Picking up a leaf from Ashish s blog (or should I say, picking up an ingredient from Ashish s masala?), I am starting this series of posts on my own favorite composers Shankar Jaikishan. Since I am already covering the Lata Mangeshkar songs on the other blog, the series here will concentrate on the male songs (or at the most, the duets). The first part of the series Lata/SJ-Black and White Era Songs is already up on my other blog (click here).

For those who have been regular in following the Expressions here, they might have often wondered at the lack of mention of any male voices. It is not that I do not listen to male songs at all; it is just that beyond Lata Mangeshkar I hardly get any time to concentrate on them.

Amongst the male singers, I am a big fan of Mohammad Rafi. I like the tenor and the range of his malleable voice; there is a pristine honesty in his voice, which reflects his own real life persona. Though there have been myriad clones of his in the recent years, but Rafisaab still remains on top.

Moving forward from Rafi, I have a small fascination for Mukesh’s rich baritone. His voice had a limited range, but when it came to the sad songs, he had absolutely no parallel. He gave weight and depth to the pathos.

In this list, I have picked up fifteen of Mukesh’s heart wrenching and philosophical numbers composed by Shankar Jaikishan that I always love to hear whenever the mood gets blue. I understand many of my readers are in their twenties and might have not listened to them; or, might find them too archaic . But, I started my discovery of SJ in my own twenties. It is a good age to begin unravelling these gems. You will never be alone.

(The list is compiled in the chronological order of the release of the films; though I have tried to cross verify through various sources on the web, the dates might still have some inaccuracies).

1. Raat andheri door savera, barbaad hai dil mera – Aah (1953) A short three minute song packed with emotions! I love the haunting violins following the lines of the mukhda (the same violins end into a spine-shivering dimmuendo at the end of the song); it is almost like a wisp of wind playing on a dark and stark night. The miserably frustrating lines aah bhi roye, raah bhi roye, soojhe na baat koie / lamba safar hai sooni dagar hai / dega na saath koi capture the helplessness of a given situation. These wistful words are penned by Hasrat Jaipuri.

2. Rammaiya Vastavaiyya - Shree 420 (1955) one of the three songs that I am including here which is not a Mukesh solo. But then, it is one of those rare numbers that has Lata, Mukesh and Rafi present together. However, since Rafi sang for the sidey , and Mukesh for the hero, the latter walks away with the centerstage lines meri aankhon mein rahe, kaun jo mujhse kahe, maine dil tujhko diya it never fails to bring a lump in my throat. The guilt washed lyrics are penned by Shailendra.

3. Ae pyaase dil bezubaan – Begunaah (1957) A lesser known fact is that this Mukesh number was picturised on Jaikishan, perhaps in the only film that he did as an actor. It is a rhythmic number, and the alaap placed in between the mukhda is amazing. Also, the lines aag ko aag mein dhal ke, kab tak jee bahlayega have a wonderful beat to it; the tune tugs at your heart like a naughty child. I am fond of Shailendra’s imagery in this number.

4. Yeh mera deewanapan hai – Yahudi (1958) A quintessential Dilip Kumar number, though it is strange that SJ used Mukesh rather than Rafi, who was the voice for the thespian. For this song, the thespian had insisted on Talat Mehmood; however Shankar locked horns with Dilip Kumar to retain Mukesh. It was a song that yet again SJ proved that they could march into the Naushad terrain and conquer it with lan. (Earlier they had done the classical based Basant Bahar, a film wrenched away from Naushad, due to the commercial pressures of that time). Shailendra s lyrics are more forceful and vengeful in this one jitana jee chaahe pukaro, phir nahi aayenge hum . Mandolin, a favorite instrument of SJ, is the lynchpin here.

5. Mujhe mere haal pe chhod do – Kanhaiya (1959) – The veena/sitar and the violins combination of the song clasps the heart and wrings it out. Mukesh sings the pain-dipped Shailendra lyrics in a deep bass. It is a shimmering number from an album that had a fine collection of songs. The other Mukesh numbers Yaad aayi aadhi raat ko (a delight to sing when a bit sozzled) and Ruk ja o jaanewaali were also interesting.

6. Mai nashe mein hoon – Mai Nashe Mein Hoon (1959) Shailendra does a neat use of the Meer couplet to form the title song of this Raj Kapoor- Mala Sinha starrer. The opening couplet Zaahid sharaab peene de masjid mein baith kar, Ya woh jagah batade jahan khuda na ho is marvelous. Though not exactly a sad song, it is serious in content, hence I have included it here; it speaks about a dull drone of pain permeating the soul, which is negated by the intoxication of alcohol. A perfect number after a few drinks. Mukesh combines ‘dard‘, ‘nasha‘ and ‘masti‘ in a flawless cocktail. There is a marked orchestral clarity; and SJ s rhythmic beats are lip-smacking.

7. Sab kuchh seekha humne, na seekhi hoshiyari - Anari (1959) The simpleton Raju (Rajkumar, actually, in this particular film) laments at the cruel and calculating ways of the world through the words of Shailendra – ‘dil pe marne waale, marenge bheekhari ‘. This is another sad party number that SJ had pioneered and perfected (and carried on by Nadeem Shravan in the nineties). I don t think I need to write anymore about the song as everyone knows about it. Of course, the SJ orchestral finesse is in full display as ever. SJ won their second Filmfare award for this film and their lead singer, Mukesh, won the coveted trophy for his outstanding singing of this very number.

8. Aa ab laut chale – Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti (1960) A very unfortunate number for Mukesh, because Lata Mangeshkar stole the song with just half a line and an alaap that she sings at regular intervals in it. Still, I am including it here because essentially it is a Mukesh solo only; the song has a lot of positivity and is a difficult to classify. I am including it in the list simply because of its deep philosophical content laced with lament and loss. The orchestra is breathtaking. Overall, in my view, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti was musically the weakest of all SJ-Raj Kapoor directed films.

9. Teri yaad dil se bhulane chala hoon, mai khud apni hasti mitane chala hoon – Hariyali Aur Raasta (1962) I saw this soppy Manoj Kumar-Mala Sinha starrer only for the music (not too fond of either of the lead stars). I was also lucky enough to find a solo cassette of the film that had some additional numbers and pieces. Again, it is a complete album- be it Allah jaane kya hoga aage or Bol meri taqdeer mein kya or Yeh hariyali aur raasta, every song is hummable and enjoyable. SJ really worked hard on the details of this film. Of the sad songs, I like this one a lot better than the Mahendra Kapoor solo, Kho gaya hai mera pyaar. Another sad number was the Lata Mukesh duet Laakhon tare aasman mein (will take this up surely in some other list, probably on the Lata blog). My favorite lines from the selected Shailendra lyric are Ghataon tumhe saath dena padega/ main phir aaj aansoon bahane chala hoon the use of phir is exceptional, as one does return to this mood time and again in practical real life.

10. Dost dost na raha – Sangam (1964) The song that Shankar and Jaikishan fought over; while the former composed this one, Jaikishan did the prem patra number with Rafi, and both claimed their composition to be better than the other. An impossible choice, and so also said the paying public as both the numbers went on to become bumper hits. The piano riffs in this song are awesome (reportedly played by Shankar himself, who was an efficient pianist). It is a song that always comes up whenever two friends even have the smallest of tiffs. Also, a ditty that the nation sang whenwent to war with! Once again, Shailendra does the honors with the lyrics with Mukesh’s intense voice capturing each nuance in its entirety.

(As can be seen, most lyrics here are of Shailendra, that is because the other half, Hasrat Jaipuri wrote the more romantic numbers)

11. Duniya bananewale kya tere mann mein samayi – Teesri Kasam (1966) I confess, I am in awe of this album. Every song of this film is a gem to be treasured. The film was produced by lyricist Shailendra and was a major dud at the box office; however, SJ s brilliant music survived the crash. Even today Paan khaaye saiyan hamaro and Chalat musafir are fondly remembered. The film had two pathos filled numbers that give ample scope to Mukesh to display his virtuosity at such numbers this was one of them; the other is Sajanwa bairi ho gaye hamaar.

12.Hum toh jaate apne gaaon – Diwana (1967) Six Mukesh solos make up this magnificent album the title song , Hum to jaate apne gaaon apni Ram Ram Ram , Ae sanam jisne tujhe , Pate ki baat kahega / kahega jab bhi deewana , Tumhari bhi jai jai hamari bhi jai jai / na tum haare na hum haare and Taaron se pyaare. Though Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri gave decent lyrics, the album gets more weight duo to the SJ s musical form. Very uncomplicated and unassuming songs – perhaps like the simpleton hero! The audio that I have contains the Mukesh solos together believe me, it is heavenly to hear them one after the other (the album I have is a combo with Around The World, which also has great songs). This song and Tumhari bhi jai jai pick the essence of parting is such a sweet sorrow coupled with some majestic singing by Mukesh.

13. Duniya isi ka naam hai – Duniya (1968) Though the Rafi song Falsafa pyaar ka was a more popular number, I prefer this one because of its easy tune and philosophical tone of the lyrics. Although it is not a Mukesh solo (Shankar’s protege Sharda is the co-singer), the song can very well be termed his only as he gets the bigger and better lines; this is the third of non-solo songs in this list. Incidentally this film had the comedy number Tu hi meri laxmi, tu hi meri chhaya, o Laxmi Chhaya! By this time, the formidable team was disintegrating. The lyrics for this song are by S H Bihari.

14.Woh zindagi hai meri bebasi, apna koi na tha, apna koi na hai – Sapnon Ka Saudagar (1968) A lesser known number of the duo, but nevertheless a shining piece of composition. It is a subtle song, and the lyrics (once more, Shailendra) convey an altruism in the simplistic form jo yeh sapne sach ho jaate, toh yeh sapne kyun kahlaate . The piano riffs are engaging.

15. Jaane kahan gaye woh din and Jeena yahan marna yahan – Mera Naam Joker (1970) the official swan songs of SJ team. Though Shankar continued to work under the banner of the joint name of the duo in films like Lal Pathhar, Chorni, Sanyasi, Paapi Pet Ka Sawaal Hai, Do Jhoot, Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar, still the reign had ended. I don’t think I really have to write anything on these two Mera Naam Joker numbers – they are evergreen, and the latter captures Raj Kapoor’s maxim ‘that the show must go on’ in a lovely manner. While the former was written by Hasrat Jaipuri, the latter was penned by Shaily Shailendra. The film got Shankar Jaikishan their eighth Filmfare Award.

It is a very sad scene that one half of the duo that ruled the charts once had to resort to doing films with names like Jangal Mein Mangal, International Crook and Tarzan Mera Saathi.

When the evenings end with their deep and heavy sigh, these timeless and immortal melodies are perfect companions. Do tell me your views on them.

Technorati : Mukesh, Music, Shankar Jaikishan

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