A
TRIBUTE TO A LATE MAESTRO (KISHORE KUMAR)
4th August came
and went. So busy are we with our daily petty bickering and humdrums that we
might have hardly cared that this was the birthday of one of our times’ finest
entertainers: Kishore Kumar.
Now don’t get alarmed and
aghast. I am not going to upload another of those run-of-the-mills “golden
collections” or “10 best ever songs of Kishore Kumar” or “Evergreen Kishore”.
You visit every jhoparpatti and get a CD shop there which will stock at least 5
of them. And most of these will have those same sets of “Pal pal dil ke paas”,
“Pyaar manga hai tumhi se”, “Chalte Chalte”, “Mere mehboob kayamat hogi”, “Dil
key kare jab kisiko”, “Yeh sham mastani”, “Pyaar diwana hota hai mastaana hota
hai”, “Anewala Pal” etc etc. It drives at least me crazy and at times I feel
like pulling out my own hair (of course from my scalp) as well that of the poor
shopkeeper’s. The music companies create an impression that a versatile ocean
of talent like Kishore Kumar’s talent was reflected in only a limited numbers. This
is awfully wrong.
That’s why albeit belatedly
I am putting up a collection of my favorite rare gems of Kishore which you may
find only in personal collections. Due to some mysterious reasons, no single CD
collection of a single music company will ever collate them (God knows why).
Now thanks to internet, that too youtube, and that too there is an intrepid,
resourceful Pakistani fan of Kishore (Mr Khurram Imtiyaz), all golden numbers
of Kishore are sharable with the best audio quality.
And this is a revelation.
Music really crosses borders, knows no bounds, spreads love, unites
everyone. What we the Indians could not achieve
for our own Indian maestro, a Pakistani fan has done that in youtube; the
collections of Kishore, Lata, Asha, Rafi, Mukesh uploaded by him in youtube
should put our saregama/ t-series or what not to gutters of shame.
Lets’ stop plunging again to
bickering, I think Kishore himself (had he been alive) would have never liked
this. Instead, I will be happy if you find even one of these below-mentioned
numbers close to your hearts or do like at least one-or-two of them. As days of
my own life are getting numbered, like a drowning man, my innocent childhood often
floats past my eyes. I recall listening some of these numbers during Puja
holidays when they wafted from the puja pandel speakers / mikes. Like Kishore
Kumar, those days are never going to come back. Anyway, here goes the
collection:
1.0> Yeh
Naina Yeh Kajal;
Movie
: Dil Se Mile Dil,
Music
: Bappi Lahiri (long
before he became mobile tanshiq boutique shop)
Wonderfully soft hummable tune,
beautiful lyrics. Sad I couldn’t find out who the lyricist was.
2.0> Haan
Pehli Baar
Movie
: Aur Kaun (It’s a Ramsay Horror..!!!!)
Music
: Bappi Lahiri (Pre-Jewellery, Pre-Himmatwala days)
Again wonderfully lilting tune,
supplemented by superb lyrics.
3.0> Dil
Se Mile Dil
Movie
: Dil Se Mile Dil,
Music
: Bappi Lahiri
Definitely not as good as Yeh Naina Yeh
Kajal, still haunting and romantic enough with a faster rhythm.
4.0> Main
Tujh Se Pyaar Karoon
Movie
: Telephone
Music
: Rajesh Roshan.
Rare gem. Shows both the gift of
the music director and the singer. Songs
at that time were so different.
5.0> Tujh
se pehle be matlab thi zindegani
Movie
: Bhagwaan Dada
Music
: Rajesh Roshan
Those who loves “yeh jeevan hai, is
jeevan ka” will immediately recognize some similarity in class and tune though
that was composed by Laxmikant-Payrelal. Anyhow, this is also soulful.
6.0> Pyaar
ka badla mujhe dekho kaisa mila
Movie
: Yehi hai zindagi.
Music
: Bappi Lahiri
Along
with “Swapno ke Sahar” (listed next), I find the most telling lyrics in this
number. And of course very much relevant and prophetic for many lives. The song became brilliant sung by
Kishore. Wonder what would have happened if it would have landed with Kr Sanu.
7.0> Sapno
ka Sahar
Movie
: Ehsaas
Music
: Bappi Lahiri
Wonderful lyrics, haunting music,
classic singing, my all time favorite. May not be liked by others.
8.0> Hothon
pe jaan chali ayegi
Movie : Patita
Music : Bappi Lahiri
A
classic, sensuous rendition that shows what a golden voice like the one the
late maestro was capable of. And that unmistakable, romantic tune. And the
lyrics. At that time they used to write poetry, not just mere songs. It was the
age of sensuous innocence and honesty.
9.0> Tu
chand nagar ki shehzaadi
Movie : Duniya
Music : R D Burman
Again
a rare, forgotten, all-round gem, unmistakable RD-flavored, and terrific
rendition by Kishore. When he sung, you can visualize a song. He easily
overshadows the hero on whose lip the song is filmed. That’s why you see many
of the films to which the songs are listed here you might not ever heard of.
And you’ll never heard of many heroes. Kishore was the hero.
10.0> Hum
kitne naadan the yaaro
Movie : Sitamgar
Music : R D Burman
Contains
the typical RDB flavor, that typical RDB-Kishore touch, racy numbers, you can
listen, drive, enjoy. No worry. Also, the movie had a terrific story (albeit
inspired by Hollywood).
11.0> Teri
har ada hai aisi
Movie : Daulat
Music : R D Burman
I am
intentionally listing the racy, happy, rhythmic numbers of Kishore composed by
RDB. Kishore’s was predominantly a happy, carefree soul. Like a genuine
kalakaar, he distributed the jewels of happiness in our dimmed out minds.
Enough had been talked about his soulful, dard-bhara-afsaana, dukhi-man-mere numbers,
and they are easily available in any CDs in the name of vintage collections.
But for me, Kishore was an angel of happiness, who could raise even ordinary
peppy numbers to ethereal height through his “mast” renditions. This one is an
example. No collection will ever list them, include them. But for this you have
to be movie buff also.
12.0> Tum
sath ho jab apne
(this one a duet with Asha)
Movie : Kaalia
Music : R D Burman
I
know many will quiver that this trash of a number is in this list..!!! Trash or
not, as I already explained, I listened Kishore whenever feeling low. Kishore
numbers can act as natural ecstasy for trouble souls. And just listen what
RDB-KK can do with simple rhythm and orchestration. For me it’s a classic.
13.0> Chanda
O Chanda
Movie : Lakhon Me Ek.
Music : R D Burman
The
same RDB-KK combination, what they are capable of when they change their
mood.!!! Reportedly Kishore’s rendition of this brought tears in many eyes. And
the lyrics so nicely jelled with the song. Movie had a terrific story.
14.0> Kabhi
Palkon Pe Aasu Hai
Movie : Harjaee
Music : R D Burman
The
same movie has “Tujh sa haseen”, “Khairishu Waarishu” which all falls in same
category like the song nos 10, 11 and 12, but each one a gem. But this one is a
classic, in terms of lyrics, composition and rendition. How Kishore moved from
one extreme of emotions to another showed his extreme versatility. And of
course the versatility of RDB and the lyricists as well.
15.0> Muskurata
hua gungunata hua mera yaar
Movie : Lahoo ka do rang
Music : Bappi Lahiri.
I am
listing it here be’coz songs of this genre is becoming rare and will soon may
vanish (if not already vanished). Kishore’s voice has lifted the otherwise
pedestrian song to another level.
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