Asha Sings for OP Nayyar

A colleague recently quipped that communication and content are a co-creative and collaborative process. Nowhere does this hold truer than in the making of a film – the symbiotic relationship between the various departments – script, screenplay, direction, acting, cinematography, music, dance, editing (amongst others) – play a role not only in what happens between ‘Action’ and ‘Cut’, but precede and succeed these. This holds true of music as well – music composer Khayyam generously said (when praised for his score in a film) that if it weren’t for the lyricists who added the magic of their words to give voice to his compositions; the musicians who brought those compositions to life, the arrangers who arranged the music, and the singers who voiced the whole, no one would know his music. His humility does him credit, but in stating this objective truth, the veteran composer also emphasised the foundation of any collaborative creation – the necessity of the collaborators to be on the same wavelength.

Classic Hindi cinema has seen many such collaborations – between lyricist and director (Sahir-SD Burman; Shailendra-Hasrat Jaipuri-Shankar Jaikishan; Anand Bakshi-RD Burman; Rajendra Krishan-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan-MadanMohan); between director and actor (Raj Kapoor-Nargis; Guru Dutt-Waheeda Rehman; V Shantaram-Jayashree); between director and cinematographer (Raj Kapoor-Raju Kamarkar; Guru Dutt-VK Murthy) and so on. Similar is the bond between actor and singer (Raj Kapoor-Mukesh; Shammi Kapoor-Mohammed Rafi; Dilip Kumar-Talat Mahmood/Mohammed Rafi; Dev Anand-Mohammed Rafi/Kishore Kumar) or music director and singer (Naushad-Rafi; CR Ramchandra/Madan Mohan-Lata; OP Nayyar-Asha, etc.)

I have already posted my favourite Lata Mangeshkar-Madan Mohan songs; here, on the 18th death anniversary of this maverick composer, I post some songs from an equally famous and successful collaboration – OP Nayyar and Asha Bhosle. I make no claim to them being ‘the best’ of the OP-Asha combo; in fact, I've eschewed the more popular songs of this duo such as Aaiye meharbaan, Chain se hum ko kabhi, Aao huzoor tumko, etc. Instead, I have focused on the 'lesser' songs from their very successful films and some songs from very obscure ones that deserve to be better known. As always, my selection is extremely subjective, and prone to my choices of the moment. 

Main shaayad tumhaare liye ajnabi hoon
Ye Raat Phir Na Aayegi
Lyricist: SH Bihari
My ‘favourite-st’ song from this film is Yahi woh jagah hai, which I absolutely love for the whiff of yearning and lost memories. But it has appeared in quite a few of my lists, so for a change, this melancholic ode to love, loss and betrayal is my choice of the moment.

When Suraj (Biswajeet) meets a beautiful woman, Kiran (Sharmila Tagore), who tells him she had been waiting for him for over 2000 years, he's intrigued. Much to the dismay of Rita (Mumtaz) and her father (Prithviraj Kapoor). But, head over heels in love with Kiran by now, Suraj invites her to a party at his place. Where Rita, jealous of this beautiful stranger, demands to know who she is, and where she's come from. In response comes this beautiful 'introduction' song, that only increases the mystery surrounding this stranger.
 
 Asha’s sensuous voice is not lifted in playfulness or seduction; it is filled with a hint of wistfulness, a soupçon of grief, a whiff of regret. OP’s signature ‘happy tunes’ make way for a softer, more subdued instrumentation that complements these emotions.
For an interesting anecdote regarding the recording of this song, please listen here.

Woh hanske mile humse
Bahaarein Phir Bhi Aayengi (1966)
Lyrics: SH Bihari
The most famous song from Bahaarein Phir Bhi Aayengi is surely Mohammed Rafi's lovely solo, Aap ke haseen rukh, followed by the title song of the film. But there were two equally lovely Asha solos in this film: the effervescent Koi keh de keh de, and this one, its equally sorrowful counterpart.

Amita (Mala Sinha), who has fallen in love with Jeetendra (Dharmendra) and thinks he reciprocates her feelings, is shocked when she discovers that Jeeten loves her sister, Sunita (Tanuja). But instead of excoriating him as a 'bewafa', she is mature enough to realise that loving someone doesn't mean that they must love her in return. 
 
Woh hanske mile humse is a song of regret, of self-deprecation, of a quiet sense of loss that's being handled with dignity. It is also shot beautifully, the chiaroscuro lighting reminiscent of Guru Dutt's use of light and shade, leaving one to speculate whether this song was shot by him before his demise. 

Aankhon se jo utri hai dil mein
Phir Wohi Dil Laaya Hoon (1963)
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
While Rafi had the bulk of the solos (and two duets with Asha) in this film, this lovely Asha solo is equally melodious. Mona (Asha Parekh) has fallen in love with Mohan (Joy Mukherjee) but circumstances have driven a wedge between them. Now, on a journey to Agra with her friends and Deefu (Rajendranath), and Mohan, unbeknownst to them in tow, they break their journey to have lunch.

At which point, Mona unwittingly eats some local berries that have intoxicant properties. This results in her first reciting poetry, and then breaking into a soulful song about the man she loves. 

OP used this tune first in Mitti Mein Sona (1960), in Poocho na humein hum unke kiye arranged by Sebastian. This song has a lovely piano accompaniment that, contrary to the mood of the song, is almost joyous. 

Ye kya kar daala tu ne
Howrah Bridge (1958)
Lyrics: Qamar Jalalabadi
The most popular song from this film is surely Aaiye meherbaan, possibly the best-known Asha-OPN collaboration ever. However, this film also boasted of this flirtatious Asha solo, complemented by OP's characteristic hoof-beats. Though the song begins in a horse-drawn carriage, the hoof-beats continue even when the song moves to a boat. 

When Prem (Ashok Kumar) is informed that Edna (Madhubala) and her uncle Joe (Dhumal) may know something about the whereabouts of his brother, Madan, and their family's lost heirloom, he introduces himself to her as 'Ramesh'. Soon, she's head over heels in love with him, and this song, romantic and flirtatious, is her avowal of eternal love.

I love the whistling, both when the song begins and when interspersed with the verses. 

Beqasi hadd se jab guzar jaaye
Kalpana (1960)
Lyrics: Jan Nisar Akhtar  
When Kalpana (Padmini) leaves Amar (Ashok Kumar)  without a word of explanation, he's bereft. When he meets her again and they rekindle their love, it seems like a happy ending. Only, Kalpana has a secret - one which stops her from accepting Amar's love. Angered by this second betrayal, Amar offers her money to perform a mujra; after all, that's what drives her. Kalpana agrees, not correcting his misunderstanding, but is unable to hide her emotions.

The most well-known song from Kalpana is the male duet, Tu hi meri prem devta, sung by Manna Dey and Mohammed Rafi and picturised on Padmini and Ragini. But this Asha solo is just as good a melody, and like Tu hi meri prem devta, a very uncharacteristic OP composition. Asha's voice is filled with the pain and helplessness evoked by Akhtar's lyrics; Padmini's face expresses those emotions on screen. 
 
The other Asha solo Phir bhi hai dil beqaraar is also a wonderfully frothy melody expressing the state of mind of a young woman yearning to be loved. 
These were all songs from well-known films. But there are some hidden gems that are mired in obscurity because the films they were in were not successful. Mostly, deservedly so; we all have tales of following 'good songs' into bad films. These are some lovely songs that deserve to be better known.

Bhool jaa ae dil  
Hum Sab Chor Hain (1956)
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
My review of Hum Sab Chor Hain was filled with 'What the...?' 'Why the...?' 'How the...?' 
but then, the print I'd watched was so chopped up that there were many scenes and songs missing, including this beautiful melody. I'm reliably informed that this song is definitely a part of the film, and that it is picturised on Nalini Jaywant. 
 
Like Main shaayad tumhaare liye ajnabi hoon, this song also has OP at his subdued best. He eschews his favourite sarangi for violins and guitars in the interludes. In this softly melodious song, Asha holds the notes with deliberation, wringing the emotion from each note with a subtlety that adds to its beauty.
 
Deewana dil gaaye
Baap re Baap (1955)
Lyrics: Jan Nisar Akhtar 
(Kahe dil ye deewana) 
When Ashok (Kishore Kumar), returns from a sojourn abroad, his parents are keen that he marries. While they have the pretty (and wealthy) Roopa (Smriti Biswas) in mind, Ashok falls in love with a poor flower seller, named Kokila (Chand Usmani). Unfortunately for him, his father arranges his marriage to Roopa, who's well on her way to falling in love with him. (Which, as avid Hindi film viewers will realise, is not a match made in heaven. Roopa is 'modern', wears trousers and dresses and lipstick!) 

Baap re Baap had several Asha solos, but this one, pictured on Smriti Biswas won hands down over the two that were picturised on the heroine, Chand Usmani. (I think, though, that Smriti was the parallel lead - she had a couple of lovely songs picturised on her, including - Main bhi jawan dil bhi jawan.) Besides, she was lovely and sprightly unlike Chand, who seemed to be regulation heroine, morose and weepy.

 Zara humse nigaahein mila
Miss Coca Cola (1955)
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri 
When Ganga's (Geeta Bali) father is falsely accused of murder and arrested for the same, she's forced to take up menial jobs to support her family. One day, her younger brother has an accident - he is hit by a car. Kamal (Shammi Kapoor), who was driving, is driven by guilt to try alleviate the family's troubles. He offers Ganga a job as a dancer at his Cafe Glass. Soon, he and Ganga fall in love, and he helps her clear her father's name.
 
The lead protagonist being a club dancer meant that OP Nayyar had a field day with the songs - eight tracks that, according to film lore, he completed in a day. The female honours are equally distributed between Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle, and this song, is a delightful ditty. 

Miss Coca Cola is one of only two films in which Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali acted together. Unfortunately, the prints of this film are not available.
 
Aaj maine jaana
Farishta (1958)
Lyrics: Jan Nisar Akhtar
Talking of 'flowers born to blush unseen', is this gem that I only recently discovered, thanks to my husband (who was given the chore of finding Asha songs for OP for me). It is such a delightful song, filled with joy, and such a light melody.  On screen is the lovely Meena Kumari, who's a joy to watch at any point, but no more so than when she's happy!

Since I haven't watched the film yet, I can give no notes as to the context. But Farishta also had another delightful Asha solo in Balam bada jhoothha, again picturised on the lovely Meena and a dashing Ashok Kumar while the song itself is lip-synced on screen by two actors, whom I do not recognize. 
 
Despite the stellar star cast that included Sohrab Modi in the titular role, Farishta is a film that is not very well-known. By all accounts, this was a decent suspense thriller written by Abrar Alvi and directed by Ravindra Dave.

Aaja re aaja na sata re piya
Chhoo Mantar (1956)
Lyrics: Jan Nisar Akhtar
When Baiju (Johnny Walker) is thrown out of his village due to his antics, his wanderings take him to Daulatpur where he falls heads over heels in love with Princess Ratnavali,(Anita Guha). His first sight of her is when she's singing and dancing in the palace courtyard with her attendants - of course, he takes her words literally.

Chhoo Mantar has a handful of lovely melodies crafted by OP, including the better-known Ghareeb jaan ke na tum humein mita dena. Despite it being yet another obscure film, albeit starring Johnny Walker as the lead, Chhoo Mantar deserves to be better known than it is; the film doesn't take itself seriously and the fun, frothy fare is well worth a couple of hours.
  
Chhota sa baalma
Ragini (1958)
Lyrics: Qamar Jalalabadi 
The story of a woman (Sitara, essayed by Padmini) who puts her art above all else and descends into insanity as a result of her obsession with another artist deserved a better director/story. The film was a subtle commentary on the relationship between a 'dancing girl' and a 'man from a good family'. Produced by Ashok Kumar and directed by Rakhan (a relative), the film starred Ashok, along with Padmini, Kishore Kumar and Jabeen Jaleel. The film sank without a trace, despite the heavyweight cast. 

But there were two songs in this that really deserve a mention - the delightful  Hoon main raat guzari and this one, Chhota sa balma, both picturised on Padmini. This song gives the lie to the oft-repeated allegation that OP didn't know anything about classical music.

Yaar baadshah yaar dilruba
CID 909 (1967)
Lyrics: Shevan Rizvi
Sophia (Helen) is, well, the villain's moll. She's sent to lure Reshma (Mumtaz) to the villain's den, so she can help decode her father's top-secret formula. And so, Sophia invites Reshma to attend her programme. Which, as you might guess, is an excuse for a Helen song. Asha Bhosle does a beautiful job in this club number.

By this time, OP Nayyar was not as successful as he used to be. Still, the mid-sixties had him compose several great scores for films like Mere Sanam (1965), Baharein Phir Bhi Aayengi and Ye Raat Phir Na Aayegi (both in 1966). Despite the odd successful film, most of the films he composed for, however, were relatively average grossers or downright flops. CID 909 was one such obscure film that starred Feroz Khan and Mumtaz. 

One couldn't fault OP's compositions, however, as is evident in this list I've just posted. Picking these 12 songs, especially the seven songs from lesser-known films led me to some excellent songs that he composed for films, several of which I hadn't heard of before. I'm sure there are more such. What songs of OP Nayyar's, sung by Asha Bhosle, would you add to this list?