Inspire!

Arunji, whose anecdotes and memories of the good old times we adore and whose filmi knowledge, we admire, springs in the arena once again to fill up the empty time space here. Thank you Arunji! Without much ado, I pass the mike to him.

Arunkumar Deshmukh’s ten favourite inspired song-pairs

EK DIL DO JAANE- EK TUNE DO GAANE

The other day I was reading a book in my Drawing Room,when I heard my college going grandson telling a small boy,” you don’t know,but in our times,things were not like this…”
I smiled. Every generation thinks that their times were better that the present one.

I wondered whether if I tell today’s children that in my college days,Petrol was costing only  5 Rupees a Gallon (around 3.7 Litres) or that a car driver could be hired on a salary of Rs.150 pm, will they believe it ? We never believed when our elders told us that Gold was bought by them at  10 Rs. a Tola (about 11.4 Gms.),because at the time of my marriage Gold was costing 150 rupees per Tola(about 11.4 gms).Today when Gold has crossed the barrier of rs.30000 for just 10 gms,these stories look like Arabian Night stories,indeed !!

Sometimes I keep thinking if old times were better or the present times are better.I have not been able to come to any conclusion so far.

I spent my childhood and college days in Hyderabad-a state ruled by a Muslim King,The Nizam,who ruled over 85% Hindu population-in sharp contrast to the Hindu King Hari Singh of Kashmir who ruled over 85% Muslim population.The official language was Urdu,but Education was available in many languages to choose from.There was no force.Knowledge of Urdu had a distinct advantage,but English was an added qualification.

Compared to today everything was cheap and in plenty.Accordingly the salaries were also modest. A lower division clerk in Govt.Service was getting 75 to 100 rupees salary,but then a 2 room house was available on a rent of 10 rupees only.Milk was just 4 annas a litre( 16 annas made 1 Rupee). Nizam state had its own currency which was called ‘ HAALI ‘ Rupiya. The British Rupee was also accepted here at a cost of about 1.6 Haali Rupiah. The British Rupee was called ‘ KALDAAR ‘. A month’s 2 times meals in a good Veg Hotel were available for only 30 Rupees in those days,with a ‘feast’ of sweets on every Sunday !.

The cost of Entertainment was also cheap. A 78 RPM record was costing only 10 annas and a gramophone was costing from 50 to 100 rupees.

Life was very easy and crisis free. My school fees till 10th,in a renowned private school was only  1 rupee 8 Annas pm. Private tuitions were unheard of and were considered an insult.Only the other day my daughter told me that they have paid 1.5 lakh rupees as fees for the Tutorial Classes for the 12th std -that too 6 months in advance !

There was less competetion,less struggle for existance and people still believed in honesty,respect for elders and hard work.

All this showed up in the Film world also.

When Ashok Kumar was put up as a Hero in Bombay Talkies,his salary was just 100 rupees.When his 3 consecutive films were Hits,his salary was increased to Rs.250. Saadat Hasan Manto writes in his book,”Another stars in the sky”, that Ashok kumar was afraid that somebody will steal his money and hence kept all his money under his pillow always.Manto took him to a Bank to open an account !

In the initial stages,Lata used to get only Rs.50 per song.According to her,she increased it slowly to 500 in the 50s and 5000 in the 60s.I do not know how much she charges nowdays,may be 50000 to 1 lakh,may be.

Music Directors and singers were proud of their art and were ready to do any hard work.Composers like Naushad insisted on several rehersals before recording and every singer complied without any grumble.

Composers were helpful to each others without having a cut throat competetion.Snatching films from other composers started in the 60s (foremost was OPN).bargains on payments were made.And slowly,quietly and very casually composers started getting ‘ inspired ‘ by each other’s popular songs.In the period 8os and beyond,plagiarism was no more a bad word,it was changed to a Royal ‘ Lateral Inspiration ‘,because for many songs the source used to be the same western song !

Not that these things did not happen in earlier times,but few cases where same-tune songs were found they were atleast not intentional.later on many ,nay,almost all well known composers did it.

Bengali composers like Hemant da,Sachin da,Salil da and Anil da borrowed popular old,private Bangla songs and folk songs of the east,C.Ramchandra copied Marathi natya and Bhav geets and the rest looked here and there and beyond 7 seas for ‘ inspiration ‘.

Originality was the victim in the crowded Music scene in Bollywood.

During my work on old Films and Music of Hindi films,I came across many songs which had an uncanny resemblance to some old or contemporary songs.I have collected such 10 songs,wherein you will find the mukhda,or the Antara or the entire song is similar to some other song.

I dare not call it a ‘theft’,but it is hardly a case of Telepathy either ! call it what you want, but here are the 10 double gems. Just enjoy and wonder…….

1. The first song is:
Main jab bhi akeli hoti hoon – Dharamputra [1961]
MD: N.Datta; Lyricist: Sahir Ludhianvi; Singer: Asha Bhosle

Now note the uncanny resemblance to this song:
Naadan muhabbat walon ke – Jaadoo [1951]
MD: Naushad, Lyricist : Shakeel Badayuni and the singer is: Lata Mangeshkar

2. This song was very popular once:
De di hamen Azaadi – Jagriti [1954]
MD: Hemant Kumar,Lyricist: Kavi Pradeep; Singer: Asha Bhosle and chorus.

Just hear the original tune:
Kya mil gaya Bhagwan – Anmol Ghadi [1946]
MD: Naushad,Lyricist: Anjum Pilibhiti and the singer is Noor e Tarannum, Noor jehan.

In one of the interviews given to Subhashchandra Jadhav for ‘Voh bhooli Dastaan’, Kavi Pradeep had said that he was in the habit of giving Lyrics to the composer with a suggested tune based on some old songs.Many of his songs are like that.When he gave the above tune to Hemant Kumar,he was so furious that he vowed never to work with Pradeep ji again.

3. Here is a less known song from a well known film:
Dil leke daga denge – Naya Daur [1957]
MD: O P Nayyar,Lyricist: Sahir Ludhiyanvi and the singer is Mohd.Rafi

The ‘inspiration’ came from:
Aa jao tumhe dil ka – Heer [1956]
MD: Anil BIswas,Lyricist: Majrooh Sultanpuri and the singers are Asha and Rafi

4. here is a song from Dharmendra-Rakhee starrer:
Zamane mein aji kai aise naadan – Jeevan Mrityu [1970]
MD: Laxmikant Pyarelal,Lyricist: Anand Bakshi and the singer is: Lata

one of the early songs of the 40s was the source:
Dil e naashaad ko jeene ki hasrat – Chunariya [1948]
MD: Hansraj Behl,Lyricist: B R Sharma and the same singer: Lata

5. A Mid 60s popular song:
Aye phoolon ki raanee – Arzoo [1965]
MD: Shanker-Jaikishen, Lyricist: Hasrat Jaipuri and the singer: Rafi

If you hear this song now, you may feel the similarity:
Hamee se muhabbat hamee se Ladai – Leader [1964]
MD: Naushad, Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni and the singer is same: Rafi

(sometimes I wonder, in such cases of similarity,what must be the singer thinking ? )

6. Here is a case from the 40s and the original popular song is:
Dil jalta hai to jalne de – Pehli Nazar [1945]
MD: Anil Biswas, Lyrics: Dr.Safdar ‘Aah’ and the famous singer was : Mukesh

The following song has taken ‘inspiration from the above Mukesh song:
Kiska deep Jalta hai – Didi [1948]
MD: Mukund Masurekar, Lyricist: Saraswati Kumar Deepak and the singer is: Shanker Das Gupta

7. In this song, the begining itself is inspirational!
Yeh parda hataa do – Ek Phool Do Maali [1969]
MD: Ravi, Lyricist: Prem Dhawan and singer: Asha/Rafi

Now listen to this song and you will know the source:
Vo chaand muskuraya – Aakhri Dao [1958]
MD: Madan Mohan,Lyricist: Majrooh Sultanpuri,singer: Lata / Manna Dey

8. A song from the 60s:
Rahen na rahen hum – Mamta [1966]
MD: Roshan,Lyricist: Majrooh Sultanpuri,Singer: Lata

The inspirational famous tune is:
Thandi hawayen – Naujawan [1951]
MD: S D Burman,Lyrics: Sahir Ludhiyanvi and the same singer: Lata

9. Wonder pe thunder ! Same film songs: Auto Inspiration!
Aap se maine meri jaan – Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi [1966]
MD: O P Nayyar,Lyricist: S H Bihari, singers: Asha / Rafi
now a song from the same team:
Phir miloge kabhi – Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi [1966]
MD: O P Nayyar,Lyricist: S H Bihari, singers: Asha / Rafi

10. The final song from a hit film of the early 60s:
Aankhon se jo utari hai dil mein – Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon [1963]
MD: O P Nayyar,Lyricist: Majrooh Sultanpuri,Singer: Asha

Here is the original tune:
Poocho na hamein – Mitti Me Sona [1960]
MD: O P Nayyar, Lyricist: Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, singer: Asha

Not that ALL tunes are 100% same but they do remind the other songs strongly in Mukhada, Antara or the entire tune !