Naushad
S.R.Shaheed Banani, Dhaka
A brilliant write-up by Syed Maqsud Jamil on Naushad, widely respected as one of the greatest music directors this sub-continent has ever produced was published in your weekly magazine (July,07,2006 ).However, I feel tempted to add a few more lines on the celebrated melody maker. While narrating almost the entire range of musical compositions that Naushad made in different films, Mr. Jamil has not said anything about the fact that it was he (Naushad ) who gave Talat Mahmood the most important break in his career by using him for the first time in the film "Babul" as the play-back singer for Dilip Kumar. Who can forget the solo of Talat "Mera Jeevan Sathi Bichhar Gaya " sung for the dejected lover Dilip Kumar or his duets with Shamshad for Dilip and Manwar Sultana. Mr. Jamil has also said not a word for the classic "Deedar" wherein that unforgettable song "Meri Kahani Bhulane Wale"by Rafi and the inimitable performance of Dilip Kumar, in the role of a blind young man who had his eyesight restored but disillusioned with the cruel adversity of life made a heart-rending cry 'Booja De Ye Chirag' for a return to the world of perpetual darkness, brought tears even to the eyes of an iron-hearted man. Mohammad Rafi might have enjoyed most singing the song "Duniake Rakhwale" of Baiju Bawra but "Meri Kahani " remained as the most favourite song for Naushad himself till his death. Naushad missed K.L.Saigol in his prime when the listeners were thrilled to find Saigol singing those memorable songs like "Dunia Range Rangeli Baaba ", “Aab Mai Keya Karu” and the Bengali hits like "Ami Tomai Jato Shunie chhilem Gaan " etc. In any event, Saigol was never a playback singer and nobody could forecast how long he would have continued as a singer for the films. Naushad had a special place for Lata in his heart. Thus, in the midst of a heated argument when a Western Music Director challenged Naushad to name anything that India could take genuine pride in, Naushad's prompt reply was "Why, we have our Lata Mangesahkar, the like of which you will never come across in the Western world." Convalescing in a far away hospital in the States, Naushad made a long distance call to Lata in Bombay requesting her to sing the song "Rashike Balma " of the film "Chori Chori " over telephone. Lata complied with the request. "Chori Chori " with Raj Kapoor and Nargis was a poor version of the famous movie "It happened one night" of Hollywood with Clark Gable in the lead (the second and a much superior version being " Dil Hai Ke Mante Nahi " with Amir Khan and Puja Bhat ). Incidentally, the music director of "Chori Chori " was Shankar Jaikishan.
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