RMIM Archive Article "55".
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: Lata & Noorjehan - Parallel Lines Meet
# Part 2 - The Grand Migration
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# Posted by: vishk@cup.hp.com (Vish Krishnan)
# Author: vishk@cup.hp.com (Vish Krishnan)
#
Lata and Noor Jehan - Parallel Lines Meet
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Part 2 - The Grand Migration
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It was now 1943, and business was booming between Bombay and
Lahore. The give-and-take had been going on for a long time, and
one man who knew the Bombay-Lahore connection really well was
V.M. Vyas. Universally acknowledged today as the father of the
Gujarati film industry, Vishnukumar Maganlal Vyas was not even 20
years old in 1922-23, when he started freelancing his scripts to
moviemakers in the 2 big cities. His own first directorial break
arrived in 1930, and by 1943, he was well established. Now was
the time to try something totally radical.
Following the great success of Panchholi movies like KHAZANCHI,
ZAMINDAR and Noorjehan's KHAANDAAN, V.M. Vyas decided that it
was high time Noorjehan made a movie in Bombay cinema. He was
ready to bring the star to Bombay. To this day, Vyas seems an
unlikely candidate for this pioneering act. But he was ready
with his script for DUHAAI at Sunrise Pictures, and moreover,
Noorjehan was ready to make the move. Shanta Apte, the famous
actress-singer of the pre-playback age, starred with Noorjehan
and opposite leading man Kumar (anyone remember the "Sang-
taraash" from MUGHAL-E-AZAM and the song "Zindabaad, Zinda-
baad"?).
DUHAAI became Noorjehan's first Bombay movie, and a hit at that.
It is an interesting aside that V.M. Vyas thought about doing a
movie called NOORJEHAN, some time in the early '50s. The script
was started, Madhubala was slated to play the role and Chitalkar
agreed to do the music. The project never got off the ground.
Veteran Vyas is still alive as I write these lines, a grand
nonagenarian among a handful of people still around from those
times. I wonder what he thinks about the NOORJEHAN opportunity
now. Of course, the movie was to be about a Mughal legend, not
about our melody queen - although it can be, now!
Close on the heels of DUHAAI, Sunrise Pictures delivered NAUKAR,
yet another Noorjehan hit with a different flavour. It was a
tragic theme based on a story by Sadat Hasan Manto, a famour Urdu
novelist of that time. The movie also starred Shobhana Samarth,
Chandramohan and Yakub. And it was the first directorial break
for Shauqat Hussain in the Bombay context. It would not be his
last.
NAUKAR and DUHAAI had one more thing in common. Their music was
done by Rafique Ghaznavi, a man who (one might suggest) was
rediscovered in NAJMA, the first ever Mehboob studio movie. He
would also do the music for TAQDEER, the second movie under the
Mehboob banner. But his biggest claim to fame was the deep,
resonating voice with which he rendered the lines
Muddai Laakh Buraa Chaahe To Kya Hota Hai
Wohi Hota Hai Jo Manzoor-E-Khuda Hota Hai
Every Mehboob production started with those lines (credited to
Agha Hashr Kashmiri, a Farsee-Arabic-Urdu scholar from the the
turn of the century whose Shakespeare translations into Urdu have
become legendary). With that, Rafique Ghaznavi has attained im-
mortality.
The Bombay of 1943 did one more thing for Noorjehan. It brought
her in touch with one of her most ardent devotees of all times,
music director Datta Koregaonkar. The Zia Sarhadi-directed
movie NADAAN was made at Jyoti studio, and it featured Noorjehan
and Masood. It is K Datta's first Noorjehan movie, and the glory
of those songs can never diminish. One is led to believe that
Jyoti Studio was the place where Mehboob was introduced first-
hand to the phenomenon that was Noorjehan. He had nothing to do
with the movie, but he was a big fan of K. Datta's musical
talents. At any rate, perhaps the most famous NADAAN song was
"Ek Anokha Gham Ek Anokhi Museebat Ho Gayi", along with other
gems like "Roshni Apni Umangon Ki Mitaa Kar Chal Diye", "Dil Doon
Ke Na Doon, Baaton Pe Unka Kya Bharosa", "Ab To Nahin Duniya Mein
Kahin Apna Thikaana" and a couple more.
Noorjehan went on to create several fans from the elite set of
Bombay's music directors. The temperamental Sajjad Husain was
among them. His 1944 DOST was another Noorjehan starrer that
carried the movie based on her voice and Sajjad's music. The
DOST song
Koi Prem Ka De Ke Sandesaa, Haay Loot Gayaa
Tha Ye Naazuk Mere Dil Ka Sheesha, Haay Toot Gayaa
reminds me of some old Lata songs from the late '40s. Another
DOST song that goes "Badam Mohabbat Kaun Kare, Aur Ishq Ko Ruswa
Kaun Kare" is also available on record in standard EMI releases.
In the same year, Bombay produced LAL HAVELI, yet another Noor-
jehan movie, this time with music by Mir Saheb, a veteran of big
Minerva Movietone smashers like PUKAAR and SIKANDAR. But LAL
HAVELI also had a cameo musical appearance by C. Ramchandra.
There are quite a few songs in this movie that stars Surendra and
Noorjehan. But only the song "Aao Mere Pyaare Saanwaria" (sung
by Noorjehan) is credited to C. Ramchandra - a rare combination
there.
By the mid-40's, Master Vinayak's Prafulla Pictures had finished
its quota of Marathi productions. None of the 3 movies, CHIMUKLA
SANSAR, MAZE BAL and GAJABHAU did terribly well at the box-
office. Further, his quest for getting Lata a singing break-
through was not meeting with much success either.
Finally, music director Datta Davjekar who composed for MAZE BAL
and some other Vinayak movies would ultimately relent. The same
script-writer/director Vasant Joglekar who did KITI HASAAL was
now directing the Hindi movie AAP KI SEWA MEIN in 1945. It was
outside the Vinayak framework, but it was still Prafulla Pic-
tures.
AAP KI SEWA MEIN took more than 2 years to get released, but its
place in history was secured when Datta Davjekar announced the
successful recording of
Paa Lagoon Kar Jori Re,
Shyam Mo Se Na Khelo Hori Re
the first released Lata song for any Indian movie in any
language.
The time was 1945.
Victorious as he might have been, Master Vinayak was now in deep
financial trouble with Prafulla Pictures. Partly due to cir-
cumstances and partly because he had an eye on Hindi cinema for
his god-children, he proceeded to make what would be his first
Hindi movie. Somewhere in the deep recesses of the world beyond,
the Gods applauded this move. Master Vinayak was about to set
the stage for a great meeting.
BADI MAA is a remarkable checkpoint. Here is where for the first
time, a 16-year old Lata comes face-to-face with her own awe-
inspiring ideal in 16-year old Noorjehan. They were contem-
poraries by age, but in experience, there was a world of differ-
ence. Noorjehan had already seen the world she was to operate in
for the rest of her life. Lata on the other hand was still to be
weaned off the protective shell that was Master Vinayak.
The movie starred Noorjehan and a host of big names. At the bot-
tom of the page, two names were mentioned in fine print - ac-
tresses Lata and Asha Mangeshkar!
Once again, Datta Koregaonkar did the music, and it brought back
memories of NADAAN. One of the greatest Noorjehan songs ever
Diyaa Jalaa Kar Aap Bujhaaya
Tere Kaam Niraale, Dil Tod Ke Jaane Waale
is from here. The restrained classical structure is admirably
executed by the teenage Noorjehan. Also worth possessing are "Aa
Intezaar Hai Tera, Dil Beqaraar Hai Mera" and "Tum Hum Ko Bhula
Baithe Ho". Finally, the Dhaani- Bhimpalasi ghazal
Kisi Tarah Se Mohabbat Mein Chain Paa Na Sake
Lagi Hai Aag Jo Seene Mein, Woh Bujha Na Sake
touches heights of greatness. BADI MAA probably holds the
greatest collection of Noorjehan songs in a single movie. And
hidden among these Noorjehan gems, there is a beautiful devotion-
al song sung by Lata ("Maata Tere Charnon Mein"). The piece al-
most went unnoticed, almost more because it was sung by an almost
unknown little girl called Lata Mangeshkar on an even lesser
known 12-year old called Asha Mangeshkar.
"Maata Tere Charnon Mein" came close to making history. It was
almost the first Lata recording to be released. Datta Davjekar
just edged past it with his own AAP KI SEWA MEIN.
BADI MAA marked the beginning of a great friendship between Lata
and Noorjehan that is alive to this day. It also marked the last
time K. Datta would get to write music for Noorjehan. The man
savoured his 2 movies with real enthusiasm, and never got over
the turmoil of post-Partition India. But to be fair, we should
state that he got a fair compensation. BADI MAA introduced K.
Datta to the emerging voice of a new sensation. He lost one, and
he gained one, and then some more.
Lata and Noorjehan would never do another movie together, nor
would they ever sing together. In fact, their paths hardly
crossed for nearly the next four decades, except through that
extra-sensory mutual admiration that had a way of transcending
geographical separation. In that respect, Lata and Noorjehan
never lost touch with each other.
Noorjehan went on to complete BHAAIJAAN and VILLAGE GIRL, both in
1945. Pandit Shyam Sunder could not believe the skill with which
she sang his VILLAGE GIRL compositions like "Baithi Hoon Teri
Yaad Ka Le Kar Ke Sahaara, Aa Jao Ke Chamke Meri Kismat Ka Si-
taara" and "Kis Tarah Bhoolega Dil, Unka Khayaal Aaya Hua".
And then was ZEENAT, another big musical success for the
actress-singer. ZEENAT is credited with the first qawaali for
Hindi movies. I could not say if this right, but regardless of
the statistic, the Noorjehan-Zohrabai-Shamshad Begum trio ex-
celled in
Aanhein Na Bhareen, Shikwe Na Kiye
Kuch Bhi Na Zubaan Se Kaam Liya
and made major headlines. As popular as the qawwaali was, ZEENAT
was another collection of exquisite Noorjehan solos. The lullaby
Aa Ja Ri Nindiya, Tu Aa Kho Na Jaa
Nanhi Ki Aankhon Mein Ghul Mil Jaa
is a most gentle Piloo creation of that age. Another gem of a
song is
Aandhiyaan Gham Ki Yoon Chaln, Gaaon Ujad Ke Reh
Gayaa
Samjhe The Aasra Jise, Woh Bhi Bichhad Ke Reh
Gayaa
Noorjehan also sings "Naacho Sitaarona Naacho, Ab Chaand Nikalne
Waala Hai" and she wraps it up with the tremendous Darbari struc-
ture of
Bulbul-O Mat Ro Yahaan Aansoo Bahaanaa Hai Manaa
In Qafas Ke Qaidiyon Ko, Gul Machaana Hai Manaa
The composer was Hafiz Khan, and if I am not mistaken, he went to
score at least one other movie. Was it MERA SALAAM that had the
fabulous Asha-Talat duet "Haseen Chaand Sitaaron Ka Vaasta Aa
Ja"?
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From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian