Serene Melodies forever
Roshan
Roshan has always appealed to me immensely - he would appeal to any music lover who loved melody in music. But it has been over the past year that I have discovered that Roshan was not "one of those talented composers" but a true genius in the calibre of Anilda and C.Ramchandra. Roshan's talent had never been in doubt but what was in doubt was his "luck" as one musical after another bombed at the box office. But Roshan was one of those survivors - he managed to hold on through the 50s and at the turn of the decade delivered a sensational hit in "Barsaat ki raat" and he was at last established amongst the stars of the musical world.
But lets start at the beginning. Roshan had his classical learnings from Ustad Alladin Khan on the sarod. He entered the Bombay music world in 1949. He started looking around for work, and hung around the acknowledged masters trying to imbibe their style. Anilda recalls, "Roshan was a well-known face in the music rooms. He would come in invited, or even uninvited, and listen to the rec ording. He was there during the recording of "Kahan tak hum uthaye gham" from "Arzoo" and as the song was being recorded, he broke down completely and sobbed, "Anilda, I would never ever be able to create a tune like that." I told him, "Mark my words, you would create many more such beautiful melodies which would be hummed by all." And he went on to do just that.". Indeed, Roshan went on to follow much on Anilda's footsteps in terms of sheer beauty and melody of his music. Success can never be a parameter to assess a composer. But by the end of his career, happily, Roshan had achieved sufficient success as to make his name eternally synonymous with beautiful, melodious music.
The Early Years
Roshan did not have to wait too long for a start - "Bawre nain" was an immediate hit. The Mukesh and Rajkumari melodies retain their charm to this day. Indeed, "Sun bairi balam sach bol re" is amongst Rajkumari's most well-remembered songs. Her other solos like do not lag too far behind. Roshan discovered the dard in Mukesh's voice early, and their partnership endured right till Roshan's demise in 1970. "Bawre nain" had the popular Mukesh solo "Teri duniya me dil lagta nahi" and his superb duet with Geeta Roy "Khayalon me kisi kei is tarah aaya nahi karte". The melodies establish the essence of Roshan's music - extremely simple presentation wrap over less simple compositions. The orchestra was a minimum - the focus was on the tune and the voice.
Mukesh then chose Roshan to compose for his own production "Malhar". The film failed - but Roshan's creations endure to this very day. Who can ever forget the spell cast by Lata and Mukesh in their duets "Ek baar agar tu kahde", "Kahan ho tum zara aawaz do" and that eternal favorite "Bade armanon se rakha hai balam teri kasam". Then the sweet Mukesh solos "Tara toote duniya dekhe" and "Dil tujhe diya tha rakhne ko". Add the Lata solos - what did the musical lack ? "Shisham" also boasted ogf some classic numbers like the Mukesh solos "Ek jhooti si tasalli woh mujhe deke chale" and "Satayega kise tu aasman wale jab hum nahi honge". The Lata-Mukesh duet from this film "Sapnon me aana ched ched jana" is also charming - and carried the Roshan-stamp.
Came 1952, and Roshan had one of his finest years of his early years. Till now, he had used Mukesh for most of his compositions. Now, he combined with Talat Mahmood to create some of his finest ever melodies. "Anhonee" is one those near desert-island soundtracks. Talat and Lata were both approching their absolute peaks - and Roshan used them superbly in two thrilling duets "Samake dil me hamare zara khayal rahe" and "Mere dil ki dhadkan kya bole". Then that never-never Talat mesmerizer "Main dil hoon ek arman bhara" and the Lata charmer "Is dil ki yeh haalat kya kahiye". Amazing melodies !! Wait, there are even better things to follow.
Pieces of brilliance - "Naubahar" and "Raagrang"
Roshan produced perhaps his best music for "Naubahar" - you would find it difficult to find a soundtrack as good as this. His combination with Lata was already reaching legendary proportions, and though Lata may not have been as "Sweet" with Roshan as with C.Ramchandra, there is no question that this was a special combo. And "Naubahar" was one of the zeniths that they achieved. Roshan's stress on simplicity and voice shone in such marvels as "Dekhoji mera jiya churaye liye jaye", "Aeri main to prem deewani", "Myane chakar rakho ji" and above all, that sensational piece "Woh paas nahi majboor hai dil" which continues to numb you with its haunting quality. Amidst these dazzling melodies, its perhaps not too difficult to ignore Talat's "Kisi soorat lagi dil ki" - but we cant. We simply cant. And its not because I am a Talat fan that I say this. A simply outstanding number. This musical, in a year of outstanding musicals, stands out for its sheer melody and high quality of compositiions. Roshan's simplicity of presentation and the oozing melody of compositions continued to flow - "Sanskar" boasted of some amazing Lata and Talat melodies, none more brilliant that Talat's serene "Mohobbat ke jhoote saharon ne loota". Lata had a charming melody in "Hanste yeh chote chote tare".
Roshan followed this up withj yet another sheer magic soundtrack in "Raagrang". While again the film performed poorl;y at the box-office, Roshan's magnificent melodies have stood the test of time. Start with Lata's Raag Yaman masterpiece "Aeri aali piya bin". The Talat solo "Aur hai dil ki lagi" is good, but Lata's "Yehi bahar hai duniya me dil lagane ki" is something else altogether. As brilliant a song as they come. Lata's voice is a sheer treat, and Roshan's style of melody is written all over the song - minimalistic orchestra and total melody, with the vocals as soft as possible. Let me not exhaust all the adjectives here - for, what follows now is that amazing Talat-Lata duet "Mat ched zindagi ke khamosh taar soja" - it is my all-time favorite Lata-Talat duet. And only Roshan could have composed such a piece so beautifully. The two singers convey a sense of harmony and melody which carries us off into realms of musical bliss. Thats about all that I have heard from this masterly soundtrack, but my learned sources tell me that the other songs are equally magical. I wait the day when I may be able to have thee rest of the songs in myu collection. But even then, it remains in my books as one of the best musicals of all time.
The Lean Years
Despite all the high-quality music that he produced consistently, the industry was not too kind to Roshan. His music was always well-appreciated but the films failed. Lesser music directors managed to register some hitsx and stay afloatd, but all Roshan's films failed. But the songs that continued to flow out of his baton remained mesmerizing pieces. Lata's "Sari sari raat teri yaad sataye", Mukesh's "Tere pyar ko is tarah se bhulana", Talat's "Ae mere humsafar".. all brilliant numbers. Roshan was steadfast in refusing to comprimise with his musical style and was convinced that his own simple mode of music would succeed. The singers of the time, Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey... they all had a very high opnion of Roshan's musical abilities. But the times were not very kind on Roshan. And he looked all set to join the annals of the Also-Rans of the decade, when finally at the turn of the decade he struck Gold.
The Rise and Rise..
"Barsaat ki Raat" was released in 1960. And the music achieved instant success - indeed, the qawwalis are perhaps the most popular of all-time. Roshan displayed his masterly and legendary Melody touch in using Mohammed Rafi at his most m elodious in such romantic evergreens as "Zindagi bhar nahi bhoolegi" and "Maine shayad tumhe pehle bhi kahin dekha hai". He redid his "Malhar" title song with Suman Kalyanpur and Kamal Barot in the delightful number "Garjat barsat sawan aayo re".
The one Lata solo in the film "Mujhe mil gaya bahana teri" hardly stands comparison with the usual high standards of the Roshan-Lata output. However, her duet with Rafi - "Zindagi bhar nahi bhoolegi" - is much better and carries much of the typical Roshan orchestral flourishes. However, its Roshan's treatment of the Manna Dey-Rafi-Sudha Malhothra-Asha qawwali "Na to karwan ki talash hai" which raises itself to "Yeh ishq ishq hai" that launched the talented composer's rating. There were other qawwalis in the film too - "Nigah-e-naaz pe maron ka haal kya hoga" and "Pehchanta hoon khoob tumhari". And all became huge hits. Roshan's career resurrection had started in a brilliant fashion.
His next major success was the Meena Kumari-Pradeep Kumar-Ashok Kumar starrer "Aarti". Rafi has rarely sounded as soft and serene as he does in the classic duet with Lata "Aapne yaad dilaya to mujhe yaad aaya" and the fabulous ghazal "Ab kya misaal doon main tumhare shabab ki". Indeed, Rafi's combination with Roshan brought out the hitherto untapped melody in Rafi's voice. Lata also had her share of hits in the film - the soft and sweet "Bane hue hain khak se amir kya garib kya". Then her refreshing "Kabhi to milegi kahin to milegi" which is most cherished due to Lata's humming at the start of the song. The other Rafi-Lata duet "Baar baar tohe kya samjhaye" also falls pleasingly on the ears.
1963 saw Roshan winning his first Filmfare Award for Best Music Direction (and a most well-deserved award I might add) for "Taj Mahal". This musical is now very much a part of those musicals which seem to be everybody's favorite. Rafi is again at his most melodious and combines with Lata tellingly in two of their greatest ever duets - "Jo wada kiya woh nibhana padega" and even better, "Paon choo lene do phoolon ko inayat hogi". Add to this the Rafi solo "Jo baat tujhme hai teri tasveer me nahi". And the two never-never Lata masterpieces "Jurme ulfat pe hume log saza dete hain" and "Khudaye bartar teri zameen par". Roshan continued on his qawwali run with "Chandi sa badan sone ki nami" and "Na na na re na na". All in all, a most well-deserved award.
The golden run continued. Indeed, Roshan hardly needed to do anything different. He had always been the master composer that he was now. Only, the times were different and certainly fate seemed to smile on him - and on us too. For arent we in turn blessed with such superlatives musicals that are the sole reason why the 1960s music did not completely go down the drain the way the 1970s did. Before I forget, let me add that the lyricist for all the three soundtracks mentioned in the 60s was Sahir Ludhianvi. Roshan struck a fine rapport with Sahir and the two turned in a few more huge hits as the decade wore on.
Other hits like "Soorat aur seerat" (with the Mukesh hit "Bahut diya dene wale ne tujhko"), "Dil hi to hai" (a Mukesh treasure trove - such fine solos as "Tum agar mujhko na chaho", "Dil jo bhi kahega", "Bhoole se mohobbat kar baitha" and "Gusse me jo nikhra", and that exquisite duet with Lata "Tumhari mast nazar" But Manna Dey took the cake with a superlative rendition of "Laga chunari me daag chupaun kaise") and "Devar" (an average musical - but Mukesh's "Aaya hai mujhe phir yaad woh zalim" and "Baharon ne mera chaman loot kar" became hits) followed. Which now brings us to the next Roshan masterpiece of the decade - "Chitralekha".
"Chitralekha" was a remake of the 1941 version of the film with the same name by the same director, Kedar Sharma. Remember, it was Kedar Sharma's film "Bawre Nain" which had given Roshan his first taste of success. It was the first time the two legends combined in Roshan's more successful second innings. The film was a disaster - the cast of Meena Kumari, Pradeep Kumar and Ashok Kumar were all well past their prime and looked perfectly awful. But then, Roshan's sterling music was so great that the film managed not to drown as it should have. To start off the proceedings we have a charming Usha Mangeshkar-Asha semi-classical duet "Kahe tarsaye jiyara". It sets the tone for the brilliant Lata solos which follow, "Aeri jane na doongi main to apne" and "Sansar se bhage phirte ho". What melody, what lyrics, what brilliant rendition !! Gorgeous.
Reeton par dharm ki mohgre hain
Har yug me badalte dharmon ko ,
Kaise adarsh banaoge..
Roshan registered many other hits during the remainder of his career. Indeed, it was mostly his music which saved the film from drowning without a trace. Films like "Babar", "Bheegi raat" and "Noorjehan" owed all their minor success to such cherished numbers as "Hum intezaar karenge", "Sharabi sharabi sawan ka mausan", "Dil jo na kah saka", "Salam-e-hasrat kabool karlo" and "Tum ek baar mohobbat ka intehaan to lo". "Mamta" was another huge hit of Roshan's career. He studded the soundtrack with one of the finest ever duets - the Lata-Hemant duet "Chupa lo yun dil me pyar mera". Then there is a host of Lata melodies - "Rahen na rahen hum", "Rahte the kabhi dil ke dil me" and "Vikal mora manwa". The Rafi-Asha duet "In baharaon me akele na phiro" is also pleasing.
Roshan had composed "Mile na phool to kya" and "Oh re taal mile nadi ke jal me" for the film "" when his heart problem recurred and this time proved fatal. He passed away in 1970 and left with memories of music the most melodious ever. His career had started in 1950 and had immediately identified himself as the most talented of the new lot of music composers. And time was to gift him with the success he so richly deserved. He belongs to the top-most category of melody composers as Anil Biswas and C.Ramchandra. A true genius !! But sadly, he has not been given his due by the film world. For a man who achieved such success maintaining such high quality, whose music for films like "Taj Mahal" is among the most popular of our films, he has remained largely unsung. A titan like Anil Biswas ranks Roshan as among the best ever composers. But thankfully, I managed to discover his magic. And what genius he had. Such pure melody composers whose music conveys serenity and peace come very rarely. To this master of serene melodies, I bow my head in reverence.
My 10 All-Time Favorite Salilda Songs
| 1. Woh paas nahi majboor hai dil (Lata) | 2. Mat ched zindagi ke khamosh taar (Talat & Lata) |
| 3. Batado koi kaun gali gaye shyam (Lata) | 4. Man re tu kahe na dheer dhare (Rafi) |
| 5. Ek jhooti si tasalli (Mukesh) | 6. Dekhoji mera jiya churaye (Lata) |
| 7. Zindagi bhar nahi bhoolegi (Rafi) | 8. Laga chunari me daag (Manna Dey) |
| 9. Main dil hoon ek arman bhara (Talat) | 10. Tere pyar ko is tarah se bhulana (Mukesh) |
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