Where is the mukhada gone, where is antara gone?

Where is the mukhada gone, where is antara gone? For most of the history of Hindi film songs they did not go anywhere, they remained rooted where they were supposed to be. The classic structure of our songs was a mukhada with a catchy tune and refrain. This was followed by interlude music and two or three antaras with different tunes from the mukhada. Each antara would end with a connector line which would neatly segue into the mukhada/refrain.

Take Shankar-Jaikishan’s iconic song Awara hun, ya gardish mein hun, aasmaan ka tara hoon, awara hoon, which became immensely popular in Russia and many other countries too. Its antara goes:

Ghar-baar nahin, sansar nahin, mujhse kisi ko pyar nahin
Us paar kisi se milne ka iqraar nahin, mujhse kisi ko pyar nahin

Then the connector line which segues into the refrain: Sunsan nagar anjaan dagar ka pyara hun….Awara hun.

Or another of SJ-Raj Kapoor-Mukesh combo: Mere man ki Ganga aur tere man ki Jamuna ka, Bol Radha bol sangam hoga ke nahin. Look at its antara:

Kitni sadiyan beet gayin hain haye tujhe samjhaane mein
Mere jaisa dheerajwala hai koi aur zamane mein

Then the connector line: Dil ka badhta bojh kabhi kam hoga ke nahin…Bol Radha bol sangam hoga ke nahin.

You would find this pattern in Naushad’s Rumjhum barse baadarwa, SD Burman’s Hum bekhudi mein tumko pukaare chale gaye, Roshan’s Teri duniya mein dil lagta nahin wapas bula le/ Main sajde mein gira hun, mujhko ae maalik utha le.

This structure has been adopted by later music directors too. I post Jag ghoomeya thare jaisa na koi from Sultan (2016) to illustrate the almost ubiquitous nature of this structure of our songs.

1. Jag ghoomeya thare jaisa na koi by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan from Sultan (2016), lyrics Irshad Kamil, music Vishal-Shekhar

Look at its antara and how the connector line segues into the refrain:

Baarishon ke mausam ki bheegi hariyali tu
Sardiyon mein gaalon pe jo aati hai wo laali tu
Raaton ka sukoon bhi hai, subah ki azaan hai
Chaahaton ki chadaron mein maine hai sambhali tujhe
Kahin aag jaisi jalti hai, bane barkha ka pani kahin
Kabhi mann jaana chupke se
Yun hi apni chalaani kahin
Jaisi tu hai waisi rahna…
Jag ghoomeya thare jaisa na koi

Some creative music directors sometimes do away with the need for a connector line, such as in this absolutely melodious song composed by Madan Mohan.

2. Main to tum sang nain milakar haar gayi sajna by Lata Mangeshkar from Manmauji (1962), lyrics Rajendra Krishna. music Madan Mohan

Main to tum sang nain milake haar gayi sajna

Kyon jhoothe se preet lagayi
Kyon chhaliye ko meet banaya
Kyon aandhi mein deep jalaya
Main to tum sang…

Sapne mein jo baag lagaye
Neend khuli to veerane the
Hum bhi kitne deewane the
Main to tum sang..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQonGT4CbUo

3. Unko ye shikayat hai ki hum kuchh nahin kahte by Lata Mangeshkar from Adalat (1958), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music Madan Mohan

Ghazals, which occur very commonly in Hindi film songs, normally do not require a connector line because of the rigid rules of its structure. Both lines of the first couplet (matla) must contain the rhyming words and the words of refrain, i.e. they should be humqafiya and humradeef. In the subsequent two or three couplets (in filmi ghazals; in literary ghazals there are more couplets), their first lines have to be odd, only their second lines should be humradeef, and their immediate preceding words should be humqafiya. Let us examine the lyrics of this famous ghazal sung by Lata Mangeshkar and composed by Madan Mohan.

Unko ye shikayat hai ki hum kuchh nahin kahte
Apni to ye aadat hai ki hum kuchh nahin kahte

Kahne ko bahut kuchh tha agar kahne pe aate
Duniya ki inayat hai ki hum kuchh nahin kahte

Kuchh kahne pe toofan utha leti hai duniya
Ab is pe qayamat hai ki hum kuchh nahin kahte

Here Kuchh nahin kahte are the words of radeef (repeating words), and aadat, inayat, qayamat are humqafiya (rhyming words).

Yet there have been songs in which mukhada and antara have gone far, far away. In some they have strayed a little bit from the beaten path. Does this require a great skill in composition. Perhaps yes, you do sit up and take note of the song. Are these songs superior and more successful? I am wary of making a general statement about our music. But let me post some songs which have broken this structure and which have held me under thrall right since I first heard them.

4. Khushiyon ke din manaye ja…Abhi to main jawan hun, abhi to main jawan hun by Lata Mangeshkar from Afsana (1951), lyrics Gafil Harnalvi, music Husnlal-Bhagatram

There was an iconic Malika Pukhraj ghazal, Abhi to man jawan hun. And there was Khushiyon ke din manaye ja..Abhi to main jawan hun by Lata Mangeshkar from the film Afsana (1951), composed by Husnlal-Bhagatram. It was the signature song of the Radio Ceylon’s weekly programme “Hamesha Jawan Geet” anchored by Manohar Mahajan every Sunday night at 10pm. This song was like the Pied Piper of Hamelin for me. As soon as this programme came, I was in a trance and inexorably drawn to my hostel common room in the college. Much later I saw the film, and felt this beautiful song composed in waltz style was wasted on the adulterous couple Pran and Kuldeep Kaur.

The song starts with the antara, and the other antara too is composed in the same style.

Khushiyon ke din manaye ja, dil ke tarane gaye ja
Tujhko jawani ki kasam dil ki lagi bujhaye ja
Duniya meri basa piya, aaja piya aaja piya
Abhi to main jawan hun
Abhi to main jawan hun
Abhi to main jawan hun

Zahid yun hi badnam hai, gham se tujhe kya kaam hai
Ye muskurati zindagi zindadili ka naam hai
Dil dil se muskurye ja, uth jaye ja, bal khaye ja
Abhi to main jawan hun
Abhi to main jawan hun
Abhi to main jawan hun

5. Nain dwar se man mein wo aake tan mein aag lagaye by Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar from Sawan (1959), lyrics Prem Dhawan, music Hansraj Behl

Which is the mukhada in this song? Mukesh sings the refrain Nain dwar se man mein wo aake at a very slow tempo. Lata Mangeshkar replies to him at a very fast tempo, Haye rasiya, haye re koi chhaliya. Since both refrains occur after every antara, both merit to be the mukhada, though they are in very contrasting tunes.

6. Kaanton se kheench ke ye aanchal….Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai, aaj phir marne ka irada hai by Lata Mangeshkar from Guide (1965), lyrics Shailendra, music SD Burman

In my opening remarks I mentioned an SD Burman song on the classic mukhada-antara pattern. But here is a path-breaking song by a woman breaking free from an oppressive marriage and finding her own happiness. The mukhada of the song seems to be Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai, aaj phir marne ka isada hai. But the song starts with antara, and all the antaras too are in the same tune. Was SD Burman making a symbolic statement in breaking free from tradition in composition to signify the woman who was breaking free? Here are the lyrics:

Kaanton se kheench ke ye aanchal, tod ke bandhan baandhi payal
Koi na roko dil ki udan ko, dil wo chala
Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai, aaj phir marne ka irada hai

Apne hi bas mein nahin main, dil hai kahin to hun kahin main
Jaane kya pa ke meri zindagi ne, hans kar kaha
Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai, aaj phir marne ka irada hai

Main hun gubaar ya toofan hun, koi bataye main kahan hun
Dar hai safar mein kahin kho na jaaun main, rasta naya
Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai…

7. Naa main janun aarti vandan, naa poja ki reet…Ae ri main to prem diwani mera darad na jane koye by Lata Mangeskar from Naubahar (1952), lyrics Meerabai, Satyendra Atthaiya, music Roshan

Who does not know Meerabai’s iconic bhajan, Ae ri main to prem diwani mera darad na jane koye? Several singers, including Juthika Roy, have sung it. In films, a couple of years earlier Geeta Dutt had sung it in Jogan (1950), under the baton of Bulo C Rani. Composing another version of this bhajan was a daring task. But a young and inspired Roshan completely breaks free from mukhada-antara format. This long song appears in fragments at different stages in the film. The lyrics have been tweaked a little. Therefore, I add Satyendra Atthaiya’s name too as he is mentioned in HFGK. The uploader has added Shailendra’s name too, who was also a lyricist in the film, for some songs. Satyendra Atthaiya’s name may be unfamiliar to us, but there is a famous connection. He was the husband of the renowned costume designer Bhanu Atthaiya, who won the Oscars in the Richard Attenborough’s film Gandhi (1982). I became aware of her name only after the Oscar. We don’t give much attention to ‘minor’ (technical) awards, but she was a renowned costume designer having designed the costumes of Nadira in Mud mud ke na dekh (Shree 420, 1955), Guru Dutt in Dekhi zamaane ki yaari (Kagaz Ke Phool, 1959), Sadhana in Waqt (1965), Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman in Guide (1965), Vyjayanthimala in Amrapali (1966), and in countless other iconic films.

Naa main janun aarti vandan, naa pooja ki reet
Hai anjani daras diwani meri pagal preet
Liye ri maine do nainon ke deepak liye sanjoye
Ae ri main to prem diwani mera darad na jane koye

8. Kaune rang mungwa kawan rang motiya by Suman Kalyanpur and Sudha Malhotra from Heera Moti (1959), lyrics Prem Dhawan, music Roshan

Roshan is less adventurous in this folk duet by women. He composes antaras, too, in the same tune as mukhada. But the song does not become monotonous.

9. Hamdam mere khel na jaano chahat ke iqrar ko by Rafi and Asha Bhosle from Phir Wahi Dil Laya Hun (1963), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music OP Nayyar

Here is a really wild song where mukhada and antara have gone astray. OP Nayyar lets mukhada and antara roam all over mountains and valleys of Kashmir in Phir Wohi Dil Laya hun to veer off Far, far away.

Door bahut mat jaiye, leke qarar hamara
Aisa no ho koi loot le, raah mein pyar hamara

Paas raho ya door tum, tum ho saath hamaare
Denge gavahi pooch lo, ye khamosh nazaare

Nazneen bada rangeen hai vada tera
O haseen hai kidhar ka irada tera
Aankh mudti huyi, zulf udati huyi
Faasla kyon hai zyada tera
O hamdam mere khel na jaano chahat ke iqrar ko
Jaane jahan, yaad karoge ik din mere pyar ko

10. Hamdam mere maan bhi jaao kaha mere pyar ka by Rafi from Mere Sanam (1965), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music OP Nayyar

OP Nayyar must have realised that he should not have let mukhada and antara go so wild. He brings them back and leashes them firmly to their place. Contrast the previous Hamdam mere song with this conventional Hamdam mere song with mukhada-antara.

Hamdam mere maan bi jaao, kahna mere pyar ka
Halka halka surkh labon pe rang to hai iqarar ka

Pyar mohabbat ki hawa pahle chalti hai
Phir ek lat inkar ki rukh pe jhalti hai

Ye sach hai kam se kam to ae mere sanam
Latein chehre se sarkaao, tamanna aankhein malti hai
Hoye..Hamdam mere maan bhi jaao

And a much later song, which does not follow mukhada-antara structure.

11. Mera kuchh saaman tumhare paas pada hai, …mera wo saaman lauta do by Asha Bhosle from Ijazat (1987), lyrics Gulzar, music RD Burman

RD Burman and Gulzar were very close friends, and when their sensibilities combined – one as the music director, and the other as the writer/director/lyricist, the result was usually artistically superb. This film based on a Bangla novel and film Jatugriha was a sensitive story of a couple who are divorced/estranged but have fond memories of each other.

When RD Burman saw this prose-like monologue, he told Gulzar, Gullu, next you would give me The Times Of India headline to set it to music. Gulzar gave full rein to his imageries, and the result was this nice song without the conventional mukhada-antara.

Patjhad hai kuchh, hai na?
O! patjhad mein kuchh patton ke girne ki aahat
Kaanon mein ek baar pahan ke laut aai thi
Patjhad ki wo shaakh abhi tak kaanp rahi hai
Wo shaakh gira do, mera wo saamaan lauta do
Wo shaakh gira do, mera wo saaman lauta do

12. Bidi jalaile jigar se piya jigar ma badi aag hai by Sukhwinder Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, Nachiketa Chakravarty  from Omkara (2006), lyrics Gulzar, music Vishal Bharadwaj

Gulzar is known for some very sensitive imagery in Hindi films, as we just saw in Ijazat, in the song Mera wo kuchh saman lauta do, or as he wrote in Tum aa gaye ho noor aa gaya hai (Aandhi), Tere bina zindagi se koi shikwa to nahin (Aandhi), Musafir hun yaaron (Parichay). But in this adaptation of Shakespeare’s great tragedy set in UP badlands, Gulzar goes completely wild in his imagery throwing mukhada and antara to the winds. One thought the mukhada of the song is Bidi jalaile, but how does it start?

Na gilaaf na lihaaf, thandi hawa bhi kharab sasuri
Ho itni sardi hai kisi ka lihaf laile, ja padosi ke chulhe se aag lai le

Ho bidi jalaile jigar se piya, jigar ma badi aag hai

The antaras also start in the same vein:

Na kasur na fatur, bina zuram ke huzoor mar gaye
Ho aise ek din dupahari bulai liyo re
Baandh ghunghroo kachehri lagai liyo re
Anghithi jalaile, jigar se piya, jigar ma badi aag hai

Bidi jalailr jigar se piya

And it goes on like this: Na to chakkuon ki dhaar, na daraanti na katar, Aisa kaate ki daant ka nishan chhod de, ke kataai to koi kbhi kisan jod de. From where does Gulzar get such idiomatic uses! I love Baandh ghunghroo kachehri lagai liyo re. It evokes the image of a feudal overlord who makes the dancer wear a ghughroo and sets up a mehfil for his cronies to watch the raunchy dance. The funky lyrics, the out of this world music by Vishal Bharadwaj, the singers, and the characters on the screen played by Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Bipasha Basu and Deepak Dobriyal, all create an immortal song.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
The YT links of songs have been embedded only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog has no commercial interest, and claims no copyright over the songs, which belongs to the respective owners.