Popularity of SJ's Music in Rajkumar (1964)
Asif
when the film was first released in Hrishikesh. I guess you said it
was the summer of 1964. With an insatiable curiosity for those good
old days, when I was not even born, I want to know more about Rajkumar
and its craze on public. Would you please tell us more? Both Sadhana
and Shammi Kapoor were superstars of those days as were
Shankar-Jaikishan. Did Sadhana hog the limelight or Shammi Kapoor did
or both? And how did the public receive the music of the film? Which
song or songs delighted them most? I guess 'Jaane waale zara
hoshiyaar' was a big craze in 1964 and it was filmed attractively
too. From their regular runs on various radio stations in later years,
I can tell that next two most popular songs were 'Tumne pukaara aur
ham chale aaye' and 'Aaja aayi bahaar'. How about 'Is rang
badalti duniya mein' and 'Tumne kisi ki jaan ko'? As you said,
you saw the film in the summer of 1964; however, I do not see even a
single song from this film featuring in that year's annual Binaca
Geetmala show
(http://www28.brinkster.com/giitaayan/ow.asp?BinacaGeetmala%2F1964).
The song 'Aaja aayi bahaar', however, made it to the 1965 show
(http://www28.brinkster.com/giitaayan/ow.asp?BinacaGeetmala%2F1965).
I am unable to pattern out the popularity chart of the film's music.
Why not in the 1964 Binaca Geetmala show and why in the 1965 show,
which song was the most popular, which song(s) also delighted public,
which song(s) thrilled them in the theatre, etc. It would be a delight
to hear while you relive the appeal of Rajkumar's music in those
days.
Regards,
Asif
Abhay Jain
"Asif" <alvi...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1125862054....@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
I am sure satishji will add his take on the movie.
I recall seeing this movie towards end of 64 or early 65.
I was definitely not summer of 64 which featured
Sangam, Aayee Milan Ki Bela from SJ.
Rajkumar was a so so movie but beautiful songs.
Sadhna looked really good. She was a tribe girl wearing
all Nylon clothes. Shammi Kapoor style was
similar to his barnd of those days - Junglee, Janwar,
Badtameez, Prince, etc.
AJ
Asif
It seems to me that Kalraji has not yet seen this post too (I had
posted this subject for him a few months before too) :-(
Do you have any memories of this film's music and would you mind
answering my curious questions? Thanks.
Asif
Abhay Jain
(in Bhopal) because classes had started and for some reason I ended
up seeing Rajkumar twice. I was chided by Manzoor Aht-e-Sham
(winner of Pamshri last year for literature) for seeing such
lousy movie twice. Manzoor had transferred from
Aligarh Muslim University to Bhopal in 1965.
Back to other questions.
Both Shammi and Sadhna were equally good or bad - take
your pick. SJ were hit those days and Rajkumar was
in the same line. In terms of popularity (IMHO after 40 years)
Aaja Aayei Bahar
Tumne Pukara Aur Hum Chale Aaye
Is Rang Badalti Duniya Mein
Tumne Kisi Ki Jaan Ko
Jane Walon Zara Hoshiyar
Dilruba, Dil Pe Tu
Nach Re Man Batkamma
AJ
"Asif" <alvi...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1126052121.5...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
seth...@yahoo.com
Abhay Jain wrote:
> I have to revise timeframe of Rajkumar. It had to be after Aug. 65
> (in Bhopal) because classes had started and for some reason I ended
> up seeing Rajkumar twice. I was chided by Manzoor Aht-e-Sham
> (winner of Pamshri last year for literature) for seeing such
> lousy movie twice. Manzoor had transferred from
> Aligarh Muslim University to Bhopal in 1965.
>
> Back to other questions.
>
> Both Shammi and Sadhna were equally good or bad - take
> your pick. SJ were hit those days and Rajkumar was
> in the same line. In terms of popularity (IMHO after 40 years)
>
> Aaja Aayei Bahar
> Tumne Pukara Aur Hum Chale Aaye
> Is Rang Badalti Duniya Mein
> Tumne Kisi Ki Jaan Ko
> Jane Walon Zara Hoshiyar
> Dilruba, Dil Pe Tu
> Nach Re Man Batkamma
I love this song very much , BTW what does batkamma mean ?
Any help Pl.
Cawas
Afzal A. Khan
I think, in the same earlier thread that you speak of, I too
had indicated my view (based on my admittedly flawed memory)
that "Rajkumar" had been released towards the end of 1964.
If memory serves me right, I had seen it in December 1964.
That may perhaps account for the fact that its songs didn't
get to make that much of a splash that year in Binace Geet Mala.
Its music was quite a rage in those days. As far as I can recall,
the most popular songs were the title song ("Jaane wale zara
hoshiyaar"), "Aa ja aayee bahaar", "Is rang badalti duniya men"
and "Tumne kisee kee jaan ko". For me, another delightful song
was "Naach re man basamma". Sadhana had appeared mostly in
comparatively sedate roles till then ("Parakh", "Asli Naqli",
"Love In Simla"). Here she was cast in a glamorous role.
While the film was being shot in and around Jaipur, a few still
photographs of Sadhana had appeared in "Filmfare" and other
magazines --- one such shot was referred to as "cheesecake" !
But very tame by subsequent standards. Another reason for the
film's popularity was funny man Rajendranath. A certain section
of film-goers liked his antics. Pran, as the villainous Narpat
Singh, put over a fine performance. In those days, Prithviraj
used to appear in some films of Shammi Kapoor, though rarely
otherwise. I think he was there in "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya"
and "Jaanwar".
Also in the cast was Om Prakash. Which sort of rekindles a
rather embarrassing memory. When I first saw the film, it was
the last evening (9.30 pm) show. I was very tired, and after
some time, nodded off for a few minutes. There was a scene in
the movie which had Om Prakash losing a bet and removing one half
of his moustache. I missed that entire scene and when I woke up
saw the actor with only the remaining half of his moustache. I
remember thinking at the time as to how careless the make-up
technicians were, how nobody (not even the Director) seemed to
care etc. etc. It was only later that I realized that a lot had
happened while I had dozed off.
A few years later, I decided to take a much-needed (though brief)
vacation at Ooty. It so happened that a film group from Madras
was also staying at the same hotel where I was staying (Fernhill
Castle or Palace, I am forgetting the name). Amongst them was
K. Shankar who had directed "Rajkumar". I told him about a couple
of his films that I had seen ("Bharosa" and "Rajkumar"). When
I complimented him about the song picturizations, he narrated the
difficulties he had while filming the title song of "Rajkumar",
with about a hundred extras, elephants etc. Also, it was from him
that I first learnt about Guru Dutt's dancing prowess. This was
when I was telling him about the "Bharosa" duet ('Aaj kee mulaqaat
bas itni..')and how light-footed Guru Dutt was in that song.
That was quite a memorable Ooty trip. The late MGR and Jaya -
lalitha were also in Ooty for a Tamil film shoot. I was fortunate
to witness a brief scene that was shot by them. While returning
from the site to Ooty town, MGR was good enough to offer me a ride
in his car. He was accompanied by his doctor. There were no
starry airs about him. He was very solicitous about other small
time technicians, spot boys etc. The 25-mile ride was through
tea plantations where a great many local workers (men and women
both) were working. Everybody seemed to know that MGR was in town
for a film shoot. As his motorcade proceeded down the road at
a leisurely pace, these workers (on both sides of the road) would
bend low with folded hands and almost prostrate themselves in
paying homage to the aging hero. He was regarded in those areas
as a demi-god. A photograph taken with him is still part of my
photo collection.
Afzal
Srinivas Ganti
sethn...@yahoo.com wrote:
> I love this song very much , BTW what does batkamma mean ?
In Andhra Pradesh (esp. in Telangana region) there's a festival after
goddess batkamma. The ocassion is marked with dancing. It culminates
with the immersion of the idols in water.
sg.
Asif
> (in Bhopal) because classes had started and for some reason I ended up seeing
> Rajkumar twice. I was chided by Manzoor Aht-e-Sham (winner of Pamshri last year for
> literature) for seeing such lousy movie twice.
That is interesting. I am curious to know what made you to see the
film twice :-) Was it because of Sadhana or music or both?
> Both Shammi and Sadhna were equally good or bad - take your pick. SJ were hit
> those days and Rajkumar was in the same line.
Well, I would admire all four - Shammi, Sadhana, S, and J. All four
dominated the '60s along with a few others of their ilk. I first saw
the film on TV in the late '80s and really loved it for its wholesome
entertainment and songs.
Just wondering if you and Afzal Sahab can recall how general public
reacted to those songs in the theatre? Not a rule, but I observed that
folks often reacted strongly if they saw/listened to good or favorite
or hit songs in the theatre than they did while listening to them on
radio or other medium - and this observation applies strictly to good
old days, at least pre-1980.
Asif
Asif
Now it is clear to me why none of those songs from Rajkumar made it to
the annual Binaca Gee Mala show in 1964. The song 'Aaja aayi bahaar'
made it to among top 16 in 1965 show. This makes me wonder if
Sadhana's glamor had anything to do with that. When I saw the film in
the late '80s I found 'Jaane waale zara hoshiyaar' as the best song in
terms of both picturization and music. And Shammi Kapoor was an expert
actor in such lively songs. So how come this song slipped behind on
popularity charts?
I am sure at least 'Jaane waale', 'Tumne pukaara', and 'Is rang badalti
duniya mein' also were there in lower 16 of 1965 Binaca Geet Mala show.
Do you remember anything from that year's annual Gee Mala show?
As for Pran, Rajendranath, and Om Prakash, they were all regular stars
of the '60s. Besides those a dozen major actresses and a dozen major
actors, Helen, Mehmood, Pran, Rajendranath, Shashikala, Premnath, Madan
Puri, Lalita Pawar, Simi, Mumtaz, Tanuja, and Balraj Sahani were other
screen artistes without whose presence a film in the '60s was
considered incomplete. My personal favorites from the '60s are: Asha
Parekh, Saira Banu, Meena Kumari, Simi, Helen, Mehmood, Lalita Pawar,
Tanuja, Dev Anand, Dharmendra, Raj Kapoor, and Shammi Kapoor.
> K. Shankar who had directed "Rajkumar". I told him about a couple of his films that I
> had seen ("Bharosa" and "Rajkumar"). When I complimented him about the song
> picturizations
That is interesting. I have to look up how many other films he
directed. I have not seen Bharosa (1963), but yes all songs in
Rajkumar were filmed nicely, especially 'Jaane waale', which was a
brilliant introduction to Shammi Kapoor in the film.
Asif
seth...@yahoo.com
Thanks Ganti saab , I remember in one of the movies
comedian Mahmood calling loudly Batkamma , OH Batkamma -
unable to recollect the movie .
Cheers ,
Cawas
Afzal A. Khan
I am sure you know much more about these matters. But....
Batkamma is a name, of a goddess(as you have said) and maybe
someone named after that goddess. But I have a feeling that,
in the "Rajkumar" song, the reference is not to someone's name
but to a special, ritualistic dance that had to be danced just
before someone became the leader of that tribe. I seem to
remember some character from the movie saying something about
"Basamma naachna hoga" and perhaps even Sadhana confirms
"MaiN Basamma naachooNgi". The wordings of the song are
"Naach re man Basamma, Thumak Thumak Basamma....". {O (my)
heart, you have to perform this (Basamma) dance}. It seems to
be something like the special dance ("taaNdava") that Shiva
indulges in in his "raudra roop".
Also, the word does not sound like "Batkamma", as it distinctly
does in the other song mentioned by Shri Sethna. I hear it as
"Basamma".
Just my opinion.
Afzal
skalr...@yahoo.com
Compared to Afzal saab's memories and anecdotes about Rajkumar and
other 'film' happenings, my take on the film and its music would be
anti-climactic. For whtever it is worth, here is my recollection about
the film.
Whenever the film was released (I am not too sure now that it was
around Baisakhi time, i.e., around April 1964, since so many people
think that it was in late 1964). But it was definitely released on a
big religious festival, since I used to work in Hardwar at that time,
and over a million people ahd converged onto that town for a dip in the
Ganges. All hotels, dharamshalas, etc., were filled to capacity, and
thousands of people slept the nights on the Har Ki Pauri - the main
bathing ghaat on the river, and any other flat surface in the open.
There used to be three cinemas in Hardwar; Rose Talkies just a quarter
mile from Har Ki Pauri, and Chitra Talkies near the railway station.
The third, Rose Talkies was in Jwalapur, about three miles away.
Rajkumar was released in Chitra.
I was a regular film-goer at all three theters, and had come to know
their managers personally due to my frequent visits as well as since I
lived in the town and had numerous occasions to meet them socially as
well. Normally, getting a ticket at any of these cinemas was not a
problem for me (and a couple of my friends). But whenever a big film
was released, the cinema owners, mangers and employees all engaged in
selling the tickets well above the legal admission rates, read that as
seling them in black market themselves. At such times, even I had a
difficult time getting to see those films on the day of their release,
or the first few days if the public rush continued. When Rajkumar was
released, it was not only a 'huge' film (starcast and music directors),
it was also hitting the screen at a festival time with such humongous
crowds in town. Hundreds of people who could not find any place to
sleep anywhere also thronged to the cinema theater, and this reulted in
my being unable to get the tickets for either of the 12 noon; 3.15
p.m.; or the 6.30 p.m. shows. The manager kept telling me that try the
9.30 p.m. show. A half hour before the 9.30 p.m. show, even that
became a no-no for me, and I was told that a special 12 midnight show
would be held, and I had better come abck for that. As it turned out
even the 12 midnight show got sold out at record black prices, and I
got left out again. But, there was a 3.15 a.m. show held, and I was
able to get to see the film in that show, alongiwht a couple of my
friends from Rishikesh who had specially come for the movie.
The most popular song of the film then, before and after the release of
the film was the title song, "jaanewaalo...", followed by "aa jaa aayii
bahaar...". Gradually, aajaa aayii bahaar kept gaining in popularity
and lasted longer than the title song. In the film itself, "dilrubaa
dil pe tuu..." was very well picturised (with some imagination left to
the viewer's mind) and became a regularly requested song on Radio
Ceylon. The Rafi ghazal, "is rang badalti duniyaa mein.." was also
very well liked because of its excellent lyrics, esp. "..main kaise
khudaa haafiz kah duun, mujhako to kisikaa yakeen nahiin, chhup jaao
hamaarii aankhon mein, bhagwaan kii niiyat thiik nahiin..". That ws
also the period when Lata and Rafi were not singing together, and I
persoanlly felt that "tumane pukaaraa aur ham chale aaye.." would have
been a much better duet if it had been Rafi and Lata instead of Rafi
with Suman.
I beg to disagree with Afzal bhai, in that I hear it as "naach re man
badkammaa....", not '....basamaa'.
S-J were big in those days, coming in the wake of hit music for films
like Dil Apna Aur Preet Paraayi, Sasural, Jis Desh Men Gnaga Behti
Hai, Junglee, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai, Hariyali Aur rasta, Dil Ek
Mandir, Professor, etc., in the immediate prior years. One can even
include Sangam if Rajkumar was released post-June 1964.
Happy Listenings.
Satish Kalra
Abhay Jain
> Thanks so much Abhay Sahab for sharing your memories.
>
>> (in Bhopal) because classes had started and for some reason I ended up
>> seeing
>> Rajkumar twice. I was chided by Manzoor Aht-e-Sham (winner of Pamshri
>> last year for
>> literature) for seeing such lousy movie twice.
>
> That is interesting. I am curious to know what made you to see the
> film twice :-) Was it because of Sadhana or music or both?
>
Second time I had to go with different set of friends.
On Saturdays we had no food in evenings in mess and had to
go to town to eat and then we would combine the trip with a movie.
I did feel stupid watching it a second time. But did enjoy the songs.
AJ
>
> Asif
>
Abhay Jain
I do not recall any big/specific audience reaction to this movie.
Young audience used to react favorably to Shammi Kapoor songs
and hence "Jane Walo Zara" drew more reaction along with "Dilruba Dil Pe"
song. But on radio Aaja Aaye Bahar was the most popular song.
Afzalji, I have always heard song as "Nach Re Man Batkamma" and
not Basanna. Geet Kosh has lists it as Batkamma.
AJ
Ashok
>
>
>.....The Rafi ghazal, "is rang badalti duniyaa mein.." was also
>very well liked because of its excellent lyrics, esp. "..main kaise
>khudaa haafiz kah duun, mujhako to kisikaa yakeen nahiin, chhup jaao
>hamaarii aankhon mein, bhagwaan kii niiyat thiik nahiin..".
>Satish Kalra
What is the idea behind the excellent lyrics? Sadhana calling into
question "bhagavaan kii niiyat"?!
Ashok
Sunil Dandekar
> But, there was a 3.15 a.m. show held, and I was
> able to get to see the film in that show, alongiwht a couple of my
> friends from Rishikesh who had specially come for the movie.
That is passion of a true movie lover. Hats off to you.
I remember release of any Dilip-Deo-Raj or Shammi film used to be a
festival of sorts in olden days. The blackmarket rate after first week
used to be barometer of success of the film. It may be because of
piracy or substandard fare or both, but today's 'big' films do not even
begin to approach that level of excitement anymore.
regards,
Sunil
Manish Wadhane
> What is the idea behind the excellent lyrics? Sadhana calling into
> question "bhagavaan kii niiyat"?!
>
>
> Ashok
The lyrics of the song be great or not, the way Rafi sings them makes
it a great listening.
-Manish
Afzal A. Khan
Actually it is Shammi Kapoor who suspects "bhagwaan kee neeyat".
Afzal
Afzal A. Khan
> I beg to disagree with Afzal bhai, in that I hear it as "naach re man
> badkammaa....", not '....basamaa'.
>
> S-J were big in those days, coming in the wake of hit music for films
> like Dil Apna Aur Preet Paraayi, Sasural, Jis Desh Men Gnaga Behti
> Hai, Junglee, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai, Hariyali Aur rasta, Dil Ek
> Mandir, Professor, etc., in the immediate prior years. One can even
> include Sangam if Rajkumar was released post-June 1964.
> Satish Kalra
Actually, I don't concentrate on the lyrics all that much.
For me, the song's tune, orchestration, singer's input and
the picturization are the main factors. So, the word may
be "Batkamma" or something else, other than "Basamma".
But if someone can get hold of the film, I would request him
to comment about the other aspect that I had talked about
earlier --- that, in the film, the word seemed to refer to
a special ritual dance that had to be danced before someone
took over the leadership of the tribe.
The title song did have a special appeal and it seemed as if
everyone liked it a great deal. At the time I knew a Muslim
Barrister in Bombay (now no more) who had a young daughter
(maybe around 15-16 at the time). During that period, whenever
I happened to be at their house, she could be found singing
this song in gay abandon.
The films mentioned by Kalra-ji have a 2-3 year time-frame,
preceding "Rajkumar". So, let me put them in their proper
perspective :
Dil Apna Aur Preet Paraayee 1960 released around April
or May
Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai 1961 released around
February
Sasural 1961 released around
March, April
Jab Pyaar Kisi Se Hota Hai 1961 released around
September
Junglee 1961 released around
December
Hariyali Aur Rasta 1962 released around
March, April
Dil Ek Mandir 1962 released around
December
Professor 1963 released around
March, April
I could be off-target about the release period. Those with
more exact info may please correct the dates. The music of
"Professor" had been released about an year earlier. One
could hear its songs blaring forth from Jukeboxes right from
mid-1962.
In late 1962, there were a couple of additional SJ hits --
"Hamrahi" and "Asli Naqli". Earlier that year (around
March/April), there was another such hit "Aashiq".
Apart from "Sangam", there was another big hit from SJ in
mid-1964. And that was "Aayee Milan Ki Bela". Also,
immediately preceding "Rajkumar", another popular SJ film
was released around November -- "April Fool".
Afzal
Asif
if Rajkumar is very close to me. While I was a kid I used to play
some of my favorite Gramophone records a lot, and among them was this
record featuring 'Jaane waale' on one side and 'Aaja aayi bahaar' on
the flip side. I have been fascinated with 'Jaane waale' ever since.
I still remember for many years thereafter I could not figure out this
particular antara and I thought Rafi was singing: 'Amriti andaaz kisi
ke ham ya rab ke raaz kisi ke'. I paid little attention to lyrics
those days, but yes those lines did not make sense then. Years later I
found out that lines were actually: 'Ameriki andaaz bhi seekhe ham
Europe ke raaz bhi seekhe'.
> The Rafi ghazal, "is rang badalti duniyaa mein.." was also very well liked because of
> its excellent lyrics, esp. "..main kaise khudaa haafiz kah duun, mujhako to kisikaa
> yakeen nahiin, chhup jaao hamaarii aankhon mein, bhagwaan kii niiyat thiik nahiin..". > That was also the period when Lata and Rafi were not singing together, and I
> persoanlly felt that "tumane pukaaraa aur ham chale aaye.." would have been a much
> better duet if it had been Rafi and Lata instead of Rafi with Suman.
I also love 'Is rang badalti duniya mein' a lot. Filmfare (or was it
Shankar) chose it among SJ's top 25 compositions in a special edition
on them at the time of Jaikishan's death. As for 'Tumne pukaara', I
beg to differ about your view on Suman Vs Lata. This duet is excellent
and sweet as is, and Suman is simply brilliant here. Actually, I
still wonder why folks still complain or compare when it comes to her
duets. She was an expert singer in her own right and whatever number
of duets that fell in her lap - Rafi-Lata war or no war - she did full
justice them.
About the film's release time, now I tend to believe it was released
toward the end of 1964. Maybe you saw it around Baisakhi time in 1965,
not in 1964 - probably because new films in those days came to smaller
town, like Hardwar, a few months later.
Asif
Asif
collecting for many years the information on release time of films and
their music. The '70s Geet Kosh does have this information; however,
all Geet Kosh's of previous decades don't.
How about Aas Ka Panchhi (1961), Rangoli (1962), Dil Tera Deewana
(1962), Beti Bete (1964), Zindagi (1964), and Sanjh Aur Savera (1964)?
Songs from these films were highly popular too. When were these films
and their music released?
I have always been curious about the release of Professor. I know,
especially after your above post, that it was released in 1963. My
copy of its DVD also shows a 1963 date on its certificate. However, SJ
won Filmfare Award for it in 1962. How come? Also, if its songs were
released in mid-1962, how come none of them made it to the 1962 annual
show of Binaca Geet Mala (see below)?
http://www28.brinkster.com/giitaayan/ow.asp?BinacaGeetmala%2F1962
http://www28.brinkster.com/giitaayan/ow.asp?BinacaGeetmala%2F1963
2 songs made it to the top 16 of the 1963 show (see link above).
'Aawaaz deke hamen tum bulaao' is a marvellous song. Can you please
recall if any other songs of Professor were featured in the bottom 16
of that year's show? I am sure 'Main chali main chali' and 'Hamaare
gaanv koi aayega' were hugely popular too.
Asif
Ashok
> The title song did have a special appeal and it seemed as if
> everyone liked it a great deal. At the time I knew a Muslim
> Barrister in Bombay (now no more) who had a young daughter
> (maybe around 15-16 at the time). During that period, whenever
> I happened to be at their house, she could be found singing
> this song in gay abandon.
> Afzal
'Rajkumar' has two songs in which the title of the film appears.
Which one was she singing in gay abandon?
Ashok
skalr...@yahoo.com
Alright! I found out the censor certificate date of the film - it was
Dec. 11, 1964. Thanks to Dr. Harmandir Singh Hamraaz for that
information. Thus, the release must have been anytime thereafter.
As far as the release of the film in Hardwar is concerned, it was
released the same day as in major cities like Delhi, Meerut, Lucknow,
Dehradun, etc., definitely not around Baisakhi 1965. Chitra talkies in
Hardwar spared no efforts in showing "big" films from the same date as
in large cities.
Happy Listenings.
Satish Kalra