 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Going
Solo
Duos scoring music in Hindi films is a concept almost as old as the talkie
Hindi film. Husnlal-Bhagatram was Hindi cinema’s first official composer
team, and then came Shanker-Jaikishan, Kalyanji-Anandji and Laxmikant-Pyarelal.
There were smaller names too, like Sonik-Omi and Sapan-Jagmohan, and the
tradition continues today with Nadeem-Shravan, Anand-Milind, Dilip Sen-Sameer
Sen and Jatin-Lalit, with Sajid-Wajid and Sanjeev-Darshan as the latest
additions.
Unlike the trend today where one composer is signed for a film and another brought in midway for an ‘item’ song, the duos work as one entity. But it is only deep friendship and a professional and personal commitment to each other that has bonded them. In fact, LP broke off professional relationships with certain individuals even though both as individuals would continue their personal friendships with the persons concerned.
A lot of adjustments were made by the partners to strike a fine-tuned balance. “Kalyanji-bhai and I had different views on so many points. But we had to forget our egos when working and worked as a single entity called Kalyanji-Anandji. As the chhota bhai, it was my duty to give him due respect as the elder brother,” recalls Anandji.
The various duos of course worked differently. In many cases, one concentrated on the vocals and the other on the orchestration, with the hard-headed one among them also looking after the business interests. Sometimes both were adept at everything but divided their work out of practical considerations. Shanker-Jaikishan even worked on their songs alone, composing and orchestrating them individually, and Jaikishan would also do the background music in most cases.
With Nadeem in limbo, Shravan went through a tough time completing their pending assignments. For though he was the man with the classical base and also the ‘orchestral’ half, the basic framework of most of their hit tunes would come from his partner, who though untrained in the technicalities of music, was a spontaneous ‘tune-maker’.
In the case of LP, Laxmikant was essentially the man who composed and taught the songs, though he was a master mandolin player. But Pyarelal, despite being the only complete music director this industry has had, would look after the orchestral arrangements and the recordings, besides the background score.
Still, in the early phase of their career he did compose
too. But life and the film whirl being what it is, it has often happened
that one or both of these partners had to go solo for various reasons. Let
us look at how many of them fared alone, or are faring without their respective
partners.
SHANKER
Shanker and Jaikishan had personally and professionally split due to certain
reasons - more speculated upon than accurate - around the mid-’60s.
Creatively independent, they worked under the common tag of S-J as producers
latched on to one or the other. And very often the rift proved to be just
a technical parting of ways, as they would still contribute to the same film
(Arzoo, Mera Naam Joker) just as in their days together.
Strangely enough, it was after Jaikishan’s death that Shanker began to go downhill. His obsession with Sharada led to deterioration in his music. He had a long-standing problem with Lata Mangeshkar, which worsened matters as Shanker had composed some of Lata’s greatest numbers in S-J’ s halcyon days.
Frustrated at the way he was losing banners, Shanker’s creativity went awry, and his only flash of brilliance in the post-Jaikishan era was Lal Patthar. He patched up with Lata in Sanyasi, but the old resonance was missing though the film and the music both were hits.
Towards the end, only one loyalist - Sohanlal Kanwar - stuck by him till Paapi Pet Ka Sawaal Hain (1984). The last trickle was pathetic and towards the end, Shanker, a titan by any standards, became desperate enough to compose songs on television for a TV programme which mainly spotlighted new, struggling or has-been talent - Aarohi.
Raamlaxman
Since one partner was Raam, the other, Vijay Patil, adopted the screen name
of Laxman, and the duo of Raam-Laxman was born. However, tragedy struck after
just half a Marathi film (just as it did recently with Pradeep-Ejaz) as Raam
died suddenly. Laxman then went it alone after their first score, Pandu Hawaldar,
was a raging hit.
The hyphen remained for a long sentimental while, but very soon it was removed as Vijay Patil decided to go by the name of Raamlaxman in both Marathi and Hindi films. Raamlaxman had a long run in Marathi films, though changing trends and the death of the eternal loyalist and the original duo’s professional Columbus, Dada Kondke, has made him lose his bearings.
Much the same has happened to him in Hindi films,
though chiefly due to bad luck and an injudiciously high workload. But Raamlaxman
has delivered whopping hits (Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun!) and
chart-blazers like Sultana sultana (Taraana) and Devaa ho devaa Ganpati devaa
(Humse Badhkar Kaun) in his time, apart from lots of hit scores in Marathi
films. Today his career seems to have reached a cul-de-sac, and it is pure
guesswork whether his personal life being in a shambles is its cause - or
its effect.
Uttam Singh
An arranger for almost 40 years now, Uttam Singh was encouraged by none other
than Manoj Kumar, whose sense of music then was tremendous, to compose music
along with friend Jagdish Khanna. History was created when they replaced
LP in the Manoj camp after Kranti in Painter Babu. But the duo never really
made it big.
They were even billed erratically as Uttam Singh-Jagdish Khanna, Uttam-Jagdish or Jagdish-Uttam! Manoj stuck by them for a while (Ricky, Clerk and a TV serial or two), and they did some few good songs outside (Waaris), but they were not destined to endure.
Then Jagdish passed away and Uttam went back to arranging
songs for Raamlaxman, Naushad and Ilayaraja. Things remained that way till
Yash Chopra signed him for Dil To Pagal Hai. The music was a sell-out but
the follow-ups on Singh’s part - Dushman and Hum Tumpe Marte Hain -
have been dismal. In the non-film arena, Uttam has been brilliant in Sur,
but that is not a product for the masses. Today, he does have a few films
like Pyar Deewana Hota Hai on hand.
Pyarelal
Pyarelal has been greatly affected by his friend’s death but has been
very pragmatic about his career moves. “I kept telling Laxmi towards
the last few years that we should not sign B-grade films just to keep working.
Today, I have decided to grow beyond film music, and I will only do a big
film as a full-fledged composer, - if it comes to me. I have been approached
for doing some background scores, but there again on the basis of seniority,
I would want to be paid a minimum one lakh more than the young music director
who makes the songs for the film, just as it happened with Krodhi where we
composed the songs and our seniors Kalyanji-Anandji charged more than us
for it’s background score.”
Pyarelal is now extremely busy setting up an institute in Pune in the memory of his illustrious father Pandit Ramprasad Sharma, who has groomed so many top names in music today. He dismisses the recent album being marketed under their name. “We had recorded four or five songs for a producer and today he has put them and some songs by others in one album and is selling it as an LP album! It’s too sick even to take such people to court!”
But the ace up his sleeve is a Magnasound project that will take off after a while. “Pyare-bhai is quite depressed after Laxmi-ji’s death,” reveals Magnasound chief Shashi Gopal. “I want to shake him out of it. Such great talent cannot be allowed to rust. I want him to do the kind of music he believes in, of the calibre one expects from peak-time LP!” And Pyarelal says that God willing and health permitting he has many more ambitious plans in the field of music.
Shravan
Shravan touchingly waits for his partner Nadeem to be proved innocent in
the Gulshan Kumar murder case. “It’s been almost 30 months,’
he says. “We are in touch and discuss many things, but with his life
at stake we certainly don’t discuss our music as reported by certain
sections of the press. Yes, I have completed whichever film assignments needed
to be done, but the rest are either stuck for other reasons, like Purab Ki
Laila Paschim Ki Chhaila, or in temporary abeyance, like Dhadkan, which will
move only after Mela is released. But I will not sign any new film
alone.”
Shravan says that he is relaxing and his sons Sanjeev and Darshan are doing films on their own. However since my phone call has been answered by an acolyte with “Sahab sitting mein hai, I ask him about it, and he admits that he has to supervise his two kids. Dekhna padtaa hain na bhaiyya ke bachche theek raah pe chal rahe hain ki nahin! he says. And his sons are doing fine, having signed a Mukta Arts film with director Satish Kaushik, and about six more films. So as a father if not as a music director, Shravan does have his hands full.
Kalyanji-Anandji
The hyphen has given way to the dictates of time. When they quit active music
direction for films many years ago, Kalyanji-bhai told me, “It is not
necessary that we should keep composing for films just because we did so
for 30 years. For us, film music has always been one facet of our life.”
Kalyanji of course has made it his life’s mission to groom playback
singers and any potential talent. The Kalyanji-Anandji Nites of yore always
spotlighted new talent ranging from Tabassum to Johny Lever, while K-A’s
singing discoveries include Manhar, Alka Yagnik, Sadhana Sargam and Aditya
Narayan. Even singers like Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Sudesh Bhosle and Anuradha
Paudwal have received considerable practical grooming under them.
Kalyanji’s Little Wonders shows have been a rage since their inception
over six years ago, as they are complete variety entertainment shows with
a dollop of classical music, with every performer being a non-adult, including
the compere. He also runs the Kala-Veer Academy for teaching music. Anandji
too has begun his Little Stars group, and now since Kalyanji’s health
rarely permits foreign tours, it is Anandji who mostly performs outside India,
while Little Wonders restrict themselves largely to Mumbai and the country.
“We are not rivals,” explains Anandji. “The media says that
our relationship has soured. But this is nothing other than a generation
gap. We were together only as musicians and composers. But we always lived
separate personal lives - Kalyanji-bhai had his music school and Acharya
Rajneesh, I had my fondness for studying all kinds of subjects and totally
divergent ideas on almost everything. But it’s not as if we have broken
off. We live on adjacent floors of the same building aur ek doosre ke ghar
mein aana-jaana kahan band hua hai?”
He admits however that Kalyanji is a bit upset with him for starting a ‘rival’ variety show. “But I perform outside India only because he cannot go abroad with his troupe,” he explains. “And for that very reason I have never staged shows here.”
Rajiv
Vijayakar