Remembering: PL Santoshi

Once in a while, I like to write about those in the film industry who have left a wonderful body of work behind as their legacy but are not as well-known as some of their more successful peers. Today is the birth anniversary of one such person – a man who doffed many hats during his long career.

07.08.1916-07.09.1978

He is Pyarelal Santoshi, a.k.a PL Santoshi. Santoshi was a director, producer, dialogue and screenplay writer, actor, singer, and lyricist, though he’s best known for being the last listed. His long and successful association with C Ramchandra has ensured that his name rings a bell in the minds of music aficionados.

PL Santoshi was born on 7^th August 1916 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. His birthname was Pyarelal Shrivastav. By all accounts, his entry into films was due to a chance occurrence – a film unit shooting in his hometown was in urgent need of a dialogue assistant. The young lad, already a skilled writer, grabbed the opportunity. [I am not sure if this is an apocryphal tale.]

In the mid-30s, soon after matriculation, Santoshi shifted to Bombay to try his luck at being a writer and lyricist. But his big break came when he got the opportunity to write the lyrics for a couple of songs in Jaddan Bai’s Moti ka Haar, namely, Aise bag lagaaya and Man ke waasi maan meri aao. He also had a minor role in the film. 

That same year, he wrote four songs for another of Jaddan Bai’s films – Jeevan Swapna.

Santoshi was associated with many prominent studios of the time – Ranjit Movietone, Bombay Talkies and Prabhat Studios. His seven-year-long association with Ranjit Movietone saw him write lyrics for 17 films, with Gyan Dutt as the music director for 14 of them (Khemchand Prakash composed for the other three). He then moved to Bombay Talkies where he wrote the lyrics for a few films. But it was while he was at Prabhat Films that he first got an opportunity to direct – the film was Hum Ek Hain (1946), a film on religious harmony. It is better known today for being Dev Anand’s debut film. In addition, the film introduced Rehman, Kamala Kotnis and Rehana. [Fun fact: Guru Dutt was Santoshi’s assistant director and the choreographer on this film] While Hum Ek Hain did not create even a ripple at the box office, his second film Shehnai (1947) was a thumping success. 

In all, he directed around 21 films, out of which the most successful were Sargam (1950), Barsaat ki Raat (1960), Dil Hi To Hai (1963).

Pic: Courtesy Facebook
PL Santoshi, Director Vasant Desai and Suraiya during the
 recording of a song for an incomplete film, Pagalkhana (1952)

After a long association with Gyan Dutt, his other enduring association was with C Ramchandra. Together, the duo would provide a fresh, youthful sound that was very different from the Hindi film song of the time. Think of Aana meri jaan meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday, for instance. Santoshi proved to be adept at writing situational songs with a strong comic element to them. By employing puns, onomatopoeia and comedy,  Santoshi’s lyrics evoked a playfulness that added to their popularity.

Apart from all this, he is also credited as the dialogue and screenplay writer of films like Jhoola (1941), Station Master and Nirala (1951), Post Box 999 (1958), etc.

PL Santoshi died on 7 September 1978. On his 46^th death anniversary, I have chosen a few songs to highlight his career as a lyricist. And while he’s best known for his collaboration with C Ramchandra, I’ve tried to showcase as many different music directors as possible. Here, then, in no particular order:

Mehfil mein jal uthi shama 

Nirala (1950)
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Music: C Ramachandra

But, let’s start with the obvious.  Nirala, written by Santoshi, and directed by Devendra Mukherjee was a trainwreck of a film. It did well at the box office though, leading to Dev and Madhubala signing more films together. Poonam (Madhubala) is in love with Dr Anand (Dev), but is forced to marry a three-time widower, old enough to be her father. If that weren’t enough, she’s greeted by her new sister-in-law, who hands her a bottle of poison so she can die if and when she wants. Yeah, don’t ask. So, while Santoshi’s script-writing skills are highly suspect, he did well as the lyricist with:
Chaaron taraf lagaaye phere, phir bhi har dum duur rahe
Ulfat dekho aag bani hai, milne se majbuur rahe

 
Apni ada par main hoon fida

Teen Batti Char Rasta (1953)
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Shivram Krishna
As a film, Teen Batti Char Raasta was a pleasant surprise, dealing with the stigma of being dark with both sensitivity and feistiness. It boasted a heroine who was not just self-respecting but also very comfortable in her own skin and valued her own worth. What made her even more intriguing was that she was at ease standing up for herself. So, long before Jab We Met’s Geet exclaimed, “Main apni favourite hoon!”, this film’s Shyama sings this delightful ditty about how she’s crazy about her own grace.
Apni ada par main hoon fida
Koi chaahe ya na chaahe meri bala
That’s a great attitude to live by.  But I love the verses about how physical beauty isn’t (or shouldn’t be) the only criteria for choosing a life partner.
Chand pe mar kar haaye chakora
Aankhe apni phod raha
Roop ka diwana parvana
Aag se nata jod raha
Husn pe marnewale aakhir
Koi mara aur koi jala
 
Arre re re re main to gir gayi re

Post Box No: 999 (1958)
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Kalyanji Veerji Shah
Neend na mujhko aaye is probably the most popular song from this rather obscure film, but I love this delightful ditty that has Shakila playing pretend-drunk in the villain’s den. Of course, like all filmi heroes and heroines who get drunk (or pretend-drunk) on screen, she can perfectly articulate every word and sing in tune without dropping a note. Shakila plays Neelima, who’s in love with Vikas (Sunil Dutt) and is helping him investigate a murder that happened years ago so he can exonerate an innocent man. 
 
Aa teri tasveer bana loon

Nadaan (1950)
Singer: Talat Mahmod
Music: Chic Chocolate
Dev Anand and Madhubala did nine films together but though they looked good as a pair, they were never able to translate their pairing into a successful one. Here, Dev, playing a forlorn lover, is painting a portrait of his lover and singing:
Masti se jhoome teri ada
Kuchh apna pata na ho dil ka pata
Main tab tak hosh mein aa na sakoon
Jab tak na mile daaman se hawa
Antonio Xavier Vaz, a.k.a. Chic Chocolate debuted as a music director with this film. One of Bombay’s best-known jazz musicians, with his own band that played at the Taj Hotel in Bombay, Chic Chocolate moonlighted as a musician and arranger for Hindi movies. He was an integral part of C Ramchandra’s team. 
 
Gun gun bole bhanwarwa

Milan (1947)
Singer: Parul Ghosh
Music: Anil Biswas
Milan was only Dilip Kumar’s third film and his first with Bombay Talkies. But he was delightful here in his role as Ramesh, a man who discovers that being a good guy who wants to do the right thing is not an easy task. Hemnalini (Ranjana) is an equally good soul, educated, progressive and supportive of Ramesh even when Fate conspires to paint him in a bad light. Here, in one of the happier moments in the film, Hem is singing to herself as she goes about her day.
Madhuvan se laaye sandesha bahaar ka
Taar jaaye mere pyaar ka
Veena baja ke
Baawri bana ke
Hamaari bagiya mein aaike ho bhanwra
 
Suno suno re kahani

Hum Panchhi Ek Daal Ke (1957)
Singers: Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur, Shamshad Begum, Usha Mangeshkar
Music: Datta Naik
Another Santoshi directorial, this was a children’s film that won him a National Award for Best Children’s Film that year. It was a pretty decent film as such films go, and had its heart in the right place even if it got a little heavy on the messaging. This is a fun song in the film as Rajan (Romi) manages to evade his rich father’s (Murad) strict guardianship and take part in a school play.
 
Aaiye janaab baithiye janaab
Milan (1958)
Singer: Geeta Dutt
Music: Hansraj Behl
This is a ‘new’ old song for me, one that I only discovered while I was researching this post. It has become one of my favourite Geeta Dutt numbers already. Her voice is at once teasing, seductive and altogether delightful. Apart from learning that it is an Ajit-Nalini Jaywant- Helen-Daisy Irani starrer, the Internet is woefully short of details about this film. Even IMDB only lists the cast from which it has cavalierly dismissed Ajit.
I do love the song, however, and the lyrics that go:
Aise kya qasoor thhe
Jo aap door aaj thhe
Sochti hoon chup rahoon
Kahoon kahoon ya na kahoon
Aisa mauqa baar baar aayegaa kahaan

 I'm assuming that this song was picturised on either Helen or Nishi.
 
Aji bade bade mahlon se woh ghar bhale
Apni Chhaya (1950)
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Chitalkar
Music: Hanuman Prasad
Apni Chhaaya was written and directed by PL Santoshi. Not much is known about it other than that it was a ‘social’ film. This song, while having a pleasant melody, bases its lyrics on the ‘Rich Bad, Poor Good’ principle. As can be ascertained by the fact that the lyrics excoriate money as ‘daulat ki boo’ and claim that the rich may have money but suffer from ‘lakhin beemaariyaan’.  It ends with this verse:
O jee duniya se door kahin ambuwa tale
Chhoti hamaari madhhaiyya bane
Tum Radha bano
Hum Kanhaiyya banen
Jahaan preet ki paavan Jamuna bahe
Aur prem ki Mohan bansi baje
Ae jee bade bade mahlon se wo ghar bhale
Jin mein nanha sa preet ka deepak jale
 
Kaise jaaon main piya

Dulhan (1958)
Singer: Asha Bhosle
Music: Ravi
This must have been the only bright spot in a hideously regressive film – a very pretty, sparkling Nirupa Roy and a dashing Raj Kumar who are enjoying a bit of happiness. I usually steer clear of films that are named after female relations – Bhabhi, Beti, Dulhan, Badi Didi… but if you do want to know the story of this film, you can do no better than read Memsaab’s take on it. I cannot better it.

Aana meri jaan meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday

Shehnai (1947)
Singers: Chitalkar, Meena Kapoor
Music: C Ramchandra
Let me bookend this list with another C Ramchandra-PL Santoshi collaboration. I first heard this song as a parody – the National Egg Coordination Committee had an ad on television and its jingle was “Khana meri jaan meri jaan murgi ke ande”. Picturised on Dulari and Mumtaz Ali, the song had a village belle serenaded by an ‘English’ gentleman and Santoshi’s zany lyrics were complemented by CR’s fusion of western and Indian tunes.
I love you
Bhag yahaan se tu
Tujhe Paris ghumaoon,
Tujhe London ghumaoon
Tujhe brandy pilaaoon
Tujhe whisky pilaaoon
Aur khilaaoon murgi ke
Murgi ke ande
Aana meri jaan meri jaan
Sunday ke Sunday

There's a longer version of this song with Shamshad Begum joining in, as Rehana's voice. 

Shehnai was PL Santoshi’s debut directorial and earns it place in history for being one of only two films to be released on August 15 1947.  It also holds the distinction of being the first hit film of independent India. [ Source: Yahoo India] Shehnai was a light-hearted romantic comedy involving four sisters and their respective suitors, and filled with mistaken identities and squabbling siblings. But of course, the highlight of the film was the fabulous soundtrack.