The Magic of Playback - Part IV, 1950s - 1960s Options

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1950s

The 1950s saw the burgeoning singing, composing and writing talents of the 1940s attain full fruition. Each composer used the stunning singing talents (led by Lata Mangeshkar and Rafi) to create a series of 'Taj Mahalian' tunes for the musicals of the 50s. Naushad is the only composer in the history of playback music to have been credited above the titles of the films for which he gave music.

Not one or two songs, but entire scores became hits in the 50s. Joining the composing maestros of the previous decade were a new crop of exciting music directors like Khayyam (who started in 1948), Jaidev, Ravi and Kalyanji-Anandji. They were joined in the 60s by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and S D Burman's son Rahul Dev to re-energize film music.

1960s

Laxmikant-Pyarelal and R D Burman's neo-traditional sounds were greatly aided by the lyrical virtuosity of the incredibly longevous Anand Bakshi, who joined other wonderful wordsmiths of the 40s and 50s, such as Shakeel Badayuni, Rajinder Krishna, Sahir Ludhyanvhi, Prem Dhawan, Raja Mehndi Ali Khan, Gulzar (who made his debut as a lyricist in Bimal Roy's Bandhini), Shailender and Hasrat Jaipuri.

Looking at the musical talent that emanated from Hindi cinema in the 40s and 50s we can see a clear pattern of change and restoration in the 1960s. Of the older composers only S D Burman continued to rule the roost in the 60s (and indeed, well into the 70s). The decade saw the emergence of new talent, especially Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Anand Bakshi. From their debut in Parasmani in 1963, L-P produced chart-toppers till the early 90s. Likewise, Anand Bakshi, who made his debt in 1958 with Bhala Aadmi, continues to write youthful words (witness his lyrics for A R Rahman in Taal).

The 60s saw cyclonic changes in musical tastes. O P Nayyar and Shankar-Jaikishan's jazzy tunes for Shammi Kapoor's films - with Rafi, Lata and Asha ruling the roost - rocked the charts. By the mid 60s it was time for another change. Laxmikant-Pyarelal swept aside all the competition with hit after hit in blockbusters like Dosti, Milan and Inteqaam. The top-ranking voices still remained Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd.Rafi.

But in the 1970s the male order changed. With the superstardom of Rajesh Khanna, his favorite playback singer Kishore Kumar also attained phenomenal success. With Kishoreda came R D Burman's best phase, and this peak in R D's career also saw the coming-of-age of Asha Bhosle's vocal versatility.

Winds of change were blowing across the playback scene. If Madan Mohan and Ghulam Mohamed inaugurated the musical karma of the 70s with Dastak and Pakeezah respectively, Bappi Lahiri, who arrived on the scene with the soft and rippling sounds of "Chalte Chalte," rapidly disco-fied film music through the never ending spate of Hindi films produced in South India.