One Song at a time: 45. Aap Ke Haseen Rukh Pe
(O.P.Nayyar)
Trend-setters in any field disrupt the prevailing order, bring in new ideas and keep the field vibrant. Hindi film music has had many trend-setters starting from C.Ramachandra. One such well known trend-setter was O.P.Nayyar.
Nayyar brought in lilting rhythm into Hindi film music. He clashed with the established order of those days, also known as Lata Mangeshkar. He never did a single song with Lata and yet succeeded. He was responsible for the growth of Asha as an artist. A very outspoken person, he gave many hits which are now part of Hindi film music's folk lore.
To a certain extent, Rahman reminds me of O.P.Nayyar. Not from the personal characteristic front, in which he is the opposite of Nayyar, but from a musical sense. The initial Rahman rode of foot tapping rhythm, the judicious choice of ragas for his melodies, new recording techniques and new voices, providing a new attractive sound. He took on the established order and paved a new path. Both Nayyar and Rahman were instantly catchy and at the same time you could see how their music fell within a constrained circle. Rahman, after he moved to Hindi film field, started trying new things. Nayyar for most part retained the same identity of his, leading many a times to repetitions.
Today we will see a simple but charming melody sung by Mohd. Rafi. (On a different note, this will make my friend Sanjay happy). From the movie 'Baharen Phir Bhi Aayenge'. Thought the drums don't assert themselves, you can clearly make out that the song is driven by the rhythm, the inherent rhythm of the tuning accentuated by the piano. (Though when you see Dharmendar in the clip, you are not sure if he is just cleaning the piano or he is actually playing it !!)
The other wonderful aspect of this song are the lyrics. You can just read out the lyrics without any music and it still would sound wonderful. Lyrics are by Sheven Rizvi and Aziz Kashmiri. I am not going to lament about lack of good lyrics in today's Hindi songs for the simple reason that nowadays Hindi songs have only English lyrics. "Give me some sunshine, give me some rain. But don't give me Hindi words, they are a big pain" types.
Today came the news that the very popular hero of yesteryears, Shammi Kapoor, has passed away. One of his very big hits was 'Kashmir Ki Kali'. The songs were a rage then and have stood the test of time. The music was by O.P.Nayyar. As our tribute to Shammi Kapoor, let us play this lovely song from 'Kashmir Ki Kali'. Sung by Rafi and Asha. Lyrics by S.H.Bihari.
Comments
shammi + rafi = 2 shammi or 2 Rafi
shammi-rafi = 0
Add or subtract, it 'sounds' the same.
The Hero of yester years' youth was so dynamic and independent that even at a very old age, he used to ride his car to Lonavala for relaxation!
'ehsaan tera hogaa mujhpar', please pay an additional tribute to Shammi.
As you said, Shammi with Rafi was a terrific combination. I will soon put up a detailed homage to Shammi Kapoor.
'Homage to Shammi Kapoor' - is a great idea..
I am sad we lost him.
RSP, Shammi Kapoor~
It takes lots of guts and confidence to live like a king, without ever using the voice of Lata Mangeshkar.Takes lot of talent and arrogance.OP had both and he pulled it off with such elan! He composed some phenomenal melodies. Even though lilting music was his forte, he did not sacrifice classical music. He used it very effectively to make his music more appealing.
Your comparision of OP with ARR is quite interesting. I never looked at such comparison before but I do agree with you.
Aap Ka Haseen Rukh has beautiful lyrics and an intoxicating rendition by Rafi.
And the less I talk about Deewaana Hua Baadal, the better. It is one of those songs, listening to which I feel - "ah, this song doesnt have to end..let the song continue...".. such is the sweetness in its tune.
Also, I think that if there is ONE composer who broke the paradigm of "saarangi is for sadness" - it is OP. He used it effectively for joyful songs too. It is one recurring instrument in most of his songs.
But I admire his sincerity and arrogance. Despite not using Lata's vocals, he did have a cordial relationship with the Mangeshkar family and he admired Lata as a singer. He was a huge fan of Lata-Madan Mohan combination.
I know you have read Raju Bharathan's book so would know how close the relationship between Asha and O P Nayyar was. So if Asha is not mentioning Nayyar it is probably because of things we do know about :) Ofcourse, beyond any doubt, he was the one who reposed faith in her and enabled her to come out of Lata's shadow.
And yes, O P Nayyar did exploit the classical base well though he would have used only a limited set of ragas. I was initially thinking of putting up 'main pyar ka raahi hoon' to showcase O P Nayyar's composing ability but settled for 'Aap Ke Hassen Rukh' for the sake of poetry.
And what you say about the way Nayyar used the Sarangi is very true as well. Though instruments themselves get branded, a good music director can go beyond that branding.