A ‘musical’ solution

The film song is being put to a new use. Of converting it into a workable film title. The exercise serves two purposes: one, it enables a certain instant rapport for the new film, as the popular song has already made a place in our heart. Two, the title is original, and the producer does not have to change it because the man behind the older film of the same name is not surrendering his rights, as was the case with Raj Kanwar who wanted to name his film Daag, but thanks to Yash Chopra (who could name his 1973 hit thus because another producer relinquished his hold) had to be modify it to Daag - The Fire.
Also, coincidentally long titles have been usually associated with successful films - note Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, An Evening In Paris and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki.
In recent times, especially, such long names are usually connected with hits (and this is all that the superstitious, success-driven industry understands) - like Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai, Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dil To Pagal Hai, even recent successes like Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge and Hadh Kar Di Aapne, and of course the big two of the mid-’90s - Hum Aapke Hain Koun! and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

Since such names are in the nature of a sentence or a statement, they have always been conducive to musical setting and have often yielded hit title songs. So the mantra of manoranjan begins with an invocation - the title itself, derived from a hit song.

Not that the game is new in any case. The Shree 420 hit Mud mud ke na dekh resulted in a film of that name as early as in 1960. Mughal-E-Azam’s cult song Pyaar kiya to darna kya spawned a 1963 film starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and B. Saroja Devi long before the Khans - Salman, Sohail and Arbaaz - adopted it in 1994. The ’63 film had, interestingly, lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni, who had written the original song. Jab pyar kisise hota hai from the 1961 Dev Anand hit of that name was appropriated by Tips for the candy-floss film in 1998. Jatin-Lalit even composed a different title song for it.

A study of titles over the years also reveals several other examples. The Kishore-Asha hit from the 1969 Mahal, Aankhon aankhon mein dekha yielded a 1972 J.Om Prakash film of that name with a less-popular title song by the same singers, Aankhon aankhon mein baat hone do. J.Om Prakash’s Aan Milo Sajana (1971) had its origin in the Lata solo from Jhuk Gaya Aasmaan - Mere tumhare beech mein ab to. His Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka owed existence to a Mukesh hit title song from Aashiq.

Roshan’s gem from Bheegi Raat, Kahin to milegi kabhi to milegi baharon ki manzil raahi was taken for its heroine Meena Kumari’s 1968 film Baharon Ki Manzil, with Majrooh being common to both films. The Suraj chart-topper Baharon phool barsao was turned into a B-grade film in 1972. And the Do Raaste Mumtaz whopper became the name of a 1984 Rekha flop Bindiya Chamkegi.

And not many are aware that 16 years before Yash and Aditya Chopra did it, someone else made a C-grade film from the Chor Machaye Shor hit Dilwale dulhania le jayenge.! There was also a C-grade Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke in the ’60s before the warring Mahesh Bhatt and Aamir Khan ironically gave their joint venture this name from the S.D. Burman hit. Naushad’s Surendra chartbuster from the ’40s was taken in 1990 as the name for an attempted comeback fo Naushad himself - Awaaz De Kahan Hai, while Madan Mohan’s Nehruvian clarion call Meri awaaz suno (Naunihal/1967) was Jeetendra’s wake-up call to a corrupt nation in the 1981 political film.

R.D. Burman’s hit song in Raja Rani was converted into a film with music by his assistant Sapan Chakravorty - Jab Andhera Hota Hain. The Gharana hit Jab se tumhein dekha hai became a Pradeep Kumar-Geeta Bali film in 1963. There are so many other examples (Pyar mein sauda nahin and Jhoot bole kauwa kaate) from Bobby, Roop tera mastana from Aradhana, Kasme vaade from Upkar, Tere mere beech mein and Bali umar ko salaam from Ek Duuje Ke Liye, Ajeeb dastaan hai yeh from Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai, Main solah baras ki from Karz, Hum intezaar karenge from Bahu Begum, Hum to chale pardes from Sargam, Tirchi topiwale from Tridev and Main tera dushmun from Nagina) that the current scenario where film songs are being lifted endemically is like an eruption of a volcano that’s been always dormant.
To his credit, Anu Malik has done a funky job of the new title song of Hum To Muhabbat Karega, taken from the vintage Kishore Kumar hit from Shararat. Harmesh Malhotra has egoistically named his new film Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare (which repeats the entire team of Dulhe Raja) from a hit song from that 1998 hit. A new Hrithik Roshan film is named Na Tum Jaano Na Hum. Mujhe Kuchh Kehna Hai (Bobby), Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega (Sangam), Chalo Ishq Ladayen (Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan), Mujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachao (Aaj ki Taaza Khabar), Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke (the old Sunil Dutt film and it’s title song by Asha Bhosle), Kahin Pyar Ho Na Jaaye (two L-P oldies from Mr X In Bombay and Sweekar), Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya (Anu, they are borrowing your song!), Pyaar Diwana Hota Hain (Kati Patang), One Two Ka Four (Ram Lakhan), Maa Tujhe Salaam (Khal-Nayak), Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (Janwar) and Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (Bullet) are but the latest manifestations of the same syndrome. The fact is - Hindi films just cannot do without songs.

Rajiv Vijaykar