And what about that lovely, lovely Khushboo song, 'O maajhee re, apna kinara nadiya ki dhara hai'?
Those lyrics are also awesome!!
Saahilon pe behne waale kabhi suna toh hoga nahi
kaagazon ki kashtiyon ka koi kinara hota nahi
koi kinara maajhdhaare se mile woh apna kinara hai...

What an idea!! If any river-bank can shift to come midstream, only such a bank can be mine!!

Paaniyon mein beh rahe hain kayee kinaare toote huye
raaston mein mil gayee hain sabhee sahaare chhoote huye
koi sahara maanjhdhaare se mile woh apna sahara hai...

I think it so acutely expresses the anguish of a man who's caught up in the strong currents of life's unpredictable ways. Left to himself, he doesn't seem able to find his way to solid ground, so he asks - can the ground come and meet me midstream?

Wow!

Gulzar seems to have a fascination with names... or at least I am fascinated by names he chooses for his characters... The Eldest is "Nimki" (Sharmila Tagore) and middle one (Shabana) is "Mitthu" and the youngest one...as they ran out of flavours..."Chinki" . Waheeda Rehman is Jyoti(Jugni). I remember in Lekin too he has this beautiful name for his beautiful ghost... Reva... wonder what it means.


Aage... movie dekho and please comment karo...

naam mein kuchh to baat hai mmuk ji. i think i like mitthu vaise nimki bhi achchhaa hai but
it's too funny. lyrics ke liye dhanyawaad !!!

main movie nahi dekhi, review please ...

which movie ? detail please.

The name of the bangla film was "Aponjon" which translated would mean 'Mere Apne'.

Oops Shaibaal missed your post...have you seen it by any chance?

There is this song - Roz akeli aaye, roz akeli jaaye, chaand katora liye bhikharan raat - from Mere Apne that I believe was never included in the final film. Salilda, well, lifted the entire tune from a Nazrul Geeti (as the songs of Kazi Nazrul Islam are referred to) - 'meghla nishi bhorey, mon je kemon korey'. The funny thing is that one of the more popular recordings of this bangla song is in the voice of Kumar Sachin Dev Burman (!) Just an interesting trivia that I thought I would mention.

how interesting that that SDB sang that Nazrul Geet... would love to hear that version... (anyone??? ... and if one is that much of a purist then it could be u/d in the SDB section... )

Okay googled for the song with "nazrul" thanks to Shaibaal and came across some more interesting trivia on "Roz Akeli Aaye". The song was not used in the film as it was supposed to be sung by Meena Kumari and she was so ill that it could never be shot. Gulzar refused to have the song in the film as a background song so it was not included...

Two stanzas of the song were released but there were actually three stanzas. Apparently Gulzar released the song in one of his compilations and this one had a different stanza along with the common one. The compiled song is uploaded in the salilda.com site that was created by his ardent fan Gautam Choudhury.

Here is the compiled version of the song... (the first stanza is missing in most available copies of the song...)


Roj akeli aaye re roz akeli jaye
Chand katora liye bhikharan raat

Motiyon jaise taare aanchal mein hain saare(2)
Haye re phir kya maange bhikharan raat...
Roj akeli...

Jogan jaisi laage na soye na jaage(2)
Bani gali mein jaye bhikharan raat...
Roj akeli...

Roj lagaye phera hai koi nanha savera(2)
God mein bhardo aayi bhikharan raat...
Roj akeli...

Gulzar and raat and chand are old friends... here he gives a very definite twist to the usual romantic imagery used in hindi songs for raat and chand... Raat as a "bhikaran" with the chand as her "begging bowl"...

Shaibaal,

Thank you for the prompt upload... in the past week I badgered another group for this song... and got the SDB version and have been listening to it ever since. Beautiful rendition... So now for some further demands... how about a translation of the song and some info on Nazrul geeti(your source will not be revealed... )... Most of the web information on Nazrul geeti end up giving basically biographical details about Kazi Nazul Islam.

On another note... did not know it had been sung by AB too (wonder who provided the music), I was told that Manna Dey also sang a version of the same song. The "Main Albeli" track from Buzdil is also based on this song (source:Srinivas).

Madhavi,

You can listen to the Asha Bhonsle version here -

http://www.esnips.com/doc/67dc73c4-bbd1-4c...HLA-NISHI-BHORE

SD's version is indeed wonderful. About translations, what you need is a poetic one and not the literal one - and I don't have the necessary skills with the language - actually any language.

I am a huge fan of Nazrul Geeti. Unlike his illustrious contemporary, he had very modest means. The language of his poetry therefore is not of the same (for want of a better word) 'class' but more down to earth. Works for me! Also, he used almost 200 ragas for his compositions and also invented a few of his own. There is more - but maybe I should start a thread in the Bangla section with a few of my favorites....

Can someone please post the lyrics of "Haal Chal Theek Thaak Hai"

I have a question on Gulzar's Aandhi movie.
I thought this movie was banned during Indira Gandhi's emergency era.
When the movie reappeared, did they cut out any songs or scenes?

Hari Ram

Before Aandhi was banned during emergency by then govt (congress) it showed Suchitra Sen's character smoking and having a drink. Upon it's next release Gulzar was forced to cut these scenes. Gulzar needs to release the original version restoring all those cuts.

Nov 5 2005, 01:16 AM Post #1


‘Do you have any idea of sur and taal?’ How aandhi got its songs - Gulzar
[Published in Latest Filmfare]

Time for a flashback once again. Since November 6 marks the 20th death anniversary of Sanjeev Kumar, I’ve chosen one of Sanjeev’s and my favourite films, Aandhi, as the topic of this month’s conversation.

In a way, Sanjeev and I grew up together. I knew him from his early National Theatre days. I was associated with IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association) and we’d often meet while rehearsing at the Bhulabhai auditorium in Mumbai. Sanjeev had played the old man in All My Sons, with Leela Chitnis playing his wife, and he must have been just 22 or 23 when he played the character. The best compliment he received was from Prithviraj Kapoor who asked him after the show, “Who was that old man?� Sanjeev was thrilled that the thespian himself hadn’t recognised him.

As far as I was concerned, Sanjeev Kumar was born an old man for me and he played a role much beyond his age the very first time he worked with me, in Parichay. If you’ve observed, his age group and costumes were almost the same in both Mausam and Aandhi. And yet how differently he portrayed the two characters. This is something budding actors must learn from him —changing a costume is not enough to play a different character.

So how did Aandhi come about? The story started with J Om Prakash, who wanted to make a film with Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen. He asked me to direct it. Sachin Bhowmick, who’d written the story, narrated it to me, in the presence of Sanjeev Kumar and Omji. But I felt the heroine’s role didn’t do justice to Suchitraji’s talent. I told them, if this is the story you want to make, there’s no need to trouble Suchitraji. Any actress could do the role. To my pleasant surprise, Sachinda agreed with me.

The question then arose: What should we make? I told them I’d think about a story. And came up with a synopsis revolving around a politician who arrives at a hotel to discover the hotel manager is her estranged husband. To begin with the husband is very traditional, conservative. He doesn’t like his wife going out to work. But towards the end, he realises his mistake. So when the wife tells him she wants to give up her career, he tells her, “No, you have a duty to the nation. I don’t want to see you defeated—at home or outside it. I’m there with you.� The change in the husband drives the point home that a woman has as much right to go out as the man.

Contrary to popular opinion, my story wasn’t based on Indira Gandhi’s life. It had nothing to do with Indiraji. She was just the role model for the lady politician. Frankly, who better could there be? She was such a dynamic lady.

But one theatre publicised the movie with the line, “See the Prime Minister of India.� Filmfare published a photograph of that theatre and a controversy erupted. The Emergency was on and the movie was banned in its 23rd week. I was in Moscow with the print of the film when I got the news. We tried our best to get the ban revoked and J Omji pursued the matter relentlessly.

We were then asked to make a few changes in the movie. It was suggested that the protagonist, ie Suchitraji, should declare in the film that she’s a great fan of Indiraji’s. So the scene was added on, to make it clear that Suchitraji isn’t Indira Gandhi. And we got it passed by Indiraji’s government.


But Indira Gandhi lost the elections soon after. Some people asked me to revert to my original movie. But I said, it’s just a matter of time before she comes back. And that’s exactly what happened—she was back after two years.

One interesting aspect that was brought to my notice after the movie was ready was that there’s just one female character in the entire film! There’s a mention of her daughter but you never see her. I hadn’t realised that, Omji hadn’t, even the actors hadn’t!

But Sanjeev Kumar complained, “Yaar, every time I hear your script, you tell me it’s my film, but when I see the movie, to heroine ki hoti hai.� But I personally thought the movie belonged to both Sanjeev and Suchitra. If the story is about a husband and wife, how can it be just the wife’s story? I remember that when Meghna was making Filhaal, several heroes rejected the movie because they felt pregnancy is a woman’s problem. How can pregnancy be a woman’s problem without a man being involved? Similarly, in Aandhi, it’s just that the woman is the cause of conflict, so it seems as if the focus
is on her.

The music of Aandhi was a big high for Pancham and me. In the song Is mod se jaate hain kuch sust kadam raste, there’s a line Patthar ki haveli ko sheeshe ke gharondon mein, tinkon ke nasheman tak. After he’d composed the song, I found Pancham deep in thought. Suddenly, he asked me, “Gullu, where is this nasheman?� He thought it was the name of some place that the roads led to. I had to tell him that nasheman meant a ghosla or nest.
Cut to when we were shooting the song. This time it was Sanjeev’s turn to ask me the same question. “I’ve never had to ask the meaning of any lyrics. But what does nasheman mean?� he queried.

As for Tere bina zindagi se, it simply happened one day at Pancham’s house. I had dropped in and found him composing a tune for a Durga Pooja album with Gauri Prassano, one of Bengal’s top lyricists. The lyrics went something like Amar deri holo je. I was so struck by the tune that I just started writing Hindi lyrics for it even as they were polishing it. After Gaurida left, Pancham asked me, “Now what do you want me to compose for you?� I told him, “Yehi gaana karenge.�

So we kept the original tune for the mukhda, and he composed something else for the antara. But when I inserted some dialogue into the lyrics, Pancham scolded me, “Do you have any idea of sur and taal? You cut in with your dialogue anywhere you want. It’s not done!� But we did it!

Lyrics >>>>
of Tere bina zindagi se
Tere bina zindagi se koi
shikwa toh nahin, shikwa nahin,
shikwa nahin, shikwa nahin
Tere bina zindagi bhi lekin zindagi toh nahin, zindagi nahin,
zindagi nahin, zindagi nahin

Tere bina. zindagi se koi
shikwa toh nahin...

Kaash aisa ho tere kadamon se
Chunke manzil chalein,
aur kahin, door kahin—2
Tum agar saath ho,
manzilon ki kami to nahin
Tere bina zindagi se koi
shikwa toh nahin, shikwa nahin
shikwa nahin, shikwa nahin

Ji mein aata hai tere daman mein
Sar chupake hum
rote rahen, rote rahen—2
Teri bhi aankhon mein aansooyon ki nami toh nahin

Tere bina zindagi se koi shikwa toh nahin...

Tum jo keh do to aaj ki raat
Chaand dubega nahin,
raat ko rok lo—2
Raat ki baat hai aur zindagi baki toh nahin
Tere bina zindagi se koi
shikwa toh nahin...

Hari Ram ji,

Please call me Madhavi... okay googled and got this from a site:



Here is a cut and paste from P1j's post in HF on Gulzar's Aandhi:

(link: http://www.hamaraforums.com/index.php?showtopic=16880)

Thanks for fetching the article on Aandhi so quickly. After you mention about the female character's smoking and drinking scenes, I recollect some parts of the movie. A few years ago, I watched this movie from a VCD.
I don't recollect seeing Suchitra Sen smoking or taking liquor. But there is scene where Sanjeev Kumar jokingly asks her if she would like a Coca Cola. Then the scene leads to a flash back of Suchitra Sen having a DUI accident.

Hari Ram

Is mod se jaate hain.... is loosely based on a poem written by Gulzar. It is said that the poem was written more in quiet angst than happiness. It was the time when his relationship with Rakhee was strained.

Us mod pe baitha hoon
jis mode se jaati hain
har ek taraf raahen...

Ik roz toh yoon hoga
jis mod pe baitha hoon
us mod pe aakar tum
ruk jaaogi, keh dogi
woh kaunsa raasta hai
jis raah se jaana hai...

Here are the lyrics of the song... could not catch some of the words though...

Kabhi Chand ki tarah tapki
Kabhi Raah Mein Padi paayi
Attanni Si Zindagi ye zindagi
Kabhi Cheenk Ki tarah Khanki
Kabhi Jeb Se Nikal Aayi
Attani Si Zindagi...

Kabhi Chehre Pe Jadi Dekhi
Kahin Mod Pe Khadi Dekhi
Sheeshe ke martbano(?) mein
Dukano Pe Padi Dekhi
Chaukanni Si Zindagi
Ye Zindagi...

(?) Laga Ke Milti Hai
Masoomiyat Se Khilti Hai
Kabhi (?) haath mein lekar
Shakhon Pe Baithi Hilti Hai
Nahni si Zindagi yeh zindagi

Madhavi,

Thanks for these songs. I am not familiar with this song; but happened to have the lyrics.

I have the questionable words as follows:
'Sheeshe ke martbaanon'
'tamage lagaake milte hai ...'
'kabhi phool haath mein lekar ...'

Hari Ram

Thanks Hari Ram for your prompt response. You seem to have quite an eclectic fund of knowledge.

Madhavi

Uploading the rest of the songs

Jahan Tum Le Chalo - You Face(Hariharan).mp3
128/4.08
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Yeh Kaisi Chaap(Lata_SureshW).mp3
128/5.08
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Thak Gayee Ho To(Lata_Suresh).mp3
128/4.41
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Shauq Khwab Ka(Lata).mp3
128.4.04
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Dekho To Aasman(Suresh).mp3
128/5.46
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Atthanni Si Zindagi(Suresh).mp3
128/3.10

Bawlachintu

Bimal Roy's assistant, Asit Sen remade his Bengali hit movie -Deep Jele Jaye (1959) - ten years later in Hindi as Khamoshi. Waheeda Rehman plays the central character of the nurse working in a hospital for the mentally disturbed. Hemant Kumar was the music director for both the Hindi and the Bengali versions. In this Lata solo, the scenes shifts between Waheeda travelling in a taxi and the actress in the radio station actually singing the song. This song not only talks of the 'fragrance of the eyes' but also talks of having seen it. How does one see fragrance? IMO the same way one smells the sounds of "silence".

RD always grumbled affectionately about this song and the "Mera Kuch Samaan Song" as two of the most eccentric tracks that he had to compose for Gulzar...Note the guitar strumming in the song... by Bhupinder...

Hmmm... Baanki Chali...mmm Jhaanki chali
Panta Bhate Tatka Begun Pora....
Aanki chali baanki chali
Chowringhee mein Jhanki Chali
Panta bhate tatka begun pora


Ek gali se jhumman nikle
Ek gali se jhuniya
Beech sadak pe ho gayi saari
Bhaad mein jaaye duniya
Jhoom jhoom ke jhoomke naache Jhuniya
Nache Jhuniya bai
Sau sau phere leve jhumman
Khoob baji shehnai...
Aanki chali...

Jhumman ke ghar beti janmi
Jhuniya jaise gaal
Mooch marod ke nikle Jhumman
Ja pahunche sasural(2)
Baat Baat Pe Khansi Bole
Paani Mange Aag(?)
Pyase mar gaye Jhumman miya
Par na chhodi taap
Aanki chali...

Jeem Se Jhumman Jheem Jalebi...
Jhumman Jhunniya Jeem
Har litti(?) ki patti padke
Jhumman hue hakeem
Phool phool ke phulka phule
Pichak pichak pichkari
Nimki lave katha chuna
Mithhu Paan Supari
Aanki chali...


Aaki chali baaki chali

BC you owe me for this one...had to play the song ten times at least to catch all the words... Your comments please...

Maya Memsaab (1992)

...........................

A request: There is a short song in the movie by HMangeshkar: "Maya Jaagi Chhaya jaagi" . Could someone upload it please? TIA

Here it is:

Song: Maya Jaagi Chhaya jaagi
Film: Maya Memsaab (1993)
Singer: Hridayanath Mangeshkar
MD: Hridayanath Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Gulzar
Mp3, 128 kbps, 2.81 MB, 3m 04s

Click to view attachment

Uploading the rest of the songs

Jahan Tum Le Chalo - You Face(Gary Lawyer).mp3
128/4.08
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Yeh Kaisi Chaap(Lata_SureshW).mp3
128/5.08
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Thak Gayee Ho To(Lata_Suresh).mp3
128/4.41
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Shauq Khwab Ka(Lata).mp3
128.4.04
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Dekho To Aasman(Suresh).mp3
128/5.46
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Atthanni Si Zindagi(Suresh).mp3
128/3.10

Ooooooooooooo Maaadhavijiiiii, Yeh Kya Kar Diya Aapne???? Itna Achha Ganaa Upload Kar Diya??? Kyon????? Oh, thank u soooo much much!!

Uploading the rest of the songs

Jahan Tum Le Chalo - You Face(Gary Lawyer).mp3
128/4.08
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Yeh Kaisi Chaap(Lata_SureshW).mp3
128/5.08
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Thak Gayee Ho To(Lata_Suresh).mp3
128/4.41
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Shauq Khwab Ka(Lata).mp3
128.4.04
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Dekho To Aasman(Suresh).mp3
128/5.46
Jahan Tum Le Chalo - Atthanni Si Zindagi(Suresh).mp3
128/3.10

Omkarji,
Gul chaho to niklo shoo-e-'Gulzar',
kabhi-kabhi.
Hardam na sahi, magar aye mare yaar,
kabhi-kabhi.

Inaam Sahab Ek Gulzar Ki Kavita Ke Baare Mein Keh Rahe Thhey

Here's a list of Gulzar's movies (as a lyricist) -
1955 SWAMI VIVEKANAND
1961 KABULIWALA
1963 BANDINI
1965 PURNIMA
1966 BIWI AUR MAKAN
1960 Do Dooni Chaar
1966 SANNATA
1968 Aashirwaad
1968 Rahgir
1970 KHAMOSHI
1971 ANAND
1971 GUDDI
1971 SEEMA
1971 Mere Apne
1972 ANUBHAV
1972 PARICHAY
1974 DOOSRI SITA
1975 AANDHI
1975 KHUSHBOO
1976 MAUSAM
1977 GHARONDA
1977 KINARA
1977 PALKON KI CHHAAON MEIN
1977 SHAQUE
1977 Khatta Meetha
1978 DEVTA
1978 GHAR
1979 GOLMAAL
1980 GRAH PRAVESH
1980 SITARA
1980 SWAYAMVAR
1980 THODI SI BEWAFAI
1981 BASERA
1981 GEHRAYEE
1981 NARAM GARAM
1982 ANGOOR
1982 NAMKEEN
1983 MASOOM
1983 Sadma
1984 TARANG
1985 Ghulami
1986 Jeeva
1986 EK PAL
1987 Jaliyan Wala Bagh
1991 LEKIN
1993 Maya Memsaab
1993 Rudaali
1996 Maachis
1997 Chachi 420
1997 Daayra
1999 Hu Tu Tu
1999 Jahan Tum Le Chalo
2000 Fiza
2005 Bunty Aur Babli
2006 Omkara


Anand Niketan ? (early)
Diler Hasina ? (v early)

Okay, edited as per Hum Tum and Madhavi's inputs.

Madhavi,
Omkarji ne 'Jahan Tum Le Chalo' ki taraf dhyan khicha to maine ise fir se suna aur paya ki 'Thak Gayee Ho To' solo hai Suresh ki aawaz me, aur 'Yeh Kaisi Chaap' solo hai Vishal ki arddhangini(Rekha Bharadwaj) ki aawaz me.

Gulzar ne ek interview me 'Shauq Khwab Ka' ke Rekha version ka zikr kiya tha. Any chance?

Bahut Khoob anjvajay Ji.

Aapne Bhi Tou Kucch Anmol Moti Bikher Rakhe Hain Apne Thread(on) Main.

Inaam Sahab Ek Gulzar Ki Kavita Ke Baare Mein Keh Rahe Thhey,
'Shaayed Ye Ho,
Shaayed Ye Hi Hogi' (Gulzarish-Style Main )

Subahaa-Subahaa Ek Khwaab Ke Dastak Par, Darwazaa Khola,
Dekha,
Sarhad Ke Us Par Se Kucch Mehmaan Aaye Hain,
Aankhon Se Mayuus Thhey Saare,
Chehere Saare Sune-Sunaaye.

Paanv Dhoye, Haath Dhulaaye,
Aangan Mein Aasan Lagwaaye,
Aur Tandoor Pe Makki Ke,
Kucch Mote-Mote Rott Pakaaye.

Potali Mein Mehman Mere,
Picchli Faslon Ka Guud Laaye Thhey,
Aankh Khul To Dekha,
Ghar Mein Koii Nahin Thaa,
Haath Lagaa Kar Dekha ,
To Tandoor Abhi Takk Buujha Nahin Thaa,
Aur Onthon Par Mitthe Guud Ka Zayeka,
Ab Takk Chhipak Rahaa Thaa.

Khwaab Thaa Shaayed.
Khwaab Hi Hoga.
Shab Par Sunaa Hai
Kal Raat Chhali Thi Goli,
Sarhad Par Sunaa Hai,
Kucch Khwaab Masood(?) Hua Hai.

Gulzaar Sahab Ki Awaaz Mein Bhi suno...

Click to view attachment


USR

Ajay,

Just checked the "Thak Gayee Ho" song, it is not a duet but a solo. I got all the song info from Ultra-India and had not checked against the songs. No, I am afraid I don't have the Rekha solo.

Madhavi

The Songs has become something you consume instantly
Gulzar Tells Chatura Rao

Immaculate in his legendary white kurta pyjama and white jooties, he looks older than you expect.

But once Gulzar begins to address you in his well modulated voice, the impression of age magically disappears. You are enveloped instead by the presence of a legend - a man who began with SD Burman and decades later, has composed to A R Rahman's path breaking new age music; aman who has been honoured with seven national awards for his skills in screenplay, direction and lyrics; and has moved you with his films, Aandhi, Ijaazat,Mausam, Maachis...

The venue is a colourful wood-panelled room in Boskiana, his bungalow. The time of day, a dark, mansoon evening. The idea? To read more into his recent lyric release, the songs of a small, but interesting first film, Desh Deepak's Jahan Tum Le Chalo.

The film casts Nirmal Pandey and Sonali Kulkarni and music by Vishal Bhardwaj. Excerpts:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the last couple of years, you've worked with Mani Ratnam on Dil Se on one hand, and with Desh Deepak, a newcomer, on the other. How do you select your films?

The subject is the major attraction. I dont care how big or small the scale of the film, as long as it has something unusual to say. Jahan Tum... seemed a clean film, and I liked Desh's approach.

I've worked on many 'firsts' : Ramesh Sippy's Andaaz, Prakash Jha's Hip Hip Hurray, Kalpana Lazmi's Ek Pal, Ramesh Sharma's New Delhi Times, Bhimsen's Gharonda,shekhar Kapoor's Masoom....

Speaking of Desh Deepak's 'first' then, the song 'Aththanni Si Zindagi' seems to stand out

The lyrics of the song complement its lilting melody and beat. The song is about life's spontanaeity.
But more lasting, I think, will be the song Jhooth Bolta Hai Roz Roz Aaina, sung by Lataji and then again by Rekha Bhardwaj. It has more depth.

You've teamed up with Vishal regularly since you first worked with him on the theme song of the serial, 'Daane Anaar Ke'. What is so special about his music?

I was responsible for giving him his first feature film break - we did Maachis together. He brought melody back into music when there was only beat. In Jahan Tum... too, it's his melody that holds you.

Dil Se was your first venture with AR Rehman. It was a succesful liaison - the album stands out from among the year's offerings. But did this kind of music undercut your lyrics?

Certainely not. The music and lyrics in all the songs make the journey together - neither overtakes the other. Rehman's music like Vishal's, will survive. It has both a classical and folk quality that are deeply attached to the soil. All the songs in Dil Se have a sufiana feel.
Rehman has broken the conventional format of the sng, bringing it closer to blank verse, free verse. (Pauses) I would like to work again with him.

Who is your favourite music director of all time?

R D Burman, of course. We joined the film industry together, he assisting S D Burman, and I, as assistant to Bimal Roy. We got our first break almost at the same time, worked and grew together.
There will never be anyone quite like him

You've Worked with several generations of music directors. How has the place of the lyric changed down the ages?

Well the standards of poetry have dropped along with the deterioration of values in today's world. The song has become some thing you consume instantly
I believe this instant quality in songs will pass.

Will music always be dear to the Indian Audience?

Music has a natural place in our lives. Right from the shlok you recite in your morning puja and the milkman who comes whistling on his cycle, to the fakir singing as he begs for alms and your mother humming around the kitchen...music fills our spaces naturally.
it will always be dear to us.

Speaking of Desh Deepak's 'first' then, the song 'Aththanni Si Zindagi' seems to stand out

The lyrics of the song complement its lilting melody and beat. The song is about life's spontanaeity.
But more lasting, I think, will be the song Jhooth Bolta Hai Roz Roz Aaina, sung by Lataji and then again by Rekha Bhardwaj. It has more depth.

You've teamed up with Vishal regularly since you first worked with him on the theme song of the serial, 'Daane Anaar Ke'. What is so special about his music?

I was responsible for giving him his first feature film break - we did Maachis together. He brought melody back into music when there was only beat. In Jahan Tum... too, it's his melody that holds you.

Will music always be dear to the Indian Audience?

Music has a natural place in our lives. Right from the shlok you recite in your morning puja and the milkman who comes whistling on his cycle, to the fakir singing as he begs for alms and your mother humming around the kitchen...music fills our spaces naturally.
it will always be dear to us.