RMIM Archive Article "95".
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: Majrooh Sultanpuri - Immortal Melodies - part 1
#
# Posted by: Satish Subramanian (subraman@cs.umn.edu)
# Source: Illustrated Weekly of India
# Author: Zaka Siddiqi
#
Hi all!
Here is the first part of the promised article on Majrooh.
This extract from the article on Majrooh gives more info on his
life, his career and his achievements. The original piece, from
which this article has been taken, had a lot about his non-film
literary accomplishments, but I will save that for another day.
This will suffice for now I hope.
Also I mentioned earlier that there were many reasons for the
split between Majrooh and Naushad, after the megahits of
Shahjahan and Andaaz. One of the reasons was that there was an
arrest warrant out on Majrooh's name! Read on for more info...
--
bye
satish
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Majrooh Sultanpuri
'Immortal Melodies'
by
Zaka Siddiqi
Illustrated Weekly of India '91
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The year was 1945. Important poets from all over India had
assembled for a mushaira at Bombay's Saboo Siddik Institute
ground.
The poets included Jigar Moradabadi who, as was his custom,
had travelled with one of his protege -- this time it was
with a young and unknown poet, unknown at least in Bombay.
Saghar Nizami was conducting the proceedings. Nizami was
not only a good poet but also very popular as a compere. But
unexpected things happen even in the most organised func-
tions. So, in spite of his efforts, Nizami was not able to
enliven the insipid and dull mushaira and the audience
jeered and booed irrespective of the stature of the poet re-
citing.
Organisers, including the illustrious Syed Shihabuddin
Desnavi, watched helplessly. At that moment, Sizami invited
the young Jigar protege to recite his ghazal and introduced
him as Majrooh Sultanpuri. As the young poet walked up to
the microphone, he appeared to be calm in spite of the al-
most hostile vibes radiating from the audience. With his
black sherwani buttoned up to the throat, snow-white, full-
width Lucknowi pajama, fair complexion, and handsome counte-
nance, he had a definite presence and commanded attention.
Without a preamble he started reciting the now famous gha-
zal:
"Shab-e-Intezaar kashmakash mein na poochh kaise sahar hui
kabhi ek charagh bujhaa diya, kabhi ek charagh jalaa diya"
(Oh, how suspenseful it was, In the night of waiting.
Hardly would I dowse the light when I would again light
a lamp, until it was morning)
The sonorous kharaj, the cultured, modulated voice and,
above all, the obvious beauty of craft and thought-content
of the ghazal itself caught the audience unawares. As if a
huge hand suddenly hushed up their booing and jeering. From
that moment on it was Majrooh Sultanpuri's day. There among
the audience was A.R. Kardar, the famous motion picture pro-
ducer and director. He was so impressed that he invited the
young poet to see him after the mushaira.
This was how Majrooh was signed for the unforgettable Kardar
film, Shahjahan. Naushad set his lyrics to tune and K.L.
Saigal sang them:
1. "gham diye mustaqil, kita nazuk hai dil,
yeh na jana, hai, hai yeh zaalim zamana"
2. "jab dil hi TooT gaya, jab dil hi TooT gaya
ham jeeke kya karenge, jab dil hi TooT gaya"
3. "kar leejiye chale kar meri jannat ke nazare"
Sultanpuri penned eight out of ten Iyrics for "Shahjahan",
and all of them became super hits. But before he could
react to the large-scale, appeal created by these lines, he
fell ill. The harsh Bombay climate made him leave the city
and return to his hometown in the North.
It was now 1947. The film industry remained idle for six
months in the aftermath of the partition. However, as some
semblance of sanity and peace returned to the nation, the
film industry also started taking stock of its affairs. Sul-
tanpuri came back to Bombay and, on the recommendation of
Naushad, was contacted by director Mehboob Khan for the
Dilip Kumar-Nargis-Raj Kapoor starrer, "Andaz". The great
director, in his uninhibited Bambayya Urdu, told him: "Mere
ko tere 'Shahjahan ' ke mafik geet maangta."
The Iyrics of "Andaz" are now history. But, again, Sultan-
puri failed to cash in on this hit film. - For, by this time
his political activities as a communist and his literary
pursuits as a - member of the Progressive Writers Associa-
tion (PWA) had convinced the Morarji Desai government that
this was one writer to be taken care of. An arrest warrant
was issued.
Sultanpuri went underground and remained so for about a
year. But, eventually, he could not resist participating in
a function protesting the arrest of Sajjad Zahir for his
alleged involvement in the so called Rawalpindi conspiracy.
Sultanpuri recited a few of his fiery ghazals and, while
coming down from the dias, was apprehended by the police.
He spent an year in jail in Byculla!
[part 2 to follow]
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--
bye
satish
"Majrooh" means wounded/hurt/smitten. :(
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From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian