Kissa Kursi Ka

The elections being over, now is the time to have good leaders and better governance. While the apprehensions  about who will  rule the states have been put to rest, there are misgivings on appointment of governments  in a couple of states  and  there is at least one state in which things are clear.

The aspect of political leadership elected by people,  has been dealt in Hindi films quite comprehensively, though it took more than 30 years to show political functionaries on silver screen.

Unlike the West, we have  not been very comfortable with depicting our leaders and showing them to have human emotions and failings. Probably that is the reason no film was made in the first decade and a half after the freedom. Most of the political leaders of those times were alive and, moreover,   so much adored that it actually must have seemed sacrilegious to portray them on screen.

The first mainstream Hindi film to have examined the elected political class seems to be the eponymous Leader ( 1964), starring Dilip Kumar. The film was a commercial venture, packing a lot in the screenplay to have a serious scrutiny of the subject. Still, it was a beginning and amidst the romantic songs coupled with a whodunit , there was a hint of nexus between politics and crime. The song in which the protagonist plays a leader is the idealistic " apni azaadi ko hum"

                                            जो सबक बापू ने सिखलाया, भुला सकते नहीं
                                           सर कटा  सकते हैं लेकिन सर झुक सकते नहीं

The passing away of Nehru and Shastri in quick succession meant that the stature of leaders got a beating and as a consequence, the infallibility of political leaders was short-lived. The country had entered a critical phase  and there was a need to sustain the momentum built up by the leaders of yesteryears.

The films also came  out of the 'golden' period of the 50s and 60s. Barring a  couple of  films ( Dinanath Zutshi playing a  Muslim leader in Garm Hawa who betrays his ilk and Rajesh Khanna playing the local honest corporator who is framed in Apna Desh ) with  oblique references, there was no hope of a full-scale political drama film.

The flash-point was not far and two films were able to capture the developing story in their narrative. The first one was , however, still born as the only print of the film was damaged irretrievably,  to quell the expression. Kissa Kursi Ka was a satire and a spoof on the dictatorial regime and it paid the price. It is another matter that it was remade after a couple of years and exhibited to empty houses. Ironically, Shabana Azmi  and Raj Babbar  the two main protagonists in the film, joined the political party spoofed in the film !

The more sophisticated depiction of a political leader's life and times was by Gulzar in Aandhi (1975). Based on a Hindi novel Kali Aandhi by Kamleshwar, the film was termed as a biographic account of a famous leader, played by Suchitra Sen. The film , apart from exploring the personal relations of the leader, also delved in some detail about the machinations and electoral tactics. The film was banned during Emergency and despite the great music, dialogues and narration, could not match the popularity of action films Sholay and Deewar, released in the same year. This song , picturised on the electoral trail is still very relevant

                                                     सलाम कीजिये, आली  जनाब आये हैं
                                                     ये पांच साल का देने, हिसाब आये हैं

The change in the political climate kept on changing in the country and got duly reflected in films, as they became more and more vocal in the 80s. In South India, film stars had a long tradition of moving into politics at the back of their fan following. MGR, NTR and Jayalalitha were not  in politics for cosmetic purpose: they ruled the states as political leaders. This was not so in Bollywood.

Film stars like Nargis and Prithviraj Kapoor were nominated in Rajya Sabha.  Dilip Kumar was chosen Sheriff  of Bombay. However, they were not elected leaders. The shape of things to come was clear in  1984, when the top two stars Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan acted in films which were overtly political. Incidentally, both of them became members of Parliament in their personal capacity, later on.

 The first one was a spoof in which the protagonist is a barber and becomes a compromise candidate for Chief Minister. In order to quell dissidence, he makes all the other minister as Deputy Chief Ministers !
The dialogues were replete with sarcastic one liners ( like mentioning  Tule "Antulay" rupaye after the CM was weighed against currency) and  the film was totally political in nature, with no other sub plot. To the extent that the CM sang and danced, too.

मैं तो हूँ श्री राम अवतार , दूसरा न कोई !

The Amitabh Bachchan  film was Inquilaab , an action drama with political leaders deceiving gullible youth. However, the film had a lot of masala with song-and-dance and also, violence. In fact, the climax showed the protagonist shooting  all the leaders of his party,  Interestingly, the character of one of those shot was based on a prominent opposition leader , who had led the total revolution a few years back !

The 80s also gave us a film which shook off our  faith from  the political class completely. This was Arjun 1985, in which Anupam Kher played the role of a smooth-talking , suave politician who takes Sunny Deol into his fold, only to cast him once his purpose has been served. By this time, the nexus between politicians and criminals was being shown on the screen more often in films, which was perhaps, a reflection of times.

The film exposing the links between politicians and media barons was on full display in the film New Delhi Times ( 1986). This Shashi kapoor film was quite authentic and offered a lot of insights into a world, not hitherto known publicly.

Before the 80s came to an end, the Indian adaptation of Meet John Doe was released as Main Azaad Hoon, which showed the PM also, played by Sudhir Pandey, as one of the characters in the  film, a departure from earlier films. The seeds of struggle between the political classes and ordinary masses were sown,  as far as the Hindi films are concerned.

इतने बाज़ू इतने सर , गिन  ले दुश्मन जान के
हारेगा वो हर  बाज़ी, जब खेलें हम जी जान से  

With the advent of 90s and the winds of LPG ( Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation ), the narrative in Hindi films also changed. Politics entered into every possible field : campuses , businesses, sports and into films themselves.
Ram Gopal Varma brought out the connection astutely in two of his most memorable  efforts,
 Shiva ( 1990) and Satya ( 1998). While the former dealt with political bosses influencing the college scene, the latter is a brutal take on the politics-mafia dovetailing. Both films were accurate and with minimal distractions from the subject which made them authentic.The subject and its treatment left little scope for songs, though there were a few of them in both the films.

 Gulzar , in 1999, made Hu Tu Tu, an emphatic political commentary of the wheeling and dealing in the murky world of power. The clash of politician mother and idealist daughter was a high point of the film and made the film unforgettable. This  was also the time when there was the whiff of scams getting political patronage, a spark which led to major fires in future. The film had a song about it also, known as the "घपला " song !

                                               दुकानें बेचीं तो बिक गए साथ गवर्नर
                                             गाय  भैंस का चारा खा गए ये मिनिस्टर

 On to the next decade.
 There were numerous films showing elected political representatives  of all hues in various avatars, mostly ghastly.
The first one was  Nayak ( 2001), in which a common man becomes Chief Minister for one day, during which he tries to break  the corrupt system. Anil Kapoor acquitted himself very well against Amrish Puri, with the bureaucrat's point of view being projected by Paresh Rawal.
Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi (2005)   was a truthful enumeration of the 70s of India: its Lutyens' crowd, its revolutionary youth and its opportunist political class.
Satta , released earlier in 2003, was another political film showing the rise of a woman in corridors of power and the compromises made for the elevation. Raveena Tandon acted competently in the film making it a memorable watch. The film showed the leaders enjoying the three Ws openly, something that was not shown on screen a few years ago.


                                           मोरे सैयां भये कोतवाल, अब डर काहे का
                                                      मेरे नखरे उठाएंगे सांवरिया
                                                    घूमूंगी लेके सरकारी मोटरिया
                                           मैं लुटाऊँगी सरकारी माल,  अब  डर  काहे का
                                         

    

In the last few years there has been a spate of releases relevant to this theme. Rajneeti, Sarkar ( and sequels), Satyagraha, Aarakshan, Rann, Rakt Charitra, Gulaal  and Chakravyuh, to name a few.  These films have explored various themes such as pursuit of power, quest for legitimacy, perceived injustices and hypocrisy of the powerful.

This song from Satyagraha , written by Prasoon Joshi  lays bare the complex and brutal world of electoral politics and abuse of power.

भई  घोटाला करना खेल नहीं , औक़ात चाहिए
एक अलग ही कला चाहिए, बात चाहिए

As the present day politics leaves no  distinguishing features between real and reel shenanigans, one  thinks that it is better to watch the political news than watching the same events enacted in the darkness of a picture hall.

हम तो हैं परदेस में ...

The preceding week was full of apprehensions about the results of the polls in five states. So much so,  that the attention got shifted from a series of mishaps with our countrymen in foreign lands. As many as three cases of  Indians getting hurt in America were reported, two of them fatally. This has put a big question mark on the safety aspect of Indians,who are  away from their country.


The craze of all things foreign has been an unending one. The fascination starts with the objects and ends with embracing the country itself.  This has been depicted so well in our films and songs, as we explore  in the following narrative:

The first song that comes to mind when we think about foreign objects is , undoubtedly, Mera joota hai japani...the Sri 420 classic. If you look closely , you will observe that the Japanese shoe is in a bad shape. Japan, at that time, was a fledgling economy and its products were not world class. It is a tribute to that nation that they rose to be the leaders in quality production. Lyricist Shailendra made sure that, despite the shoe, pant and cap being alien,  the heart of the protagonist is in the right place and is ...Indian.
Probably that is the message....

Hindi films and the songs have never been starved of creativity. So, not only the objects of use, but we have been labelling the nature also to be nation- specific.  In poetry, the moon has always been a metaphor for the face of the heroine. In the film Insaan Jaag Utha ( 1959), the poet compared the heroine to the moon alright, but then qualified it further: this moon is Indian !

Shailendra was the lyricist again and the song is a light romantic ode.

                                   Ye chanda roos ka, naa ye japaan ka
                      Naa ye amreekan pyare, ye to hai hindustan ka

Going overseas has been a leitmotif in Hindi films ever since  1946,  when V.Shantaram made Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani, a biopic about an Indian doctor who worked in China. In the 60s, in the film Aman, the hero, again a doctor,  is in Japan during the World War period. Incidentally, Nobel Laureate Bertrand Russell played himself in the film.
Amongst the songs we had  " Mere piya gaye Rangoon" and " Saat Samundar Paar Se" , in which  situations have been created about characters going abroad. Romances set in foreign locales became a success formula, with films having titles like like Love in Tokyo, An Evening in Paris, Spy in Rome etc. 

The pride  of being "foreign -returned" was a big ego-booster in the 60s and 70s, for middle-class Indians. The later generations (of those first generation Indians who settled in foreign lands)  form the current Indian diaspora. The process has been mutually profitable for both nations.

This totally justifies the aspirations of the heroine, penned by Anand Bakshi  in Jab Jab Phool Khile ( 1965), when she says that if she ever left India, it will be for America !

The obsession for going to "foren" continued in Seventies , when it was said that

" मुल्कों में इक मुल्क सुना है, मुल्क सुना  अमरीका". 
Many Indians were going to America. Some came back ( mostly when their children reached teenage, for cultural reasons !) and some stayed back. Then there were those who , despite being born and brought up in mofussil India, cocked a snook at the "dust" and filth" of their motherland, saying  "apne america mein to..."

This may have prompted a negative connotation to be attached to those who have come back after the "mauj-masti bhari life" in London, as is expressed in this Hasrat Jaipuri song from Vachan (1974)

london se aaya re bhai chhaila,  jiska dil andar se maila-maila
aashiq hai awara pehla-pehla, majnu ka nakara angrezi chela

                                  


Nevertheless, the stream of blue and white collar "brain drain" continued throughout the 70s, despite the third- world treatment meted out at times overseas. The fascination for the "gori chamdi", coupled with a good pay-packet and quality of life attracted Indians unabatedly. Amongst the film-makers who chose to make this as main theme of their films in the 70s  were Manoj Kumar ( Purab aur Pashchim), J.Om Prakash ( Aaashiq Hoon Baharon Ka) and Dev Anand ( Des Pardes).

The plight of Indians away from motherland was best depicted in Des Pardes, with all the songs focussing on different aspects of the phenomenon. This song, written by Amit Khanna,   sums it up:

khushiyan yaheen  pe, milegi hamein  re
apna hai apna, ye des pardes

The sentiments of Indians stuck in  foreign countries was also depicted in 80s, but by then action and crime  had taken charge of the plots of Hindi films and places such as Dubai and Mauritius were explored. Switzerland may have been a fine place for shooting songs, but weaving a story around Indians in foreign land was not attempted till the 90s.

Naam, released in 1986 portrayed the story of a youth going to Dubai and getting caught up in crime, failing to return back, it being a "one-way street". The ghazal on stage by Pankaj Udhas, written by Anand Bakshi was a highlight of the film. The lyrics mirror the sentiments of lakhs of Indians, both here and abroad, with regard to their loved ones.

                                                            तू  ने पैसा बहुत कमाया  
                                                             इस पैसे ने देश छुड़ाया 
                                                           देश पराया छोड़  के आजा 
                                                           पंछी पिंजरा तोड़ के आजा 
                                                            आजा उम्र बहुत है छोटी 
                                                             अपने घर में भी है रोटी 

By this time , a new category of aspirant has dawned on the scene:  wannabe brides !
There were numerous instances of "green card holder" boy coming to India for a month and going back with a "suitable" bride. The situation was fit to be exploited by Hindi film makers. One such film was Pardes in 1997. The story revolved around the journey of a young woman to America for matrimonial reasons and the disillusionment later on.

Hema Sardesai's ' My first day in US' is a rarely heard song, being shadowed by I love my India.

The changing political scenario the world over  means more difficulties for the hopeful immigrants, be it USA or Britain or France. The land of hope is fast turning into a land of hate and one only hopes that this is a passing phase. However, no place can be compared to homeland.

Still, you can be sure that in every era, there will be someone who will keep on singing "I love America"

आज से कॉलेज बंद है ...

The incidents at college campuses in the last week have been so

disheartening. The place for fun and enjoyment, both in curriculum and

extra-curricular aspects  seems to have been turned into near

war-zones. A sign  of times, you will say and I have no

counter-argument to offer.

But one is reminded of the time when this was a place , not only for

for  practical jokes and college romances but also for heated debates

and sit-down dharnas. All these aspects of college life were displayed by songs and scenes in Hindi films, down the years:  a true reflection of

the changing times , as we explore today.

As early as 1947, when so few Indians were fortunate to received higher education, college was 

termed as ....अलबेली (albeli) in the feminine gender !

 This cute song was penned  for the film Samaj Ko Badal Dalo ( 1947), which explains how

even at that time, getting up at 7.30 was so difficult  !

Just go through this song and imagine the plight of the pupils in that era !~

     In the 1950s too, college remained a place for meeting of diverse

people, their  minds and sometimes, their hearts.

Despite the serious subject of Pyaasa, it did have its light moments

when Guru Dutt and Mala Sinha had a thing going as college friends.

There is a scene in which the hero is reciting  sher in the praise of

the heroine,finishing it in time for the entry of lecturer !

By the sixties, the country had experienced more than a decade being

independent and there was still a hope that those who are in college

will get good jobs and make a name for themselves, being the elite .

The period during study had to be spent in honing skills of singing,

dancing, acting and in general, having a good time !

Despite the

natural walls between the genders in the society, college was seen as

a place for the forward-looking, enlightened people, who will take

India to a more progressive and prosperous future. This is spelt out

so well in the song of the eponymous film College Girl 1960
सुबह सवेरे साइकिल की कतारें 
गुंचों की और कलियों की तकरारें 
ना माथे पे पसीना, ना दिल में कोई कीना  

यही तो है यही तो है , प्यारे जीना

The environment started to change soon after. Mediocrity was setting

in and the bright sparks were few and far between. The films continued

to show the stage songs having songs and dances  but

it was being felt that all was not well.
By the time 70s dawned, the

restlessness of the students was visible and this song from Umang

1970, featuring the young Subhash Ghai as the hero summed up the

sentiment aptly.
 Still this was an energetic response to the troubled

times, wishing to reverse the rot that was stemming in.
 

The mid and late seventies really did us in. The whole country was

engulfed in protest, eruptions and unemployment after education. At

one level  the competition was rising to become cut-throat, and then

there were strikes and marches and sloganeering.
     It was during the seventies that the epic confrontation between Student Naseeruddin Shah and Director Girish Karnad took place at the FTII, Pune.
During the 70s .

There were some good films on the subject like Mere Apne,  Imtihaan, Anjaan Raahein and Abhi to jee lein, portraying the angst of the youth, in and out of college. However, romantic angles were generally  present, diluting the backdrop.. 

Escapism was the classic response of Bollywood to anything serious.
There was also a growing 

feeling that colleges have ceased to be " shiksha ke mandir"On the contrary, 

the summer vacations were a cherished period.
तभी तो , the college song

to have made it to the popularity charts was this one
" aaj se college band hai"

.
Soon we started seeing flabby heroes ( actually in their 30s , 40s and 50s) as

college students running round campus trees with equally old heroines.  Rajesh Khanna, at 32 was a student in Aap Ki Kasam , Rajendra Kumar, at 41 in Dharti. But the icing on the cake is this.
The senior-most  college student would certainly be a 52 -year  old Manoj Kumar in Clerk !

However, there were exceptions and we saw a very young ensemble cast

of  Farooque Sheikh, Deepti Naval, Neena Gupta, Kiran Vairale, Satish Shah and Rakesh Bedi as college students in Saath Saath 1982 , singing this lively

gossip song, with teachers chipping in...

Amongst more realistic depictions was a small film with future stars.

Holi had Aamir Khan and Ashutosh Gowarikar, now needing no

introduction. The tense story of a holiday being denied on the Holi

day and the ensuing power struggle was a stroke of creativity, though

the film remained unsung. This song, however, remains as one of the

few canteen songs, with the impromptu use of cutlery as musical

props !

It was Aamir Khan again, who mirrored the aspirations of a large number of college-leaving boys and girls ( and their parents) when he sang the immortal lines," papa kehte hain bada naam karega" in the film Qayamat se qayamat tak ( 1988). The hopes and enthusiasm of the youth were hinged on getting  that "bada naam" !

koi engineer ka kaam karega 
business me koi apna naam karega
magar yeh toh koi naa jaane 
ke meri manzil hai kahaan

                                                               The conflict could not be, however, wished away.

The late 90s and early films of 2000 decade brought forth the ugly side through films like Yuva, rang de basanti and 3 idiots... All three depicted the life of students, their dashed hopes, trials and tribulations, their struggles to fit in a structured system and the consequences of failing to do so.

talli hoke girne se samjhi hamne gravity
ishq ka practical kiya tab aayi clarity

The paathshala song above,  in Rang De Basanti ( in fact, the whole narrative of the film) brought out the anguish and pain behind the boisterous exterior very well.  So did the sunshine song of 3 Idiots . This was however, more intense and laid bare all the ugly truths and falsehoods.

likh likh kar pada hatheli par 
alpha beta gaama ka chhaala
concentrated H2SO4 ne poora
bachpan jalaa daala 

So, here we stand. at the closed gates of colleges which were designed to be catalysts of change and transformation, leading to progress.
Let's hope the gates open ...and soon. 

Amen 

Alphabetically yours...

The recent war of words between the political leaders has turned out to be a contest  of  making out a meaner, sharper abbreviation using English alphabet. It appears that their vocabulary is not enough  to say what they have in mind. Rather, they mindlessly concoct abbreviations or try to fit new words on already available letters in the short forms. We have had SCAM, KASAB, names of political opponents  as well as abbreviations of party names being re-worked.

Hindi films, too,  had  instances of clutching on alphabet to churn out popular songs, down the years. Surprisingly, many of them became very popular. In the films,  the lyrics of a song are  meant to   express true love and  the word-smiths have found innovative ways of using letters of the alphabet to convey the message.

As we explore  this genre , a lot of surprises are in store. Read on....


As early as 1958, almost 60 years ago, the musically and lyrically inclined purists were shocked that a song , which sounded like reading from a children's Basic Reader could become so popular.
 The song was from the film Dilli ka thug, starring Kishore Kumar ( who else could pulled it off?) and Nutan , exchanging love  messages through alphabet. Written by Majrooh Sultanpuri, the song was composed by Ravi and became a rage, coming second in the Binaca Geet Mala that year !

The song?
C.A.T cat, cat maane billi, R.A.T. rat rat maane chooha

Those were the days when in a large number of areas, the language used was Urdu. In courts and for property deals, documents were in Urdu.

In films , the name of the film was  always mentioned  in Urdu. It  was, therefore, natural that a creative lyricist will attempt to use the Urdu alphabet. As we know, Urdu is written from right to left and the Alif , Be , Pe etc. are the letters in Urdu. The song written by Rajinder Krishan , however, deals with the vowels of Urdu. If you listen to the song, it will be clear that a child is being taught the phonetics of using Urdu vowels, by Joy Mukherji, in a musical manner  !

Alif Zabar AA,  Alif Ber AE
 

Next up is  a return to English ; not for adopting it, for shunning it !

 Hema Malini was at her  bubbly best , exhorting Dharmendra to stop teaching her English and instead, learn her language of love.The song was written by Anand Bakshi. The film is Raja Jani ( 1972) and the chemistry between the two remained a subject for film periodicals till they married !
For the record, Dharam-Hema did 43  films together, starting with Sharafat (1970)  upto  Tell me O Khuda ( 2011) , making it one of the most enduring relationships of tinsel town.

 In Hindi it is said, Dhai akshar prem ke, because it takes two and a half letter to write it. Hindi films had a rich tradition of expressing love through associations with nature (ek tha gul aur ek thi bulbul ),  metaphors( dil ek mandir hai) and  similes ( kora kagaz tha ye man mera).

However, the love songs in the films were changing rapidly in the 80s.They were more upfront in place of having similes, metaphors and other oblique references, which were a thing of the past. As they say, if you feel it, say so: don't beat about the bush.
A prime example of this trend was in  the film  Kaalia ( 1981), an Amitabh-Parveen   song ( Majrooh, again) which needed to spell out love , literally, by calling out the alphabet !

L O V E   Love.
Simple, isn't it?

The Eighties brought another craze in the Indian youth, a new dance form: Disco !

Such was the rage of disco dancing that every young boy and girl leapt on to the dance floor for a pelvic thrust . Just as there was Twist in the 60s and  Cabaret  in 70s ,  Disco was the dance of 80s. Heralded by a music album by Nazia Hasan and Zoheb Hasan in Disco Deewane, the ambassador of the dance form was truly, Mithun Chakraborty. However, with the emphasis on beats and music, lyrics had to take a secondary status. that is why in  his film Disco Dancer ( a super hit, musically  ) and had a song, written by Anjaan,  explaining the full form of DISCO using the alphabet to creative effect.


DISCO = Dance Item Singer Chorus Orchestra

   

Not satisfied with making out a full form of a dance type, Hindi film writers, kept on inventing phrases  to entice the now dwindling film-goer. The hook-phrases such as "Kero mama" , "Hawa Hawai"  and "Oye Oye"  surfaced from nowhere to become popular tag-lines of more popular songs.

One such tag-phrase was ILU ILU ...an acronym invented for I Love U, by none other than Anand Bakshi.
Lo and behold, there was a full-fledged song Ilu Ilu, in Saudagar 1991, starring Vivek Mushran and Manisha Koirala.

  

In the Nineties, the whole scenario had changed.Anything could be set to tune and when nothing could occur to less-than-fertile minds, the English alphabet became the last resort. There is a   film during the shooting of which, there was another shooting, that of a black buck.

The film was Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999), there was a song which had the singer spell out  from A to H, just to get to I and say I Love You. The lyricist ( does Mitali Shashank deserve to be called one?) had run out of ideas, it seems.
 Wonder whether this was the reason of the black buck episode !

 :)

When we were kids, there were many popular rhymes like "Akkad bakkad bambe bo"  and "chandu ke chacha ne , chandu ki chachi ko".
There was also a Hindi rhyme made out entirely of English alphabet !

Yaad aayi?
It was BBG TPOG IPKIG UPOG ( Bibi ji, Tea peeyo ji, I pee ke aayi ji, you peeyo ji).

Probably Javed Akhtar, the lyricist of the film  Kuchh Na Kaho ( 2003) was going through a writer's block and thought he will pass off a "traditional"  rhyme for his own. But such is the bankruptcy in art and maybe we get what we deserve. Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai mouthing what their parents or grandparents  had done, may many years ago.

By now, I am sure you must be thinking that we have reached the rock-bottom of hindi lyrics. And despite the language of films being Hindi , no one has ever though of using Hindi alphabet ka, kha ga, gha ...or so I thought. 

Till I heard this Amitabh Bhattacharya song from the 2016 film, Bombay Velvet, starring Ranbir kapoor and Anushka Sharma.
 Interestingly , this song is said  to be a highly sensual song.
But am I to judge?
Listen yourself. 

All said and done,now that  the politicians have resorted to word-play to get votes, hopefully the hindi film lyricist will go back to literary and artistic manner of wording their song.

Till then,  TATA

Qaid mein hai bulbul...

The suspense over the impending jail term to an almost-there- CM hogged all the headlines this week.  Hamlet-like indecision, coupled with Schrödinger  uncertainty had the whole country waiting with bated breath for most part of the week.

Ironically, being jailed is hardly a discomfiture for the netas . They have AC, TV and even personal Gym in their cells and are able to control  and direct their supporters without batting as much as an eyelid. Surely then, they must also be having opportunities for songs and dances in solitary confinement.

Going by the songs sung in Hindi films, while in captivity, this is not entirely unfounded.

Which brings us to our topic, which is about songs and dance sequences by on-screen prisoners !

One of the early songs in captivity was in the experimental film by V.Shantaram, Do Aankhein Barah Haath( 1957). The bhajan is still one of the most iconic devotional songs to have been picturised. The forward-looking jailor trying to reform the hardened inmates was a departure , from all perceivable angles. The bhajan brings the self close to the Almighty, as you get immersed while listening or singing it. Shantaram and Sandhya , alongwith the half a dozen convicts  ( being reformed) were the dramatis personae in the song.

The epic story of a prince on the edge of spurning the kingdom for a courtesan was best narrated by the showman K.Asif in Mughal e Azam in 1960. A magnum opus, a behemoth of a film and a humongous blockbuster: the film was all these....

Excellent music, exquisite lyrics and heart-wrenching singing made this "Anarkali-in-captivity song" an emotional experience, even if it was not the chartbuster like other songs of the film. Madhubala, as always looked perfect as damsel-in -distress.

 A couple of years later, Bimal Roy wove the story around an inmate sentenced for murder in the eponymously titled Bandini. There were a number of songs in the jail premises. One  of them , "ab ke baras bhej bhaiya ko babul" was a sister's yearning for her home. The other one , however, truly depicts the atmosphere of the prison and those who are captive. Their addressing the birds, who are free is a poignant expression of their helplessness. Though Nutan, the heroine of the film is shown in the song, it is picturised on a small-time actress Dolly Kapoor, who does a fine job.

 The reasons of restraining protagonists  in films are widely varying. From epic films ( where anyone threatening the throne is jailed) to formula films ( hero framed or villain sentenced !) to realistic films ( life of a convict) , there are any number of plots which put a character in jail where he expresses his emotions. This was most emphatically accomplished in Shaheed 1965, where Manoj Kumar, Prem Chopra and Anand Kumar  played the Bhagat Singh-Sukhdev-Rajguru  trio and within the confines of British jail, they sang, "sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai"

The reforms in prisons was a subject fit for the back burner, going by the times in 70s. However,  in the film Samjhauta 1973, there was a pleasant departure to see the message being given to those jailed through a song, which was said to have had therapeutic effect on depressed people, outside the jail, too. Anil Dhawan ( visually-challenged exhorting able-bodied prisoners, which inclde Shatrughan Sinha ) to take life with  a rational, accommodating  attitude. The lyricist is Indeevar, one of the most under-rated wordsmiths.

Over the years many songs were picturised on jail staff, convicts, under-trials and those merely in lock-up, picturised on big stars. There have been comic songs ( zulf ke  phande mein -Johny walker), sad songs ( Kya se kya ho gaya-Dev Anand and  Ghungroo ki tarah- Shashi kapoor), stock songs

 ( mera naam yaaron mahachor hai-Rajesh Khanna) and patriotic songs( Ae watan tere liye-Dilip Kumar-Nutan)

Amongst the various songs in captivity, there is one song which stands out because the lyricist Sahir has eloquently expressed the emotions of a prisoner, destined to wait endlessly for good times to come. This song was picturised on Dev Anand in Joshila, also released  in 1973. In a formula film, this was definitely a touch of class !

The most talked-about film in the annals of hindi cinema was Sholay, released in 1975 and this film, too had a song-and-dance sequence  in captivity. Though the film had an "angrezon ke zamaane ke jailor", a song said to be a qawwali in jail was edited out. However, near the climax, Basanti (Hema Malini)  sings and dances while captive by Gabbar Singh ( Amjad Khan)  despite the "in kutton ke saamne mat naachana" advice by Veeru ( Dharmendra); all part of Sholay nostalgia.
Yes, this is surely a song which qualifies to be a part of this anthology.

All those in prison have a date when they will be finally out, generally. However, in hindi films the power struggle between the "star" prisoner and "strict" jailor have been often played out in a number of ways. The larger-than-life persona of the hero is vindicated when he says " aisi koi jail nahin jo mujhe zyada der tak rok sake"...a dialogue ( or its variant) spawned numerable times. However, there is a whole song dedicated to the thought and this was in Kaalia ( Amitabh the prisoner, supported by Ram.P.Sethi as his friend versus Pran, the jailor)

The hindi films have been churning out crime thrillers and there would be many ore songs in jail and just as nobody can keep a character in a film captive for too long, the politicians are also eminently skilled  to get out from jail till they think it is enough for their popularity.

I, me, myself...

The continuing competition  for  becoming the power centre of Tamil Nadu has over-shadowed other issues this week like cricket and films. Supplementing  this race was the election clamour in five states. All the leaders, in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere ( whether  they deserve to be called   leaders is another matter) are shouting at the top of their voices that they are the best !

Such a departure from the leaders of yesteryears, who were so self-effacing. Not only the leaders, the self-aggrandisement was rarely demonstrated in public by even deserving, well to do and skilled people.It was considered arrogance if someone would start beating their drums.

The scenario , however, kept on changing as the years went by and generations succeeded each other.
In the hindi films too, the protagonists underwent changes, gradual at first and then quite rapid, when they expressed themselves.

From the soft spoken, sacrificing and confessional " sach hai duniya walon , ke hum hain anari" to bombastic, chest-thumping  " I am the best" is a trail of changing mindset of the protagonists ,, both in reel and real life.

The first self-promotion seems to have appeared in the comedy film  Chalti Ka naam gaadi (1957), in which Madhubala declares herself to be the cynosure of all eyes ( she was, actually) but Kishore Kumar was not impressed, wanting his "paanch rupaiyya barah aana" back, irrespective of the charms of the diva.

In the early 60s,  the focus of showering praise shifted from the beloved to self.
Ironically , it was " Anari" Raj Kapoor who, in words of Shaharyar ,  hummed an ode to self in the film Aashiq , not bemoaning any weakness but extolling the virtues !

 

Next up was Majrooh Sultanpuri, who penned a song destined to keep his memories alive in all the beautiful ways he expressed in this song. Roshan's composition ( a legacy of the original Sachin Dev Burman's Thandi hawaayein, which has inspired over half a dozen gems down the years) ensured that this song becomes immortal, pun intended ! 

 

Despite the wish to be in the limelight, there was no touch of arrogance till now. For the one who loved someone, ego is an anathema. But the times-were-a-changing !

While the older heroes like Dilip Kumar ( the tragedy king), Raj Kapoor ( the common man) and Dev Anand (the city-slicker) kept on wooing the heroines by  either praising her looks, dresses and charms or by presenting themselves as martyrs ( called emotional blackmail today ), it was Shammi who kept on his devil-may-care attitude by proclaiming that he is the emperor of all he surveys !

Assisted by Shankar Jaikishan and Shailendrai, Shammi warned all and sundry that he was here to rule

                          jaane walon zara  hoshiyaar, yahaan ke hum hain raaj kumar
                          aage peechhe hamari sarkar , yahaan ke hum hain raajkumar

And so, we had the first avatar of the alpha male , a rockstar-of-sort and a top-of-the-voice singer who let out a mating call with the not-too-subtle "Aaja aaja, main hoon pyar tera"... in Teesri Manzil.
Shammi Kapoor switched to R.D.Burman for this film, but not after he had put the young composer through a litmus test. Supported by R.D.Burman's orchestration, the song indicated the shape of things to come, lyrically speaking.
                                   

   Soon there were others on the bandwagon of self-promotion. In 1967 Jeetendra , in his James Bond avatar in Farz proclaimed that he could do as he wished to (  main jo chaahe yaar  karoon) and the whole world is just for his sake ( saara jahaan hai mere liye). The journey of the hindi film hero to  becoming the centre of universe had begun !

This is not to profess that the heroes were not singing love songs or had stopped playing the "sacrifical goat" roles, but a new kind of brashness was evident. The films were also being named after the character of protagonists, highlighting the "in and as" phrase.
The advent of the first Superstar Rajesh Khanna accentuated this  ( both on and off-screen), despite his mushy romantic image. In the film Shehzada in which the hero literally claimed that he cared two hoots for the "zamana" , despite being a truck driver. 

With the action films taking up all space, there was hardly any time for the song and dance to be reflective of the state of the mind of characters, unlike  the earlier eras. Mindless violence and
"might is right" affirmed the egoistical imagery of heroes ( and heroines, too) leaving little margin for niceties. Amitabh Bachchan got the pick of author-backed roles of "in and as" variety like Don, Kaalia, Muqaddar ka Sikandar, Shahenshah, Coolie and Mahaan, to name a few. Each of these films had songs which were exercises in self propogation.

The time had come to announce to the world that the "good guys" are not inferior to the "bad guys"., even if it had to be sung in a qawwali format or a dahi handi song.

 Films also had titles such as Hum kisi se kam nahin, Humse badh kar kaun, main khiladi tu anadi and the No.1 series ( Hero No.1 , Jodi No.1 etc.) . It was not entirely unexpected that someone could come up with the ultimate expression of supremacy.

King Khan and Juhi Chawla were  spot on when they delivered the verdict in the film Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. The young generation was not apologetic about being the best and was rather proud of it. 

 Ironically, the title of the film is a snatch from a Raj Kapoor song from Sri 420, in which he says

                                छोटे से घर में ग़रीब का बेटा 

मैं भी हूँ माँ के नसीब का बेटा 

रंजो ग़म बचपन के साथी 

आँधियों में जाली जीवन बाती 

भूख ने है बड़े प्यार से पाला

Compare this with the lyrics of "The Best" and you get the contrast , in your face. 




कोई  हीरो यहां 



कोई ज़ीरो  यहां 

कोई स्टार है 

कोई बेकार है 


मैं कौन हूँ, कहूँ 

है सच तो ये दोस्तों 



I'm  the best,  I'm the best 

I am the best

The trend has continued to this date and the tribe of  drum-beaters is increasing. The leaders are reflections of the people and probably this is the reason the saleability ( ability to win the elections) is more when they proclaim to be superior , not subservient to the public they hope to rule.

So, help us God !

बाकी कुछ बचा तो . . .

The most important event this week was, undoubtedly, the budgetary speech by Finance Minister
 ( also speaking for Railways, for the first time ). While the economists and pundits will continue to unravel how good or bad the budget was, it is sufficient for the common man  to know if his pocket will become deeper or it will get burnt by a hole.
The economic indicators associated with the budget like GDP, Inflation, per capita income etc. all converge at one point....
will I spend more or save more ?
महंगाई कम होगी या बढ़ेगी ?

The issue of spending more than one earns had been often picked up by hindi film scriptwriters and lyricists and to good effect.

Remember the fun-filled Kishore Kumar song in , which made his exasperation with no money at hand into a comic question !

Kamaata Hoon Bohut Kuchh- 1954

 While a lot of hindi film content is about money and its manifestations, the issues related to saving money and its falling value have been addressed rarely.We have been en-cultured into believing that जितनी लंबी चादर हो , उतने पैर पसारो , a graphic analogy of avoiding being a spendthrift.

It must have been, indeed, a herculean task to weave a complete story of a film around being economical, when the reigning mood in films was of romance and singing round the trees. It is to the credit of director duo of S.S.Balan and S.S,Vasan, who made the film Teen Bahuraniyan , raising the bar of social dramas above emotional transactions and hitting where it pinches !

The three daughters-in-law have a lot to learn and it is learned the hard way, thanks to the patriarch Prithviraj Kapoor.

aamdani atthanni kharcha rupaiya 1968

The fact that commercial film-makers knew the pulse of the public was emphatically demonstrated by Manoj Kumar in Roti Kapda aurMakaan (1974), when the country was reeling under unimaginable inflation and lack of employment, not to forget hoarding, black marketing and adulteration. No wonder, very soon a mass movement akin to Quit India was perceptible ,leading to clamping down of Emergency in the country.

The words of Varma Malik in the title song sung by Lata, Mukesh, Chanchal and qawwal Jani Babu, making his debut in films, Mehangaayi maar gayi ( which was the top hit song that year in the only hit parade Binaca Geet Mala),  said it all :

 पहले मुट्ठी विच पैसे लेकर 
थैला भर शक्कर लाते थे 
अब थैले में पैसे जाते हैं 
मुट्ठी  में शक्कर आती है

mehangayi maar gayi- 1974

But he was not the only film-wala .
 Dream-maker Manmohan Desai, the sultan of masala cinema came up with Roti in the same year
( actually released on the same date!) and this also had a scathing attack on the the economic offences leading to shortages, expressed by Rajesh Khanna on screen in  the words of Anand Bakshi.
Both films competed for eyeballs and both were superhits, such was the mood of the nation .

हीरे मोती तुमने छुपाये 
कुछ हम लोग न बोले 
अब आटा -चावल भी छुपा तो 
भूखों ने मुहं खोले 
भीख न मांगे, क़र्ज़ न मांगे 
ये अपना हक़ मांगती है 
पब्लिक है, ये सब जानती है

Surprisingly, the art film directors did not see the economic hardships of the middle class noteworthy of a film  except oblique references. ( Gaman, which dealt with rural mass making a beeline for cities in search of employment, Susman-dealing with hand-weaving industry and Sookha-  politics of famine)

They too shifted to showing the underbelly of cities and corporate world.

Opening up of economy in 1991  meant a lot of foreign  goods and  services  and it seems , no  one was complaining. However, after a decade of LPG ( Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation) , the murmurs of high prices and low expendable income started getting louder, at least in Bollywood.


Taking a cue from the 1968 song , a slapstick comedy titled Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya (2001)  brought home the sane principle of judicious spending. The times had changed and it was not only the housewives who had to be responsible for running the house: husbands had to contribute ! Comic portions apart, the song gave the message loud and clear---save or perish !

Next up was a great spectacle by Anusha Rizvi and Mahmood Faouqi  in their  iconic Peepli Live (2010) which shows how the common man is snared in various nexuses, leading to his economic deprivation, summed up beautifully in the song ( sung by Raghuveer Yadav and the singers of Brij Mandal of Bhadwai).

An interesting trivia about the song is  that a leading national party challenged the song "Mehangai dayan khaye jat hai"  alleging that the song referred to one its leaders. However, the argument did not sustain and the case was dismissed by the court holding that the said leader  was not responsible for the rising inflation in India. 

mehangayi daayan -peepli live--2010

Following up quickly was Prakash Jha  in his Chakravyuh (2012),inspired by 1973 Hindi film Namak Haraam,  presenting the point of view of the fringes of social ecosystem: the Red Brigade. The confrontation between the ruling and ruled manifested itself in the song , written aptly by  Turaz and sung by Kailash Kher. Interestingly, the entire schedule of shooting was wrapped up in a short period of two months.

महंगाई ने हमारा भट्टा   बिठा दिया 
चले हटाने गरीबी को , गरीबों को हटा दिया

Mehangai ki mahamari-2012

The fact that this is an issue close to everyone ( as they say, पैसा किसको काटता है !), 
it was not long before the non-conventional film-makers took it up. 
The latest kid on the block is Anshul Sharma who had assisted in a few films ( Dev D, Pyar Ka Punchnama , No Smoking etc.) and has come up on his own in satirical Saare jahan se mehnaga (2013), in which he gave credit to the professors of BITS campuses also !

As we try to cope up with the monthly home budget, post- demonetization and imminent re-monetisation, leading to less cash  ( or is it cash-less ) economy, one can only see the pink currency notes and wonder:
 “Use less cash OR useless cash” …

खैर जो भी हो, पैसा बोलता है ( a rarely heard qawwali from Sabri Brothers—re-worked into a Bollywood song.