MAINE TUJHE MANGA TUJHE PAYA HAI
The oeuvre of Kishore's talent is huge. But today I am gonna explore some Kishore songs particularly sung for the Yash Raj camp because frankly I am a bit biased towards their movies, and their movies had superlative music. One major strong point of Yash Chopra movies was the depiction of realistic relationships between characters that were human and given to human frailties and foibles. Unlike some of today's movies where the people seem to be play-acting between one item song to the next, their movies involved people loving, faultering, hating, supporting and guiding each other through thick and thin, unfolding an engrossing narrative. So this lovely ditty from Deewar sung by Asha Bhonsle and Kishore-yeah they did deviate from Lata whom otherwise they idolised for particular music directors, this one being RD Burman for obvious reasons- and lyrics by my all time favourite Sahir.
JANEMAN TUM KAMAL KARTE HO
If until then Hindi heroines were mostly seen cooking, knitting and doing flower arrangements in their free time, Yash Chopra had them teeing off in lush green golf courses, having a say in boardrooms, enjoying a mean game of Tennis, enjoying power yoga in designer outfits and walking not one step behind the hero but hand in hand and schmoozing in style. It is due to the foresight of filmmakers such as these that women's movements in India took off in covert ways, earning them their rightful place in all spheres of life. His heroines were more than shrivelling maidens twiddling their thumbs , playing with saree pallus and yet not those typical gangsters' molls existing just to be used, abused and required only in the confines of closed hotel rooms. His heroes wooed them in style, giving them their worth of attention and adulation as someone to be pampered, cherished and treated at par. And the icing on the cake, he always made them look gorgeous like never before. And it was Kishore's voice that resonated the progressive spirit of a young, vibrant India.
MERE DIL MEIN AAJ KYA HAI
Kishore sang for a multitude of heroes but perhaps the face that did utmost justice to his voice was Rajesh Khanna. Also Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore shared a sizzling onscreen chemistry. They lifted the coy and 'dancing flowers' style romance of 60s to a visible and palpable meeting of two bodies and souls in the storming 70s. Lot of bold themes were explored and audiences lapped it up. Suddenly there was no beating around the bush but stranding storms, smouldering fireplaces, rooms (and blankets) to share and expressed desires. But the unfolding drama would not have been half as fun without the soul-lifting vocals of Kishore....
HUM AUR TUM TUM AUR HUM
Kishore and Lata were a favourite combination in Yash Chopra movies, as were snow capped mountains and love triangles. They can also be attributed with starting the trend of having a subtext in the title. This for instance was 'DAAG:A poem of love' a trend that was adopted by many later and almost done to death. Also a lot of unwed mothers in their movies...more about that later. Enjoy this beautiful song by LaxmikanT Pyarelal and Sahir Ludhianvi executed in typical Yash style! Sharmila looking quite the teeny bopper and Khanna posing as one and guess what! He could get away with it with a sweet l'il paunchy. But this was the 70s. I mean they could even get away with a bright yellow and black combination on Sharmila Tagore which I thought was only meant for Taxis, but surprisingly looking nice here!:-))
TERE CHEHRE SE NAZAR NAHIN HATATI
They were the proverbial love birds. Their freshness gave 'cute' a new meaning. Watching Rishi and Neetu romancing on screen is like having a warm cuppa of frothy coffee or masala chai in winters. They truly looked made for each other. If Kishore-Asha songs brought out their wild juvenile side, the Kishore-Lata combo preferred by the Yash Chopra camp made them look more romantic. It was Yash Chopra's vision all along to take actors to exotic locales, looking like a million bucks, dressed in vibrant hues and stylish, natty clothes and living life king size literally. Hey come on this was the seventies-esp this movie came in the terrible post emergency era- and noone wanted to see simpering darkness of sad sagas anymore. Yash Chopra gave 'em gloss, sheen and class like noone had ever done till date.
And to think that oldies like Sahir Ludhianvi and Khayyam could churn out such contemporary and evergreen songs is a revelation. True talent is ageless and limitless.......
SAR SE SARKI SARKI CHUNARIYA
Yash Chopra movies were an amalgamation of traditions and new ideas. Have a look at this very Indian song written by the inimitable Javed Akhtar and with music by the maestros Shiv-Hari. While these movies showcased Indian ethos, yet there were bold themes explored. Many single/unwed mothers or women having kids out of wedlock. From Rakhee in Daag to Waheeda in Kabhie Kabhie, Jaya in Silsila, Parveen Babi in Deewar and Preity Zinta in Salaam Namaste (produced by Yash Raj films) this was a recurring theme, but one done with such refinement and dignity that one couldn't help admiring these heroines even when such concepts were taboo in India. Yash Chopra films sure were heavy on the celestial wedding concept, romance being their forte. But then our myth is replete with such instances. Kunti was the original unwed mother. But ofcourse back in those times, these things happened with long distance transmogrification. Imagine worshipping the Sun and ending up with a son hahaha;-)))
KYA MAUSAM HAI CHAHAT KE KABIL
This movie produced by Yash Chopra is a beautifully done complex story-it is stunning how some 70s and 80s movies etched out finely nuanced roles with intricate human relations much better and more realistically than the movies today. I mean every time I watch 'Pati, Patni aur Woh' even today, I laugh like crazy coz it's so true and so funny!!! This movie had Rakhi as a hard core career woman that was a little rare then, her character is liberated and posh and she looked her best. The interesting interlude when the emancipated but lonely architect Rakhee comes across a younger newly married but confused younger guy is very nicely captured. Rishi ofcourse is irresistible as the younger, brash love interest. Come on I don't wanna reveal too much, watch it if you can. Lovely song by Roshan and Majrooh Sultanpuri. Even though Mohd Rafi and Lata too feature but the song clearly belongs to Kishore. So much for being an untrained singer!
EK RASTA HAI ZINDAGI
Lot of drama all around today. Watching News is more entertaining than any movie or soap opera today for this is opera of the masses, issues that touch our lives daily, issues that need to be thrashed out and resolved. Coming back to Kishore songs in Yash Chopra movies. It was not always chiffon and pearls. He did touch upon serious issues as in this movie based on the plight of coal miners in a crony capitalist set up. It was inspired by the Chasnala mining disaster. However the main plot was very similar to Joseph Conrad's novel Lord Jim. This song is the ultimate vagabond song, very few of its kind in Hindi movies. Most Indian songs are about holding on and clinging on but this is about letting go and being free. You may love a beautiful bird flying in the sky, you may love a shooting star, you may love a gurgling river but to think of holding on to it would be foolishness. There is a greater love to be experienced in communion with the universe, where each speck, each star, each being has a place and purpose. There is a greater love in being brave enough to let go what you want so dearly!:-) Ask a mother who let's go of a son to be a fighter pilot because that is what he wants to do the most. Ask the desert that waits patiently for rain, ask the nightingale how just looking at the moon from far away makes her heart sing. Great music by Rajesh Roshan and great singing by Kishore and Lata. But I am amazed it's written by the oh so poignant Sahir Ludhianvi. The guy knew his stuff!
MUJHE TUM YAAD KARNA AUR MUJHKO YAAD AANA TUM
In this movie Yash Chopra dealt with the morass of corruption that slowly gnaws at the fourth estate in our country. It was a hard hitting story based on how true journalism suffers when greater forces such as the mafia and politics take over.The film story written by Javed Akhtar was based on the well-known Marathi play "Ashroonchi Zhali Phule" written by famous Marathi writer playwright Vasant Kanetkar. As you can the song is shot in the unlikeliest of places you'd expect a Yash Chopra song, a railway track and some abandoned train coaches but the setting is refreshing and realistic. So it was not the Swiss Alps all the way. But what is the reception we give to such movies vis a vis the candyfloss? Perhaps in a country like India where millions eke out a menial living against all odds, going to the movies has always meant seeing things larger than life, beautiful and flawless which is why we are always heavy on the palatial houses, 24 seater dining tables and beds that look like strawberry cake! But the song is delightful in its own way. There was a time when saying goodbyes was painful. One would spend days crying, vacillating in nothingness for hours. With time one has to be mature enough to allow and want the other person to enjoy and even have a good time without you. Of course as long as its done within reasonable limits of acceptability!:-)) A very giving song, a very loving song, a very 'rising above loving' song!!
KIS KA RASTA DEKHE AE DIL AE TANHAI
Another unusual setting for a Yash Chopra song but one that has become happening off- late, a JAIL!!! But Dev Anand plays a man wrongly convicted for a crime he did not commit. The song has Kishore in that thoughtful, reflective reverie of a mood. It's almost like an internal monologue where he reflects on chances gone by and road not taken. It's a song that can moisten the eyes of anyone and make one empathise for all the wronged people in this world. Such people then live each day reminiscing a few good moments in their long forgotten past. People in their lives and loved ones too move on. All they look forward to is an end to all the miseries of the earth. But every day is a long wait, trapped in the cage of injustice and every moment a dull reminder of beautiful days gone by. One of Kishore's softest songs that I love listening to on a quiet, still night like this. Dev Anand is so good in it, he just new when to drop the absurd mannerisms and tell it like it is!
The oeuvre of Kishore's talent is huge. But today I am gonna explore some Kishore songs particularly sung for the Yash Raj camp because frankly I am a bit biased towards their movies, and their movies had superlative music. One major strong point of Yash Chopra movies was the depiction of realistic relationships between characters that were human and given to human frailties and foibles. Unlike some of today's movies where the people seem to be play-acting between one item song to the next, their movies involved people loving, faultering, hating, supporting and guiding each other through thick and thin, unfolding an engrossing narrative. So this lovely ditty from Deewar sung by Asha Bhonsle and Kishore-yeah they did deviate from Lata whom otherwise they idolised for particular music directors, this one being RD Burman for obvious reasons- and lyrics by my all time favourite Sahir.
JANEMAN TUM KAMAL KARTE HO
If until then Hindi heroines were mostly seen cooking, knitting and doing flower arrangements in their free time, Yash Chopra had them teeing off in lush green golf courses, having a say in boardrooms, enjoying a mean game of Tennis, enjoying power yoga in designer outfits and walking not one step behind the hero but hand in hand and schmoozing in style. It is due to the foresight of filmmakers such as these that women's movements in India took off in covert ways, earning them their rightful place in all spheres of life. His heroines were more than shrivelling maidens twiddling their thumbs , playing with saree pallus and yet not those typical gangsters' molls existing just to be used, abused and required only in the confines of closed hotel rooms. His heroes wooed them in style, giving them their worth of attention and adulation as someone to be pampered, cherished and treated at par. And the icing on the cake, he always made them look gorgeous like never before. And it was Kishore's voice that resonated the progressive spirit of a young, vibrant India.
MERE DIL MEIN AAJ KYA HAI
Kishore sang for a multitude of heroes but perhaps the face that did utmost justice to his voice was Rajesh Khanna. Also Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore shared a sizzling onscreen chemistry. They lifted the coy and 'dancing flowers' style romance of 60s to a visible and palpable meeting of two bodies and souls in the storming 70s. Lot of bold themes were explored and audiences lapped it up. Suddenly there was no beating around the bush but stranding storms, smouldering fireplaces, rooms (and blankets) to share and expressed desires. But the unfolding drama would not have been half as fun without the soul-lifting vocals of Kishore....
HUM AUR TUM TUM AUR HUM
Kishore and Lata were a favourite combination in Yash Chopra movies, as were snow capped mountains and love triangles. They can also be attributed with starting the trend of having a subtext in the title. This for instance was 'DAAG:A poem of love' a trend that was adopted by many later and almost done to death. Also a lot of unwed mothers in their movies...more about that later. Enjoy this beautiful song by LaxmikanT Pyarelal and Sahir Ludhianvi executed in typical Yash style! Sharmila looking quite the teeny bopper and Khanna posing as one and guess what! He could get away with it with a sweet l'il paunchy. But this was the 70s. I mean they could even get away with a bright yellow and black combination on Sharmila Tagore which I thought was only meant for Taxis, but surprisingly looking nice here!:-))
TERE CHEHRE SE NAZAR NAHIN HATATI
They were the proverbial love birds. Their freshness gave 'cute' a new meaning. Watching Rishi and Neetu romancing on screen is like having a warm cuppa of frothy coffee or masala chai in winters. They truly looked made for each other. If Kishore-Asha songs brought out their wild juvenile side, the Kishore-Lata combo preferred by the Yash Chopra camp made them look more romantic. It was Yash Chopra's vision all along to take actors to exotic locales, looking like a million bucks, dressed in vibrant hues and stylish, natty clothes and living life king size literally. Hey come on this was the seventies-esp this movie came in the terrible post emergency era- and noone wanted to see simpering darkness of sad sagas anymore. Yash Chopra gave 'em gloss, sheen and class like noone had ever done till date.
And to think that oldies like Sahir Ludhianvi and Khayyam could churn out such contemporary and evergreen songs is a revelation. True talent is ageless and limitless.......
SAR SE SARKI SARKI CHUNARIYA
Yash Chopra movies were an amalgamation of traditions and new ideas. Have a look at this very Indian song written by the inimitable Javed Akhtar and with music by the maestros Shiv-Hari. While these movies showcased Indian ethos, yet there were bold themes explored. Many single/unwed mothers or women having kids out of wedlock. From Rakhee in Daag to Waheeda in Kabhie Kabhie, Jaya in Silsila, Parveen Babi in Deewar and Preity Zinta in Salaam Namaste (produced by Yash Raj films) this was a recurring theme, but one done with such refinement and dignity that one couldn't help admiring these heroines even when such concepts were taboo in India. Yash Chopra films sure were heavy on the celestial wedding concept, romance being their forte. But then our myth is replete with such instances. Kunti was the original unwed mother. But ofcourse back in those times, these things happened with long distance transmogrification. Imagine worshipping the Sun and ending up with a son hahaha;-)))
KYA MAUSAM HAI CHAHAT KE KABIL
This movie produced by Yash Chopra is a beautifully done complex story-it is stunning how some 70s and 80s movies etched out finely nuanced roles with intricate human relations much better and more realistically than the movies today. I mean every time I watch 'Pati, Patni aur Woh' even today, I laugh like crazy coz it's so true and so funny!!! This movie had Rakhi as a hard core career woman that was a little rare then, her character is liberated and posh and she looked her best. The interesting interlude when the emancipated but lonely architect Rakhee comes across a younger newly married but confused younger guy is very nicely captured. Rishi ofcourse is irresistible as the younger, brash love interest. Come on I don't wanna reveal too much, watch it if you can. Lovely song by Roshan and Majrooh Sultanpuri. Even though Mohd Rafi and Lata too feature but the song clearly belongs to Kishore. So much for being an untrained singer!
EK RASTA HAI ZINDAGI
Lot of drama all around today. Watching News is more entertaining than any movie or soap opera today for this is opera of the masses, issues that touch our lives daily, issues that need to be thrashed out and resolved. Coming back to Kishore songs in Yash Chopra movies. It was not always chiffon and pearls. He did touch upon serious issues as in this movie based on the plight of coal miners in a crony capitalist set up. It was inspired by the Chasnala mining disaster. However the main plot was very similar to Joseph Conrad's novel Lord Jim. This song is the ultimate vagabond song, very few of its kind in Hindi movies. Most Indian songs are about holding on and clinging on but this is about letting go and being free. You may love a beautiful bird flying in the sky, you may love a shooting star, you may love a gurgling river but to think of holding on to it would be foolishness. There is a greater love to be experienced in communion with the universe, where each speck, each star, each being has a place and purpose. There is a greater love in being brave enough to let go what you want so dearly!:-) Ask a mother who let's go of a son to be a fighter pilot because that is what he wants to do the most. Ask the desert that waits patiently for rain, ask the nightingale how just looking at the moon from far away makes her heart sing. Great music by Rajesh Roshan and great singing by Kishore and Lata. But I am amazed it's written by the oh so poignant Sahir Ludhianvi. The guy knew his stuff!
MUJHE TUM YAAD KARNA AUR MUJHKO YAAD AANA TUM
In this movie Yash Chopra dealt with the morass of corruption that slowly gnaws at the fourth estate in our country. It was a hard hitting story based on how true journalism suffers when greater forces such as the mafia and politics take over.The film story written by Javed Akhtar was based on the well-known Marathi play "Ashroonchi Zhali Phule" written by famous Marathi writer playwright Vasant Kanetkar. As you can the song is shot in the unlikeliest of places you'd expect a Yash Chopra song, a railway track and some abandoned train coaches but the setting is refreshing and realistic. So it was not the Swiss Alps all the way. But what is the reception we give to such movies vis a vis the candyfloss? Perhaps in a country like India where millions eke out a menial living against all odds, going to the movies has always meant seeing things larger than life, beautiful and flawless which is why we are always heavy on the palatial houses, 24 seater dining tables and beds that look like strawberry cake! But the song is delightful in its own way. There was a time when saying goodbyes was painful. One would spend days crying, vacillating in nothingness for hours. With time one has to be mature enough to allow and want the other person to enjoy and even have a good time without you. Of course as long as its done within reasonable limits of acceptability!:-)) A very giving song, a very loving song, a very 'rising above loving' song!!
KIS KA RASTA DEKHE AE DIL AE TANHAI
Another unusual setting for a Yash Chopra song but one that has become happening off- late, a JAIL!!! But Dev Anand plays a man wrongly convicted for a crime he did not commit. The song has Kishore in that thoughtful, reflective reverie of a mood. It's almost like an internal monologue where he reflects on chances gone by and road not taken. It's a song that can moisten the eyes of anyone and make one empathise for all the wronged people in this world. Such people then live each day reminiscing a few good moments in their long forgotten past. People in their lives and loved ones too move on. All they look forward to is an end to all the miseries of the earth. But every day is a long wait, trapped in the cage of injustice and every moment a dull reminder of beautiful days gone by. One of Kishore's softest songs that I love listening to on a quiet, still night like this. Dev Anand is so good in it, he just new when to drop the absurd mannerisms and tell it like it is!
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