On Wednesday evening, tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain and the Symphony Orchestra of India will pay tribute to ace music director Vanraj Bhatia, in recognition of his immense contribution. The show will also feature Tushar Bhatia and his group Swardhara, which will render songs from the senior composer’s films.
Now 89, Vanraj Bhatia is best known for Shyam Benegal’s films Ankur , Manthan , Bhumika , Mandi , Junoon , Kalyug and Sardari Begum . He wasn’t available for comment before the show, but in an earlier interview to this writer, he had recalled how he made best use of singer Preeti Sagar in Benegal’s films.
“The song ‘ Mero Gaam Katha Parey ’ in Manthan became very popular. People asked me what language it was in. I told them it was studio language, mixing various dialects. People from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh all identified with it,” he had said.
Bhatia used Sagar’s voice again in Bhumika , and the songs ‘ Tumhare bin jee na lage ’ and ‘ Saawan ke din aaye sajanwa ’ (with Bhupinder) are still popular. Later, the combination had another hit with ‘What's your problem?’ in Kalyug .
Though Bhatia is largely associated with what known at one time as ‘art cinema’, his background is in western classical music. A student of New Era School, Mumbai, he found himself suddenly fascinated by Tchaikovsky’s ‘Piano Concerto No 1’.
He initially learnt from Dr. Manek Bhagat, a paediatrician who also taught piano. Later, he went to the Royal Academy of Music, London, where he was taught by the famous Howard Ferguson and Alan Bush. Next, he joined the Paris Conservatoire, and was trained by the great Nadia Boulanger. After returning to India, he started composing ad jingles. Over the years, he has created some 7,000 scores for ads and corporate films.
While the Benegal films brought him into the limelight, Bhatia also worked with Aparna Sen in 36 Chowinghee Lane , Kundan Shah in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron , Prakash Jha in Hip Hip Hurray and Govind Nihalani for the teleserial Tamas , for which he won the National Award. “Jury head Salil Chowdhury insisted I get the award, though some other members felt I shouldn’t get one because it was a television score.”
Bhatia also loved doing background scores. Besides the films Ajooba , Beta , Damini and Ghatak , he did the music for the teleserials, Discovery Of India , Wagle Ki Duniya and Khandaan .
In the 2000s, however, Bhatia cut down on films, and concentrated on releasing spiritual albums based on the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads. “There is a time for everything. I was never part of the overall film scenario. When things leave you, you should leave them,” he said. Another pet project he began was his English opera Agni Varsha , based on Girish Karnad’s play. “It’s been one of the most satisfying experiences for me,” he recounted.
Clearly, it’s been an illustrious career. Wednesday’s tribute would be a perfect thanksgiving to Bhatia’s genius.
A Tribute to Vanraj Bhatia will take place at 7 p.m. today at the Tata Theatre, NCPA.
