Table Of Content"Why I Like...": Some Responses
VARSHA PENDSE-JOGLEKAR
T he wide appeal of a film song is an accepted fact. I therefore
~r?posed to ~ollect respons~s to film songs from various persona
Iities, mostly In the performing arts. The idea wasto ask people to
chooseoneoftheir favourite songs and to comment onimportant aspectsof
thesong. Of those approached, 15 responded, and their commentson the
songs of their choice provide an interesting reading. The comments also
have some bearing on the socio-cultural significanceof Hindi filmsongs.
Some common features in the responses, and some observationson them,
are made below:
I. Most of the respondents felt that to single"out a filmsong as their
favourite song was difficult.
~. Most of the people forming the sampler had not seen the films to
which their favourite songs belonged. Visual memories were practically
absen~-the compositions appealed to them as good songs. Shruti
S~dohkar-Katkar, however, referred to picturization as an important
mterion to judge a film song. Sarla Bhide added a similar remark to her
own comment: "When I saw the film, I felt that the freshnessof the song
~ad been enhanced". On the other hand, Kanak Rele experienced
thorough disappointment" when she actually saw the film to which her
faVOUrite song belonged. However, she maintained that thisdidnot affect
h~r judgement of the song. Kalpana Desai seemed to suggest that
P1cturizationwasnot an importantfactor inassessingthesongofherchoice,
even though she had seen the film to which it belonged.
3. Table I brings out the fact that many of the favourite songsbelongto
the19605. It issignificant that this period sawthe emergenceor continuing
presenceofcomposers like Sachin Dev Burman,O.P.Nayyar,AnilBiswas,
~h~nker-Jaikishan, Madan Mohan, Roshan, Chitragupta, Avinash Vyas,
Mh~ ChOWdhury, C. Ramchandra, Vasant Desai, Hemant Kumar, Sardar
• aUk,Hansra] Behl etc In this connection a comment made by Sarita
Josh' . , . ,
I tS revealing. Though she selected a song from the 19805 as her
favou't h ib d .
"n e, s e felt that the effectivenessof the songwasto beascn e toIts
POwer to evoke film melodies from the 1960s!
San,..,
Natak No. 100 : April-June 1991
128 "WHY I LIKE..."
4. Probably the age ofthe respondents also played a role in theirchoice
of songs. The respondents seem to have selected songs heard in their
impressionable years- early youth or a little later.
5. The sampler, though limited in number, covers a wide chronological
range, from 1936 to 1990. Some earlyvoices such as Surendranath,Bibbo,
Noorjehan,K.L. Saigaland Reshmaalsofigure in thelist. Thevoicesbetter
known and remembered today-those of Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad
Rafi, Talat Mahmood, etc.-expectably also occur in the list.
6. Eight of the 15 selected melodies are by Lata Mangeshkar-an
obvious pointer to the artist's predominance and her popularity. Possibly
her solos are preferred to her duets.
The responses organized in Table II clearly indicate the multiple appeal
of a film song. Certain observations can be made on this basis:
1. It can be argued that a song is preferred for many factors operating
simultaneously. For example, P.L. Deshpande notes that his favourite
song,•Yezindagiusiki hal',"is a rare fusion ofan anguishedtone,richand
efficient voice, straight picturization, skilful yet simple instrumentation".
2. Tune, as the melodic framework is usually described, findsthemost
imponant place in the responses. Very often, the tune isdiscussedthough
thevoiceor wordsarenot commented upon (see the responsesofYashwant
Dev,SaiParanjpe,etc.).In fact, inorderof preference, tune isfollowedby
instrument, voice, song, structure, word, effect, picturization, and ton~.
3. A careful examination of Table II brings out the different waysin
which various aspects of a song (namely, voice, instruments, tune, tone,
words. picturization,mood/effect, and song-structure) are appreciated.For
example, the various adjectives employed to describe the voice ofasinger
may suggest a scale of preferred qualities in.a singer's voice. In fact,a
vertical examination of each column, pertaining.to various aspects.ofa
s~ng, may yield a hierarchy of criteria used by respondents representlOga
WIde spectrum of backgrounds and professional specializations.
4. To some extent, I thought it possible to view the responsesandthe
respondents' professions as mutually dependent. For example, Yashwant
Dev, a composer and lyricist, has chosen to analyze the impact ofhis
favoun.te songI.IItermsofbalance and harmonic support. He pO.intsoutthe
technical featuresofthe songas a structure and makes ausefulcommenton
the correspondence between the literary content and the musicalstructure .
of the song. He points out that "the last line of the antar3 repeats the
mukhda musically because the line has a literary content similar tothe
content of the mukhda"
. . d-
In the case of Nandu Bhende, who has studied Western mUSIC an
"WHY lUKE..." 129
beenaetiveasacomposer,itseems natural that heshould beimpressed bya
songwhich effectively uses strategies employed in Western music. As he
putsit: "The use of chromatics is, I think, unusual in Hindi filmmusic....
Theuseof nonsense syllables to convey emotions, etc... could be some of
the reasons why I like the song".
KanakRele, a dancer, chooses a song ('Madhuban mein Radhika neche
re') with a direct bearing on dance. Interestingly, this song, set in raga
Harnir, reminds her of the Sopana parampara, a tradition of art music in
Keralaand surrounding regions. Further, the word 'nache' (dances) in the
composition helps her visualize a dance movement.
PrabhaAtre elaborateson thevoice,the style,and the musicaltreatment
given to words-s-perhaps an indicatorofher musical training and affinities
with the Kirana gharana of music.
Bharat Dabholkar-a media person and dramatist-lays stress on the
effector the mood created by the song. He practically relegates the other
components such as voice, words, etc. to the background.
Madhubhai Patel; a folklorist and collector of folk songs from south
Gujarat, is attracted by the folk element. He, in fact, suggests that not
knowing the language of a song is hardly an impediment in enjoying it,
especially when it is from the folk category of music. . .
P.L. Deshpande,'a versatile personalityin theatre, literature,and music,
referstomany factors which contribute to the final impact ofthe songofhis
choice. And yet his mention of its links with the music of the past is
interesting: "It isalso possible that'Yezindagr immediately impre~sedm;
becauseof its striking resemblance with a song inSharda, aMarathi play.
It isobvious that analysis of the musical impact of a filmson~, a mus.ical
form of multiple dimensions-can hardly be an entirely aestheticexamma
lion. In fact popular music, the parent category 10 which the film song
belongs, does not lend itself to undiluted aesthetic judgement. Not only
does the sampler have to be considerably wide, it also has to include
mformants.from many language areas. Equally important wo~ld be the
exammalion of the contribution of improved recording techniques. The
~pularity of a recorded song is surely affected by its recordmg-~ow
fallhfully it captures the timbres ofvoices and instruments, and t~e vanous.
other Subtle naunces of music-making. Finally, the frequent choice of the
songsof certain composers (Naushad, Madan Mohan. Salil Chowdhury,
etc.) byOurrespondents may also have to do with the emergence of these
composersas new forces in film music in an earlier period. Novelty as,,:ell
as significance both play an important role in creating that elusive
Phenomenon-popularity.
130 ·WIIY I LIKE","
BADRINARAYAN
Comments
'Tumhi ne mujhko prem sikhaya'
Iheardthe songon ihegramophonesome
time when I was nine or ten (around
PRABHA ATRE 1938-39)...the impressionhasstayedsome
. where deep in my memory.
'Jawan bei muhabbaf
I first heard the song as a child, on the It's a simple melody (derived fromBhim
gramophone. at somebody's house. I had palasi?). The words are expressive and
instantly liked it then. I also like it today suggest a derivation from popular poetry.
when I have gained some knowledge and The voice is natural and unaffected.
experiencein music. However. I don't remember having seen
Thesongbasacatchytunebasedonraga the film.
Pahadi.Adearmelodicapproach,common. Anotherthing Ilikeaboutthesongisthat
in those days, is observed, The song is a some dialogue is interspersed between the
good example ofa perfect blendofclassical singing of tbe duo.
and folk music.
The rhythm is lively. Abrupt breaks are NANDU BHENDE
builtinattherightplaces. Percussionisused 'Aha rim jhim ke'
onlywith thevoiceandnotintheinterlude The song has appealed to me since my
childhood andcontinuestoattractmeeven
~\~~
today. Lhad never attempted toanalyzeit
till now. I feel that the foUo..ing could
I"
possiblybethereasonswhyIlikeitsomuch:
I,',
~
;;.'
'\~\ ~'. i. theinnocencethesingerconveysinhis
\\..'::::. delivery;
.\ '\' ii. the use of a very 'light' rhythmwhicb
~ \ ~
gives the song a bouncy feelwithout
.;~\l\~ / its being ovedone;
iii. the simpleorchestration whichisalso
..'.~\\,.'\~~< very effective; .
l.~'...-:~,;:;.~~-~ iv. the use of both the nishads inqUlli
succession, which makesthemelody
between the two stanzas. very intimate and curious;
!hesjn~erhasamedium·pitchednatural
!t
vOl~e. IS sensuous, intimate, extremely
expressiveandflexible. Thewaythewords
'muhabbafand'dilne' areutteredcreatesa
tremendous impact. Noorjehan has rena
dered with precision the complexphrases
an~ ~o~ements. Thisobviously shows her
tra.mm?Inclassicalmusic. Atanypitch,her
VOice IS clear and tuneful, the words are
clearly delivered. She has of course her
individual, inimitable, arresting style.
The .words successfully create a happy,
romanticmood, whichpervadesthe entire
song.
·WHY [ LIKE...• 131
v. theuseofchromaticswhich is,Ithink, The phrase 'aisj rimjhim" has a pure
unusual in llindi film music; Western touch. But Salil Chowdhury has
vi. the use ofonomatopoeia in the lyrics blended it well with our own music. The
whichfurther enhances its catchyna song reaches its climax at 'tumko' C••.
ture; pukare mere') and at 's;lDvah~ ('... sa/oni
vii,theuseofnonsensesyllablestoconvey ghata').
emotions, etc. The music director has however made
some unforgivable mistakes. He has not
Thesecouldbesome ofthe reasonswhy) followed grammar.For example,'tumka' is
likethesong.However.it'sreallyimpossible aJaghuword.Buthehaselongatedtheword
tojudgethese thingscorrectly becauseyour inhiscomposition.Butthesongisotherwise
owngrowthasalistenersince youfirstheard composed beautifully. II instantly touches
asongplaysa large part in the assessment. the heart.
Yourstateofmind,age,background,perso
nality,theassociations the songbringsback
BHARAT DABHOLKAR
-everysingle thing plays a veryimportant
roleindeterminingyour likeordislike.This 'Wo bhuli dastan 10 phir yad a gay"
istrue especially in music. I first heard the song on the radio but
haven't seen the film. Besides its being a
goodcombinationoftune.words,voice,and
SARLABHlDE
instrumentation, one thing about the song
'0 Sajana'
'0Sajana...'theattractivecurveofmelody
~ the song begins arouses curiosity. The
Sitarpartwhichfollows conveystbeeffectof
ram,
that appealsto mealotisthat•.inspiteofits
being sad and full of pathos,.It hasa racy,
lilting tune which yet combines With the
theme in a unique and pleasantmanner.
I like the freshness everywhere in the
song. The voice has the innocence and KALPANA DESAI
enthusiasm of youth. In the film, Sadhana, 'Thade rahiD' . '
:he heroine, who sings the song, looks Isawthefilmin1978,but have nodlst~nct
ender.Thevoice seemsto beher own.The memorv of the picturization-The song,15.a
SOng isalso beautifully picturized. When I ~Iomosd.adaptation of semi-classical music In
sawthe film I felt that the freshness of the It'sthereforeoneofthesongs.thatI',,'c
song had been enhanced. I liked the song liked best. The song hasan attractive tune,
even more, voice, words, etc.
132 -wuv I LIKE.
P.L. DESHPANDE:
'Ye zindagi us; ki har"'
I first heard the song when my versatile
friend Shri Vasantrao Deshpande hummed
it for me and insisted that I go andsee the
film at least for the song.
2. It is aiso significant that the lastlineof
the antara repeals the mu.lt:bda musically
because the statement has already been
madeinthe first twolinesoftheantara.This
is economy of words as well as ~e.
3. It is to be noted that the lyric was
composedbeforethetune andyetthereisno
distortion of the metrical mould.
I became addicted to the song and it
continues to haunt me. The song is a rare
fusion of an anguished tone, a rich and G.N. JOSHI
efficient voice, straight picturization,skilful 'Bab~J mora, naihar chhooto hi jayc'
yet simple instrumentation. I feel that C. I remember a musi.c cont'enreee heldat
Ramchandra, who was a close friend, ar Allahabad some time in the 19405. I had
rived at 'musicaltruth' in twoof hisfilms come toattendthe conferencefromBombay
A/bela and Anarka/i. and K.L. Saigal had come from Calcu.;;:;
II is also possible that 'Ye zjnd3gl" im Both of us sang at the conference.
mediately impressed mebecauseofitsstrik . d bungaloWon
organizers had provide us a tbt
ing resemblance with a song in Sharda. a ~p
the banks of the Ganga. We were "
Mararhi play. night and had alreadybeensm. gI.ng.lustlor
YASHWANT DEV
'Ap ki nazron ne samjha'
1. The sthayi and antaras present a case of
key relationships which are fascinating be-
.cause they confuse the listener~ at least
initially.The background harmonic support
resolves the apparent confusion about the
fundamentalkey employedbythe composer.
from the beginning of the second line. He
also goes to the tat madhyam to finally
resolve the indecision created. The song
touches alowernote at'yt:faisla' or'manzil
ap hain'. which is further balanced by the
employment of the tar madhyam.
'WHY I LIKE...• IJJ
ourselves, up to 2 or 2.30 a.m. Then I
promptedSaigal to sing'BabuJ mora'. and
hesaid: "I will sing only if you sing along
with me." And we sang 'BabuJmora' rill
daybreak.
Ihavealways been fascinated by classical
music.'Babulmora'. based on ragaBhaira
vi,offers a lot of scope for developing the
sentiment of pathos.
'Saiga]has ably portrayed the sorrow of a
fatherwhobids farewell to adaughterafter
herwedding.Thoughafilmsonghasitsown
limitations.Saigalhasdonefulljusticeto the
song. His serious bass voice has indeed
helped him in the rendering. ion,and melody makes thissongfromAmar
Prem my favourite-.It has haunted meever
SARITA JOSHI since I first heard it.
'Hopriya priya'
Iheard the song for the first time at the MADHUBHAI PATEL
trial of the film.
'Lambi judai char dinon la'
Thebest part of the song is itstune. The My heart swelled with grief and I wept
bitterlywhenI firstheardthesong,thoughI
didn't knowwhat the wordsmeant.Just the
tune and the voiceof the singer, fullof the
pain of separation, touched my heart.
The most impressive part of the song
comesatthe words 'Lsmbijudai':thewords
express their meaning through the musical
composition!The singerportraysthe path~s
which an unhappy lover would feel In
separation.Thesinger'svoicefilledmyheart
withthesamepain.Thisistheonlyfilmsong
.that has made me weep.
When the singer comes to the words
f.~'~''''::?:;'''~:~;;:::~7'1
r:·... ';:;.
word~ are also good. The intensity of the I'.: to' _\ '
emotion, is well captured in this sweet ~. , "~
m~lody. The tune reaches out 10 you in a
uhnlquewayand you find yourselfhumming
f'. •...•::r ( -/<::~
I e tune at any time, for days together.
dTheWordsofthisduetremind you offilm
uetsofone-and-a-halfor two decadesago. 'L~~i'" ..... f'~j
.,~ ;-'-~:r'-V
They are very refreshing and appealing. ,...-''1'\1:'£
SAl PARANJPYE
'Chingarikoi bhadke'
Thebe 'fu
aut, I blend of thought, express-
134 "WHY I LIKE..."
'Lsmbijudai'she lengthensthe lastsyllable, fascinated by the wordsofthesongandby
•... at.and repeatsthe bestpanofthe line: its use ofconsonants.Then of coursecome
'haye Jambi judaP. the tune of the song, the structure, etc.
The composer has used tivre madhyam,
stopping at the upper sa, then come to
dhaivat,pancham, and tivte madhyam, and SHRUTI SADOLIKAR-KATKAR
again employed a fleeting touch of komal 'Pyer kiya to darna kya'
gandhar. This has made the song memor The song has its own strength.It wasits
able. grandeur that appealed to me from the
beginning. Madhubala-with that express
KANAK RELE ion inbereyesandhermovements-hasnot
'Madhuban mein Radhika nache re'
Ifirstheard the song on the radiowhen I
wasabout16.Iwasstunned.ThoughIknew
very little about the Kathakali, Sopana, or
-Mohiniattamtraditionsat that time.Icould
visualize the[dance] movements.The utter
ance of the word 'nache' suggests a curve
and a clear dance movement.
cnact~d ~as
only the songwell,but t.aleoit
to great heights. Imagine [the suuation].«
she ischallenging the King [inaconflictnI
classes]. Prithviraj [as King Akbar] and
Dilip Kumar [asSalim) alsorespondngbtly·
Though I knew the song mueh earlier,I
watchedthefilmquiterecently-afewyears
5~ng ~ore~
back. Istartedlikingthe even
isamongthoseraresongs10filmswhich)at;
I knew.that tbe song was based on raga feel are inevitable. GeneraUy songs
Hamir. I remember seeing the film im added on to show the dance talents
mediately after I had heard the song. actresses orfor mereentertam. mcst.Madan
(Anotherstrongreason for this wasthatmy Mohan's songs are good bythemselves,but
favourite hero, Dilip Kumar, was in it.) they are usually pi.ctun.zed poorly.For,,-d
a
Incidentally, the heroine (Meena Kumari) ample 'Tum jo mil gaye ho'_Mohanun
danced horribly. It was a thorough dis Rafi's songinHanste zakhm-I.Sveryeffec
appointment. I had to shut my eyes. tr.ve as a song. It.uses good VOlleepanerns15.
The song-typeiscomparable to the endo instruments, etc., but the actualfilmupst
like. Every time I listen to the song, it finisb<'l
yo.uP.ya,
reminds me of the Sopanaparampara. kiya to dama tya' is a
The Indian mind is such'that we are product, It gets to the core of the tile""'"
carried away by any words about Krishna, love-which is universal. tileJ_:1",.
any story or music about Krishna. I am You areimpressedwhen yousee
'WHY I LIKE...• 135
\\'hen the song comes on, you have a The song is a unique experiment in the
premonition of coming events. This is the hlendingofraga-hased Indianmelodywitha
onlycolouredsequencein the film.Madhu symphonicstructureofinstrumentation.The
bela's figure is reflected in the. mirrors instrumental music here is not just an
arrangedinacirclearound her. The univer interlude-link inbetween the antaras,oran
salappeal of love is thus portrayed. The introduction to the mukhda. It isa part of
song makesgood use of chorus and brings the entirestructure ofthe song, andisalso
outthesweetness and innocence of Lata's present beneaththe vocalrendition.Itcon
voice.Thesongis a perfect blend of voice tinuesthroughout thelengthofthecomposi
andorchestra, and of Western an·d.Indian tion.
music. I like the song because it serves a The songiscomposedin12mstrss. Itisa
purpose in the situation. blendofragaslogiaandMand,withashade
of Bhimpalasi in the beginniog and at the
end.
NIT SHETIl Written by the well-known Hindi poet
'Bane ghanasari ret' Shri Raghuvir Sahay, the song is in blank
Vanraj gave me a recorded spool of the verse. Settingto tuneapoeminblankverse
song to hear when I was producing a is no easytask, but Vanraj has carried out
half-hour film-music-based sponsored prog the experiment successfully. The result is
,ra,,m,emre for Vividh Bharati titled 'Kohinoot haunting-the most memorable song that
Gunjar'. has ever come out of the film industry.
