Today ‘Tip Tip Barsa Paani’ from Mohra is considered one of the most sensuous rain songs but it started out as just a peppy, romantic number between Akshay and Raveena. The mukhda tune had been approved by the director, but Anand Bakshi sahab (the lyricist) felt it was a little too lengthy. After arguing for an hour, I told him to forget the tune, give me the lyrics, and I would compose it again.

Finally, he told me to play it one more time and suddenly came up with the line ‘Tip Tip Barsa Paani’. The thing was once Bakshi sahab got the first line, the entire song would be over in 10-15 minutes. When I would play a tune for Bakshi sahab, I would write some dummy lyrics just to give him a feel. The only line he kept from my dummy lyrics was the last one ‘Main Kya Karun’. I think he penned the other lines around it: ‘Teri yaad aayi toh jal utha mera bheega badan, ab tu hi bata o sajan main kya karun...’

It was only after he came up with this line that it turned out to be a rain song and (director) Rajiv Rai thought of picturising it that way. In those times, rain songs were very popular, maybe because of the dance and the sensual element. Take Mr India’s ‘Kaante Nahin Kat Te’, for instance. But the song also has to have some beat. If ‘Tip tip’ only had visuals, why would people still listen to it?

Nowadays, there are much fewer rain songs in films. Similarly, there have been no mujras and qawwalis for many years, maybe because youngsters are not open to that. Everyone wants to play safe, and everything is either Punjabi or rap. Today’s directors say they want “halke phulke words jo logo ko samajh aaye” and insist on some English words. But I think people will listen to a good track.

Everything that you hear in ‘Tip Tip’ — even the tabla — was electronic, created with 12 synthesisers. The only acoustic element came from the violin. We had first tried this approach of going all out with electronic in Tridev in 1989, just to give it a new sound.

Today, even I can’t recreate the opening sound of Tang Nanana Tang Nanana — that just happened and is the life behind the song. It is what people remember. After I recorded it in 1993, many producers would demand this same sound but even I didn’t know what the combination was. If I hear it and try to analyse it, I may come close, but it wouldn’t be identical.

Honestly, I never expected it would still be playing after 27 years. It has been remixed so many times, with another one in a forthcoming film. But it is only the basic arrangement that these remixes change. The singing is nowhere close to Alka (Yagnik) and Udit’s (Narayan).

MOHRA MOVES: Akshay Kumar is set to do a remake of this song. However, the drenched lady will be played by Katrina Kaif instead of Raveena. (Right below) Alia Bhatt dances to the same tune

Arnab Ray (THE TIMES OF INDIA; July 7, 2019)

As Indian cities struggle with dwindling supplies of water, prompting even Leonardo DiCaprio, the man who died from too much water in Titanic, to tweet about the dangers of too little, it is worth remembering the great film Mohra.

Released twenty-five years ago (on July 1, 1994), many scientists blame it for triggering the water crisis that has swept the world. According to legend that was spread over the WhatsApp of the day, during the shooting of ‘Tip Tip Barsa Paani’, a song featuring Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon, entire oceans were drained through the action of drenching reporter Roma Singh played by Raveena Tandon, as she danced on the roof under a deluge that would make Noah keep his ark tethered to the shore, while Akshay Kumar, observed the effect of buoyancy and Bernoulli’s equation in real-life fluid conditions, and then decided to become a Canadian citizen. This song, over the course of 25 years, has led to much wastage of wetness, and to this day, remains a popular staple of Bhojpuri orchestra performances where water is poured on the dancer to the tune of this song in tepid simulations of the original, with nary a concern for the environment.

But to limit the scope and impact of Mohra to just this one song is like dismissing Sistine Chapel as just a painted ceiling.

Mohra is a cinematic milestone, the kind of movie that not influences a genre but who you choose to become. Released a month before Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!, which would irrevocably change the face of Bollywood with chocolate, lime juice and “mausam ka jadoo hain mitwa”, Mohra was the last Elaan-e-Jung of the old Bollywood action potboiler, before the Barjatyas, the Chopras and the Johars would flood out the genre forever with their pink slush of fraud NRInostalgic romantic sugar-water.

Inspired by Death Wish 4, Mohra almost had its thunder taken away by an earlier released inspired by the exact same film. Called Bhookamp (Earthquake) it had the legendary Rahul Roy dancing to “Tum jo mile gulshan khile” with Mamata Kulkarni, but for reasons I shall never understand, like how cricketer Devang Gandhi never became Don Bradman, it sunk without a trace.

Mohra though was made of sterner stuff. Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, who was the real hero of the movie and the joker of the pack, Sunil Shetty (then without the “e”), ably backed by Paresh Rawal and Naseeruddin Shah, this was 90s cinema at its very best.

Names like Jindaalll and Tyson and Gibran.

Superhit tunes from the Amit Shah of techno-qawwali, Viju Shah.

Roaring action.

Lyrics like “Subaah se lekar shaam tak, shaam se lekar raat tak, raat se lekar subaah tak, subah se phir sham tak, mujhe pyar karo” which depending on your mood could be a soft romantic song or the tag line for Viagra.

Never-saw-that-coming twists like Pankaj Udhas doing the voice of Sunil Shetty.

The most beautiful description of fault tolerant system architectures I have ever encountered in popular cinema in “Ei kaash kahee aisa hota, ke do dil hote seene mein, ek toot bhi jata ishq mein to, taqleef na hotee jeene mein”

The most poetic excuse for an unintentional breaking of wind in “Chalee kaisi yeh pagal pawan main kya karoon”.

But all of this pales in front of the most bizarre ending of the era, something straight out of David Lynch, with Naseeruddin Shah, the villain, who rather than escaping from the clutches of the hero, chooses to waste precious time trying to humiliate him, first by making him get down on his knees, then slap himself and then finally making him take off his pants, while giving live commentary “Patloon utaar raha hai, Baat accha hai” in the deliriously happy tone of Manjrekar when a player from Mumbai plays well, while all the while Sunil Shetty screams Naheeee naheee, which would inspire years down the road, some of the most iconic sequences of Dhadkan, the last great 90s movie ever made, again starring the two leading heroes of Mohra.

Twenty-five years ago. All of this happened.

Aah how time flies.

Seems just like yesterday, Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast rocked Superhit Muqabla.

Seems just like yesterday a twenty-something with oversized glasses walked into a singlescreen theater elbowing through the crowd steaming with sweat and expectation.

Seems just like yesterday, that watching Hindi films was fun. 

The Tridev of '90s playback get together to ruminate on what made the good decade of Hindi film music last beyond its time
Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari (MID-DAY; June 23, 2017)

It's tough to get the three together. Alka Yagnik, Kumar Sanu and Udit Narayan can't seem to get their diaries to be kind to each other. On a day when Yagnik is free, Sanu is in London. We are hoping the logistical nightmare has less do with starry egos and more with being busy two decades after hitting the high notes of celebrityhood.

The trio that ruled Hindi film playback in the 1990s continues to be sought after, whether as singers, guests on television reality shows or as the brand that sells tickets at musical tours abroad. They put all doubt to rest when they come together ahead of mid-day's anniversary edition, to say, "competition tha, but it was always healthy".

Before your lot became the stars of playback, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar had ruled the scene. Did you ever imagine that you'd break into the industry, and own it in the manner you did?
Udit Narayan (UN): The era of Rafi saab, Kishore saab, Manna Dey, Mukeshji and Mahendra Kapoor was legendary. I grew up listening to their songs. Their works were like textbooks for me. Back then, it was tough to break into the scene, and make an identity. In fact, getting to a music producer was the most difficult thing. Composers would rarely (be willing) to listen to a new voice. It would take five years to even reach a composer's studio and get his attention.
Alka Yagnik (AY): At that time, there were no reality shows that would get you heard and recognised. It happened one step at a time. And suddenly, I realised that I was singing and recording a whole lot of songs. Ours was not overnight stardom.
Kumar Sanu (KS): I used to sing at a hotel when I first arrived in Mumbai, and I spent all the money I earned on recording songs which I would share with composers. When I managed to break in, Udit Narayan, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Vinod Rathod, Sudesh Bhosle and Amit Kumar were already around and doing well. They were following Kishore da's style; even I was doing the same. But when I got the opportunity to sing for Aashiqui (1990), I tried to create an identity of my own.

Other than a few noteworthy semi-classical songs and ghazals, the '80s were lacklustre. How did things turn?
AY: It ('80s) was the decade of action films, so music took a backseat. The films had a music score, but that's because no Hindi film released without songs. The phase of romantic films firmly established itself with Aashiqui, and was chased by several other musically rich films.
UN: I'd say Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak changed the game in 1988. Composers like Anand-Milind, Jatin-Lalit, Nadeem-Shravan, Viju Shah and Uttam Singh were instrumental in changing the Bollywood music game. Melody became king. The songs weren't defined by reasoning, ki yeh gaana kyun ban raha hai? The songs complemented the script. That's why they worked, and are still remembered. Mohra's Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast (1994) still features on playlists.
KS: I wouldn't hesitate to say that the 1990s were the best decade for music and melody in the history of Bollywood music. Earlier, Rafi saab or Lataji would record one or two songs in a week. In the '90s, four films released every week. All of them did well musically. Because the music did well, 300 movies managed to release every year. Music was the hero/heroine of a film. If there were 11 songs in a movie, all of them would do well. The writers and composers back then were magical.
AY: It was also a good fit. We happened to have the sort of voices required at the time. Had we come in today, we would have been wasted.

You would have experienced the orchestra recordings of the '90s.
AY: Yes, initially, we recorded live. But even when we dubbed, we sang the entire antara or mukhda in one go. We couldn't dub a single line. Ek Do Teen for Tezaab (1988) was recorded live with a 40-member chorus and instrumentalists. There, we sang the whole song in one go. Agar kisi ne bhi galti ki — musicians, recordists, singers or even the chorus — we had to sing it all over again. So many people had to get it right, and together!
KS: The mental strength of a singer was put to test. The grandeur and effort shone through in the songs.
UN: The technical understanding of everyone involved was important. Everyone complemented each other. Recordings would last over two days. It was stressful, but we'd look forward to seeing everyone.

Was the competition always healthy?
AY: We — Uditji, Sanuji, Kavitaji [Kavita Krishnamurthy] — would all record together and try to sing better than the rest. That improved the quality of music. These days, the female singer doesn't know who the male singer on the track is. Earlier, an album had an identity because if Uditji was singing for one actor, he would sing all the songs for the star in that film.

If you had to list the taskmasters of the '90s, which composers come to mind?
UN: I had to be careful while working with Laxmikant–Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji and RD Burman saab. Anand-Milind would expect me to sing the way they had composed the song. They didn't like improvisation. But Viju Shah loved experimenting. Nadeem and Shravan were also flexible, but upto a point.
AY: Jatin-Lalit were particular about every note. They wanted what they wanted. The challenge for us was to mould (ourselves) to match the composer's style. It was good to hear them say, "Aap humare liye best gaati hain."
KS: Anu Malik wouldn't allow a singer to dominate the music. I was singing a lot at that time and whenever I'd record the first line, his reaction would be, "Chhee chhee… Sanu, kitna besura gaya. Kya hua tumhe aaj? Koi problem?" That was his style. When the song was done, he'd invariably say, "Bahut achha gaaya." Jatin-Lalit didn't allow improvisation, unlike Bappi Lahiri. Nadeem, too, was accommodating. Shravan would say, "Ek baar phir se kara lete hain, Nadeem," and he'd respond with, "Na, usne jo kar diya woh final hai," and leave the studio. After every recording, when I entered the balancing room, Nadeem would shower money on me.

Favourite song by 'the other'
Sanu
Favourite Alka-Udit song: Gazab Ka Hai Din (Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak)

Alka
Favourite Sanu song: Mera Chand Mujhe Aaya Hai Nazar (Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan)
Favourite Udit song: Ae Ajnabee Tu Bhi Kabhi (Dil Se)

Udit
Favourite Alka-Sanu song: Chura Ke Dil Mera Goriya Chali (Main Khiladi Tu Anari), Baazigar O Baazigar (Baazigar) and Ghunghat Ki Aad Se (Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke)

A '90s song you wished you hadn't sung
Alka: Meri Pant Bhi Sexy (Dulaara; 1994)
Sanu: Din Mein Leti Hai, Raat Mein Leti Hai (Amaanat; 1994)
Udit: None, I am happy with all the songs I sang

The '90s hero/heroine your voice best suited
Alka: Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla
Sanu: Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan
Udit: Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Anil Kapoor

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; April 1, 2014)

In 2004, Deepak Shivdasani, directed the Neha Dhupia-starrer Julie which was produced by N R Pachisia. The director is now returning with a sequel but with another producer Bhola Malviya, who earlier made Joe B Carvalho.

Says a source, “The director may be keen to revisit Julie, but getting the title may prove to be difficult as it is producer N R Pachisia’s property.” Pachisia says, “I had put out a public notice in the trade papers that the Julie franchise belongs to me and anyone who plans to make a film without permission will be infringement of copyright. The titles Julie 2 and Julie Returns are registered with me and the producers will have to get a clearance from me.”

Pachisia adds that Malviya did come to meet him about the title. “He met me and I will think about it only after he tells me the details.” Meanwhile Shivdasani is looking at casting a fresh face for the title role. Music composer Viju Shah returns to Bollywood after a gap of eight years with this film. He said, “I did compose music for Joy Augustine’s film, but the film got stalled.”