THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT EVER PAID BY A MUSIC DIRECTOR

There is a reason why the bygone era of film music in Bombay – the period from the early fifties to the late seventies is regarded as the golden era - one that has been so rich in evergreen melodies and memorable tunes. This era has given us a vast ocean of songs that are hummed and sung even today – one can dive into the ocean endlessly and come up with a pearl, every time.

One wonders what was it about those times that has conferred immortality on those songs. Was it because they were based on Indian ragas? Or was it because music then was a genuine passion – not a mere vehicle to earn money or fame. Or could the reason be that musicians of those times leaned more on their talent rather than be supported by technology? The answer probably is all of the above.

Then, there is the other big factor – competition. Those were times when music directors like Anil Biswas,Vasant Desai, Chitagupt, Ravi, Jaidev and Roshan had already laid the foundations of Hindi film music. They were followed by stalwarts like Naushad, O P Nayyar, Madan Mohan, Shankar Jaikishan, Salil Chowdhary and S D Burman who had a mutual respect for each other and an appreciation for each other’s music. Each one was spurred to greater heights by the other’s compositions. When Naushad delivered classical gems for Baiju Bawra, Shankar Jaikishan would respond by creating the music of Basant Bahar. When Madan Mohan or O P Nayyar created sublime compositions for their film assignments, there would always be a Salil Chowdhary  or an S D Burman tune that would not allow them to become complacent.   

In those days, Hindi film music was blessed by the hand of God – and its music directors were like true devotees who had immersed themselves completely into its art.

The following story illustrates the depth of feelings that music directors from that era had for their peers. It was a song composed by Madan Mohan for the film Anpadh, a film starring Dharmendra and Mala Sinha that released in 1962. The album had immortal classics like “Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha” and “Jiya Le Gayo Ji Mora Sanwariya.” But it was the other ghazal sung by Lata Mangeshkar, that left Naushad speechless when he heard it.

He asked Madan Mohan to play the song for him again and he heard it this time with his eyes closed, as if he was trying to absorb every note, every word from this classic song steeped in sadness. When it was over, he nodded his approval to Madan Mohan and then said to him, “ Such a wonderful song, I wish I had composed it.”

And then followed it up by saying, “If I could claim the credit for this one song, I would willingly hand over the credit of my entire music over to you.” Saying this, Naushad turned and left the room, leaving a very embarrassed and beaming Madan Mohan behind to ruminate over this compliment. A compliment that was the greatest any music director could hope to receive.

The ghazal, deserving of such high praise from Naushad is "Hai Isi Mein Pyar Ki Aabroo" and you can see it via the link below.

HAI ISI MEIN PYAR KI AABROO