Subject: Abhi To Main Jawan Hun (#453)
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 17:19:21 GMT

#453

        Song:    maane na maane na maane na
                 tere bin mora jiya na maane
                 aese naina bhaaye re diwaane
                 raam, haaye raam...

        Film:    Savera (1957)
        Singer:  Geeta Dutt
        Music:   Sailesh
        Lyrics:  Shailendra
        *ing:    Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari

A tribute to Geeta Dutt on her 27th death anniversary (that passed on
July 20). I'll spend the next few posts on some of her not so widely
known gems.

'Savera' probably qualifies as a desert island soundtrack for the
lesser known Sailesh Mukherjee(?). A lovely array of songs, inaugurated
by this Geeta solo.

This is a rather fast-paced, typical "mujra" song, with a flamboyant
orchestral backdrop, rich with a medley of instruments and a vibrant
beat. One of the most striking features of this tune is the way the
mukhdaa is composed: it's like a vertical, high-gradient parabola. The
first two "maane na"s are in low notes, and the third one (specifically
the "na") suddenly lofts her an entire octave higher, hovers at those
heights awhile with the second line, and then brings her sliding down
with the third and fourth (the "raam haaye raam"). Very imaginatively
composed (the "haaye raam" descent is lovely), and Geeta comes across
triumphant in the vocal gymnastics... her voice displays just the
optimal amount of (for want of a better word) elasticity to make the
rendition sound almost effortless despite the complexities in the tune.
This song is a pleasure to listen to... one of her best, I'd say.

Some other noteworthy songs in the movie include a devotional piece by
Manna Dey ("jeevan ke raaste hazaar"), a charming Lata-Manna duet
("chhupa chhupi o chhupi aagad baagad jaayi re") and the Lata solo, the
only commercially released song from this soundtrack I know - "nadiya
ke paani o re nadiya ke paani".

Strange thing is, I could only get five or six songs off the video, but
the Geet Kosh, IIRC, lists more than that for the soundtrack. More
songs lost into oblivion, dagnabit!

More Geeta to follow...
 


Guest Author: Hrishi Dixit