To all serious listeners of Hindi movie songs, Mughal-e-Azam has a special distinction. Almost all of its songs are still remembered after more than 50 years. There were 20 songs written and composed by the masterful duo of Shakeel Badayuni and Naushad, but only 12 made it to the final release. That was understandable because the length of the film was already well over 3 hours.
In this page, I would like to bring you a change of pace to another style of music which enjoyed a lot of popularity after Mughal-e-Azam (though not alone) brought it to moviegoers in India.
In this page, I would like to bring you a change of pace to another style of music which enjoyed a lot of popularity after Mughal-e-Azam (though not alone) brought it to moviegoers in India.
Naushad Ali was not only accomplished in music, but he also had a keen instinct for how the music relates to the viewers where the visual and aural media are combined. He understood sound almost like an engineer, and innovated to make the maximum impact on the viewers with his compositions. For example when Madhubala's image appeared in multiple mirrors in the dance sequence of 'Pyar kiya to darna kya', he hit upon the idea of re-recording Lata ji's voice singing the same verses several times while adjusting the mike positions for each take, and later combining all of them into the sound track to produce the powerful effect of many voices coming at the viewer from the many mirrors. Other composers would have just recorded a chorus for the occasion, but the results would not have been so dramatic.
Mughal-e-Azam was a natural stage for Naushad Ali to indulge in his love of classical Hindustani music. Akbar was a devout fan of classical music, often invited musicians to perform for the court. The most famous of those was Tansen, who is remembered for many compositions and innovations of ragas. The music of Mughal-e-Azam not only featured a heavy dose of songs based in this tradition, but also had one memorable rendition of a qawwali. The qawwali in this movie was not the first in Hindi cinema. That honour goes to Al Hilal (1958), which brought us 'Hamen to loot liya', sung by Ismael Azad Qawwal.
Qawwali has its origins in Sufi music. The famous Urdu poet, Amir Khusro (1253-1325), is credited for introducing qawwali as a poetry form. As we know it today, qawwali is distinct based on how it is rendered in front of an audience. It is based heavily on Hindustani ragas and tals (rhythm patterns), and includes passages with taan and taranas. The performances often last many hours, with phrases and notes repeated many times, usually by a chorus following the lead singer. Sometimes, it is a musical dialog between two groups. The purpose of these performances is founded in the mystic tradition of the Sufis, which uses the power of music to deliver a spiritual experience.
The Sufi tradition of singing the praise of the Almighty developed around the same time as the Bhakti movement in India (from 800 A.D. -). The Kirtan at a Hindu temple, the Gurbani in a Gurdwara, and the qawwali in Sufi shrines, all have the same philosophical basis, namely the expression of one's love for God in song and chant. The Gospel music in America is a similar development, one which has also been incorporated into pop music. The idea is as old as the Sama Veda, and has been manifested in the Gita Govinda and other works and traditions in the past. The verses are usually an expression of an unrequited love for the Supreme, the words being the medium to excite the listeners to higher and higher levels of ecstasy. In Sufi tradition, you will often find that the expression of love for God has a strong parallel to the expression of erotic love. The words typically are packed with so much meaning that it is possible to deduce more than one meaning to them.
The Sufi tradition of singing the praise of the Almighty developed around the same time as the Bhakti movement in India (from 800 A.D. -). The Kirtan at a Hindu temple, the Gurbani in a Gurdwara, and the qawwali in Sufi shrines, all have the same philosophical basis, namely the expression of one's love for God in song and chant. The Gospel music in America is a similar development, one which has also been incorporated into pop music. The idea is as old as the Sama Veda, and has been manifested in the Gita Govinda and other works and traditions in the past. The verses are usually an expression of an unrequited love for the Supreme, the words being the medium to excite the listeners to higher and higher levels of ecstasy. In Sufi tradition, you will often find that the expression of love for God has a strong parallel to the expression of erotic love. The words typically are packed with so much meaning that it is possible to deduce more than one meaning to them.
 |
| A painting of Amir Khusro Thanks to Photo source: http://www.ghumakkar.com |
Khusro is said to have been writing poetry at the age of eight. But it was not until he was in his thirties that he produced many great works. Working as a poet and historian in the courts of Jalaluddin Khilji, when he produced many ghazals that were sung regularly in the court. Incidentally, he is also known as the Father of Urdu Ghazals. In successive regimes, under Allauddin, Qutbuddin and Tughlaq, he produced many volumes of the history of India and of the reigns of these emperors in a poetry form called masnavi, sometimes writing as many as 200 couplets in a single day. The qawwali and ghazal, both grew out of the style of masnavi, being composed of couplets which have their own independent existence, but strung together to expand and improvise on the theme.
In 1960, Indian cinema saw many great examples of qawwalis brought to life on the screen. We can all remember 'Yeh ishq ishq hai' from Barsaat ki Raat, 'Sharma ke kyun sab pardanashi' from Chaudhvin ka Chand, and Mughal-e-Azam's own 'Teri mehfil me kismat'. All of these had a tremendous impact in making it a popular style. The first one in Al Hilal was recorded by a professional qawwali singer, but the other singers from Bollywood soon caught on, and they were sung by Asha, Lata, Rafi, and many others in later films. Sometimes, a professional like Jani Babu qawwal was also brought in to sing on the silver screen.
The 60's were the height of the qawwali era in Indian cinema. I remember, when I was in I.I.T. Bombay, we had a 10 p.m. bed curfew, and transportation to and from the campus was very restricted. I sometimes sneaked out earlier in the evening with a classmate after placing pillows under the blankets in my hostel room to somewhere in Ghatkopar for an all-night qawwali performance. Jani Babu, Shakeela Banu and others gave tireless performances till about 4 a.m., and we used to stand on the side of Porbandar Road to hitchhike a ride on the Aarey Milk Clony truck which was headed to deliver milk to the hostels at I.I.T. Powai. The road has had a few name changes since those days, and I believe it is now called Lal Bahadur Sastri Marg.
In Akbar's court was another dancer by the name of Bahar (played wonderfully by Nigar Sultana), who was extremely jealous of Anarkali, and vied with her to gain the favour of Prince Salim. Asif, with the help of Shakeel and Naushad, uses a qawwali performance in the court as a stage for the height of drama in telling the story. Let us look at the words of the qawwali and the meanings which make the drama so electric.
Pay particular attention to the interplay of the two very different characters, with one thing in common, their desire for Prince Salim. Bahar is the aggressive pursuer, asserting her right to the Prince and seeking fulfillment by winning his reciprocation. Anarkali is more demure, content with loving and serving if given the chance, and sacrificing her everything, even her life if need be. The pain and the longing are satisfaction enough.
In spiritual Sufi qawwali, there is generally one singer, usually male, with a chorus. Each verse gets higher and higher in praise of the Supreme, the idea being to build up to a crescendo that takes the singers, and the listeners too, to ecstasy. There is no juxtaposition of opposing thoughts or the thrust and parry of words between two singers.
In Indian cinema, the qawwali was taken to a different plane to use the same theme of ecstasy while singing about love by two opposing teams trying to one-up each other, but really in agreement about the common theme, only using different ideas to expound it (Example - listen to 'Ye ishq ishq hai' from Barsaat ki Raat). In this particular example from the pen of Shakeel, the twist is that the two singers, while wanting the same objective, are in direct competition for the prize.
The 60's were the height of the qawwali era in Indian cinema. I remember, when I was in I.I.T. Bombay, we had a 10 p.m. bed curfew, and transportation to and from the campus was very restricted. I sometimes sneaked out earlier in the evening with a classmate after placing pillows under the blankets in my hostel room to somewhere in Ghatkopar for an all-night qawwali performance. Jani Babu, Shakeela Banu and others gave tireless performances till about 4 a.m., and we used to stand on the side of Porbandar Road to hitchhike a ride on the Aarey Milk Clony truck which was headed to deliver milk to the hostels at I.I.T. Powai. The road has had a few name changes since those days, and I believe it is now called Lal Bahadur Sastri Marg.
In Akbar's court was another dancer by the name of Bahar (played wonderfully by Nigar Sultana), who was extremely jealous of Anarkali, and vied with her to gain the favour of Prince Salim. Asif, with the help of Shakeel and Naushad, uses a qawwali performance in the court as a stage for the height of drama in telling the story. Let us look at the words of the qawwali and the meanings which make the drama so electric.
 |
| The comely Nigar Sultana in the Qawwali scene, 'Teri Mehfil men kismat' |
Pay particular attention to the interplay of the two very different characters, with one thing in common, their desire for Prince Salim. Bahar is the aggressive pursuer, asserting her right to the Prince and seeking fulfillment by winning his reciprocation. Anarkali is more demure, content with loving and serving if given the chance, and sacrificing her everything, even her life if need be. The pain and the longing are satisfaction enough.
 |
| Madhubala as Anarkali, answering to the qawwali challenge of Nigar Sultana's Bahar |
In Indian cinema, the qawwali was taken to a different plane to use the same theme of ecstasy while singing about love by two opposing teams trying to one-up each other, but really in agreement about the common theme, only using different ideas to expound it (Example - listen to 'Ye ishq ishq hai' from Barsaat ki Raat). In this particular example from the pen of Shakeel, the twist is that the two singers, while wanting the same objective, are in direct competition for the prize.
Lyrics in Hindi:
बहार
तेरी महफ़िल में क़िस्मत आज़मा कर हम भी देखेंगे
घड़ी भर को तेरे नज़दीक आकर हम भी देखेंगे
अजी हाँ हम भी देखेंगे
अनारकली
तेरी महफ़िल में क़िस्मत आज़मा कर हम भी देखेंगे
तेरे क़दमों पे सर अपना झुकाकर हम भी देखेंगे
अजी हाँ हम भी देखेंगे
बहार
बहारें आज पैग़ाम-ए-मुहब्बत लेके आई हैं
बडी मुद्दत से उम्मीदों की कलियाँ मुस्कराई हैं
ग़म-ए-दिल से ज़रा दामन बचा केर हम भी देखेंगे
अजी हाँ हम भी देखेंगे
अनारकली
अगर दिल ग़म से खाली हों तो जीने का मज़ा क्या है
ना हों ख़ून-ए-जिगर तो अश्क़ पीने का मज़ा क्या है
मुहब्बत में ज़रा आँसू बहा कर हम भी देखेंगे
अजी हाँ हम भी देखेंगे
बहार
मुहब्बत करनेवालों का है बस इतना ही अफ़साना
तड़पना,चुपके चुपके आह भरना, घुटके मर जाना
किसी दिन ये तमाशा मुस्कराकर हम भी देखेंगे
तेरी महफ़िल में क़िस्मत आज़मा कर हम भी देखेंगे
अजी हाँ हम भी देखेंगे
अनारकली
मुहब्बत हम नें माना, ज़िंदगी बरबाद करती है
ये क्या कम है के मर जाने से दुनिया याद करती है
किसी के इश्क़ में दुनिया लुटाकर हम भी देखेंगे
तेरी महफ़िल में क़िस्मत आज़मा कर हम भी देखेंगे
अजी हाँ हम भी देखेंगे
In English script:
Bahar-
teri mehfil men kismat azmakar ham bhi dekhenge
ghadii bhar ko tere nazdik aa kar ham bhi dekhenge
aji haan, ham bhi dekhenge
Anarkali-
teri mehfil men kismat azmakar ham bhi dekhenge
tere qadamon pe sar apna jhukakar ham bhi dekhenge
aji haan, ham bhi dekhenge
Bahar-
bahaaren aaj paigham-e-muhabbat le ke aayi hain
badii muddat se ummidon ki kaliyaan muskarayi hain
gham-e-dil se zara daaman bachaakar ham bhi dekhenge
aji haan, ham bhi dekhenge
Anarkali-
Agar dil gham se khali ho to jeene ka mazaa kya hai
na ho khoon-e-jigar to ashq peene ka mazaa kya hai
muhabbat men zaraa aansoo bahaakar ham bhi dekhenge
aji haan, ham bhi dekhenge
Bahar-
Muhabbat karne vaalon ka bas itna hi afsana
tadapna, chup ke chup ke aah bharna, ghut ke mar jaana
kisi din ye tamasha muskarakar ham bhi dekhenge
teri mehfil men kismat azmakar ham bhi dekhenge
aji haan, ham bhi dekhenge
Anarkali-
Muhabbat, ham ne maana, zindagi barbad karti hai
ye kya kam hai ke mar jene se duniya yaad karti hai
kisi ke ishq men duniya lutaa kar ham bhi dekhenge
teri mehfil men kismat azmakar ham bhi dekhenge
aji haan, ham bhi dekhenge
Translation:
['Mehfil' has the literal meaning of an assembly, a meeting event, generally referring to a performance of poetry or song and dance. But it can be a metaphor for many things. In this case the meaning of the first line (the refrain) is closer to 'I will put my destiny in your hands' or 'I will try my fortune in your world']
Bahar-
I will try my fortune in your world,
I will spend a few moments by your side,
and I will see how it feels.
Anarkali-
I will try my fortune in your world,
I will bow my head at your feet,
and I will see how it feels.
Bahar-
The spring has brought a message of love today,
After ages, the flowers of hope are smiling again
I will escape from this heartache
and I will see how it feels.
Anarkali-
If there is no ache in your heart, how can it be a life?
if your heart is not bleeding (into your tears), where is the joy in drinking your tears?
I will shed a few tears in love
and I will see how it feels.
[The metaphor of drinking your tears to depict silent suffering, and hiding your pain from others, at unrequited love, is a common one in Urdu poetry]
Bahar- (mocking)
This is the story of someone in love, nothing more
Suffering, sighing in private, and choke to death on one's sorrow
Some day, I will have a laugh watching this happen
I will try my fortune in your world,
and I will see how it feels.
Anarkali-
I concede that love can ruin one's life
Is it not enough that when you die (for love), the whole world remembers you?
I will forsake my world in someone's love,
I will try my fortune in your world,
and I will see how it feels.
This is not the only high point of drama in Asif's great epic Mughal-e-Azam, but it is one of the devices used to develop the story by introducing the jealousy of Bahar in such an eloquent manner. The medium of the qawwali has been cleverly improvised to set the stage for the rest of the story when no amount of dialogue could have achieved it so effectively.
I hope you enjoy this. For your enjoyment, here is a link for you to go straight to the video where you can watch the drama in the eyes of Madhubala and Nigar Sultana and listen to the beautiful music of Naushad.
As usual, thank you very much for your support. Please do not forget to share. My best wishes for a very Happy New Year to you all.
Venkat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I was not there to observe and report on all the events and details in my blog above. The miscellaneous facts come from various sources on the internet. Most of them are mentioned in more than one or two websites, and it would be impossible for me to discover the original owners of the bits. I express my gratitude to all the sources.
All of the narrative is in my own words. If you have an exclusive copyright to any of the facts or fiction that I have paraphrased here, you can send me a request to remove them if you like.
Suffering, sighing in private, and choke to death on one's sorrow
Some day, I will have a laugh watching this happen
I will try my fortune in your world,
and I will see how it feels.
Anarkali-
I concede that love can ruin one's life
Is it not enough that when you die (for love), the whole world remembers you?
I will forsake my world in someone's love,
I will try my fortune in your world,
and I will see how it feels.
This is not the only high point of drama in Asif's great epic Mughal-e-Azam, but it is one of the devices used to develop the story by introducing the jealousy of Bahar in such an eloquent manner. The medium of the qawwali has been cleverly improvised to set the stage for the rest of the story when no amount of dialogue could have achieved it so effectively.
I hope you enjoy this. For your enjoyment, here is a link for you to go straight to the video where you can watch the drama in the eyes of Madhubala and Nigar Sultana and listen to the beautiful music of Naushad.
As usual, thank you very much for your support. Please do not forget to share. My best wishes for a very Happy New Year to you all.
Venkat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I was not there to observe and report on all the events and details in my blog above. The miscellaneous facts come from various sources on the internet. Most of them are mentioned in more than one or two websites, and it would be impossible for me to discover the original owners of the bits. I express my gratitude to all the sources.
All of the narrative is in my own words. If you have an exclusive copyright to any of the facts or fiction that I have paraphrased here, you can send me a request to remove them if you like.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment