Aplam Chaplam: When C Ramchandra composed Azaad’s score on a short notice!

Screengrab of Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari in 'Azaad'
C Ramchandra took on the challenge and composed all 10 songs from 'Azaad' in two weeks.

In author Ganesh Anantharaman’s National award winning book, Bollywood Melodies: A History of the Hindi Film Song , there is an interesting anecdote about the music score for the 1955 Dilip Kumar film Azaad . The producer SM Naidu wanted the famed composer Naushad to compose the music for the film initially, but since shooting was already underway, Naidu wanted the entire soundtrack in a fortnight. Anantharama wrote, ‘Naushad retorted that he was not a factory, and he couldn’t promise even one song in such short a time. Naidu then approached C Ramchandra, who gamely took on the challenge and composed all 10 songs in two weeks! Here was a man who could deliver quality with amazing speed.’

For Azaad , C Ramchandra once again forged a winning combination with lyricist Rajinder Krishan. The film had a cheerful, frothy score as evident in the songs, ‘Aplam chaplam’, ‘Na bole na bole re’ and ‘Kitna haseen mausam’. This was the pair’s strength, with Ramchandra and Krishan having combined successfully for the music of fun films like Shehnai (1949), Sargam (1950), Albela (1951) and Aasha (1957) for which they gave some real chartbusters: ‘Aana meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday’, ‘Main hoon ek khalasi’, ‘Shola jo bhadke’ and ‘Eena Meena Deeka’. But the pair could also produce music and lyrics of a more profound and intense nature as seen in some of the best songs of Anarkali (1953).

The lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri was another man, who was generally associated with lighthearted, romantic songs with a distinct Urdu flavour. In his long career in films, Jaipuri wrote a number of popular songs, including ‘Jiya beqaraar hai’ ( Barsaat – 1949), ‘Dheere dheere chal’ ( Love Marriage - 1959), ‘Sau saal pehley’ ( Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai – 1961) and ‘Aye gulbadan’ ( Professor – 1962). But in 1955, Jaipuri showcased his versatility in Jhanak Jhanak Paayal Baje . The film’s songs, which included memorable compositions like ‘Nain so nain naahin milaao’ and the title track, were written in a more pronounced Hindi language idiom than what was normally characteristic of Jaipuri’s work. In the upcoming episode of The Golden Years: 1950-1975 on Sunday at 8 pm, Javed Akhtar will tell us more about Jaipuri’s songs in the film and how Jhanak Jhanak Paayal Baaje played a vital role in refashioning an interest in Kathak among Indian viewers.

ALSO READ Bollywood Retrospect: Composer C Ramchandra's 10 most memorable songs

Songs in Hindi cinema have worked towards a variety of purposes. In some places they can advance the film’s narrative while in others they play an important part in establishing a character and telling us about his/her background. Consider Shailendra’s ‘Mera joota hai Japaani’ from Shree 420 (1955). The song, with lines like, ‘Nikal padey hain, khuli sadak par, apna seena taaney / Manzil kahaan, kahaan rukana hai, upar waala jaane’, tells us so much about the character Raj (played by Raj Kapoor), the journey he has set out on and his aspirations.

Something similar happens in Bimal Roy’s Devdas , which also released in the same year as Shree 420 . The doomed disposition of the lead protagonist (played by Dilip Kumar) is so beautifully articulated in the song, ‘Kisko khabar thee, kisko yakeen thaa’. On the other hand, Chandramukhi’s affections (played by Vyjayanthimala) for Devdas are best understood in the lines ‘Tujhe aur ki tamanna hai, mujhe teri aarzoo hai / Tere dil mein gham hi gham hai, mere dil mein tu hi tu hai’ from the song, ‘Jise tu qabool kar le’. There are lighter moments in these songs, too. In Mr. & Mrs. ’55 , the song ‘Jaaney kahaan mera jigar gaya ji’ is an absolute delight. Johnny Walker and his co-artiste enact the entire picturisation with such terrific chemistry that even though they aren’t the film’s lead pair, audiences remember them several decades after the film was released.

ALSO READ Bollywood Retrospect: Top 10 picks from the powerful collaboration of Mohammed Rafi and Naushad

Mr. & Mrs. ’55 ’s composer was OP Nayyar, who had hit the big league the previous year with Guru Dutt’s Aar Paar (1954). Then with Mr. & Mrs. 55 , C.I.D. (1956), Tumsa Nahin Dekha and Naya Daur , both of which released in 1957, he cemented his place among the industry’s leading composers. Nayyar’s music had the verve and energy of Punjabi folk in it. His music was generally upbeat. He was also known for his ‘tonga’ beat songs as they are heard in his compositions like the title track of Tumsa Nahin Dekha , ‘Banda parvar’ ( Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon - 1963), ‘Kahin na kahin’ ( Kashmir Ki Kali - 1964) and ‘Jaiye aaph kahaan’ ( Mere Sanam – 1965). ‘Piya piya piya’ from Baap Re Baap (1955) was among Nayyar’s earlier compositions which had the protagonists (Kishore Kumar and Chand Usmani) serenading each other in a tonga.

You can get to know more about the many fine Hindi film songs from 1955 in 'The Golden Years: 1950-1975' with Javed Akhtar this coming Sunday at 8 pm on Zee Classic.

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