Listening to: Kati Patang (1970)

Seeing my ironing pile increase to an Everest-like magnificence, I decided to get down to some movie-watching. What’s the connection you ask? Well, I can’t iron without entertainment! I checked my list of to-see films and chose Kati Patang.  Though I know the music intimately, I have never seen this film before.

A young-woman, Madhu (Asha Parekh), runs away to her beloved on the day of her arranged marriage to a man unseen (which era is this?!!). Her beloved does not deserve the title, for he is a cad, only after her money. She is shocked (but why? this is Prem Chopra, what can she expect?) only to find her uncle and guardian is dead. She leaves then (no funeral?), running to nowhere, when she meets a widowed friend travelling with her small child to meet her in-laws for the first time. The train crashes and her friend dies, demanding a death-bed promise that Madhu pretend to be her (but why?) and go to her in-laws with her baby. The taxi she catches turns out to have a dastardly driver and she is rescued by Kamal (Rajesh Khanna) who happens to be the groom she has run away from!

Do the coincidences befuddle your brain as much as they do mine?

Kamal and Madhu fall in love, but she is a pretending to be a widow and re-marriage is not easily accepted in society. Kailash the Cad (Prem Chopra) is alerted by his girl-friend Shabnam (Bindu) and comes to blackmail Madhu. She tries to resist but it is not easy. In the meanwhile, Madhu writes to Kamal confessing her story but the letter falls in the hands of her father-in-law Dinanath (Nasir Hussain). He is angry at first but then he accepts her and even talks to Kamal’s father, arranging Madhu’s marriage with Kamal.

Tragedy strikes when Kailash the Cad poisons Dinanath the FIL and Madhu is taken into custody by the police. Will her innocence be proven? Do Kamal and Madhu have a future together? Well, you’ll have to watch the film to find out!

I do hate it when script-writers pretend to give a social message but are in fact manipulating the audience. Is this film meant to encourage widow re-marriage in traditional families? But then Madhu is not really a widow, is she? Blast, I am not supposed to see through their ruse, am I? There were other instances of audience manipulation which I found distasteful but I admit, I am just being picky. This is Bollywood, its par for the course.

Rajesh Khanna proves why he was such a success. He has this certain intensity….hmmm, I am a woman after all, you must forgive me if I fall for a man’s charm now and then!  Asha is not my favourite but she does a reasonable job. Prem Chopra is as slimy as a badly cooked okra and Bindu is Ooooomph incorporated, especially in her next-to-nothing costume for her dance sequence. I imagine she caused a sensation in those more innocent times!  Overall, the film is watchable especially given the lovely songs.

The music by R.D.Burman is the highlight of this film and Anand Bakshi has done a superb job of the lyrics.

• Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai – Kishore Kumar. Charming. Truly. Is there anyone who can emote so beautifully with their voice like Kishore? Is there anyone who can emote to Kishore’s voice like Rajesh? A masterclass in Bollywood singing-lip synching.
• Pyar Diwana Hota Hai – Kishore Kumar. Its impressive how Kishore never over-does things, however capable he is. This is a simple melody and he has sung it simply without any flourishes. I like the simplicity of the lyrics too – सुनो किसी शायर ने यह कहा बहुत खूब, मना करे दुनिया लेकिन मेरे महबूब (Some poet has wisely said, the world may deny it, but my beloved is still my beloved). Well said! 
• Mera Naam Hai Shabnam – Asha Bhonsle. Hmmm. Not much to my taste but Bindu looks sensational!
• Jis Gali Mein – Mukesh. I love this song! I know there are many Mukesh detractors out there, but when he does a superb job, what’s there to say but वाह वाह ? Anand Bakshi has outdone himself with the romance of his lyrics.

  जिस चमन में तेरे पग में कांटे छुबे
  उस चमन से हमें फूल चुनना नहीं
  (In the garden where your feet are hurt by thorns,
  I don’t wish to pick flowers from that garden)
  Ah, I melt!

• Yeh Shaam Mastani – Kishore Kumar. A cheerful number with Kishore showing his yodelling skills. And his masterful rendition of  ऐसा लगे जैसे की तू हसके ज़हर कोई पिये जाय !  Oh!

• Na Koi Umang Hai – Lata Mangeshkar. Lata’s voice is flawless and the interludes lovely. The lyrics are excellent, if a bit depressing. Judge for yourself :
  आकाश से गिरी मैं इक बार कट के ऐसे
  दुनिया ने फिर न पूछो लूटा है मुझको कैसे
  ना किसी का साथ है ना किसी का संग है
  मेरी ज़िन्दगी है क्या इक कटी पतंग है
  (I have been cut (like a kite) and fallen from the skies
  don’t ask how the world has treated me hence
  I have no one by my side, I have no one to be with
  My life is but like a kite with its string cut)
  Beautifully written and sung.

• Aaj Na Chodenge – Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeskhar. A popular enough Holi song, sung with enthusiasm by Kishore. See how different his voice sounds compared to Yeh Sham Mastani – he brings a roughness, an earthiness into his singing. Clever. And R.D has created an equally clever mix between the exuberance of Kishore’s singing and the sadness of Lata’s verses.

My choice for today is Mukesh’s song. This in no way denies my worship of Kishore’s voice!

Listening to: Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971)

I was eager to watch this film for some time now. It had been described to me as a ‘great film’ by more than one person and it starred two handsome gentlemen I admired much as a young woman. The few songs I remembered from my childhood triggered a nice response too.

The two handsome men did not disappoint; I am in awe of their looks and presence. And the acting is not too bad either! The songs I remembered were pleasing enough though not outstanding. However, perhaps thanks to over-expectation, I was mildly disappointed in the film as a whole.

This is a theme which has been done more number of times than I can count. A village cowed by evil-doers, one or a few handful of men protecting and leading the village to self-sufficiency. Wasn’t the Seven Samurai just fantastic?  For Bollywood fans, this film is particularly interesting because it was a precursor to the super-hit Sholay. In fact, I was shocked to see how much Salim-Javed have ‘lifted’ from the screenplay by G.R.Kamath.

MGMD	Sholay
The instigator of defence, Jayant with one hand missing	The instigator of defence, Sanjeev with two  hands missing
One petty crook, Dharmendra, roped in to defend the village	Two petty crooks, Dharmendra & Amitabh, roped in to defend the village
Dacoit leader played by Vinod Khanna is called Jabbar Singh	Dacoit leader played by Amjad Khan is called Gabbar singh
Dharm falls for feisty village belle Asha	Dharm falls for feisty village belle Hema
Jabbar stands his people in a row, questioning them, while loading one bullet in his gun.	Gabbar does this and more in the memorable ‘Kitne Aadmi The’ scene.

Ajit (Dharm) is a petty crook invited by Major Jaswant Singh (Jayant) to help him farm and at the same time make a new life for himself. He doesn’t mention the dacoits who keep the village under their thumb. Ajit settles down after a few slips and enjoys a nice romance with village belle Anju (Asha). The dacoits under their leader Thakur Jabbar Singh (Vinod Khanna) make their presence felt. In this village where everyone is cowed and fearful, only Ajit is willing to stand up to them. Munnibhai (Laxmi Chhaya) is the dancing girl who is a spy for the dacoits but she falls for Ajit and becomes a double-agent. With the odds stacked so heavily against him, will Ajit manage to rid the village of their terror?

Dharmendra has done a decent job of his role; in any case, I was too charmed to be unbiased! Vinod Khanna is excellent, menacing with his red rimmed eyes which always stare elsewhere with manic intensity. What a handsome man he is to be sure!! Asha Parekh’s role doesn’t have much meat and she is not in good looks; her costumes are very very unflattering. I wish they had chosen another female lead. Laxmi Chhaya is competent and has two lovely song-and-dance sequences to impress us with. Supporting actors such as Jayant and Asit Sen are dependably good.

So why was I disappointed? It always comes down to bad screenplay. I cannot deal with with melodrama (a drunk Dharm sleeping it off in the lap of a mad Ma, a dying Jayant asking to be called Papa), depiction of the police as nincompoops, Dharm beating up Laxmi Chhaya, Asha walking into a dacoit-infested forest on her own (is she mad?!!) – the screenplay just annoys. And the moralistic lectures at the end grate.

There is some decent enough music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal with pedestrian lyrics by Anand Bakshi (spelt mysteriously as Baxi in the titles).

• Sona Lai Ja Re – Lata Mangeshkar. A pleasant enough melody, but nothing extraordinary.
• Aya Aya – Lata Mangeshkar. Boring. Laxmi Chhaya dances well enough on screen.
• Kuch Kehta Hai Ye Sawan – Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi. I remember this song well from my childhood; it still sounds as pleasing as it did then. Lyrics are so-so but Rafi and Lata sound very good.
• Hai Sharmaoon – Lata Mangeshkar. Laxmi Chhaya gets to dance to this nice song made more memorable by the on-screen drama. The melody has a hint of sadness which I like. 
• Maar Diya Jai – Lata Mangeshkar. Why not Asha? I think she would have put even more verve into this song. Still, I remember and like it.

To listen to the whole album, click here.

My selection today is Hai Sharmaoon, for Laxmi Chhaya’s dance and upper-lip adornment by the handsome male leads. Check out Vinod’s luxurious greying mouche and a more sedate one sported by Dharm!

Listening to : Meri Surat Teri Ankhen (1963)

Would anyone reject a child because of its perceived ugliness? I am not convinced. Yes, India is a country where perfect little infant girls have been abandoned or killed in the past. Yes, it is a country where disabled children have also suffered the same treatment. Yes, it is steeped in the racism of skin colour so I am not astonished at the equating of dark with ugly, much as I disagree with it. This has been the cross for the dark skinned Indians to bear from pre-historic times when the light skinned, Causasoid Indo-Aryans migrated into Northern India, displacing the dark-skinned Australoid Dravidian locals. Yet, a first male child of middle-aged parents being rejected just because of skin colour? That wouldn’t happen. Once I accepted that, the rest of the film was easier to digest.

The script is not too bad and has good character development. The climax however is very poorly scripted. The movie’s message आदमी रंग रूप से नहीं, उजले मन से ख़ूबसूरत होता है  (a man is made beautiful not by colour or form but by an enlightened mind) is a good one and the movie is true to this message. At the end, Ashok Kumar says to his mother ‘सच तो यह है की मेरी सूरत को तेरी आँखों से किसीने नहीं देखा’ accounting for the title.

Ashok Kumar is very good at displaying the angst of someone who suffers from low self-esteem and the negative bias of society.   I so love his diction and dialogue delivery! However, at 52, he is much too old to play this part of a 25 year old. In scenes where he addresses his screen parents, he looks older than them!

Asha Parekh is young and glowing in a role which demands little of her.  Pradeep Kumar is adequate as a dissolute (well, not really)  man but I have great resistance in accepting him as the good-looking brother. Again, he is too old at 38 to play a young man. Is that Iftekhar in a non-police-office-or-military-chap role? I can hardly believe my eyes!

The music is by S.D.Burman, with credited support from R.D.Burman. The album is a credit to SD’s genius which is well matched by Shailendra’s lyrics. 

• Poocho Na Kaise – Manna Dey. Based on classical music in Raga Ahir Bhairav, it has become a classic in itself. Manna Dey shines in displaying his roots in classical music in this superb song. See footnote for lyrics. Iconic. 
• Tere Bin Soone – Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar. A slow, meditative song sung perfectly by Rafi and Lata who show that they have a talent equal to Manna’s in classical ragas. This one is set to Raga Piloo.
• Tujhse Nazar Milane Mein – Asha Bhonsle. A club song which has some nice instrumentals but the melody didn’t appeal.
• Naache Man Mora – Mohammad Rafi. Another excellent classically based song in Raga Bhairavi. Asha Parekh displays her dancing talents in this good Kathak number. Its a pity we don’t see much of this lovely classical dance form anymore in films.
• Tere Khayalon Mein – Lata Mangeshkar. A not very scintillating solo.
• Yeh Kisne Geet Cheda – Mukesh, Suman Kalyanpur. I really liked this rather old-fashioned duet. A lovely melody!

Click here to listen to the whole album.

My choice for the day is of course Poocho Na Kaise by Manna Dey.

I have included the song below for the Kathak performance by Asha Parekh.

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Footnote (lyrics) :

पूछो ना कैसे मैंने रैन बिताई
इक पल जैसे इक जुग बीता
जुग बीते मोहे नींद न आयी (पूछो)

इक जले दीपक इक मन मेरा
फिर भी न जाये मेरे घर का अँधेरा
तडपत तरसत उमर गंवाई (पूछो)

ना कहीं चंदा ना कहीं तारे
ज्योत के प्यासे मेरे नैन बेचारे
भोर भी आस की किरण ना लाई (पूछो)

pooCHo na kaisE mainE rain bitayI
ik pal jaisE ik yug beeta
yug beetE mohE neend na AyI

ik jalE dIpak ik man mErA
phir BHI na jAyE mErE GHar kA anDHErA
tadpat tarsat umar ganvayI

nA kahIn chandA nA kahIn tArE
jyOt kE pyAsE mErE nain bEcharE
BHor BHI As kI kiraN nA lAyI

Do not ask how the night passed
An eon passed in an instant
But even an eon did not bring me sleep

A lamp burned, so did my mind
still the darkness of my home did not fade
A lifetime passed in suffering, in longing

Nowhere do I see the moon or stars
My poor eyes thirst for light
Even dawn did not bring a ray of hope