#360

        Song:   Badnaam mohabbat kaun karey
                Aur ishq ko rusvaa kaun karey
                Jab de diyaa dil hi haathon mein
                Phir aap se shikwaa kaun karey

        Film:   Dost (1944)
        Singer: Noor Jehan
        Music:  Sajjad Hussain
        Lyrics: Shums Lucknowi
        *ing:   Noor Jehan, ?

(quote)
Sajjad's rather chequered  career  began  in  1944  with  Shaukar
Husain Rizvi's favoured over those of Bux -- indeed, his "Badnaam
mohabbat kaun kare, dil ko ruswa kaun kare",  rendered  by  Noor-
jehan,  is  remembered to this day by connoisseurs. 
(unquote)
Gleaned  this  from  the   RMIM  Article   archive -   from Radha
Rajadhyaksha's well-penned tribute to Sajjad on his death.

So if the song is remembered to this day, there's a reason-  this
tune is refreshingly different from the sad-tune norm in the 40s.
It  actually  sounds  flippant  at  times  (especially   in   the
'Badnaam'),  though  the  'kaun kare' reaffirms the mood with its
tangible strains of melancholy. And even this early, the telltale
signs   of   a  Sajjad  tune  are  there,  predominantly  in  the
unmistakable beat (which I still have not been able  to  describe
successfully) and the abrupt vocals.

I think this melody grows on you (atleast it did on me) ; it's an
acquired  taste,  like  celery  without  dip.  One thing that did
capture my attention right in the first listening was the tune of
the  antaraas, and the way they gel with the mukhdaas- here's the
first :

        Aankhon mein samaaye jab tum ho
        Aur dil mein samaaye jab tum ho
        Ab tum hi bataa do aa ke zaraa
        Duniya ki tamanna kaun karey

It's got a charming 'coming home' kind of feel - the tune  wavers
over  into  some high notes with 'Aankhon mein samaaye..' and, as
if suddenly realizing it's strayed too  far,  scrambles  back  to
home  base with 'Aur dil mein...', manipulating some dainty vocal
gymnastics on the way back. The last two lines are  in  the  same
tune  as  'jab  de  diyaa... kaun karey' in the mukhdaa, IMO, the
sweetest tuned lines in the song.

And since my gibberish-threshold for the day has been reached,  I
shall say no more.




Guest Author: Hrishi Dixit