Laugh And The World Laughs With You…
Siddharth Bhatia, writing in DNA, wonders where the sadness has gone.No one feels sad or is allowed to feel sad, any more. We are a country constantly in need of uppers, ignoring even the bad news. Our filmmakers and the media, understand that, and have airbrushed melancholia out. Kishore Kumar would have been a perfect fit in today’s world. But only one part of him, the part we like to remember. The Kishore Kumar singing ‘Koi Hamdam Naa Raha’ or ‘Dukhi Man Mere’ would have been out of work very soon.
Here’s one of my favourite Kishore Kumar songs, from Amar Prem:
chingaaree koee bhadake, to saawan use buzaaye(Courtesy Hindilyrix)
saawan jo agan lagaaye, use kaun buzaaye?
patazad jo baag ujaade, wo baag bahaar khilaaye
jo baag bahaar mein ujade, use kaun khilaaye?hum se mat poochho kaise, mandir tootaa sapanon kaa
logon kee baat naheen hai, ye kissaa hain apanon kaa
koee dushman thhens lagaaye, to meet jiyaa bahalaaye
manameet jo ghaanw lagaaye, use kaun mitaye?naa jaane kyaa ho jaataa, jaane hum kyaa kar jaate
peete hain to jindaa hai, naa pite to mar jaate
duniyaa jo pyaasaa rakhe, to madiraa pyaas buzaaye
madiraa jo pyaas lagaaye, use kaun buzaaye?maanaa toofaan ke aage, naheen chalataa jor kisee kaa
maujon kaa dosh naheen hai, ye dosh hain aaur kisee kaa
mazadhaar mein naiyyaa dole, to maanzee paar lagaaye
maanzee jo naaw dooboye use kaun bachaaye?
yes, great song.. one song that i keep going back to is ..’dil aaj shaayar hai’ from the dev anand starrer -’gambler’. there’s also the song from ‘mr.x in bombay’..which goes ‘mere mehboob , qayamat hogi’.. and ‘yeh jo chilman hain..’ from ‘mehboob ki mehndi’..silly, romantic stuff? perhaps. but he could be very serious when he was singing sober stuff and not yodelling. and put something very different, original into it.
but i also like ‘ mere bhains ko danda kyon mara’..and char rupaiyya baarah anna’..
good of you to remember him.
Comment by kuffir — August 8, 2006 @ 6:40 am
This may well be the case, and yet I find that the real blockbuster weepies still sell the ability to jerk tears. It’s not melancholy or wistful, it’s maudlin. Real vehicles for displacement, those Karan Johar films. Still, he’s a smart guy. There are so many things wrong with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai that it comes all the way out on the other side of right, but he has these sudden rare flashes of making you feel, during the film.
Comment by roswitha — August 8, 2006 @ 6:58 am
chingaaree koee bhadake is one my all-time fav Kishore Kumar songs too.
along with kuch to log kahenge.
Comment by angry fix — August 8, 2006 @ 10:28 am
I spent the first 9 years of my life in Delhi. And the shy kid that I was, when someone asked my name and I tell them, they would invariably smirk “Kuch gaana gao” and I blush, nod east-to-west and turn back.. :)
Comment by Kishore — August 8, 2006 @ 10:31 am
It’s worth remembering that Kishore’s idol was Saigal, the undisputed master of the so-called “sad song”.
“Dukhi Man Mere” is a gem.
Comment by km — August 8, 2006 @ 12:04 pm
I think Kishore Kumar’s romantic and sad numbers had more takers/listeners than his peppy ones. His fun numbers comprised a large body of his work but only in his early days. What private radio stations play and what television news broadcasts is hardly a reflection of the work of a master. They are anything but that. Tune into private collections of connoisseurs of good music and listen to Koi Hota (Mere Apne), Woh Shaam Kuch Ajeeb Thi (Khamoshi), the sad version of Tere Mere Milan Ki Yeh Raina (Abhiman) and Phir Wohi Raat Hai (Ghar) among many many others. Sadness, I believe, has takers at all times and the man tugging at your heart strings with `Badi Sooni Sooni Hai (Mili) and `Kuch to Log Kahenge’ (Amar Prem) would never be out of work.
Comment by rs — August 8, 2006 @ 12:33 pm
oops..rafi sang ‘yeh jo chilman hain’.. well, kishore kumar must have had a tough time with those kind of songs - he’d invariably get mixed up with rafi..
Comment by kuffir — August 8, 2006 @ 3:43 pm
kuffir - he was amazingly versatile, wasn’t he? and the sheer number of songs!
angry fix - yes, that’s a lovely song too…
km: oh, saigal’s superb…
kishore - really? didn’t even hum a song? :)
rs: yes, i remember listening to a single tape entitled “sad songs of kishore kumar” on a car journey of three days… gloomy, that was!
roswitha: oh yeah, the mawkish sentimentality! i have tickets for KANK already :)) and I shudder to think that I shall have to see SRK weep on the screen.. . but one has to do what one has to do :) and i can’t imagine NOT seeing a K-Jo film on the weekend of its release…:))
Comment by Uma — August 9, 2006 @ 8:29 am
Kuffir
There is another song from Mehboob Ki Mehndi sung by Kishore:
Mere Deewanepan Ki Jawaab nahin
Mere Bhains ko Dandaa was by Manna Dey
Comment by Nikhil — August 10, 2006 @ 2:40 am
The author of the articel has all the facts wrong.
This is not the 20th death anniversary. That will come next year Oct 13th 2007. This is his 76th birth anniversary - Aug 4.
Why do they not get their facts right before beaming on channels/writing in print?
Unfortunately where I live this event has passed unrecognized. Even the Channels I get have missed the event.
Comment by Nikhil — August 10, 2006 @ 2:46 am
Kishore realised that and when he did venture into making his own films, he chose serious subjects that showcased his sensitive side. Door Gagan Ki Chaoon Mein was the first, followed by Door Ka Rahi. Both had great songs (‘Jin Raato ki Bhor Nahin’ in the first) but they flopped and he soon returned to his singing, prancing and face-making ways.
Not completely true. Door Gagan ki Chaon mein was not a total flop. It did average business. Door ka Rahi was a flop, but the real reason for lack of serious roles after this was because Kishore Kumar’s singing career took off post Aradhana and superstar Rajesh Khanna’s ascent. Post 1970, the number of Kishore starrers does not even go into 2 digits. In fact during this phase of making madcap comedies that were critical and commercial failures, he did a couple of serious movies - Door Wadiyon mein kahin and Mamta ki Chaon mein (with Leena Chandavarkar).The last remained unreleased.
Error in my last comment - It is his 77th birth anniversary not 76th.
Some of his lesser know but memorable sad songs:
Aaye Tum Yaad Mujhe - Mili
Jo Tum Hasoge to - Kathputhli
Ter Duniya se - PAvitra Paapi
Panth Hoon main - Door ka Rahi
Na Koi Dil mein Samaya - Aa Gale Lag Jaa
Dekho Yeh Mere Bandhe Haath - Bandhe Haath
Jeena to Hain - Daulat Ke Dushman
Ghungroo ki Tarah - Chor Machaye Shor
Comment by Nikhil — August 10, 2006 @ 5:54 am
Oh no Uma.. :)
I was waaaayyyy too shy as a kid. But I’ve grown up to be the opposite, I might add… :)
Comment by Kishore — August 10, 2006 @ 1:19 pm
I like that one too. He could swim along the surface even when his singing reached the depths of emotions.
Comment by Anil — August 12, 2006 @ 2:39 pm