‘K Asifsaab was very definite that ‘woh Hindustan ka honewala Badshah hai — woh gana nahin gayega.’
Dinesh Raheja recalls a memorable encounter with Naushad on the legendary composer’s 19th death anniversary on May 5.
IMAGE: Madhubala and Dilip Kumar in Mughal-e-Azam.
When I visited Naushad at his green-fringed Bandra bungalow in northwest Mumbai, circa 2000, he was around 80 years old. But the life force coursed strongly through the maestro’s veins.
The composer of landmark classics like Mughal-e-Azam, Mere Mehboob, Mother India and Baiju Bawra was sitting with his harmonium, trying out tunes and singing to himself.
“I recorded some 15, 20 songs for Mughal-e-Azam and not all of them were used in the film. K Asifsaab said, ‘Bhai, jo tumhara dil chahe karo.’ Today, there are no such producers. The one who arranges the money feels he knows about music too,” Naushad said.
At 80, what drives you to sit in your music room and compose tunes on your harmonium?
A kalakaar lives as long as he is engrossed in creation. That’s my message for everybody: Talaash mein raho.
The day your search ends, that’s the end of your life.
If you ask me to name my favourite film scores or my favourite songs, I will say that it has yet to come.
IMAGE: Madhubala and Dilip Kumar in Mughal-e-Azam.
Your body of work is renowned. But why were you so selective?
I have composed music for only 66 films in 60 years. Of these, 26 were silver jubilees, six were golden jubilees and four were diamond jubilees.
Today, composers work on 10, 20 films at a time.
I used to devote 15, 20 days for each song — sochna, banana, mitaana, phir banana, phir mitaana. Till I was satisfied.
I recorded some 15, 20 songs for Mughal-e-Azam and not all of them were used in the film. K Asifsaab said, ‘Bhai, jo tumhara dil chahe karo.’
Today, there are no such producers. The one who arranges the money feels he knows about music too.
Were any of the unused Mughal-e-Azam songs to be sung by Dilip Kumar’s character?
No. K Asifsaab was very definite that ‘woh Hindustan ka honewala Badshah hai — woh gana nahin gayega.’
I remember while creating the song Jab Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya, lyricist Shakeelsaab (Shakeel Badayuni) and I were locked in discussion in this very bungalow’s terrace from six in the evening till the next morning — without food.
K Asifsaab‘s challenge was clear: Anarkali has to sing something which will make Badshah Akbar look like the Badshah from a deck of playing cards.
IMAGE: Meena Kumari and Bharat Bhushan in Baiju Bawra.
Did you compose additional songs only for the famously lavish Mughal-e-Azam or for other films too?
Even for Baiju Bawra, I recorded so many songs.
When Baijnath (Bharat Bhushan) is leaving Akbar’s darbar, the latter offers to make him the court singer but he refuses because Gauri (Meena Kumari) is waiting for him back in the village.
That’s when Akbar asks Tansen to stop Baijnath with a song.
It was a very difficult piece of music and I had it sung by Amir Khansaab. But the film had to be trimmed and it was deleted.
Have you kept a recording of that song?
No. At that time, it was directly on film. There was no recording, no tape.
IMAGE: Swaran Lata and Karan Dewan in Rattan. Photograph: Kind courtesy Film History Pics/X
That’s such a loss. Your association with Prakash Studios goes back from the Station Master (1942) days till Baiju Bawra.
Jee. Vijay Bhattsaab and I sat together for six months discussing the story of Baiju Bawra, the situations for the songs so that they appeared integral to the story.
Some characters like the dacoit ladki (played by Kuldeep Kaur) were created.
We worked hard not because we wanted to make enormous amounts of money but because of our desire to create something worthwhile.
Let’s rewind even further. I believe the 1944 blockbuster Rattan was the first turning point in your career.
Yes, Rattan‘s music was very popular.
But I had already scored for jubilees like Kardar Productions’ Sharda and Prakash Studios’ Station Master.
IMAGE: K L Saigal in the song Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya from Shahjehan.
Tell us about K L Saigal singing your immortal Shahjehan (1946) composition, Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya.
I did just one film with Saigalsaab and he died soon thereafter. Aur doosra Saigal paida nahin hua.
I had seen his performance in Devdas (1935) when I was growing up in Lucknow.
Saigalsaab had an individualistic style of singing. Lage ke hum kahin baithe ga rahe hai, yeh nahin ke cheekh rahe hai. Low octave mein.
At the same time, he had a very extensive range and could go high as well. Woh itne popular huey, ke Saigal amar ho gaye.
When Saigal met me, he was very ill and there was a doctor constantly attending to him.
One day, at rehearsals, he told me that an industrialist had offered him Rs 25,000 to sing for an hour at a function.
I said, ‘Kundanlalji, mubarak ho.’
Those days hero-heroines were not paid Rs 25,000 for a whole film.
Just then, one lightman came and invited him to his daughter’s wedding.
That evening, Saigal didn’t go and collect Rs 25,000 but went instead to the wedding function of that poor man and sang Babul Mora Nahiyar Chhuto Hi Jaaye. Yeh Saigal ki insaniyat thi.
IMAGE: Noor Jehan in Anmol Ghadi.
Another 1940s singer you created memorable songs with was Noor Jehan in Anmol Ghadi (1946).
She had magic in her voice.
Whenever she used to do stage shows, she would begin with my Anmol Ghadi composition, Awaaz De Kahan Hai.
Wasn’t Anmol Ghadi‘s other singer-actress, Suraiya, introduced by you?
Suraiya ko hum laaye. She did a small girl’s role in Station Master and then lent her voice to a children’ s song about bootpolishwaale.
She was so young, she had to stand on a stool and sing.
I also got Latabai‘s brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar to sing his first songs in Deewana (1952) and for the young Baiju in Baiju Bawra. He too had to stand on a stool and sing.
IMAGE: Naushad and Mohammed Rafi at a music session. Photograph: Kind courtesy Film History Pics/X
Mohammed Rafi was a long-time favourite of yours.
Mohammed Rafi sang his first film song with me, in a chorus. He was paid Rs 10 for that. The film was Pehle Aap (1944).
Bahut sharmile the.
Bahut shareef aadmi the.
I said your voice is good but right now, I can offer you only a chorus song.
The song Hindustan Ke Hum Hai Hindustan Hamara was a military song and we needed the sound of the marching.
Those days, there was no re-recording or mixing. So we bought old shoes from Chor Bazaar and made all the singers, including Rafi, wear them.
And then we did the rehearsals, pairon mein chale pad gaye the unke.
Later, I gave him a solo song in Anmol Ghadi, Tera Khilona Toota. For that, he got paid Rs 15. Thereafter, we continued.
Rafi can never be forgotten.
You made Rafi sing for Raj Kapoor and Mukesh sing for Dilip Kumar in Andaaz (1949).
Yes. But that time, the insistence on a certain playback had not started. It started later; take only Mukesh or Rafi or Lata.
When that happened, new singers stopped getting breaks.
IMAGE: Dilip Kumar and Nargis in Babul.
Talat Mehmood sang some wonderful songs for you in Babul (1950). Why didn’t you utilise his voice subsequently?
That’s because stars started insisting on certain singers.
I had even recorded Talat’s voice in a couple of films in the 1960s but thereafter, the hero and the producer insisted we use Rafi’s voice.
I was majboor and Talatsaab was a little cross with me. But I explained that I wasn’t the producer of the film.
I was the producer of Babul, so I could insist on using his voice.
You witnessed Lata Mangeshkar’s ascent. Did her creative zeal continue even after she became immensely famous?
You know, during the recording of the Amar (1954) song, Na Milta Gham, Lata couldn’t get one antara exactly right and she insisted on trying again and again for 17 takes till she finally fainted in exhaustion.
When she regained consciousness, the first thing she wanted was to sing again. And she did, till she got it right.
