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Aap Ki Asha

Parvati Khan—Messenger of peace

In their respective fields, each was a titan. Individually, they rank as among the five all-time greatest legends in lyricdom and musicdom respectively.

Majrooh Sultanpuri and Laxmikant-(Pyarelal) were, to so many, the poet and the maestro(s) in Hindi film music. Considering their individual prolific records (250-plus and 550-plus films respectively), their total tally stands at a rather low 40. Quite naturally, Majrooh was known for his R.D.Burman connection, and L-P for their rishta with Anand Bakshi. In life and in death, however, the shaayar from Sultanpur and the musical genius extraordinary (with partner Pyarelal) shared a unique relationship. Laxmikant died on May 25, 1998, while Majrooh passed away last year on May 24. Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s meteoric rise to fame (despite a smash debut in Parasmani) really began with Majrooh’s Dosti, and years later, Majrooh was to rate L-P’s Jal Bin Macchli Nritya Bin Bijli as one of his two (the other being Mamta) all-time best works in his 55-year career.

Incidentally, this V.Shantaram film was the first-ever Hindi film score (and Indian gramophone record) to be recorded in stereophonic sound. Majrooh loved to recall how Laxmikant and Pyarelal got Dosti and began their long affair d’amor with success. “After the hit score of Aarti,” remembered the veteran, “the Rajshri Productions banner wanted to repeat Roshansaab and me for this film, and arranged a special screening of the original Bengali film on which it was based. Roshansaab termed the film the story of a blind beggar and turned it down. Laxmi and Pyare were then barely a couple of films old as composers. Tarachand Barjatya signed them and to be frank, I was hesitant about working with these newcomers, and happened to mention this to the late Chitragupta at a recording. Chitraguptasaab immediately told me that I need not be apprehensive, and that they were phenomenally talented boys, as he had worked with him as musicians.”

In one of the many interviews I was to do with the Phalke-winning lyricist, Majrooh went on record to tell me, “Laxmikant-Pyarelal, like Roshan and very few other composers, always gave me complete creative freedom, as they tuned most of my songs after I wrote the words. Pancham, Nayyarsaab and Dada Burman would often want certain words and phrases simplified. Laxmi-Pyare formed a team with Anand Bakshi only after they began to go more commercial.”

Quite naturally then, the best of Majrooh-L-P is found in the earlier part of L-P’s career, as even Majrooh went largely the Pancham way after RD hit it big in the early ’70s. If the all-hit score of Dosti boasted of perennials like Lata’s Gudiya humse roothi rahogi and five Rafi gems - Chahoonga main tujhe, Jaanewalo zaraa, Teri dosti mera pyar, Mera to jo bhi qadam hai and Raahi manwaa. Jal Bin... had fabulous exotica like Lata’s Man ki pyaas mere man se na nikli, O mitwaa, Kajraa lagaake and Jo main chali phir na miloongi, Mukesh’s Taaron mein sajke and Lata-Mukesh’s Jhoom ke gaaye dil and Baat hai ek boond si dil ke pyaale mein.

If Dosti remains a trendsetting hit, Jal Bin... remains a monumental milestone in musical excellence. But the Majrooh-L-P record has many more arrows in its creative quiver. It was for Wapas that the team won its second joint award - the Sur-Singar Samsad award for the Best Classical Film song - for Painjaniya chhanke Ram. Wapas also had the evergreen Ek tera saath (Lata-Rafi) and Ayee baharon ki shaam (Rafi). Meri Bhabhi with its sublime Lata melody Pawan jhakora sang mere gaaye, Pyasi Sham with Lata’s Duniya mein dilwale honge hazaaron and the title song, Anokhi Ada with Kishore’s qawwali, Haal kya hai dilon ka, Anari (Kishore-Asha’s Hamein kya garaz and Kishore’s Tere baghair jaane jaana), Barkha Bahar (Mahendra Kapoor-Manhar’s O door se aanewale bataa) and Mere Sajana with Kishore’s haunting Maine kuchh khoya hai, dholak-based numbers like Lata-Rafi’s Tere sang jeena and Rafi’s rural tango, O dil janiya were among other Majrooh-L-P lovelies.

Even in the final phase of their association, when they were not exactly comfortable with each other, they still came out with nuggets like Mohd. Aziz-Anuradha’s Barkha rut bhi aaj ajab mastani hai and Alka’s Mera baalaa ulajh gaya baalon mein (Janam Janam/1988), Jab pyaar kiya (Aziz-Anuradha in Watan Ke Rakhwale/1987) and Rafi-Lata’s Do chahanewaalon ki mulaqaat (Ladies Tailor/1981), but the tuning had gone.

Mastan Dada, Jaanwar (1983), Pakhandee, Khoon Aur Pani and their last three films Rishta Ho To Aisa, Humshakal (1992) and Badi Bahen were singularly bereft of the free-flowing amalgam of poetry, intense melody and commercial appeal that marked major Majrooh-L-P triumphs like Mere Hamdam Mere Dost, Shagird, Patthar Ke Sanam, Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke, Abhinetri, Ek Nazar, Imtihan and the very commercial Dus Numbri and Parvarish.

Mention must be also made of the one score that stands out as one of the most luminous - if low-key - Majrooh-L-P gifts to music buffs: the exquisite Lata-dominated Baharon Ki Manzil with its haunting Nigahen kyoon bhatakti hai, the saccharine Janam din aaya, the poignant Yeh daaman ab na chhutega and that magnificent Farida Jalal dance number Aaja re piya khilne lage tan man ke phool which ranks among L-P’s most novel compositions. Extremely popular in those days, this score has gone into oblivion due to the sheer negligence on the part of those concerned.

Majrooh’s forte was his vast range, and L-P’s versatility needs no endorsement. Together they spun a magical web that encompassed an awe-inspiring range from the very rural Je hum tum chori se (Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke) to the guitar-based ooh-la-la strains of Roz shaam aati thi and Ruk jaana nahin (Imtihaan), and from the poetic heights of Hui shaam unka khayaal (Mere Humdum Mere Dost) to fun numbers like Sa re ga ma pa (Abhinetri) and Bade miyan diwane (Shagird).

Especially worth-cherishing, because for the raw deal they got vis-a-vis the other hits from the same films, were songs like Kaanha Kaanha (Lata/Shagird), Koi nahin hai phir bjhi hai mujhko (Lata/Patthar Ke Sanam), O ghataa sanwari (Lata/Abhinetri), Khushi ki who raat aa gayi (Mukesh/Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke), Khuli nazar kya khel (Kishore-Amit/Parvarish) and Dekho idhar bhi (Asha-Usha/Imtihan). Truly, theirs was Ek Rishta - a bond of excellence.

— Rajiv Vijayakar