Naushad Passed Away! - Page 9

Naushad's story: From rags to riches

May 05, 2006 14:45 IST

Regarded as one of the greatest music composers of Indian cinema, Naushad's was literally a journey from the footpath to the recording studios.

Born Naushad Ali on Christmas day in 1919, he spent several nights on the footpath after moving to Mumbai in the late 1930s to try his luck as a musician. The composer, who hailed from Lucknow, had cried when his film Baiju Bawra was premiered at Mumbai's Broadway theatre. When the late producer Vijay Bhat asked him why he was crying, Naushad told him he was sleeping on the footpath opposite the theatre when he had dreamt of seeing his music brought to life here. 'It took me 16 long years to cross that footpath,' he had said.

After studying under Ustad Ghurbat Ali, Ustad Yusuf Ali and Ustad Babban Saheb, Naushad repaired harmoniums and composed for amateur theatricals before coming to Mumbai. Since childhood, he was an avid listener of the live orchestras accompanying silent films. Parental pressure to wean him away from music compelled the future maestro to run away to Mumbai in search of his dream.

He assisted Khemchand Prakash, whom he considered his teacher for a few years, and got his first break with Prem Nagar (1940). However, he was first noticed with Sharda (1942), where a 13-year old Suraiya did the playback for heroine Mehtab. Rattan (1944) took Naushad to the top and enabled him to charge Rs 25,000 a film in those days.

Naushad's forte was Hindustani Classical music. His professional training in Hindustani music enabled him to make swift adaptations of ragas into film music. This led to his coming out with major hits including Mughal-e-Azam, Mother India and Baiju Bawra. His other hits included films like Shahjahan, Dard, Dillagi, Dulari, Anokhi Ada, Barsaat and Andaaz. He composed music for 67 films during his career, and completed Pakeezah (1972) after Ghulam Mohammed's death.

Lata Mangeshkar, India's greatest playback singer -- whom Naushad gave an opportunity to sing in the early days -- once remarked that the music he composed for Baiju Bawra had surprised her. "It was entirely different from what he had done before. Different ragas were used for different situations and the purity of the ragas was maintained to the maximum possible extent," she had said.

Besides Lata, Naushad was also instrumental in introducing Mohammed Rafi to Hindi film music. He also utilised the services of distinguished classical vocalists like Amir Khan and D V Paluskar in Baiju Bawra (1952) and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in Mughal-e-Azam (1960) to telling effect.

He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Aware in 1981 for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.

Naushad was the first to combine the flute and clarinet, sitar and mandolin. He was also one of the first to introduce song mixing and separate recording of voice and music in playback singing. It was a reversal of fortunes for the legend with the advent of the 1960s and the decline of Dilip Kumar. He used to compose music for most of the thespian's films.

The 86-year old's last composition was for the recently-released Taj Mahal - An Eternal Love Story, directed by Akbar Khan.

Bollywood salutes Naushad

May 05, 2006 15:38 IST

Remembering Naushad, Lata Mangeshkar said that he would experiment a lot with his music in his films and not only gave new faces a chance but also helped shape their careers.

"Naushad launched Uma Devi with the hit Afsana likh rahi hoon and later advised her to make a career in films, re-christening her as Tuntun. She went on to become very popular as a comedy artist," Mangeshkar said, adding that even though he predominantly used classical music in his films, the compositions were relatively simple so the common man could understand and enjoy them.

Naushad: Tuntun made people laugh all the time

Music composer Uttam Singh said that, with Naushad's death, the curtains have come down on a generation of classical music in the film industry. "He was an institution. His last work in Akbar Khan's Taj Mahal is a hit," he said, adding that the composer's death was a personal loss to him.

Noted actress of yesteryears, Saira Banu, said her husband Dilip Kumar and she shared a lovely friendship with Naushad. "We were expecting to take him to Pakistan where two of his films, Taj Mahal and Mughal-e-Azam are being released," she said.

Director Mahesh Bhatt said Naushad was a "symbol of secular India, a man who really lived out what the composite culture was all about in his daily life. His music has a resonance of that culture."

He added, "When he composed bhajans, it seemed he was a devout Hindu. He had the depth of India and her great civilisation really ran through his veins." He recollected that Naushad was heartbroken when the secular fabric of the nation was torn apart during communal riots. He was also saddened when the quality of Indian music deteriorated due to mindless imitation of the West. Apparently, he used to say that "we must change with the times, but not lose touch with our roots."

PM condoles Naushad's demise

May 05, 2006 16:04 IST

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today condoled the death of veteran music composer Naushad Ali, saying, "An era of melody and virtuosity has come to an end."

Say farewell to Naushad

"Despite being an uncompromising stickler for the grammar of classical music, Naushad also had an amazing grasp of the popular mood," Singh said. "As a pioneer of various musical trends and mentor of numerous prodigies, Naushad has virtually shaped the broad contours of film music in the country," he added, saying that generations of music lovers would continue to enjoy his soulful and haunting melodies for years to come.

'Khuda unhe jannnat bakshe'

Patcy N | May 05, 2006 16:31 IST

On the sad occasion of Naushad's death, music composer Ravi (Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Gumraah and Waqt) looks back at the past.

Naushad was like a big brother to me. When I was young, I would listen to his songs from Ratan, Anmol Ghadi and Sharda and sing along. I was a big fan of his.

Once, while I was chatting with [actress] Suraiya, I told her what a big Naushad fan I was. I even sang some of his songs. He was standing right behind me, and heard me singing. He was shocked to learn that I knew almost all his songs.

Say farewell to Naushad

He inspired me in some of my compositions, especially for the film Chaudhvin Ka Chand. He would appreciate others' music too. Whenever I would meet him, he would talk about my songs and appreciate them. I remember we had gone for [lyricist] Hasrat Jaipuri's daughter's wedding. There, they were playing Babul ki duwayen leti jaa from Neel Kamal. Naushad was touched by it and told me it was brilliant.

I always kept in touch with Naushad. I would call him every Eid and wish him. He would tell me I was the only person who would wish him every year without fail, and asked me how I always remembered. My reply would be same: Aap ko kaun bhool sakta hai, aap toh yaad rakhne waali cheez nahi. (How can anyone forget you? You are unforgettable.)

The best thing about his compositions was it had elements of Indian classical music. It was not like today's music. My favourite song was Akhiyan mila ke, jiya bharma ke, chale nahi jaa naa from Ratan .

Naushad was a pillar of Indian music in cinema. Khuda unhe jannnat bakshe (May he go to heaven).

How a great voice was stilled

Talat Mehmood. Click for bigger pic!
Talat Mehmood, of the rich and mellow voice, had a fan following that was more musically aware than those of his contemporaries. Born in Lucknow, his father was a good singer as were his sisters. But coming from a conservative Muslim background, singing was not encouraged. Talat had to choose between a career in acting and singing and staying at home. He opted for the former, though the family accepted the fact only about a decade later when the industry gained respectability. After a three-year course in music, he came to Bombay and did some broadcasting before composer Anil Biswas gave him his first break. Talat acted in a few films, but preferred singing. And when singers arrived who shifted easily between bass and soprano, he could not keep up -- his voice didn't allow it. He sang few songs after that. Naushad Ali, the legendary composer, was very close to him. Talat and he came upon the new kind of music together. While Naushad adjusted to the new realities, he admits Talat had his problems. Still, this was also the time Talat began battling with Parkinson's disease. He couldn't sing any more and his career came to a standstill. Naushad remembers Talat the legend and recalls how that rich voice was silenced.
Talat Mehmood with Suraiya. Click for bigger pic!
The only way to describe Talatsaab is to say that he had a silky voice. I have always said this to everybody who asked me. His voice never suited loud songs, songs that demanded a high-pitched voice. Shouting or screaming didn't suit him and so he avoided those kinds of songs too. He only sang soft, romantic, lyrical, ghazals. His nature was a quiet one. He was a decent man and his voice reflected that decency and sense of calm. When you listen to him, you get the feeling he's a soft-hearted man. Because one's character reflects one's art too. He lived in Lucknow and brought the culture of that place with him. He accorded the same respect to everybody and left a lasting impression. He always smiled, never speaking loudly. I never heard him say anything bad about others. Whenever I went to see him while he was sick, he always welcomed me with a smile on his face. He must have been laughing at the last moment too, I'm sure. He was a legend in the industry. He acted in many films but stopped because it didn't really suit his temperament. We also made films from my production house, Uran Khatola, Babul and Malik, the last with Suraiya. But he really didn't like acting much. Legends like him aren't born everyday and when they do their place can't be filled by anybody. Like K L Saigal, Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh... Nobody can fill their places. Where ghazals were concerned, Talat had the same stature as Begum Akhtar. Naushad. Click for bigger pic!
In Calcutta, he acted in a few films and sang in Bengali too. But he sang just one ghazal and was an instant hit in Bombay. And throughout his career, though he sang many film songs, he was more famous for his ghazals. For my film Babul I made him do the playback for all the songs sung by Dilip Kumar. Talat may not have got the same respect for the film that I did, but I definitely benefited from his singing. I was working in Kardar Productions in the fifties and Talatsaab had come to meet director Nitin Bose's assistant at whose home he was staying. That is where I met him first. He met Anil Biswas first when he came down from Calcutta. I was making a film Palkhi and I thought of asking Talatsaab to sing a song. The song was recorded and picturised. My partner, the director, who died before the film was complete. Another director came in and demanded that the song should be sung by Rafi and not Talat. I told him the song was already picturised, but he wouldn't listen saying Rajendra Kumar, the hero, wanted Rafi to sing for him. Talatsaab was very angry with me. He felt humiliated. I explained what had happened, telling him I was under a contract and didn't have any say in the matter. It happened again with another film, Aadmi. There was a song involving Dilip Kumar and Manoj Kumar, and I asked Talat to sing for Manoj. This film was almost finished when the producer told me that Manoj Kumar wanted Mahendra Kapoor to sing for him. Again, I explained to Talatsaab, but this time he smiled and hugged me saying that it didn't matter anymore. Talat Mehmood. Click for bigger pic!
His voice didn't suit the new songs of the time, loud, harsh and demanding a great deal of shouting. Which may be why the heroes didn't like him singing for them. His voice had transparency, it was silky. It was not that he didn't want to sing the new kind of song. He was successful in the sense that he won't be forgotten. His songs have a audience and they will keep his memory alive. Because of his disease, he couldn't sing. He wasn't well those days. Still he was okay with me and understood the situation. After a few months, HMV wanted me to cut a private album and I thought that I should ask Talatsaab to sing the songs. Unfortunately, he began falling ill often and we couldn't do it together. His voice became more unsteady as Parkinson's disease advanced. And he couldn't sit straight or talk clearly. He stopped singing and avoided stage shows. He slowly found it difficult to say anything. He became very dejected and stopped going anywhere. He would remain in his house the whole day. He got trapped in his dejection, his sadness. That worsened his health and he kept going down. But he never showed it. He would be smiling. People knew he was heart-broken, but they respected his silence on the subject. He had a good character and, despite being in this line, was never involved in any scandals. His daughter and son were very respectful to him. His conservative parents had objected to him becoming a singer though they also were musical people. Things only began improving when people from respectable families started joining the industry. He didn't discourage his son from singing either.

Financially, he was well situated, though not rich. He signed a deal for his building with the Rahejas and invested the money wisely. Still, people go away, but memories remain. And I believe that they are never forgotten though the image might fade away. I will end by saying: "Sunne wale, meri awaaz to suni, dil bhi toota hai mera, uski bhi jhankar suni."

Dinesh Raheja Director Mehboob Khan, who fashioned thought-provoking classics like Mother India, Andaaz and Roti, also helmed the blockbuster love story Anmol Ghadi, in the 1940s. This sometimes maudlin musical is hugely famous for some immortal, gilded era songs tuned by Naushad and vocalised by its three singing stars --- Surendra, Noorjehan and Suraiya --- but like a true Mehboob movie, the film also has its share of deep emotions and some interesting semiotics. In what is among her last hits in India, singer-actress Noorjehan plays Lata (rather piquantly named considering Lata Mangeshkar was to be her successor in years to come). Lata and Chander (Surendra) have been in love with each other since childhood but were estranged when she moved to Mumbai. A grown-up Chander still ardently treasures her pocket watch. CREDITS Producer Director Music Director Stars Mehboob Khan Mehboob Khan Naushad Surendra, Noorjehan, Suraiya The not-so-well-to-do Chander's benevolent rich friend Prakash (Zahur Raja) insists on taking Chander and his mother to Mumbai. As Prakash sets up a music shop for Chander, we get to glimpse some nostalgic shots of Marine Drive [in South Mumbai] in the 1940s. Quaintly, Mehboob refrains from having his hero and heroine speak to each other till a considerable part of the film has elapsed. In Mumbai, Chander and Lata do momentarily bump into each other at a park and feel the old electricity; but Lata's boisterous buddy Basanti (Suraiya) strikes up an acquaintance with Chander when she goes to have her sitar repaired at his shop. Basanti tries to flirt with Chander in vain. Gorgeous songs tumble over each other in the narrative as we are told that Lata by now has become a famous author under the nom de plume Renu. After reading her fan mail (with her eyes barely skimming the letter), Basanti ignores Lata's badnaami hogi admonishments and decides to meet up an interesting fan in the park. Of course, it is Chander. While replying to Basanti's questions, he gets flustered and drops his beloved watch. Basanti happily picks it up and shows it to Lata who recognises it instantly and warns Basanti: "Bhooli hui cheez ko nishani nahin kehte." Deliriously happy (and a little dismissive about Basanti: "Bhool jaogi thode dino ke baad," she says), Lata writes to Chander now and the two finally meet. But they still have to duel with the dual exigencies of class differences and the pull of friendship. Not only is Basanti heartbroken but Lata is also to be engaged to (who else but) Prakash! The film's title is a clever play of words. The pocket watch (ghadi) can be seen as a symbolic embodiment of all the moments (also ghadi) which Chander and Lata spent together. The way Chander treasures the watch suggests that he keeps those moments close to his heart. More Classics Namak Haram Amar Prem Kabhi Kabhie Do Aankhen Barah Haath Seema Naya Daur Sholay Waqt Kagaz Ke Phool Saraswatichandra MORE

Construed further, Chander's dropping the watch when he meets the attractive Basanti could also indicate a momentary lapse besides serving as a plot device. But the power of the emotions triumphs as Basanti returns the watch to a frantic Chander. Anmol Ghadi interestingly deals with the psychological fall out of the rich-poor chasm. In one scene Chander even sarcastically argues with and slaps his benign friend Prakash. When he says, "Aakhir ek gareeb ka haath ek ameer pe uth hi gaya," his anger at the affluence which separates him from his love is almost palpable. Besides the main love story, the film derives some of its throb from the dynamics between Noorjehan and Suraiya's characters. There's an interesting scene where Basanti accuses Lata of having hidden her love story with Chander from her so that she could test whether Chander continues to love her despite Basanti trying to win him. Lata looks stricken --- perhaps because there is an element of truth in it. The film also captures Mehboob Khan's (who incidentally had the hammer and sickle as his logo) growing fascination for the lifestyles of the rich --- which was to reach its acme three years later in Andaaz with Nargis's baroque mansion and talk of clubs, riding and butlers. Even here, three of the four main characters are rich and Basanti's bedroom is particularly plush. The film is a product of its time and after today's camera ecstatic times, it feels a bit odd to see a static camera for entire song stanzas. The acting is a little dated. Surendra with his bushy eyebrows suits the role. Noorjehan's biggest advantages are those sparkling, alive eyes and, of course, that lovely, expressive singing voice. True to her name Basanti, Suraiya wafts through the film like a rejuvenating spring breeze. She is achingly young and full of beans. Noorjehan describes her in a together scene: "Bharpur jawani aur usspar mohabbat ki halki halki chaashni." Sidelights
*Surendra and Mehboob started with their Saagar Studio days of the 1930s, when he starred in Mehboob hits like Jagirdar. Even after Anmol Ghadi, they did Elaan and Anokhi Ada together. They could not repeat Anmol Ghadi's success.

Famous songs from Anmol Ghadi
Song	Singers
Awaaz de kahan hai	Noorjehan, Surendra
Aaja meri barbaad mohabbat	Noorjehan
Jawan hai mohabbat	Noorjehan
Mere bachpan ke saathi	Noorjehan
Kya mil gaya bhagwan	Noorjehan
Kyon yaad aa rahe hai	Surendra
Ab kaun hai mera	Surendra
Tera khilona toota	Mohammed Rafi
Udan khatole pe	Zohrabai, Shamshad
Main dil mein dard basa layi	Suraiya
Man leta hai angdai	Suraiya
Socha tha kya kya ho gaya	Suraiya

Noorjehan was already a star and the success of Anmol Ghadi and its songs elevated her to the top. After Independence and Partition, she migrated to Pakistan. When she returned for a visit in 1982, she was greeted warmly by the film fraternity. For teenager Suraiya Anmol Ghadi was her first major hit. Strangely, she never worked with Mehboob Khan again. Music
*A R Kardar who was related to Mehboob (the two top directors were married to two sisters) suggested that he work with music director Naushad with whom the former had already been associated. *It proved another fruitful teaming up for Mehboob after the Anil Biswas connection in his Jagirdar-Aurat-Roti days.

*For Naushad, this memorable score was his forties' crowning glory which came soon on the heels of Rattan (1944) and Shahjehan (1946) lyricist Tanvir Naqvi also came up with some evocative lines like "Chalne ko ab falak pe Taron ka caravan hai'.

Naushad sets PM's verse to song

Syed Firdaus Ashraf in Bombay Yesteryear music composer Naushad has set Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's verse to song. "We have recorded one song, Unki yaad kare, four days ago. Hariharan has sung it; there are 40 chorus singers," says the legendary composer to rediff.com. The poem, Unki yaad kare, is dedicated to those who have lost their lives defending the country's border. "We want to highlight this other facet of Vajpayeeji. He is a good poet and we want to broadcast this to Indians," Naushad said. The song is being produced by Keshav Communications. They had approached Naushad after the Prime Minister gave them the go-ahead. Admits Naushad, "They (Keshav Communications) had approached me eight to ten months ago." Earlier, Padmaja Phenani Joglekar had released a music album on Meri Kavita, written by the Prime Minister. Naushad, however, admits he hasn't met Vajpayeeji after he composed the song: "There's too much security around Breach Candy hospital. Besides, we cannot play the song on a tape recorder at the hospital." "Keshav Communications plans to picturise the song and it will be telecast on August 15.

Asked whether Vajpayee was aware that he was composing music for his poem, he says, "Yes, he knows I'm composing the music for him. After all, Keshav Communications had his before approaching me."

Originally posted by: Qwest

Naushad sets PM's verse to song

Thanx qwest. did not knw abt this one.

Oh my God! This is such a shocking news! (Inna-li-llahay wa inna ilai-hay raajay'oon).

Naushad sahab's name will be immortal not only in India but in the whole world for his wonderful work. May Allah provides him Jannat.