#503

       Song:   mujhe dekho hasrat ki tasveer huun main
               jo ban ban ke bigdi vo taqdeer huun main

       Film:   Baaz (1953)
       Singer: Talat Mahmood
       Music:  O P Nayyar
       Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
       *ing:   Guru Dutt, Geeta Dutt

Largely, I guess, due to the musical style he popularized during hispeak years,
a good portion of OPN's glorious early creations have slipped, or are slipping,
into oblivion. Soundtrack scores like Aasmaan (his debut), Baaz, etc. are
largely forgotten (although not on RMIM, god bless it) by most people. Which is
very unfortunate, because some of the most soulful melodies from the early days
of the golden era owe their creation to him - songs like "dekho jaadu bhare more
nain", "piya aa na sake more nainan men", "is bevafaa jahaan men", etc.

HMV has done their part in keeping these alive, by adding them to various
compilations and anthologies. This song is one of those, from a movie that is
one black spot in Guru Dutt's oeuvre. Baaz, a period piece set in 16th century
India, and Guru Dutt's debut as an actor, got decimated at the box office. But
its songscape carried some memorabletunes by Geeta Dutt, a Rafi track and this
gorgeous melody by Talat, the only time that he ever lent his voice to Guru
Dutt. The song is nestled warmly in a soulful violin ensemble, and Talat's is
the only voice I can imagine this song rendered in, bringing out the
hopelessness and sadness evocatively with his caressing rendition.

Incidentally, because of the film's dismal failure, Guru Dutt was unable to pay
OPN for his score and the still-fledgling composer from Patiala had to settle
for nothing more than a promise from Guru Dutt that he would also get the
contract for Dutt's next movie. That movie, of course, made up for the fiscal
deficit, and more - it proved to be a seminal movie in Guru Dutt's career, and
one of the most enduring films in Hindi cinema - Aar Paar.
 

..Hrishi
 

Audio clip:     503.rm