Mere naina saawan bhaadon, phir bhi mera man pyaasa...

Today is Kishore Kumar’s 20^th death anniversary. Everyone has their special Kishoreda song or moment.

I will skip analysing the brilliant film he made - Door Gagan Ki Chaaon Mein and stick to his music.

I was not a huge fan, although unlike Mukesh or Hemant Kumar, he did have a wide range. In fact, he was perhaps a rarity among the silvery smooth voices of the conventional hero’s playback singing. He had almost a smoker’s quality and strangely enough it sat rather well with the gooey charm of Rajesh Khanna. Perhaps, it was in the song sequences that Khanna got liberated, either when he yodelled or dipped low into a whisper…

Hrishikesh Mukherjee probably used Mukesh to sing for Anand because Khanna’s character is terminally ill. I am trying to imagine Kishore Kumar sing. “Kaheen door jab din dhal jaayein…” Why not? After all, his voice cried in Amar Prem as he belted out “Chingaari koi bhadke tau saawan usey bujhaaye, saawan jo agan lagaye usey kaun bujhaaye”…and to think that the preamble to this was Rajesh Khanna telling Sharmila Tagore, “Pushpa, I hate tears”.

Kishore the buffoon, as actor and singer, excelled, but he could not get the slapstick perfect. I am biased. I don’t think anyone besides Chaplin can, so we can forget it…but again I am thinking: how would he have sung, “Teil maalish…sar jo tera chakraye” to Johnny Walker’s contorted facial rhythms? If he managed it in Padosan (“Eik chatur naar kar ke singaar”, where I think Manna De was superb, and not a mere foil), he would…wouldn’t he?

Here, let me take that leap into blasphemy. Mohammed Rafi extended the horizons to become not just the character but also the actor. In Hindi cinema however good an actor is he still remains the star. Rafi subsumed his own identity and it melded with the actor’s. Kishore Kumar was the star himself.

To take just one example. Listen to “Humein tumse pyaar kitna…” The female version is vastly better, sung by Parveen Sultana, the latter a classical diva and divine act, but both have sung it like stars.

“Kora kaaghaz tha yeh man mera” and “Musafir hoon yaaron na ghar hai na thikana”…now these are something. But then S.D.Burman and RD did bring out the best in him…

My favourite Kishore Kumar number remains “Jeevan se bhari teri aankhein”. Mainly because it is simple, the romance in the words rather than the vocal nuance…it is like reading out a poem. And Indivar’s lyrics are vastly superior to the Javed Akhtar “Eik ladki ko dekha tau aisa lagaa”…

Kishoreda, was no mishti, but the essential jhaal moodi…what we in Mumbai call bhelpuri. A good outdoor snack with wind blowing in your face and the smell of the sea…he is indeed not quite gone with the wind…hawaa ke saath-saath…o…saathi chal…

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“jiivan se bharii terii aa.Nkhe.n
majabuur kare jiine ke liye
saagar bhii tarasate rahate hai.n
tere ruup kaa ras piine ke liye
jiivan se bharii terii aa.Nkhe.n ...

tasviir banaaye kyaa koii
kyaa koii likhe tujhape kavitaa
ra.ngo.n chha.ndo.n me.n samaaegii
kis tarah se itanii su.ndarataa
ek dha.Dakan hai tuu dil ke liye
ek jaan hai tuu jiine ke liye
jiivan se bharii terii aa.Nkhe.n ...

madhuban ki suga.ndh hai saa.Nso.n me.n
baaho.n me.n ka.nval kii komalataa
kiraNo.n kaa tej hai chehare pe
hirano.n kii hai tujh me.n cha.nchalataa
aa.nchal kaa tere ek taar bahut
koI chhaak jigar siine ke liye
jiivan se bharii terii aa.Nkhe.n”

(Film: Safar; Music: Kalyanji-Anandji)