A musical tribute to Suresh Wadkar on the occasion of his 65th birthday

The Hindu pays a tribute to one of the last singers from the golden age of Hindi film music

August 07, 2020 02:04 pm | Updated 07:32 pm IST

Singer Suresh Wadkar

Singer Suresh Wadkar

There was a time when the music of a Hindi film used to be looked forward to as much as the film itself. There was a time when you needed to be an exceptionally gifted singer if you wanted to make yourself heard in cinema. Suresh Wadkar is one of the last singers from that golden age of Hindi film music.

Jiya Wadkar, the eight-year old daughter of singer Suresh Wadkar, makes her solo album debut

He is one of those rare, original, smooth, classically trained perfect voices that you hardly find in today’s popular music. Maybe you don’t need such voices these days because you don’t make songs that demand them.

On his 65th birthday, The Hindu rewinds his best songs:

Seene main jalan...(Gaman)

The directorial debut of the talented Muzzafar Ali, had great music by Jaidev. Lyricist Shahryar too came up with some brilliant lines.

This was only the second film for Suresh, but he justified the Jaidev had in him with his flawless, expressive rendering. Shahryar’s lyrics beautifully summed up Gaman ‘s theme of the travails of urban migration. On the screen was that most natural of actors, the late Farooq Sheikh.

It is one of the three timeless melodies of Gaman , for which Jaidev won his second of the three National Awards. Chhaya Ganguly also won the National Award for the best female playback singer for her the heartbreaking Aaap ki yaad rahi... The film had yet another timeless melody – Ajeeb saneha hai , rendered by debutant Hariharan.

Saanj dhale gagan tale...(Utsav)

With this 1984 film Girish Karnad showed how you could adapt a Sanskrit play written two centuries before Christ and turn it into compelling cinema. A talented cast, led by the gorgeous Rekha and Shakar Nag and Anuradha Patel, helped. Laxmikant-Pyarelal ensured that it was a musical triumph too.

This semi-classical song, composed in Raga Bibhas , brought out the best out of Suresh. It is as if the song was made just for him.

The most popular song from Utsav maybe that brilliant female duet Man kyon behaka re ..., in which sisters Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle were in top form, and Anuradha Paudwal may have won the National Award for the best female playback singer for Mere man baje... , but Saanj dhale.. . is the album’s finest composition.

Surmai shaam is tarah.. .(Lekin)

Gulzar’s 1991 film was produced by Lata Mangeshkar and her brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar, so its music had to be special. It was.

Yaara seeli seeli... may have been more popular and won Lata a National Award, but this song sung exquisitely by Suresh is sheer magic. It is another reminder why he should have been used more by Hindi cinema.

Meri kismat mein tu nahi.. . (Prem Rog)

 

The popular romantic drama directed by Raj Kapoor had a fine musical score by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The prolific composer duo could recreate the magic of Bobby , which also had the Kapoor Sr. directing his son Rishi Kapoor. The film also helped Suresh establish himself as a playback singer.

In this song he has the company of Lata Mangeshkar, who, according to reports, was hugely impressed when she first heard him sing.

Their other duets of Prem RogMohabbat hai kya cheez... and Bhanware ne khilaaya phool ... – also topped charts. As did Suresh’s solo Main hoon prem rogi...

Lagi aaj saawan ki... (Chandni)

 

Yash Chopra’s Chandni is one of Hindi cinema’s most loved romances. As was often the case those days, great romances called for great music. The composer duo of Shiv-Hari lived up to the expectations of the director and the music fans, who lapped up 10 million audio cassettes of Chandni.

The film showcased Sridevi in all her glory. Few films have been as tailor made for her as this love triangle, also featuring Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna. She had the foot-tapping Mere haathon mein nau nau ... to display her dancing skills, and the lovely locales of Switzerland to make the camera love her beauty in chiffon sarees.

Her yellow saree is – predictably – drenched for this song sequence, as she hots up the screen with her graceful, sensuous moves, along with Suresh’s brilliant rendering in the background.

Aur is dil mein kya rakha hai. .. (Imaandar)

 

A fine composition by Kalyanji-Anandji for a hardly memorable 1987 film starring Sanjay Dutt and the beautiful Farah, the elder sister of Tabu. It may not have been among the better films of his career, but Suresh was brilliant in the song.

Among Suresh’s other fine songs are Megha re megha... (Pyaasa Sawan), Husn pahaadon ka... (Ram Teri Ganga Maili), Huzur is kadar... (Masoom) and Chappa chappa charkha chale...(Maachis).

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