Showing posts with label Khayyam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Khayyam. Show all posts

"experiment with voices" -Khayyam

More than anything, what interests me in this maestro's career is his abundant and varied use of playback singers.. and mostly, alongwith the A-list singers ofcourse, he always had one odd song per film reserved for the singers which were which rarely used by others.

Be it Kavita Gandhari in Heer Ranjha or Ashima Banerjee in Footpath, Kaumudi Munshi in Shola aur Shabnam, Sulakshana Pandit in Sankalp / Sandhya, Pamela Chopra in Kabhie Kabhi / Noorie, Rekha in Ek Naya Rishta, Parvati Khan in Parbat ke Us Paar, or be it poetry albums in the voices of Meenakumari or be it this post of mine.. an entire film soundtrack sung by Shabana Azmi.. ANJUMAN (1986)

Apart from the dulcet Khayyam - Jagjit Kaur duet, 'Kab Yaad Mein Tera Saath..', this film had this lovely duo song sung by Shabana and Bhupendra (though Shabana sounds a bit harsh as compared to Bhupendra's silken voice, but that doesnt take anything away from the song). This is the Khayyam I always knew, this is the Khayyam that has always stuck with me! Shankar Hussain (1977) to Ek Naya Rishta (1988) was IMO Khayyam's most intriguing and melodic period.

शायद खय्याम साहब की तर्जें हमसे यही कहती होगी..

मैं तेरे साथ रहूँगा वफ़ा की राहों में
ये अहद है न मेरे दिल से तू जुदा होगा..


EXTRA SHORTS :

Pyar Ki Baatein(1951) should be their first one...Lata sang 2 songs in Pyar Ki Baatein for Khayyam Saheb.
the the 3 songs of Pyar Ki Baatein and Gul Sanobar are the only songs she sang for him in the 1950s (apart from the unreleased Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke)

What is even more interesting is the fact that even after the bumper hits in Aakhri Khat in 1966, the next song that Lata sang for Khayyam came 10 years later, in 1976 with Kabhie Kabhi !! And after that she sang nearly in each of his films (excpet ofcourse Umrao Jaan, Ahista Ahista, Mehndi and Anjuman) till 1988. So, we had around 25-27 songs in the first 28 years of their association and a whooping (as in regards to this pair) in the next 12 !!

the mis communicatio happened during Heer Ranjha

SONG:

Gulab Jism Ka - Shabana Azmi, Bhupindar Singh Anjuman 1986


Song Exposition: 'Ae Dil-e-Nadaan..'

Ae Dil-e-Nadaan...

Lata Mangeshkar (Razia Sultan - 1983)
Jaan Nisar Akhtar, Khayyam

We start with the Santoor beats which create a resonating effect with the exceptional pauses in between them...these chasms are so instrumental in creating the effect in this song...just like the long, unending distances in the desert, these pauses define the emptiness of the heart...it aches and longs for love just like a peddler longs for water and food while traveling in the desert...The emotion on 'Dil-e-Naadaan' shows how empty the heart is of any positive feels or filled to the brim with sadness...this contrast yet equivalence of the two emotions is depicted so ably that you shudder!!!

The tabla and Violins join in the terrific Santoor...and so does the reverberating voice of Latadi...this sounds just like a Lata-Santoor duet when she hums alongwith it...The class interludes with the Santoor, Violins and the Dhol is a lead-way to the wonderful antras where Lata ably brings the pathos in her voice..mark her expression at 'Kaisi Uljhan Hai..'! The way she pronounces 'Ek Saaya Sa Rubaru Kya Hai..' literally makes us feel that there is a shadow down there deep in the sands of the desert..

The second interlude starts and enters the Sarangi magic...and the melancholy, desperation, helplessness, loneliness of the character comes to the furor..
'Kya Qayamat Hai, Kya Musibat Hai,
Keh Nahi Sakte Kiska Armaan Hai,
Zindagi Jaise Khoyi Khoyi Hai, Hairaan Hairaan Hai...
'
The journey towards the end starts...everything is lost, nothing is visibly in sight just as the empty, barren desert...yet the end is not in sight just as the unendingness of the desert, the desperation surmounts all...and this is so beautifully depicted through the music pieces..Latadi hits the highest chord with utter pain in the heart with 'Kya Qayamat Hai..Kya Musibat Hai..', the background score keeps the tempo at a single pace ably showing that the monotony in life is terrible. And the journey proceeds (zindagi ki jagdojehat badhti rehti hain, aant nazar nahi aata...sab kuch gumsum hain...')
...and this is exactly what happens next...a loooooong killing pause,
'Ye Zami Chup Hai, Aasmaan Chup Hai..'
the helplessness increases manifold...not even the ever-so-alive nature is able to find an answer to her restlessness, incompleteness...but even then the heart beats (which is emphatically depicted by the Tabla beats)..and the unending struggle continues unwillingly...
This is the pinnacle point of the song, the pauses shake you up..they bring a lump to your throat...the lengthiness of this pauses surrounds you and make you take notice!!!

What a melody...its very rare that the human emotions are elaborated and expatiated so accurately through a string of instruments and this song gets placed inadvertently in the highest possible rung! Khayyamsaab comes up with a career-defining score, his brilliance is so evident when he uses just the Santoor, Tabla, Sarangi and Dhol to weave an entire long-lasting emotion..his minimalistic instruments give the required poignant feel to the song which is so so well put to life my this lady called Lata Mangeshkar...she simple stays there forever..her 'thehraav', her detailing, her full-throated desperation and the deep-down emptiness in the voice creates a complete picture of the song.
A certain mention of Jan Nisar Akhtar for his superlative lyrics which stand up and demand the command they get...finally, Hema Malini and Kamal Amrohi together make the song a thoughtful picturesque treat...this is a song of true emotions..of teamwork that makes songs last till eternity!!!