Tarane Bane to Fasane Banenge
I have grown up on the staple diet of hindi film songs. As the “incrimin” tonic was essential part of my growth, so were the film songs.
It all started with listening to 11 AM program on “Vividh Bharati”. That program used to play the songs known only to less than 5 people including the music director and the singer! I heard lots of old gems on that program and started liking them after repeated listening. In fact I preferred them to the cacophony of sounds that was passed on as music in the then hit movies. To confess though, I liked some of the new songs too, but now when I listen to them, I shudder to think that I used “gungunao” them for days at end. But I digress.
This enjoyment of old songs was also boosted by the songs played on Chayageet and Chitrahaar. The same old rule applied here as well.
A guy called “Va. Ra. Kant” was the producer for Chayageet. I used to wonder “Wa can’t he play popular songs?” I started appreciating the songs, the subtlety of the tune, the lysrics.
Of course the subtlety in picturization was sometimes too far fetched. Like two flowers striking each other and two birds … I think you get the picture J that was pathetic J Let me also state here that in those days when I was a kid, I had absolutely no clue what was going on … Was I naïve or what!! But honest to god no clue ! I would keep asking the meanings of words like “Muhobbat” “Joban” to my mom. Finally she refused to explain meanings of the words in a song. That was the beginning of me inventing my own meanings and versions of the songs. And boy! Were the hilarious…. Like the Jawani Diwani song “ Tarane bane to Fasane Banenge” I Speculated a lot on fasane, whether it was a verb with a relation to Cheating or a dish related to “Namkeen” !! or the most famous “Byson kuranat jaa” in “Apani kahani jod ja” from “Do bigha Jameen” My sister still remembers that and I am mortified no end.
The songs mesmerized me. The “Najakat” of the lyrics by “Sahir” Or the deceptive simplicity of Naushad’s tunes. It was “Alibaba’s Khajina” for me.
One most noticeable fact about these songs were bad absolutely worst actors enacting / mouthing these gems. And to add insult to the injury the beautiful heroines seemed to be eager to take “Janam Janam ke Fere” with these guys!!!! The ladies were so beautiful, Madhubala, Wahida Ramhman, GeetaBali … they were perfect. And the heroes, to be called heroes just becos they get married to the heroines.
Take Pradeep kumar “The Mr. Wooden Block Royalé” in Tajmahal “Ye wada kiya to Nibhana padega”
Bharat Bhushan The “Weepy Wimp’ with Madhubala(L) in “ Do ghadi wo jo pas aa baithe” or “ Jindagi bhar nahi bhulegi”
The melodious song “Dhalati Jaye raat, Kahdo dil ki baat” was picturised on “Most Filmy mother” Nirupa Roy!! Come on man, can any self-respecting filmizen (like citizen) of 70 – 80 view Nroy as anything else than “MAAAAA”? This is like my other favorite and firm opinion that Ashok Kumar always looked old --- even when he was young ie even when he was a hit hero. Recall “Mai Ban ki Chidia ban ban ban ban…”
Or Mahipal and GopiKrishna the low budget Shantaram finds. Worse fate than these was mated to the songs that were picturized on Sandhya and one of the above mentioned heroes I mean Horrors. Take “Nain se nain nahi milau” or “Adha hai Chandrama” Agony I say!!
The songs were so beautiful that you loved them despite these guys.
A great phasana that is being written is the RMIM group that is keeping the old HFM song tradition alive and keeping but “Who fasana fir kabhi …”
It all started with listening to 11 AM program on “Vividh Bharati”. That program used to play the songs known only to less than 5 people including the music director and the singer! I heard lots of old gems on that program and started liking them after repeated listening. In fact I preferred them to the cacophony of sounds that was passed on as music in the then hit movies. To confess though, I liked some of the new songs too, but now when I listen to them, I shudder to think that I used “gungunao” them for days at end. But I digress.
This enjoyment of old songs was also boosted by the songs played on Chayageet and Chitrahaar. The same old rule applied here as well.
A guy called “Va. Ra. Kant” was the producer for Chayageet. I used to wonder “Wa can’t he play popular songs?” I started appreciating the songs, the subtlety of the tune, the lysrics.
Of course the subtlety in picturization was sometimes too far fetched. Like two flowers striking each other and two birds … I think you get the picture J that was pathetic J Let me also state here that in those days when I was a kid, I had absolutely no clue what was going on … Was I naïve or what!! But honest to god no clue ! I would keep asking the meanings of words like “Muhobbat” “Joban” to my mom. Finally she refused to explain meanings of the words in a song. That was the beginning of me inventing my own meanings and versions of the songs. And boy! Were the hilarious…. Like the Jawani Diwani song “ Tarane bane to Fasane Banenge” I Speculated a lot on fasane, whether it was a verb with a relation to Cheating or a dish related to “Namkeen” !! or the most famous “Byson kuranat jaa” in “Apani kahani jod ja” from “Do bigha Jameen” My sister still remembers that and I am mortified no end.
The songs mesmerized me. The “Najakat” of the lyrics by “Sahir” Or the deceptive simplicity of Naushad’s tunes. It was “Alibaba’s Khajina” for me.
One most noticeable fact about these songs were bad absolutely worst actors enacting / mouthing these gems. And to add insult to the injury the beautiful heroines seemed to be eager to take “Janam Janam ke Fere” with these guys!!!! The ladies were so beautiful, Madhubala, Wahida Ramhman, GeetaBali … they were perfect. And the heroes, to be called heroes just becos they get married to the heroines.
Take Pradeep kumar “The Mr. Wooden Block Royalé” in Tajmahal “Ye wada kiya to Nibhana padega”
Bharat Bhushan The “Weepy Wimp’ with Madhubala(L) in “ Do ghadi wo jo pas aa baithe” or “ Jindagi bhar nahi bhulegi”
The melodious song “Dhalati Jaye raat, Kahdo dil ki baat” was picturised on “Most Filmy mother” Nirupa Roy!! Come on man, can any self-respecting filmizen (like citizen) of 70 – 80 view Nroy as anything else than “MAAAAA”? This is like my other favorite and firm opinion that Ashok Kumar always looked old --- even when he was young ie even when he was a hit hero. Recall “Mai Ban ki Chidia ban ban ban ban…”
Or Mahipal and GopiKrishna the low budget Shantaram finds. Worse fate than these was mated to the songs that were picturized on Sandhya and one of the above mentioned heroes I mean Horrors. Take “Nain se nain nahi milau” or “Adha hai Chandrama” Agony I say!!
The songs were so beautiful that you loved them despite these guys.
A great phasana that is being written is the RMIM group that is keeping the old HFM song tradition alive and keeping but “Who fasana fir kabhi …”