LYRICS

Anand sat at his desk thinking, ”What should I pen as lyrics?”

How do you write romance for a character that does not speak the language?

There was no logic!!

It was a challenge. The situation brief for the movie was tricky. He shook his head.

”How do you throw in lyrics?

How do you make a song?

How do you make the hero sing the song?”

He was at crossroads. The best thing to do was give up the project.

If he expressed his inability to write at this early stage of production he was sure he would not be letting down the director. There would be someone from Bollywood or the southern region who would fill in his shoes.

He would break this news to the renown director personally. He called his driver, ”Ramsingh, gaadi nikahaliye. Balachanderji ka ghar jana hai.”

                     ———///———

Anand was born into a middle-class family in 1930 in Rawalpindi which is now in Pakistan. His ancestors were brahmins who had their origins in Kashmir.

He had lost his mother when he was just five years old.

When he was 17 years old partition happened and in the aftermath, he migrated to Delhi with his family travelling in a Dakota aircraft. It was not an easy transition and they kept shifting - travelling to Poona, Meerut and then finally settling back in Delhi. 

In these years writing poetry was his hobby. Life was difficult and he had to earn a living. He joined the Indian Navy.

Time to devote to his writings was now a luxury and his writings got scarce. 

Whenever he got an opportunity to harness his poetic thoughts he wrote and used these lyrics in programmes organised for his troops. He got a fan following here and he used this as a leaping board.

He tried marketing his songs and lyrics to the Bombay Film Industry.

He also liked singing and tried to push his luck here, as a singer as well. 

After around nine years post-migration he got a break to write lyrics for four songs of a movie. He even managed to sing and record in his voice in one of these songs. 

His career as a lyricist had just taken off here and he bagged quite a few movies.

Success touched him three years later as songs in one of his movie became popular and because of this, he got offers to write for many more movies. He was now on a roll.

A decade passed and he had now cemented his place with six hit films and a tag and status that he was a high calibre lyricist. 

Rajesh Khanna was his fan and insisted that Anand write his songs. (It was a coincidence that Rajesh Khanna’s character in his hit movie was also Anand)

The film industry was booming and movies were being churned out ’dozen a week.’ Every Friday movie makers vied with each other to release their production.

Everyone thought he had a super hit 

All around stars were being made with some movies becoming hits.

There was a downside to this.

There were huge flops as well. 

In his career in the Bombay film industry, he now saw movies mushroom all around him. Though he was not a part of all these projects the titles caught his attention.

He was intrigued.

Hindi films themes were vast and varied and so were their titles.

Great emphasis was laid on the movie title as that would be the bait to attract the fish in the vast ocean of movie goers.

 

Many of these titles were related to beauty, activity and emotions in the movie --- Chalti ka naam gaadi, Khoobsurat, Pyaar kiye ja, Jhutha kahin ka, Dil hi to hai, Ziddi, Ishq ishq ishq, Aashiq hoon baharon ka, Jab pyaar kisi se hota hai, Jawani diwaani, Tere mere sapne, Pyaar ka mausam, Shor, Milan, Jab yaad kisi ki aati hai, Badhati ka naam daadi.

Some were boys names and stated them out loud --Ram aur shyam, Johnny mera naam, Munna;

while some were girl’s and were coy about it-- Ladki, Mili, Tinku, Guddi.

Some were activity, some were professions --Khel khel mein, Geet gata chal, Shaadi ke Baad, Chalte chalte, Dil diya dard liya, Chori mera kaam.

There were promises made in some titles -- Hamaare tumhaare, Mere jeevan saathi;

and there were accusations --Naughty boy,  Bluff master, Awaara, Chaar sau bees, Bandal bass, Besharam.

Some were vague locations, items and place descriptions  -- Tere ghar ke samne, Jhula, Chandan, Kangan, Ye raaste hain pyaar ke, Aamne saamne.

Mythology also had a share in the movie names -- Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Satyam Shivam Sundaram;

While some were musically inclined --Sargam,  Jhanak jhanak paayal baaje, Geet gaya pattharon ne.

Some explained status and relationships -- Aashiq,  Dil tera diwaana, Anjaana, Anaadi, Mere Humsafar, Chaliya, Pagla kahin ka, Begaana, Humsafar, Diwaana mastaana, Loafer, Sanam, Padosan, Janeman, Bandan.

The last category was the one that irritated him the most. They were irrelevant and did not make sense but they were still there --Shin Shinaki Boobla Boo, Chham Chhama Chham.

               ———///———

As he was getting ready to leave an idea started forming in his head. He would pen some lines in a style never tried out in Bollywood before. He would write lyrics for this song like he had never written before.

He was sure he would get brickbats as it was sacrilege in the name of lyrics. 

After all he was THE ANAND BAKSHI who had written memorable lyrics in many movies including Bobby, Amar Prem, Aradhana, Jeena ki Raah, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Aaye Din Bahar ke, Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke, Seeta Aur Geeta and Sholay.

But what the hell  --- no harm trying.

He would experiment. 

Firstly he had to ask Ramsingh to delay taking out the car.

Doing that he then got back to his desk and pulled out a writing pad. 

Unscrewing the cap of his favourite fountain pen he started writing the lyrics for --- Ek Dujhe ke liye :

Mere jeevan saathi
Pyaar kiye ja waah waah
Haan haan mere jeevan saathi
Pyaar kiye ja javaani deewani
O o

Khoobsurat ziddi padosan
Satyam shivam sundaram
Satyam shivam sundaram
Satyam shivam sundaram

Ha ha ha
Jhutha kahin ka
Jhutha kahin ka haan
Hare raama hare krishhna
Dhat chaar sau bees aawara
Dil hi to hai hai

Aashiq hun bahaaron kaa
Tere mere sapane
Tere ghar ke samane
Aamane saamane
Shaadi ke baad
Shaadi ke baad o baap re

Haan haan haan haan
Hamaare tumhaare kya

Munna guddi tinku mili
Shin shinaaki bubala bu
Khel khel mein shor
Bhul gaye

Jhony mera naam achchha
Chori mera kaam
Jhony meraa naam
O chori mera kaam o

Raam aur shyaam
Dhat bandal baaz
Ladaki milan
Geet gaata chal

Besharam
Aaha haa pyaar ka
Mausam besharam
Satyam shivam sundaram
Satyam shivam sundaram
Satyam shivam sundaram
Mere jeevan saathi
Pyaar kiye ja jaa jaa
Javaani deewani
Khoobsurat ziddi padosan
Satyam shivam sundaram

Ishq ishq ishq naughty boy
Haa haa ishq ishq ishq
Bluff master
Ye raaste hain pyaar ke
Chalate chalate
Mere hamasafar aah
Hamasafar
Dil tera deevana
Deevana mastaana
Chhaliyaa anjaana
Pagalaa kahin kaa

Chhaliyaa anjaana
Aashiq begaana lofar anaadi
Badhati ka naam daadhi
Chalati kaa naam gaadi
Badhati ka naam daadhi
Chalati kaa naam gaadi
Jab pyaar kisi se
Hota hai ye sanam

O ho
Jab yaad kisi ki aati
Hai janeman sach
Bandan kangan
Chandan jhula
Chandan kangan
Bandan jhula
Bandan jhula kangan jhula
Chandan jhula jhula
Jhula jhula jhula
Dil diya dard liya
Jhanak jhanak paayal baaje
Chham chhama chham
Geet gaaya pattharon ne saragam
Satyam shivam sundaram
Satam shivam sundaram
Satyam shivam sundaram
Mere jeevan saathi
Pyaar kiye ja

Chal chal javaani deewani
Khoobsurat ziddi padosan
Satyam shivam sundaram
Satyam shivam sundaram
Sing with me come on
Laa laa laa laa laa laa
Come on good
Laa laa laa laa laa laa.

Link to the song made memorable by SP Balasubramanium and Anuradha Paudwal.

Enjoy the lyrics, the music and the visuals.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Z0sXqaUVw

Credit for image and few details : Internet.

Please note that the dramatisation of the song is  just a figment of my imagination.