RMIM Archive Article "378".
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: Salil interview - part 3
#
# Posted by: Chandrashekhar (shekhar@emirates.net.ae)
# Source: Khaleej Times
# Author: Chandrashekhar (shekhar@emirates.net.ae)
#
(concluding the 3-parter on maestro Salil Choudhury)
When asked to choose his ten best compositions, Salil didn't seem to
have to think long before drawing up a list. Yet his fans may have
their own lists! Anyway, here it is - and mind you, they are in random
order:
1. Aaja ri aa nindiya ("Do Bigha Zameen")
2. Mausam beeta jae ("Do Bigha Zameen")
3. Aha rhim jhim ke ye pyare pyare ("Usne Kaha Tha")
4. Itna na mujhse tu pyar badha ("Chhaya")
5. Raat ne kya kya khwab dikhae ("Ek Gaon Ki Kahani")
6. Saathire...tujh bin jiya udaas re ("Poonam Ki Raat")
7. Aaja re pardesi ("Madhumati")
8. Bichhua ("Madhumati")
9. Koi hota jisko apna ("Mere Apne")
10. Kahin door jab din dhal jae ("Anand")
THE SALIL FILMOGRAPHY
RMIMers, please note that this is a list of Salil's Hindi films
only. 'BGM' refers to films (usually songless) for which Salil scored
only the background music. I hope that the list is complete but am
open to correction/addition.
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1953 Do Bigha Zameen (also written)
1954 Naukri
Biraj Bahu
1955 Amaanat
Tangewali
1956 Aawaaz
Jaagte Raho
Parivaar
1957 Apradhi Kaun
Ek Gaon Ki Kahani
Zamana
Musafir
Lal Batti
1958 Madhumati
1960 Usne Kaha Tha
Kanoon (BGM)
Jawaahar
Parakh
Honeymoon
1961 Char Diwari
Chhaya
Kabuliwala
Maya
Mem Didi
Sapan Suhane
1962 Half Ticket
Jhoola
Prem Patra
1963 Chand Aur Suraj
Poonam Ki Raat
1966 Netaji Subhashchandra Bose
Pinjre Ke Panchi (also directed)
1969 Ittefaq (BGM)
Sara Aakash
1970 Anand
1971 Gehra Raaz (Salil scored two songs, and Raj Ravinder the other two)
Mere Apne
1972 Annadata
Anokha Daan
Anokha Milan
Mere Bhaiyya
Subse Bada Sukh
1974 Rajnigandha
1975 Chhotisi Baat
Sangat
1976 Jeevan Jyoti
Mrigyaa
Udanchoo
1977 Minoo
1979 Jeena Yahan
1980 Chemmeen Lehren
Chiruthaa (BGM)
Naani Maa
Room No. 203
Anand Mahal (unreleased)
1981 Agni Pareeksha
Plot No. 5
1982 Dil Ka Saathi Dil
1984 Kanoon Kya Karega
1988 Trishagni
1989 Aakhri Badla
Kamala Ki Maut (BGM)
1990 Triyatri
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At the time of speaking to him (October 1992) he had plans to compose
the music for a tele-serial on Buddha being produced by Phani
Mazumdar, and for Basu Chatterji's new film, which was to have been
another light romantic comedy on the lines of "Rajnigandha" and
"Chhotisi Baat".
Some other snippets from the interview which were considered being of
too 'specialized trivia' interest to newspaper readers:
Salil acknowledged that Zindagi hai kya, sun meri jaan, from "Maya"
was based on Chaplin's "Limelight" theme. I asked him whether Hame
yaad kabhi tum kar lena from "Anokha Daan" was a revamp of "Chhaya"'s
"Itna na mujhse" (it certainly sounds that way) but he didn't agree.
Marzi hai tumhari, from "Mere Bhaiyya" has some extraordinarily
intricate harmonium pieces, and I asked him who the player
was. Apparently the hired harmonium player could not produce the
required result, so Salil himself played it!
Salil's wife Sabitha was the one who remembered that it was an obscure
singer from IPTA named Shaila Belle who provided the female voice at
the end of "Chhota sa ghar hoga" from "Naukri", and not Usha
Mangeshkar as HMV would have us believe. Sabitha ruefully said that
her 'anatara' of Champavati tu aaja ("Annadata") appeared only in the
film, but was axed in most issued record versions. Her favourite among
her own songs was Chaand kabhi tha bahon mein, from "Sapan Suhane".
Salil filled in the information that it was Nirmalendu Choudhury who
sang "Biraj Bahu"'s Maajhi re. He spoke at some length about singer
Dwijen Mukherji, who died in poverty. The subject cropped up when I
asked him a question about Dwijen's duet with Lata in "Maya" - Phir ek
baar kaho - which is so tortuous in its melody that it almost appears
discordant.
I asked him about "Mem Didi", and the beautiful alternating melodies
of Lata with a chorus in "Bachpan o bachpan". Sadly, he couldn't
recollect anything about "Mem Didi", except that one song had a dog's
bark in it!
Salil had kept himself busy by running a fully equipped professional
recording studio in Calcutta, in addition to doing some hand-picked
assignments for films. He was keen to perform in Dubai. I told him
Lata Mangeshkar had a concert scheduled later that year, and he
exclaimed. "Not now, then! The effect of her show will last a long
time. Perhaps after six months or so". Sadly, it didn't work out,
because his plan was to form a very small band essentially consisting
only of his wife Sabitha, his daughter Anatara and himself, with all
three singing to pre-recorded music, karaoke style. Promoters were not
interested, and later, on his request, I got the Bengali Association
president to get in touch with him. As far as I know, the Bengali
programme didn't work out either. Last year, sitarist Jairam Acharya
who was in Dubai on a private visit, played glowing tribute to the
maestro. Acharya was the man who played the classic introductory sitar
piece in "Parakh"'s "O sajna, barkha bahar aayi".
Well, that's it, RMIMers. Salil is no more, but his legacy is unique -
listen to not just the evergreen numbers, but try to discover his rare
ones. "Prem Patra" is my personal favourite.
Regards, Shekhar
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From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian