, coy, corny, mushy,
utter tripe, or even (!) stereotypical. Hmmm, the wonders of a clever poet.
And then the wonderful last line, when, in response to Sudha's
keh bhi chuko... keh bhi chuko jo kehna hai
Kishore, with the most evocative ironic laugh in his voice, says
chhodo... ab kyaa kehnaa hai
To my mind, one of Kishore's best moments, and a great song.
-------------
Guest Author: Roopa Dhawan
http://members.tripod.com/~ATMJH/
apha...@hotmail.com
rdh...@del3.vsnl.net.in wrote:
> Hrishi, thanks for a nice post on "main soya akhiyaan meeche". I wonder if a
> song could get quieter, or more tranquil, than this one, but I am reminded of
> another song that comes close, and that I like a lot better: the Kishore/Sudha
> duet
>
> kashti ka khaamosh safar hai, shaam bhi hai tanhaai bhi
> door kinaare par bajti hai lehron ki shehnaai bhi
> aaj mujhe kuchh kehnaa hai... aaj mujhe kuchh kehnaa hai
>
Indeed a lovely song, but isn't the female singer Geeta Dutt? Haven't heard it
in a long time, but I definitely remember it as a Kishore-Geeta duet.
Warm regards
Abhay
> What's remarkable about this song is that it's "quietness" works on two
> levels: it's softly sung, of course, with minimal orchestration, but I think
> the more powerful effect of quietness is achieved by the fact that the very
> subject of the song is quietness, or silence, or, quite literally, the
> inability to speak. Both singers express this inability in their own ways.
> Both voices express thoughts that are tentative, part-hopeful, part-anxious.
> And that's not all; the lyrics are a stunning combination of hesitation and
> confidence, for surely we are meant to realize at some level, that the
> hesitation is part of romantic play, the age-old
> "I-think-I-know-what-you're-thinking-but-let-me-pretend-I-don't-for-a-while"
> syndrome! I suppose this theme could easily become trite in the hands of a
> poet lesser than Sahir. God knows we have more than our share of
> stereotypical romantic situations in Hindi film songs. For reasons I can only
> ascribe to good poetry, this one escapes being inane, coy, corny, mushy,
> utter tripe, or even (!) stereotypical. Hmmm, the wonders of a clever poet.
> And then the wonderful last line, when, in response to Sudha's
>
> keh bhi chuko... keh bhi chuko jo kehna hai
>
> Kishore, with the most evocative ironic laugh in his voice, says
>
> chhodo... ab kyaa kehaa hai
>
> To my mind, one of Kishore's best moments, and a great song.
>
> Roopa
neha...@hotmail.com
apha...@hotmail.com wrote:
> In article <7bs2pg$e50$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
> rdh...@del3.vsnl.net.in wrote:
> >
> > kashti ka khaamosh safar hai, shaam bhi hai tanhaai bhi
> > door kinaare par bajti hai lehron ki shehnaai bhi
> > aaj mujhe kuchh kehnaa hai... aaj mujhe kuchh kehnaa hai
> >
>
> Indeed a lovely song, but isn't the female singer Geeta Dutt? Haven't heard it
> in a long time, but I definitely remember it as a Kishore-Geeta duet.
NO! It is Sudha and only Sudha with Kishore. The star-pair is interesting. I
would think the only movie in which Waheeda and Kishore are paired. Plus
Hemantda's music doesnt hurt at all. Above all, lyricist is Sahir, aur kya
chahiye? I have been searching for this movie for ages and havent got my
hands on it. If anyone has seen it around, please let me know?
--
Neha Desai
Hrishi Dixit
> Thanks for presenting an absolutely magical duet. You seem to however
> downplay the rest of the soundtrack which was not entirely bad. For one,
Did I really ? (downplay the rest, I mean). I think this is one of OPN's most
priceless soundtracks... what I did downplay was the movie itself, which hovers
somewhere between vapid and stupid. But as I said, the music does succeed in
salvaging the hogwash some.
> there is yet another Rafi-Asha duet which is equally tranquil, beautifully
> rendered by Asha and Rafi, and sad. I am referring to "tum roothkemat
> jaana".
Somehow, this is the only song in the movie I don't like too much, especially
Rafi's rendition. He reverberates needlessly over the "na" in "jaana". It has a
nice statement-response structure in it's lyrics, though.
> Then there is an array of Asha solos which showcase the Asha-OPN magic
> of those days quite well. Other than the one you mentioned, which I
> agree has become somewhat of an overkill, there are:
>
> - shokh shokh aankhen tujhko bula rahi hai
> - sun ja pukaar, sun ja pukaar
> - chhun chhun ghunghroo bole, meri chaal nasheeli dole
> - teer ye chupke chalaaya kisne, yeh meetha meetha jaadoo jagaaya kisne
>
> I am rather fond of the last one which is from the soft genre.
You forgot the lovely "piya piya na laage mora jiya" in the early moments of the
movie.
> There are a couple of other Asha/Rafi duets which I do not recall
> off the top of my head. HMV has released a cassette with "Phagun"
There is one more Asha-Rafi duet that I remember - "jaa re jaa meri chhoD de
kalaai", picturized on Dhumal and Kammo. And then there's the Asha solo that
brings up the rear of the movie: "o barso re bairi badarwa barso re", whose
second line, "aaj kisi ke preetnagar mein lag na jaaye aag" shares a long
sequence of notes (as well as a couple of words) with Mukesh's "aaj kisi ki haar
hui hai aaj kisi ki jeet" (jhuum jhuum ke naacho aaj) from Andaz.
On the side, since mis-ITRANSing has recently become tantamount to blasphemy on
RMIM, I apologize for any errors that may have crept in :-) We all try.
--
_________________________________________________
Hrishi Dixit Alta Software
650.404.0950 ext.52 2071 Landings Drive
650.404.0953 fax Mountain View, CA 94043
hdi...@altasoft.com http://www.altasoft.com
rdh...@del3.vsnl.net.in
Hrishi Dixit <hri...@excite.com> wrote:
Kashti ka khaamosh safar hai...
> Another guest author on ATMJH today, folks.. albeit unknowingly, this time !
> Roopa, you've unwittingly stolen the song for my next post on the pacific
> duets series,
Oops! I did? Sorry about that, and thanks for being so gracious in recruiting
me on the subject of this song!
>so I am left with no alternative than to add your name to the
> august(?) list of ATMJH contributors :-)
:-) It's not everyday I get the opportunity to be "august"!
While on this song, by the way, I didn't know Hemant Kumar was the composer.
I always assumed it was Khaiyyam. Hemant's variety as a music director never
fails to amaze me. He defies categorization. Long-term familiarity with the
compositions of other music directors has made it fairly simple (much of the
time) to recognize their compositions by elements of musical stucture,
orchestration and suchlike. Not Hemant. In his case, it seems the only way to
identify his compositions is to KNOW he composed them. I can't seem to
correlate, for example, Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam, Anupama, Kohra, and Khamoshi;.
I and moreover, neither can I find links between most individual songs within
a single soundtrack. I find this quite a remarkable quality in Hemant's
music. I wonder how he gets to be so devoid of artistic identity.
Roopa