Showing posts with label Anjaan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anjaan. Show all posts
Till date, whenever my actor friends like Jackie Shroff call me, they never say ‘Hello’, but sing, ‘Yaad Aa Raha Hai’-B Subhash
8:26 AM
His songs shone brighter than gold, his voice boomed louder than his beats. India’s Disco King lives on in our hearts
B Subhash (MID-DAY; February 17, 2022)
My association with Bappi da began in 1978, when we collaborated on my directorial venture Taqdeer Ka Badshah, starring Mithun Chakraborty. It was on the set of this film that I decided to make Disco Dancer (1982).
It all began when, one day, I asked my assistant to call Mithun for his shot, but was told that he’s upset. When I went to meet Mithun, he said that he is earnest with his work, but things don’t seem to be working out. That’s when I told him that I’ll make Disco Dancer, which will make him a superstar.
Back then, Bappi da was working on popularizing the disco genre in India. Disco Dancer paved the way for Bappi da, Mithun and myself to become a [successful] trio of sorts. We three went on to collaborate on several films like Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki (1984), Dance Dance (1987), and Pyar Ke Naam Qurbaan (1990). While every song of Disco Dancer became a hit, Jimmy Jimmy was in another league altogether, becoming immensely popular in China, Dubai, Israel, Ethiopia and even Russia.
When I first heard the song post recording, I told Bappi da that [it wasn’t quite doing justice to] the situation it comes in, in the film. He came up with the idea of using a double voice. Here, the artiste sings it twice separately, after which both [renditions] are blended. The result blew us away.
Apart from being a versatile composer and knowing how to play many musical instruments, Bappi da was also a great sound engineer. He knew exactly which technique to use [to enhance a song]. With Disco Dancer, we also introduced new singers like Vijay Benedict, Nandu Bhende and Parvati Khan.
Did you know that the song, Yaad Aa Raha Hai Tera Pyaar was to be actually sung by Kishore Kumar? On the day Kishore da was to record the song at a new studio in Cuffe Parade, the lift wasn’t working. Kishore da said he wouldn’t be able to climb the stairs due to health issues, and that we could do a scratch recording [with someone else]. So Bappi da recorded the scratch. When I heard Bappi da’s rendition, I felt it brought out the emotions of the song effectively. I wanted to retain it, and told Kishore da that I’d like to go ahead with [the musician’s] version if he agreed.
When Kishore da heard the version, he told Bappi da that he had sung it very well, and that his rendition should be retained. Till date, whenever my actor friends like Jackie Shroff call me, they never say ‘Hello’, but sing, ‘Yaad Aa Raha Hai..’. Such is the magic of Bappi da.
During the making of Disco Dancer, I would shoot the film during the day. Bappi da would use the time to compose the music. At the end of the day, we’d have our music sittings at 10 pm. When I first heard his composition of Ae Oh Aa Zara Mudke, I told him the song wasn’t sounding right, [given the context]. In an hour-and-a-half, he gave me a [reworked version] that was punchy.
At 11:30 pm, we decided the song had to be written too, so Kishore da could record it the following morning. So, I picked up lyricist Anjaan saab and brought him to Bappi da’s place. In another couple of hours, the song was ready. [The next morning] when I narrated to Kishore da how the song was created, he was all praise for Bappi da’s dedication.
Bappi da was a foodie. While working, he indulged only in biscuits. While travelling to international destinations, he would shop for two things — a musical instrument or cookies.
As told to Hiren Kotwani
(Clockwise) B Subhash and wife Tillottama with Smita Patil, Amrish Puri, Mithun Chakraborty, Mandakini, Bappi Lahiri, Shakti Kapoor and Dalip Tahil during the making of Dance Dance
From ‘Disco Dancer’ to ‘Sharaabi’, Bappi-Anjaan made musical hits
8:06 AM
Top:
Mithun Chakraborty in Disco Dancer; (Above from left) Amitabh Bachchan
in Sharaabi; Bappi Lahiri; Anjaan collaborated on several hits
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 2, 2018)
The name Lalji Pandey will not ring a bell even if you are a Bollywood aficionado but mention Anjaan and he’s not anjaan anymore. One of the most versatile and prolific lyricists, his words spun heart-felt melodies and foot-tapping chartbusters in equal numbers over five decades.
Among his frequent collaborators was India’s ‘Golden Man’, the irrepressible Bappi Lahiri who teamed up with Indeevar for the South potboilers, usually featuring Jeetendra and Sridevi, and scored equally big with Anjaan with Big B bonanzas like Namak Halaal and Sharaabi to name just two. “Indeevar and Anjaan ji were to me what Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra were to Shankar-Jaikishan. Anjaan ji and I gave innumerable kamaal ke superhits, including all the Disco Dancer songs, except for one Farukh Kaiser’s 'Koi Yahan Naache'. Hamara choli-daman ka saath tha and it was a proud moment for me to see the Tri Services band marching down Moscow’s Red Square to the beat of 'Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja, our song,” Bappida beams. This Disco Dancer track was also used in the Adam Sandler film, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan.
Bappi da goes on to inform that more recently, Dev Patel’s Oscar-nominated Lion also incorporated one of their songs from Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki, “Come Closer”. Also, a special Hindi promotional clip of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 had featured another popular song from the film, “Jhoom Jhoom Jhoom Baba”. The film’s leading man Chris Pratt reacted to it, exulting, “Whoa.. wow… I wonder if it’s too late to put that music in... instead of the music we’ve played... whoa... people are going to flip out!”
Prod the singer composer on the man himself and a picture emerges of Anjaan as a largehearted person with absolutely no ego, sincere and hard-working, who had a way with words. He flashbacks to Prakash Mehra’s 1984 film Sharaabi which bagged him the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director, and in particular “Manzilein Apni Jagah Hain Raaste Apni Jagah” for which Kishore Kumar, who had given playback for the song, took home a Black Lady as well. “Prakash ji gave Anjaan ji a mukhda he had scribbled telling him he could rewrite it if he wanted. Anjaan ji told him, ‘You have written such a beautiful mukhda, let me write the antaras for you now.’ He didn’t change a word of what Prakash ji had written which just goes to show his generosity of spirit,” Bappi da asserts.
He is also all praise for every antara of “Mujhe Naulakha Mangaa De”, saluting the wordsmith with, “Kya baat!” He then goes on to reveal that Amitabh Bachchan had requested Prakash ji to incorporate “De De Pyaar De” in the Sharaabi score. “Anjaan ji had written the song and I had recorded it in London with Runa Laila for the album Super Runa. In the film, they used two versions, one with Kishore mama and the other with Asha ji. Both superhit!” he avers. He adds that their song, “Gori Hain Kalaiyan” for Aaj Ka Arjun, was the No 1 song of 1991 on the countdown show Binaca Geet Mala.
Memories are mixed with melodies as Bappi da goes on to recall how Anjaan ji, when he was visiting him, had requested his singermother Bansari Lahiri for a Rabindra Sangeet. “My mummy sang 'Tomar Holo Shuru, Amar Holo Shara' and he reworked the lyrics to come up with “Chukar Mere Man Ko, Kiya Tune Kya Ishara” for Rajesh Roshan in Yaarana. Bahut pakad thi, he had a tremendous grasp over language. His son, Sameer, is a fabulous lyricist as well, with whom I have done a lot of good work, but aaj bhi main Anjaan ji ko bahut miss karta hoon. When he passed away, my heart broke and for a while I wondered how I would make music without life. Life goes on, but the musical memories remain,” he sighs, crooning “Yaad Aa Raha Hai Tera Pyaar, Kahan Hum, Kahan Tum, Hue Tum Kahan Gum…”
Kareena Kapoor livid at rumours of an item song in Suriya's next
8:11 AM
Subhash K Jha (DNA; April 9, 2014)
A few days ago, the internet was abuzz with rumours that Kareena Kapoor
Khan is doing a sizzling item song with the Tamil superstar Suriya in
his film Anjaan. The story, that went viral in no time, also had the
film’s director Linguswamy being quoted as saying that this would be
Kareena’s entry into Tamil cinema.Reacting sharply to the story the actress says, “I don’t know where such baseless stories come from. I haven’t signed any such film. I don’t even know who Suriya and Linguswamy are. I’ve never seen them. I’ve zero interest in acting in non-Hindi films whether it is down South or in Hollywood.”
Kareena says it’s her career policy to not do films in a language she doesn’t speak or understand. “How can I emote in a language that I don’t know? I was offered beautiful scripts by the late Rituparno Ghosh in Bengali. I never could bring myself to work with this brilliant filmmaker because of the language barrier, and now he is gone.”
The actress says she has turned down some of the biggest South Indian films throughout her career. “I love the work that’s being done in South Indian languages as well as in Marathi and Bengali. But I’ll have to learn these languages to act in them.”
She also refutes any interest in doing item songs in any language. “Even in Gabbar, the number is a guest appearance and a romantic song. And I did it for my friend Shabinaa Khan who is the film’s co-producer.”
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