#398

        Song:   hotaa rahaa yuun hi agar anjaam wafaa ka
                legaa na zamaane mein koii naam wafaa ka

        Film:   Malhaar (1951)
        Singer: Mukesh
        Music:  Roshan
        Lyrics: Indeewar
        *ing:   Shammi, Arjun

Judging by the volume of mail in my Inbox over the last two  days
with  the  subject  line  reading  "Re:  Abhi  To  Main Jawan Hun
(#397)", and the content ranging from stymied perplexity to  mock
horror  (not  to  mention  stark indignation from the Madan Mohan
camp), my Madan Mohan/Roshan foul-up in the last ATMJH  seems  to
notch  somewhere  between  grand  theft  auto  and  first  degree
homicide in terms of condonability :-) Oh well, serves  me  right
for my unchecked aspersions, I guess.

Nevertheless, due apologies having been  paid  to  Madan  Mohan's
soul,  I  shall  continue  with the tribute to Roshan. Here is an
early song from a pair that created  musical  magic  around  this
time. "Malhaar" is a veritable goldmine of Roshan-Mukesh strains,
each unique and unforgettable in it's own way. This is one of  my
two favorite Mukesh solos in the movie (alongwith "dil tujhe diya
thha rakhne ko..") ; it is a shade different from Roshan's  usual
style  for  composing sad songs (the slow-paced intricate musical
patterns that one sees in songs like "ek jhuuti  si  tasalli  woh
mujhe.."). This song actually has a fairly brisk gait and kind of
a well-defined, straight-line tune. Mukesh's early  voice  sounds
wonderful as always.

Was "Malhaar" Mukesh's home production ? And also the only  movie
he ever acted in ?


Guest Author: Hrishi Dixit