Raaga Based Song of the Day: Kaisa jaadu balam tune daara….
Raag Pilu, Tal Dadra
Remembering OP Nayyar on his Death Anniversary on 28th January and Happy Birthday to Living Legend Waheeda Rehman on 3rd February.
The purists amongst you will tell me that this song has a lot of mixing other than Raag Pilu. However, I would like to point out that the job of a composer in movies is not to stick to the purity of any music form but to give us popular tunes. I have loved this song and I love it even now.
We completed hundred days of Raaga Based Songs of the Day on the Diwali Day last year, that is, 7th of Nov 18. Our first post in the series was on the 27th of May 2017 was titled ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #1’ and the song was a Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar song from the 1970 Shakti Samanta movie Pagla Kahin Ka: Tum mujhe youn bhula na paoge. It is in Raag Jhinjhoti, Tal Kaherava.
Our hundredth post or the last post here was titled ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #100‘ and the song was a Zohrabai Ambalewali song from the 1944 M Sadiq movie Rattan starring Swaran Lata and Karan Dewan: Aayi Diwali, aayi diwali. It is in Raag Bhairavi, Tal Dadra.
Lets start with Omkar Prasad Nayyar first.
OP Nayyar was born on 16 Jan 1926 in Lahore (now in Pakistan). At the age of 23, OP Nayyar composed the background score for the movie Kaneez. Three years later, in 1952, he was a full fledged music director for the movie Aasman. OP Nayyar perfected songs whose beats (often horse-trot beat such as in 1957 movie Naya Daur‘s song Maang ke saath tumhaara) became so popular that people were often heard humming these everywhere. He also delved into raaga based songs although, in all humility, he claimed that he had no knowledge of classical music. Raag Peelu or Pilu, followed by Pahadi, were his favourite raagas in songs.
He didn’t like Lata Mangeshkar sing any of his songs as he didn’t find her voice sexy. Most of his female songs have been sung by Shamshad Begum, Asha Bhosle and Geeta Dutt. He depended heavily on Asha Bhosle and in a television interview he said, “She was almost like a wife to me.” OP Nayyar and Asha Bhosle parted in 1974. Soon after that, in 1974, she received Filmfare Best Female Playback Singer Award for his song: Chain se hamako kabhi aap ne jeene na diya that was intended to be used for the 1973 movie Praan Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye but didn’t find a place in the final cut.
OP Nayyar paired with major lyricists Majrooh Sultanpuri and Sahir Ludhianvi. With the latter he received the Filmfare Award for 1957 movie Naya Daur. However, he also worked with lesser lyricists like SH Bihari for 1962 movie Ek Mussafir Ek Haseena, 1964 movie Kashmir Ki Kali, and as many as three movies in 1966: Sawan Ki Ghata, Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi, and Mohabbat Zindagi Hai, 1974 movie Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye, and 1978 movie Khoon Ka Badla Khoon.
Here in this song he is with Majrooh Sultanpuri. OP Nayyar composed songs written by Majrooh Sultanpuri from his third movie Baaz (1953) directed by Guru Dutt (as was 12 O’ Clock from where this song has been taken). OP Nayyar’s next movie and their next movie together was the 1954 Guru Dutt movie Aar Paar whose songs are still fondly remembered, such as: Ye lo main haari piya, Kabhi aar kabhi paar, Sun sun sun sun bewafa/zaalima and Babuji dheere chalna. That started a great association and gave us really popular and memorable songs.
As far as Waheeda Rehman (Please read: ‘Happy Birthday To Waheeda Rehman 03 February‘) is concerned she joined them for the first time in the 1956 movie C.I.D. that was a Guru Dutt production and directed by Raj Khosla. Her very first song in the movies: Jaata kahan hai deewane, penned by Majrooh and composed by OP Nayyar didn’t find a place in the final cut as it was censored due to its double entendere’. She was in the role of a golden hearted prostitute in the movie since Guru Dutt, after having picked her up from a college in Hyderabad, was preparing her for 1957 classic Pyaasa. Her first song in the movies thus happened to be: Kahin pe nigaahen kahin pe nishana sung for her by Shamashad Begum and also picturised on Bir Sakuja, the villain.
Guru Dutt had straightway signed Waheeda Rehman for five movies starting with C.I.D. but she later acted in all Guru Dutt movies that ended with Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam.
Lets get to discuss the Raaga and the Tal of the song.
This blog has a number of posts on Raaga based songs in Hindi movies titled similarly; for example: ‘The Best Raaga Based Songs in Hindi Movies – Raaga Jhinjhoti – Part I‘.
In the last ninety-eight days of sharing Raaga based songs of the day, I have given you songs based on Raag Jhinjhoti, Gara, Bhimpalasi, Madhuvanti, Shivaranjani, Bihag, Pahadi, Sarang, Pilu, Bhairavi, Khammaj, Charukesi, Kalyan or Yaman, Desh, Malgunji, Kirwani, Kedar, Bageshri, Megh Malhar, Bhupali, Ahir Bhairav, Malkaush, Mand, Adana, Kafi, Rageshri, Jaunpuri, Tilang, Janasammohini, Chayanat, Shuddha Kalyan, Gaur Sarang, Jogiya, Asavari, Maru Bihag, Durga, Lalit, Puria Dhanashri, Bhinna Sahdja, Sohani, Multani, Patdeep, Jaijaiwanti, Tilak Kamod, Hemant, Basant Mukhari, Gujri Todi, Kalavati, Hamir, Bhatiyar, Gawati, Shyam Kalyan, Gorakh Kalyan, Madhamat Sarang, Manj Khammaj, Darbari Kanada, Vibhas, Shankara, Bahar, Nand, Mian Ki Malhar and Jog; making it a total of 62 raagas. The raagas that have been repeated so far are Pahadi, the raaga of my home place in the Himalayas, Maru Bihag, Raag Kirwani, Jhinjhoti, Bhairavi, Gara, Basant Mukhari, Malkauns, Bhairavi, Mand, Sohani, Madhuvanti, Shivaranjani and Adana. Today, I am giving you a song in Raag Pilu for the third time.
Raag Pilu belongs to the Kafi thaat. Its Jati is Audhav – Sampoorna, which means it is pentatonic (five notes or swar) in Aaroha (ascending) and heptatonic (all seven notes or sawr) in Avroha (descending). The swar that are vrajay (missing) in Aaroha are Re (Rishab) and Dha (Dhaivat). The dominant note (Vadi) is Dhaivat that lends to this raaga a light and tranquil touch. The raaga is full of devotion and piety and you only have to notice the mannerism of Waheeda Rehman lip-syncing it to gauge her devotion towards Guru Dutt, the hero of the movie. The raag is well suited for the third prahar of the day; that is, early evening and that’s precisely when it is played in the movie too.
As I told you earlier, Raag Pilu was the favourite raag of Omkar Prasad Nayyar or OP Nayyar. Some of his songs (conveying the mood) of Pilu are: Jayiye aap kahan jayenge, Kabhi aar kabhi paar laaga teere nazar, Main soya akhiyan meeche, and Piya piya piya na laage mora jiya. But, I am not giving you any of these.
I am also not giving you Naushad’s jhule se pawan mein aayi bahaar (literally spring time) or SD Barman’s Ab ke baras bhej bhaiya ko babul or that beautiful Sujata number Kali ghata chhaye mora jiya tarsaaye.
The song I am giving you is from the 1958 Pramod Chakravorty movie 12 O’ Clock starring Guru Dutt and birthday girl Waheeda Rehman and with the following plot:
“At exactly 12:00 noon, two gunshots are fired at the Dadar Railway Station, Bombay. The gunshots kill Maya (Sabita Chatterji), the wife of Raimohan (Rehman). One of the assailants is none other than Maya’s sister, Bani Choudhary (Waheeda Rehman), and a gun is recovered from her handbag. The second assailant flees on a motorcycle, meets with an accident, and is instantly killed. The police charge Bani with murdering her sister. Faced with overwhelming evidence against Bani, her lawyer boyfriend, Ajay Kumar (Guru Dutt) must race against time to come to the truth behind Maya’s murder.”
The other songs of this movie are:
- Tum Jo Hue Mere Humsafar (Sung by Mohammad Rafi, Geeta Dutt)
- Kaisa Jaadoo Balam Tune (Geeta Dutt)
- Main Kho Gaya Yaheen (Mohammad Rafi)
- Saiyan Teri Ankhiyon (Shamshad Begum)
- Aji O Suno Toh (Geeta Dutt)
- Dekh Idhar Aei Haseena (Mohammad Rafi, Geeta Dutt)
- Arey tauba arey tauba (Geeta Dutt)
Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy in Raag Pilu Tal Dadra, Geeta Dutt sing a composition of OP Nayyar on the lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri in the 1958 Pramod Chakravorty movie 12 O’ Clock (produced by GP Sippy) starring Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman: Kaisa jadu balam tune daara…..
कैसा जादू बलम तूने डारा
हो कैसा जादू बलम तूने डारा
खो गया नन्हा सा दिल हमारा
कैसा जादू बलम तूने डारा
खो गया नन्हा सा दिल हमारा
कैसा जादू
( कोई तेरी तरह दिल न छीने
हो गई मैं पसीने-पसीने ) -२
तोबा-तोबा -२
तोबा-तोबा नज़र का इशारा
खो गया नन्हा सा दिल हमारा
कैसा जादू बलम तूने डारा
खो गया नन्हा सा दिल हमारा
कैसा जादू
( डगमगाये क़दम चलते-चलते
तुमने छेड़ा तो हम क्या सम्भलते ) -२
लो चले -२
लो चले नाम ले कर तुम्हारा
खो गया नन्हा सा दिल हमारा
कैसा जादू बलम तूने डारा
खो गया नन्हा सा दिल हमारा
कैसा जादू
( होश भी थोड़ा-थोड़ा नशा भी
दर्द भी थोड़ा-थोड़ा मज़ा भी ) -२
तीर सैंयाँ -२
तीर सैंयाँ अजब तूने मारा
खो गया नन्हा सा दिल हमारा
कैसा जादू बलम तूने डारा
खो गया नन्हा सा दिल हमारा
कैसा जादू
Living Legend Waheeda Rehman continued to have the girlish looks and mannerisms until late in her career. However, in movies like C.I.D., 12 O’ Clock, and Bees Saal Baad her ladakpan was to be seen to be believed. Indeed, in Bees Saal Baad she even sang a song: Sapne suhaane ladakpan ke. To associate her with murder would be the last thing anyone would like to do. This song, itself, would convince any jury that she wasn’t the one who committed the murder.
As far as OP Nayyar is concerned, he brought out the best in the heroines in his songs, whether Madhubala (Piya, piya, na laage mora jiya) or Waheeda Rehman or Asha Parekh (Jayiye aap kahan jayenge) or Sharmila Tagore (Isharon isharon mein dil lene waale) or even Padmini (Beqasi hadd se jab guzr jaaye). He had only one requirement that Lata shouldn’t sing for them.
I hope you liked the song.
Please stay tuned for more songs in the series.
