Interview |
Interview |
nm007 |
Feb 14 2006, 01:48 AM
Post
#1
|
Regular Member Group: Members Posts: 712 Joined: 1-July 05 Member No.: 2636 |
copied from RMIM, thanks to mausam
screenindia link The Sun That Never Sets... Rajiv Vijayakar Posted online: Friday, February 10, 2006 at 0000 hours IST Padma Shri Ravi (or Ravi Shankar Sharma to give his full name) is a music composer who is also on occasions a lyricist and singer. He has scored more than 150 films in Hindi and almost twenty-five in regional cinema. Despite all the honours and accolades he has received from various sources, the maestro lives a normal, secluded life in his bungalow Vachan (named after his debut film), quietly working on his first Bengali as well as the latest of 18 Malayalam films, 5 of which have won him the Kerala State and other prestigious Best Music awards. Also on his c-v are 2 Gujarati films (one of which, Ver Ni Vasulat, also won him a Gujarat State award!), a handful of Punjabi films and a Telugu (dubbed from one of his Malayalam films, but with some different songs) and a Kannada movie each. He is gently and wryly critical about the fact that India’s oldest music label (which has his near-complete repertoire) has chosen not to keep him in the limelight through compilations of his work. “I am just happy that my songs continued to be loved by those who love film music and melody, and the fact that so many of my albums continue to sell,” he smiles. Fed on a pre-designed staple diet of certain names, today’s generation of old film music lovers would be first pleasurably shocked and then enthralled by a casual mention of just a few ’samplers’ of Ravi’s genius and popular success - scores like Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1962), Gumrah (1963), Kaajal (1965), Phool Aur Patthar (1966), Humraaz (1967) and Nikaah (1982) heading a list that includes Bharosa, Nazrana, Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan, Gehra Daag, Pyar Ka Sagar, Ghunghat, Shehnai, Grihasti, Do Badan, Aankhen, Khandaan, Phool Aur Patthar, Do Kaliyan, Dus Lakh, Ek Phool Do Mali, Aadmi Aur Insaan, Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke, Doli, Neel Kamal and Aaj Aur Kal. It is Ravi who has also composed cult songs like ‘Aaj mere yaar ki shaadi hai...’ (Aadmi Sadak Ka) which is a must at every wedding today, ‘C-A-T cat, cat maane billi...’(Dilli Ka Thug), ‘Baar baar dekho...’ (China Town), ‘O meri zohra jabeen...’ and ‘Aage bhi jaane na tu...’ (Waqt), ‘Daadi amma daadi amma maan jaa...’(Gharana), ‘Yeh raaten yeh mausam...’ (Dilli Ka Babu), ‘Dil mein kisi ke pyar ka...’ (Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka), ‘Sau baar janam lenge...’ (Ustadon Ke Ustad), ‘Main to chalaa jidhar chale rastaa...’ (Dhadkan), ‘Sansar ki har shay ka...’(Dhund) and many, many more timeless melodic experiences. Born in Gurgaon and raised in neighbouring Delhi, Ravi was an All India Radio artiste who early on detected his own flair for composition. An ardent admirer of C.Ramchandra, Ravi came to Mumbai to become a singer, little knowing that he would become one of the biggest names in film music from the late ’50s to the early ’70s. A ‘60s Sunbeam Rapier stands proud in his compound as its fond owner recollects,”I had five cars at my peak.” But true to his name which means the sun, his melodies continue to shine through the fogs of discordant times and cacophonous seasons. Excerpts. How did you gravitate from singing to composing songs? As a singer, I could not go beyond chorus numbers! I have never been trained in music, but could play some instruments, so I would often work as a musician too. One day, I made some suggestions about phrasing to Hemant (Kumar)-da, who was not very familiar with Hindi as a language. He invited me to be his assistant and I worked with him on several films, including Nagin and Miss Mary. When I was Hemantda’s chief assistant, he would openly praise my contribution in his success as a music director. I composed the been theme in a very different way for Nagin - if you hear it carefully, you will find the notes completely different from that of a standard been, for the simple reason that it was composed on a harmonium! When Hemantda won an award for his music in the film, I was standing in the wings along with his team. He came and generously gave me the trophy and said, “This is your award!” Such selfless men are rare. He later presented me with my first car! You must be the only composer who was never, ever replaced by his mentor. Does that give you special satisfaction? It does. Devendra Goelsaab gave me my independent break in Vachan (1955) and worked with me all the way till the last film for his banner, Aadmi Sadak Ka in 1977. He would always tell anyone who pressurized him to change his music director, “Meri film chale na chale, Ravi ka music hit hai!” We did about a dozen films together, including Narsi Bhagat, Pyar Ka Sagar, Dus Lakh, Door Ki Awaz, Ek Phool Do Mali, Dhadkan and Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka. Some of these films were not produced by him. The record was broken by his swan song Do Musafir. Yes, but Goelsaab explained to me that the producers had some commitment to Kalyanji-Anandji and his insistence on me had to be overruled. I told him it was perfectly fine and even attended the muhurat of the film. But the interesting part was that the film was released only after his death. Thus in his lifetime, Goelsaab never saw any name other than mine in any of his films’ credit tittles after our long association began! You seemed to prefer Asha Bhosle to Lata Mangeshkar Why? That is not true. Both sisters were unique in their strengths and could sing every kind of song. As you know I had a string of loyalists in the South, from S.S.Vasan and Vasu Menon to Sivaji Ganesan and later A.V.Meiyyappan and A.Bhimsingh, and my music for them was dominated by Latabai. Over here, Latabai would be extremely busy with others and my Mumbai producers like B.R. Choprasaab, S.D.Narang and Narendra Suri would tell me to go ahead with Asha. Your B.R.Chopra work was dominated by Mahendra Kapoor and Rafi was there only for the title-song of Waqt. Rafisaab had some differences with Choprasaab. But I convinced him to sing this song, and he similarly sang specific songs later for other music directors in their films. But all my songs with Mahendra Kapoor - for BR Films as well as others - were hits. You are quite a prolific tunesmith. Yes, it’s all God’s blessings. I always give the choice of at least 3-4 tunes to a filmmaker, with my suggestions and preferences mentioned. And this is because I have never made a tune until the lyrics were written! Why is that? I believe that the lyricist should be given a free hand in writing for the situation. Making tunes is easy. I made 16 tunes for ‘Dil ke armaan aansuon mein beh gaye...’ (Nikaah) because Salma Agha had limitations. Choprasaab was keen on using the best tune and getting Asha to sing it, but Salma threatened to walk out of the film as she was the heroine. So I made a 17th simpler tune, and it not only became a chartbuster but also won Salma awards! Without a musical base, when you make so many tunes, isn’t there a risk of coming up with something that you have heard somewhere and is in your subconscious? There is, but I am very careful about it. If I find out something like this has happened, I junk the tune and make another. So far no one has accused me of copying a song. On the contrary, my `Baar baar dekho hazaar baar dekho...’ from China Town has been officially copied by a West Indies band after taking the rights! But there are metres you have repeated, like in ‘Woh dil kahaan se laaoon teri yaad jo bhulaaye...’ from Bharosa which was recycled in ‘Dil mein kisike pyar ka jalta hua deeya...’ in Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka. No, a metre is not the same as a tune. Metres can coincide even in completely different songs. The song that finally came in Ek Mahal.. was a tune that I had suggested for different lyrics, but everyone had rejected it at successive times. One such time was the Bharosa case, so I composed a different tune there. Since the words were the same, the metering had to be the same too. If you hum out my ‘Milti hai zindagi mein mohabbat kabhi kabhi...’ from Aankhen, you will find that the same metre is there too, but in a completely different composition. So you do make use of the tunes that are not accepted by a filmmaker. Yes, when a completed song is found to fit the metre of the tune, and the mood is correct too. You once said that you were not too happy about the song ‘C-A-T cat, cat maane billi...’ from Dilli Ka Thug. Well, (S.D.) Narangsaab wanted me to copy some rock’n’roll songs that he loved. He made me hear different songs. But what I did was mix elements from three of them. There is nothing wrong with being inspired by something. Where is the dividing line between inspiration and copy? Let me give you two examples of what I mean. A Western song that I had heard was in my mind somewhere. When Sahir Ludhianvi wrote ‘Dil karta, o yaara dildara...’ for Aadmi Aur Insaan, I changed just a single note in the hook of that song. It transformed the composition completely and I was applauded for an excellent Punjabi folk composition! Then there is the popular folk song ‘Allah megh de paani de...’. This tune has been used by many others without any changes, and even as it is with the same mukhda. When I was assisting Hemantda, he too wanted to use it. I told him that we would make a few changes. The result was ‘Saiyyan chhod de patang...’, which no one will ever dream of believing it was sourced from there! You mainly worked with Sahir Ludhianvi, Shakeel Badayuni and Rajendra Krishan. Yes, hamari teams ban gayi thi. Sahirsaab would openly call me his favourite composer and suggest my name to whichever producer signed him before a music director was fixed. I was very fortunate to work with such brilliant writers. I also worked with Prem Dhawan, Gulshan Bawra, Indeewar, Varma Malik, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Asad Bhopali, Hasrat Jaipuri, Bharat Vyas and Shailendra and later Hassan Kamal. You had two very notable exceptions for those days - Kavi Pradeep and Anand Bakshi. I have been honoured this year with the Kavi Pradeep Shikhar Sammaan by the Malwa Rangmanch Samiti of Ujjain, Pradeepji’s birthplace, for lifetime contribution to music. I interacted with Pradeepji a lot while assisting Hemantda on films like Jagriti. I did work with Bakshisaab in a Punjabi album that was released only in the U.K. He wrote a devotional song. In films, he had formed teams with others. You occasionally wrote lyrics. Why was that? Lyrics must be perfect for a mood and a situation. Every music director contributes to so many of his songs. Sometimes, I sensed that I could write words for a situation better than a songwriter, as in `Auladwalon, phoolon phalo...’ in Ek Phool Do Mali. For some of my last few Hindi films, I wrote all the lyrics. You were the first choice for so many South banners and filmmakers making Hindi films. Where did you record the songs? I would record the songs in Mumbai, but in those days I would be in Madras for at least a week every month, doing the background scores and having discussions on stories and music. The filmmakers would have blind faith in me, especially S.S.Vasansaab of Gemini. I would send him tapes of my compositions, with a list of my suggestions, and he would tell me to record the tune of my choice. I would offer suggestions about scripts and incorporate pieces of music that gave scope for some visual embellishments. I remember contradicting Vasansaab and Ramanand Sagarsaab about a scene they wanted to cut in Ghunghat. I told them that the film would become a big hit only because of that scene, and they listened to my advice. After the feedback at the premiere, Vasansaab told me that I was right. you are back in the South, as Bombay Ravi in Malayalam films. How did that chapter begin? I was approached some time in the late ‘80s by a producer who told me that he was my fan . My first two Malaylam films Panchaagni and Nakhakshathangal were made simultaneously and were directed by the famous Hariharan. How did you approach music there? I was frankly scared when I began work, because my principle of composing after the lyrics was unshakeable. The situations were given to the writer and explained to me to get the mood. It was amusing that for the first song the writer asked me to hum out the tune, and was shocked when I said that I wanted the lyrics first! The lyrics that were approved went ‘Manyal prasadanam nitteel charti...’. I asked the writer the complete meaning sentence by sentence to ensure that I did not break any word into two, or take the wrong pauses. To give an example, ‘Roko mat, jaane do’ and ‘Roko, mat jaane do’ are completely opposite in meaning. To my surprise, they okayed the very first tune I made as fantastic. The song won Chitra a National award and I won a State award for the film! After that almost every film I did was a musical hit. I kept getting awards, and films like Vaishali, where I was told not to use a single Western instrument because it was a period film, Parinayam and many others were bumper hits. Vaishali also got me the National Award. Do you use Mumbai’s singers there? No, I use the Southern greats like Yesudas and Chitra to lend authenticity to the accents. Rahman brings in a Southern influence to his Hindi songs. Do you bring a Northern shade down there? I use Southern instruments like chuda, adakka and others to retain the nativity. But I think that my music has worked because they find my Northern flavour exciting when merged with their language, their singers and their instruments. You are doing a Bengali film for the first time. Why not do Hindi films too? Musically, Hindi films have gone completely off-track. I did a film called Ek Alag Mausam last year. I was not at all convinced of the story, and the film came and went without anyone being aware of it. How come you never did a Marathi film in five decades? Simply because I was never offered one! - 007
|
shrikant21120 |
Feb 23 2006, 03:26 AM
Post
#2
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 167 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 237 |
Thanks for this article and its link nm007!
Ravi is undoubtedly the most underrated music director of his time. People talk about Naushad, SJ, SD and OPN. But few talk about Ravi. His music speaks for himself. Every song is melodious and worth listening. Be it sung by Rafi, Lata, asha, Manna or even Kishore. Arguably he is one music director whose ratio of hit songs to "not so hit" is the hightest! Would you have any of the audio interviews by Ravi in your collection? If yes would you pl upload them. I know that one of the interviews was uploaded previously but I seemed to have missed that. thanks shrikant |
bawlachintu |
Feb 23 2006, 06:04 AM
Post
#3
|
Dedicated Member Group: Members Posts: 7418 Joined: 26-August 04 Member No.: 743 |
Thanks for this article and its link nm007! Ravi is undoubtedly the most underrated music director of his time. People talk about Naushad, SJ, SD and OPN. But few talk about Ravi. His music speaks for himself. Every song is melodious and worth listening. Be it sung by Rafi, Lata, asha, Manna or even Kishore. Arguably he is one music director whose ratio of hit songs to "not so hit" is the hightest! Would you have any of the audio interviews by Ravi in your collection? If yes would you pl upload them. I know that one of the interviews was uploaded previously but I seemed to have missed that. thanks shrikant Well said Shrikant ji. Sabka apna apna mukaam hai music world mein. Jab tak Hindustan mein shaadiyan hoti rahengi, Ravi ke compose kiye Marriage songs gaye jaate rahenge. A talented pupil of Hemant Kumar is known to have given some wonderful melodies for Punjabi Films too. Few of his great compositions are: 1. Chaudavin ka chand ho ya aaftaab ho 2. Wo dil kahan se laaon teri yaad jo bhula de. 3. Baul ki duayen leti ja, ja tujhko sukhi sansar mile Here is the best singer of universe "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." -George Bernard Shaw ." |
desai2rn |
Feb 23 2006, 06:40 AM
Post
#4
|
Dedicated Member Group: Members Posts: 1605 Joined: 16-January 04 Member No.: 189 |
Thanks for this article and its link nm007! Ravi is undoubtedly the most underrated music director of his time. People talk about Naushad, SJ, SD and OPN. But few talk about Ravi. His music speaks for himself. Every song is melodious and worth listening. Be it sung by Rafi, Lata, asha, Manna or even Kishore. Arguably he is one music director whose ratio of hit songs to "not so hit" is the hightest! Would you have any of the audio interviews by Ravi in your collection? If yes would you pl upload them. I know that one of the interviews was uploaded previously but I seemed to have missed that. thanks shrikant Well said Shrikant ji. Sabka apna apna mukaam hai music world mein. Jab tak Hindustan mein shaadiyan hoti rahengi, Ravi ke compose kiye Marriage songs gaye jaate rahenge. A talented pupil of Hemant Kumar is known to have given some wonderful melodies for Punjabi Films too. Few of his great compositions are: 1. Chaudavin ka chand ho ya aaftaab ho 2. Wo dil kahan se laaon teri yaad jo bhula de. 3. Baul ki duayen leti ja, ja tujhko sukhi sansar mile Very true. Since release of Khandan, there is hardly a Shri Krishna Janamastmi when you don't hear ' badi daare hui naandlala teri raah taake brijbala'. His music in Nazarana, pyar ka sagar, waqt, Gumraah etc will always be rememberd. Ramesh. R a m e s h
|
sri |
Feb 23 2006, 06:54 AM
Post
#5
|
Dedicated Member Group: Members Posts: 2738 Joined: 12-July 05 From: Bangalore, India Member No.: 2760 |
nm :
thx for posting the interview article ! sri "Jis din is duniya se nafrat aur khudgarzi mit jaayegi, us roz yeh insaan naachega, us roz yeh dharti gaayegi" - Rajinder Krishan (Maa baap 1959)
|
Lo-Fi Version | Disclaimer | HF Guidelines | | Time is now: 25th April 2024 - 12:01 PM |