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| 14.07.1917-16.11.1967 |
Roshanlal
Nagrath. Or, to refer to him by the name he became famous – Roshan. Anyone who
loves old Hindi film music will find that, inevitably, there will be a ‘Roshan
song’ among their favourites. The unassuming music director may have had a
short career – less than two decades – but he left his mark on the music of the
golden age, and in our hearts.
Born
on 14 July 1917 in Bharia, a small village in Gujranwala district in Punjab
(present-day Pakistan), Roshanlal Nagrath and his family moved to Shahjahanpur,
where he began his musical education under the tutelage of Manohar Barve. His
education in music continued when he joined Marris College of Music (named after the then-Governor of Lucknow, Sir William Marris, and presently known as Bhatkande College of Hindustani Music), Lucknow, where he trained under Professor SN Ratanjankar, a
distinguished scholar and teacher of Hindustani classical music, who was the
principal of the institute at the time.
Roshan
is said to have learnt the sarod from Ustad Allaudin Khan in Maihar, and the
sarangi from the famed ‘Sarangi King’, Bundu Khan. The young man was also a
noted esraj (dilruba) player, and so proficient in the instrument that Khwaja
Khurshid Anwar, a noted music composer himself, and the-then programme producer
at the All India Radio (AIR), Lucknow, hired him as a staff artist for the
esraj.
Roshan
continued to be associated with AIR Lucknow for over a decade before, in the
late 40s, moving to Bombay to try his luck in films. In 1949, he got to assist
Khurshid Anwar in a film titled Singaar. But his big break came with Neki
aur Badi (1949) – a Kidar Sharma oduction. The film, starring Kidar
Sharma, Madhubala and Geeta Bali, was a resounding flop, dashing Roshan’s hopes
of making a splash in the music industry. Film lore has it that the
disappointed young man almost packed his bags to leave the industry. But Kidar
Sharma – and better sense – prevailed. The next year, Roshan was back with a
bang. Sharma’s Bawre Nain (1950), starring Raj Kapoor, Geeta Bali and
Vijaylakshmi, was a stock boy-meets-girl-loses-girl-gets-girl-back film, but
Roshan’s score followed no such stereotype. From the soulful Teri duniya
mein dil lagta nahin to the foot-tapping Ichak bichak bhurr to the
playful Mujhe sach sach bata de… kya?, Roshan’s compositions became
hugely popular. The young director had the hit he so desperately craved. This
was just the beginning of a very successful career.
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Roshan with Sahir, Rafi and Omi [Sonik-Omi]
Picture Credit: Film History Pics |
Unassuming
as he was, Roshan did not win him much prominence though he was very
well-respected by his colleagues who knew talent when they saw it. Film lore
has it that Lata Mangeshkar once stepped in, to object to Roshan being replaced
by OP Nayyar, an issue she escalated to the Cine Artistes’ Association. Roshan
shared credit with OP Nayyar for Mehbooba (1954), but he never forgot
how Lata had stood by him at such a time. [Screen 1954 edition reported
on this incident.] The decade of the 50s saw as many misses as hits.
To
some extent, Roshan’s career mirrored Madan Mohan’s – they both gave stellar
scores for films that didn’t do very well commercially. The failure of these films
meant that the scores would be relegated to ‘not-as-good’ even if the songs
themselves surpassed the films they were in. The 60s, however, found Roshan
composing for several films that became highly successful – Barsaat Ki Raat
(1960), Aarti (1962), Taj Mahal and Dil Hi To Hai (1963), Chitralekha
(1964), Bheegi Raat (1965), Mamta (1966).
However,
just when he was at his peak as a composer, Roshan succumbed to a heart attack
at the relatively young age of 50, leaving us the poorer for his demise. Today
is his 53rd death anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, here are
a few of my favourite Roshan compositions.
[Sadu's notes in whatever-colour-this-is.]
Barsaat ki Raat (1960)
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey, Asha Bhosle, Sudha Malhotra, SD Batish
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
In an interview that I once read,
Khayyam said that he had been signed to compose the music for Barsaat ki
Raat, but left the project when he learnt he was expected to use the tune
of a qawwali composed by Ustad Fateh Ali Khan (Na tu but ki talab mujhe - sung by him and Ustad Mubarak
Ali Khan). But the producers had the singers’ permission, and Roshan composed a
magnificent 12-minute long qawwali that reportedly took 24 hours to shoot – it
became the stuff of cinematic legend.
A song that skilfully combines music,
poetry, instrumentation and vocals in a stunning mosaic, Na to kaarvaan ki
talaash hai /Ye ishq ishq hai It is definitely one of the best, if not the
best, qawaalis in Hindi cinema. Roshan used a number of singers –
Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle, Manna Dey, Sudha Malhotra, SD Batish, along with
the chorus. The qawwali veered away from traditional tropes to include topics
such as the tale of Radha-Krishna, Meera's love for Krishna, Sita-Ram, etc. It spoke of the Buddha, Christ, and Mohammed the Prophet, even as it defined the
concept of ‘ishq’ as all-inclusive, insisting that love and devotion that
raises an idol to the level of God, and mortals to immortality. Sahir modified
some of the lines from the original qawwali and even used two lines from a
verse by Amir Khusro – Bahut kathin hai dagar panghat ki / Laaj raakho more
ghunghat pat ki for Na to karwaan ki talaash hai which was
picturised as a verbal duel between two competing teams of qawwals.
This magnificent melody saw Roshan use a
variety of musical instruments, while also including the rhythmic hand clapping
in a way that speeds up the tempo until the crescendo which passionately
proclaims the triumph of an all-encompassing yet self-effacing love. That certainly was one of the hallmarks of Roshan's music - the perfect use of instrumentation.
The huge popularity of the score of Barsaat
ki Raat helped buttress Roshan’s career – it would proved to be the start
of a golden run until his untimely demise.
Mamta (1966)
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Hemant Kumar
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Like Barsaat ki Raat, Mamta
too, had a wonderful bouquet of melodies composed by Roshan. The best composers
know when to let their music take a back seat – sometimes to the voice,
sometimes to the lyrics. Here, in this lovely ballad, about a love that cannot
be revealed, one that is as devoted as the lamp in the sanctum sanctorum of a
temple, Roshan’s music is soft, sublime, and evokes a love that is pure…
sacred... devotional.
The other song from Mamta that I really like
is Rahe na rahe hum – Roshan re-used his Tera dil kahaan hai (itself inspired by Thandi
hawaayein from Naujawan (1951)) from Chandni Chowk (1954),
with a different prelude.
The prelude itself perhaps first
brought to Indian ears by an album from Ron Goodwin. The topic is covered quite nicely
here by Ashwin Bhandarkar. But Goodwin himself took the tune Return to
Paradise, a Rahbani Brothers’ composition, Sanarjiou Yaouman, sung
by Asi Rahbani’s wife, Nouhad Haddad, also known as Fairuz. Here is a live version. Listen to the prelude and see how
Roshan used it to lead into Rahe na rahe hum.
Bawre Nain (1950)
Singers: Rajkumari, Asha Bhosle
Lyrics: Kidar Sharma
It was Bawre Nain’s success
that persuaded Roshan to remain in the industry. He seemed to have a point to
prove to himself, and every song in this [rather melodramatic] film is a
masterpiece, with the young composer using Rajkumari, Shamshad Begum, and Geeta
Dutt for the female vocals. Rajkumari had the bulk of the songs – four solos
and a duet – and in this, she is accompanied by Asha Bhosle.
There are other songs in Bawre Nain
that are played more often but this song has a very interesting feel. The
lyrics are wistful, and it has a piquant melody. The two versions of this song
have very different musical accompaniments. In the duet, which is part of the
film, flute counterpoints are present throughout the song, and one can even
hear the touch of a Hawaiian guitar.
The other version is a solo by Rajkumari, which, I think, is only present on the record. Here, the metre
is faster, the flute is present only in the beginning, there is no guitar, and
the clarinet plays the larger supporting role. Both versions are
beautiful.
Dil Hi to Hai
(1963)
Singer: Manna Dey
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
Perhaps because of Barsaat ki Raat,
Roshan was known as the master of qawwalis. In fact, there is a qawwali in Dil
Hi to Hai as well. But Roshan could obviously do more than compose
qawwalis. Here, he fits Sahir’s words to Hindustani classical song, complete
with an elaborate sargam, composing a lush, complex melody, its
intricate notes complementing Manna Dey’s vocal calisthenics that play around
the notes with effortless ease.
Sahir based his lyrics upon Kabir’s Chunri
mein pad gayo daag piya, offering a multi-layered perspective: one, a
plaintive lament by a woman who’s afraid that she cannot return home with a
besmirched reputation; the other, the journey of a soul to face its maker. In this song, you have the perfect example of what makes a song truly
great – the impeccable ‘milan’ of music, melody, lyrics and voice.
Anhonee (1952)
Singer: Talat Mahmood
Lyrics: Satyendra Athaiyya
Roshan had a penchant for using Mukesh;
the latter was known as Raj Kapoor’s ‘voice’. Yet, for this song, he switched
allegiance to Talat Mahmood’s silken vocals – and it was an inspired choice. In
this song, a quintessential ‘party song’ where one of the protagonists is asked
to sing, Raj Kapoor does the honours, playing the piano as accompaniment. It is
one of the few songs that feature a piano in its picturisation that also uses
the piano in its melody – you can hear the piano in the interludes. (For a change,
you also had a hero who could actually play the piano.) Interestingly,
the song, a pleasing love ballad, changes tone midway – the music speeds up to
reflect the discordance in the singer’s mind.
Satyendra Athaiyya, who wrote the
lyrics, was the husband of the late Bhanu Athaiyya.
Jhoom jhoom ke jaam choom ke
Coffee
House (1957)
Singer: Geeta Dutt
Lyrics: Prem Dhawan
Roshan used Geeta Dutt sparingly for a
handful of films, mostly in the 50s, and their collaboration is probably best
known for the first song she sang for him – Khayalon mein kisi ke from Bawre
Nain. In Bedardi, another Geeta Bali starrer, which released the
next year, Geeta Dutt fared better, with four solos. But it would take another
six years for the singer to collaborate with the composer to sing a song that
was unlike any she had sung for him until then. (1957 was also the year in
which Roshan gave Geeta Dutt a chance to showcase her versatility in Agra
Road.)
This song by Geeta Dutt is inspired by
the melody Malaguena attributed to the composer Ernesto Lecuona.
One of my favourite performances of Malaguena is performed here by Pepe Romero, one of the
great classical guitarists of our generation. His technique is
wonderful as he uses his fingers to provide the accompanying tremolo while the
thumb plays the melody.
But Lecuona is not the real composer of
the melody. Instead, he borrowed the melody from the American composer Louis
Gottschalk’s composition Souvenir’s d’ Andalouise (Gottschalk’s mother
was French Creole.) Here’s a version played by Milen Manoj Earath,
from my hometown, at the NCPA in Bombay – the left hand plays the familiar
melody.
Garjat barsat bheejat aayilo
Malhaar (1952)
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Indeevwar (adapted from traditional lyrics)
Roshan would repeat this bandish in Barsaat Ki Raat
almost a decade later, once again playing over the film’s credits, with Kamal
Barot and Suman Kalyanpur doing the honours. This song from Malhar
has fewer accompaniments, just a tabla, a flute and… Lata Mangeshkar.
Malhaar, with its mostly-inexperienced cast and crew, would also see the debut of lyricist Indeewar.
I find the alaap based on a different scale
(I can’t make out what it is; it seems to be a mélange of flavours - perhaps, Bilawal predominates?) while
the main song is based on a classical bandish E ri jaane na doongi e ri maai
apne balam ko nainan me set in Raag Kaamod. Here is a link to the classical bandish sung by Nirali Kartik.
The poem by Gopal Das Neeraj that was
popular long before it was used in the film, and the imagery used by the poet
leaves quite a lasting impression on the reader/listener. [The oft-quoted line
from this poem – Kaarwaan guzar gaya ghubaar dekhte rahe – never fails
to move me.] Almost a recitation by Rafi, Roshan wisely lets his voice take
centre-stage, but lets the music rise almost to a crescendo as Rafi’s voice
dies away at the end of each verse. As I said before, a good composer knows
when to foreground his music and when to let his music recede.
Paaon chhuu lene do
Taj Mahal (1963)
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
If
you look at Roshan’s discography, you will see there are albums where each song
is a gem and you’re spoilt for choice. Taj Mahal is one such album. It
has one of favourite songs of all time – Jurm-e-ulfat pe log sazaa dete hain. I eschewed that in favour of this romantic ballad because there, as
in a couple of other songs on this list, the music stepped back in order to let
the lyrics shine. Paaon chhuu lene do, on the other hand, is a wonderful
mélange of music, lyrics and vocals. An obscure film that was Geeta Bali’s
home production, directed by her brother, Raag Rang boasted of a
wonderful score by Roshan. I do not know
much about the film, since it appears to have sunk without a trace, but the
score had some unusual melodies, This duet, by
Talat and Lata is a haunting melody, which stays with you. The music is as
unassuming as Roshan himself, never placing itself front and centre, nor
relapsing into non-descript anonymity, but complementing the voices just so –
like the faint whiff of a fragrance that stays with you long after you have
left the room.
Taksaal (1956)
Singers: SD Batish, Lakshmi Shankar
Lyrics: Prem Dhawan
Directed by Hemen Gupta, and starring Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy, this relatively obscure film followed the narrative arc of Zia Sarhadi's Footpath, with Sahni playing the wronged and angry young man who sets out to become wealthy through any means, fair or foul. Roshan composed the music and amidst songs by singers like Lata and Rafi, was this lovely bidaai song, fashioned like a folk tune. I wonder if there was an original folk song that inspired this one. It was sung by Shiv Dayal Batish and Lakshmi Shankar, both classical singers of great repute.
In fact, SD Batish went to the UK before settling in the US, where he opened the Batish Institute of Music and Fine Arts in California. Lakshmi Shankar, too, was an eminent danseuse in Uday Shankar's troupe when she met and married his brother, Rajendra Shankar.
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Photo Credit: Poignant
Song
The Life and
Music of Lakshmi Shankar
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She continued to act and sing playback in regional films before pleurisy prevented her from dancing. But Lakshmi continued to sing, working with her brother-in-law Ravi Shankar on films like Neecha Nagar and Dharti ke Laal, as well as on international collaborations including and a single with George Harrison titled I am missing you. She had earlier sung for for Richard Attenborough's Gandhi and in 2008, at the age of 83, Lakshmi was nominated for a Grammy (Dancing in the Light, Best Traditional World Music Album).
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Picture Credit: The New Indian Express
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Taksaal also had two songs by Ratna Gupta, Hemen Gupta's wife. One of which was the peppy Takraaye ja mastaane. Ratna had earlier sung a few songs in Ferry (1954, also directed by Hemen Gupta), but seems to have not taken it up as a career. I haven't been able to find any other songs by her.
These are but a few songs that represent Roshan's versatility and talent. By no means is this a complete or even 'Best of' list. These are just some of my personal favourites from among his compositions. Please feel free to post your favourite songs by Roshan in the comments.
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