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How Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Gulzar arrived in Hindi film music

The most significant appearance in 1963 was a young man, who at that time used to work as a mechanic.

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The music composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal are well-known to every Hindi film lover. They rank among the most successful composers in the industry. They were both prolific and recognised for their quality compositions. Initially, both Laxmikant and Pyarelal worked in orchestras before graduating to becoming arrangers. They then assisted Kalyanji-Anandji on a number of films after which they made their own foray as independent music composers.

Legend has it that a Bhojpuri filmmaker, K Pervez, had signed the duo for four films at one go in 1962. But as author and Hindi music buff Manek Premchand noted in his book, Yesterday’s Melodies: Today’s Memories, “This was going to be the their big break. But what break? The filmmaker himself went broke soon after the signatures had dried. It was Babubhai Mistry who then gave the duo their actual break in Parasmani, in 1963.”

Parasmani, a musical fantasy film, was directed by Babubhai Mistry, a legend for the pioneering work he did in the field of special effects in Hindi cinema. LP’s score for the film was a resounding success. Each of the songs, be it ‘Hansta Hua Noorani Chehra’ or ‘Roshan Tumhi Se Duniya’ or ‘Oimaa Oimaa Yeh Kya Ho Gaya’ contributed in a big way in turning this small-budget film into a smash hit. In the upcoming episode of The Golden Years: 1950-1975, Javed Akhtar gives us a very interesting backstory of a building on 10th road in Mumbai’s Juhu-Ville Parle scheme area. The building is named Parasmani. “Why is this building called Parasmani? The story behind this is that earlier there was a house here that belonged to Laxmikant of Laxmikant-Pyarelal fame. Now the family has renovated the house and made a building here, but it is still called Parasmani even today. But why did he call it Parasmani? He called it Parasmani because the film that made Laxmikant-Pyarelal was Parasmani,” said Akhtar.

If Laxmikant-Pyarelal was a successful collaboration between two musical talents, then another successful collaboration was forged between the lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi and composer Ravi Sharma in 1963. The two came together to work on a number of successful films in later years such as Waqt (1965), Kaajal (1967), Hamraaz (1967), Aankhen (1968), Do Kaliyaan (1968), Neel Kamal (1968) and Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969).

But in 1963, their creative output for Gumrah and Aaj Aur Kal was much feted. Both films had Sunil Dutt playing the hero and Ashok Kumar playing a key character role. Mala Sinha was the lead heroine in Gumrah while Nanda played Dutt’s character’s love interest in Aaj Aur Kal. Sahir’s interplay between nature and romance is seen in the songs of both films — ‘Inn Hawaaon Mein, Inn Fizaaon Mein’ (Gumrah) and ‘Yeh Waadiyan, Yeh Fizaayein Bula Rahi Hain Tumhein’. Ravi’s compositions—whether it was ‘Chalo Ek Baar Phir Se’ or ‘Aap Aaye Toh Khayaal-e-dil-e-nashaad Aaya’ for Gumrah or ‘Maut Kitni Bhi Sangdil Ho Magar’ or ‘Mujhe Galey Se Laga Lo’ for Aaj Aur Kal—touched the heart. There was also Sahir’s ‘Takht Na Hoga Taj Na Hoga, Kal Thaa Lekin Aaj Na Hoga’ in Aaj Aur Kal, which made explicit his dream for an egalitarian nation state.

The most significant appearance in 1963, however, was of a young man, who at that time used to work as a mechanic. His name was Gulzar. In her biography of the composer SD Burman, Sunn Mere Bandhu Re, the author Sathya Saran notes that Gulzar had first met the lyricist Shailendra when they were both members of the Bombay Youth Choir. It was on Shailendra’s persuasion that Gulzar got an audience with Bimal Roy. Shailendra had actually had a tiff with Burman which is why he recommended Gulzar’s name for Bandini (1963). After Gulzar was approved by Roy, he wrote his first song in Hindi cinema for the film, ‘Mora Gora Ang Laile, Mohe Shaam Rang Dai De’. The song, an eternal classic, was the first glimpse of the complex imagery and unconventional metaphors that Gulzar would use in his later work in Hindi film songs.

Speaking on the significance of the Bandini song in Gulzar’s film career, Akhtar says, “The matter is under dispute. Some people claim that he had already written a song earlier for another film, ‘Ganga Aaye Kahaan Se, Ganga Jaaye Kahaan Re’. This song was written by him and he has been credited for that. If this is the case, then this (‘Mora Gora Ang Laile’) is his second song. But even if it is his second song, what does it matter, the song is simply outstanding.” 


Catch the next episode of The Golden Years: 1950-1975 with Javed Akhtar this Sunday at 8 pm to know more about the many fineHindi film songs from 1963. 

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