Chorus Songs in the Hindi Films of Yore: Part 1

Guest article by Shalan Lal

(Readers are aware, when Shalan Lal  writes on a topic she writes a research paper as if  for an academic seminar, even if it is for a blog like ‘Songs of Yore’. She does a similar comprehensive work to discuss the chorus songs of the films of yore. This is the first part of her three-part article on chorus songs, each part covering the decade of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Since the 1930s were dominated by three great studios, the New Theatres, Prabhat and Bombay Talkies, Shalan discusses their promoters, their artistes, and their unique characteristics while mentioning their songs. I compliment and thank her for her stupendous article. I propose to post the three articles back-to-back, thus making May 2019, the month of Shalan Lal. Shalan Lal is a UK-based academic. – AK)

 Three Decades of Chorus Songs
Introduction and the First Decade 1931-40

The Illustrations are from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, taken here only for the article that is aimed at ‘to inform, educate and entertain’.

What is a song? A song is that in which there are words, musical notes, and which may have instrumental accompaniments, and is sung and also occasionally spoken in parts. For example, in the film My Fair Lady, Rex Harrison sings and speaks two songs ‘Why Can’t the English be?’ and ‘Why a woman is not like a man?’ There are many songs like that in films.

      Rex Harrison speaking a song

My Fair Lady

The song also means one human being’s journey through life or the essence of the mission of that person. Like the song of Charlie Chaplin ‘This is my song’. The song also means the essence of a country, nation, culture etc. e.g. the song of Norway, or the song of Wales, or Scotland or England or France or Russia or Italy, America, Australia, South Africa etc.

Bhagvad Gita is the song of Lord Krishna. Guru Granth Saheb is the song of Guru Nanank and also of Sikh people etc.

A song of angry women could be about ‘Chulha jalaana’ as Shyama and her sahelis sing the chorus Lipstic laganewale ab chulha jala rahe hain in the film Shreematij (1952).

The English word ‘song’ derives from the word ‘sangwaz’ in the Germanic language.

In Hindi, ‘gana’ is from the Sanskrit verb ‘gai’ as is in the meditational Psalm or Stotra adoring Vishnu ‘Gaayanti yum saamgah’.

A song is a twitter of the birds! So it will be a twitter of human beings as well!

Twitter in its original meaning is ‘chirp, peep, cheep, chirrup’ etc. Every bird has its own ‘chirrup’; even human beings peep like some birds, more like a cuckoo’s ‘jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo’ from the poem ‘Spring’ by the poet T Nash who was a contemporary of Shakespeare and helped on the Shakespearean stage during the Elizabethan English period. Even some insects sing, especially those nightly creatures and mosquitos.

A Bulbul’s yell for its partner either in the cage or outside in the free world will be always a sweet song for everyone across countries and cultures. Lonely Chinese in America carry singing birds in cages to the park to give them the feel of the nature and meet other caged birds, to twitter and flutter in the cage with excitement.

An organised chorus song or a harmonised musical expression is known as a symphony. A disorganised expression is said to be a cacophony, dissonance, discord, disharmony, noise etc. Yet such expressions are included in the songs of films like ‘West Side Story’.

Once I went to Disneyland in California in the days of yore. There was a show in the birds section. A kind of jungle or woodland was created, and before one entered one could hear a lot of twitters of birds. Then after entering one heard much organised classical western symphony for forty five minutes using only birds’ sound in such a way that, instead of western musical instruments, only the sounds of various birds harmonised without making them artificial. I still remember this concert after so many years. The experience was musical in every sense and the feeling of the summertime time in the Greenwood or, shall I say, Redwood was intense.

The American jazz singer and songwriter Billie Holiday, born as Eleanora Fagan (7 April 1915 – 17 July 1959), was the most popular singer in American popular music in the twentieth century. A film was made on her life based on her autobiography ‘Lady Sings Blue’ using the same as the title for the film. She sang for many other films as well. She defined ‘song’ as:

“A song, most broadly, is a single (and often standalone) work of music that is typically intended to be sung by the human voice with distinct and fixed pitches and patterns using sound and silence and a variety of forms that often include the repetition of sections.”

Not many singers have gone deeper in the art and theory of songs and singing.

William Shakespeare has songs in many plays and some of his sonnets have been sung by many singers through centuries and are being sung till date. He often defines song comically as “a trifle, for little or nothing” in ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ (III.ii). So song is nothing but rigmarole, or wasted steam of mouth, a rambling, a sweet (or ear agony) nothing!

If a pre-existing poem is set to a composed classical music it is ‘an art song’. ‘In the broad field of life’ in the film Duniya Na Mane (1937), sung by Shanta Apte and composed by Keshavrao Bhole, is an ‘art song’ as it is a part of a poem by the American poet Longfellow in the nineteenth century.

Shanta Apte in Duniya Na Maane (1937)

The songs that are sung on repeated pitches without distinct contours and patterns that rise and fall, are called ‘chants’.

Most languages have chants in their societies. Baby songs are chants. ‘Ba Ba Black Sheep Have You Any Wool..?.’ is the most famous English nursery song and was supposed to be recorded on the gramophone cylinder by Thomas Alva Edison along with another ‘Lamb’ song ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’.

Modern educators in the European schools believe that all these lullabies, chants and nonsense songs, such as ‘Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall’ etc. contain basic formation of their spoken languages and also the basic musical notes as well in the sing-song of them. In England most of the nurseries have trained singing teachers who conduct nursery song sessions every day.

During the Hare Krishna Movement in the sixties and seventies, the dhoti-clad, shaven-headed American, European white, black and brown Brahmins and their women in white or saffron saris would dance and chant around the streets of the major cities in America and Europe with dhole-like mridang, finger-bells and other accompaniment of Chaitanya Dancers with Vaishnavik marks on the foreheads. ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Rama’ would dominate the chants over the pavement hawkers selling baser materials.

This gave an idea to the matinee idol of India Dev Anand to make a film and put a song with chants. His film Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971) was very unusual from his gangster-based films, but with some mystery of the old fashion with great music by R.D. Burman, lyrics by Anand Bakshi and directed by Dev Anand himself.

Now we are getting nearer to the subject in hand.

A song may be for a solo singer, a lead singer supported by the background singers, a duet, trio, quartet or a larger ensemble involving more voices singing in harmony, although the term is generally not used for large classical music, vocal forms including opera and oratorio, which use the terms such as aria and recitative instead.

Songs with more than one voice to a part singing in polyphony or harmony are considered ‘choral works’.

So now we have arrived to the ‘Chorus’. The Hindi filmy culture has kept the word ‘Chorus’ and did not go for the ‘Samuh Geet’ or ‘Sah Geet’ for the chorus Song.

Chorus songs are popular in all societies in the world since human beings started living together.

The Aborigine and Maori songs in Australia and New Zealand were and still are popular. Some of them are dance songs sung in groups. Their chants are usually used at the beginning of the rugby matches between Australia and New Zealand, and against European teams and South Africa in Six Nations’ Gala Combats.

Buddhist chants and group songs are popular in India, Japan, Korea, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Myanmar etc.

In ancient India songs, singing and allied arts were well studied. The Vedas – the verses from the Rigved and Upanishads were sung out in solos and also in choruses. One Vedic-book called Saamved is about how to sing the Vedas.

When I was a child and we visited our relatives in the Camp in Poona-Pune our grandfather was invited to hear the Vedas being sung in the Vedic fashion in the aangan (forecourt) of some comfortable Brahmin house in a very Brahmin area.

A mandap (pavilion) was created and in the centre a Vedic fire was burning; and four Brahmins with their sacred threads across their left shoulders and silken pitambar dhotis were sitting on all four sides on the wooden seats with red Vaishnavik marks on their foreheads. After each verse was sung, some ghee with some special sandalwood chips would be poured in the sacred fire with a small silver spoon. Often the Vedic verse-singers were joined by other singers and the atmosphere was very serene and holy. They recited the verses in a sing-song style, up in the pitches and down in the tone with head and hand movements.. The activity went on until the dinner time. After the worship dakshina was given to the Brahmins only in silver rupees. Paper money was not allowed. Grandfather gave one hundred & one silver rupees and in return the whole family got blessings from the leader priest. Indian silver rupee is holy as it is called Nagad Narayan!

The experience created a very deep mark on my memory.

Many states have been mentioned in the National Anthem, Jan Gana Man, composed by Rabindranath Tagore. Each state has its traditional and other religious songs and chorus songs and dances. In fact Rabindra Sangeet is a rich mixture of Indian songs (Bengali songs) and European melodies. It is said Rabindranath composed his songs on the piano keys. Rabindranath was taught to play the piano by his English governess from the age of five onwards.

The Indian Muslims too have songs like Qawwali that have lead singers and supporting choruses bringing up the main thrust of the songs.

Some Qawwals are a muqabala between two sides: Either side having lead singer(s) and a tail of backing singers. The show often is more a visual feast than auditory delight and experience. The scene of the chorus song Yeh ishq. ishq hai is very well picturised by the choreographer and director of the film Barasaat Ki Raat.

There are Sufiana and religious songs also that have supporting choruses and individual voices as well. The Darvesh dancers and singers have their chants like songs. Songs like De de khuda ke naam par in the first talkie film Alam Ara (1931) by a religious mendicant is very famous. The invitation to pray by the Imam from the top of a minaret of a mosque has musical notes. Though not religious but culturally accepted, when President Trump visited Saudi Arabia, he was shown ancient Arabian dances and songs-shows of men with hand drums, dancing and singing. It will be good news for the Indian film lovers to hear that Saudi Arabia has opened their first cinema house in their capital city.

All European countries have very rich tradition of folk songs that are sung in chorionic manner. In fact many classical composers’ works are based on folk songs turned into pure instrumental or mixed with vocal part symphonies and chamber music.

Most of the church songs are chorus songs and during the ‘Advent’ period (a pre-Christmas month) in the Latin countries, groups of mixed people go on singing songs to the churches or holy places. When I was a school girl of a church school during the ‘Advent’ period we went to the Christian people’s houses and sang carols and received refreshments for ourselves and gifts for the Church. Carols are the songs about the celebration of the birth of Christ. They are all rich experiences of music of voices, singing together and words and meanings.

Most of the verses in the Guru Granth Saheb are tuned to various raag and raaginis and, thus, a great wealth of classical music is preserved forever.

Among the European countries, the chorus songs of Russia and Eastern European countries influenced Indian film songs directly or indirectly through the routes of Khyber and Bolan passes and through Baluchistan.

Almost all African countries have their chorus songs in their folk songs and dances. Among them, the songs of South Africa and Mali have become internationally famous.

There is a wonderful chorus song composed by C Ramchandra in the film Sargam (1950) in Kenyan tune and sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Chitalkar and others, Ya bibi sikayia, mixed with Indian words and notes.

North America had their slave workers’ work-songs, and as they turned to religion to mitigate the pain, their songs (Negro Spirituals) become esoteric and divine. Nowadays we do not use the word Negro but African-American instead. I used it in the context of history and the phrase ‘Negro Spirituals’ brings home the origin and meaning of sufferings.

The Barbershop Quartet is a unique development in the American music. It started in the early 18th century when some singers waiting to have a haircut started singing and harmonising with each other. Now like Pop, Rock, Folk, Country songs etc., Barbershop Quartet is a very popular genre.

The Buffalo Bills in the Barbershop Harmony 1950; Female version of Barbershop

In case the readers are wondering if there are female barber shops, in Europe with the Industrial Revolution female barber shops and saloons came in. In the World War I when all men went to war, the women took over male fields of work and their numerous barber shops were operated by the women.

Something like Barbershop Quartet already existed both in Oxford and Cambridge Universities but they are of church music. Also their parody versions equally existed and were enjoyed. These appear during Christmas time.

In Laurel and Hardy’s much parodied of the Westerns, Way Out West (1937) Laurel lipsynced the song The Trail of Lonesome Pine. This has an ‘Intro’ beginning like the Barbershop Quartet by the cowboys sitting on the front space of a Saloon Bar, harmonising and then taken over by Laurel and Hardy adding funny Turkey Dance. This film is so great in its humour, it is pity that both Laurel and Hardy were never given the Oscars!

Towards the end of the song, Laurel goes in lower note and Hardy hits him on the head by the mallet of the bartender, which makes Laurel go into high note in a female voice. Here are the words of the song:

In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia,
On the trail of the lonesome pine—
In the pale moonshine, our hearts entwine,
Where she carved her name and I carved mine;
Oh, June, like the mountains I’m blue—
Like the Pine I am lonesome for you,
In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia,
On the trail of the lonesome pine……

The trail of lonesome pine from Laurel and Hardy’s Way Out West (1937)

Barbershop technique was used by Raj Kapoor in the many parts-chorus song acted out by RK, Pran, Lalita Pawar and other Chambal Valley gangsters living in the hills, Hai aag hamre seene mein in the film Jis Desh Mein Ganga Bahati Hai (1960).

Caribbean countries have special songs – solos, duets, trios, quartet and chorus – called Calypso, which are far too different from the American black people’s songs. SJ composed a song for the film Dil Apana Aur Preet Parai (1960), Uie itani badi mahifil, inspired by Harry Belafonte’s famous folk song Day light come, or Day O for short, or Banana boat song

Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, etc have developed unique songs and dances of all types. Indian films have often used Latin American musical instruments and cabaret tunes in the 1950s very generously.

Hawaii, Honolulu kept their unique songs and musical instruments. There is a great interest in Hawaiian Guitar in the Hindi film music, and Hawaiian Universities have done much academic work on the Indian films and artists. One person has done a PhD thesis on Shashi Kapoor while another person has done a definitive work on the film Awara of Raj Kapoor.

All these countries have in some way affected the Indian film songs not very overtly but in aspects and subtle manners.

Indian old film songs now are seen as the heritage songs or people’s ‘popular culture’. Once they were called ‘curry songs’ as they were continuously played in the growing Indian Curry Houses ran by the Bangladeshis in the 1960s onwards. It is difficult to categorise them but most music directors by now knew what sorts of songs were in demand in the past and present time.

The Indian chorus songs are roughly put in the following categories:

Aarati, Bhajan, Bhangra, Birthday, Classical, Dance, Dream, Engagement, Falling in love, Festivals, Folk, Friendship, Funny, Game songs, Happy, Hip Hop , Item Number, Kids, Love, Marriage, Masti, Motivational, Mujra, Nature, Party, Patriotic, Philosophical, Playful, Pop, Qawwali, Rain, Religious, Rock, Sad, Sensual, Sharaabi, Love-lost, Unrequited love etc.. Many more divisions could be made!

The above categories do not have a separate category as the chorus Songs. This is because most of the above division-songs can be ‘Chorus Songs’ for the individual groups especially by the people who go on the picnics or on special occasion.

Following chorus songs come to mind:

1)    Aarati – Jai Santoshi Ma led by Usha Mangeshkar
2)    Qwwali – Aahein na bharin – Noor Jehan and others
3)    Bhajan – Shri Ram Siya ko bole – Rafi and others
4)    Classically based songs like Garajat barasat saawan ayo ri from Barasat Ki Raat or Sa Re Ga Re Sa Ni Dha Pa from Sargam (1950)
5)    Songs of cabaret type – Hothon main aisi baat main daba ke from Jewel Thief
6)    Songs of Udan Khatola have chorus sung in the style of eerie church music – Mera salalm le ja
7)    Patriotic songs like Vande Mataram
8)    Rain songs in Do Bigha Zamin, and Do Aankhen Barah Haath
9)    Holi songs in many films, such as in Jogan – Daaro re rang – Gita Roy and others
10)  Fishing folks’ songs, such as in Babul – Ho haiya, nadiya men utha hai shor – Talat Mahmood and others; Jor laga ke haiya from the film Jaal – Gita Roy others
11)   Tribal songs, such as in Raahi – Ek kali, aur do patiya – Hemant Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Meena Kapoor and others.
12)  Marriage, birth, death songs – Chal ri sajani ab kya soche from the
film Bambai Ka Babu
13)  Children’s songs, such as in Andaaz –  Meri laadali ri bani hai – Lata Mangeshkar and others
14)  Work songs like Saathi haath badhana
15)  Picnic songs Shahar se door, maze mein choor
16)  Caravan songs like in Sazaa – Aa gupchup gupchup pyar karen – Hemant Kumar and Sandhya Mukherjee backed by caravan chorus folk backing.
17)  Drunkards songs like Jonny Walker film song Munh se mat laga cheez hai buri.

The list is endless!

So now I discuss what is a chorus.

A part of a song which is repeated after each verse is chorus.

A large organized group of singers, especially one which performs with an orchestra or operatic singing, are chorus singers. The ‘Chorus Song’ uses notes from the lower scale note to the upper most notes in any order and any selection but they need to be harmonised. They could be in male or female or mixed voices or children’s voices. Churches have children’s ‘Choirs’.

A cached or hidden group of persons singing in unison is a chorus song (in an opera, oratorio, etc.). A piece of music sung in unison, a part of a song that recurs at intervals, usually following each verse, a refrain is chorus.

A simultaneous utterance of something by many people is a ‘Chorus’.

A group of people say the same thing at the same time in a discussion or debate or demonstration are saying in the Chorus and the group is called Chorus.

Chorus song does not need to be in human voices. It can be in the voices (sounds) of various instruments.

In ancient Greek tragedy a group of performers who comment together on the main action were called Choruses.

From Oedipus Rex
Greek Chorus as a motif on the pottery and the Chorus actors in Greek Tragedy

By doing this the chorus would create a deeper and more meaningful connection between the characters and the audience. Secondly, the chorus would allow the playwright to create a kind of literary complexity only achievable by a literary device controlling the atmosphere and expectations of the audience. Thirdly, the chorus would allow the playwright to prepare the audience for certain key moments in the storyline, build up momentum or slow down the tempo; he could underline certain elements and downplay others. Such usage of the choral structure may be observed throughout many classical plays but may be more obvious in some than in others.

In order to understand the function of the chorus one must remember that at the origins of Greek drama there was only one actor; and even at later dates no more than three actors occupied the stage, each of whom may have played several roles. As there was this clear need to distract the audience while the actors went off-stage to change clothes and costumes, and perhaps prepare for their next role, or recover themselves, the function of the chorus may have had more to do with practicality, than with artistic or philosophical considerations.

I look at how the chorus songs developed by various music directors in the area ‘Songs of Yore’. Many music directors came from different states that are culturally diverse in pan-Indian subcontinent and brought in their cultural background in the Hindi film music.

The Indian Musicals and the songs of the Thirties Decade

Hindi Talkies started in 1931 with the film Aalam Aara. This was produced, written and directed by Ardeshar Irani for his Imperial Company. He also built the most prominent theatre in the beginning for plays to be showed. It was in Girgaon, Bombay and was called Majestic. It was as majestic as theatres of those days. Ardeshar Irani was a theatre and film entrepreneur. He was not a Muslim as his name sounded but a Parsi from Iran and the family migrated to India in the early eighteenth century. Likewise many Parsis or Zoroastrians came to India at the same time. Many developed various industries and became rich. The indigenous Parsis of India came to India in the seventh century. They also achieved high status from the eighteenth century in India with names like Tata, Firoz Shah Mehta, Dadabhaie Naoroji etc. It is a pity that the Parsis in India are a vanishing community.

The film Alam Ara had seven songs. One of the songs was a chorus song and it was named as sahgaan by the HFGK. The music was by Firozshah Mistri, and B Irani, brother of Ardeshir. Who sang it? This information is not given in the HFGK. But some of the actors could have participated in the chorus as the practice was. All the actors in the film were capable to sing as they came from live theatres.

1. De dil ko aaram, ai saaqi gulfam by Unknown singers from Alam Ara (1931), lyrics Joseph David, music Firozshah Mistri and B Irani

The word gulfam comes from a very popular 19th century Parsi-Urdu play, from the information of the human encyclopaedia Arunkumar Deshmukh in answer to the question ‘Who was Gulfam?’ in another post by me. I pay my tribute to him here for acquiring such knowledge and contributing to the blog SoY.

Incidentally, the hero of the film Alam Ara was the actor Master Vitthal who was a stunt hero in many films and knew how to do sword fighting. He sued Imperial Company for not paying his full salary. His prosecutor in the High Court was Barrister Muhammad Ali Jinnah who won the case.

Master Vitthal & Zubeda

Like the Marathi, the Parsi theatre was very popular from the 19th century to mid-20th century. It influenced the stage designs and the language of the Hindi films. The farces written by Adi Marazban were very popular during the fifties of India in Bombay. These were on the modern themes, full of Parsi humour. I have seen few plays at the Bombay’s Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan which started inter-collegiate Drama completions in the fifties.

Soharab Modi was a great actor on the Parsi stage. He had his own company, which was very popular in Bombay and Gujarat. Then he created his own building, an architecturally wonderful theatre called Minerva and turned it into a cinema house. Until his death he produced many films and often acted in them. He married the very beautiful actress Mehtab who acted in his film Jhansi Ki Rani and other films.

Sadly more information is not available about the song and the historic film Alam Ara is lost. The Indian Film Archives was not organised then, nor was there a sense of preservation of the old films among most producers. However, some studios like Prabhat, Rajkamal and the New Theatres, Bombay Talkies etc. kept their old films well preserved. Some New Theatres films are also available to see. (Note: I understand many films of these famous studios, too, are lost forever. – AK)

My next chorus song comes from the New Theatres film Dhoop Chhaaon.

2. बाबा मन की आँखें खोल from the film Dhoop Chhaaon/ Bhagya Chakra (1935) by KC Dey and others, lyrics Pt Sudarshan, music RC Boral and Pankaj Mullick

The name Bhagya Chakra (Circle of Fortune) comes from the film’s original language which was Bengali. It is a kind of detective film and has some good characterisations. By turning its name to Dhoop Chhaaon some typical Indian mysticism was added to the mystery of the story.  The song became very popular all over India. As it has religious overtone and a kind of bhajan format it could be sung by common people in groups as well.

K.C.Dey

बाबा मन की आँखें खोल
मन की आँखें खोल बाबा

दुनिया क्या है एक तमाशा
चार दिनों की झूठी आशा
पल में तोला पल में माशा
ज्ञान तराजू लेके हाथ में तोल सके तो तोल
बाबा मन की …

मतलब की सब दुनियादारी
मतलब के सब हैं संसारी
जग में तेरा हो हितकारी
तन मन का सब जोर लगाकर नाम हरि का बोल
बाबा मन की …

This song and the style of the chorus became an icon for later many films to attract common people to the cinema and the cinema wanted to rinse off its association to seductiveness or cheapness that came along when the films were silent and used gangster style crime stories.

My choice for the third song is also from Dhoop Chhaaon. It is a chorus song and it was the first song that introduced ‘playback singing’ in the film making art.

3. Main khush hona chaahun by Parul Ghosh, Suprova Sarkar, Harimati from Dhoop Chhaon (1935), lyrics Pt Sudarshan, music RC Boral and Pankaj Mullick

This song is the first of Parul Ghosh as the pre-recorded playback singer. The name should have been ‘Parul Biswas’ as she was the sister of Anil Biswas and yet to meet her future husband Pannalal Ghosh.

The next choice is from the New Theatres film Vidyapati (1937). As you see, the New Theatres had a big hand popularising film-seeing and listening to the film music. Also Rai Chand Boral showed consistent credibility. Vidyapati had good story and very good cast and Devaki Bose got fame as a great director. The hero of Vidyapati was Prithviraj Kapoor, and other actors were Pahadi Sanayal, KC Dey, Kanan Devi etc. Kidar Sharma also did a small role. He wrote lyrics of all the songs. I have chosen following chorus song as the number four:

4. Piya milan ko jaat hun by KC Dey, Pahadi Sanyal, Kanan Devi from Vidyapati (1937), lyrics Kedar Sharma, music RC Boral

My choice for the chorus song number 5 is again from a New Theatres film, Dharatimata. This time the music is composed by Pankaj Mullick. This song has main voices of Pankaj Mullick, Saigal, Uma Shashi etc., the lyric is written by Pt Sudarshan. The film was directed by Nitin Bose. (Note: On the screen it was sung by KC Dey, but the gramophone version was recorded in Pankaj Mullick’s voice in his place. – AK)

5. Duniya rang rangili Baba by KC Dey/Pankaj Mullick, Uma Shashi, KL Saigal from Dhartimata (1938), lyrics Pt Indra, music Pankaj Mullick

दुनिया रंग रंगीली बाबा, दुनिया रंग रंगीली (२)

यह दुनिया इक सुन्दर बगिया शोभा इसकी न्यारी है (२)
हर डारी पर जादू छाया (२)
हर डारी मतवारी है
अद्भुत पंछी फूल मनोहर (२)
कली-कली चटकीली बाबा
दुनिया रंग रंगीली

प : दुनिया रंग रंगीली बाबा, दुनिया रंग रंगीली
उ : अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा, अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा (साथ में)

उ : कदम कदम पर आशा अपना रूप अनूप दिखाती है (२)
बिगड़े काज बनाती है, धीरज के गीत सुनाती है (२)
इसका सुर मिस्री से मीठा इसकी चाल नशीली बाबा
दुनिया रंग रंगीली

उ : दुनिया रंग रंगीली बाबा, दुनिया रंग रंगीली
स : अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा, अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा (साथ में)

स : दुःख की नदिया जीवन नैया आशा के पतवार लगे (२)
ओ नैया के खेने वाले (२)
नैया तेरी पार लगे, पार बसत है देश सुनहरा
किस्मत छैल-छबीली बाबा
दुनिया रंग रंगीली
दुनिया रंग रंगीली बाबा, दुनिया रंग रंगीली

स : दुनिया रंग रंगीली बाबा, दुनिया रंग रंगीली
प,उ : अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा, अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा (साथ में)

सब : दुनिया रंग रंगीली बाबा, दुनिया रंग रंगीली

Notice अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा, अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा-अ-ह-हा

These wordless sounds became part of many choruses and solo songs in later film-songs. For example Lul lul la, Saawan ke nazaare hain, aha, aha in the film Khazanchi (1941)

These examples of the songs are enough to make a statement that the New Theatres company made the film songs popular which attracted the people at the time to go to the film theatres again and again.

Among them was a young aspirant to compose music. He was Naushad Ali who later on in the forties became a byword for success for the filmmakers. And his music dominated forties and went up in the fifties and sixties as well. One can see the New Theatres influence on his music in the forties and fifties – Mela and Deedar. Deedar was made by Filmkar which was financed by Naushad himself and he asked Nitin Bose to direct it. He did not copy but got the feel of the New Theatres music.

Some writers on OP Nayyar say that OP too used to watch the films of the New Theatres and listened to their music. OP created his brand of film music in the fifties which added razor sharpness by excluding Lata’s singing. However, I do not see any traces of the New Theatres in his opus or the body of work. OP’s Punjabi stomping was very contagious during his halcyon days. Perhaps OP watched the New Theatres like other millions had watched, without necessarilu emulating its music.

There are more alluring and enchanting songs made by the New Theatres and the Calcutta based musicians like Pankaj Mullick and singers like Kanan Devi, KC Dey etc. who became legends and forever were mentioned when one talked about the Hindi film music. Other Bengali music directors who became prominent in the forties and fifties also had the New Theatres connection.

The above section about the New Theatres had been influenced after reading the wealth of information from the posts and comments on the New Theatres on this blog called “Songs of Yore” managed and edited so skilfully by AK. I am deeply obliged to this great source.

When the New Theatres were creating their spellbound musicals, Tagore was nearby in Shantiniketan. Along with the New Theatres, there in Calcutta grew up ‘Maadan Theatres’ Company. They churned out many films in the thirties. Indrasabha made in 1932 had 69 songs. And another had Egyptian tuned chorus song and dance.

This shows that the songs were essential and indispensable part of the new art called ‘Talkies’.

Now I turn to Bombay and elsewhere to see if they were meeting the challenge of Bengal.

After the success of Alam Ara of the Imperial Film Company, there seemed to be a dam bursting and within the next five years Bombay’s film production had floods of all kinds of films and all of them had songs and dances.

This made the Indian films very different in genre than their Hollywood peer. A film without a song would never succeed, became a bylaw in the tinsel town. But rarely and occasionally a person like BR Chopra picked up the gauntlet and produced a film like Qanoon and got away proudly. But then he had to revert back to the song and dance formula. And that is the power of song and dance routine in the Hindi film which was enthusiastically agreed by Shah Rukh Khan recently on BBC’s late night show ‘Hard Talk’.

The Imperial Film Company that made the first talkie Aalam Ara made many films in the thirties. At first Ardeshar Irani used only people in his family and friend circles as music directors. But then he brought in Ustad Jhande Khan and music in the Bombay films became a little lighted up.

Prabhat Chitra brought in experts like Keshavrao Bhole and other classically trained singers and music directors from the mighty Marathi Musical Theatre.

The mighty masters of the Marathi Musicals

Glorious Bal Gandharv in a range of roles of women and himself in turban.

Shantaram joined the film company of Baburao Painter and learned all the skills from him.

V Shantaram also spent a stint in the Bal Gandharv Company. Bal Gandarv was the God of Marathi Musicals and is very much revered till date.

Baburao painter

Baburao Painter named as Kala Maharshi, made a movie camera and an image of it is exhibited in a prominent place in the Royal City of Kolhapur. He himself was an artist and created life like scenes which were called drops in the musical plays. It was said that his scenes were so good that as soon as the scene would drop in for a section for the play the audience would applause it for a long time. He was a sculptor and inventor of many things. He wanted to make an automobile. He created some of the memorable films and shaped a creative crew around him. All the prominent people in the Prabhat Company were trained by him, including V Shantaram, Damle, S Fattelal etc. All these created big impact on the movie goers.

Some of the chorus songs from the films of Prabhat of Shantaram

Duniya Na Maane (1937) directed by Shantaram, acted by Shanta Apte, Vasanti, Keshavrao Daate, and Shakuntal Paranjape who was famous for her advocacy of sexual health. She was the daughter of the famous mathematician who won the wrangling competition at the Oxford University and later on became famous as the Chancellor of the University of Lucknow. This is because the filmmakers wanted elite people associated with the films as film-culture was seen dirty.

6. Saawan jhula jhool ke nikala by Shanta Apte, Vasanti and chorus from Duniya Na Maane (1937), lyrics Munshi Aziz, music Keshavrao Bhole

Gopal Krishna (1938), a remake of the silent version, was directed by directed by Damle and Fattelal Sheikh had Shanta Apte, Ram Marathe and others in its cast. This film was seen by the audience as India fought against then British rulers.

7. Mata gau hamaari, praanon se tu hai pyari by Shanta Apte. Ram Marathe, Parshuram and chorus from Gopal Krishna (1938), lyrics SL Srivastava ‘Anuj’

Aadmi (1939), directed by V Shantaram, had in its cast Shahu Modak, Shanta Hublikar and Raja Paranjape who later on became famous for the film Chacha Chaudahri. Aadmi has a four-part song, Ab kis liye kal ki baat in many Indian languages. This song later influenced the Shabanm (1949) film song called Yeh duniya roop ki chor, sung by Shamshad Begum and enacted by Kamini Kaushal on the screen.

8. Man paapi bhoola kaun ise samjhaye by Sundara Bai, Shanta Hubalikar Shahu Modak and chorus from from Aadmi (1939), lyrics Munshi Aziz, Master Krishnarao.

This song is in the bhajan format and reminds us of the New Theatres song Baba man ki aankhen khol.

Shantaram wrote his autobiography called Shantarama in which he mentions that he felt that the high rate of suicide among the young Bengalis out of frustration can be attributed to the effects of Devdas of Saigal. So he made Aadmi with a constructive message with a sub title: ‘Life is for Living’.

Padosi 1941 is the last film of Shantaram at the Prabhat Company. He fell in love with the heroine Jaishree of Shejari (the Marathi version of Padosi). When the Prabhat Company was founded, in its constitution was a clause that prohibited the partners of the company to fall in love or have a relationship with the company’s workers. So he had to resign and the company gave him his share. He went to Bombay and created his own studio-based company called Rajkamal. So I have selected two songs for his ‘Bidai’ from the Prabhat.

Padosi 1941 had a powerful story based on the Hindu Muslim poisonous rupture that created a difficult problem in the way of Indian Independence, a fracture that could never be healed and paved the future two nations, India and Pakistan.

Shantarm directed it powerfully. For the film, two great actors Gajanan Jagirdar and Mazahar Khan were selected for the lead roles. The parts they played were opposite to their own religion. Gajanan Jagirdar did the role of a Muslim and Mazar Khan did the Hindu character. For the heroine a very beautiful actress Anis Khatun was selected who played a young Hindu girl.

9. Kaka abba bade khiladi, ek dooje se rahe agadi by Balwant Singh, Balak Ram, Gopal and chorus from Padosi (1941), lyrics Pt Sudarshan, music Master Krishnarao.

This is a comic children’s song.

10. Kaisa chhaya hai ala ujala rasiya, manohar, pyara, pyara sung by Anis Khatun, Balwant Singh and chorus from Pdosi (1941), lyrics Pt Sudarshan, music Master Krishnaro

The above two songs are included in the thirties as their style is very thirtyish.

In 1935 Himanshu Rai returned from England with his pretty wife Devika Rani and together they created the ‘Bombay Talkies’, an ideal film company.

Bombay Talkies had good studio space, a huge Manor House of an Indian Knighted businessman in the suburb of Bombay in Malad, and Himanshu Rai appointed Saraswati Devi, a music college graduate from Lucknow’s Bhatkhande Institute of Music.

Saraswati Devi laid the foundation of the music of the Bombay Talkies.

The Trustees of the Bombay Talkies were much respected people and many of them were already knighted by the British Government for their work in the society.

Himanshu Rai aimed at making film-going experience to be respectable, enjoyable, light and middle class and in short time he achieved it. Both Himanshu and Devika Rani belonged to culturally elite families from Bengal’s renaissance period, besides belonging to the Tagore Gharana. Devika Rani was the first RADA trained actress with special interest in the stage design and also a trained singer of the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Himanshu Rai was the son of a well-known barrister in Calcutta and in London he was given parts in the plays by Niranjan Pal, who was perhaps the first Indian playwright at the West End. He was the son of Bipin Chandra Pal, the famous political leader and one of the trio of Lal-Bal-Pal i.e. Lala Lajapat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal. Along with Himanshu Rai came Franz Osten a German film director of the Expressionist school of German films.

When such crème de la crème ensemble got together there had to be great sophistication and roaring success. And the music of the Bombay Talkies had to be very good.

Saraswati Devi belonged to the Parsi community and at that time the Parsi community did not approve women’s emancipation even though the first female graduate from the University of Bombay was a Parsi woman in the previous century. Saraswati was a name given to her by Himanshu Rai to avoid her persecution by her community. She composed lilted melodies and many times sang them for the films when ‘playback’ became the practice in the Hindi films.

Bombay Talkies published booklets of the film stories that went along with the set of gramophone records and sold them separately as well. This also made HMV Company to publish songs’ lyrics and stories of non-filmy works as well.

Going to see a Bombay Talkies was an elite experience for the Indian middle class.

Now I choose my 11th song and a few more songs from the films of Bombay Talkies.

Achhut Kanya (1936) acted in by Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar, Music Sarsawati Devi, Directed by Franz Osten, Scripted by Niranjan Pal.

11. Dhire baho, nadiya dhire baho by Kusum Kumari and others from Acchut Kanya (1936), lyrics JS Kashyap ‘Naatwan’, music Saraswati Devi

From this film onwards the filmmakers in Bombay had to take notice of Bombay’s fishing community. The last film of the Bombay Talkies was called Baadbaan (1954) based on the lives of the fishing community in Bombay.

In this light the film Achhut Kanya should be seen. It was superbly done, and with all the subtleties directed by the German Director, Franz Osten. Some recent writer on the Bombay Talkies in present time, a few years back, brushed aside Franz Osten as a Nazi. Franz Osten was with Himanshu Rai from 1920, long before the Nazi philosophy was developed. And a person who directed Achhut Kanya so tenderly and so cleverly can be a Nazi is quite difficult to believe. The British rulers of India at the time exiled Franz Osten and his team hurriedly as the WWII started.

Now I choose a song from the film Jeewan Prabhat (1937) for two reasons. One, it was sung by Saraswati Devi and chorus and second, it is a Holi song. Holi songs often are chorus songs. This time Devika Rani had Kishore Sahu as the hero. This too was directed by Franz Osten.

12. Hori aayi re Kanha Brij ke basiya by Saraswati Devi and others from Jeewan Prabhat (1937), lyrics JS Kashyap “Naatwan’, music Saraswati Devi

My next song is from the Bombay Talkies film Vachan (1938) acted in by Devika Rani, Ashok Kumar and others, and directed by Franz Osten.

13. Naval navi nyaari hum kwanri by singers Devika Rani, Mira, Vimala, Lalita and chorus from Vachan (1938), lyrics JS Kashyap, music Saraswati Devi

Next is a blockbuster Kangan (1939) of Bombay Talkies. It has Leela Chitnis as the heroine and the successful hero Ashok Kumar.

This time Sarswati Devi took a partner Ramchandra Pal. The film had massive twelve songs. Lyrics were written by Pandit Narottam Vyas, Pradeep and Bhakt Kabir.

I choose the Aarati chorus song tuned by Pradeep himself to his own lyric.

14. Main to aarati utarun Radheshyam ki re by Leela Chitnis, Pradeep and chorus from Kangan (1939), lyrics Pradeep, music Pradeep

The next chorus song is from the Bombay Talkies film Bandhan (1940); this also had Leela Chitnis and Ashok Kumar in lead roles. Britain was engaged in WWII and the Indian National Congress led by Nehru and Gandhi pressurised the demand for the Indian Independence. Subhash Chandra went to Burma and created Azad Hind Army around that time. So Bombay Talkies had to take a note of the feelings of the young Indians. The tune is based on one of the Subhash’s marching song. Music is by Saraswati Devi and Ramchandra Pal and lyrics are by Pradeep. The film had twelve songs. I choose the most popular chorus song which was in the mouths of people who did their morning, noon and evening demonstrations against British offices.

15. Chal chal re naujawan, kahana mera maan by Ashok Kumar, Leela Chitnis, Suresh and chorus from Bandhan (1940), lyricis Pradeep, music Ramchandra Pal

ली: (चल-चल रे नौजवान
अ: चलो संग चलें हम ) -२

ली: दूर तेरा गाँव और थके पाँव
फिर भी राहगीर तुम क्यूँ नहीं अधीर
अ: तुम हो मेरे संग आशा है मेरे संग
तुम हो मेरे संग हिम्मत है मेरे संग
(मेरे साथ-साथ रहो तुम क़दम-क़दम ) -२
दो : चलो संग चलें हम -२

whisper

ली: (किसने किया मुझको इशारा
अ: दूर की मंजिल से मुझे किसने पुकारा) -२
ली : ममता ने पुकारा
अ : बन्धन ने पुकारा
ली : तुम ही सिखा रहे हो मुझे गीत ये हरदम
दो : चलो संग चलें हम -२

अ : (कुहु-कुहु बोलो मेरी कोयलिया
मन में मिठास घोलो मेरी कोयलिया ) -२
ली : (कौन तान सुनोगे ज़रा
ये तो बता दो) -२
(बीना के बिसरे हुये तार सजा दो ) -२
अ : आज दोनों गाते हुये जीवन सरगम
दो : आज दोनों गाते हुये जीवन सरगम
चलो संग चलें हम -२

चल-चल रे नौजवान
चलो संग चलें हम

को : चल-चल रे नौजवान
कहना मेरा मान मान
चल रे नौजवान
चल-चल रे नौजवान

अ : दूर तेरा गाँव
और थके पाँव
फिर भी तू हरदम
आगे बढ़ा क़दम
रुकना तेरा काम नहीं
चलना तेरी शान
को : चल-चल रे नौजवान -२

अ : तू आगे बढ़े जा
आफ़त से लड़े जा
आँधी हो या तूफ़ान
फटता हो आसमान
रुकना तेरा काम नहीं
चलना तेरी शान
को : चल-चल रे नौजवान -२

अ : ये है ज़िन्दगी का कारवाँ
आज यहाँ और कल वहाँ
(फिर क्यों तेरा दिल हुआ अधीर
फिर क्यों तेरे नैनों में नीर ) -२
फिर क्यों तेरे प्रानों में पीर
तू न सुना मन की बात कौन सुनेगा
कौन सुनेगा
बन्द कर ज़बान -२
रुकना तेरा काम नहीं
चलना तेरी शान
चल-चल रे नौजवान -३

Epilogue:

The Indian Film companies that were involved in making Talking Pictures were extremely brave and took the challenge of making the films interesting by adding many kinds of devices and interesting bits and pieces into the films. Putting in songs and chorus songs right from the beginning was quite daring. This made lasting effect on the Film Art as well as on the film goers in general.

Readers are invited with the request that they should post their comments and chorus song(s) from the 1930s only, as the 1940s and 50s will be covered in the next two articles.

Disclaimer: The images have been sourced from the Internet and the song links have been embedded from the YouTube only for the listening pleasure of the readers. This blog does not claim any copyright over the songs and the images, and acknowledges that the copyright over these rests with Saregama India Limited or other respective owners.