Thursday, July 9, 2009

Irshad Kamil

If you ask me what really is the reason for the 80s to be considered as one of the worst decades as far Hindi music is concerned, I think the blame has to be laid on the song-writers of that decade. I agree that singers ( with great Rafi and Mukesh dead and Kishore Da less frequent, there was a preponderance of Rafi-wannabees with Md. Aziz leading the fray.) and music directors( Bappi da rocking the nation with Disco ) were not exactly making our jaws drop with their creativity and talent. But, then it really takes considerable effort on the part of the music director and singer to lift a song with lines like "Aa gaya aa gaya , halwawala aa gaya..rang jamane aa gaya..dhoom machane aa gaya..". The song writer is Anjaan for the movie Dance Dance ( Bappi Da's music, singer Vijay Benedict). Now we really can't blame him for this. He was just giving what was working at that time. After all, he is the same who gave us these wonderful lines

"Tujh bin jogan meri raaten, tujh bin mere din banjaaran
Meraa jivan jalati buunden, bujhe-bujhe mere sapane saare"
"Nasha sharaab mein hota to nachti botle" 
"Doobne wale ko tinke ka sahara hi bahut hai".

The occasional Gulzar classics

"Jeene ke liye socha hi na tha, dard sambhalane honge
muskuraoon to, muskurane ke karz utaarne honge
muskuraoon kabhi to lagata hai jaise honthon pe karz rakhaa hai"
"Ek Akeli Chhataree Main Jab Aadhe Aadhe Bheeg Rahe The
Aadhe Sookhe Aadhe Geele, Sukha To Main Le Aaye Thee
Geela Man Shayad Bistar Ke Paas Pada Ho
Vo Bhijwa Do, Mera Vo Saamaan Lauta Do")

were like oasis in a desert.

Nineties saw a significant improvement in the quality of song writing with song-writers
like Gulzaar("Woh jo doodh dhuli, masoom kali") and Javed Akhtar
("Jaise Khilta Gulaab
Jaise Shaayar Ka Khwaab
Jaise Ujli Kiran
Jaise Van Mein Hiran ") tightening their belts to stem the rot which had set in.

But the new millennium probably is turning into a golden era as far as lyrics of songs is considered. With arrival of Jaideep Sahni ("Haule haule se hawa lagti hai, Haule Haule se dawa lagti hai, Haule Haule se dua lagti hai "), Piyush Mishra (Bisleri ki botle pike jaise ban gaye inglisman), Prasoon Joshi; veterans like Gulzar and Javed Akhtar also started churning out lines which compared favorably with their already set high standards. Sample these:-- "Aisa koi sagaa nahin, jisko thagaa nahin; Aankhen bhi kamal karti hain, personal se sawaal karti hain (Bantee Aur Bablee, Gulzar) // "Woh ilaichi khilai ke karib aa gaya"(Omkara, Gulzar) // "Chalk se chand pe likh diya, rewa , rewa , rewa (Philhaal, Gulzaar)" // "Radha kaise na jale"(Lagaan,Javed Akhtar). Javed Akhtar especially started raising the bar, so much so that in 2005 all the five songs which were nominees to the Filmfare best lyrics were penned by him. Talk about competition forcing the monopolist to raise the quality of his products :-)

During this period, to be exact in early 2004, Chameli movie came and became famous for reasons other than its songs (that floral print saree "Oh she really looks like one" or the death of original director Anant Balani and then Sudhir Mishra completing the movie). News obeys a law like the Grasham's Law of "bad money drives good money out of circulation" -- "bad news drives good news out of circulation" ( If you doubt the veracity of the this Grasham's law of news, just watch Aaj Tak or India TV for sometime ).

This movie had one of the most meaningful songs to have come out in Bollywood- "Jaane". This song has two versions, male version sung by Udit Narayan and female version by Sunidhi Chauhan (who interestingly sings lines like "ab is tarah usko sochta huun" without changing the gender of the song ).



The writer of this song is Irshad Kamil

"Bheegi Huwi Koyi Shaam Woh
Mehka Huwa Koyi Naam Woh
Bin Baat Hi Hoti Hai Nilaam Woh
Mashhoor Hai Phir Bhi Badnaam Woh
Jaane Huwa Hai Aaj Kya Hamein Na Ham
Jaane Kyun Ham Ko Yaad… Aaye Woh
Ab Is Tarha Usko Sochta Hoon
Guzre Huwe Woh Pal Rokta Hoon
Woh Pal Kahin Kho Gaye Hain Jo Apne
Aur Saath Bhi Ho Gaye Hain Jo Sapne
Jaane Huwa Hai Aaj Kya Hamein Na Ham
Jaane Kyun Ham Ko Yaad… Aaye Woh

Woh Roshni Woh Aag Hai
Ya Phir Koyi Charaag Hai
Jisse Dheere Dheere Hai Jalna
Jisse Is Tarha Hi Hai Chalna
Kissi Mod Pe Woh Aaj Bhi Qandeel Si Jalegi
Shaher Ki Dhoop Si Bewaqt Hi Dhhalegi
Kyun Hamko Yaad…
Bheegi Huwi Koyi Shaam Woh
Mehka Huwa Koyi Naam Woh
Bin Baat Hi Hoti Hai Nilaam Woh
Mashhoor Hai Phir Bhi Badnaam Woh
Jaane Huwa Hai Aaj Kya Hamein Na Ham
Jaane
Kyun Ham Ko Yaad Aaye Woh..."

Next I heard of him in Sochaa na Tha ( with those beautiful lines
"Main sidhe sadhe dhang se kehta huun yeh baat,
Ek ghar basana chahata huun main tumhare saath,
Kya dogi mere haanthon mein tum apna haath")
and Jab We Met
("Tera na hona jane, Kyun hona hi hai"
"Mein kahin bhi jata hoon, Tumse hi mil jata hoon"
"Naina tere kajraare hai, Naino pe hum dil haare hai
Anjaane hi tere naino ne Waade kiye kayi saare hai"
"Chanda ko taaku raaton mein, Hai zindagi tere haanthon mein").

And then comes Chor bazaari from Love Aaj Kal

"Chori!!!

Na re Nanaa re

Chor Bazari do naino ki
Pehle thi aadat jo hat gai

Pyaar ki jo teri meri
Umar aai thi woh ghat gai


Duniya ki to fikkar kahan thi
Teri bhi ab chinta ghat gai

Chanda rre
Tu bhi tu hai
Mein bhi mein hoon
Duniya saari dekh ulat gayi
Tu na jaane mein na jaanu
Kaise saaari baat palat gai


Ghatni hi thi yeh bhi ghatna
Ghatte ghatte lo yeh ghat gayi


Haan Chor Bazari do naino ki
Pehle thi aadat jo hat gai


Tarif teri karna
Tujhe Khone se darna
Haan bhul gaya ab tujhpe din mein char dafa marna


Tarif teri karna
Tujhe Khone se darna
Haan bhul gaya abb tujhpe din mein char dafa marna


Pyaar khumari utari saari
Baaton ki badli bhi chhat gayi

Hum se main pe aaye aise
Mujhko to mein hi mein kat gayi

Ek hue the do se dono
Dono ki abb raahein kat gayi

Na re NanNa RE
Na re NanNa RE
Na re NanNa RE
Na re NanNa RE

Abb koi fikar nahi
Gum ka bhi zikar nahi
Haaan hota hoon mein jis raste pe
Aaye khushi wahin

Aajad hoon mein tujhse
Aajad hai tu mujhse
Haan jo jee chahe
Jaise chahe karle raj yahin
Laj sharm ki choti moti jo thi dori
Woh bhi kat gai
Chauk chawbare gali mohalle
Khol ke main saare ghonghat gai

Tu na badli mein na badla
Dilli sari dekh badal gai


Ek minute mein duniya dari ki
saaari samaj nikal gai

Haan Rang biranga pani pe ke
Seedhi saadhi kudi begad gayi


Dekh ke mujhko hasta gaata
Sadh gai yeh duniya sadh gai

Na re NanNa RE
Na re NanNa RE
Na re NanNa RE
Na re NanNa RE"

Irshad on yahoo news


Looks like that quote in cricket that fast bowlers hunt in pairs is true of Hindi cinema too..Imtiaz Ali-Irshad Kamil , Rakesh Omprakash Mehra-Prasoon Joshi, Vishal Bharwaj-Gulzaar, Ashutosh Gowarikar-Javed Akhtar...

p.s:-- My remark about bad lyrics in 80s movies should not be taken as discounting songs like Neela aasman so gaya. Point is what was the vox populi-- it was "Mera dil gaaye jaa Zoobi Zoobi Zoobi" and not this song by Gulzar "Hazar Rahein Mud Ke Dekhi" (1981 filmfare award winner for best lyrics)

Film: Thodi Si Bewafai (1980)
Singers: Kishore Kumar & Lata Mangeshkar
Lyricist: Gulzar
Music Director: Khayyam
Lyrics:

Hazar rahein mud ke dekhin
Kahin se koi sada na aayi
Badi wafa se nibhayi tumne
Hamari thodi si bewafai

Jahan se tum mod mud gaye the
Ye mod ab hi wahin pade hain
Hum apne pairon mein jaane kitne
Bhanwar lapete hue khade hain


Badi wafa se nibhayi tumne
Hamari thodi si bewafai

Kahin kisi roz yun bhi hota
Hamari haalat tumhari hoti
Jo raat humein guzari marr ke
Vo raat tumne guzari hoti

Badi wafa se nibhayi tumne
Hamari thodi si bewafai


Tumhe ye zid thi ke hum bulate
Humein ye ummid vo pukarein

Hai naam hoton pe ab bhi lekin
Aawaz mein pad gayi dararein

Hazar rahein mud ke dekhim
Kahin se koi sada na aayi
Badi wafa se nibhayi tumne
Hamari thodi si bewafai"

2 comments:

  1. wow . that's refreshing.
    ever considered dhan te nan frrom kaameney. it's the sound of jubilation which sounds like tang tarang( something of a tinkle after the radio ads in 80's.)
    last a sound of jubilation was heard was 'yahooooo' from shammi kapoor.
    dhan te nan comes after more than 3 decades i guess.

    ReplyDelete
  2. yes
    Kaminey music and lyrics rocks...
    with sounds of gullak breaking in
    the background...

    ReplyDelete