SALILDA MUSIC HAS NO LANGUAGE (Part I) Down Memory Lane ( Vol 34)

 

Salil Chowdhury

Composer, Musician, Lyricist, Movie script writer — Salil Chowdhury wore many hats. Very rarely one come across such a genius beyond their field of excellence. 

 

Salil in younger years: Salil from the school years used to play the harmonium, flute, sitar and since childhood grew up listening to music of all types. His father was also a good musician despite being a physician who was very fond of classical music and had a very big collection of symphonies. Salil had been hearing them since he was just 4 years old. He started learning piano from the age of 6 or 7. During his college days started composing also. 

There was big peasant uprising in those times near Calcutta.So Salil jumped into the peasant movement and before he could write his MA exams, arrest warrants were issued against him, and he joined the IPTA movement as a full time Communist Party member. And for two years, he went underground in Sundarbans. He started writing and composing songs about the movement and started going to villages. That is what made him write the script of the peasant life. 

 Salil and Bimal Roy (Do Bigha Zamin) :  Salil went to Bombay in 1953. it was luck. He had been writing script for a Bengali movie about a peasant who lost his land and comes to Calcutta, to earn money and become then rickshaw puller. That script was liked by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, and he showed it to Bimal Da (Bimal Roy) when Bimal Da came to Calcutta from Bombay. Salil met him and read out the script to him. He didn’t say anything and asked Salil to meet him next morning. Next morning when Salil went to meet him, he was told Bimal has left for Bombay in the morning itself. Salil was frustrated and angry but within a week got a telegram. Bimal Roy had asked if he can do a script in Hindi because he wanted to make a Hindi film if he was interested. Salil called him up, Bimal asked him to come to Bombay and Salil was in Bombay with his script of Do Bigha Zameen. Chowdhury not only wrote the script about a debt-ridden farmer dealing with the famine but composed the music for this critically acclaimed Bimal Roy film.

 Hariyala Sawan Dhol Bajata (Do Bigha Zamin) 1953

                               

 This song situation is that of the villagers waiting for monsoon. Salil used to write the lyrics in Bangla and Shailendra used to translate it in his unique way and gave beautiful expressions to his compositions. For Do Bigha Zameen songs, Salil had approached Lata Mangeshkar and Manna Dey. Manna Dey had sung for Salil in Bangla films, but this was the first time he was working with Lata. 

Salil with Lata

“My god, the way she sang my compositions, it was superb “he said of Lata. Thus began his association with Lata in Hindi films which continued till the end. This situational song of Salil must have inspired Rahman and Aamir later for Lagaan and what a composition it turned out to be. 

 Dharti Kahe Pukaar Ke (Do Bigha Zamin, 1953) 

 Inspired by his own younger years in the other song Dharti Kahe Pukaar Ke (Do Bigha Zamin, 1953) Chowdhury spoke of how people suffering from famine was inspired by a marching song of the Red Army in Raag Bhairavi. Shailendra’s profound lyrics and Mannadey's vocals matches this marching composition.

 Kuchh to nishaani chhod jaa

 Kaun kahe is or tu phir aaye na aaye 

Mausam bitaa jaay, mausam bitaa jaa 

Apani kahaani chhod jaa 

Kuchh to nishaani chhod jaa 

Kaun kahe is or tu phir aaye na aaye 

Jagte Raho (1956): Shambhu Mitra introduced Salil to Raj Kapoor. Raj listened to his tunes and immediately signed him. Raj Kapoor played the lead role. Jaago Mohan Pyare was filmed on Nargis. A bhangra song Teri Mai Jhuth perhaps first-time in Hindi Films was introduced in in another song of Jagte Raho. Raj Kapoor and Salil had decided to do another film together, but it did not materialize. 

 Jaage Mohan Pyaare Jagte Raho (1956) 

 What a Krishna bhajan and divine composition and listen to the pitch with which Lata has sung this. This song happened to be the climax for the movie before the end. This was not accepted by the audience as they were expecting romance between Raj and Nargis. 

 Bimal Roy continued with Salil for one of the finest Bollywood movies if not the best of all Madhumati. It had songs of different flavor so distinct each one of them remain green. A few of Madhumati songs were inspired from Indian and sub continental folk music.

Salil himself said this in an interview. 

 “I have used folk music in Madhumati... ..Chad gayo Papi Bichua was based on Assamese folk music from the tea garden I grew up. Kancha Le Kanchi Lai Lajo was based on Nepalese folk music while Zulmi Sang Ankh ladi re was based on Kumao’s folk music. Dil tadap Dil Tadap was inspired from Hungarian folk music in the Silesian southwest part of Poland from 18th century.” 

He had the humility to admit where he got inspirations from and do the current composers have the same magnanimity? 

 Dil Tadap Madhumati (1958) 

Aaja Re Pardesi Madhumathi song was used as a background score in Jagte Raho. It was Shailendra who told Salil to make it as theme song in Madhumati. Otherwise, this music would have been lost in the background. In 1958 Salil received the Filmfare award for his monumental work in Bimal Roy's 'Madhumati'. Even after 60 years the songs of 'Madhumati' and its soundtrack surprise and delight us.

 Aaja Re Pardesi Madhumati 1958

 The same music director who composed on famine and drought for Do Bigha Zamin composed this classic on Mausam on a rainy day. This song situation gave ample scope for Salil to experiment in Parakh (1960) the song O Sajana 

O Sajana Barkha Bahar Aayyee.Parakh 1960

Said Salil “No one can compete with Lata the way she sang O Sajna” 

 Western classical has gone into his blood from his teens. That is why these symphonies he did not consider them as foreign and symphonies. have influenced many of Salil’s songs.

 Itna Tu Mujh Se Na Pyaar Jata from Chaya (1960) by Talat Mahmood and Lata was taken from the 40th symphony of Mozart. the music runs in oblique, leads to the main melody. That is the western technique of using harmony and counter points. This Salil has been using very much but in a distinctive way. 

Itna Tu Mujh Se Na Pyaar Jata Chaaya 1960 

 Jaa re ud ja re panchi – Lata Maya 1961 

What to say about this tune. No words can describe the feelings listening to this rendering of Lata at her best. The beginning flute interlude and the sax background makes this top notch.Majrooh wrote lyrics for this movie songs and the classic picturization of the song with grace and innocence of Mala Sinha and the charm of Dev. 

 Salil's music was a unique blend of the east and the west. He had once said

 "I want to create a style which shall transcend borders - a genre which is emphatic and polished, but never predictable". 

Tasveer tere dil mein – Rafi Lata Maya 1961

Both Rafi and Lata excel to the meaningful lyrics and tune Tasveer tere dil mein The mild accordion that is the background throughout the song of Tasveer can never be created with todays technology.

Chemmeen (Malayalam) 1965

Salil with K J Yesudas

Salil's entry into Malayalam Films started with the film 'Chemmeen' , It became a landmark in Malayalam Cinema. It also received the Presidents Gold Medal in 1965. Every song of Chemmeen was a hit on a fisherman’s story in the in the back waters of Kerala. What Mannadey was for Salil in Hindi it was K J Yesudas in Malayalam who sang many of his hits in Malayalam starting with Chemmeen.

 There was only one song of Mannadey (Manasa  maina varu)in Chemmeen which is his only one in Malayalam in his career.

 What was Lata for Hindi it was S Janaki in Malayalam for Salil.

Sarike Madala Poo Swapnam Malayalam (1973)

 Here is what S Janaki narrates in an interview. Salil came to Chennai to compose music for Swapnam Malayalam staying in a hotel. He called S Janaki for rehearsal. She asked him to come to her home which he obliged. He gave the tune starting with Sarike and also lyrics. He has to return to Bombay and could not be present during the recording. When S Janaki went for the recording, the actual lyrics by lyricist Kurup was different and he said it cannot fit the music like Salil has imagined and refused to change the lyrics. Since Salil was not there for the recording she called him and said she has an idea to fit the lyrics and sang it. Salil appreciated her and said Bahut Acha and sing the same way in the recording as it sounds better. She said such composers are rare and had highest regard for Salil.This was one of the song close to her heart she said which became very popular.

 Salil method of song creation 

“First I compose the melody giving the expression through the melody whether it’s emotional or romantic, whatever. So I make the tune and then ask the song writer to write words on the tunes. This is how I work. I firmly believe, usually, lyricists they write better songs when they are given tunes or music.”

Madaprave vaa (Malayalam ) Madanotsavam 1978 

Listen to the symphony in the beginning of the song and the way K J Yesudas gives life to the tune and the beautiful picturisation with Kamal and Zarina Wahab. Salil said 

"That is what I have been telling you, music is a universal language... whether it’s North, South, East or West and I call it ‘Language of the Film Music’. So a Bengali song which is a very big hit in Bengali, can be a hit in Malayalam also.” 

 The Part 11 will be posted before his death anniversary which falls on September 5th with his other hits and anecdotes.