Down the memory lane with ‘Anil Da’

Wishing Merry Christmas to all with guest article by Sharad Dutt concluding Anil Biswas Centenary Celebrations

(SoY celebrated 2014 as the Centenary Year of Anil Biswas with a guest article by his daughter, Shikha Biswas Vohra on the New Year Day, remembering him as a father and a maestro. This was followed by singer-specific posts on his songs for Lata Mangehskar, Suraiya and Parul Ghosh, and Talat Mahmood, Mukesh, Surendra and Anil Biswas himself as a singer. One might think that Anil Biswas has been discussed enough. And some readers speculated last month whether there would be some more in the series during the rest of the year. Anil Biswas Centenary Series deserves a befitting finale, and I conclude the year, wishing Merry Christmas to all with this guest article by Sharad Dutt, an eminent radio/TV personality for nearly 50 years, who was among the closest persons to Anil Biswas during his Delhi years, which resulted in a 4-part short film on him and his biography ‘ऋतु आये ऋतु जाये’ – the only so far.

Anyone who followed old film music during the Golden Era of AIR and Doordarshan cannot but be familiar with the large body of work by Sharadji. He is the one who made all those short films on music personalities you would have seen on DD: KL Saigal, Pankaj Mullick, Khemchand Prakash, Surendranath, Zohrabai Ambalewali, Naushad, Noorjehan, Roshan, Mukesh, Salil Chaudhary, and many more, besides Anil Biswas I mentioned earlier. He has produced about 100 documentaries on literary, political and film personalities. He has written a biography of KL Saigal too, besides Anil Biswas – both earning prestigious awards.

After retirement as Deputy Director General of Doordarshan, Sharadji is busier than ever in his second innings as Director of P-7 News. He is presently working on video documentation of Hindi film music since its beginning, and biography of poet-lyricist Shailendra. I am grateful that in spite of being neck-deep in work, he accepted my request to write this piece, with special emphasis on Anil Biswas’s association with the artistes of 30s and 40s. – AK)

I was barely ten, when I first heard the song Seene mein sulagte hain armaan, ankhon mein udaasi chhayi hai. At that age I could not comprehend the meaning of the song, nor had I the courage to ask somebody. In those days, it was not becoming for a middle class kid to have undue interest in movie songs. I did not know then how the songs were composed, who were the music directors and what their role was in the making of the song, but I found the music so enchanting that I would croon it every day. There was one more song which I found really captivating. It was Jeevan hai madhuban, tu isme phool khila.

By and by, I created a memory bank of my favorite songs. After some years, when I was around 15 or 16, I was amazed to find that most of my favorite songs, barring a few by Khemchand Prakash and Ghulam Haidar, had been composed by Anil Biswas. The music of Anil Biswas had a mesmerizing effect on me and he became my hero. Now, when I look back, I find that it was not only my generation, but the ones before and after me were equally fascinated by his music.

Even after 70 years, his music has not lost any of its charm, appeal and impact. From its inception, Hindi film music had technique and texture, but it was Anil Biswas who provided it form and face with which it was to be recognized hereafter. It was he who discovered and polished musicians such as C Ramchandra, Madan Mohan and Roshan, and singers like Lata Mangeshkar, Talat Mahmood and Mukesh. He was passionate about the feel of Indianness in his music, yet he had the courage of conviction in experimenting with different sounds and instruments.

In 1966, after completing my studies, I joined Aakashwani. Then I was not aware that Anil Biswas had also left Mumbai and had joined as the Director, National Orchestra in Aakashwani. After some time, I joined Doordarshan and to my immense surprise, the adjacent room belonged to Anil Biswas (Doordarshan was located in Aakashwani building then before it moved to its new location at Mandi House). I held him in such esteem that I could not muster courage to meet him and introduce myself. Nevertheless, just the feeling that he was there, on the other side of the wall, gave me such a high. Quite often I would see him, carrying tapes and walking briskly down the corridor. I would wish him without uttering any word. I had this feeling that he was always in a hurry to finish the work before him. Many years later, he told me, “You were absolutely correct in reading me. From my childhood I had this restlessness within me to finish things off quickly. That was why it never took me much time in composing music. Many times, just when I would touch the harmonium, the tune was ready. Some tunes would appear like a flash in mind while I was on way to the studio”.

I met him first in 1976 during a Doordarshan programme on the death of Mukesh, and ever since then he became and remained Anil Da for me. Since then we kept on meeting regularly, but I always had this feeling that though the meeting was fulfilling, yet it remained incomplete. The more we met the more I began to believe that there was something which was burning him from within, but he was not ready to discuss or share his agony and pain with anyone. He would only say, “From early childhood I got inflicted by music and I am still paying the price”.

If you happened to visit Anil Da’s home in New Delhi, this feeling of loneliness and angst would overpower you in the bustling and glam-rich surroundings of South Extension. The house did not give the feel of a great music director. It did not have a piano in the drawing room, nor did its mantelpiece carry any award or trophy, quite unlike the rich and famous celebs of Bollywood whose housees appeared to be an extension of a movie set. I always admired and, at the same time, wondered at this feel of simplicity exuded by his home. Not bare and plain, but simple and sober… simple is really beautiful.

One could see the simplicity in his music too. Anil Da is known as the path-finder of Hindi film music, in which he did a lot of experimentation. He told me many a time that when he came from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Bombay, film music did not have an identity of its own. It had influences of Parsi Theatre, Bhakti Sangeet and Marathi Bhaav Sangeet. Whenever he saw a movie, he would invariably get disappointed with its music. He always found the music and songs in the movie dull and boring. Once while he was watching a movie, he asked a man sitting next to him in the hall, what type of music was this? The man replied angrily that it was the local music. Anil Da wanted to ask him about the songs, but he did not like his queries. He snubbed him and advised not to bother about the music or songs but to enjoy the movie.

But Anil Da was a born rebel, so he took a vow that given a chance, he would change the existing trend of the film music. He was merely a young man of twenty then. In those days most of the music directors were double his age. He was just a struggler; nobody was ready to take risk by giving him a chance to do the music independently. He was rejected by Kumar Movietone and Prakash Studios . Finally, he got a break in the Eastern Art Productions movie Dharam Ki Devi (1935), directed by Hiren Bose. Lyrics were penned by Gauri Shankar Lal ‘Akhtar’. In this movie, he acted, sang and composed the music as well. Kumar and Sardar Akhtar were in the lead. Kumar had got fame with his role in Pooran Bhagat (1933), produced by the New Theatres of Calcutta.

Anil Da played the role of a blind beggar in Dharam Ki Devi. A song Kuch bhi nahin bhrosa  was picturised on him. The first tentative experiment of playback was also done while picturising a duet of Kumar and Sardar Akthar in the film (see Note 1 at the end).  Kumar could hardly sing. Sardar Akhtar was also not a professional singer. Anil Da requested the camera man Govardhan Bhai Patel to shoot this duet with three cameras. One camera was fixed on Sardar Akhtar, the other on Kumar and the third camera took the top-angle shot. Anil Da sang for Kumar while taking the shot.  While Sardar Akhtar sang, silent shots of Kumar’s face were shown. Only in top-angle shot Kumar and Sardar Akthar were seen together minus Anil Da. There is an interesting incident with this movie. His mentor Hiren Bose, who was responsible for bringing him to Bombay from Calcutta, was directing it. Bose insisted that his name should be given as music director in the publicity posters, but K.S. Daryani, who owned the Eastern Art Productions, put his foot down. Finally, Anil Da was given the credit for music direction and Hiren Bose’s name appeared as music supervisor.

Later on, Sardar Akhtar sang in his films Piya Ki Jogan (1936), Pratima (1936),  Sher Ka Panja (1936), Pooja (1940), Aurat (1940, Aasra (1941) and Nayi Roshni (1941).  She will be remembered for her role in Mehboob’s 1940 classic Aurat (its remake was made by Mehboob Khan as Mother India in 1957).

Ye mana humne beemar-e-mohabbat ki dawa tum ho by Sardar Akhtar from Piya Ki Jogan (1936), lyrics Munshi Zahiruddin

Anil Biswas owed his debut not only to Eastern Art Productions but also his first wife, Ashalata. He met her during the making of Sher Ka Panja, Bulldog and Insaf in which he gave the music. Ashalata was much talked heroine in those days.

Anil Da told me several things about his singers. Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh and Talat Mahmood acknowledged that they learnt the nuances of music from him. He had this knack of getting anybody to sing. He used to say that he would judge the range of a person’s voice and compose the song accordingly. Moti Lal and Maya Banerjee were no singers but he made them sing a song Nadi kinaare baith ke aao apna jee bahlaao in Jaagirdaar (1937). There was one more duet by them: Banke Bihari bhool na jaana. Thereafter, Maya Banerjee sang for Anil biswas regularly in at least seven more films.

Ja ri sakhi saajan se kah de by Maya Banerjee and Surendra from Dynamite (1938), lyrics Pt Indra

Anil Da is the only music director who had the distinction of composing songs for thirty-three female singers. Some of them made their debut with him.

Amirbai Karnataki was acting and singing in films since 1934, but failed to attain the success she deserved. In 1943, with the release of Bombay Talkies’s Kismet, she became a household name. Her songs like Ghar ghar mein diwali hai, Ab tere siva kaun mera Krishna Kanhaiya, Dheere dheere aa re baadal and chorus Aaj Himalaya ki choti se are hummed by the lovers of vintage music even today. The man behind the success was the Music Maestro Anil Biswas.

Ab tere siwa kaun mera Krishna Kanhaiya by Amirbai Karnataki from Kismet (1943), lyrics Pradeep

Malika-e-Ghazal Begum Akhtar was the choice of Anil Biswas for film Roti, directed by Mehboob Khan. The first choice of Mehboob for this role was Sardar Akhtar, who had married Mehboob Khan but Anil Da put his foot down. Begum Akhtar was paid twenty-two thousand rupees for the film. She acted against Chandramohan in the movie. Anil Da composed six ghazals in her voice. Phir fasl-e-bahaar aayi, Chaar dino ki jawani, Ae prem teri balihari ho were written by Safdar ‘Aah’; Ulajh gaye nayanwa, Wo hans rahe hain by Aarzoo Lakhnavi and Rahne laga hai dil mei andhera tere bagair by Behzad Lakhnavi, but unfortunately due to some contractual difficulties, three or four ghazals were deleted from the movie. In many meetings with this author, Begum Akhtar acknowledged the genius of Anil Biswas for the ghazals she sang for Roti.

In reference of Roti mention has to be made of actor-singer Sitara. Kathak Queen Sitara Devi has sung for Anil Da in eight movies. She sang three songs in the movie, Joban umadaaye nain rasiyaaye, Swami gharwa neek laage and Sajna saanjh bhayi saanjh bhayi an milo – the last song was a raging hit those days. One of Anil Da’s favourite songs by Sitara Devi was Kyun humne diya dil, tha kiska ishara from Watan (1938), penned by Wajahat Mirza.

Sajnaa saanjh bhayi aan milo by Sitara Devi from Roti (1942), lyrics Dr Safdar ‘Aah’

Waheedan Bai (mother of Nimmi) sang for Anil Biswas in films Comrades (1939), Ek Hi Raasta (1939) and Alibaba (1940). In Alibaba, Anil Da composed a song which was inspired by Hungarian waltz, Hum aur tum aur yh khushi (co singer Surendra Nath), which became a great hit and was one of Anil Da’s favorite songs.

Teri in aankhon ne kiya beemaar haye by Waheedan Bai and Surendra from Alibaba (1940), lyrics Dr ‘Aah’ Sitapuri

Jyoti was the younger sister of Waheedan and was married to singer G.M. Durani.  Her songs under Anil Da in films Comrades, Ek Hi Raasta, Aurat, Pooja (1940) and Jawani (1942) and her duets with Surendra Nath in Aurat were very popular in those days.

Aan base pardes sajan hum by Jyoti and Surendra from Comrades (1939), lyrics Zia Sarhadi

Zohrabai Ambalewali started her career at the age of thirteen as a singer in All India Radio. She made her debut in the film Daaku Ki Ladki (1933), the music directors of the film were Pransukh Nayak and Gadgil (see Note 2), but she got notice with the film Gramophone Singer (1938). She sang two compositions of Anil Biswas penned by Zia Sarhadi, Piya ghar naahi akeli mohe dar laage and Hum iski bazm se har waqt. She also sang in Hum Tum Aur Woh (1938) and Naiya (1947) for Anil Da.

Aayi milan ki bahaar re aa ja sanwariya by Zohra Ambalewali from Naiya (1947), lyrics Aslam Noorie

Bibbo sang in six films which had the music by Anil Biswas. Her debut song was with co-star Surendra and Harish in Jaagirdar. She also sang in Dynamite, Gramophone Singer, Postman, Watan and Three Hundred Days and After, which became very popular. She also sang a duet with Anil Da in Watan.

Pujari more mandir mein aao by Bibbo and Surendra from Jaagirdar (1937), lyrics Pt Indra

Pahli Nazar (1945) has entered the annals of history for Mukesh’s  Dil jalta hai to jalne de.  But listen to this charming song by Naseem Akhtar.

Unka ishara jaan se pyara by Naseem Akhtar from Pahli Nazar (1945), music Dr Safdar ‘Aah’

Anil Biswas was the stalwart of late 30s and 40s, an era famous for a large variety of vintage female voices.  He worked with many of them, some names are not even familiar today.  He adapts a traditional daadra beautifully for the actor-singer Husn Bano in Aasra (1941)

Nanad ji ulti Ganga bahaaye jaaye by Husn Bano from Aasra (1941), lyrics Dr Safdar ‘Aah’

One of the most beautiful songs of the vintage era is this duet by Beena Kumari and Baby Meena (the little girl grew into the later tragedienne Meena Kumari) from Bahen (1941).

Tore kajra lagaaun main rani by Beena Kumari and Baby Meena from Bahen (1941), lyrics Dr Safdar ‘Aah’

Anil Biswas also played a major role in the growth of many later generation singers. Sudha Malhotra was discovered by Ghulam Haider as a child singer in Lahore, but got her first break in Hindi films under Anil Biswas with Mila gaye nain written by Majrooh Sultanpuri in Arzoo (1950) (see Note 3). This song remains one of her best. One more singer who made great waves with this film was Talat Mahmood.  Ae dil mujhe aisi jagah le chal was his first Hindi film song in Bombay (he had some songs earlier in Calcutta) that instantly got him acclaim as a Ghazal King and a leading voice of the era.  Anil Biswas’s role in the career of Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar is well-known.

The culmination of my long association with Anil Da resulted in his biography Ritu Aaye Ritu Jaye. I was lucky that the book was published in his life time. Though Anil Da is not among us now but his eternal music will always remain with us.

Notes (AK):
1.  Mahageet (1937) is credited as the first film in Bombay where playback technique was introduced by Anil Biswas.  Sharadji informs me that the incident he has narrated is based on his conversation with Anil Biswas.  This must have been a very ‘tentative’ experiment, not worthy of a formal recognition.

2.  HFGK refers to Anil Biswas in the footnote to Gramophone Singer (1938) that Zohrabai Ambalewali’s debut song was Piya ghar naahi akeli mohe dar laage in the film.  This has also been stated by Shikha Biswas Vohra.  I mentioned it to Sharadji. HFGK does mention one Zohra Jan as a singer in Daaku Ki Ladki.  If she is the same as Zohrabai Ambalewali, that would necessitate some correction in the history.

3.  Sudha Malhotra herself confirms this information in her interview with Rajya Sabha TV. However, in HFGK her first songs appear in The Last Message (1949), which are available on YT too.  Accordingly, in my article on her, I had taken this as her debut.  Either her memory got mixed up, remembering the more famous song as her debut, or it might have been recorded earlier but released later.

4.  Selection of the songs is by me.