I revisited the film Disco Dancer, the reason being neither political nor zoological! One is besotted with Bappi Lahiri’s incredible soundtrack that is once again back in public memory, courtesy an apparel company’s commercial where Deepika Padukone swoons to Usha Uthup’s ‘Koi Yahan Aaha Nache Nache,’ in what can be truly described as gay abandon.
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Faruq Kaiser’s lyrical hook ‘Auva Auva’ is yet to be decoded, but the tune lives on to tell us many stories that a song carries. It tells us that originality is getting scarce and the AI generation draws from groovy notes of the past and packages them as nostalgia. In the mid 80s, Lahiri faced charges of plagiarism because the song sounded similar to The Buggles’ number ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ — even the hook words were copied.
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Same song, changed mood
What has changed though is the social stigma attached to such songs. In the film, the song was picturised on Kalpana Iyer, who emerged as a seductress/vamp in the 80s, following the pattern set by the likes of Aruna Irani and Bindu. They represented or inhabited spaces that were considered forbidden by society. It was sung by Uthup, who never got to sing for the heroine because her voice lacked saccharine. Today, it is presented as a liberating anthem, picturised on a leading actress. As a result, the same song evokes a different feeling.
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Yash Chopra’s Kabhi Kabhie (1976) is defined by Sahir Ludhianvi’s song ‘Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Main Khayal Aata Hai’ — a nazm that was published in his first collection Talkhiyan (Bitterness). A toned-down version of the original nazm, it still captures beautifully the emotions of a poet’s unrequited love.
But few remember that Khayyam first composed and recorded it for an unreleased Chetan Anand film in 1950. Author Akshay Manwani, in his book on Sahir, says Chetan Anand was making Kafir with Dev Anand and Priya Rajwansh, and Khayyam recorded the song with Geeta Dutt and Sudha Malhotra. The film about a Hindu doctor falling in love with a Muslim girl at the time of Partition could not be completed and it is said that Sahir took an oral consent from Chetan Anand to use it elsewhere. More than 25 years later, the song completed its journey.
Ghazal lovers swear by Mehdi Hasan’s ‘Rafta Rafta Woh Meri Hasti Ka Saman Ho Gaye’ (slowly and gradually she became a part of my personality), but they don’t know that a version of Tasleem Fazli’s ghazal was composed by Basant Prakash and tweaked by lyricist Qamar Jalalabadi in the little-known Hum Kahan Ja Rahe Hain (1966).
Sung by Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhosle, the slow-paced romantic number goes ‘Rafta Rafta Woh Hamare Dil Ke Armaan Ho Gaye’. Mehdi Sahab’s ghazal was picturised in a Pakistani film Zeenat in the 70s, where the hero sings the ghazal to his wife on their first night.
Years later, composer Anu Malik came out with his own copy as ‘Dheere Dheere Aap Mere Dil Ke Mehmaan Ho Gaye’ in Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Baazi (1995) with the help of Majrooh Sultanpuri. Sung by Udit Narayan and Sadhna Sargam, the Bollywood pop was a far cry from the original ghazal, but became a chartbuster because the catchy tune is timeless and the visual appeal of the poetry provides scope for the director to establish a romantic relationship... pehle jaan, phir jaanejaan, phir jaanejaana ho gaye . No English translation can describe the growing intimacy with the beloved in such lyrical terms.
Written for Bobby
In 1988, when Govinda was on top of his game, he did a film called Dariya-Dil. It is still known for its lilting number, ‘Woh Kehte Hain Hum Se Abhi Umar Nahin Hai Pyar Ki, Nadan Hain Woh Kya Jaane, Kab Kali Khili Bahar Ki’. Composed by Rajesh Roshan, the soulful song sung by Nitin Mukesh seemed out of place in the 1980s. Even its picturisation and the placement in the narrative was jarring. Later, it was revealed that the song was actually written by Vithalbhai Patel and not Indeevar as credited. The story goes that poet Vithalbhai Patel was requested by Raj Kapoor to write songs for his teenage romance Bobby . He came up with gems like ‘Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kathe’, ‘Na Mangu Sona Chandi’ and ‘Woh Kehte Hain Hum Se’. For some reason, the last one could not be used in the film but some 15 years later, Rajesh Roshan used it in Dariya Dil . When Patel objected, the producers repented, and he got his due credit.
However, another interesting facet pointed out recently by film historian Bobby Sing in his blog is that the tune was composed by Raj Kapoor himself. It becomes clear from an audio clip — put in the public domain by Patel’s son — where Kapoor, known to provide creative inputs to his musical team, can be heard explaining the thought behind the song. He explains how parents don’t give credence to teenage romance, and then starts singing the lines of Patel in exactly the same way as it was composed 15 years later. Bobby’s score was composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal and Rajesh Roshan was the assistant at that time.
Listening to Kapoor’s voice gives you goosebumps. One wonders how the public would have reacted in 1973 had it been picturised on Raja and Bobby with Mukesh singing for them.