13.10.07

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

Today is Kishore Kumar’s 20th 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…

- - -

“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)

7 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Blog
    How romantic!!!

    hmmmm, would love to listen to your fav. numbers...

    can you add more of your fav. kishor's?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Circle:

    For you, my fave Kishore numbers, not in any particular order...

    aap kii aa.Nkho.n me.n kuchh mahake hue se raaz hai

    ba.Dii suunii suunii hai, zi.ndagii ye zi.ndagii

    beqaraar dil, tuu gaaye jaa, khushiyo.n se bhare vo taraane

    chalaa jaataa huu.N kisii kii dhun me.n

    chhuukar mere man ko, kiyaa tuune kyaa ishaaraa

    dil kyaa kare jab kisii se kisii ko pyaar ho jaae

    diye jalate hai.n, phuul khilate hai.n, ba.Dii mushkil se magar

    ek ajanabii, hasiinaa se, yuu.N mulaakaat, ho ga_ii

    gaataa rahe meraa dil, tuu hii merii ma.nzil

    gum hai kisii ke pyaar me.n, dil subah shaam

    ham bevafaa hargiz na the, par ham vafaa kar naa sake

    hame.n aur jiine kii chaahat na hotii, agar tum na hote

    hazaar raahe.n, mu.Dake dekhii.n

    ik la.Dakii bhiigii-bhaagii sii

    intahaa ho ga_ii, i.ntazaar kI

    jaane kaise kab kahaa.N iqaraar ho gayaa

    kahii.n na jaa, aaj kahii.n mat jaa, phir mile naa mile

    khilate hai.n gul yahaa.N, khilake bikharane ko

    koI lauTaa de mere

    koraa kaagaz thaa ye man meraa, likh liyaa naam is pe teraa

    kyaa yahii pyaar hai, haa.N yahii pyaar hai

    maanaa janaab ne pukaaraa nahii.n, kyaa meraa saatha bhii gavaaraa

    meraa jiivan koraa kaagaz koraa hii rah gayaa

    mere mahabuub qayaamat hogii

    merii bhiigii-bhiigii sii, palako.n pe rah gaye

    merii nii.ndo.n me.n tum, mere khvaabo.n me.n tum

    niile niile ambar par, chaa.Nd jab aaye

    o maa.njhii re, apanaa kinaaraa, nadiyaa kii dhaaraa hai

    o mere dil ke chain, chain aaye mere dil ko duaa kiijiye

    rim-jhim gire saavan, sulag sulag jaaye man

    sachchaaii chhup nahii.n sakatI banaavaT ke asuulo.n se

    samaa hai suhaanaa suhaanaa, nashe me.n jahaa.N hai

    shokhiyo.n me.n gholaa jaaye, phuulo.n kaa shabaab

    tere binaa zi.ndagii se koI, shikavaa, to nahii.n, shikavaa nahii.n

    tere mere milan kii ye rainaa, nayaa koI gul khilaayegii

    vo shaam kuchh ajiib thii

    ye jiivan hai, is jiivan kaa, yahii hai, yahii hai, yahii hai ra.ng ruup

    zindagii ke safar me.n guzar jAte hai.n jo makAm

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think Kishore Kumar was India's first mimic. The song "Aake Seedhi Lagi Dil Pe" from "Half Ticket" always makes me believe that he was born in a wrong era, when people preferred slapstick to good mimicry!

    If I am not wrong, I think it was Rafi who had sung "Sar Jo Tera Chakraye".

    ReplyDelete
  5. Blog
    Thanks
    I would def. listen to all of'em...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bit hawk:

    Indeed, he was a wonderful mimic and Half Ticket is such a fun movie.

    "Sar jo tera chakraye" was sung by Rafi; I was trying to imagien KK singing that one...
    - - -
    Circle:

    Thanks for sending me on the errand! In fact, that is how one re-discovers so many things...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kishore's version of hume tumse pyar kitana is more appealing and soft. the song by parveen sultana has classical base but the appeal in voce is better in kishore's version . in fact kishore version is far superior to parvenn version.

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