Gulzar Remembers Options

[Zayed]

Hello members,


GULZAR REMEMBERS :


<<His new anthology revives his music and memories of old friends.


The Album

When HMV expressed a desire to compile my songs on the occasion of my birthday, I was sceptical. "Not another anthology," was my first reaction. But they were adamant. And I'm glad I went along with the idea. I had nothing to do with the selections for ‘Mera Kuch Samaan’. It includes some numbers that are close to my heart - 'Dil dhoondta hai' and 'Chaiyyan chaiyyan.' There are also some surprise packages like Hemantda's 'Abhi na parda girao.'

Hemant Kumar

Hemantda brings back a flood of memories. He was as tall in physique as he was strong in temperament. He was God's chosen one - that's how I remember him... a fabulous human being! When our team, comprising Hrishida (Mukherjee), Salilda (Chowdhary) and Asit Sen split up after the death of Bimalda (Roy), Hemantda kept our camaraderie and courage going. From 'Ganga aaye kahan se' to 'Tum pukar lo,' I worked in close collaboration with him throughout his life.

The Mangeshkar Sisters

What can I say about their contribution to my songs? As Pancham (RD Burman) would often say, the Mangeshkar sisters are like the Gary Sobers and Don Bradman of the music world. Pancham, Lataji and I shared several golden moments together. I remember, during the recording of 'Aapki aankhon mein kuch mehke huey se raaz hain' from Ghar, Pancham was mortally afraid to ask Lataji to use the word 'badmashiyon' (mischief). I was given the onerous task. When Lataji read the word she smiled and added her own inimitable harkat while singing it. As for Asha, she is like my elder sister. In fact, I'm partial to her. She's my Boudi ...married to my dear friend and confidante Pancham. If Lataji has lent her voice for my films like Aandhi, Mausam and Libaas, Asha did the entire score in Namkeen and Ijaazat and our collaborative effort Dil Padosi Hai with Pancham, a personal favourite.

Kishore Kumar

He was Pancham's dear friend and became mine too. He sang some of my best songs like 'Musafir hoon yaaron' and 'O majhi re.' He was terrific company and a great entertainer.


RD Burman

Not a day passes without my thinking of him. What he gave to my films was important, but what he gave me as a friend is irreplaceable. Pancham and I spent hours in each other's company. My lyrics would drive him up the wall. But he'd finally come up with the right tune for even those lines that he didn't understand.

The current generation

After Pancham, I've enjoyed working with Vishal Bharadwaj and A R Rahman immensely. Vishal's songs in Maachis and Rahman's tracks in Dil Se and Saathiya are outstanding. Of the newer lot, Shankar, Ehsaan, and Loy are promising.

The future

I hope 'Mera Kuch Samaan' strikes a chord with music listeners. To assume that today's generation has lost touch with poetry and music is unfair. Let's not make excuses for mediocrity. Didn't MM Kreem come up with some fine music in Paheli recently ?>>


MusicIndiaOnline,
September, 2005





Zayed