GURU NAUSHAD and SHISHYA RAFI AND MSV! VOL (06) Melodies Down Memory Lane
Rafi was introduced by Naushad first as a chorus singer. Rafi was singing as an artist from 1944 without success or satisfaction. He came to Naushad after a few years and said that he is not satisfied with the type of songs he is singing then. He wanted to go back to Punjab to continue in classical music in which he was trained. Naushad asked him to be patient and he said he will soon give a classical movie the songs of which he will be proud of. Had Naushad not assured then, Rafi would have gone back, and we would have lost a golden voice.
Naushad said this about Rafi. “Rafi those days used to feel concerned that, though singing extensively, he had not been able to create the same impact as Talat Mehmood or Mukesh. ‘Well, here’s your chance”, I said. ‘This Baiju Bawra theme offers you the kind of vocal challenge which, if you meet, you will find yourself made for life.’ Naushad discovered that in an era when low octave singing was the norm, Rafi had a phenomenal range, and yet, he never sounded out of tune. Rafi rehearsed this song for 15 days in the music room of Naushad. After the song was recorded his voice was broken. and people started telling he won’t get his voice back.
Baiju Bawra created history in box office running for more than a year and a milestone for musicals in Indian cinema.
Naushad describes this incident associated with this song. When a criminal was about to be hanged, he was asked his last wish. His wish was not to see his family or eat special food but something different which shocked the prison ward. The criminal said before he dies, he wants to listen to this song of Rafi Saab. A tape recorder was brought, and this song was played.
Baiju Bawra live Doordarshan recording
An interesting anecdote on this song from Kohinoor. Naushad composed this song in Raag Hameer for Kohinoor. But the Producer was not satisfied as he felt that song and Raag was too complex for the common man to appreciate and asked Naushad to change the tune. Naushad was reluctant. Rafi then told the producer that he will not take his fees for this song and only if people like it he will take the fees and the same tune was retained. That was the song which became a rage when released. After the movie became a hit the producer came to Rafi to pay the fees. Rafi told him that he has already collected the fees. When the producer said that he has not paid yet, Rafi told him that Janta has appreciated the song well which is more than the fees.
Video Madhuban mein Radhika
Naushad composed music for only 76 films (65 Hindi) in a span of 65 years. 25 of those 76 films have been silver, nine golden and two diamond jubilee hits. Naushad based his music upon the "ragas" that formed a basis of Indian classical music, and due to this his music was complex and with depth. During the early 1940s, recordings were done in quiet parks and gardens after midnight because the studios did not have sound-proof recording rooms.
Naushad said about himself "What I have religiously endeavored to do, through the popular medium of films, is gently to educate our people on our own tradition, lying untapped, while we have been borrowing from the worst rather than the best, of the West. We used to agonize over every tune and phrase in music, spend sleepless nights over a song, and work on it until it was perfected.
Naushad at last found a singer who can sing any type of song with full mastery. He found that Rafi could modulate his voice according to the mood of the song and according to the style of the character on which the song is to be picturized.
After recording this song first time from Dulhari in 1949 Rafi and knocked his door and said he was not fully satisfied and requested Naushad to record again. Although Rafi worked with different music directors, he was always an obedient student with Naushad from beginning till the end. Success never changed his attitude towards his Guru.
Video Suhani Raat from Dulhari
The combination of Dilip Kumar-Mohammed Rafi-Naushad- Shakeel Badayuni went on to work wonders during that golden era .Naushad started charging Rs 100,000 (one Lac) per movie from 1950s starting with Deedaar Unfortunately and to his distaste the times were changing which demanded more fast-paced, tunes, and Naushad could not adapt towards the end as he belonged to the era where music was pure and classical.
It was not just Rafi but Naushad had another Shishya from south the great MS Viswanathan (MSV). MSV considered Naushad as his guru and their relationship was special considering that he is a Tamilian and does not know Urdu or Hindi.
The friendship started when MSV, an unknown entity, working in central studio exchanged letters with Naushad, a great composer.
After becoming an established Music director MSV was asked to present a program in Shanmugananda Hall in Mumbai. The organizers wanted to know the fee expected by him. He appealed them to make Naushad grace the occasion if possible and forget the fee. Naushad agreed to come in-spite of his busy schedule and appeared with a bagful of letters and emptied them on the stage. He told the audience that all these were written by MSV to him. He started preserving those letters because he valued the knowledge of a fan who had aptly listed out the musical nuances in his compositions. Naushad also remarked that he had a foresight that this office assistant will scale great heights and become an icon one day.
Here is the classic super hit song of MSV and how Naushad’s music inspired him to compose this tune. According to MSV this tune of Naushad from Dillagi in 1949 almost 20 years back has made an impact deep inside.
Video Dillaghi Surayya and Shyam
When director CV Sridhar described the situation for Ooty Varai Uravu, he took the first 2 lines only from Naushad song and created a classic which is popular even after so many years. Inspiration can create another tune, but it should be different and not the same. MSV was so magnanimous that he acknowledged he was inspired by this song. A true artist will tell the audience from where the song came to his mind .Listen to this Ooty Varai Uravu Poomaalaiyil song and you will see inspiration created another classic totally different.
Video Ooty Varai Uravu
Naushad asserts the fact that MSV is a Melody King. "All his tunes have life in them. MSV has given me the status of "Guru", owing to his open heartedness. I have learnt many things from him. So it should be said that I am his disciple and he is my guru.” Naushad was surprised by the speed of MSV's re-recordings. After seeing his recording, "for this piece, I would have taken 3 full days. How come you are able to produce music with such a speed and quality”
Naushad never failed to visit MSV during his trips to Chennai. They used to go for walks in beach. On yet another occasion when Naushad heard someone praising MSV as “Naushad of South India”. He humbly corrected the speaker that he is “MSV of North India”. It is an example that great achievers never allowed success go to their head.
When a book on MSV’s life story was released in 2002, MSV humbly refused to sit with Naushad on the dais, out of his respect for Naushad. But Naushad himself had expressed differently about MSV. “I was asked to compose for the Hindi version of Tamil film ‘Aalayamani’ Aadmi in 1968. But after seeing the film, I pointed out that MSV has touched new heights in the film and there was little left for me to do.
Video kallellam manikka Aalaya Mani
To be concluded
Videos are taken from You tube and I do not own
Comments
Post a Comment